Day 89-- Cinnamon Peach Cobbler recipe

Prologue:

Talk about being a newbie--I didn't even know if you were supposed to skin the peaches before baking them (most people do). Summer is the perfect time for cobbler when the farmers markets are in full ripe and days are long, hazy, and sweet.

Fun fact (well, according to wikipedia): Cobblers are thought to have originated in the early British Americas when the settlers, who were too low on supplies to make pies, baked a top layer of biscuit on top of stews.  The resulted had the look of a "cobbled" street. 

I have to admit I'm kinda surprised at how difficult it was finding a simple Bisquick peach cobbler recipe online, but it's ridiculously easy to make and so good. Served best with vanilla ice cream and True Blood.

Cinnamon Peach Cobbler

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

3 large peaches*

1 cup of Bisquick

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of milk (I used 2%)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

*Nearly every recipe I looked at called for 3 cups of peaches.  I only had 3 peaches in the house so that's what I used.  Personally I liked the 55-45 ratio of pastry-to-peach and so did the neighbors.  If you want more peaches then use the 3 cups by all means.

Directions:

1.) Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

2.) Remove the skin from your peaches.  This is the easiest way here, but if you don't have time to boil them, I just cut mine into quarters and peeled them by hand.  Discard the pit.  [Side note: when it comes to pies and such, I prefer my fruit more in pieces than slices]. Break up the peaches into pieces and place inside of a small baking pan.

3.) Mix the milk, sugar, and Bisquick together.  Pour on top of the peach pieces.  Sprinkle the cinnamon over the mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and you can stick a toothpick into the middle and its come out clean.  Done!

Review:

A half cup of sugar makes everything better, haha.  It was absolutely delicious.  I made it at the neighbors' house as we watched True Blood and prepared for the witch fight.  I would definitely make it again, only next time I might add a few more peaches to enhance the fruit taste. Happy cooking!

Day 88-- Application-to-awesomeness stats

I'm coming home tonight from sushi with friends and a dark chocolate bar close to my keyboard.  Day two at the hotel job and I was thinking today of my success rate of application-to-job kickass-ness.  

Here are my stats:

Summer 2011	Total # of job applications	Got an interview	2nd interview/job offer	Job offer	Total success rate beginning to end
-The Coffee Bean -Sunbelt -Hotel Downtown -Hard Rock -Mission Hotel -Another dwntn hotel -Hospital data -Editorship -Archstone -Starbucks -Starbucks -Local coffee shop	12	5 (42% success)	4 (80% success)	3 (75% success)	3/12 (25% success)

So...this summer I've had about a 42% chance of getting an interview from a job application, and had an excellent chance (80%) of getting a 2nd interview or a job offer after my first interview.  Clearly my resume and cover letter works across the board and I'm pretty decent at getting far after meeting them in person.  Hey, a 1 in 4 chance in getting job any job I've applied to?  Not too shabby.

Best interview: 2nd interview with Archstone, the first one in person.  The people were really loud and bubbly and we meshed so well.  I drove home ready to buy more suits because I was so positive I had the job.  

Worst interview: It's a tie between my 3rd interview with Archstone in which I was way too casual and young and took for granted that I had the job (I wasn't offered it), and my current hotel job in which I was confused and unsure of myself because I thought the job position and pay was fixed and I had never been asked how much I wanted an hour and did I prefer fucking early mornings or very late nights.

Job I really wanted (and got): My internship at the largest book publisher in San Diego.

Job I really wanted (and didn't get): Tie: The editorship where I would help proof-read grants or Archstone where I had to wear a suit and heels everyday and make $$ an hour.

Job I'm glad I didn't get: The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf.  I wanted to work there because it was close to Borders Books and food, but Borders is now closed and so is the Mexican place next to it.

Best job this summer: My internship at the publishing house

Worst job this summer: That local coffee shop I worked at for 3 days and it was way too much work, not enough pay, not sanitary enough, and not safe enough.

How I feel about my current job: It's definitely not a career and I don't want to turn into those people, but it's fairly easy work once I'm finally trained properly, and I work in beautiful downtown San Diego.

Day 87-- First day working at a hotel front desk

It's past 10 and I'm exhausted.  Standing in 2-inch heels for eight hours can do that to a person.  But alas, I made $80 today and ate lunch in downtown San Diego.

My first day working at a hotel front desk went a lot differently than expected, starting with the end of the paperwork.  I didn't go home like I thought I would: I started training.  The GM (who's now on a week vacation) told me a few days back to simply show up today at 10am wearing what I would to an interview.  So I wore a white Oxford shirt, stylish gray skirt, ruby red watch, and black heels.  Everyone else was wearing black sneakers.  Thanks, GM.

