My BEST purchase

I would like to start this post by stating that I am in no way being endorsed for this review. I have not contacted Aveda and they have no knowledge of this post.

About a week ago I went to the spa and had the following conversation while I was getting my eyebrows waxed. (My hair grows too fast to pluck)

Spa interrogator: So... what do you use to wash your face?

BB: Well, I guess neutrogena right now. Or whatever is on sale.

Spa interrogator: And how is that working for you?

Obviously NOT that great..

BB: Well, I've always had really oily skin and I've tried a lot of products but it never helps. And I don't have that much money to keep testing products.

The spa interrogator then gave me the sale's pitch on this aveda product called outer peace. She said she used to have oily skin and that by the end of the long day you could wipe your hand across her face and grease a tire with it. Much like mine. And when I looked at her face I noticed that it was not one bit oily. It looked perfect.

Well, I tried it. And I was surprised. So was my mom. She kept commenting on how great my face looked. She said she'd never seen it look so good. So I told her about my purchase.

I'm sharing this with you because I know what it's like to have really oily skin. It's especially irritating in the restaurant industry because of how hot you can get from running around a kitchen or bar. By the end of a shift it looked like I hadn't showered in a week. Same goes for the 9 to 5 lifestyle. By the end of a long day all I wanted to do was go home and wash my face. I would avoid going out with my friends after a long day because I needed to go wash my face and redo my makeup before feeling clean.

In a matter of two weeks my skin is recognizably different. It's amazing. I don't feel dirty five hours into my day. I don't wake up feeling gross. I just feel normal.

The product is a bit pricey.. but if you use it consertatively (once in the morning and once in the evening) you can make it last.

The best results will come from this use:

Outerpeace foaming cleanser
Botanical KineticsTM Toning Mist
outerpeace acne relief lotion

By using the toning mist (which lasts a very long time)instead of the toning pads offered in the outpeace set it will cut down on price. Also the toning pads may actually overdry your skin. So that is why I stuck the toning mist in there. It ran me about 90 dollars when I bought it through a spa. But I'm telling you it is worth it! If you've dealt with oily skin before... 90 dollars is worth it. I'm two weeks in and there is still a lot of product left. My guess is that I will go about 3 months until I need another wash and lotion. And that the mist will last a year.

Just go to aveda.com and type in outerpeace in the search section on the top right hand of the screen. Use this same process for the toning mist. Also if you are curious what other have to say there are about 250 reviews for the foaming wash and about 235 of them are positive reviews!

Christmas time :)

Woohooo! I'm finally starting to realize it's Christmas season! My aunt and cousin just arrived in town from Alabama and now we will start all the family activities. Honestly, this is the best part of Christmas because even though I live close to my extended family (now) I don't see them as much as I'd like because of all the jobs and other responsibilities everyone has.

Usually we get together to have dinner or go to movies, bake cookies and gossip about our lives and the people in it. We also get together for Christmas Eve where we play a gift exchange game. I'm not sure what it's called. But we all draw numbers and pick a present or steal one from someone who has already opened one.

Then Christmas day my family exchanges presents. Then we get together with the aunts, uncles, and cousins to have dinner and exchange more presents. Sometimes we get to play a little poker. Maybe a little apple to apple (my fave game).

So those are the Christmas plans!

I also am continuing my job search throughout the season. Just because everyone else is on vacation doesn't mean I have to be. Quite frankly, I've had a year long summer vacation. I'm the kind of person who likes to keep busy so this not having a job thing is torturing me.

I have an interview with a temp agency (not exactly my finest moment) so maybe something will come of that. Also my uncle (hi!) sent me some job listings with the city so I want to get started on applying for those.

I'm also continuing with the chiropractor. And I'm thinking my tail bone is broken. Everyone says that I wouldn't be able to sit if it was.. but I have a really hard time standing up. It's a sharp pain. So I'm going to pursue this and ask if he can x-ray it. If it's not broken it sure is bruised to all hell.

What do you all of you do for Christmas? Spend time with family? Any fun traditions? Please share, I love to hear Christmas traditions.

Bad luck.

Seriously. My luck is just non-exsistant. Today, on my way home from my fabulous pedicure that my mom treated me to.. I got a flat tire. And I wouldn't even have noticed it had I not thought I turned the wrong way on a street and pulled into a parking lot to turn around.

