Imagine you are at the super market. You are craving Honey Nut Cheerios, the brand we all know and love because their commercials claim to lower our cholesterol. But, all of a sudden when you are reaching for this box, you realize, there are other brands that make basically the same cereal. What makes them different? Should you go for the cheaper box? The more colorful box? The classic box? How do you solidify which cereal you really want, when you know you can't open each box to try them all? There is a point to this cereal story, I promise, but you need to read on to understand...

I recently was catching up on one of the most inspirational bloggers I follow, Allison, at Because I Said So. Not only does she have an incredible sense of fashion, but I can relate to basically all of her blog posts in one way or another. Plus her motivation and continuation to keep her blog up is just incredible. 

Job hunting is not easy, and is definitely a full time job in and of itself. Having two part-time jobs, by the time I come home, I am already so tired, I just want to watch Netflix and sleep. But alas, my internship ends December 31, and I told my other part time job that I would not be returning come January.
Here and there I receive an email from a company saying they found my resume on so and so website, and they give me the job description. Other days I am online for countless hours into night time and am constantly applying to jobs, any jobs that sounds remotely interesting. Allison was job hunting and interviewing for a completely different job, when her dream job position seemed to sort of just fall in her lap. This isn't luck, or chance. That is fate. It is knowing what you really want, working extremely hard, and everything falling into place.

Now-a-days, it isn't what you know, but rather it is all timing and who you know. It is a crazy world where there are jobs and there are job openings, but if you don't have the experience, they don't want you. Yet, in college, I was constantly told that if I keep getting all of these internships and work opportunities, I will be over qualified.
So what is the happy medium? Honestly, I wish I could tell you. I, myself, am torn. I have all of these expectations and standards I have set for myself, which most have changed from when I was younger, but the principles remain the same. I have high expectations for myself, and I will not settle for just any job. I want to love my career, and I want to wake up in the morning with a smile on my face, wanting to go to work, because when I find my right career path, I will be making a difference in one way or another. That is my goal. I want to be able to look back on my life and say "hey look, I did that" or " I was a part of the conversation that sparked this movement" or "I was involved in this."

Happiness doesn't have a price-tag, but today it does have a label. For years now I have wanted to be a campaign manager. Today, campaign managers not head only political campaigns,but can manage social media campaigns, marketing, advertising, email marketing, the list goes on.
So, in a super market full of honey nut cheerios, all a different brand name, but all the same basic cereal, which do you pick?

Hopefully I didn't just make you crave cereal, but rather consider all of the options we have in life. I'm currently at a point where I can decide which career path, or cereal box to choose, and I can't lie... it is terrifying. I know everything happens for a reason, and everything works out the way it is supposed to, but that doesn't make options seem less daunting.

How did you get to where you are now? What made you choose your current career path? Are you truly happy?
Any advice or comments would help me and this post-grad-funk!

Happy FriYAY, and I hope you have an incredible weekend!

Hip, Hip, HOORAY

Welcome to my welcome back party! Hosted by yours truly (me) with special guest, YOU! I feel like I should make a little introduction, but I honestly don't even know where I would start. 

My world has changed into this crazy thing where one minute I am wishing that I was five years older and could just fast forward through this weird awkward transition from post grad into real world, the next minute I am missing college and all my friends and the memories I had in those four years, and then I stop and remember I just need to be and live in the moment. So that is currently where I am. This crazy gray area between post grad and real world with a full time career. Both which are miles apart - college and career - and yet, I'm still here, doing me. 

People change, relationships end, others are brought back, time continues, life moves on. So put a smile on, be the best you that you can be, and go out there and live the life that YOU want to live, because only you can live your life.

Inter-Vibes

Yes, the title of this blog post is me trying to be creative. It is also me trying to combine interview with vibes so it makes sense. In my mind... Right?

Now I am starting to question myself. Cool.

Lets talk about interviews.

There are multiple types of interviews. 

There are formal interviews, normally one on one, with a person in a suit, asking you typical questions, such as what is the last book you read? Why did you major in _____? Why would you be a good fit for this position?

Then there are the middle of the road type. Either you meet in their relaxed office, a joint conference room, a coffee shop if they are super trendy. It starts with awkward conversation, you get some Q&A time about you, and then you leave feeling sort of "eh."

THEN, my dear sweet reader person, there are the inter-vibes. These are the picture perfect interviews. These are the interviews that happen in movies or 17 magazine with the article title "how to nail your interview 101" or some cute clever thing that has been over done. These are the interviews that don't feel like interviews.

