Christmas Shopping

As some of you know I am not a big shopper, it's one of my least favorite things to do. Today I had to take the plunge and get all my Christmas shopping done. So my first stop was the dreaded mall. As I entered the large concrete walls I immediately began feeling claustrophobic, hundreds of people, screaming children waiting to see santa, shopping bags hitting me from all angles, Christmas music seeping out of every store...... I had to take some deep breaths, collect myself and set some serious shopping goals! I quickly made a mental list and tackled the mall in a fairly efficient and relatively stress free manner. After stop number one I had to refuel with a large coffee and a little energy boosting snack, shopping really takes it out of me. Then it was off the the next place, I can't disclose I don't want to give away any of my gifts. I like everything to be a surprise..... it's way more fun when you open your gifts if you have no idea. The key to this is never asking what people want but listening to them as the holidays approach and giving them a quick scan to maybe what they need. For example.... complaining about cold feet.... ski socks, trouble finding shoes to match an outfit.... shoes or gift certificate to shoe store.... holes in the pit of their t-shirt.... new shirts...., turning underwear inside out for another day of use.... tighty whiteys, you get the point. You have a few more days to listen to those verbal and non-verbal clues. Happy shopping, thank god I am done!

Welcome to the Real World

Lauren is officially entering the real world, yes that means I got a job. The job title: Online Sales Planner, the company: National CineMedia. I am excited to start receiving those pay checks and end the long hours of job searching and boredom. Let the early waking up, commute and packing of my lunch begin! My office is located right behind Loehmann's at Park Meadows, could be potentially dangerous although now that I have a job I will need to purchase a few new outfits, business attire! I have never been very comfortable in these so called "dress up clothes," which may pose a challenge for shopping. I am hoping they have casual Fridays!! It is an interesting time to start a job as we are on the brink of the Holidays. I had many parties and ski dates planned but it looks like they will be put on hold for the time being until I find out the days we get off. I don't want to ask for vacation time the second week, haha I am not sure that would be a good start. So to all of those who were with me through this journey, thanks for your support. It was an emotional roller coaster that led me to explore places and pieces of myself I had never known. I am an expert interviewee, an expert thank-you note writer, an expert in persistence and an expert in rejection. Let me know if I can help you fine tune any of those skills. Happy Real World to all and to all a good night.

Coffee and Negative Temperatures

This morning was negative 9 degrees and even colder up on the mountain. I was supposed to help out at the world cup races in Beaver Creek but similarly cold temperatures yesterday left me with frost bite on my right foot, ouch. Today I sit in a coffee shop staring outside. It's a bluebird day yet very deceiving..... COLD! Days like this make me question moving to a warmer climate. But where would I move I ask myself? Colorado is an amazing place, over 300 days of sunshine, great snow, not too hot of summers.... Maybe California but it is over populated, traffic chaos, and lots of fake people, sorry if your from California. I might just have to layer up and smile in the face of the cold, hot chocolate and hand warmers to the rescue.
On another note, Happy Friday to all of those employed, and to the unemployed, it's always Friday for us, haha. Have a great weekend, get out and do something different, stray from your norm!

Holiday Weight Gain

All the magazines and tv commercials are talking about how to avoid holiday weight gain. In a few weeks it will be how to loose the holiday pounds. This is a never ending cycle each year. A few days ago my mom asked me if I want to do a 2 hour spin class on Thanksgiving and a cardio plus weights class at 7:15 the following morning. In order to not feel guilty about my food coma from Thanksgiving is this what I need to partake in? This holiday is not about eating for my family it's about making sure the stuff we eat doesn't create a muffin top. I did agree to do both classes and in my mind this means I can eat double the pumpkin pie right? Well actually no, this means I will sustain my current weight. After reading this article: I learned that the average person only gains 1 lb but they won't loose that pound.
So what steps should you take to avoid that dreaded one pound? or better yet don't worry about it we could revisit this topic after New Years and loose that one pound together.
Hmmm tough decision I know...... Well for me I already have about 5 lbs to loose from Halloween candy (I love candy and couldn't resist), unemployment blues drinking and cooking by myself and not having the portions quite down (overeating my yummy creations). Or maybe I am just gearing up for the holidays.... stretching the stomach for Thanksgiving. No really I am going to try to avoid any weight gain, maybe I can be the first person to loose weight over the holidays!!! Eat in moderation, lots of exercise, laughter, water, and moderation of alcohol, and smart drinking (www.justalittlechocolate.com/2009/11/19/liquid-calories-watch-out)
Good luck, stay skinny! I will begin my quest for weight loss during the holidays.....

