Life's Highs and Lows

Today, I am waiting for the results of a month-long job interview process. It could be an offer or a sorry we'll hire someone else. I definitely want the job and would fit in great at the company but I find something interesting emerging as I wait, pray, and hope.

Since, I have been getting nothing but rejections for 3 months, I know exactly how to handle not getting the job. Have a little cry, get angry and then have a couple cocktails. Possibly do a thorough apartment cleaning to work through the disappointment. I am very good getting through low points.

But, if I do get the job, my anxiety will shoot through the roof. I'll want to be perfect at everything that first couple of weeks and get frustrated with the pace I'm learning. It's kind of like when I got into Business School. Throughout the whole application process, I was sure I could handle grad school. But when I got in, all the worries and anxiety hit me at once.

But I must admit at this point, I am willing to tackle the anxiety of a new job! Hell, maybe I can work out new ways to deal? I know I will make sure to celebrate. Stay tuned...

And the Emmy Goes To...

Here are my personal picks for this year's Emmy awards:

Outstanding Series, Drama
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men - should win thanks to the amazing writing and acting

Outstanding Series, Comedy
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office - the only comedy I watch listed so it should win
Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Miniseries
The Andromeda Strain
Cranford (Masterpiece Theatre)
John Adams - hands down, John Adams should sweep every category. I'm not just saying that because I'm from MA.
Tin Man

Outstanding Actor, Drama
James Spader, Boston Legal
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter - he is an amazing actor and definitely should win for Dexter by making a sociopath sympathetic.
Hugh Laurie, House
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Jon Hamm, Mad Men


Outstanding Actor, Comedy
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Steve Carell, The Office - love the show, love the guy. Plus, he's from MA.
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Charlie Sheen, Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Actor, Mini-series or Movie
Ralph Fiennes, Bernard And Doris
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Paul Giamatti, John Adams - historical sweep!
Kevin Spacey, Recount
Tom Wilkinson, Recount

Outstanding Actress, Drama
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Glenn Close, Damages
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace - I just got into the show and Holly, as always, kicks ass. Plus, I was a fan of Joan of Arcadia so any re-imagined version gets my vote.


Outstanding Actress, Comedy
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of Old Christine
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Tina Fey, 30 Rock - eh, sure why not. Don't watch any of these shows.
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Outstanding Actress, Mini-series or Movie
Catherine Keener, An American Crime
Susan Sarandon, Bernard And Doris
Dame Judi Dench, Cranford (Masterpiece Theatre)
Laura Linney, John Adams - gee, what to pick... what to pick...
Phylicia Rashad, A Raisin In The Sun

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Ted Danson, Damages
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
John Slattery, Mad Men - he has done excellent work on Mad Men. As long as the Shat and Lost don't win, I'll be happy.

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson, The Office - If Dwight wasn't on The Office, I don't think I would watch the show. This guy is AWESOME!
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Mini-series or Movie
David Morse, John Adams
Stephen Dillane, John Adams - he made Thomas Jefferson sexy.
Tom Wilkinson, John Adams
Denis Leary, Recount
Bob Balaban, Recount

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy - Greys sucked this season but I always loved Chandra/Bailey
Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Jean Smart, Samantha Who?
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live - go Burlington!
Holland Taylor, Two And A Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

The Case of the Missing Drain Plug

The other day while I was taking a shower, I noticed that the drain plug in my tub was missing. I just had a chain and no plug. Since Rasputin treats the dripping faucet as his own water fountain, I figured he snapped the plug off the chain and it would be somewhere in the bathroom.

Last night I rolled over in bed onto something hard and rubbery. Now, the plug is his new favorite toy. He carries it everywhere.

A Berkshire Picnic

This past Saturday was Tanglewood's movie night concert. It has been my traditional Tanglewood concert for years. This year, we had a plan. I had been tracking weather reports and it looked like the weather would be perfect that evening. I had a bunch of supplies leftover from my recent camping trip so we left early and hung out under some trees in the parking area. The drive out to Lenox isn't too bad - only 2.5 hours. If there is any traffic, it is usually around the route 84 exit. When I'm driving to Western MA on the Pike, I split the ride up into legs in my head. Leg 1 128 to the 84 exit, leg 2 84 to 91, and leg 3 91 to our exit.

