Why Twitter? My Top 5 Reasons

photo credit Willo

What is Twitter to me?

A fast easy way to tell people you know, barely know and don't know at all what you are thinking, promoting, or needing and conversely read what they are thinking, breaking news, promotions etc. in real time.

I don't follow celebrities. They're boring.

What is a Tweet?

A message of 140 characters or less. It can be anything; a thought, link, photo, quote, joke, etc.

Many of my family and friends don't understand why I tweet. Here are my top 5 reasons.

1 Convenience - I can be waiting for an oil change or some other time wasting event and be instantly entertained. Sometimes I prefer the layout of reading tweets on my phone because Twitterific highlights when people mention me, talk to me, etc., which is rare, but still fun.

2 Real Time News - Find out what streets are flooding, cool restaurants to go to, and which celebrities died as soon as it happens.

3 Laughter - There are some really funny amateur comedians on Twitter. I love to wake up and start my day with a laugh that relates to something going on that day. And it makes me funnier too!

4 Meeting People - Most people's tweets (aka messages) aren't private. Therefore, you can read what they tend to write about, if you like it, you follow them, which means that their messages pop up on your screen as soon as they type them. Instant friend! You can learn a lot about a person by what they decide to tell the world on a daily basis. Some people come off depressing, funny, grateful, helpful, happy, smart etc. It can be a very personal look into someone's life. You might find someone you'd like to meet. I've been on Twitter 115 days and have 135 followers.

5 Opens/Closes the Day - When I used to have a steady boyfriend, I'd call him every night before bed to say good night and recap the day. It gets kinda lonely when you lose that tradition. So instead, I tuck myself in and read interesting tweets from a hundred or so people. I feel connected, less lonely and go right to sleep.

All I Want for Christmas is... Shoes

I may be a shoe collector. Never realized this until someone pointed it out because I thought it was a natural girl thing.

I was making my Christmas list and started to look for boots, which led me to shoes, which led me to flats, which led me sandals. So anyway, Santa was good to me.

Matisse Women's Benjamin Button Boot

Review: Luxurious, great fit, classic

Pink Studio Women's Sonia Flat

Review: Classic and comfortable.

ASICS Women's GEL-Kayano 16 Running Shoe

My old tennis shoes hurt my feet when I workout so I went to a running store on Magazine St. and got my feet evaluated. The salesman recommended these to support my feet which tend to collapse when I stand. I also have a heel blistering problem, and he told me to always wear synthetic socks and to stay away from cotton.

Review: They feel great on, and I can't wait to use them.

Cobian Women's Nias Flip Flop

Review: Look good, had good reviews online but feel like they might hurt my inner toe.

Cobian Women's Brooke Flat

Review: Look good but feel a little stiff.

Miss Me Women's Lacey-13 Flower Ornament Flat

aka LSU Tailgate Shoes

Review: Quality not great but decent for the price. Comfy and cute.

Check out the cool bugeyed sign that my dad got me!

Took a gamble by ordering six pairs of shoes sight unseen online. Bought them from Endless.com and Shoes.com where the returns are supposed to be free and easy. You can order all of these shoes on Amazon. The links are highlighted in blue. I think I'll send back the flip flops and stick to Sanuk brand.

I FOUND WORK

January 5th I start working.

I am soooooo excited. 

It's contract work.

Never thought I'd be so excited to find a job.

I think it's because I know how hard I worked to get it, and I know it'll open up more opportunities in the future.

Hopefully for one thing, it'll open up permanent employment when the hiring freeze is lifted.

With whom?

It is with a prominent university and the top employer in New Orleans.

What will I be doing?

I will be a project manager for an interior construction project.

For how long?

A minimum of 4 months.

So what did it take to get there?

Step 1 - When I was thinking of moving down here I gave all three of my parents a list of which firms I'd like to work for and told them to ask their friends if they knew of anyone connected with these firms.

I got one lead from that.

Step 2 - My dad mentioned that I was looking for a job to his high school friend and his wife I'll call D.

Nothing came of that.

Step 3 - Later on, my dad emailed the high school friend and D again.

Step 4 - Then D asked for me to send her my resume. I did.

I never heard back.

Step 5 - A week later I told my dad that D had never responded to my sending the resume.

Step 6 - He called D, and she said that I should send it again and that her email was messed up.

Step 7 - I sent D the resume again.

D finally read the resume and forwarded to another soccer mom/architect whose kids play soccer with hers.

When the architect finally responded she said, "Wow, her background is impressive. We have a hiring freeze that I can't get around, but I may be able to do contract work. I'd like to meet her."

Step 8 - One meeting was rescheduled, but we got to met November 20th for an interview. I got great feedback.

She sent me the contract forms on December 20th and I start January 5th.

The End.

I outlined this entire process to make a point.

Finding a job does not happen overnight.

This took months.

Eight times my dad and I had to be proactive to make this happen.

There are no guarantees even when your parents went to high school with someone whose wife is a soccer mom with your future employer.

No Poo Method

Sham-poo that is.

The method already exists. I didn't make it up. I promise.

I am tired of shampoo.

Not because of the harmful ingredients in shampoo such as toxic Alcohol, isopropyl (SD-40), carcinogenic FD&C color pigments, and Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), which can be absorbed through your eyeballs and has been known to kill some animals.

Not because shampoo removes oil which causes your glands to produce more oil, so the more often you wash your hair the more frequently it gets greasy.

