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Employment City. Population: Me!

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Lyn

As you know if you’ve been a reader for a hot minute, I had no job when I moved out to the suburbs in March. No. Job. Nojob. No income. Nothing. I mean really, who does that?

Well, that’s actually not completely true. When I gave notice at my job in the city, they asked that I stay on for a couple of weeks on a part-time basis to finish a project and help the new girl transition into my role. I spent three weeks going into the city two days per week and working five hours per day, which wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to me. I got to hang out with my sister and make a few bucks while looking for employment out here. But the arrangement was temporary and after three weeks had run its course. I still didn’t have a new job and my bank account was groaning under the weight of our new house.

http://explodingdog.com/

In the weeks leading up to our big move, I applied for several positions similar to what I was doing in fundraising. It just seemed like an automatic move. But the more jobs I applied for, the more descriptions I read, the more I combed through my cover letter, the more I knew I had absolutely no desire to continue in the nonprofit world. None. In fact, I dreaded hearing from any of the jobs I applied for. Clearly, it was time to make a change. The problem? After working in the nonprofit sector for most of my career, I honestly had no idea how to look for a job in the corporate world. If I couldn’t find it on npo.net, it may as well not exist.

I updated my resume on CareerBuilder, but was underwhelmed by the options posted in my area (understatement). I applied for a few positions here and there, but then I saw it: a job I might actually be qualified for that I might actually want to do. I applied via CareerBuilder and waited… for about thirty minutes, when I received a phone call from the placement agency that had posted the ad. They liked me; maybe not for that job, but for something. And something was certainly better than the nothing I was quickly becoming accustomed to in my job search.

I went for an interview at the placement agency a couple of days later and discussed an opportunity at a large retail chain headquartered about 10 miles from our new house. It seemed too good to be true. I was expecting to commute at least 30-45 minutes each way, so the 20 minute drive from home was perfect. Further, it was exactly what I asked for after my last job: clean, corporate, and a good work/life balance.

Long story short, I went in for three nerve-wracking interviews over most of April. And in the end, I got a job. I’m now on week 2, day 2 of my new corporate life. Really, I dig it. After several years in positions that offered no training, no assistance, and no one who could answer a basic question, I like that over 100 other people do the same job I do. I like that I can ask any question I can possibly think of and someone will know the answer. We have kitchens with microwaves that aren’t from 1987. We have snack drawers. Guys, we have coffee machines. Machines… that’s plural. Bliss.

So that’s that, for now. I’m still in training (training!) so I haven’t really started working yet. It remains to be seen how I’ll feel when I’m being given actual responsibility, but until then I’m enjoying soaking up the culture as well as the information. Next step? Making some friends. After a month and a half, it’s getting mighty lonely out here in the ‘burbs.

How did you get your last job?

May ipsy GlamBag – Spring Fling

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Lyn

Another month, another fabulous ipsy GlamBag. Seriously, you guys. I know everyone has their own preferences and I’ve read plenty of disgruntled ipsy reviews, but I’ve gotten nothing but awesome so far. This is my third month with ipsy and although I’ve loved it each and every month, I’ve neglected to review any of them. It ends here, folks.

This month’s bag was “Spring Fling” themed and contained five items as well as the adorable bag. I loved the colors on this chevron-print bag and will totally use it on the regular. Orange is kinda my thing and this bag delivers. I’ve gotten several Juice Beauty products over the last few months, and I’m super excited about this full size Reflecting Gloss in Fig. Frosty pink just isn’t for me, and I appreciate a darker lip gloss. The gloss factor is non-sticky and subtle, and doesn’t give me ‘stripper mouth’ as my college boyfriend would have so eloquently put it. The scent is candy sweet, but not intolerable. It is summer after all. If you can’t hang with the candied scents, the rest of this bag won’t be your deal.

