when inspiration's lacking...

i've never done one of the little questionnaire blog posts before.  kind of a good day to do it since i'm 1) hungover and dying from exhaustion 2) still at work at 4:20 on a friday and 3) i neeeeeeeed to be better about posting, and maybe you'll read a little something about me that you don't already have figured out...

i got this little diddy from Charbelle at Ramblings!  check out her blog here!

1. If you could eat anything without any health repercussions or guilt, what would your meal be?

right now?  i would (and could) eat a giant vat of buffalo chicken dip.  the husband and i are attending a GA/FLA party tomorrow, and if there's no buffalo chicken dip present, i might die.  this reminds me i must get all of the makings for my favorite bean dip.  i'll make a post about the recipe this weekend.  it's a nice healthy dip to take to parties to sit among the cream cheese filled deliciousness.  no worries, it holds it's own in the delicious department!

2. If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be and why?

i kind of hate this question.  i'd like to meet my great-great-grandmother.  my great grandmother used to say that we're similar in one way or another.  i'd also love to meet the however-many-times-removed grandmother of mine who was full blooded cherokee indian.  she married some irish man, and apparently, it was total dramz!


3.  Why did you start blogging and what did you expect when you started?

jen lancaster actually inspired me and EGIS to start blogging.  we started around the same time, mine under a different name.  then, i started up kindredly and took it public, then decided against that and here we are!  when i first started, i expected to become jen lancaster...kidding.  sort of.


4. What is the one book you could read over and over again?

Dry by Augusten Burroughs is faboosh.  just re-read it again this spring.  one of my faves.  i feel like i should have a classic thrown in or something, but whatever, i don't.  i also loooooved the book by jennifer weiner called Good in Bed..and the sequel, Certain Girls.  my personal opinion is that jennifer weiner is one of the better chick-lit writers...i love her.


 5. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?

I'd like to visit the greek isles a la The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.  seriously - i just want to jump through my TV.  maybe with my new snazzy job, me and the husband can afford to do a trip like that before any kiddos start taking over our lives.....

6. If you could have a TV show on the Food Network, what would it be?

i would never have a show on the food network because me entering the kitchen to do anything other than pour a glass of wine or heat something up in the microwave, is like entering a foreign land.  i dunno?

7. What was the best meal you ever had?

Rathbun's, here in atlanta.  i had a steak, and i swear i still tasted it the next morning - kind of gross, but actually delicious.  me and the hub HAVE GOT to go.

8. Who has been the greatest influence on your love for food and learning to cook?

these questions are really going for the jugular and pointing out all of my flaws... I. DON'T. COOK.
the greatest influence on my love for food is obviously my mom, who introduced it to me and kept me fed my whole life.  i also have her to thank for not teaching me how to cook.  :)  it's all good - the husband's got it all taken care of...


happy friday, folks!  hope you have a safe, happy halloween weekend!

somebody call PETA

sorry - i have nothing to blog about.  life is moving at warp speed right now, and every time i sit to write, i'm interrupted and lose my train of thought.

you guys can proof the letter i'm finally sending to the vent column in my local newspaper...

dear henry county,

i want to thank the local law enforcement for the complete display this morning while attending to a three car fender bender on the only road leading to the interstate.  trust i'm battling my inside "warm & fuzzies" knowing you would bring out the big guns for my stupidity in the form of three police cars, the biggest fire truck ever, an ambulance and giant orange cone castle.  however, today was the day that i was smart and didn't get into a fender bender.   nonetheless, i had to wait in the line of geriatrics and rubber neckers to make it by the display of lights from what had to be 1/3 of your on-duty staff of officers!  my question today is this, do you think you could spare one of your policemen to give me a blue light escort through the god-forsaken traffic that comes here to die?  i swear on everything that is holy, this traffic is going to make me kick a kitten.

for the love of god, build a bypass.

best,

ltj


p.s. this exact letter isn't going - but it sure feels good to let it out...

i've realized...

• you'll notice i added the blogroll to the right side.  you're welcome (seriously, i thank myself - the tab was fun, but  i've missed a lot)

• convinced that mother nature is a skinny biatch who wants me to die.  this morning my life flashed before my eyes 26 times due to torrential downpour during rush hour.  she likes to schedule rain on monday mornings - such a low blow.  give me a nice sunday afternoon thunderstorm all day - that's my lazy time.

• it's slowly dawning on me that the days of traipsing into work at 8:45 are o.v.e.r.  oh, the joys of working at a small company - no more.  i have to start dragging ass out of bed earlier.  my hours at my new job are the same, and i'm frequently always late now...  new job is just next door to old job, so commute is the same.  

•  was last week's episode of gossip girl a re-run?  i sat down last night to get caught up, and it was the first ep.  it wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary if my dvr effed something up.  

• yesterday i did fall "landscaping."  the newness has definitely worn off, and the husband, a.k.a. the professional, had a tough summer - we haven't touched the yard (except for the obligatory mow every now and then), and it shows.  the backyard is a total hot mess.  every time i go back there i get overwhelmed by the clutter, the dog toys, the dead plants, the weeds...i just hate it.  i tried to do some work in the front yesterday, but only got as far as the designated flower beds and pots before i gave in to my hangover and the keeping up with the kardashian's marathon.  

• i need new clothes.  i think my last day with my current company will be a full week before i start with my new company.  i'll have to take that time to outfit myself in all things biz casual.  i've put a lot of focus on fun dresses and cardigans (although, i have a thing about cardigans - i just don't wear them well), but it's just so hard to say without having actually gone to work to feel it out.   while i'm not down with abandoning my style, i don't want to be too much (LK, maybe you can help me with this transition since this is something you just experienced?). 