The people were more or less what I expected them to be.  There are two main front desk supervisors, one morning, one night.  The one in the morning is more shy but detailed and the designated trainer.  The one in the evening has more of a temper, is less PC, and has a sweet mother/scary bitch complex towards liking us girls and hating arrogant men.  There are two more people: a women who does the 'wine in the room' type things and has an attitude but funny flare, and a 20-year old surfer girl who's been through some shit and has that toughnest that comes from not going to college and making it on your own since you had to.  It's a mix of thick skin and silly sarcasm.  Two new people are starting next week.

The actual work is moderately easy.  Checking people in doesn't seem that complicated but all of the little extra stuff like moving families so they're on the same floor, and when people leave but don't check out they have to ask the maid service if it's indeed clean and open, and can you add this person to accompany me, and can you make sure my divorced mother and father here for the wedding are in different wings, ect.

Weddings are popular this time of year so it was really busy with large groups checking some people in and not others and paying for the room but not wanting to pay for their parking.  Overall though the customers are friendly and have a story to tell.  Many of them are tourists from around the world.

So yeah, it was busy all morning and early afternoon with all these groups and requests and things.  It died by the late afternoon to the point that both of my co-workers were on People.com and Facebook chat.  You can pay me $10+ to do nothing for hours.  There are several little things to increase pay too, like tips and if the hotel fills up for the night and signing people up for the free perks card.  I'll probably make about $11 an hour before taxes which is what I wanted.  (I was making $9.10 in AZ, and it's $8 an hour to be a barista in SD).

In the end I see this as a 6-8 month job for me.  It's long enough to get a chance to explore downtown, sustain myself solo for a few months, get a vacation with discounted hotel rooms, and either (1) possibility get a transfer out of state if I move in Spring or Summer, or (2) be more mature and older for a different job with better pay.  The biggest flaw of the job are the hours.  It's either 7am-3:30pm, or 3pm-11pm, and 5 days a week with my days off being my internship days.  I won't be getting a real day off until November. =(

But I'll end this entry with lunch.  I was sitting eating my pesto-mayo turkey sandwich in my black heels and white Oxford, looking out to downtown San Diego and the sea beyond it, working part-time at a book publisher, coming home to a beach house where my boyfriend would be boiling water for our pasta, and I thought, "This is starting to look like the life I always wanted..."

Day 85 -- Easy Pasta Primavera recipe

Prologue:

What I like about cooking is what I like socks and books-- universality.  Being my tiny size it's frustrating to shop for clothes and shoes or even drive certain cars.  Having an English degree isn't helpful to find jobs and make money in a career.  Being a girl it's scary to walk alone to your car in the middle of the night, ect.  But socks fit everybody of every background, and books don't require a size or skill set or gender either.  When I pick out a green bell pepper an older women who drives a Bentley might have bought one before me, and a young bum druggie might be buying the next one.  

Yes yes, tools and spices are necessary, but cooking can be done by literally everyone.  I rather think that it's the comfort of food and cooking-- despite your flaws or bullshit around you, food makes sense and makes you happy. 

Enough rambling!  Pasta Primavera is a fancy way of saying pasta with vegetables.  It's a really easy way to mix up your boring pasta and make a quick and yummy spin on lunch.

Easy Pasta Primavera

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

1/3 a box of corkscrew pasta

1/2 of a green bell pepper

1/2 of a tomato

1/2 a can of sliced black olives

1 tsp of butter

1 tbsp olive oil

a healthy shake of grated Parmesan cheese

pinch of salt

*note: you may use more veggies if you want.  Also, don't feel bashful about using only half of things.  You can ziplock the rest and use it in a salad or on a pizza or on its own for another meal.

Directions:

1.) Boil a medium size pot of water.  In the meantime chop up your tomato and green pepper and drain the can of sliced black olives.

.2.) Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat a bit and throw in your corkscrew pasta.  Take out a frying pan and drizzle some olive oil to prevent stickiness.  Add your tomato and green bell pepper pieces to the pan and cook until tender.

3.) Once the pasta's done, drain the pasta water.  Add the cooked veggies, black olives, butter, salt, and a healthy shake of Parmesan cheese.  Stir together.  All done!

Review:

This is what cooking is about.  I had some pasta, some left over veggies, and a newly-found can of olives and presto, lunch was decided.  It's nothing exceedingly special and probably not the healthiest after the cheese and butter, but you know what, I snuck in some healthy veggies into my otherwise boring pasta and it not only looked fancy but tasted like a satisfying $7 meal I could get at shop and made for only about $1.50 a serving.

Day 84-- I got a job today?

I'm sitting here in my exercise pants and Diet Coke gray t-shirt with a bemused and confused smile on my face. My belly's full of homemade pasta primavera with seasoned chicken legs and in the past 29 hours I have lost the chance at a great job, got a job downtown, and was rejected from a job.  

What? 

I sent out 9 resumes/applications at the beginning of the month.  1 to an editorship, 1 to an expensive apartment complex, 2 to Starbucks, 1 to a hospital data place, and 4 to hotels around the area.

