I wonder...is Google *too* suggestive? http://ping.fm/Eojh7

How to buy a House

"It took longer than expected, but it was all worth it!!"

How I did it: I lived in the city for a year, after knowing that I'm not, nor have ever been a city person. But I wanted to experience it and I did and I'm glad I did.

But with all of the stimulus packages, mortgage rates, and the simple fact that it's a buyers market, it was an easy decision: I was ready to buy.

There were definitely some unexpected events, but in the end, I don't remember any of the bad things that happened, because now I own my very first home!

Lessons & tips: Be patient. And it's true what they say - when you walk into the right place, you just know it.

Resources: Find a realtor you can trust, inspectors who are honest, a mortgage rep that is reliable, and title attorneys who won't rip you off.

It took me 7 months.

It made me overjoyed

See more progress on: buy a house

Congratulations, Mr. President Elect

Well, it's very nearly official. Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States of America, and our very first African American president. My most enthusiastic congratulations!!!!

It was a long and intense race, and I must say....I'm glad it's finally over. I'm the first to admit I'm extremely bias, but at the end of the day, I really do think the best man won.

I just got finished watching the speeches from both candidates last night. They were both extremely moving and powerful - Obama's, to me, was reminiscent of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech; and McCain's (as described by my coworker) was the best of his entire campaign.

If you haven't seen either, you can check out Obama's speech on his official website's blog or McCain's (on the Huffington Post - hehe - still official, I promise).

As most people are, I'm glad it's all over, and we can get back to real life. And maybe start seeing some of those political signs on street corners come down??

How to get a job

"I landed my dream job right out of college."

How I did it: I started applying for jobs in February, knowing that I wanted to have one by the time I graduated in May.  I applied to every job that looked interesting in my field (marketing) - including a job for a Search Engine Marketer that required AT LEAST 2 years of experience.  I, however, had none.  I ended up getting an interview, then a second interview, then a job offer. 

Lessons & tips: Apply to a job you know you'll love, even if you're under qualified.  What can it hurt?  Then *wow* them at the interview. 

Resources: college education, passion, resume, business suit

It took me 1 month.

It made me ecstatic

See more progress on: get a job

How to drink eight glasses of water each day

"Drinking eight glasses of water a day makes your body feel so much better - it'll thank you!"

How I did it: Working with a water cooler within twenty feet definitely helps.  I'll fill my mug up about every hour (which also means I have to make a trip to the bathroom just about every hour!)
Before that, though, I had a hard time drinking water.  I was lucky if I had 2-3 glasses a day- and that was usually jsut because of working out! 
Now that I've started drinking so much water at work, my body craves it, so I drink just as much at home!

Lessons & tips: Often times, your body thinks it's hungry when you're actually thirsty.  Some of the best advice (especially for people trying to lose weight) is when you think you're hungry, drink a glass of water first.  Wait about 20 minutes, if you're still hungry, then eat! If not you were just thirsty.  This will get you in a routine of drinking eight glasses a day!

Resources: water cooler, a little bit of aqua, and a cup.

It took me 10 days.

It made me feel better

See more progress on: Drink eight glasses of water each day

3G iPhone

It's been a while since I've written. Oops. My bad!

Don't know if you can tell by the title (*wink wink*), but I finally got myself an iPhone!! I love it, that's all I can really say. If you don't have one...get one!!

Beautiful Wordle Word Clouds

Via Twitter friends, I found this really cool site: Wordle. There, you can insert your URL/just paste a bunch of words and it will create a really pretty word cloud! This one is of this blog:

This next Wordle is from a book I'm "writing." I say writing in quotes simply because it's one of those works in progress - about life essentially:

I think I'm going to play around on this a little!

All I Want for [RIGHT NOW] is an iPhone!

The new 3G iPhone came out a while ago. I desperately want it, even though 3G has yet to make an appearance in Maine. However, AT&T has better coverage in Maine than US Cellular can ever hope to have.

Technically my plan doesn't run out until October of 2009. BUT, my Dad (the plan owner) called them this morning for me and I can get an iPhone as early as September 3! I'm so psyched!

Not only will I no longer be harassed by my co-workers (who are 110% Mac users) about having a Microsoft powered cell phone (I have a Moto Q), but I'll get all sorts of benefits that I'm not used to. I'll be able to call NATIONWIDE - I would have to pay a ton extra for this with US Cellular. Plus, I'll get the internet. I simply don't have it on my phone now because I choose not to. Explorer (IE) on a cell phone? Thanks, but no thanks. Finally (the most major plus), I'll actually have service! If you're not from Maine, you don't know that joy of having all your bars and keeping them if you walk two feet in any direction.