The grounds opened up at 5:30 and we got an excellent spot staked out quickly. It was fun sitting on lawn chairs while humorless nags dragged their companions/groups across the lawn sucking all the fun out of the air with their barked orders and bitching. This year we decided to spring for the Tanglewood picnic tote and it was very yummy. I approved of the wine: Salmon Creek 2006 Chardonnay.

Then, the sky started to ominously darken. We had already agreed that rain is fine if there wasn't any lightning or thunder. We'd hunker under the tarp if it was a quick light rain, if it was worse we'd sit in our car with the windows down. Within thirty minutes thunder rolled in, then torrential rain, and finally lightning. So we hightailed it out of there. The rain got heavier and heavier as we got closer to the car. Soaked, unable to open the windows, we decided to drive home. So, thank you Tanglewood for the excellent picnic!

Jungle Red!

I'll see you at the theater on Sept. 12.

A Note to Interviewers

If you are unsure about a candidate's experience, questions like "What are your past-times?" or "If you could pick 3 people to have dinner with, who would they be?" are touchy feely crap that gives you absolutely no insight into professional experience. Please get some kind of interviewing training ASAP! If you don't, you are doing yourself and your company a disservice.

Sinus Infections Adieu

When was the last time I had a sinus infection? Gee, June 2007! How did I beat my biannual or triannual sinus infections? This little doohickey:



Seriously it has been the best investment I've made for healthcare ever! Think about it, one little $16 neti pot saved me doctor visit copays, prescription prices for Zpac, and any banked paid time off (when I had a job). So any of you seasonal allergy sufferers out there, I highly suggest that you get your butt down to your local CVS/Walgreens and pick this up this plastic savior. Also, I highly recommend not using a full packet of saline mix when you first try this out.

The Greening of Anna

My burgeoning environmental awareness has been fueled by a couple things: getting the Planet Green network with my cable package, my brother becoming a vegetarian, increased media attention, and having time to look at my lifestyle with a willingness to change.

I recently bought these babies. I cannot rave about them enough. It is so much better than using random bags or boxes to collect recyclables! Plus, since they're stackable, they don't take up a lot of space. I have also been calling each catalog company to get off their mailing list - less paper to recycle and less pollution to produce the catalog.

Even with recent changes, my ecological footprint sucks. If everyone lived the way I do, we'd need 3.6 Earths. Here is some food for thought

Ugh, Lesson Learned

I'm a big fan of bacon. Scallops are among my top picks for seafood. So, if you combine them, I am one happy lady. Hint, hint to all my friends choosing hors d'oeuvres for receptions...

Today, I learned that freshness is a huge component to this delectable treat. I discovered that there is a frozen version available at most grocery stores. For the love of God, DO NOT buy this! It is the most wretched tasting food ever. Yes, there is a way to mess up bacon! All tonight I will be in bed clutching a Pepto bottle wishing for death.

Fun fact: if you want relief from mild nausea, press the underside of your arm near the wrist between the two big tendons that run from your palm to elbow. It totally works! Thank you Google Gods.

The Best Caterers in Eastern MA

I cannot sing enough praises for the Silent Chef catering company. Firstly, their food is delicious and served well. Secondly, the staff are incredibly polite, inconspicuous and attentive. Thirdly, their quality runs the gamut of functions.

My first experience with them was at a wedding reception. It was beautifully done and one of those situations where your plate magically gets cleared while you are busy having a good time. Additionally to excellent food service, handling seating and large numbers of people was their forte.

My next experience was for a post-funeral gathering. Again, very discreet, and flexible. It was such a comfort having them take care of the food and kind of meld into the background.

Misty, Summer Ice Cream Memories

These dog days of summer have me remembering summers passed. For example, whenever I hear Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" I think of the summer between junior and senior year in high school when I had no job.
Way back when ice cream cost 50 cents, I can remember the taste of wood from a hoodsie spoon. Also remember how the cake part of ice cream sandwiches wound up sticking to your thumb on hot days?