I heard back from the Expensive Apartment Complex and one Hotel Downtown and one Hotel Closer to Home.  The Apartment Complex was the furthest away but with the best pay and esteem.  The Hotel Closer to home was the most ideal commute-wise and feel-wise but the worst pay and hours.  And the Hotel Downtown was in the middle of wage and location.

So here's what happened: 

I had a decent phone interview with the Expensive Apartment Complex, a stellar 1st interview in person with the people I would be working with who were bubbly, loud, and super friendly to me, and then I choked in my last interview.  I was told (via phone from yet another person in the company) that it was the final interview and that the other people had great things to say about me.  So I went in relaxed.  Too relaxed.  I thought that the job was mine and it was simply a formality.  No.  My interviewer was the head of the region, asked me tough questions, and while she was pleasant she wasn't overly warm nor responsive.  I talked too damn much out of nervousness and noticed that I had been slouching to one side of the chair.  She said I'd hear back in a week--not a good sign.  

With the Hotel Downtown I thought I had my worst interview.  It was only the 2nd job interview I had had in 4 years and I found myself unbalanced when he asked me preference questions like salary and times because he had said on the phone that it was 1 job with set hours already decided.  He called me Friday and I didn't bother to call him back until today.  Surprise, he was calling to offer me the job!  I was so taken aback that I didn't get all of the information.  4 days a week, about 30 hours, better pay than my last job, bonuses to come.

With the Local-ish Hotel I was 15 minutes late to my interview.  The directions were insane and yes, I was early.  Park in the parking lot, on the left side, an alley/street, up stairs, door on left.  To the left was just some trees and garbage bins so I went right.  Not there.  I asked the lobby guy and he said walk through the parking lot ALL the way and then it's on the left.  I did.  I ended up in an entirely different shopping center.  Turns out I needed to take the left side all along because after some stairs down, behind the trees, there was the tiny pavement/alley that didn't look like road, steps, not more stairs, and there it was, door on the left.  Dear Lobby Guy, you should have told me it was around the corner.

When I finally got there (I have NEVER been late to a job appointment) she was already interviewing (for a restaurant position) a 30-something woman with a kid and talking like they had been chatting for quite some time.  I thought SHE was the one who was late.  Then she made me wait for 5 minutes to print something.  I jokingly asked if  a lot of people get lost on the way to her office and she laughed and said all the time.  The interview went really well and I had her laughing at some points.  She said the people in charge of front desk hold the next interview, implying to me that she's the crazy/not crazy step and the other departments do the actual interview.  A man in a suit was after me (same job?). I'm actually shocked that I was rejected.  Was it me being late?  Were there better candidates?  

So that's my story.  I start Friday but I'm still hopeful about the Apartment Complex job saying 'yes' before then.

Day 83-- Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake recipe

Prologue:

An article came out a few days ago that an hour of watching television takes off 22 minutes of your life.  It can also buy you a box of Bisquick.

I can honestly say that I've never had strawberry shortcake before last night and I'm really surprised that I haven't.  It's ridiculously easy.  Thanks to a Bisquick commercial, some milk, and two spoonfuls of sugar (plus strawberries and cool-whip) we had a delicious post-bar treat. 

Bisquick Strawberry Short Cakes 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10-13 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup Bisquick

2+1 teaspoons of sugar

1/3 cup milk

Directions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together the Bisquick, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and milk together.  On a cookie sheet drop the mix into 4 pastry clusters, like you would making biscuits.  They'll be slightly golden brown when done--try not to burn the bottoms.

2.) While your pastry clusters bake, slice about a cup of strawberries into small pieces and drizzle the remaining 1 teaspoon on sugar on top of  the pieces.

3.) Take out small bowls (I used my dipping bowls) and put a pastry cluster into each bowl.  Break them with a spoon, and add some strawberries. Mix them around a little so that each bite will have a little bit of cluster, a little bit of strawberries. Top all of the bowls with a big scoop of cool whip.  Done!

Review:

Simple and sweet.  It the right portion size of a bit of pastry and strawberries with enough sweet from the sugar and cool whip to make it a non-heavy dessert.  It'd recommend it as a late summer snack to enjoy with friends.

Day 82 -- 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before College

I've been in a retrospective mood this week since college started up in AZ and I'm living a fun post-college life out here in San Diego.  I've been rethinking the things I wish I had known going in, the things I've learned when I was there, and the things I've learned once outside the classroom. 

6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Entering College

1.)  Knowing another language

Trying to learn French in college + a part-time job + 4 other classes + a social life wasn't going to work. If I had known a language before college I would have been more confident in traveling abroad. 

2.) How to be hot

In the 8th grade Stephanie W--- offered to do my make-up one day.  I was super shy about it, but was disappointed she forgot about the next day. I entered college with some eyeliner and...I think that was it.  Oh and some plaid capris and college tank tops.  College is the time to be someone new.  I wish I had gone in with the sexy look and sexy confidence that I didn't learn until halfway in.  Is being hot necessary?  No.  But why not have college be your popular years for the hell of it? 