Now, none of these are bad, and none are good, and there are so many more, these are just the top 3 I could categorize in my brain. Everyone has their preference, and there is a time, place, and job for each. I personally like 1 and 3. I find lunch meetings in general awkward, so I feel that a lunch interview or even coffee interview would be uncomfortable. Or extremely judgmental, like more so than a normal interview.

But now, currently.... post interview:

Newsday Tuesday

I would like to apologize in advance for my constant lack of pictures. I have an Instagram and Twitter and Snapchat and then I forget about pictures for blog, I'm learning, I'm getting back into the swing of things. Work with me?

Speaking of work, I totally forgot I had an interview tomorrow, but it's okay. I remembered and now I'm super excited! It is a paid internship but hey, it's paid, and an internship, and I am at the point where I can figure out what I want to do with my life, or at least what I don't want to do with my life. That makes sense, right? It does to me.

As you may or may not know, my morning job deals with kids. I am the only permanent teacher and it's exciting but also sort of stressful. Anyways, one of my kids almost left my class to go to the one down the street because she was the only girl. Luckily we got another girl this week, but regardless, she told her mom she did not want to leave my class because Miss Kathryn wouldn't be there. HOW CUTE IS THAT.

But then I apply for other jobs and feel guilty but I mean they are just interviews and I see interviews as opportunities and lessons to get better at interviewing. It also gives me an insight to if I ever want to go into HR, and different interviewing tactics. Also, I just looked up the guy interviewing me and he is very attractive so that's fun! We all know how I get around attractive men...

Wish me luck!

When work gives you AC...

Because sometimes, you just experience really random things at work, and get extremely bored, and decide to take your phone out and write about them in the moment. These are the days of my life. 

Currently, in a cooling center at work. And I don't like it. 

I would like to start this blog post by saying how grateful I am to have a job and air conditioning. That being said, my current task for the day is not one I enjoy. When the city of LA hits over 100 degrees Fahrenheit they open up public cooling centers. What is that you might ask? A center, that is cool, from air conditioning. Yep. That's it. And that's what I'm working. You know, gotta make sure they don't break anything or touch anything. But I mean, realistically I'm just getting paid to sit here.

Now you're probably thinking "why is this girl complaining? She's literally sitting inside in AC and getting paid." WELL, person, that is a great question. Reason I am complaining, which I wouldn't even say is complaining but rather, observing, is that these people are talking about me in front of me. I have the guy in the tye dye shirt complaining about being 70 years old, another elderly man complaining about not being cool in his youth so his career started too late, and a couple asleep on a couch. Yep. So I'll be here. 

Hour and a half in update: dad brought me Starbucks and I had a visit from a coworker. Also I'm writing thank you notes from my birthday to try and be productive.


Long story short, I survived, and ended my day with Dunkin Donuts, so I mean my day was pretty fantastic. 

Bippity Boppity Blog

Not going to lie, typing "blogger" into my Chrome browser was a very weird sensation and I'm still trying to figure out if it was more of a "what are you going to do there?" feeling or a "yeah! Let's have a fresh beginning!" feeling. If there was a gray area in between, that is where I currently am.

So hello, hi, shalom, happy Tuesday. Hope you had a fantastic Labor Day weekend! It's weird, my birthday usually falls on Labor Day weekend, and this year it didn't but I didn't notice until.... about five seconds ago. Actually, that is a lie. I realize when I was in Vegas last weekend, and I was extremely grateful because I would not have wanted to be in Vegas on Labor Day weekend. Too many people. Way too many people.

So here I am. Welcome. I was supposed to write this blog post earlier when I went to the gym, but that didn't happen for a multitude of different reasons. First being that I was on the elliptical and I would've probably fallen off, and second, I totally forgot until I was doing leg presses, but at that point I was really into my playlist and work out and people watching that I just kind of wrote it off. Oops. It's all good. I am here now, and that is all that matters. Right? Right.

So last night, I went to dinner with Rachel, who is basically my big sister. Side note, this post is going to be all over the place so maybe get some snacks, or water, or wine... definitely wine. So at dinner last night, Rachel and I were talking about life and it just made me put my life into perspective. I am twenty-two. I am employed (not doing anything remotely near what I thought I would be doing post grad life but hey, that's life). I have a house. I eat great food. I have great people in my life. Long story short, and after what would be a very long list of gratitudes, I have a great life, and I don't have much to complain about. Do I know what I want to do with my life? I mean, kind of? Sort of? Not really. Yeah I have a vague idea, but it is just an idea. I have my whole life in front of me! What more can I do right now? I'm sure there is a whole lot of things I could do, but I am going to be working for the rest of my life, so why not volunteer, and intern and do things that actually interest me before I dread going to work every morning, and hate my career. Because that, I don't want that.

