So as I previously mentioned, I recently discovered that I was poor. Ouch. So in an effort to save money, I have attempted to start couponing.

My first couple of trips were okay. I was getting disappointed though because while I was saving money, I wasn't necessarily getting them for free and I really wanted to get some free shit and experience the so far elusive "coupon high" that so many couponers describe after a particularly good haul. I craved it.

Well today I finally achieved it. I constantly am scouring the coupon blogs all day (now that I have a 'real' job which doesn't require me to sit in an empty store for 11 hours, I am sure this will change slightly) and last night I found a good deal for some toothpaste and eyeliner. Basically, life essentials.

I decided to drag Pedro this morning to try out the deal. Basically CVS has a deal running for this Colgate toothpaste, where the price is $4.99 and you get $4 ExtraBucks upon purchase (ExtraBucks are basically CVS money- it prints on your receipt and is only redeemable at CVS). There were coupons in the local paper from a week ago (and today's edition as well) for $1 off any Colgate toothpaste essentially making the toothpaste free ($4.99- $4.00 in ExtraBucks - $1 coupon= free). 

Additionally there was a deal for this Physician's Formula lash-enhancing eyeliner. It sells for $11.49 and there are $3 off coupon 'peelies' in the store. Use that and the eyeliner becomes $8.49. And for the purchase, you get $7 in ExtraBucks. Also, on each of the eyeliner's there is a "Try me free" rebate. You send your information in, along with the original receipt, and you get back your money. Which basically means that you are making money on this one. You make the $3 off that you got with your coupon in addition to the $7 ExtraBucks. And all for purchasing eyeliner and to send in a rebate. And even if you never send in any of this, my entire purchase today still completely cancels out. Not bad, huh?

So I went a little wild and made my mom go out and buy toothpaste. Then, during the Barcelona- Atletico Madrid match today (we won!) I clipped some more Target coupons and head over there to buy some cotton balls, toothbrushes, a cute dress and some face wash for about $15 all together. A good couponing adventure indeed.

Is anyone else out there couponing? Have any good tips or deals that they want to share? I'll show you mine, if you show me yours ;)

Currently I am enjoying a refreshing and chilled mojito at my favorite Mexican restaurant where the boyfriend works. And I like to think that I deserve it. Por que? You wonder. Well because today was my last day of work. Yippee!

I am excited to move on and explore new territory. Unfortunately- well not completely unfortunately- I have a little conundrum on my hands.

Today I received an email from the director of one of the largest and most prominent non profit organizations in Boston. I got his contact information via an old employer from high school that I recently visited with cupcakes and a plea for assistance.

This guy has been great. He spent a good hour on the phone with me, giving me advice about how to break into non profits and has generously forwarded my resume. I hadn't heard from him in awhile and to be honest, I was a little embarrassed to tell him about receiving my job offer (I need to work on not being embarrassed about this job just because it's not in the field that my parents paid a ridiculous amount of money for me to study in).

So he emailed me to tell me that there has been a job opening in the immigrant and refugee services branch of the organization. And of course I am stressed out because all I do is stress out about things even though I am trying to, as Pedro constantly reminds, "cry before the whip".

I am a work in progress.

My dad actually had a really good idea for how to handle the situation. Growing up I watched my parents deal with the pitfalls of owning their own business. I've noticed that while there are the traditional problems that are associated with businesses- such as maintaining clients, advertising the business and making a profit- the biggest headache that they had to deal with by far were their own employees. And because of that, and witnessing their countess headaches, I have always tried to be the best employee possible. Which is why the thought of starting a job and also interviewing for another at the same time makes me feel really... Dirty.

But my parents have been trying to reinforce that I need to think about myself and what is best for me. Which for some reason seems really daunting. And makes me feel guilty. And dirty. Where does all this guilt come from? Technically I'm only half Jewish so I feel like I should be experiencing significantly less guilt right now. What gives?

Anyone have similar experiences and want to offer me advice? A helpful motivational quote? Charming metaphor that will somehow explain away all my guilty feelings, perhaps with a witty anecdote? Any and all advice is welcome.