My favorite summertime ice cream treat was the orange creamsicle. Imagine my delight to find out that some bars have orange creamsicle martninis! I hated lime flavoring when I was little so I told grownups that I was allergic to green popsicles (lollipops etc).

Hair

Before


After

Accursed Feet

My feet have always bugged me. Either it's their ugliness - stubby toes and a wide slab of foot. Or it's having to wear arch supports throughout high school. Somehow I have inflamed my plantar fascia again. The first time it happened was back in October when I was in TKD class.

All yesterday, I had shooting pain in my foot and soreness at night. That was pretty familiar to me so I did some internet research. Guess what? Plantar fascitis is called "flip flop syndrome". Gee, I guess going shopping in flip flops wrecked my feet the other day. It's actually a pretty good situation, I need to only wear shoes with heels and avoid sandals/flats. It looks like I have to hit Payless soon. Darn!

God Love Lists

So, I have been feeling glum about my job hunt the past couple of days. I went through my usual routine of dealing with yucky emotions - eating bad food, getting angry at life, and finally talking about the situation. I just love how solutions can suddenly come to me when I talk about a predicament. It could be all of those years of therapy or finally being mature enough to actually listen to what's coming out of my mouth.

This weekend I decided to make a huge list of all my job search activities. Lists are awesome people. Lists are lifesavers and eye-openers. Plus, writing a list feels so therapeutic. I was obsessed with this list all weekend, adding detail and highlighting interviews. Guess what? I felt better!

Lo and behold, I noticed a pattern. I had been solely applying to financial analyst positions and had gotten no job offers. So guess what I'm doing now? Mixing applications up and getting out of the financial analyst box. We'll see if anything pans out. Plus, my guilt over getting unemployment benefits is gone. I HAVE been busting my hump!

Flagging Spirits

Now almost halfway through my third month of unemployment, I am finding it harder and harder to keep positive about finding a job. While it seemed to be not so bleak when I was initially laid off back in November, the situation gets worse every month. Being laid off early in a recession is no buffer if the economy rapidly unwinds. I have 18 weeks left on my unemployment insurance which will last me until November. If I don't have a job by September, I will be in official panic mode.

My daily routine consists of checking out hotjobs, craigslist, and company websites. Plus, bugging my staffing agency rep. Nothing has panned out and I am considering applying for a job at Trader Joes.

The Least Eco Friendly Hannafords on the Planet

Slowly yet surely I am getting my lazy butt on a more environmentally friendly path. Shameful confession, I never recycled my trash until these past couple of months. My car gets decent mileage thank goodness and I try to avoid using air conditioning on the road and in my apartment.

I use reusable bags every time I shop for groceries. I usually switch between Shaws and Hannafords. Hannafords is good for a quickie weekly grocery run. Shaws is excellent when you have recipes to plan for. My local Hannafords also has an awful bagging habit. It's like in their training they are told that every item gets its own bag. In the days before reusable bags, I would get through checkout and repack all my groceries, usually saving 5 bags at least.

Today, armed with my reusable bags, I did my quickie weekly grocery run. Checking out was completely ridiculous. The bagger was moaning and groaning the whole time. It got so bad, I offered to bag my own groceries. All my groceries were scattered across the bagging area with one pitiful half full bag. The lady behind me was already checked out by the time I could leave with bagged groceries.

BBC Report Card

Products link


Berkshire Ale - a nice light beginner ale

Shabadoo Black and Tan - still an amazing deep brew. Hints of chocolate and coffee

River ale - nice and light but with a hint of Shabadoo

Maibock lager - a rich tasting light ale

Fun Fact Learned From Working Retail

Did you know that all Mastercard numbers start with a 5? Visa starts with a 4 and Amex starts with a 3. I learned this little trick in the days of those clunky credit card swipe presses onto carbon paper receipts.

Jon and Kate Plus OCD, Passive Aggression, and Whoring Out Family

Okay, I know every blogger and their mom has written about TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus 8" show. So I guess I need to join the herd.

Every once in a while, my uterus goes in overdrive on babies and all things cute so it takes over my TV remote. I used to flip between Animal Planet and "A Baby's Story". Then in my flipping I came across "Jon and Kate Plus 8" and I got suckered in by the sextuplets cuteness. The cuteness kept me hooked but over time I fell out of love with the show for several reasons.

