Do You Need A FaceWash?

Before going on an interview everyone always checks to make sure everything is perfect. You have the perfect outfit, you smell good (hopefully), not a hair is out of place and your resume has been triple checked and then checked once more for some security.  Well one thing that a lot of people forget to check before headed out the door is their Facebook.

During one of my summer classes we discussed how prevalent social media is now days and how employers are checking out your profile now more than ever. It's kind of like they are scoping you out like you scoped out that hottie that sits next to you in your stats class.

Now my Facebook is far from perfect. I definitely have some pictures and posts up there that might raise a few eyebrows. This is why I have practically everything on my profile set to private.  I've become super anal about it all just in case someone decides to tag me in a photo from Sophomore year in less than ideal circumstances.

I've also changed the spelling of my name online. This can get a little confusing when meeting new people but it's for the best.  The harder it is for them to find you, the harder it is for them to judge you off of some picture that was taken at a party 3 years ago right after what's-his-face broke up with you.

Well in case those little precautions don't workout there is always FaceWash.  FaceWash is a new site (still in BETA testing) that explores the ins and outs of your profile and brings up anything that might be questionable.  Now it's not totally perfect. It looks for key words but doesn't examine the context of the conversation or photo.  But, it does bring some things to your attention that you might want to make private of just delete.

FaceWash also lets you customize your search for key words you might not want on there. I certainly can appreciate this new Facebook App and definitely recommend it to all of you.

Your online presence speaks volumes of who you really are and can be the deciding factor in whether you get a job or not.

The End Is Near I Fear

So I've known that I will be graduating from college in December for quite some time now, but just because I've know that does not mean that I've actually accepted it.

Last night at work I looked up the actual graduation date (December 7th) and called my parents to let them know so they can plan accordingly.  After getting off the phone with my mom I had a mini panic attack. I mean I'm 11 credits shy of graduating which means the end is inevitable and I will be a college graduate in less than a year. A college graduate embarking on the real world.  A college graduate with no absolute plan for the future. I have no clear idea what my life will look like on December 8th. And that my friends, scares the living crap out of me.

I've spent the past 6 months planning on what life will be like post-grad, but now that I have a definitive date I am kind of freaking out a little. I have a lot of what ifs right now. What if I move to D.C., what if I get a job in Arizona, what if I stay in Laramie, what if I move back to Denver, what if I find a corner to hide in until I magically revert back to my college freshman self.....

For months I've been anticipating graduation and now I'm completely dreading it.  I could have walked at the end of this semester and taken classes over the summer to finish my degree but I convinced myself that it was not worth the stress. Now in less than one year I will be receiving my diploma and embarking on the real world, is it crazy that graduation is also the anniversary of Pearl Harbor? I mean it's probably just a coincidence that one of our nation's greatest tragedies also happens to be the day I embark on the work force....right?

I know I'm not the only college student to freak out about graduating but I feel an overwhelming sense of fear and mournfulness.  I love my life as a college student and I don't know how ready I am to give that up, but I suppose I don't exactly have a choice now do I?

Today's Random Thought

What is it to live an "inspired" life? Does that mean I have to walk around finding the meaning in everything and taking the time to absorb not only the world around me but the essence of life itself? Well I definitely don't have time for that....

One of my professors started off a lecture last week discussing what it means to be inspired and the importance of "taking it all in".  Now, I was kind of unsure what he meant by that.  It's true that I am often in to big of a hurry to stop and take time to appreciate the ever so annoying construction on campus, the squirrels whom I'm convinced are trying to take over Prexy's Pasture, or the idle conversations of those around me; but does that mean that I am not living an inspired life?

I think what he was getting at was that we are to focused on the future and less focused on the moment.  I can't remember the last time I actually took the time to experience the moment as it was. Even right now I'm thinking about finishing the most recent episode of The Biggest Loser and about how much sleep I'm going to get tonight. I guess my life is much more mundane than it is "inspired". 

I guess it's actually kind of difficult to actually experience the moment you're in since we are always moving onto the next thing before it's even happened.

Just a random thought......

Since You've Been Gone....

Find this FREE graphic HERE

I feel like I haven't been on this blog in FOREVER! I've been totally consumed with being a couch potato and getting ready for the semester that I haven't been very productive.

So what's happened since the start of the new year?

Well.....not much if I'm being completely honest.  I feel like I've been crazy busy with work and my internship that I haven't had much time for any adventure.  I did manage to go out to the bars and a yummy sushi dinner this past Saturday and I bartended an event at my internship Friday night and made some serious bank. Other than that I've been busy trying to prepare for March. March is going to be insane for me! We have a TON of shows going on at the theatre and I'm trying to get the ball rolling on a lot of things so that I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off. 

Other than work and the internship I've also been getting ready for the semester. School started on Monday and I must say I am exhausted and I haven't even started the readings I need to get done for tomorrow. Procrastination Central!!!!