Then to make matters worse I had to call my mom twenty times before she answered so that she could come pick me up. And finally thirty minutes after I pulled over to find my flat she came to get me. We had to wait another forty minutes for the two truck driver.

Then when he shows up my dad decides to chime in and suggest he put the little spare tire on instead of towing it. But he wanted it done in a special way.. he wanted the spare to go on the back tire and the back tire to move up to the front to replace the flat. Needless to say tow truck driver was NOT happy. He grumbled the whole time he fixed it around. And after what felt like forever I drove home.

On my way home I had to drive under 55 mph, which sucks when you live by roads that go 55-65. So everyone was riding my ass and making me even more angry. Now I have no job and a new tire to pay for. Sweet.

And to top it off, I just had to write this post three time because my computer is messed up and likes to delete everything I've written. It's like a downward spiral. I better go to bed before anything else happens

Note to self.

Last night I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies.. it was a tradition that my grandma and I had when I was little.. and it means something special to me every time I make some. But it appears as though I've lost my touch.

I scanned the bag of chocolate chips for the recipe. Got all the ingrediants it listed and put them into a bowl. Whoops. I guess I was supposed to add ingrediants a little at a time. I ended up with a massive both of crap that wouldn't stir.

This called for a professional. So I got out the electric mixer and put it to work. My mom has had this thing for twenty something years.. we usually only use it for bake goods or mashed potatoes. So I smash it into the middle of my butter and clip on the power. The pile of crap was pretty thick because this mixer was going really slowly and it proved hard even for the professional.

About ten minutes in, I smell this godawful burning and I look down to see the electric mixer smoking. Literally smoke was pouring out of this device. I couldn't believe I broke the trust machine. Of course I just look at my mom and tell her that she needed a new one anyway becuase it was getting old, which she does, now.

Note to self: Read all the cooking directions before proceeding.

updates: phone calls, gym meberships, and haircuts

So, I took the advice from you guys, and I gave him a call. Thanks for the comments on that. It actually did a whole lotta nothing. He basically gave me the same shpeel:

Me: Hi Takesforever, this is BB, I interviewed a few weeks back and I was just calling to see where things were at in the hiring process.

Takesforever: Right, oh hi there BB. I'm still trying to focus on filling the supervisor position. I have to make sure to get that done first. I still have the applications on my desk right here. I will get to it after this position is filled.

Me: Ok.

[Arg. Very frustrated at this point ... as it's been a month since my interview. And there were only three other people who were interviewed for the position. It's not that hard to make a decision about three people. I don't even bother asking for a time frame this time, as time means nothing to this man. I'd like to point out, though, that he is really nice.. and the position is really great. I'm just confused/frustrated at how long it is taking to make a freaking decision.]

Takesforever: Well, alright then. I'll be talking to you soon.

[yeahhhh righttttt.]

So speaking of annoying phone conversations. I've had a really great one this past week when dealing with the gym membership people.

So I walk into the rinkydink gym and sign up for a membership (a small YMCA for members of our gated community). I ask about the classes and they inform me that the framed schedule that sits on a pole when you walk up to the front desk, is a lie. No, that's right. No classes. And that being the sole reason I sign up for the membership I try backing out. But they tell that the YMCA up the road will let me go to their classes for free since they don't offer any, which is just perfect because the gym up the road has about fifteen more classes than the rinkydink gym I'm signing up at.

So when I get home I call up the Y to register for their classes.

Me: Hi, I'm from rinkydink gym. They've told me that since they don't have classes we are able to take them at your facility.

Idiot: Yupp, that's right.

Me: Ok, can I sign up for the spinning class?

Idiot: Well, no that's members only.

Me: Oh. Well, I was told that for these classes we would be considered members. I don't want to have to pay the non-member fee.

Idiot: Well, that's only for the spinning class. You can take the fitness classes at no charge.

Me: Alright can I do the cardiokickboxing then.

Idiot: Yes, but non-members have to sign up after the 21st.

Me: So, this won't be free either?

Idiot: NO.

Me: So why don't you tell me what you consider fitness classes then?

Idiot: Well, that's a fitness class. I forgot that we can't give you any classes without charge. We stopped doing that.

Me: Well, I'll call rinkydink gym and figure this out. [Thanks for wasting my time].