Happy Saturday! Looks like round two of mojitos for me!

So I am still sick. But I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. And by that, I mean my mommy is coming home so she can come and take care of me. Yeah, I'm 23 years old. Don't judge.

My mom's friend, Carrie, who is a Raki healer is convinced that I am sick because of the death of my grandfather. I think I just caught something when I was taking a $15 bus trip to New York City on something called the "Fung Wah" bus. I should be grateful that all I got was a cold, and not some weird fungus that is indigenous to only some jungle climates.

Anyways... Me being sick has forced Pedro into looking after me which he has actually embraced, so I am impressed. He even makes me my Theraflu tea before bed and watches me to make sure I drink every drop of it. 

Unfortunately for him, me being sick brings out my 'inner diva'. On a normal day, I am pretty high maintenance. I like to be texted, like simple little reminders of your undying love for me, sometimes (all the times) I enjoy a free meal. When I am sick, my divaness goes into overdrive. But it's not like a cool and empowered diva like Mariah or Beyonce. It's like pathetic, needy diva who wants a tissue and to have a manservant constantly readjusting the thermastat. And well, while you're up, a glass of water too. Not too much ice. 

This week has flown by though. I don't know how I suddenly woke up and it was Friday. I think most of my time has been spent in bed, watching HGTV and stalking coupon blogs. I am gearing up for a good shopping trip on Sunday at my CVS, and my mom will finally be back so she can bask in the glory of the 2 free toothpastes and eyeliner I plan on purchasing. If I am feeling daring, I might even try to get some razor cartridges.

I finally went clothes shopping for the first time in about 2 months yesterday though. I had some serious withdrawals- but I had a $20 off coupon for TJ Maxx and I decided to go for it. Somehow, I ended up with $80 worth of clothes but between the Mexican feast I had last night and the two donuts I managed to shove in my mouth this morning (oh why, why did I eat those?) I am sure I will be returning at least half of my purchased goods.

The dresscode at the new job that I'm starting Monday is technically business-casual. But all I know of business-casual is the DC version of business-casual which, from my experiences traveling this massive globe, is that everything in DC is 'special' and so I can't really apply the life lessons I learned in DC because DC is such a weird microcosm of the real world that is so bizarre at times.

So I think I am going to wing it with some black skinnies from Express, a nice print top and maybe a blazer that I can casually toss aside and be like "Oh this old thing" and throw it on a chair if I look like a complete douche. 

The more I think about it actually, it seems like the more nervous I get about this job. I mean, this is my first real post-college job. I have a cubicle and everything (It's not weird that I already have a Pinterest board specifically for "cubicle decoration", right?). 

But it is a good excited. Like the kind of excited I get when I know that there's going to be a 12 hour Law & Order: SVU marathon. But I am still soliciting any advice for starting a new/first job. Any cool conversational topic ideas? Or help me pick out an outfit! I'll take anything. Seriously... equal opportunity advice/help solicitor here :)

Being holed up in bed has allowed me to catch up on some reading. I am already a fast reader: I can inhale books in hours and will happily stay up all night in order to finish a book.

Yesterday I started reading Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project after hearing about how great and amazing a read it was from a variety of sources. 

She documents her journey by a month-to-month basis, and I am right around the end of April. So far I am enjoying it, and appreciate the honesty of which Rubin exhibits in her writing. For my tastes, it is a little too much introspective. With each chapter, she seems to be questioning herself and her motives and wondering if she isn't being too narcissistic or too self-involved by writing this book. And for a lot of the book, I can't help but wonder if she isn't overanalyzing a bit excessively. This is something that she does address, however, in the beginning of her book. 

Overall, I am finding her journey inspiring in its simplicity. She is not making sweeping life changes, but rather changing the way she reacts and handles things. Like a favorite quote of mine states: Life is 1% what happens to you and 99% how you react to it. And I think by altering the way we react to situations and to people can speak volumes about us. It is good to constantly evaluate ourselves and our behaviors, and I think that is what Rubin has done with this book.

