Sara's Job Search Starter Kit

February 06, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara, Work, Young Professionalism

Truth be told, I like the process of finding a job. Playing within the strict limitations of a resume, while still being able to make it your own, is like a little puzzle that I can't wait to solve. Researching companies, and seeing the boundless amount of opportunities out there gets my blood pumping. And don't even get me started on interviews: LOVE THEM!

While it wasn't my goal to go through multiple jobs within a year and a half of graduating, I don't believe there is anything wrong with it. Knowing what you're worth and what you deserve should be able to guide you to the job of your dreams, just so long as you don't hunker down at the wrong one. So in the never-ending quest for a job that satisfies my need for challenges, encouragement and passion, I've done a lot of job hunting. I think I've found where I'd like to grow some roots, so now that I'm out of the job market, I feel content with giving up all my trade secrets for you job hunters (kidding, I don't have trade secrets):

Five More Facebook Friends Who I Don't Know

February 05, 2015 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Humor, Life In Your 20's, Social Media

Previously I wrote about five friends I have on Facebook who I don't really know. In compiling that list, I realized there are more than five, so here are five more.

Ace: He is a recent friend, and he added me. He’s either the cousin or brother of my middle school crush’s best friend. I’m not sure why I accepted, but he seems harmless and aforementioned middle school’s crush best friend is in his profile picture. He now sits on my list of suggested friends to chat, which won’t be happening.

Dwayne: In high school my best friend and I went shopping at Macy’s because I needed a suit. Our salesman was only, you know, a decade older, so why not hit on my friend and tell us your pot stories and how well-connected your family is (meanwhile, you’re working in Macy’s…)? Maybe you’ll get me to buy the suit. Young and impressionable, my friend and I became Facebook friends with Dwayne. I think the add happened while we were standing together in the men’s section of Macy’s. He never did hook us up with pot.

Texts You Probably Shouldn't Send After Midnight via Elite Daily

February 04, 2015 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Dating, Humor, Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Uncategorized

Happy Hump Day, everyone! So funny story, earlier today I was going to submit something to Elite Daily when I saw a piece I submitted several weeks ago had the word "Published" on it.

Come again?

I click. And AHH, I got published! So please go check out my piece! (And share with your friends if you feel inclined!)

Synopsis:

We've all been there. We don't even have to be drunk. Maybe something popped up on our newsfeed. But it is now 1 AM, you are lying in bed, and you are composing myriad text messages that you could send and win back over an ex or reveal your true feelings to that close friend. And even if it's a totally innocuous message, you really can't send it until the light of the day without seeming abrupt, creepy, or deranged - and you know the desire to send that message will dissipate by noon.

Here's the link again:

http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/texts-probably-shouldnt-send-midnight/898482/

And if you like this, you can view my other Elite Daily piece here or Sara's own piece.

New Sleep Recommendations Mean What?

February 04, 2015 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Humor, Life In Your 20's, life lessons

If you don't get on Facebook, congratulations. But if you do, then you've probably noticed in the last couple of days that the National Sleep Foundation is trending. And maybe this is also trending in national news, but I'm in grad school, and I don't read it if it's not on PubMed or Facebook.

Apparently, the National Sleep Foundation - the real experts on sleep after the Tooth Fairy and Boogeyman - updated their recommendations for how much we need to sleep. And let's be real, I saw this article on Facebook after midnight when I had to be up in less than seven hours. After all, what is life? And what is grad school? Lo siento, National Sleep Foundation, who say I need 7 - 9 hours of sleep.

You would think if they're going to update the sleep recommendations, they would at least be realistic. I scrolled through looking for confirmation that it really is healthy I run six or less hours and iced coffee. Alas, no. In fact, we need more sleep.

Sara's Second in the Biggest Loser

February 03, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara, Work

I probably could have not shouted out my status in the Biggest Loser in the title of this post, and built up to my second place status, but I haven't been this proud of myself in a long time. I have always made excuses about not losing weight, but with a bit of focus, I've been able to do really well with it this time. It started off pretty rocky.

It definitely took a few days to adjust to my new healthier, less food-driven lifestyle. I was hungry all the time and never felt like I was ever satisfied. But my body adjusted. I got used to less food. And you know what? It's crazy how little food you actually do need, once you adjust your body to less food. I'm about to list some tips for healthier eating, but by no means am I qualified to offer suggestions, other than the fact that I've lost a "stone" (which is what the British woman at work said to me, and I thought was so cool I texted several people about my lost stone). To us Americans, that means 14 pounds, which is about 7% of my bodyweight.