So now I call rinkydink and give them the story.

Idiot 2: Well, yeah that used to be a policy but not anymore.

Me: Well, I signed up YESTERDAY and I was told about this policy being in place. Since this is the only reason I signed up I'll need to cancel my membership.

So today I went in to cancel and the orginial idiots who told me about the policy were there. I told them what happened. And they called the YMCA and talked to their director. I'm supposed to be getting a phone call about it. That was five hours ago.

On a good note, I got a hair cut and color and I absolutely love it! I needed a new look. My mom told me that I had been wearing the same style for far too long. I usually get it dyed in the winter because my hair lightens a lot in the summer and then grows out in the winter.. and I become two toned. So I got it dyed my original dark color and then put in different shades of carmel. And then she added a bunch of layers to my hair and made it longer in the front than the back. It's so easy to manage and looks flattering on me!

Enjoy your weekend everyone! Mom is treating me to a pedi tomorrow, which I'm super excited for because it's at my favorite spa!!

To call or not to call, that is the question

On saturday I went shopping with my mom, aunt, and cousin. It was a great outlet mall and it had tons of awesome deals! I got a guess wallet for $25. Two concealers for Loreal for $20 total. Some playtex panty hose for pretty cheap.. can't remember the price. And Coach sunglasses for $70 (my mom wanted to get me those for Christmas). All in all it was a great day. Long. But great. My mom also saw one of the teen mom's from mtv's sixteen and pregnant.. shopping. She said she had a baby carrier with her and everything. But, I digress, back to the story.

Then we went out to eat and I started talking to my cousin about the job I interviewed for. My aunt and cousin have both worked for this boss and that is how I got the interview. It's been a month since the interview. After two weeks I called and inquired about the position and he said that they had to replace someone that stepped down "suddenly". And that I would hear back in a week or two.

Well, I talked to my cousin and he was telling the truth. He has been busy finding a replacement for her. But it has officially been two weeks since the phone call and I want to call again. This is where the difference of opinion came into play. My aunt thinks I should wait until after the holidays to call again. But "after the holidays" is like three weeks away. And I don't think two calls in a month constitutes bugging anyone.

The real reason why I want to call is because I just want an answer. If it is no .. now is the best time to start looking for new jobs because new budgets come in Jan. And if it is yes.. well then great I can't wait to start. But at this point, I need an answer. The last time I called he said I was still on the table for consideration.. and I know he's busy filling this other position. But what the heck.. there were only three applicants.. including me. I feel like it has been ample time to make a decision.

I'm not sure now if I should call or not. I want to. But my aunt, who has worked for him for 20 plus years says not to. Does anyone have any advice for me??

Snow, snow, snow

Holy Snow! It's been snowing for like an entire straight day!! Since I used to live about 4 hours south of my current town.. I am certainly not used to this kind of snow. And neither is my car. My dad asked me to drive my brother up to the video rental store (as he has a snow day.. I remember I used to LOVE those as a kid!!).. and I abruptly declined! I don't trust myself to drive in the snow. I've never been in an accident.. but my closest encounters have always been in the black ice filled, snow drifting weather.

And, quite frankly, this is the worst time to start my accident streak.. so I'm avoiding driving in the snow. This unfort. means I will be holed up in this house for even longer. I really NEED to get a move on adjusting to this move.. opening a new bank account.. finding a gym (I'm pretty sure I'll use the Y that is in our little gated community for its convenience).. getting back in touch with my doctor.. Oh well.. this is a good excuse to relax and destress.. I will probably be using our jet tub very frequently for the next couple days.

One of the advantages of being at home is the home gym my parents have. This makes it convenient to go downstairs and work out.. and it also makes me feel really guilty when I don't. This mixed with my DVR player downstairs makes working out much more fun and easy. And today I finally got my butt back into routine! Yayyy me!

Well, I am off to finish organizing my stuff. Good luck to all of you out there in blogland!

so far so bad

Well, so far so bad. I've only really done one thing I said I was going to.. and that is get a haircut.. and really that didn't take a whole lot of effort on my part.

In my defense (or my self-rationalization), I have been sick and I have been unpacking.