3.) Be VERY CAREFUL when picking friends

Who you hang out with is who you largely become.  If you're friends with the party crowd, then you'll be hanging out at parties.  If you're friends with the sporty crowd, then you'll be hanging out doing or watching sports.  Make friends with people that you admire, who are doing things you're interesting in doing or becoming.  Looking back, I wish I had made more friends in the English Lit program who were publishing or grad school-minded because I could have been inspired to intern way earlier and would have people on similar career paths to talk to.

4.) A refresher on sex-ed

I remembered quite a bit from sex-ed from back in my Freshmen year of high school, but there really should be a refresher course the first year of college when we're actually having sex.  I didn't realize how the pill effect women so differently.  A friend and I were on the same brand and I would always start my period on Tuesday and end on Friday, whereas she would start anywhere from day 25-35 with spotting in between and cramping.  I'm glad I got tested and so many of my friends do too, but how many others know that STDs are a 1 in 4?  Also, a condom should be used the whole time, not just the end.  Oops.

5.) Where I wanted to live in 4 years

Go to college where you want to work and live in 4 years.  Even though California is only a state away I've already experienced some hiring hesitation that I'm not a California resident.  They figure that since I'm out-of-state I might not know the area or clientele as well as a local.  Go to school where the industry you want to break into is within close proximity.  You can't easily long-distance networking, and hold internships or and jobs in that industry all school year.  Pick a school in a beautiful location with fun things to do, plus plentiful opportunities once the diploma is in your hand!

Day 81-- Guacamole Recipe, San Diego Style

Prologue:

You can't live in California and not like guacamole.  Gauc has a wide range of variation, from gourmet to basic, spicy to bland, as a sharing snack with friends, or a whole meal or as a dressing on sandwiches, but all guacamole contains the same starting ingredients of avocados, onions, and tomatoes.  

On a final note, don't feel bashful about only using half of vegetables.  I know it seems like waste if you only use half of an onion, but as long as you ziplock it, you can use that onion later for fajitas, or tacos, or steak to go along with you guac or for a meal the next day.  The following is my recipe for my own San Diego guacamole that I've tweaked enough times to find what I like.

San Diego Guacamole 

Prep time: 6-7 minutes

Cook time: 0

Total time: 6-7 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 avocados

half of a small onion (save the rest for a Mexican dish for dinner, ect)

1 roma tomato 

1 small lime, or half of a fat lime and save the other half for Coronas to go with the guac ;)

generous amounts of salt and pepper

a sprinkle of garlic salt or a pinch of actual garlic

Directions:

1.) Be choosy at the grocery store when picking avocados.  For some reason they're really expensive so you don't want to buy a dud.  Make sure the avocado is squishy when you squeeze it to know it's ripe and ready.  I tend to buy black Hass avocados at Safeway/Vons, but there really isn't too much difference between these and green avocados usually sold at farmers markets. 

2.) Get out a large bowl and cutting board and chop up your half an onion.  Using the restuarant style of chopping an onion I can chop half an onion in about 45 seconds and not cry.  Chop up your roma tomato and add it to the chopped onions in the bowl as well.

3.) Cut into your avocados and remove the pit.  Here's how to cut and pit an avocado. Use a spoon to scoop out all of the avocado meat into the bowl.  Cut your fat lime in half and squeeze one half's juice into the bowl.  

4.) Generously shake salt and pepper and a dash of garlic salt (or a pinch of actual garlic) into the bowl.  Mash all of the ingredients together extremely well.  Add a little more of this or that depending on your taste buds.  All done!

Review:

It's all about the lime.  I love a limy guacamole with a nice bit of salt and pepper and a hint of garlic.  This recipe is my go-to when I'm in a  sublime California mood and feel like sharing the love with roommates and trust me, it's always a hit.  

(laugh) Actually, I was a tad annoyed because I had a good bit left and put it in the refrigerator so I could add some guac to fajitas I was making later for dinner.   But alas, I see a very empty container in the sink and my boyfriend with a cat grin on his face when I asked him where the rest of the guac went.  This may happen with the recipe ;)  Happy cooking!

Day 78--Bobby pins and Cuban sandwiches

I have forgotten that 4.5 hours of sleep hyperness that very clearly came out when I was shouting on the sidewalk that if we don't push the boundaries and the limits of polite standards there will never be any progress in this world.  Then I got upset about spiders in the bushes.

Anyway.

Today has been pretty good as a whole.  I was up at the ass-crack of dawn again to go to yet another dentist appointment.  I had a bunch of work done in AZ before I left and when I moved I needed some adjustment done.  The SD dentist I went to helped about 70%, but after the 2nd, 3rd, 4th fucking trip, I was still only 85% back to normal. 