Keeping with the sweet trend, the full size roll-on Pacifica perfume comes in Island Vanilla and smells not unlike the perfume I bought at Claire’s when I was 12 (memories!). I probably wouldn’t wear this sweet scent on date night with my manfriend, but I’d wear it on a sunny summer day while eating pastel-colored cupcakes in a vintage dress on a picnic blanket in a field of wildflowers. It’ll happen.

The weird-looking circular caucasian flesh-colored item is a tiny tin of Yaby concealer. A couple of months ago I received a rectangular metal box that came with two magnetic tins of eyeshadow. This tiny tin will accompany those eyeshadows in my metal box. An interesting concept, and plenty cute once you understand what the hell it is.

The last two items fit in perfectly with the theme, too. You know how much I love a good nail polish, and this formaldehyde-free, purple Zoya number is an awesome summer color. I was actually secretly admiring the shade on a coworker earlier today (more on that later!) and was super stoked to come home and receive a similar shade in my mailbox. Those GlamBag gods know all. A shimmery body butter by Pacifica in Crushed Coconut Pearl is perfect for a sundress kinda day, as long as I can keep the bees away from me. I had a former coworker who swore by Pacifica’s lotions (you can also find them at Target) and I will definitely be using this in the coming summer months.

This thing really needed my attention while I was taking photos.

My bag also came with a $110 credit for hairstyling tools and hair extensions at numeproducts.com. I’m still considering a clipless curling iron, but I just haven’t been able to pull the trigger yet. Maybe soon. Seriously love this month’s isy GlamBag. Wanna love it, too? Sign up here!

Honesty is the Best Policy

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Lyn

So, I’ve been away for a bit. We’ve been busy with moving and decorating and all of the craziness that goes along with it. I’ve been job-hunting and we’ve started planting out at the farm. We have a greenhouse with actual green things inside, and we have rows upon rows of planted seeds and seedlings sprouting up. Things. Are. Happening.

And I’ll be honest and say that I’ve been struggling a bit with writer’s block. When I started this blog, I was focused on saving money for our dreams. Just as our dreams are quickly becoming reality and being replaced with new ones, my personal finance focus is fading and being replaced with the new interests of my new, vastly different life. I have been blogging pretty anonymously, but I’d like to be more real.

So the question is, where do I go from here? While I would like to keep writing, I don’t want to feel locked into a certain subject or focus. I want to write about the silly things that happen every day and I want to connect with my readers without having to talk about dollars and cents. I’m considering a new online life. I’m considering a rebrand to be more true to myself.

Fellow bloggers, how have you grown since you began blogging? Have you ever felt locked into a certain category? If you have re-created your online-self, how did you go about it?

Hows About Cookin’ Something Up With Me?

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Lyn

We’re in a rut, you guys.

Salad, pasta, soup, salad, pasta, soup. Sweet lord, we are so boring. It’s like we live at an Olive Garden, but our salads aren’t as addictive, the pasta is bland(er), and there are no friggin’ breadsticks. Something must change before we kill our budget eating out on the regular to avoid our lame-o cupboards.

We want to eat at home – honestly, we do! When we lived in the city we usually got home so hungry it was all we could do to wait 4 and a half minutes for a Boca burger and canned corn. The thought of waiting for something to bake… siiighhh. When we could manage to hold our horses for 20 minutes, making some pasta or macaroni and cheese was an unexpected delight. We had a few recipes we liked, but finding the time and remembering to actually pick up ingredients was a challenge.

But it must change! Now that we are out in the suburbs and my boyfriend is commuting back and forth from the city each day, I have about an hour and a half between when I’d get home from work (fingers crossed) and when he typically walks in the door and drops his coat on the nearest surface. I’d like to use that time to my benefit and get a lot more creative in preparing meals and feel a bit more accomplished in the kitchen-al region.

It is said that if you can read, you can cook. So what say you, Internet friends? Hit me with your best recipe-related shot in the comments below, taking heed of the following restrictions: no beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or shellfish (pescatarian-ish), no dairy (lactose issue), and nothing super spicy (shared personal preference). I’ll try them out and report back with my findings.