And following in her example, I find myself also wanting to incorporate little changes in my life as well. So I have decided to embark on my own little project where I incorporate some of Rubin's ideas mixed with some of my own to construct my own Happiness Project.

For my first goal, I want to tackle something that has been haunting me for 23 years now: my love affair with clutter.  I swear, junk just follows me everywhere and somehow accumulates into these huge piles that just seem too unmanageable and intimidating that I either just ignore them or move them somewhere else. Not very productive. 

Rubin has devised a plan where, every night before she goes to bed, she will do some light cleaning for ten minutes. Simple, right? And definitely something I want to incorporate. 

I think it will be something that will become a process, though. Especially because ever since I started dating Pedro, I would spend sometimes 7 nights a week at his place. This would involve me packing a small bag of clothes, staying at Pedro's , leaving for work the next day from his place and throwing all my clothes in my bag, coming home from work to my house where I would shower, dump out my old clothes and back a new bag and repeat for a whole week. This is not very conducive to cleanliness. 

I think once I start my new job next week, and I will have to spend Monday-Friday sleeping at my place, I will be able to tackle this goal more efficiently. Organization and a clutter free life are things I desperately want- but I do need to work for them. So here I go with my first Happiness Project goal: declutter my life!

So I had a really exciting start to my weekend... And then it all went downhill from there.

After waking up bright and early, I dragged my bushy-tailed self to a the commuter rail so I could head into Boston and from there take a 4 hour bus ride on the majestic Fung-Wah into New York City to visit my friend Jonas, who is from Holland and studying in New York City for the semester.

The bus ride was fun, filled with a lot of naps and the Blueprint 3 on repeat. It was amazing to see Jonas again and although we hadn't seen each other in over a year and a half, it felt like just a couple of weeks. I love easy friendships like that.

We walked around the city, grabbed some bagels for lunch and at night hit up the Museum of Modern Art for their free Friday night special.

Don't we look so happy together?

I know that I work in an art 'gallery' at my local mall and took one art history class in college, so technically that does make me an art connoisseur, but I do not understand modern art. There was this once piece that was a four-legged stool with a bicycle wheel attached to it. Legit. And then another piece where it was thousands of silver-wrapped candies strewn on the floor that was symbolic of HIV/AIDS. Yeah, that was lost on me. But for free candy, I was totally into it.

I did manage to find some van Gogh and got giddy to see his Starry Night piece. We sell at least a dozen of those 'replicas' in my art 'gallery', so it was nice to see an original. Plus, my co-worker and I have a hilarious inside joke about that particular piece and she got a kick out of my picture I texted to her.

After the museum, we headed to the Lower East Side and grabbed some thai food that was delicious. Also, beer for a $1. Won me over.

After that we walked down to this cool underground bar that had no sign and from the outside looked like it was just some hole in the wall dump. But inside it was super cool, totally hipster and the menu was just craft beer. Major score. It was fun to sample different beers and catch up at the same time.

We got to sleep around 3am. Seriously, this city never sleeps. The next morning, though, I got a sad call. My grandfather who has been battling multiple melanoma cancer passed away around 10 in the morning. My mom called me crying and although we had been expecting his death, it still felt a little surreal. 

I ultimately decided to catch a bus back home because all I wanted was to be with my family and Pedro. And around six hours later, I ended up home. So, all in all- I only spent about 20 hours in NYC and took around 10 hours getting there but it was still totally worth it to see Jonas. He looked amazing and was settling in so incredibly well. I get so giddy and happy when my friends are well- it feels like their success is also my success. Yeah I be riding on their coattails. 

It was nice to surprise Pedro at work, who still thought I was in NYC. It was also nice to just kind of cry with him and have him rub my back and just be there. I kind of held in all the sadness so that when we were finally alone and calm, I could just let myself go.

But now after my little adventure, I have found myself sick in bed with a head cold and I feel exhausted and crappy. But I am watching this show, the Voice, for the first time and I can see why it is so addicting. Much better than American Idol.