Ahh...the anticipation of becoming Apple-ized.

Just About the Coolest Thing Since Sliced Bread

Yes that's right, folks. This site is flipping sweet!! Learn about cravings and what you can eat INSTEAD of those cravings.

Common ones for me (since I know you're just DYING to know):

If you crave this > What you really need is > And here are healthy foods that have it

Chocolate > Magnesium > Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Chewing ice > Iron > Meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries

Pretty cool, eh?

A Trip Down the Saco River

I was supposed to take a trip with some buddies from college down the Saco River this weekend. But with the forecast (rain/t-storms) and a special news bulletin I saw this morning, I don't think I'll be making it, unfortunately.

Channel 6 says in their report that police are asking people to stay away from the river this weekend. With all this silly rain we've been getting, the river's gone up..duh! Plus people drink themselves into oblivion in their canoes and the police had to rescue three canoes last weekend. Yikes!

Sad part is I've never been so I really wanted to go. Oh well, I'm comforted by the fact that I'll get to sleep in my big comfy (warm and dry) bed in my apartment rather than in a 2 inch puddle of water in a wet sleepy bag on rocky ground in a smelly old tent. Yes, warm and dry is better than wet and cold any day of the week.

Maine 207 on Skype

My 15 seconds of fame!!! My boss Rich Brooks was doing a segment on Skype on 207, and he called me on it. Check it out!

Care to Canoe?

The new background on my computer is...amazing. I could just stare at it for hours - one of those pictures that makes you feel like you're actually there, isn't it?

Solar Energy and its Sunshiney Goodness

As I've mentioned, I love this little invention called StumbleUpon. As I was stumbling today, I just found a blog post about solar powered window curtains! How amazing is that?! They say you can generate enough electricity for what most people use in 1/2 of a day. Can you imagine...cutting your energy bill in HALF?! I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure (especially with the current *cough* economic situation) that any of us can appreciate something so simple.

The tough part about solar energy (as with most natural forms of energy) is that you need some way to convert that energy into electricity. My parents own a solar powered home and it's great, as long as you don't need to use a hair dryer!

The initial costs tend to be expensive for solar panels and the converting system (including batteries and the works). However, in the long run, it's definitely worth it.

Why not save our energy and save the planet?!

Portland Power Yoga

I had my very first official yoga session last night. Sure, I've dabbled in the comfort of my living room (with Exercise On Demand!). I've never actually taken a yoga class though - just plenty of pilates during school!

Anyway, I went to a place right down the way that came highly recommended by both my best friend and my physical therapist. Portland Power Yoga uses a technique called power vinyasa yoga, keeping a steady flow of yoga (concentrating on breathing) in an environment of 90 degrees!

I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my entire life, but it was amazing - so detoxifying! Their slogan is so cool. 3-4 times a week to change your body, 5-6 times to change your life. Guess I'd better get my butt there at least 5 times a week then, huh?!

Batman The Dark Knight

Last night I went to go see Batman in Falmouth. It was a great movie, action packed and whatnot, somewhat long (edging on two hours)...but not the kind of long where you start thinking of how uncomfortable the movie theater chairs are.

Just before the movie started, though, there was a bit of a misunderstanding in the parking lot. It seems that a gentleman in a convertible cut off a bicyclist, after they both ran a red light. Needless to say, there were quite a few R-rated terms being thrown out (by both parties) and I can only agree with the man who walked in behind me who said, "They'll just kick the shit out of each other and be done with it."

Back to the movie though...I can understand now why they talk about Heath Ledger's character having something to do with his death. From what I read, they think that climbing into such a dark role put Heath in a super dark place, hence his overdose. RIP Heath.

StumbleUpon Cool Sites Online

I've mentioned StumbleUpon before, it's great when you're surfing just for fun! You add it to your toolbar, and press the StumbleUpon button. The site uses your interests to bring you to sites you might like. From there, there's all sorts of fun things you can do with it - network (it technically is a social networking tool), suggest sites, etc.

Here are some cool sites I found:

• Run. Find great trials to run in your area!
• Write Rhymes. Start writing sentences, then option-click and you get every word that rhymes with your query!
• Books Online. Read any of the books available online - there are a ton!
• Sun Salutation. One of the most invigorating yoga practices to wake you up in the morning!
• Pandora. Create your own radio station(s) and listen for free! (I live on this all day long!)
• Vegetarian Recipes. This site has some amazing cuisine!
• Great Advice. Amazing tips for living happily.