April Birchbox – Tiny Tweaks, Big Results

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Lyn

In about an hour, I’m off to my Spring Celebration conference for Tupperware in beautiful Oak Brook, Illinois. It’s my very first TupperConference and I’m looking forward to the experience. I haven’t had time to organize any parties in the last couple of weeks and I don’t know anyone out here yet to host, so I feel kind of like a TupperFailure at the moment. I’m hoping the conference will reboot my mojo. BUT, I did get my Birchbox and Ipsy in the mail yesterday, and wanted to share at least one of my new treasures with my internet pals. I apologize in advance for the craptastic photos. I have no idea where my camera is, so I used my phone. Growing pains.

It’s like the Birchbox folks heard how much I liked the box last month and were like “OK, dudes, we can let this one slide a little bit. She’s a happy camper.” I like it, but I don’t love it.

I don’t use weekly masks, nightly eye cream, or wrinkle-reducing stuff because my skin is dandy and I look like I’m 16 already. I need pro-aging activities, like hanging out in the sun without sunscreen and smoking two packs per day, because they maybe people would take me seriously when I’m in my grown-up clothes instead of asking who I’m interning for.

But thanks for the tiny tube of Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate. I bet it’s awesome because Kiehl’s makes some quality ish that’s usually out of my price range, but I’m going to pass it on to someone who doesn’t have lines but thinks she does, because if I give it to someone in actual need I’m only going to offend them.

Ohhh, it’s this kind of perfume sample again. The kind I can’t seem to pry to lid off of without spilling it all over my hands, dropping it on the floor, and watching it roll under my desk. It’s really more of an air freshener that way. I managed to eek the lid off of this Orange Sanguine Atelier Cologne a tiny bit, and it smells nice (a blend of citrus and jasmine, lovely for summer) so I’ll give it a try, but only in the safety of my bathroom.

I am planning on actually using these two items. One is a sample of Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir that only sounds like what the Meryl Streep drank in Death Becomes Her. I may look like I’m a teenager, but my hair is definitely aging as I’m growing it out. The promise of returning to its former glory is nice. This product claims to combat breakage, volume loss, dryness and brittleness.

I’ll also give this Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-On a try sometime soon. It says it is good for sensitive skin, and everyone deals with a little puffiness now and again. The package recommends keeping the roll-on in the fridge for maximum cooling power, but I doubt I will. I don’t want to run down to my fridge to grab my eye cream. I already keep enough weird things in the fridge.

At first I thought this Mirenesse Glossy Kiss was a lip liner, which gave me a sad because it’s not 1993 (no offense to those who use lip liner. I know it helps keep bright lipstick from smudging but…). But it’s actually a lip stain that can also be used as a blush. My mom used to do this with her lipstick in the car on the way to synagogue so I just can’t bring myself to do it. The color, Flirty Kiss, is a bold red that I’ll definitely be trying when I’m not about to leave for a conference and can deal with stained lips in the privacy of my home.

I’ll see you guys and discuss my Ipsy bag when I return from TupperLand. It’s a good one, y’all. Here’s a spoiler: I finally got nail polish!

Want to try Birchbox for yourself? Sign up here!

Making This House a Home (Slowly)

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Lyn

It’s been a bit quiet around the blog. We made the final move out of the city Friday afternoon and have been unpacking boxes and attempting to put together a house for the past several days. Since we only owned a bed, a couple of bookcases, a coffee table, and a whole lot of boxes full of stuff, finding everything we need for an actual house has been a bit of a challenge.

Wanting to make our bedroom a bit more homey (and private, as the windows were completely bare), I headed to Ikea on Sunday to buy some bed linens and curtains. Naturally, my boyfriend’s tastes are far more masculine than mine, and as much as I don’t want to live in a blue plaid room, he has no desire to sleep in flowered bedsheets. I don’t know about your Ikea, but mine is a cell phone reception black hole, and going without my boyfriend in tow was probably a mistake. After several picture texts (struggling, struggling to send through the Ikea fortress) and discussions, we did end up settling on a duvet cover, quilt, and curtains (though the curtains were a struggle). Lo and behold, we get them home, put everything up, and realize that there are mysterious red lines on the curtains. D’oh. Back to Ikea you go.