So later tonight will hopefully be spent in bed with Pedro, watching a movie and eating soup. A secret, little devlish side of me is kind of excited to see how Pedro handles me being sick and how well he takes care of me. I have always been a little spoiled- and whenever I get sick I always had friends or family to take care of me and completely pamper me. So we shall see... :)

I watch a lot of TV. And when I say "watch TV", I do not mean that I passionately follow any series or am emotionally and deeply attached to any character on a show. When I 'watch' television, I sit in front of a TV with a laptop propped on my lap and listen mindlessly to hours and hours of HGTV or Investigation Discovery. And before I know it, somehow four hours of my life are gone and all I've learned is how to make end tables work in my bedroom. 

I do not own end tables.

So when I saw some other bloggers doing reading and book challenges, I thought to myself "What a swell idea!". 

I used to inhale books. I could easily finish hundreds of pages in hours, staying up all night in anticipation of what the next page would bring. Nowadays, the most literary-esque thing I have read is People magazine cover to cover. It's bad.

I have been asking around for book clubs but I think the time has come to just start my own book club. Membership: me. 

So you can see how I am doing with my reading in the sidebar and I will also be completing a list of the books I want to complete, along with reviews once I do complete them. Only 11 more months to go!

Normally I kind of look forward to Valentine's Day. For my 23 years of existence, I have always been single for Valentine's Day. And since I went to an all-girls high school, it really wasn't that relevant to me. For me, the best part of Valentine's Day is gorging out on pizza, watching Lifetime and heading over first thing the day after to buy all the candy for 1/2 off.

So as this was my first ever Valentine's Day with a boyfriend- and it would be our first Valentine's Day together- I found myself getting caught up in making it 'super special and memorable'. I wanted the day to be like a really long Hallmark commercial. Except with more cake. 

My flowers at work. 

And my day was definitely.... memorable- and all thanks to Pedro. Firstly he surprised me at my work by bringing me roses and a balloon. Super cliched, but still- I couldn't help but melt.

After work I decided to treat myself to the massage that Pedro had bought me for my birthday. The place was called Asian Island and was one of those pop-up stores at the mall. It looked a little shady, but harmless. Yeah, understatement of the year.

The massage was something out of a horror movie. Firstly, I was quickly ushered into this little cubicle-esque space with nothing but a gauzy curtain to separate us from the hallway and thus, everyone else in the store. 

When I walked in, the 'masseuse' (I am using this term in the most loosely-defined way possible) told me 

"Shoe off" so I pulled off my boots and she pointed to the bed and barked out "Face down". I was confused as to whether I would take my clothes off... but with the lack of privacy and general language barrier, I just assumed this was one of those places that would rub my shoulders for an hour. Why not? It wasn't like I really had anywhere else to go.

So I lay down and she starts to lift my shirt and unsnap my bra. Oh okay. She starts to try to take my shirt off. Normally it takes at least 4 more drinks for this to happen. Especially in a place where literally anyone in the mall can walk by and see my girls. I jump up and say "Um, should I take off my shirt?" She nods yes and smiles. I point to the curtain and she kind of looks confused for a second, but then brings me a small hand towel and kinds of holds it up for a little privacy shield. Meager, but I'll take it. 

So I'm topless. Mildly petrified but keeping an open mind. She then puts said hand towel, which was super rough, on my back and massages me with that on me. I am confused. Why didn't she just leave my shirt on? At least my shirt was soft. And clean.

This lasts for 15 minutes. Then she moves to my butt. And she starts digging her elbows into my butt. Like she's digging really hard. So much that I keep squirming around which just motivates her further to the point that she joins me up on the bed, straddles me and continues to jab her elbow in to my butt. For about twenty minutes.

Then she starts rubbing my legs. She rubs then super hard, back and forth- kind of like she is washing the floor. Except I have my jeans on still. And I am getting rug burn. I am in pain.

This weird massage continues, with little bursts of her punching- quite literally- punching my arms and legs. She then cracks my fingers. Punches me a little more. 

And then the head massage. Keep in mind the whole time she is 'massaging' me she has not used any oil or lotion. And it's winter. My skin is dry. Do you know how incredibly difficult it is to massage someone without any kind of lubricant? Incredibly. 