And not because the "No Poo Method" is cheaper.



No, no my real reason is far more vain.

For the past 2 or 3 years, I can see and feel that shampoo leaves residue on my hair and scalp. It bothers me to no end!

So I googled and googled. I found shampoos that were organic, that cleansed, that purified, that prevented dandruff, and healed the scalp. None of them were a reliable cure.

Although, I did kinda like this $25 shampoo. Frederic Fekkai MORE Scalp Purifying Shampoo It smells beautifully and worked for short periods of time.

I've had this post in the draft stages for a long time. I keep editing it because at first I loved No Poo, but the more I use it the more I dislike it. Keep in mind that I can only speak for super fine, super straight hair because that's what I was born with. Although, I have read that it reduces frizz.

Pros: 

• It leaves my hair more voluminous than ever before and softer too.
• I can go two days in between washing most of the time.
  

Cons:

• It leaves the texture of my hair slightly more coarse and less shiny. Much to my mother's dismay. 
• Not a perfect solution. I still sometimes have residue.
  

Like my mother, it may sound a little too new age for you because it's considered unAmerican not to wash your hair with shampoo. Check out this article from NPR on the history of shampoo. That being said, I find it fun to experiment with different methods to see what works.

Most sites tell you to use apple cider vinegar and/or olive oil as a conditioner. It makes my hair kind of stringy and looks dirty right away so I am going to have to stick to regular conditioner until I find something better.

My Conclusion:

Though it's a love hate relationship, I think I'm going keep with the No Poo method for now and wash with regular shampoo or the Frederic Fekkai MORE Scalp Purifying Shampoo once a month.

Here is my routine:

Preshower

1) Mix 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 cup of warm water in a spray bottle.  

During Shower

2) Saturate your scalp and roots by spraying the solution. When your hand starts to hurt from pumping, open the spray bottle and pour the rest of the solution on the middle to ends of your hair.

3) Massage and rinse.

4) Condition your hair with a regular conditioner from the mid length of the hair to the ends.

5) Rinse.

Notes:
*The baking soda solution should always be watery not pasty. If so, you are using too much baking soda.
*I've tried to be lazy and stick some baking soda and water in my hands, but that was too pasty and didn't rinse well.
*I've tried to be lazy and just pour the baking soda and water on from a cup, but for best results, stick to the spray bottle.



Think I'm crazy? Want to try it? Let me know your thoughts.

All That Glitters

I've been making jewelry in my spare time. I found some cool "findings" (jewelry term for accent pieces) in NYC. I have no idea what they were originally, but I found a pile of them at a flea market and envisioned earrings. Several dollars, tools and beads later my visions came to life. What do you think?

SOLD (below)

SOLD (below)

 

SOLD (above)

mine all mine (below)

 spoken for (below)

SOLD (below) 

 

Fortune Cookie

Boy, that'd be nice!

Songs from a Higher Power

One night in college, I was lying on the couch in the living room of my apartment and couldn't sleep. All of a sudden I couldn't get the song, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong out of my head. The phone rang and my mom was calling to let me know that my grandmother had passed away.

I know these lyrics were the comfort of my grandmother telling me how beautiful her world was. She was a wonderful person, a talented gardener and a wonderful mother to her children and grandchildren.

What a Wonderful World

listen here

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

My mom lost her canine companion this weekend. I visited to spend some time with her and, last night, I was driving to pick up some food for us to eat. On the way, I started to cry thinking about little Spencer. Then, this song came on the radio. Seriously the line was,

"Don't cry for me down here"

I'm convinced that the pup spoke to me. He said he was better off. I stopped crying and was shocked that a song had done it again. I don't even listen to country and had never heard this song before. Also, I don't know how this station was on because I was listening to a book on tape the last time I was in the car. I was truly amazed and comforted. Have a listen here.... "When I Get Where I'm Going" -Brad Paisley with Dolly Parton

Rejection in Print

1) We appreciate your interest in our firm. Unfortunately, we do not have a position available at this time. Good luck in your search for employment.

2) Thank you for your interest in XYZ.  Currently, there are no available positions. I will hold on to your resume for future openings.  Best of luck in your job search.

3) Thank you for your interest in XYZ. At this time we are not hiring.  I wish you all the best in your job search.

4) Lindsay, thank you for your interest in ABC.  We do not have any openings at this time, but I will keep your resume on file for future consideration.

Again, thank you for contacting ABC, and good luck with your job search.

5) Hi Linday,

Thanks for your inquiry. We are not currently hiring, but I very much appreciate your interest in our firm.

Good luck with your job search.

6) Thank you for contacting ABC. At this time, we are not hiring for any design positions. However, I will certainly keep your resume on file for the coming year in the event that something does become available. Thanks again for your interest in ABC.

7) Lindsay,

Thank you for sending your resume’ and portfolio of work to ABC.  It was one of the most creative and well thought-out resumes I have ever seen.  Very nice job on that!  Your education and work experience are wonderful.  Unfortunately, we are not currently hiring.  I will keep your resume’ on file in the event that a job opening does occur in the near future.

8) Thank you for submitting your resume and work for our review.  We have carefully assessed our current workload and regret that we have no available positions at this time that coincide with your qualifications. However, if you are interested in an interview and visit to our office, please contact me at your earliest convenience. We will retain your resume in our active files for further consideration in the event of a future opening.

We appreciate your interest in EFG and wish you success in your endeavors.

 

to be continued...