Grocery Store

I have always been a fan of going to the grocery store, whether it is the fat kid in me that enjoys staring at food or just another activity to curb my ADD I am not sure. Today out of sheer necessity and a little case of boredom, I ventured to the closest market, King Soopers. I am usually a Safeway loyal customer but it is too far away from my current abode. There are those that cut out coupons, have a list of each item and the sporadic shopper. I am usually the latter although I do quite a bit of price comparisons. The key to this is having a shoppers card and looking at the fine print, price per ounce or unit. Sometimes they get you with the big bold price saving sticker but if you look closely another similar product not on sale will be a better deal.

With the trends leaning towards organic and natural foods I have migrated more towards the chemically injected fruits and vegetables, more bang for your buck and lets just say I like to always strive to be unique. But seriously, I bought some fuji apples that were the size of grapefruits, amazing in my mind. Now don't get me wrong, WholeFoods/Whole Paycheck has some great items but how can I afford to shop there? Not in this lifetime plus why do they think they can mark-up items found at other grocery stores, such as hot sauce. I was going to buy some Chaula and it was over $3 for small bottle, about a dollar more than normal. To wrap things up check out the fine print on price labels and go big or go home!

Giving Thanks

As we spend this next Thursday filling up on delectable items such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and, if your as lucky as I am, some homemade pumpkin pie courtesy of mama Ann, did you take the time to give thanks? The holiday is indeed about expressing things we are thankful for. In light of the holiday I thought it was fitting to reflect on what I am thankful for. As times are tough it is important to reflect on the good. I am thankful for my brother's successful new marriage, my health, friends, new and old, my family who are so very supportive, my loving boy who keeps me grounded and in check with reality and of course, not to be forgotten the dog in the family, Jack.
If you think the Tryptophan and red wine combination will get the best of you before you have enough time to reflect on what you are thankful for take a moment to do this. Whether it is family, friends, the workout you had today, your career take a second to:
Write 5 things you are thankful for today
Write 20 things you are thankful for this year
Take a look and your list and create goals for tomorrow and next year
If you would like to make self gratitude a part of your daily routine there is even a iPhone application called the Gratitude Journal to help you personally record what you are thankful for each day.

Gearing Up for Ski Season

With the opening of A-Basin today, ski season has officially started! I can't wait to put on those skis, ouch not the boots, and let the wind frolic in my face. The feeling of being free and alive is something you can't get anywhere else. Now that I am not living in Vail, I am officially a "front-ranger." I will have to deal with the weekend traffic, won't be able to role out of bed to go skiing and will fight for parking spots, I will feel the pain of a "front ranger." I will try to ease the pain by carpooling and jamming out to good music but there is no question I will still frequent the mountains. Check out this hilarious video!

http://www.wendmag.com/blog/2009/10/06/irony-of-cross-country-snowboarding/

Boooooo.... ahhhhhhhh

As some of you may know Halloween is my favorite holiday. I have been known to have some of the best costumes since I was a little tike. To name a few...., a bunch of grapes (balloons as grapes), tube of toothpaste, bumble bee, Dorothy, a zipper, milk shake, a light stick man (kinda hard to explain), twister board and some others I am forgetting. I am the kind of person who has to make my costume by throwing together assorted pieces, none of this buying it online bs. I am a hater of the pre-packaged super sexy costumes, if that is you please never talk to me again! now that October has arrived and I am still unemployed so I have plenty of time on my hands, the quest begins.