I have never really stuck to one profession when asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I have stuck in the same range, besides when I was younger and said I wanted to be a princess (still true) or a doctor (science and I don't get along).  So yes, I have a focus, and the idea of law school is constantly poking the back of my head asking when I am going to actually consider it, but still. I have a paycheck, I have free rent (which is incredible, like as much as I want an apartment, free rent is so nice) and I have amazing people in my life who encourage me to be the best me, and don't rush me, and are proud of me for just being me. So I'd say twenty-two is going to be a good year. Hopefully. Fingers crossed. And hopefully I can remember that I have this little thing called the Internet where I can write everything that happens and log it into cyber space and hope that maybe one person can read it and smile, or give advice, or take advice. That's all I can really hope for right now, and I am totally and perfectly content with that.

Job Hunting with Rachel Green

It isn't a normal day if I don't hear about a situation, or have an interesting encounter and then say "like remember, that one time... on Friends?!"
My past two weeks has been a constant episode of Friends. "The One Where Kathryn Doesn't Get The Job" or even an interview.

Just like every summer, I came home and started work at camp. Only this year, it's not like I pack up and leave in the middle of August to go back to school. We finished that part of my life, remember?
So I currently come home from working with kids and parents all day, and sit on my computer and apply to jobs. What I'm calling "Big Girl" jobs.

But you see, searching for jobs on the Internet, is like online shopping. Once you start, you can not stop. And once you see one posting, you look up and realize (20 minutes later...) that you have 15 job tabs open and now need to write 15 different cover letters. 

But wait one second. There is one job, and you read the responsibilities, and qualifications, and location, and you decide "this is it."

But then you realize that your resume probably got lost in the depths of the Internet, never to be seen by anyone. Ever.

And then I wake up, and go to work at camp, and receive my pay check. 

Just replace wiping tables and steaming milk with playing with kids and telling their parents that they punched a kid, which is exactly why I am on the hunt for a Big Girl job.

And so the job hunt continues. A time in life where every job requires experience, but no one will hire me to give me experience. 

I have a degree! Does that mean nothing?

Preppy Black Friday | Lilly for Target Collection

If you thought Black Friday was bad, you didn't go to the Lilly for Target launch on Sunday.
We got to Target at 7:40 and there was already a line. Not too many people, but approximately, I don't know, 20 people? It wasn't awful. Doors opened at 8 and it was like a whirl wind after that.

We went straight to the clothes department, some people started walking, my friend Christine started running, so I decided to take a brisk pace and start jogging...
People started yelling "OMG, people are insane"
If I could go back in time, I would have yelled, just wait, insanity is just barely breaking out right now.

Time Stamp: 8:00 am.

Clothing racks were mostly full, but my attention shot straight for the scarves and phone cases. I grabbed this one.

Lilly Pulitzer for Target Phone Case for iPhone 5/5s - Fan Dance

I proceeded to move towards the mob of people only 15 feet away from me and dive into the two large clothing racks full of beautiful Lilly for Target print. I had no tactic, but in the moment, I just looked at sizes, and grabbed mine. I had no idea what I was grabbing, but if it was my size and on the rack, it was in my hand. The rest of the next 3 two 4 minutes is a blur. I am convinced I blacked out, or "pinked" out, as it was being referred to as Pink Sunday. People were coming up on the back sides of the clothing racks and grabbing every single item, other women were fighting, other people were screaming, and then I saw a friendly face who kindly asked me if I knew where the home goods for the collection was, got distracted, and went with her on an adventure through Target to find them.
I regret this move, as there was only one small end shelf dedicated to the Lilly for Target home collection, and it was all gone. I should have kept my focus on why I was there in the first place: The green long sleeve dress. (boom boom print, for those of you who want to search its beauty)

I decided I had enough things in my hands, went out to the aisle, and looked for my friends. We reconvened and headed to the fitting rooms. Behind me  I saw a girl with the green dress, and had an out of body experience. I was thinking "OMG you got the dress" but instead said the words "OMG you got the dress." Now, this isn't rare of my personality as I will literally talk to a wall if it is there. I can start a conversation with any one or anything and I will just talk. Seriously... ask any of my friends. Some of them are embarrassed of me. I started talking to this woman, who then introduced me to her friend who she had met in line, and who had two of the magical and beautiful green dress. She told me she just needed to try them on and I could have whichever didn't fit her. OKAY COOL. This, ladies and gents, is why you talk to strangers. Because sometimes, you get lucky, and meet a nice person who will let you have the green dress that you had a dream about the night before. I know I have issues, don't point that out.

So, I took the very large portion of clothing that I had grabbed (I believe there were 15 things, including a phone case and necklace) and went on my merry way. Now, if you thought any of the above was crazy, you've got another one coming...

