Keeping A Routine.

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If being unemployed for 2.5 months has taught me anything, its been to keep a routine. After the initial few weeks of laziness, weight gain, semi depression, and frantic job applying- I've finally managed to find a sense of routine in a few important areas I hope to continue doing when I start working again (Monday! Yay!).

1. Make an amazing breakfast everyday. In fact, use all this new found time to cook and eat healthy.

• Instead of eating crap and being lazy everyday, wake up and make an awesome breakfast of eggs, veggie sausage, and toast. I make breakfast sandwiches, omelets with leftover vegetables, amazing scrambled eggs, etc. I've gotten so good and fast at it, I know if I wake up just 15 minutes earlier a day I can eat an amazing healthy breakfast full of protein that keeps me full until lunch! 

2. Get fresh air and exercise everyday. 

• After you eat your awesome breakfast, but before you shower (yes, you're unemployed. But no, that doesn't excuse you from showering) GO OUTSIDE. Even if its cold. Walk around the block or neighborhood, if you have a dog bring them too. I've also been adding strength training, a bit of yoga, stretching, and somedays cardio right afterwards (just workout videos in my room btw, you know I cant afford no gym membership). My goal was to get it all in under an hour so I could do it before work everyday once I go back. And sure enough, here I am a week into it and feel weird if I don't do this everyday. I don't need to go into the benefits of regular movement in our lives, you already know, but for me I already feel 10x more awesome. 

3. Clean a little everyday.

• Yeah, this one kind of sucks, but it's important. I usually do it after I exercise while I'm drinking my protein shake and muddling around the house. A little vacuuming, dishes, laundry, picking up...I guess I realized I'd rather do a little each day then all on the weekends once I go back to work. And it's true, once I get home from work if I don't sit down and just keep moving for 20+ minutes things look 10x better most of the time. 

4. Find something productive, do it everyday.

• Mine has been writing everyday. Either it was here or working on my book, but everyday I try and spend writing. Such an excellent habit to take on as a writer. However, if you want to work on your art, sewing, baking, whatever craft. Do it. At the end of the day you will feel like you accomplished something instead of just re-watching an entire season of Ally McBeal. 

SERIOUSLY finding these bits of routine everyday has helped me not go insane. Plus, I am not spending money and at the end of the day when someone asks me what I did that day, I have some legitimate things to say. Not to mention I feel healthier, more balanced, happy, and secure. If you're still looking for work, put it into the routine for 2 hours a day or a few days a week and then be done with it. Otherwise you will obsess and then depress like I did, which didn't really help anything in the end anyway. 

So whether you are part of the 8.3% of unemployed Americans like me, or just feel like your daily life is lagging a bit, do consider adding some of these to your routine. Protein for breakfast, exercise, fresh air, keeping things clean, and being productive never hurt anyone. 

Now I am going to go take my own advice. 

Have a lovely day!

xoxo

HL

Goodbye Unemployment.

Well it finally happened!

Today I got an official offer from an awesome internet software company! My brother really hooked it up, and I will be going in as a full time paid intern working with this fantastic woman. The idea is to get me trained on the technology (hopefully within a few months) and help them out with a few projects in the process. Then I should be able to move up into (hopefully) product management.

It's scary transitioning from teaching into something I've never done before. To be perfectly honest, I'm having a hard time sleeping because I'm so worried. What if I don't like it and regret changing careers? What if I'm not good at it and they don't like me? Annie "tried" to ease my worries with "Well there's probably going to be a few month period where you don't like it and want to quit/go home and cry everyday after work, but it'll get better!" Isn't she so helpful? Ha. However, I didn't feel like that when I was SO stressed at my last new job in Slovakia, in fact I was freakishly perky and hyped up everyday for the first few months. I'm surprised my co-workers didn't think I was crazy actually. With this job I do think the first few months of the internship will be difficult since its so different from what I was doing before. But if I can master the basics of understanding the technology stuff, then I get to move into a product manager position where I am mostly working with their all the different major corporation clientele. It would be working with people, doing presentations, teaching, etc. All the things I am good at! So its not quite as scary of a jump as it could be, but the transition gets me nervy. 