I also didn’t account for our bed being much higher than it used to be now that we have an actual wooden bedframe instead of the default, foldable steel frame that my beds have always resided in during my city life. After seeing how pitiful the full/queen duvet looked on our bed, we decided to take them back for the king. Another item headed back to the Ikea stockroom. Sighhhh.

My father happened to be in town last weekend and got to see the new house. He’d wanted to buy us a housewarming gift, but we didn’t know what we needed quite yet so he wrote us a check to buy something useful. Yeah, we could have spent it on awesome stuff like liquor and candy, but after having the new carpets put in, the answer was clear: VACUUM CLEANER, PLZ. I perused the selection at Target, but ended up purchasing a Shark Navigator Professional at Costco for $150, the same price for a lower-end Shark at Target. With my dad’s contribution, this was a really reasonable buy for us and hopefully something that will last a bit longer than the $60 options. We took it for a spin last night around our second floor landing. I guess this is growing up, y’all.

Slowly but surely, our house is coming together. Now that the carpets are down and the painting is done (well, at least what needed to be painted right away) and we are able to unpack, we have discovered a great need to purchase actual furniture to put things away in. Funny how that works. We have the cable guy scheduled for Monday to install internet and TV, after which point I should be back in the land of the living. But until then, assume I’m cleaning something.

Adventures in Short Sales, Part V: Happy Ending?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Lyn

We finally closed on the house! It felt like the day would never come.

After the bank accepted our short sale offer, they also came back with a closing date of March 18. March 18! Suddenly, our packing efforts were put into overdrive. We knew our lease ended at the end of March, but we were expecting to have to extend the lease a month or two in the short sale process. And while we had until the end of the month, we decided to move most of our stuff the weekend before and live in the shell of an empty apartment until the end of the lease so I could continue to go to work and we’d have time to clean up the apartment for the walk-through. That cut our time for packing by another week. Oy vey, the pressure!

My job was another story. I’d originally planned to commute into the city from the suburbs to continue to work at my current job. But it’s a 2 hour commute each way. Each. Way. On a good day. Without delays and without having to stay late or come in on weekends for events. My boyfriend did the commute for over a year before moving to the city last spring, and while he didn’t love it, he does like his job and didn’t see a reason to leave upon returning to the suburbs. But speaking frankly I don’t, and the commute is difficult, expensive, long, and possibly dangerous due to the location. It just didn’t make sense to stay at the company, and I informed my boss that I’d be leaving at the end of the month. To be clear: I have no job I’m going to. And I’m worried, of course. But that’s a blog post for another day.

Monday came and we did the final walk-through at our new home. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The previous owners had finally removed their personal items. They had turned the water off, which was a surprise, but a simple fix. We headed over to the title office to sign the real paperwork that would make the house ours (err, his I guess). Taken alone, the sheer amount of paperwork was amazing, but considering that it transferred ownership of a house and made us responsible for a huge sum of money, it seemed appropriate. That’s not something I’d like to leave up to a checkbox and initials. While my boyfriend went over each item with his attorney, I listened in to remember all the things he’d forget after he signed the mountain of paperwork. We did have a bit of a holdup while waiting for approval on a financial item, but two hours later we were keys-in-hand homeowners, ready to take on the world.

Ideally, I’d have liked to have eaten celebratory Taco Bell on the floor, but I actually had to be back in the city to go to work that afternoon and we still had tons of packing to do, so off we went. Homeowners at last! We move in officially this weekend when we say goodbye to the city. We have a ton of work to do before moving in, including painting, appliances, new carpet, and a deep cleaning unlike any other. But we are excited and ready to start the next chapter. Smell ya later, Chicago!