1. Kids get messy and half the fun of being a kid is getting messy. Kate's insane need for order and tidiness gets wearing and will probably psychologically damage her children. They can't play with markers, eat chocolate or ice cream in public or chew gum thanks to their mother and her fear of laundry.

2. Passive Aggressive comments get tiring. I have no idea why Jon and Kate are still married considering the constant digs they take at each other. If you have something nasty to say, just say it. Rather than using your own children as recipients of rude observations about your spouse.


3. I know the show helps the family to make money but I can't get past this dirty feeling that the show will ultimately hurt the children. No moment in their lives is sacred. Case in point is Mady. She has been labeled as the difficult child but such labeling ignores and trivializes her feelings. Maybe she acts out because she doesn't want to be on tv? Or maybe she acts out because she has been marginalized by the sextuplets show? Regardless, assuming it's just sibling rivalry or saying that it's "Mady just being Mady" is unfair and poor parenting.

Basically, the show is horrible and has become a litany of publicity stunts.

Morning Person Engine

I have never been a morning person. In high school, I usually stayed up until dawn and somehow made it through the day as a functioning person. Also in high school, as my version of rebellion, I never drank coffee because my parents were huge coffee fiends. Oooh... I showed them!

Nowadays, I tell people that if it wasn't for caffeine, I wouldn't have my MBA. Yup, coffee drinking kicked in around age 24/25. Strangely enough, that is also when sleep became more than a nightly routine. Thanks to the brain damage I suffered from my stroke, if I didn't get a full night's sleep, I had trouble talking, remembering and motor skill problems. Of course over time I got a lot better but there is a lingering question in my mind.

Since I live alone I can set my own pace for gearing up and getting ready in the morning. I usually only talk to Rasputin. It's kind of more severe than not being a morning person. For example, I can't get dressed while talking to someone. It's like my brain is not warmed up to be verbal and motor at once so early. I wonder if that is a result of living alone and building my morning routine around silence? I also worry if its lingering brain damage issues.

The Best Beer in the World

I am not usually a huge beer fan. I usually lean toward wine or cocktails. But I had a beer on my camping weekend that totally switched me to a beer lover. When I used to drink beer, I had to be drunk enough so my taste buds were deadened. I hated the aftertaste and the inevitable stomach issues.

The last two times I was in Germany, I understood the love of beer. Over there, beer has no aftertaste and is as smooth as water. Ever since then, I have been trying to find a beer that could be on par with the German beers I had enjoyed.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a found a brewery that knocks beer out of the park. I was introduced to the BBC by drinking their Steel Rail Ale. Since then, I have tried their Lost Sailor and Shabadoo. Hands down all of them have been excellent. Plus, it's rare to find a brewery that can brew excellent pale ales to deep porters. I have a lot more BBC brews to test now! Also, they don't come in regular 6 packs. Usually they are pint bottles.

Casino Royale Question

So I finally caught Casino Royale with Daniel Craig the other night. So, I have a question for my dear readers to help clueless me.

DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT To BE SPOILED!!


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The torture scene with the nudity and big rope... So was Bond getting whipped on his ballsack? I first thought it was his ass but he acted like he was in so much pain, I thought penis. The whole scene was so bizarre.

Massachusetts, Where Dissent is Never Unpatriotic

Or where our hissy fits turn into national debate. This week is July Fourth. It's a nice holiday to grill meat and drink. But remember what the holiday celebrates and where we live! There's a reason why national networks carry our celebration live to the rest of America. There wouldn't be an America if we hadn't decided to stir the pot hundreds of years ago. We didn't stop stirring up shit ever since. Every town we live in or drive by is stamped by history. We can't forget our revolutionary spirit even while we chow down on burgers and drink Sam Adams.

Also, remember this is 2008 and, dare I say it, this is a year where hope can enter into politics. Change will be on the horizon. It might be possible to vote our heart not pick the lesser of two evils. This is a year of possibility so work your ass off, debate your passions, loosen your purse strings and enact change. Eventually, we'll drag the rest of the country along...