Filled out all the paperwork and scanned it back to them so they can do my background check and hopefully get me in there to start next week! The pay isn't very good according to my standards, but according to a paid intern standards its like a miracle and more then I made subbing so I'm not complaining. AND I still get to go visit Mr. Boyfriend and meet his family in May without any vacation issues since I'm just hourly. 


So life takes me in an entirely other direction once again, but I am just so excited about it! And to top it off Mr. Boyfriend is just so proud of me and adores that I am so driven and hard working. I suppose I find it really encourages me to step out of my comfort zone a bit knowing hes on my team rooting for me. 


It's all happening!

xoxo

HL

Unemployment Staycation

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Still unemployed? Going insane clawing the walls of your house? Well let me introduce a little something called HOUSE/DOG SITTING. Maybe this has already occurred to you, or maybe a little light bulb just went off in your head but house/dog sitting is a legit way to make some money that most people can not commit to. Think about it, most people have busy jobs, kids, spouses, or all three and can't do house sitting. AND then the single college students who could do it can't really be trusted because they'd drink all the booze and quite possibly set the house on fire. Enter you. Single, fabulous, lots of time on your hands, and need some extra money. Bonus if you aren't allergic to pets! 

Thank God my unemployment should be ending next week (yayyyy!), more details when I have them, but this is officially my last week of the nothingness. Luckily my amazing friends asked me to house and dog sit their gorgeous house and snuggly puppies on the hill in north LA for a few days. Not only do they pay me, but also reimburse my gas for coming up here, and leave me with a stocked bar and kitchen for me to help myself to. Which is perfect timing since my car needed a lot of work this week and left me broke. I had big plans of hitting the free museums all within half an hour of here, but with gas being what it is and parking for each being $15 I decided to have a real staycation and make the most of my few days left of freedom. 

Parts of a Staycation

-Doggies for snuggling, making sure you get a walk in everyday (outdoors! fresh air! heart rate up!) and are forced to shower afterwards. Also brush your teeth for good measure. 

-A TV show season you can get addicted to or one on Netflix Instant. As you can see I am IN IT with Battlestar Galactica. A wise choice.

-Snacks and booze. I have British treats and digestives too, score!

*Bonus* crafts, reading, a big bathtub with bath products, records, and/or a private backyard for naked sun bathing are also fun and FREE additions to your staycation. 

So start hitting up your rich friends or just friends with animals and see if they (or their other rich/animal/plant housing friends) what someone responsible and awesome to help them out. Kennels are quite expensive and kind of traumatic for dogs so everyone would rather have a sitter. Even if its just $10-$20/day, better then nothing per day!

xoxo

HL

Unemployment Whoopie Pies

I have been wanting to make Whoopie Pies for a few years as soon as I saw them on a blog and died of cuteness. However, I found the recipes to be more time consuming then I usually am able to allot for baking (and I get bored after too long) and filled with a few odd ingredients I never wanted to buy. SO when I found a $3 Lemon Whoopie Pie Kit at Home Goods where you only had to add oil, powdered sugar, an egg, and some milk I was IN. I already had all the other ingredients! Therefore it was in the category for an "Unemployment" baked good. They had a few other cheap kits for fun things to make I might stop by and get some more!

Stop by your local Home Goods to try and find yourself a $3 kit if you're unemployed like me, OR order one off Amazon. Or homemake your own! There is also a vegan recipe that looks lovely.

This is all you need!

Mix yoself up some whoopie.

YOU DO NOT NEED A SPECIAL PAN to make whoopie pies! Just put down some parchment or wax paper and little 1 TB scoops on each pan. After they were done I matched weird shaped ones with other weird ones so they could be friends match.

 Voila! Deliciousness! I made these for my dads 50th birthday today! They are almost already gone!

"I love baking and talking to my bf on the phone at the same time! Unemployment didn't completely suck today!"