I very much like my new dentist.  She was extremely thorough, friendly, but with some sass.  She put a camera in my mouth to show me each tooth and took x-rays to figure out what the problem was (the other guy just did the blue strips to find high points).  She saw that one of my back moral was hitting my tooth before the rest of my teeth, making my bite unbalanced and the cold sensitivity.  She drilled it down, gave me sensitivity paste, and showed me how to brush my teeth the professional way (back to front on each individual tooth).  

I had a job interview with an upperscale apartment complex afterward and I think I nailed it.  I love a place that smelled nice and has funky pillows.  The lady who interviewed me was super bubbly which matched my personality and the other guy loosened up for chit-chat too.  Again I think I talked too damn much but I think they liked me.  No word yet.

I'm hoping that they didn't notice that my black slacks were being hemmed by a half dozen bobby pins.  I couldn't find a tailor before this morning.

My boyfriend and I went to our favorite Cuban sandwich shop once I got home.  I got a delicious oven roasted turkey breast, cream cheese, and guava marmalade sandwich with a triple espresso chocolate cookie.

And so the day has simmered down to finally doing laundry, taking a long hot shower, and feeling ok about not getting my car washed nor my pants hemmed.  Always tomorrow.

Well, I'm off to reheat my tea.  Wish me luck with the job and my tooth!

Day 77 -- Dreams and drug tests

I have forgotten what it feels like to be tired.  I woke up at 8am and have had a half dozen things happen all at once, and now it's pushing midnight and I still have so much more to do before my alarm goes off at 7am tomorrow morning because I had to move my dentist appointment to 8am.  Let's break down the day:

9:15 am: Had a phone interview with an upscale apartment complex that's my top choice for salary, 3rd choice for location.  I think it went well, aside from the trick questions like, "Would you like to eventually work full-time? (in a nice voice)" "Yes, I would love to grow into a full-time position" "Ok, well this job is part-time only and will be for the next year so you may want to look elsewhere if you want full-time.""No no, I'm looking for about 30 hours a week so 28 is just fine." She also chastised me for not knowing enough details about the company like the fact they have Halloween parties at work.  Jesus, I knew the basics of the company but I didn't know there'd be a quiz.

10 am: Third day at my internship and got super exciting news!  They liked my proposal so I'll be spearheading a project/contest to get one high school student published this year.  One of my upper co-workers (I don't have a boss) said that it's a complicated idea but a good one.  This is my chance to make someone's dream come true and I swear I tear up just thinking about it.

12 pm-ish: I got a follow-up call from the morning interviewing saying I passed to a in-person interview.  I signed up for the 11am tomorrow slot.  Pretty promising.  Once again I was asked if I was ok taking a hair follicle sample.  I said yes.  I am not.  One, I'm around smoke constantly, and two, I'm paranoid about companies owning my DNA.  Hopefully it's just a scare tactic.

12:15 pm: Got a reminder call from my new dentist that my appointment tomorrow was for 12.  I had to reschedule because of the interview so 8am drill, here I come. 

1 pm: Had lunch with two of my co-workers which was a big step in them being comfortable around me (they're pretty quiet but nice) and we talked about the general shithole that awaits college and high school grad these days.  I seriously need to stop talking so much.

3 pm: I finished updating various websites about our upcoming book signings and got started with my Project: Big Dream (title pending).  L. (50something, worked in publishing 14+years, nice, closest thing a boss for me) told me that the first step is researching grants.  I need to find grants will work for my project and gather data on what each grant wants so that a few grant proposal templates can be written.  I sorta understood what she meant.

3:30 pm: Another job called me to set up an interview.  This one's for Friday and it's my top choice location but not enough hours or pay.  Fucking hate the "how much are you looking to make an hour?" question.  Too high and they don't want you; too low and they make you stick to that number.

4 pm: Drove to the mall to buy black suit for the job interview in the morning. I own a pin-strip, but not a solid black one like they requested.

5 pm: Got lost on the way home.

5:45 pm: The dry-cleaners were closed so I didn't know where to get my new suit pants hemmed.

6 pm: Bought an In-N-Out meal for the boyfriend and I.

6:30 pm: Hung out with the new roommate and her friend, both whom I really like.  We bonded over the dreadful Spread movie (with Ashton Kutcher) that we watched last night.

7:30 pm: I really wanted to use my momentum to research the company I'm interviewing with tomorrow and to blog but my boyfriend came in and wanted to distract me for a bit.  Girls, do you ever just want to get your shit done sometimes even at the prospect of an orgasm?  It's wonderful and I seriously do appreciate it--really, I do--but all focus gets lost.

9 pm: So tired and annoyed about some drama and needed a shower to change my head space.

Now 11:45 pm: Never did get back to grant research.  Still haven't filled out the stuff I need to before tomorrow.  Still need to duct tape my pants or something before tomorrow. 

So yeah.  Three amazing things and one bum thing.  I'm seriously looking forward to a nap already.

Day 76--Today kinda sucks

I might delete this post later if I can finish my Midnight in Paris review before tonight.

