Tuesdays=Gross, Groupon's Pricetag=Grosser

Hey Crepsters,

Thanksgiving has come and gone. A bit disappointing--it went by way too fast! Even though I was unable to "live blog" the scene of the parents meeting, I did take extensive notes. But unfortunately, none of them are worth reporting to you.Why? Because honestly, the meeting went smoothly, so much so that it was rather undramatic. Everyone got along, the turkey was cooked to perfection (aka no bashing of the food), and everyone arrived and left safely and soundly. Ahh...talk about a Hallmark moment!

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is sure a bummer. The excitement of a full-email box with things to do yesterday didn't exactly come to fruition, and still today all of our clients, etc seem to be MIA so the office is way too quiet right now. Which is why I've been doing mucho internet reading on ever-important topics, such as Google's proposed acquisition of Groupon, now believed to be a pretty price of $5.3 Billion.

WOAH.

Sounds like a lot, no? For me, amounts over 1,000 don't even register with me because I can't comprehend the size, so 5.3 B left me rather unphased. But as I continue to gather research for a paper I am writing about the merger of Delta and Northwest airlines in 2008, I learned that Northwest was valued (and I believe subsequently purchased) for 3.5 B, almost half the amount of Groupon's proposed value. Puts everything into perspective now, don't it?

Google, you are sick. The only thing I can ask is that someday I, or the person I marry, will earn a livelihood from you. So that then I too can parasite off of your parasiting as you earn $1.3 M per every employee of yours. With all that cash, wtf not buy Groupon?

Me and the dog Chloe, contemplating our existences and what to buy on Groupon...

Preparation for Thanksgiving

I went to a ballet class yesterday at The Joffrey with the help of a little Groupon. It was amazing--my legs feel so strong yet sore after the class, and it was amazing how quickly everything came back to me. So while my exercise routine has now reverted me back to my childhood, it will be this Thursday that throws me into semi-adulthood.

Yes, internet, it's time I confess: my family will be meeting the family of my boyfriend. Oh My Goodness! you think. No, I reply, we are not getting engaged. And no, we're not expecting. I don't know why everyone thinks this is such a momentous occasion. Don't people remember that Thanksgiving is just about spending time with the people you love? So we consolidated, big deal. And that's what we've decided to do.

My friend Jordan suggested that I live-blog about this experience (and oo boy what an experience it will be!). In the meantime, I am going to write, for my friends who may have to one day introduce their family to their significant other's family, here's some things to expect in preparation for this momentous occasion:

1. Nerves: Everyone is nervous. Will they like each other? Will there be awkward conversation? Will they judge one another? Answer: Uh, duh. That's why you drink wine. And if you don't drink, that's why you have a Wii. DISTRACTION is key.

2. The Sex Talk for Adults: This may or may not come up, but your families might be spending the night somewhere, which means that you and your beau will also be joining the sleepover fun, which means that you are going to have to decide whether or not you can share a room with them. This might mean having The Sex Talk Round 2 with either your parents or his. I got to have it with his. FUN.

3. Stupid traditions That Can't Be Forgotten: Every Thanksgiving, before we eat and before we give sacrament to our Beloved (jk), we have to say what we're thankful for. In our family, this requires something deep, profound, and touching. Other families might only watch football with all the thankful crap only getting in the way. You have to figure out a way to blend them: Being Thankful for Football.

4. Food: God, this is something that is so personal. People's pantries are like an extension of their life's philosophies. What if my parents don't like the food they serve? Vice Versa? Ahh...we'll have a pile of starving parents! What to do?!?!?!?

5. Explaining to your friends why you've been so on-edge lately: Again, this can be helped by copious amounts of red wine and Desperate Housewives.

Less than forty-eight hours until the experiment begins...muwahahahahahahahahahahahahahha...

At least we have Lady and my sister for comic relief.

Baker's Dozen

From Boston.

News?

Tonight's leading story on WGN is : "BREAKING NEWS: How to shop for 1 on $30 a Week." What the heck? I do that every single week, sometimes I even get it down to $20. Why is this breaking news? This is more like common sense. Not to mention habbit for most of us.

HELP!

Even though I am happily, ok make that blissfully, employed (great boss, no commute, oh ya, and having money during a recession), I make it a point to always keep sniffin' for new job openings at my level. Why? you ask. Simple, because if the job isn't right for me, odds are I know ten people for whom it might be.

Now, let me warn all you newly-graduated/entry-level folks. I work as a recruiter. Therefore, my job is to network with people in the industry for which I am recruiting. So, when I ask you, "Who do you know that might be a good fit?" PLEASE don't send me to your BFF Joe Schmoe. And the same goes for you readers: don't apply to jobs that aren't relevant to you. If you don't have at least one year (or a month shy) of experience, or 2+ internships (six months each) that are 100% relatable to a job, don't apply.

Of course, there are some exceptions. Like, for instance, me when I applied to my now-job: I knew (kind of) the hiring manager, so I was able to flex my way in. My point is, read the job descriptions! Have a focused job search! Meditate about what you want a job in and the energy will follow! (Thank you to my Diane for that one.)