So go make some whoopie!

xoxo

HL

Unemployment Bread

Still unemployed but need to bring something to a dinner party? Would you really enjoy something for breakfast other than $1 store cereal? Then meet unemployment bread! This recipe is from my grandma and our family in Ireland. Its a traditional old Irish recipe my mother and I like to nerdily imagine them making on a skillet over a fire...and it is SO DELICIOUS and SO EASY you will love it!! Bonus: requires few ingredients, most you (or your parents) already have in your cupboards. Win.

Irish Soda Bread
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup to 1 1/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt (the only odd ingredient! And its cheap!)

Mix together everything and make a round ball, kneed a few times to get rid of stickiness. Flatten somewhat with a rolling pin and cut into four parts. Sprinkle flour on a frying pan and heat. Place the parts on for 10 minutes each side. (until they're a nice light brown). Remove and cool on wire rack. Good warm or cold!

The ingredients.

The flatten.

The cooking.

Now you're ready to go to your party where everyone thinks you are just little Miss Suzy Homemaker, when really you're just unemployed.

Don't have too many more days of this unemployment gig though, things are happening!

xoxo

HL

Unemployment Rice & Beans

Still unemployed? Hungry? Oh what do you know, me too. I found this easy black bean and rice recipe and my parents already had all of the ingredients for it in their cupboards- score! Luckily none are very expensive anyway even if you're missing something, its rather tasty and filling, and easy to make.

Ingredients

-1 cup uncooked brown or white rice
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 small onion, chopped
-1/2 one color bell pepper, thinly sliced
-1/2 another color bell papper, thinly sliced
-3 cloves minced garlic
-2 16oz cants of black beans rinsed and drained
-2 tbsp white vinegar
-tabasco and cayenne to taste
-1 tsp dried oregano or fresh oregano
-salt and pepper to taste
-lime wedges

1) Cook yoself up some rice in your rice cooker, microwave, whatever you got. Rice is really cheap and a good thing to always have on hand when you're unemployed. I always go for brown since its healthier and tasted great with this recipe. While thats cooking...

2) Heat olive oil in skillet on medium high. Saute onions and bell peppers for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Then add the garlic and saute a bit more (dont let it burn!). Add the black beans, vinegar, and tabasco or cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.

3) Stir in rice and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I would HIGHLY recommend adding some vegetable broth to the beans while they are cooking since it came out rather dry. Also the more tabasco or cayenne the better and a lime squeezed in at the end makes a BIG difference!

"I made my own dinner with free ingredients I found in the cupboards!"

Happy Cooking.

xoxo

HL

Unemployment Cookies

Oh hey! Are you unemployed too? Or only working a few days a week due to lack of sub jobs? Living at home and don't qualify for unemployment? Well then you should whip up a batch of "Unemployment Cookies" on your next day where you want to die of boredom!

The great thing about this recipe is that everything should pretty much already be in your parents cupboards so you dont have to spend any more money you dont have on ingredients. However, I would HIGHLY recommend splurging a few dollars on some Swans Down Cake Flour if you don't already swear by it. It makes the cookies super light and fluffy and sweeter! You can use it to replace anything that calls for All Purpose, they have the exchange measurement on the box.  

I just got this recipe from All Recipes but substituted the Swans Down cake flour for all purpose.

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour OR 2 cups Swans Down Cake Flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

The great thing about Unemployment Cookies is that you can do whatever you want with them since you may or may not be sharing them with anyone who matters. I attempted to do heart shapes, which didn't really turn out, undercooked a pan worth, and burnt an entire other pan worth too! Plus my decorating attempts before getting bored and quitting after 4 were pretty horrible:

But the good news is: NO ONE CARES. You aren't making them for anyone in particular, they are solely Unemployment Cookies to be shared as you desire. 

Tonight I am taking some of the non decorated and non burnt ones to Annies for girls taco and movie night though, girl friends tend to not care about weird looking cookies...as long as they're edible. 

More Unemployment Desserts to come!

xoxo

HL