To address the first complaint.. I have been sick for what seems like months! In April I went to Jamaica with my family. Woohoo! Tons of fun! And then on the last day of vaca I got sick.. big. freaking. surprise. I pretty much always get sick at the worst possible times. (i.e. the last three Halloweens and last new years eve oh and my 21st birthday). Anyway, I got pneumonia. And then I got better. Then I got pneumonia again. And then I got better. And then I got bronchitis. And then I got better. And you're getting the pattern. So right now I'm in between starting to feel better and not fully better.

My doctor actually told me the last time I visited her that she has never seen a young girl with such a bad immune system. SUPER.

To address the second complaint.. I hate unpacking.. but I think it has less to do with unpacking and more to do with the fact that I moved at all. I sincerely wanted to try to make it work in my previous town. I'd resided there for six years.. throughout college and after. Now I've moved five hours away.. and back in with my parents.. which are both big changes. First I lost my friends and my job (part time job) and secondly I've lost my Independence. But I need to keep telling myself that there are more job opportunities here. That is why I moved, after all. I gave myself one year to find a full time job in the area while I kept my part time job.. and that expired on Thanksgiving. I just couldn't keep dragging my feet. I have loans to pay back.

So I think I need just a bit of time to adjust to my new life and stop feeling sick. I also am waiting on the job hunting because I am waiting to hear back from the last interview I had. I really want the job because it would give me a solid future.. and because I'm SICK of job searching. But they had someone suddenly ask to be moved down from a management position so they have to deal with that first. So I could be waiting a while. I'm supposed to hear back this week.

Anyway, I promise to stop slacking and get moving towards my goals.

the unluckiest job search EVER

I AM SO SICK OF SEARCHING FOR JOBS!!!!! (sorry for the lengthy post.. I have a years worth of job hunting to complain about)

Seriously, I have been looking (very actively) for a full time job for a year now. At first I started my search by looking at jobs all around the US that interested me. The problem there was that the people hiring wanted to hire those who are already in the area. I had someone call me back for a job interview and asked if I could come in the following day. I told her that I was from out of state but that I would be glad to have a phone interview. She flatly said no because they were looking for locals. Even though my resume and cover letter clearly stated my address...

Ugh. So then I started looking local. The town I am in/am moving out of this weekend is a bit small. But I tried my best. I signed up with a temp agency who set me up on a job interview. The first time I went to the interview I waited forty five minutes because she forgot she had an interview and was out of the office. When I came back for a second interview she said she'd have her decision soon and would contact me. The entire time I had been talking with the temp agency to let them know what was going on. After about three weeks, when nobody contacted me I called the temp agency.

Their response? They had deactivated me from the service because I didn't return phone calls within twenty four hours. This lady was full on yelling at me about how they couldn't accommodate people who weren't willing to try. I responded back to her that the only time I didn't call back the next day was when I was on vacation in Jamaica for two weeks. I also let them know I would be on vacation and would not be available.. but they called anyway. She continued to make excuses until I pointed out the purpose of my call. I told her that actually I was calling because I had gone on a job interview and nobody from the agency had called to let me know the decision .. as was promised to me. All she could say was "oh." And you could tell she felt like a jackass.. and rightly so.

I then went on an interview that I got for myself. It was an investigative company. They were hiring for the town next to mine and it all seemed perfect. The morning of my second interview I received an email telling me that the position had been closed and they were no longer interviewing. OK. Does this mean I do not show up!?!? So I frantically called the interviewer and he said to disregard it and come in anyway.

Turns out they filled it internally but if I was interested in any of the other locations to let him know. Again, he'd let me know in a couple days. That day I emailed him to let him know I'd be interested in any location that they had open. Two weeks later I emailed him again.. all to no avail. Then I emailed my recruiter.. who informed me that I needed to reapply to the other locations online in order to be considered and that they really encouraged me to do this. Ok so four weeks later and there were only about half as many locations left to choose from. I picked a few and applied. The response? An email telling me I had to wait six months to reapply for a position. OMFG. I was done with them.

My next fun interview was all the way up in my hometown..

disclaimer: I was actually home for two weeks on vacation looking for jobs and got two job interviews. Because it is a bigger town with more opportunities I am moving home next week to continue my job search.

This interview went very well. I loved the company and the people I interviewed with. The second interview came and I had to make the four hour drive because I am not yet moved home. All went well. My references were solid. My typing score was "fantastic" and not to mention the email I got that said my "positive energy was almost contagious". Then I got the thanks but no thanks email. It only made it that much worse because he told me how perfect everything I did was.. BUT they had to hire someone who had previously worked with the company. Seriously? Why even bother holding interviews.