Not the best picture, but you get the idea.

She also has incredibly long nails. That she uses to scratch my head. Exactly how I scratch my dog's head when he manages to pass a whole day without pooping in the house. Exactly like that.

And then for the best part. After scratching my head, she proceeds to stick her fingers- nails and all- in my ears and swirl then around for a bit. And then immediately after runs them through my hair again.

Needless to say I ran out of there straight home where I immediately jumped in the shower for a good 20 minutes. Almost 24 hours later and I still feel a little dirty.

The real love of his life.

After that adventure, I got ready for my date night with Pedro. We ended up going to for Mexican food (so predictable) and grabbed our dessert at our usual restaurant that we hit at least three times a week. By the time we got back to my house, Pedro was pretty tipsy off his giant margarita and he kicked me out of my room for 15 minutes. 

When he called me in, I saw that he had decorated the stairs leading up to my room and the entire room with candles and rose petals. And on the bed was a card with a huge Russel Stovers chocolate heart. Again, super cliched but so freaking adorable. He knew how much I loved the tackiness and lameness of all that Valentine's Day nonsense and he wanted to make it special for me. 

I really think this one is a keeper.

So as the title so mysteriously proclaims, I have quit my job! Celebrating tonight with a bottle of champagne and some form of chocolate cake.

Let's rewind. I got this job at an art gallery in the local mall back in October. I had just come back from Chile and was super lucky in that I got this job relatively quickly, it paid pretty well and it was incredibly easy. 

I was looking for a basic, part-time job that I could use for some extra income as I went ahead and proceeded on my plans to move to Israel.

But like my best friend, Gabby, has told me a thousand times over "Every time you make plans, God laughs in your face."

And laugh he did, because while I had closed out all my bank accounts, sold my belongings on e-Bay, and had a hanging calendar counting down the days to my flight (which actually would have been today!) I managed to somehow meet the love of my life and after spending an incredible New Years together, I made the fateful decision to stay back and be with him. And I haven't looked back since.

But I knew that I could not stay in a part-time job in the mall. I needed to get experience and have a job which didn't have hourly salary, but a yearly one. And while I totally think free wifi at work is a benefit, I do also appreciate health care coverage and vacation days.

So last week I got an offer to work for a company about 45 minutes away that organizes destination weddings. So, sure- it doesn't exactly scream "4.0 GPA International Affairs Major with a concentration in Conflict & Security and minor in History" graduate, but it seemed fun and to be honest- they were the only company to reply to me after spending about six weeks searching and sending my resume out around 150 times (I kept a spreadsheet record of every place I had applied. It wasn't pretty).

The job sounds interesting. It's a relatively easy commute. The people there are all really young so there is awesome friend-making potential. It's an internet based company so I can wear jeans and don't need to to have a wardrobe overhaul of Anne Taylor separates. I think I'll be happy. 

I have also had to recently re-evaluate a lot of my goals and life plans. It's only been about six weeks that I have actually decided to stay in the States and now I am still trying to piece together my life. This has sort of been my motto for this year. When I come to think of it, I shouldn't even have been here now. I should have been living in Chile, working as an ESL teacher and drinking pisco sours all day while lounging in a beach chair. 

But that is life. The only thing that is guaranteed in life is change. And ever since graduation, that has been the defining feature of my life: change. And more specifically, unexpected, cataclysmic, earth-shattering change- good and bad. 

So while my career and life goals have changed, a lot, I can't be deterred. I have new goals, new dreams and new hopes. And already I can tell how far I have come these past few months, because if the past version of Jessica had seen present version of Jessica working part-time in an art gallery, still living at home, in love with a Mexican bartender and planning to work in a destination wedding company- I think she would have totally freaked. 

So this Wednesday was Pedro's 26th birthday. I know, old right? I've started calling him "mi viejo" which basically means "My old". I learned most of my Spanish from Dora the Explorer, so there is definitely room for improvement. Is this why the Chinese are beating us in everything?

Anyways, we decided to make an escape for Boston for a quick 48 hour getaway. Pedro works weekends and only gets one day off a week, so it was nice to sneak away for awhile. And while it was a short time, it felt like forever and it was nice to do some nice normal coupley things. 