Not only is the costume portion important but you gotta throw in some Halloween activities. I am talking, of course, pumpkin carving and seed roasting but I have recently been intrigued by these semi-adult haunted houses as well as the corn mazes. I am hoping to go to a haunted house but with a price tag of $20 they better scare the heebeegeebees out of me.

Face-to-Face Communication

Have you ever been misinterpreted over the phone, via e-mail or even a quick messaging session or online conference? For most of us the answer is yes. It is hard to gauge one’s mood and emotions from these communication platforms. We all know that in a meeting, interview or networking situation the most important piece of your puzzle is your appearance, mannerisms and presence. Most of what you are saying is lost in translation. If this is true why has face-to-face communication been steadily diminishing?

Now with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace as well as high-tech communication tools such as e-mail, Blackberries, and online video conferencing the ways we interact with one another have dramatically changed. These tools have allowed us to participate in more activities, take on more clients and communicate with more people. It is easy to communicate and do business with people without actually ever meeting them. As our plates get fuller and fuller our time is shrinking and we all can agree that it takes significantly less time to make a call or send out a Facebook message to an old colleague but we need not to forget about the value of face-to-face interaction. It is still the most effective and powerful way to connect with others.

Now put down that phone, close your e-mail account screen and schedule a coffee meeting instead of a phone conversation. Go show off that pretty smile and rekindle the presence of face-to-face interaction to benefit both your personal life and your work.

Being Frugal

With an unpaid internship and my diminishing savings due to my 2-month trip to Southeast Asia I am forced to come up with creative ways to save money. Going through my expenses from previous months I had to face the facts. I was spending a large amount on booze, this includes Happy Hour, the occasional night cap with a friend, beers at a baseball game and my Friday and/or Saturday nights. My second expense was food, going out to lunch, dinner, Sunday morning breakfast, and my afternoon caffeine kicks.

To solve expense number 1, I have quit drinking for 30 days, not a sip of alcohol. I am on day 10, sometimes the peer pressure is tough (Oktoberfest last weekend) but I have stayed strong and have saved a significant amount of money just in the past week.

Expense number 2 solved, I go to the grocery store once a week, typically on Sunday. I also go onto KingSoopers.com to see what the specials are for the week and even print out relevant coupons. This is actually fun, I go on a mini scavenger hunt in the supermarket looking for the coupon items. On my lunch break I ride my bike to my apartment and make lunch, luckily I live close or else I would purchase and nice new lunch box and pack it everyday. As for the afternoon caffeine kicks, I have learned to live without them.

The Essence of Friday

Virtually everyone in the typical working world, Monday-Friday is ecstatic when Friday comes, many updating their Twitter or Facebook with something like "TGIF", "The mountains this weekend", "Friday Happy Hour with friends." Whether you love your job or struggle to go everyday, everyone appreciates those 2 days off. How you spend it is completely up to you, a adventure packed weekend or catching up on some much needed ZZZZs. I typically like to do something outside weather pending of course. Do you think the quality and productivity of work deteriorates on Fridays? Either people work extra hard knowing the weekend is hours away or it becomes a distraction. This can also depend on the person, amount of work ect. but I know as they say in yoga "be present." Focus on where and what you are doing at the moment and leg go of the past and future. I agree with this statement but I like to plan the adventures of my weekend so I have something to look forward to. This always keeps me ultra motivated! My weekend plans:

Saturday: Community service event in the morning, possible hike, Vail Oktoberfest afternoon and evening.

Sunday: Sleep in, frolic outside in the falling leaves, sing songs on the way back to Denver, movie.