I am not a healthy happy camper today.  I threw up this morning, from what I think it was too much Caesar dressing on my salad last night.  I fucking hate throwing up.  You can't control it and you just want to get it over with.  My stomach is still upset so I'm not sure I'm totally done with the porcelain bowl.

In other news I have a job interview today with a hotel downtown.  I'm pretty sure my answer will be "no" since it includes 2 graveyard shifts a week.  But I need practice interviewing so I'm going anyway.  I have a phone interview with another place tomorrow morning.

Which reminds me that I need to apply back at Starbucks.   

Dishes still aren't done which is pissing me since I've seriously done them 97% of the time all month.  And the pile of laundry is pissing me off too. 

Today kinda sucks.

Day 75-- Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding recipe

Prologue: 

The first time I ever had bread pudding was with my friend Gladys in Pleasanton, California.  It was winter break of the first year of college and she was back home from LA.  It was a rainy afternoon and we felt like doing something sophisticated.  We ended up at this chic little restaurant with white table clothes and little candles and we only ordered desserts.  On a whim I ordered bread pudding.  I had no idea what bread pudding actually was and the consistency (spongy, soaked baked bread) was slightly off-putting, though it tasted nice and sweet.

To this day bread pudding tastes a little bit like winter vacation, a little bit like gossiping about first loves, and little bit of home. 

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 35-40

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 cup cubed cinnamon raisin bread

2/3 cup of milk (I used 2%)

1 tbsp melted butter

1 egg

3 tbsps brown sugar

1/5 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

Directions:

1.) Place the bread cubes in a greased baking dish (I used a small circular one).

2.) In a small bowl whisk together the egg, butter, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar.  Pour over the bread; let stand for 15 minutes until the bread is totally soaked.

3.) Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Review:

Delicious!  If you can get over the texture then you'll have yourself a real treat.  I served mine in my small glass dipping glasses along with some eggs and bacon for breakfast.  You can add more nutmeg if you want, but that stuff is really potent.  Anyway, delicious, delicious, and happy cooking!

Day 73--"Where are your friends tonight?"

It's pushing 3am and I'm finally getting home.  School is starting in Arizona next week and I'm walking home smelling the ocean, bonfires, and hearing the San Diego crew of friends drunkenly laughing behind me.  It's a trade that on some nights I'm perfectly ok with.

Today began with cookies for breakfast.  Then my boyfriend abandoned his computer and started playing some Raphael Saadiq while dancing around the room with a smile on his face.  I turned off my computer with a smile on my face at his moves.  With a quick decision I closed the blinds and locked the door.  His smile turned into a grin with a quirked eyebrow...

This afternoon was quickly turning into disaster because I was trying to fix the problem of yesterday when two jobs called me about my applications and I missed their calls.  I called them back yesterday and left messages.  And called them today to nothing.  Damn it, right?  But my friend Amy is visiting from Arizona so the disappointment didn't last.  I made some plans for cinnamon raisin bread pudding this weekend and waited to meet up with her.

Soon we were in Del Mar and over decadent hazelnut chocolate mousse cake and were discussing the state of the world as new college graduates (me undergrad, her masters).  What a mad mad country we live in when there isn't enough money for universal health care but enough money to fight 4 wars.  But I'll stop there and mention again that the cake and company were phenomenal.

I got home and we got an invite to the bars as soon as I parked.  What I love about this side of town is that we never know who we're going to run into. Familiar faces with nice cold drinks. And were having a damn fine night bar hopping and talking about music fests, the west coast vs NY, and old friends we miss and new friends we enjoy.  I didn't even realize it was 2 until they kicked us out.  

A little after-party and hijinks and here I am at half past 3 feeling good and sleepy.  "Where are your friends tonight?/". ~LCD Soundsystem

Day 70-- First day working at a publishing company

Today I read a book not yet released to the public.  I'm loving this internship.

It was my first day and I arrived a little too early, dressed a little too fancy, but I had that sense of calm you get when you know you're doing the right thing in life.

Today's assignments were fairly simple: browse through the top sellers to get a feel of the company (local cookbooks, local legends, local biographies, local children's book authors, ect), relearn some HTML for adding events to the events page of our website, and reading the files of two upcoming books--including the entire manuscript for a book launching this week.

I felt positively giddy as I read the files, which included rough drafts of the back cover summary, the blurbs, the reviews, the design dimensions, the entire marketing plan of how many initial copies will go to print, what the competitor books are, what places are best to sell the book at, and a huge list of newspapers+radio stations+websites that interview authors or promote genre-related books.  

When I was in high school and people wanted to become Harry Potter or JK Rowling, I wanted to be JK Rowling's editor, and in looking in those files today I got a glimpse of what a childhood dream looks like.

But.  

But I don't know if it's enough to live on.  Look, I've read dozens and dozens of articles and salary indicators that book editors don't make shit and that independent publishing houses are often in the red.  One of the women working there make a point of telling me that there isn't money to be made in publishing.  I know.  And realistically it's one of the biggest reasons I still want to try out magazine writing and maybe, in the far distant future, pursue a masters or a PhD to teach publishing and media.  But that's getting ahead of myself.