Love With Food – Classics With a Twist

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Lyn

This is my second Love With Food box, and honestly, I liked this one better than last month. Maybe it’s because I really like fortune cookies. Or maybe it’s because I really like everything else that came in this box, too. Our moving process has us moving most of our possessions of our current apartment a week before actually moving our bodies out, which means we’ll be living on meals and snacks that don’t require any extra prep for 7 days. Enter my Love With Food box for the assist.

I don’t eat a whole lot of granola because there are a zillion calories in it, which is fine if you can stop eating it after a handful (or two) but I can’t. So I apply the same rule as I do with Lucky Charms and Lestat did with Claudia: never in the house. I already ate this bag of granola. Salted Caramel baked corn treat, I’m looking at you next.

I was glad to see this Kids 50 fruit and vegetable juice blend juicebox and Wild Berry Flat Fruit because I’m always looking for natural fruit-related snacks that don’t have a ton of added sugar or artificial sweeteners (which give me migraines). Fruit is already made of sugar, why do I need more? When I can’t grab a fresh apple, it’s nice to have an alternative.

Ah, fortune cookie, here you are. And thanks to Emily, you are dark chocolate orange dipped. I’ve always appreciated the simplicity of the fortune cookie, but I’m more than willing to throw that to the wind in favor of this chocolate-covered delight. I might even indulge while sipping my Revolution Orange Chocolate Green Tea for a double dose of delicious. I’m not a fan of wasabi with my sushi (yes, I know half of you are probably like ‘whaaaaat’) but I’ve found that I do enjoy wasabi peas in moderation, so I shared these ChocWasabi Chocolate Covered Wasabi Peas with my boyfriend the other night. The wasabi flavor is very weak on most of these peas (I got one that was noticeable), but it’s still a delightfully crunchy snack.

Some people are into sweets, and some are into salty. I’m usually on the sweet side, but sometimes I find myself craving a salty snack and pretzels are usually just what the doctor ordered. These Mary’s Gone Crackers Sticks & Twigs Pretzels will be awesome when I’m craving a salty snack in my empty apartment next week. They are certified gluten free, organic, and kosher. Nom.

I was pleased with my Love With Food box this month. For my own snacking benefit, of course, but it’s also nice to know that as I’m snacking, a hungry child somewhere is getting a meal, too. Want to try a Love With Food box yourself? Sign up here and get your gourmet-snack on.

March Birchbox – March Madness

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Lyn

Okay, guys, I know I missed reviewing my February Birchbox but it was a little ‘meh’. But this might be my favorite Birchbox ever. Seriously. If there were nail polish in this bad boy, I’d be in beauty heaven.

So first off, let’s talk about this Whish Shave Cream. I have really sensitive skin on my legs for some reason, and that Satin Care or Skintimate stuff gives me the most irritated skin ever, so I use Eos Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream which runs me about $4 a pop at Target. I can’t wait to try this stuff. The blueberry scent is cute and it’s made in the US with eco-friendly ingredients including organic shea butter, coconut oil and jojoba oil. Sign me up!

I wash my hair approximately every other day, so dry shampoo is a lifesaver for me. I still haven’t found my dream product, and this Serge Normant Meta Revive Volumizing Dry Shampoo will definitely get some use in the next few days. The reviews on the Birchbox site are mixed, so I’m looking forward to trying it out for myself.

Knowing that I don’t wash my hair every day should tip you off that I’m totally lazy. That’s why I love my BB cream, and I will be trying out this new Marcelle BB Cream post haste. I have sensitive skin and this cream is hypoallergenic and perfume-free. The full size is also only $27, which puts it within my reach if I fall in love.

Speaking of my least favorite physical feature, I slather my legs in lotion after every shower and I will be trying out each of these Caldrea Aromatherapeutic Body lotions. I got coconut fig leaf, aloe water apricot, and tea olive lime, and I can’t decide which one I’ll use first. They all sound intriguing.