Do enjoy my stumblingsupon!

The "Guinea Pig Diet"

I mentioned yesterday that I eat "like a guinea pig," a phrase so coined by a coworker. Well, I thought I would share that I have a different little lunch plan for today: leftovers from my Flatbread dinner last night. (Only somewhat guinea pig-esque.)

I went to this "hippie-dippie" (heard a more conservative diner use the phrase on her way out) pizzeria in Portland with an old friend. We had the most scrumptious sun dried tomato pizza (not the one pictured, but close to it!) - with sweet glazed onions, mushrooms, spinach, mozzarella, and goat cheese on their organic brick oven cooked dough. This yummy delight was coupled with organic Riesling wine...of course.

The point is that if you've never been to Flatbread, you need to go. It's amazing...but the atmosphere is my favorite: so laid back and relaxed. Plus it's all organic and natural..that doesn't hurt!

5 Easy Tips and Tricks for Staying Happy and Healthy

The summer time always seems to bring out huge long lists of tips of getting skinny . Well...how about being healthy? Just a bit of different verbiage, but I think it's a better way to go about it. So in my mind (and from what knowledge I've collected), here are the best ways to BE healthy:

1. Exercise, and find the exercise(s) you enjoy. It's essential to exercise. No way around it. But you might as well enjoy it, right? I cheered in high school and college and loved it - kept me in phenomenal shape. However, once you hit your 20's, cheerleading isn't as easy (awful, I know). So I started doing yoga, and now I'm obsessed! It's not forced like other exercises (running outside and whatnot) for me.
   
2. Do things you love. Remember that life isn't all about work...some play needs to be involved! So even if you have a tight budget, find time for doing things you enjoy: going for a walk outside, hanging out with your family, or even renting an old movie you haven't seen in years!
   
3. Laugh. It's been proven over and over that laughing increase happiness (literally!) and decreases stress. So when something's funny (or maybe even if it isn't), laugh out loud!
4. Eat healthy, but eat what you want. I constantly get criticized for eating "like a guinea pig" with my tofu, carrot, and spinach lunches...but you know what? I love them! They taste good to me. So if even you like chips, you can substitute a healthy alternative like Soy Crisps. My personal vice is ice cream, so I go with the Edy's Slow Churned, it has less fat than normal ice cream, and less sugar than fat free frozen yogurt. The way I figure it, if you have a craving, your stomach won't settle for anything but what you're craving. So why not have a healthy sampling of it?!
5. Watch portion sizing. As Americans, I blame portion sizing for our obesity issues. It's blamed on parents (of course) as the "finish all the food on your plate" rule. When eating, just watch how much you have! Look at those labels and see what the portion size is, and STOP eating when you're full!

There are tons and tons of tips and tricks out there, and they all have some sort of clout. These are just a few that seem to work for me!

Official PT Graduate

About four months ago, I was injured while cheerleading right before my senior game. Not the best experience of my life, because as it ended up, I tore the ACL in my right knee and stretched a few other ligaments - but that wasn't as big deal. Basically, I was flying and I came down out of the stunt completely wrong (no worries - not a bad fall!).

Then in mid-April, I had ACL reconstruction, and have been in physical therapy since. More recently, I've spent my rehab with an awesome PT named Heather at Riverview Physical Therapy in Westbrook. And yesterday, I graduated!! I'm pretty sure that 12 weeks out and graduating from PT is some sort of a record...thanks Heather!

I originally had my surgery done by Dr. Hoffman at Orthopaedic Associates in Portland. I have my (final?) appointment with him this afternoon, and I'm just praying he clears me for yoga!

Need a little R&R?

I believe I shared this before, but last week my best friend moved to Arizona. I miss her desperately, but that's besides the point. The night before the big move, I went to this great little day spa right near where I work with her and my other best friend/current roommate. It's called Fabu Salon and Day Spa.

Jonica and I had the most amazing 30 minute massages. Jamie (my roommate) got a great french manicure. They are slightly pricey, but the experience is definitely worth it! They have five floors in my building and the melody of decorations (a beautiful bright green and black/white paisley) that rock my world.

If you're ever in the Old Port and suffering from an aching back, I definitely suggest stopping by this lovely little establishment!