I like the people I work with.  It's a 7 person team, with two of those people being the owners and one of them being the shipping/warehouse guy.  There's a twinge of Office Space, but for the most part they seem to get along well.  The biggest compliant is that I don't really have a boss so it's kinda a free for all about my tasks.  At this point it seems like I'll be doing some social media promotion and bitch work the whole time I'm there, and mainly working under the youngest one there (by 20 years) who was fairly nice to me, but I wonder if she might see me as either a rival or unnecessary.  We'll see.

Overall I good day working at a publishing house.  I'm treating this whole thing as a learning experience and a resume builder.

On the job front: I have a phone interview scheduled for next week (seriously) for an upscale apartment complex front desk.  No word on my other job applications and no search progress today.  I've applied to every hotel front desk position in the area, I'm leery about applying to more leasing offices at apartments, tutoring companies are too fickle to apply to, and I've done one application for hotel record keeping, and one for editing.  Tomorrow or Thursday I'll apply back at Starbucks for shift lead position.  By Friday or Saturday I'll start looking for a restaurant job. And by Monday or Wednesday I'll succumb to a temp agency.  

Working to making dreams come true: No salary. Working for shelter and sustenance: being degraded to the food industry. [laughs] What a mad mad world.

Day 68* -- Weezer concert review

Last night's Weezer tickets were cheaper than my fair food cheese steak--and the cheese steak was the better purchase.

The setting was Del Mar Racetrack, the ticket price was $6 ($20 if you got there after the last race), the seating area was mainly flat asphalt, and the clothes were a mix of beautiful upper 20-something women in fancy hats and pricey heels, to late 30-something guys who still wear extra long shorts and Vans. 

When it comes to concerts, sometimes the stage is small and sometimes the pay is bad, but when you're a touring band old or new it's your job to earn new fans with each performance.  Weezer was on autopilot and crashing fast.

Rivers Como has never been known for his vocal strength, but any drunk guy can sing "Island In the Sun" without cracking his voice, so there really isn't an excuse for a singer in a band with over nineteen years of experience.  Granted, the speakers were subpar at best for the venue so some blame can be shared.

They played their standard fair of "The Sweater Song", "Hash Pipe", "Perfect Situation", and "We Are All on Drugs", which delighted the crowd for nostalgic reasons rather than performance.  If the band lipped-synced their songs from the radio I really don't think we would have noticed the difference.

My favorite part was walking away to "Say It Ain't So" echoing through the parking lot.  A long time ago my Starbucks crew would play our iPod during work and without fail "Say It Ain't So" would play ever night.  I'll never forget Bobby, the coolest music motherfucker with the coolest motherfucking beard , or Jesus, the hilarious shaman-in-training, or Janae, who could roll blunts with acrylics and called her girlfriend Wifey, or Hannah who was always flirting with our boss Greg (they've now been dating about 3 years), and Britany who started smoking for fun a few weeks after starting a Starbucks. 

But I guess that's the point of Weezer in concert.  It's not really about them, it's about a time and a place you once were, and for 4 minutes during a song, you can remember yourself and the people you were mopping and stealing pastries with.  

*Day 68 was drafted on day 68, but posted on Day 69.  Sorry for the confusion.

Day 67--Homemade Flour Tortillas recipe

Prologue: 

I'm one of those on-paper Mexicans.  We haven't spoken Spanish in my family for two generations, and my grandma on my dad's side was the only one I remember making homemade tortillas.  I was driving past a Chevy's the other day when I remembered the smell of their freshly made tortillas that I would always order extra batch for the ride home.  I decided to make some at home, and let me tell you, I'll never buy store-made tortillas again.

Home-made Flour Tortillas

Prep time: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes.

Cook time: 5 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Serving size: 8 tortillas

Ingredients: 

4 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 generous teaspoons salt

4teaspoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 cup lukewarm milk (2% is cool)

Directions:

1.) Stir together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl mix together the veggie oil, and salt into lukewarm milk.  Once all incorporated slowly add this milk mixture to the bowl of flour and baking powder.  It should be pretty sticky.

2.) Roll out the dough onto a flour-dusted cutting board and knead well for about 2 minutes.  Return the dough to a bowl and over it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 15 minutes.

3.) Divide your dough into 8 balls.  Return to bowl with a damp cloth cover for 20 minutes.

4.) Roll out your dough balls into 5in-8in circles with a rolling pin or a heavy cup.  It's going to take a bit of muscle strength because of how elastic the dough it.  Basically make them as flat you like your tortillas to be.

5.) Heat up a pan and fry each tortilla until a little crispy on both sides.  Done!

Review:

Delicious.  I'm never going to buy store-bought tortillas again.  It's a bit of a pain without a rolling pin, but the results are well worth it.  I enjoy warm tortillas with some butter as a snack, or use them for fajitas.  