And that emery board! Honestly, Birchbox, how did you know how much I love floral prints and that I’m in need of a new emery board? This is one extra I’m super stoked to receive.

I’m super pleased with what I got this month! I also got a notice yesterday that I finally made it onto the list for Ipsy, so I’ll soon be able to compare beauty boxes. Want to try Birchbox for yourself? Sign up here!

The Next Step: Getting a Dog?

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Lyn

Our impending move to the suburbs and home ownership on the horizon means we’re going to have a lot more space and a lot more freedom than we do while renting in the city. This means we’ll no longer have a landlord telling us what we can do to our walls, how late we can play Just Dance 4, and whether or not we can procure and snuggle with pets. This begs the question: should we get a dog?

This is my cat. She loves baby carrots.

I’m a cat person by nature, but I have to admit that I love a good dog. I get some serious dog-envy every spring when it seems the entire city receives new puppies and parades them around the streets, lining up for me to squeal and stoop over to pet them. But I’ve never really considered a dog of my own. I have my amazing, strictly indoor cat, who requires very little in the way of maintenance aside from litter changes and a never-ending supply of food, while supplying plenty of furry cuddles. But she’s not a dog. I can’t pack her in the car with me or take her down the street without some serious side-eye from the townspeople. She doesn’t fetch my slippers or scare off intruders. She’s just a cat and she’s doin’ cat stuff.

Our new freedom gives us the option of getting a dog. My boyfriend is a dog man, and his longtime family pet passed away just recently, leaving a Chocolate Lab-shaped hole in his heart. He wants a dog, I want a dog, but are we ready for that kind of commitment? Let’s take a look at the facts.

Adoption Fees

Depending how you come to own your dog, the cost can range from free to hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars. We aren’t looking for a show dog, so I’d say it’s a safe estimate that we’d pick ours up at an animal shelter and it would run us $100 to up to $300 for adoption fees including spray/neuter, vaccinations, microchip – the whole nine yards.

Dog Life

Then we have the normal yearly fees for vet visits, which would put us around $300. Add in food, toys, and all the other stuff for a year of dog life, and my research estimates we’re looking at around $600-800 per year for the pleasure of canine company. This is not including anything terrible that could happen to our dog, which is anything from an irritated bug bite to getting hit by a car. That could potentially be thousands of dollars in vet bills. For an average life span of about 15 years, it’s a big commitment.

Fencing

We aren’t allowed to put up a fence behind our house, so we would either have to put up an “invisible fence” (read: electric shock collar) or do all of the walking and scooping necessary to keep Fido happy and our house poop-free. The fence could run us about $500 and my conscience. The walk-and-scoop could cost us our sanity in the winter. This is a tough call. I was really bummed when I found out we couldn’t have a fenced yard area.

Other Costs

How much does it suck when you want to go out for drinks or dinner with a friend after work, and they tell you they need to go home and walk their stupid dog out before they can come meet you? I would now be that friend. I would be responsible for making sure the dog gets everything it needs, which is way more responsibility than a cat (or at least, my cat). Where we can leave my cat home for a couple of days with a bowl full of food and a sayonara, a dog would have to be boarded or left in the care of family or friends. You don’t want to do this too often, as you don’t want to wear out your dog’s welcome or run the risk of kennel diseases.

But Don’t Forget The Personal Benefits…

You can’t argue with a cuddly, shmoopy little puppy that loves you and waits for you to come home every night (though my cat does this, too). You CAN get really pissed off when the dog starts chewing anything and everything in your home, while tearing apart your favorite shoes and peeing on the wall. But that isn’t the dog’s fault – it’s just being a dog. You have to take the good with the bad and enjoy your dog’s company and all that it happiness that little guy (or girl) brings to your life.

So what do you think? Do you have a dog, or multiple dogs? When did you get your first dog and do you think you anticipated everything required for ownership? If you don’t have a dog, why not?