Then I apply for the county of my hometown. A successful interview. My cousin actually works in the office and got her boss to interview me and I was able to bypass HR.. which was nice. I waited and waited for him to contact me. He only interviewed three people so I was hoping my chances were pretty good. Well, again with the no contact..

So I've had enough of this and I call him. Basically I say I just want to know where you are in the process and if you are still considering me for a position. He calls back literally milliseconds later. So quickly I thought it was his voicemail calling back. Anyway, he says they had to move people around internally.. so it's taking longer. Ok. So I ask him if I'm still being considered and he says yes. Here's my concern.. why are you still considering people after two weeks. Shouldn't you at least offer a person a position in the office and let them know it will be a while till they decide WHERE to place you?!?! Well, he said he would contact me in another one or two weeks. Well this is the end of week one... and I'm still not sure if his telling me that I am "not off the table" means that he just needs to decide where to place me or he is still trying to choose between the three of us.

Meanwhile, my mom has worked at a company for almost thirty years. I have been applying at this company like crazy. I even got a first interview once. Then they canceled the position. Why would you advertise for.. and interview for.. a position that you are going to cancel? Well, today I sent the exact same resume/cover letter to the company for a very similar job as the one I got a first interview for.. and I didn't even get passed HR. There is something very shotty about HR. Your fate is entirely in the hands of chance. Whoever happens to get your resume/cover letter.. everyone's likes and dislikes are so different that everyone's picks would be different too.

Well, that is where I stand as of today. I am still waiting to hear back about the county job. I really want that one because.. although it's entry level.. I have the education and experience where I could prove myself a hard worker and climb my way up in the company. Plus it's a union job so the 401(k) and other benefits are outstanding. But I am so sick of the horro stories of job searching. I have had the absolute worst luck. But here's to hoping.

My journey begins

Well this is day one of my journey out of my accidental rut.

Why I started this blog?:

I was honestly tredging through life at a normal pace.. when I realized I would be 30soon with nothing to show and no stories to tell. Who has a rut in their 20's? I mean the 20's are for really living.. limited responsibilities.. a time when you can still go crawling back to your parents when you're in a jam and it's still socially acceptable (arguably). I need to take full advantage.. NOW! So I'm forcing myself out of this accidental rut starting today.

First things first.. how did I get HERE?:

I ended up in this dreary state of singlehood after a miserable/long friendship/relationship with my college "boyfriend". The entire time we both understood that it would not last outside of college. And in an attempt to save our friendship decided not to become serious. Instead we became best friends.. and that instantly made our relationship more serious than ever before.

In college boy's quest for normalcy he met his dream girl and they floated off into the sunset together. Meanwhile, he was instructed he could no longer be my friend. So now I'm stuck with no friend and no boyfriend, which defeated the entire process of not getting serious, but I digress. I point to this life event as my downward spiral into my afraid to take chances lifestyle.

Fast forward to two years later where I'm still in my college town working at the local college bar. Hence my other blog tipsfrombb.blogspot.com where I discuss the awful customers and the borderline abuse they make me deal with.

Today I woke up and while I was taking a shower (I always have good ideas in the shower) I thought: I'm 24.. this should be the height of my life. I should not be hiding away in the depths of my book collection or behind my computer screen. I should find a way to end this drought and live my life the way I was supposed to.. with a cocktail in the air and a couple of great friends at my side.. while scoping out the men. And, I should blog about it.

This blog will be about my journey throughout my twenties including my love life (or my accidental abstinence), my hunt for a job, my need for financial independence.. and anything else I find myself facing a long the way.

What am I going to do about it?:

I've decided step one is to take care of myself. I need to love myself before I can love others, right? Well, tomorrow I'm getting a haircut.. so that my once long (but shiny) hair is manageable. Then I'm going to start exercising more just so I feel more fit. I also need to quit smoking but one habit at time people! Once I feel better about myself I know my confidence will draw the attention of men. (See, I'm already starting... I said "know" instead of "hope").

Step two will be finding a job. I've decided I have enough free time and will power to deal with both step one and step two at the same time. Baby steps..

Alright people. On I go. Conquering the world. Wish me luck.