Happy Cooking! 

Day 66-- Follow the dreams of your childhood

I have great news!  I am now interning for the biggest book publisher in San Diego!  It's a start to finish company.  An author sends a query letter to them, then a manuscript if my publisher approves, then there's the editing process, the binding process, the cover design process, and finally the marketing and selling process.  They also do ebooks and have partnerships with smaller publishers who use their warehouse. 

Book publishing is one of two fields I may pursue for the rest of my life (the other is magazine writing). This will be my first taste of book publishing.  This is my first foot in the door of this business.  I want to intern for a magazine once it's over and make a decision once and for all which of the two industries I want to work in.  Regardless, I'm really thrilled for the opportunity and the exposure into this book world. 

I admit that I have some doubts, and these are all due to my mother.  I called her up yesterday and the conversation wen something like this:  My mom: "[deep concern] I'm happy for you, [confusion] but I don't understand why you would work for free [annoyed that I have a degree and no job]."  

There are two ways of responding to this.  The first way is agreement.  Yes, she's right.  I have a goddamn college degree and that should result in a paycheck better than a high school drop-out's.  Yes, she's right, it seems silly to enter a career with such low pay and with zero opportunities in San Diego (this company is made up of only 5 people and it's the biggest in the city of San Diego).  

The other way of responding is defensiveness.  (A) This is the time in our lives to make our childhood dreams come true. (B)  My mother worked at one job for 30 years and was able to retire at 48.  That job paid for a boat she bought at 20, and a house she bought at 23.  And for most of those thirty years she actually enjoyed it.  But once a long long time ago she dreamed of becoming an architect.  If my mom was 22 years old in today's world with an architecture degree she'd be just as unemployed as me.  She'd have to intern for years, do grunt work for years beyond that, get a mentor, and finally, many years and being poor later, get to be an architect.

The moral of the story is this: dreams take time--especially during a recession.  If I want to be a book editor one day, this is the first step.  Once I'm done with this internship I'll have contacts, letters of recommendation, and better resume.  From here I'm much more likely to get a job at a publishing house, or at the very least, grad school.  And more than that, I'm trying, which is more than some people who settle with jobs just for the money and give up their passions (my parent included).    

A fortune cookie I once got with some Panda Express chow mien read, "Follow the dreams of your childhood."  I am.   

Day 65--"Lotus Flower" and finding a roommate

I have a fresh haircut and am waiting to hear if I got the book publishing internship or not.  I think my interview went really well.  I chatted with the two women interviewing me for about 45 minutes about the changing industry and their own personal journeys to where they are today.  They showed me around the place and sent me a link about the company's history, so I'm feeling fairly confident.  But who the fuck knows, right?

Yesterday was a really solid good day.  I got up early to buy a white watch to go with my interview outfit, and had enough time to get my car washed (always a happy day).  While I waited for my interview time I sat in my car watching clips on my iPod of my last few months of ASU and laughed out loud while missing everyone.  I came home buzzing from my interview and decided to make flour tortillas from scratch for fajitas.  Later in the night we went over to my boyfriend's roommate's friends kickback at their place, and I had such a blast as we talked about travels and life as we munched on BBQ chicken and sweet potatoes.  

Today has been alright.  My boyfriend and I have been conducting interviews for one of the rooms in the house opening up and it's been a real nightmare trying to find the right girl.  Here's the thing: if someone is looking for a guy to fill a room it's because of things they DON'T want, like drama, or neatfreakness, or attitude.  If someone wants a girl it's because of thing they DO want, like energy, fun friends to come around for parties, beauty (they more attractive your roommate/friends, the more attractive you look to others), dance parties, ect.

The problem with that is, when a guy interviews all he cares about is (1) the location of the place and (2) can he fit all his shit in his room?  When a girl interviews she has a huge checklist upfront and a checklist in her head.  Closet?  Bathroom? Room size?  Vibe of the neighborhood?  Noise?  Everyone's schedule?  How cool are the roommates?  Safety?  Purified water? The list goes on and on. 

When guys interview it's rather easy to stereotype them into the categories, like Working Man, Bro, Military Guy, Asshole, Druggie, Local guy, Cool Guy, ect.  But when it comes to girls they're all different.  One girl who interviewed was in the middle of a divorce (no), one girl I was convinced was a mail-order bride due to her excessive make-up and style that didn't match her personality on top of her trying to transfer schools with only one year left at her school near Canada (who does that?) on top of being a nanny--which isnt' weird in of itself, but I don't know--, oh then there was the germaphob who didn't want to put down a deposit (no), and former self-mutilator who hates people who are under 22 (no).     

Is it so much to ask for a pretty girl who's fun, with fun friends, who's not a bitch, and has a job?  I mean, we actually found 2 of them but they both ended up saying no [not enough closet space]. 

(sigh).  Well, that's what's been what's up.  To finish this entry up, here's a really great song I'm listening to by Radiohead called "Lotus Flower".