Wednesday we grabbed the commuter rail in and ended up finding an Irish-Mexican joint named Jose McIntyre's to have lunch. The food was interesting: they had "Irish Nachos" which were nachos.. with potato chips. It took fusion food to a whole new level.

After that we meandered over to Quincy Market where we scoped out the food. Afterward we walked through the Boston Public Garden and enjoyed the amazing weather. Afterward we made a beeline for a sports bar so I could catch my Barcelona match (we won!)

Boston Public Garden

After that we decided to check in to the nearest hotel where we got upgraded to a city view room (always tell the concierge it's some special occasion and they will always throw in some extras. I was expecting an extra mint, but was happy with the better room). We relaxed around the room, lounged around and then headed off to a romantic and filling dinner in the North End. Dinner was followed by cannolis from Mike's Pastry and then an early night of watching Bloomberg TV. We're a really fun couple.

The next day we grabbed breakfast at Quincy Market, walked miles and miles until we ended up at the Science Museum. Then we ended up in Chinatown for lunch and got lucky and snagged a private tour of the Shubert Theatre with the amazingly kind and gracious Director of Operations. 

On the Shubert Theatre Stage

From there we headed home and grabbed dinner with my dad. I fell into bed exhausted around 9pm (again, I am super cool). It was an amazing two days and it was great to take some pictures, relax with Pedro and do some mini-traveling. 

Tonight plans to be even more exciting with a double-feature of The Vow and some other sappy rom-com I can find. And tomorrow I will post exciting news for all my 1.5 readers! Stay tuned!

So somehow this weekend passed by in what seemed like seconds, rather than actual days. I hate when that happens. I want to have another nap.

Friday I had first a phone interview with what I thought was a dream job. After speaking with the interviewer, however, I quickly realized how much I did not want this job. Firstly the woman was very brisk and abrupt- edging on rude. That was really off-putting. And the job would have me traveling 50% of the time and sometimes up to a week at a time. I, being the four-year college educated at an amazing and renowned university, assumed that 50% travel meant I would come into work each day for half a day, and then go off and travel to campuses the other half of the day. 

It honestly amazes me at times how I have made it this far in life.

After that interview, I had another one at a career institute for an admissions representative. This interview so much nicer: the lady loved me (I am seriously not used to people not immediately liking me after meeting me. I seek approval from absolute strangers like a meth addict on a Southie corner). I'll hear back to see if I make it to the next round of interviews this week.

Friday night was spent at Chili's. Exciting.

Saturday I had a baby shower. I think it might just be me, but I wanted to rip my eyes out of their sockets. I am still at that incredibly immature stage of life where I see a baby and will cross streets, highways, rivers- anything- to avoid it. I have been getting baby. Last November I even held a baby. Progress. 

Then at night I waited at the bar for Pedro as he finished up working. I learned that when they say that the sizzling, steaming fajita plates are "hot" that they are not lying. Pedro left the table to go grab a drink and I took my opportunity to touch the hot plate. And it was hot. And still today, two days later, I can't feel the tip of my index finger. And this is what a college graduate looks like.

Gorgeous Superbowl cake I labored over for hours.

Sunday was the Super Bowl. I could care less but it meant I got to make a feast for my dad and Pedro who would be broing out and bonding over the big game. They got along great- partly in thanks to the bottle of Herradurra tequila that Pedro brought with him. 

It was a nice, simple weekend. And while in college and while I was out traveling the world, I assumed that life when you settled down would be so boring and horrifying but I am actually really enjoying it. It's funny where life takes you, but sometimes it's better to not question it and just accept it with a smile and a shot of tequila. 

I graduated from university at my heaviest weight. This was mainly due to partying like crazy: drinking a lot of fruity, sugary drinks mixed with lots and lots of alcohol, deciding to eat a jumbo slice of pizza at 3am was a good idea due to aforementioned sugary drinks with lots and lots of alcohol, and a general laziness to actually get my ass to the gym. To be fair, I was also a full-time student working two jobs. Basically, I had gotten a little chubsters.