At this point I'd approximate the time stamp at around 8:30-ish

We were in line waiting for the fitting room, and there are some people who clearly have never been shopping before because they felt the need to grab every single size in one particular item and try them on. I am talking about one specific moth daughter duo who clearly had a game plan. And it was very selfish. So at this point in time, there are people who are trickling into the store, hoping to find one thing. But, to their surprise, the shelves and racks were cleared at 8:05. I kid you not. 5 minutes for insanity to ensue. FIVE. MINUTES. Like that Madonna song plus a really long intro. Yeah. So, these people, who decided to come to Target at 8 instead of be a crazy person like myself and come before 8, began to form their own line on the other side of the fitting room, to go through the clothes that people weren't getting because it wasn't their size, etc. LIKE, EXCUSE ME WHAT?! Target eventually realized this was a dangerous solution to get a dress and at some point when I was in the fitting room, decided to have the security guard take the clothes from the fitting room back to the racks. Oh, and yes, there was a security guard specifically for this launch. Preppy girls... you know us and our record...

So I tried on a few things, put the romper back, put the necklace back, and had two dresses, a top, and pants. I was happy, and then I had the brilliant idea to look at the price tag.... Yeah. That thought hadn't occurred to me yet. Here are the lucky items that made the cut:

Lilly Pulitzer for Target Women's Shift Dress - Upstream

Lilly Pulitzer for Target Women's Crochet Tank Top - White

Lilly Pulitzer for Target Women's Linen Shift Dress - Giraffeeey

I put back a pair of the pants in the "My Fans" print, which were beautiful, but way too pajama-y so they did not make the cut. But they did. make the out of the fitting room cut, so I had to go back and yell "SIZE LARGE, ANYONE WANT THESE?" to the hoarding group of women to which a nice woman approached me, thanked me, and went on her way to the fitting room. NICE PEOPLE DO EXIST!

Time Stamp: 8:45am-ish (I hadn't had coffee yet, give me a break)

We proceeded to the cash register because I decided I needed to pay before I did even more damage, and even at the cash register, the chaos continued. Some women had decided against purchasing specific things come time to pay (clearly they didn't look at the prices until last minute either) and there were people going through the return bucket. I almost bought a shirt in the Boom Boom print because I didn't have the dress, but it has a weird cinch thing and I decided against it.

Time Stamp: 9:00am
I got coffee (thank goodness for Starbucks in Target), got home and went online to see if there was any hope to me getting the dress, and alas it was sold out everywhere... BUT I am extremely happy with my purchases and am even happier that I survived Lilly for Target. I know that this is currently a very controversial collection, and a lot of people are upset with how it turned out. Unfortunately, there are people who bought the entire rack of clothes and are now selling them for over $100, and as unfair as it is, that is life. Personally, I would not buy from these people, because to me, it takes away the entire purpose of Target Collections. Famous designers collaborate with Target to make more affordable, still great quality, pieces, so that people can say that they own a Lilly Pulitzer dress, and not have to pay over $100 for it... That is just my opinion, and people will be people and no one can stop that.

Hopefully you all had a successful Pink Sunday and got at least a few good steals!

Did you have any horror stories?
Did you enjoy the collection?

Talk Emoji to Me

In case you live under a rock (aka you're secretly Patrick Star) or you don't like change, or maybe you're one of those people who exist without an iPhone, THERE ARE NEW EMOJIS. If you have been around for awhile, or used to read my blog when I would post frequently, you would know that I have an ongoing "list of emojis we need." (Please read post here, it is important.) 

Now that you're thinking about all the emojis you want *cough cough a taco emoji cough* prepare to be disappointed. 

The main change is that you can now swipe through all the pages at once, making it way easier to find whichever emoji your heart desires, and not search different pages, and and and, Apple has decided to get political and we can now change the race of our emojis. But don't get too excited... You can only change the hand emojis and the single people. The families, and other paired emojis remain yellow.

 The families now come with two moms, two dads, and multiple children, as well as the kissy people (though they are yellow) why yellow? No idea! There are different types of princesses though which I am ecstatic about.

I would also like to add that the monkeys have moved... The see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil little guys used to be in the faces and are now with the animals.. It took me a while to find them.

 Still no taco... Also I was hoping that I would be able to hold down the red wine and be able to make it white wine but.. we can't have it all can we.

There's some new flags...

 Still these random ones, but HEY there is a new purple shirt!

The ones that no one really uses...

 And the ones that people really don't use.. but now there is a Star of David, so happy belated Passover!

Hope you are all having a fantastic Thursday, and guess what!? We are just one day away from the weekend.