To help all of my crepey friends, below is a list of 5 top-notch entry level gigs or paid internships in the Chicago area that y'all should look into (oh ya, I say ya'll). If you don't live in Chicago, maybe it will give you inspiration for your own job search.

1. Chicago Public Radio: WBEZ Internship (paid and unpaid)
2. Starcom Media Vest: Media Associate (28K-35K first year salary)
3. iProstpet: Search Enginge Opitmization internship (paid: $12/hr)
4. Other great Chicago-based companies to look into: H2O, Playboy (seriously!), Sara Lee, Walgreens, and the countless media outlets (PR, advertising, the list goes on and on. . .)

I'll try to list more in the future. Good luck to all my hunting friends!

School tomorrow

I've got class tomorrow and I'm feeling a little stressed out. And when I feel stressed out, I tend to procrastinate, which only makes things worse. So humor me and look at these shoes. Cute, right?

Mumford and Sons Blogotheque Video

Ahh . . . 'tis great to watch these gospelly Brits sing in French . . .

Mumford and Sons reminds me of a cross between Tallest Man on Earth and The Avett Bros--amazing!


Mumford & Sons - The Banjolin Song / Awake my soul - A Take Away Show #105 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Le Marais...in the USA

I discovered the most amazing shoe brand tonight called Marais USA. They are designed by two women who spent a summer in Le Marais in Paris (where you find Hisidic Jews and trannies all on one block). I'm thinking about debating between these styles:

What do you all think?

HAILed To the Chief!

Hello Crepsters!

OMG can you believe it actually hailed today? I certainly couldn't. But once the bottom half of my pants were completely soaked thru, then I could. . .

Work was BUSEEEE today. . .phew! It takes it out of you, but it's a good feeling at the end of the day to know you got somewhere. And seeing as how I've been laggin' a little in school (despite getting that A on my paper--booya!), it's good to know that I'm being productive at least somewhere.

So ya, when I left work I was all "Ok cool I have a couple extra bucks I'll go check out F21" only to get soaked. BUT I did get these awesome tops:

And for $23!! I'm also on the hunt for a pair of animal print kitten heels. I'm going to Target and DSW tomorrow after work to see what I can find. I am also going to try to remember to take pics of some of the decent outfits I wear to work. Most of them are pretty frumpy these days and I'm hoping putting 'em up here will help me get some inspiration--aka I need your input!

I also bid on this really awesome Vena Cava dress today at the blog Laws of General Economy. It's a great site where users (anyone!) can post items (higher-end, fashion-forward) items for other users to bid on. The poster usually sets a price, but I think that if more than one person says they want it, some tricky negotiation a la Professor Roloff (the professor who game me that A!!).

See you tomorrow!

Sugar High

Well I didn't "O-D" on sugary candies, but I did on plenty of other things. . .namely, food, drink, and staying up too late.

So I got into Boston at 9am on Friday morning. I found JP there and soon Molly met us and we took the T (Boston's trolley) back to her house. She lives in an adorable studio in Allston: quaint and quiet, but still in a vibrant neighborhood. We got a much needed coffee, saw the BU campus (where Molly goes for graduate school), and filled our bellies with yummy sandwiches from the Farmer's Market at the Boston Commons. We then trekked to Cambridge to check out Haaaaaahvaaaaahd. No, I didn't spot Mark Zuckerberg, something that I am still very bitter about. . .

The next day, we woke up at 10am and headed to the North End (the Italian quarter where Paul Revere lived) for cannolis at Mike's Pastry. I got a Florentine. . .soooo good. . .nutty with honey hints, creamy nearly flavorless ricotta and CHOCOLATE! . . . It was here that we would run into a Hawkeye which would prove important later. . .

Ok, I can't rotate this but if you turn your laptop or iPad around you'll get the idea.

We then walked off our desserts (or tried to at least) and made our way to Thaniel Hall for chowdah at a Todd English joint called Kingfish Hall (think of him as a Rick Bayless for Beantown). JP had crab cakes, Miss Molly had lobster grilled cheese, and I had CHOWDAH of course!

Chowder with real oyster crackers!

Mmm!

 

 

It was now time to walk off this meal, so we checked out Chinatown, a really scary Halloween store with an electric chair, and this cemetery.

John Hancock's grave. Molly told us that he is buried with one of his slaves.

We then had plans to join a bar crawl, but the bar was at capacity! Knowing that the afternoon was only going to get crazier, we decided to go to a bar called Clery's (yes, that's how it's spelled) because that is where the IOWA woman in the morning had told us "they" go. Turns out "they" is about 20 Hawkeyes living in the Boston area. That woman is from Cedar Rapids, went to Harvard, and now operates the Big Ten Boston chapter. Oh ya, we also ran into someone from our high school. WEIRD. Oh ya, one more thing: HAWKS WON!!!

Everytime IA scored, someone had to do the Goose Walk. This is JP's turn.

 From here on out, the night was a little less coherent. . .and not from the drinks. More from the food actually! We went to an amazing place called Parrish Cafe where chefs from all over the city design their own sandwiches. We also checked out the Michigan game and we met friends of Molly's cousins. JP also treated me to a wonderful hot dog at a place in Allston.

The next morning, needless to say, we woke up at noon.