Happy Friday, have a wonderful weekend:)

Lauren

The quest for the perfect health club

Today I began my quest for the perfect health club. So the first question I had to ask myself was what am I looking for? Whether you join for the social scene, a place to get noticed and a place to check out those sweaty hot men, or join for the top on the line equipment, I am talking Tv screens on each machine and an assortment of Dvds, or join to relax and take in the day, lots of yoga and organic hair products with soothing music playing, or join for the abundance of classes and intense personal trainers, the classes that you walk out of dripping with sweat with a slight feeling you may vomit, everyone has their reasons for being a member. For me I like the intense vomit type classes that leave you barely able to walk the next day. Now that is what I call fun!! Note to everyone, I was a former member of the anti-gym, which is notoriously know for such classes (they would yell at you over a loud speaker and throw cupcakes if your weren't working hard enough). Today I tried gym number one and have 3 trial days. I also toured gym number 2 and also have 3 trial days. Now here is a thought.... tour all the gyms around Colorado receiving endless amounts of trail days resorting in a completely free gym membership.

Gym number one: Status- Unsure

Gym number two: Status- Incomplete

Gym number three: Status- Yet to be found

Gym number four: Status- Yet to be found

I guess I will limit myself to only four. I will let you know when that decision comes, at this rate it could be next month.

Cheers,

Lauren

Lunch

Sitting at your desk, most likely from 8-5 or for those New Yorkers, 9-8..... I always find when my tummy starts to grumble and my eyes glaze over from my constant stare at my computer screen this is the "lunch signal."  Although today this happened at 10:45.  After drinking a little water and eating a mini cup cake left at the receptionists desk I was able to tied myself over until noon. By the way those mini cupcakes were sheer decadence.  I am tempted to go get another one but as my life style has rapidly changed from constant movement outside to only the typing of my fingers and the swivel of my chair, I have to resist the temptations.  Finding the the balance between food coma and being left with the feeling of hunger is the key to returning to work with the utmost productivity.  It's only been 2 days and I am learning more every day.  Tips so far: ---

1) bring a water bottle (this saves both plastic and encourages you to drink more water) 

2) keep a protein bar or piece of fruit at your desk

I will let you know if i come up with any other secrets to success 

-lauren 

I am finding blogging to be more difficult than expected.  I am always unsure of what thoughts are interesting and what thoughts should be left spiraling in my brain.  You know when your listening to a great song on the radio and then right when the chorus* (tricky word that doesn't follow any spelling rules, the english language is tough) is in full force and you are belting out the lyrics in the comfort of your own car and puff the signal goes out and you are forced to listen to your awful voice, it happened to me today.  On the same car note, don't you feel comfortable in your car? That enclosure of dented metal (I have been in a few little fender benders) and hot leather gives me a sense of freedom, weird because I am enclosed and belted in...... but I can sing, release some gas (sorry if you think that's gross), talk to yourself (ya I know I am a little strange but I am sure you have done that), pick your nose..... ok ok I will stop but you get the point.  Hmmm maybe that was a thought that should have been left spiraling in my brain, oops too late.  One last question to ponder, do you really think billboards are an effective way to advertise?  Vail has one on I-70 promoting their Oktoberfest and Wine Festival, to me it seems a little tacky.  A quick note to Vail Resorts, I will gladly accept a position helping you with more effective marketing techniques.

Happiness

A few weeks ago I was traveling in South East Asia with a very good friend.  One of our goals of the trip was to take meaning out of our adventures and try to learn more about ourselves.  One girl I met really had an impact on me.  We were on a 2 day boat trip on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.  The tour was very structured and we always seemed end up at places with hundreds of other tourists with locals luring us to buy overpriced items, not my idea of a true cultural experience.  As the day progressed, we kept getting herded from bus to boat to bus ride and we both grew tired and cranky to say the least.  One younger lady, who I will never forget, kept smiling throughout the entire day and had an infectious laugh.  It was hard not to smile when being around her.  She continually asked questions to our guide and was truly getting the most out of the trip as she could.  By the end of the day she had made friends with everyone and knew virtually everyones names.  I am sure you have met at least one person like this in your life.  These are the people that can impact a whole group and lift the moods of everyone.  I took away a lot from this lady, everyday I try to emanate her spirit and smile in the face of difficulties.