The summer before I was set to go to Chile I made it my personal mission to lose about 20 pounds. And with exercising around once (sometimes twice) a day and eating right, I totally accomplished it. Then the two weeks before Chile after learning my friend was not going there was a general period of just not eating, and then in Chile I was just too poor to eat. So I lost some more weight. The exercise fanatic, turned depressive, turned dirt broke diet was a success!

Then I got back to the States, got a little apathetic and got a boyfriend who doesn't usually get out of work til 9pm and likes to eat chocolate cake and doesn't gain a pound from it. And I noticed that familiar friend of mine, my love handles. Or as my boyfriend refers to them, "my lovely handles".

Regardless, I want them gone. Ahora. So I have been heading to the gym but I've definitely noticed that I am a lot more laissez-faire about it and I really want to get that fire under my butt again. My soon-to-be perfectly toned butt.

This is what the entire program looks like more or less.

So when a family friend mentioned that she started selling the Isagenix system for cleansing the body, I totally thought it was a great idea. I have been eating pretty horribly and I have always wanted to try to do a cleanse to rid my body of all the gross stuff I have eaten and imagine is still lurking somewhere in my body, probably around the spleen area.

So today is the first day. And it's been pretty good so far. I woke up and drank this mixed berry concoction that really wasn't horrible but it totally made me miss my little fruity drinks spiked with 80% vodka.

About 30 minutes later, I took my vitamin pack which made me feel like an 80 year old woman. There's about 6 vitamins in there but... whatever, easy enough. Then came the chocolate shake which was seriously delicious. I actually enjoyed it.

As for initial reactions, I am very impressed. I am not hungry at all. Pre-shake I was definitely hearing my stomach growl. And I am a cranky beast in the AM pre-breakfast.

I hope to make it through the month. One of my favorite activities is to go and get lunch with my boyfriend on the weekend, but I am genuinely curious to see this program through and see my results. I didn't take a start weight because I know how easily it is for me to obsess about weight and weigh myself throughout the day. I go crazy. And for me, the most important part is how I feel and look and I think measurements most accurately capture that.

But the next measure day is the 11th so I will write an update then. Wish me luck!

So since I decided to stay in the States to follow my heart and whatnot, I have been trying to find a full-time, 'real', adult job. I want to settle down, get a reliable 9-5 and get a paycheck in the week that can attempt to cover food, rent and gas.

I started applying for jobs on January 4. I know that because I have kept an Excel spreadsheet of every single job that I have applied for. I wanted to keep a record, just to see how many replies I got and as a way to gauge my process. A very frustrating process.

But thankfully this past week has opened the floodgates to requests for interviews and follow-ups. And I have some amazing leads.

For instance, I brushed up on my networking skills and visited the non-profit where I had volunteered and later worked while in high school. I brought cupcakes and a smile after not seeing everyone there for over four years. I explained my predicament- how I was now looking for a job, preferably in non-profits- and they were so supportive. They both have sent me leads for contacts. One is with Catholic Charities, an organization I had applied to independently before and had yet to hear anything. But now I have the contact information for two Executive Directors, including a phone Q&A with one of them for tomorrow to learn about some opportunities with Boston non-profits.

I also have an interview lined up for a destination wedding website, an admissions counselor and a phone interview at an organization that advocates for Israel on college campuses that I really respect and admire.

It's amazing how frustrated I was just a week ago and now I am overwhelmed with opportunities and have two interviews on Friday alone! I am awed by the power of networking and am so thankful that I still have these connections to work with.

The only downside is that most of these jobs are in Boston and due to the boyfriend needing to be close to his work, it looks like I will have to commute each day. According to my mother, "thousands of people do it each day and they are fine with it". But for some reason, the thought of having to commute every day makes me really want to run away. And one of the jobs requires that I travel 50% of the time to different college campuses. It's a great sounding job but egh. I hate driving on the highway. One of my adorable little quirks.

So I am super positive and excited for the new opportunities that will hopefully begin to start unveiling themselves. Sending out good vibes!