Yes, thats 7% less of me to love, but we can get through this together. Anyways, here's my list of diet suggestions:

How To Be the Most Unpopular Person at the Party

February 02, 2015 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Humor, Life In Your 20's, life lessons

We have all been at that party or bar where our friend – or hopefully just an acquaintance – is making a scene/being a jerk/hasn’t showered since last weekend and who invited them? We all roll our eyes and can’t wait until the next morning when we know the whole brunch table will partake in bashing them.

If you want to end up on the brunch bashing list, here are some simple instructions:

Text your friend in the afternoon, “What are u doing tonight?” Once the friend invites you to join the pregame/party/bar scene, respond, “I’ll get back to you.” Yes, please do look for a better gig, and then come crawling back to me once you can’t find one.
Once the party has begun - aka Facebook notifies you the event has started – text the host, “How is it?” And whatever they say back, you should reply, “Oh shit lemme know when it gets bigger.” It’s cool that you don’t want to hang out with the person who invited you.

UPDATED Brunch Review: Social 52

February 01, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, Richmond Brunch Review, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara, Uncategorized

You may remember from my brunch reviews of On the Rox and Pearl that I seem to really enjoy hearty meat meals for brunch (which is definitely accurate). So it’s no shocker that I ordered the hearty brisket bowl when I went to Social 52. It fell way short of my expectations.

I had a really hard time deciding what I was going to order at Social 52, and usually that’s because there are several dishes that I’d really like to try. This was just the opposite, as there was nothing on the menu that I really was dying to eat. It’s a pretty limited menu, with no obvious shining stars.

So I went with their brisket bowl because my roommate once got the brisket sandwich for dinner at Social, and it was hot and spicy. Almost too hot and spicy, which is a problem I usually enjoy. The brunch bowl is a total letdown, especially in comparison to the sandwich brethren I was mentally comparing it to. It was a big, unflavorful bowl of baby vomit grits and meat. I should also throw them a bone and share that I don’t usually love grits, so me not liking the grits that much isn’t surprising. The lackluster meat though, is really surprising. It hardly tasted like anything at all. Also, just a non-cherry on top, the menu online says you get a biscuit with this meal, and I certainly did not get a biscuit with this meal. I did not bring it up at the time, because there was no need for more subpar food at the table. I’m not blaming anyone in the case of the missing biscuit, our waitress was a waitress and did her job as you’d hope she would. It just didn’t exist on my plate ever.

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Make . . .

January 29, 2015 by astoldoverbrunch in Guest Post, Life In Your 20's, life lessons

By Kenzie Fisher* *Kenzie Fisher is pretending to live the dream in Los Angeles, CA, but she actually prefers the East Coast. If you are interested in guest blogging for us, contact AsToldOverBrunch@gmail.com.

Lemonade, right? But what if I don’t know what kind of lemonade to make?

Today, as a twenty-something person, we have so many opportunities to do whatever we want. To me, it’s overwhelming. I already have a tough time making decisions; it’s amazing I can get dressed in the morning. I feel like life is all these different directions you can take, and if you don’t try something now, you could regret it later.

But how? How do I avoid those regrets? How do I become the successful person that I want to be? You see your friends around you doing cool things, and you automatically think, “I could’ve done that!” or “Why didn’t I do that first?” You feel that knot in your stomach, and it does something to you. It’s like the flight or fight response. Everyone knows you should fight so you can accomplish something you can be proud of. But if it’s too overwhelming to figure out what to do, you choose flight and then find it difficult to make something happen for yourself.

Aerial Anxiety

January 27, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara

Sometimes I'm convinced that I can make an everyday event a total nail biter. Like that time I needed to fly home. The anxiety started the moment I needed to buy a ticket. Fun fact: trying to fly out of Richmond sucks. You can't just fly from Richmond to your destination. No, you need to fly several hours out of your way to make it home. And on top of that, there's millions of options to select from. After stressing for several hours about when I was going to leave, I finally settled on Richmond to Charlotte to Connecticut. Then came the stress about navigating the airports. One of my worst qualities is my directional abilities. And by that, I mean I don't have any. So I legit studied the maps and talked it through with my more well-travelled roommates.

Shutterbug Selfie

January 26, 2015 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Humor, Life In Your 20's, Social Media

Last Saturday my two friends and I grabbed dinner at a neighborhood restaurant. It's a small family place as in, every customer is someone you may have seen on the sidewalk while walking your dog or driving to the grocery store.

I noticed an older gentleman seated smack dab in the center of the restaurant - reading a newspaper. Mind you, it's 8:30 PM on a Saturday (though if we're judging, I should add that my friends and I ordered a mimosa pitcher). And by older, I don't mean octogenarian-maybe-he's-a-widower status. More like he could be a silver fox.

This prompted my friend to say that she always fears eating out alone because she's afraid people will judge her. "When I was younger, I used to say that's one of the reasons I have to get married, so I'll never have to go to dinner alone."