I'm just not use to the routine of getting up and actually being productive instead of hanging out on my couch with my dog watching Disney movies all day....

Oh the life of a college kid.

Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backwards

Stressed out about New Year's resolutions, school, work, life in general? 

1. Listen to some tunes - Blast some music and dance like no one's watching. I personally like to turn up the Britney circa early 2000's and shake it to Oops...I Did It Again.

2. Workout - There is no better stress reliever than a good workout to get rid of some of that tension. I take out all of my anger on the treadmill and feel a million times better afterwards.

3. Take a walk - You might be able to couple this with working out but I think there's a big difference to running like there's no tomorrow and taking a quiet stroll to clear your head.  Sometimes all you need is a little fresh air and some time to yourself.

4. Primp - Pamper yourself. Take a bubble bath, do your hair, paint your nails, just do something to make yourself feel good.

5. Chocolate - Indulge a little! Nothing calms the nerves or soothes the soul better than some chocolate, I usually keep a stash around the house in case of emergencies.

2012 Pop Culture

It's been real 2012 and you've given some awesome pop culture contributions but there are a few things I'm hoping won't follow us into 2013.

YOLO. It makes no sense and you sound like a ridiculous 13 year old girl who's trying way to hard.  I hope YOLO stays behind in 2012 where it belongs.

Speaking of YOLO, Swag and Cray are two other things I hope stay behind.  I honestly don't understand what the big deal with "swag" is but I don't like it.  If I wanted a guy with "swag" I would troll the unemployment line and see how that worked out for them. And as for "cray", I can't handle anything Kanye West has had to do with lately.

Now that I've mentioned Kanye, I must say I cannot stand this whole Kim and Kanye or "Kimye" thing.  Now that Kanye went and knocked up Ms. Kardashian I have a feeling that I'm going o hear more and more about this train wreck.   Does she even know that she is still legally married? I hope that when I'm ready for a child and can get knocked up by boyfriend of 6 months and that it doesn't interfere to much with the messy break up of my 72 day marriage.

Twilight. I know this is a somewhat controversial subject.  Twilight has a huge cult following of die hard fans but I never got on the bandwagon.  I prefer stories that empower women and send a message to young girls about being independent and not relying on a man. Needless to say, I'm happy that the Twilight movies are over and hopefully the craze will die down and girls everywhere will realize that it's weird to be so codependent on your sparkly vampire boyfriend with control issues and a pension for stalking.

Taylor Swift.  I'm usually a fan of her songs but her relationship drama is a bit much.  She's had over a dozen relationships over the past few years and then writes songs bashing her relationships when they are over. It's kind of like that one girlfriend we all have who sucks at relationships, but can't stay single and when things take a turn for the worse you have to listen to her sob stories. I just think someone who is as influential as Taylor, should be writing songs telling girls to be more independent and to not let relationships define themselves. I know it's inevitable but I can't say that I'm looking forward to her next single "Wrong Direction".

I know this might all be a bit harsh but after a year of having YOLO, Kimye, Twilight, and Taylor Swift shoved in my face I must say I need a break.

10 Ways To Improve Your Month

It's a new year which means new opportunities to take and memories to make.  Everyone makes New Year's Resolutions that we all hope to stick to but I think of those as more larger, long term goals. It's important to make smaller goals each month.

So here's my list for January. Feel free to follow along with me or to add your own goals in the comments below!

1. Organize my room.

2. Try a new makeup routine.

3. Organize my closet/dresser!! It would be nice to not have my drawers busting at the seams.

4. Drink more water!

5. Cut down on the fast food. If I could eat McDonald's every day I would!

6. Start training for the Tough Mudder.

7. Set up a schedule for work. No more running around the last minute trying to finish everything.

8. Eat out less.

9. Workout in the mornings.

10. Blog more.

 What's on your list?

Free Fonts & Chalkboard Background

I LOVE fonts and anything chalkboard. I think they look awesome on blogs and whenever they pop up on my Pinterest feed.  It's hard to find a great font that goes with a chalkboard background. I look for anything cursive or something that looks handwritten or artsy since it just looks better.  I also try to add illustrations to give more depth to the chalkboard.  

I'm relatively new at the whole graphic thing and using a chalkboard background is the easiest way for me to add a little something to a blog post without spending hours trying to figure out my Adobe Illustrator.

1. KG Makes You Stronger // 2. The Only Exception // 3. Handy George // 4. Heart Doodle //

5. Janda Stylish Script // 6. 5th Grade Cursive // 7. Bergamot Ornaments 

FREE Chalkboard Background

Resolutions

Let's be real here, how likely are we to keep our resolutions throughout the new year? Well probably not all that likely but we still make them nonetheless.  

My resolutions are:

1. Run A Tough Mudder

2. Graduate From College

3. Save More Money

4. Go On More Adventures

5. Do More Of What Makes Me Happy

We'll see how it all goes....