• i'm boycotting halloween this year.  pumpkins, costumes, candy - gone.  something must be wrong with me to do this, but i'm just not into it.  give me christmas.  that is a holiday i can get with.   we're going to a party this saturday for the georgia/florida game - and i heard a dirty rumor that costumes were involved.  call me a party pooper; i'm not wearing one.  

a coupla things

1.  i need to move the blogness back to the main page, so that i can read as they are updated.  i'm so behind on all of the blogs on that list.  crap.

2.  guessss whaaaat?  my new jobby-job is biz casual.  definitely gonna have fun with this - stay tuned. 

News

So, remember the vague post from last week?? 

well, now i can tell you what was happening.  basically, the big corporate guys called me about a big corporate recruiting gig, and the vague post was about my interview.

i have to thank all of you for your happy thoughts because i received an offer today, and i accepted!  

my current company is so amazing, but it's an agency and the future is unknown when it comes to commission.  i love recruiting, but i do not love the uncertainty of this market.  going the corporate route has evolved into a pretty major goal of mine - recruiting is too much fun to leave and super rewarding. 

now that I'm over the hump of letting my co-workers and boss know, I can really feel excited about the new opportunity! 

thank you again for all your well wishes, and wish me luck - starting november 15th! 

last bit of summer

i finally got around to blogging a few vacation pictures

 the husband in the back yard of the condo... this was seriously the best house we've stayed in since we've vacationed on 30A.  

 the view from the master bedroom balcony.  we slept with the door open every night and woke up to waves...ahhh-mazing.

friday morning breakfast at great southern cafe - this restaurant has made it into our regular rotation, for sure.

 

giant mimosa, full southern menu and laid back atmosphere....delish.  

favorite way to pass the day...

easy breezy

can't wait for next year!!!

wooooooo - sahhhhh

i'm asking for happy thoughts and prayers at 11 ish today.  :)  

if any of you want to send one up, it'd be much appreciated....

 image via

sorry to be so vague, but i'll let you guys in on it soon enough!!

today. is. slow.

• what is this week?  divorce your husband week?  three seemingly strong marriages in la la land have gone kaput.  totally thrown by courtney cox's open marriage.  

• did you guys happen to see the naked pics of kim kardashian for W mag?  i have to say it's nice to see someone who's gorgeous rocking her curves and not trying to be all teeny - although, i quit following her on twitter (non - anon) because she tweeted entirely too much about working out.  and honestly, i have to say i'm super surprised she did this because she kind of comes across a little timid and insecure on her show - ijs.

•  i think my hair had a growth spurt.  my hair is lonnnnng...and i kind of like it.  i've decided i'm giving it until the end of the year, and if i still like it, i'll keep it, but if not, i'm going back to my favorite stylist to have her go all dramatic on my head.  

• this weekend is our "camping trip" to the perry, georgia fair.  the husband wants to take his parents pop-up, and we have friends who want to bring theirs, so we're going to embrace the term "redneck" for one night.  we're also going to see miranda lambert...pumped.  the point of this bullet is to say that i think i want go purchase a pair of those jeggings now...the ones from gap.  i'd like to wear them with my cute new boots (not the gray ones - i took those back after all), and if they dont look good with those, the jeggings will go back, and the boots will go on ebay - seriously, i've got to quit buying shit i don't wear.  the boots are a perfect mixture of "cowboy" and just plain cute.  they are fossil and a camel-ish brown that looks worn...i like them a lot, but they seriously come up to just below my knee, and i feel like my leg looks really cut off. 

• this week has been crazy busy.  i have one candidate who's interviewing at all of our clients, and i have a little something else going on personally (all good, no worries).  i have to say it's a bit much coming off a too-short weekend, and i'm really ready for a relaxing weekend. 

• i ate sushi for lunch - sushi is actually really low in weight watchers points, btw.  i never eat sushi because it makes me sick.  i get drowsy and my stomach hurts, and i just kind of feel cloudy.  my nail girl told me it was because of the cold rice because i don't touch those crazy fish rolls.  what gives?  grrrr.....

crying shall commence...

just kidding. 

i've held it together this year.  i tripped over the sidewalk last night and gashed my toe open, so going on the beach, in the sand and saltwater, sounded a little like torture.  of course, my falling over isn't the only reason i'm okay, i just knew this was a short getaway, and now it's over.

we're home.

we didn't take many pictures because we didn't really do much.  what i have, i'll share later.  until next year...

chic on the cheap

i saw this tweet by nylon mag yesterday while i was out of the office and got excited!

let me just say this one thing - i used to HATE HATE HATE charlotte russe because i thought all of their clothes looked cheap - fast forward to now, and it's on my regular rotation.  please know that i am thrilled to have seen the line "we've already admired the way CR has gotten hipper" because i thought i'd subconsciously lowered my standards. 

i don't know about you guys, but i'm pretty pumped about mr. daman's line of dresses...in addition to all of the other fun finds currently on the rack.  very exciting and verrrrrry wallet friendly.  

you know you love it.


xoxo, 


ltj

shout out

happy happy birthday to my girl at hiking in stilettos. 

i think you are 28 today....welcome. 

so sorry i'm missing what will probably be a really fun throwdown this weekend! 

image via

eat a cupcake (or a donut)!!!!!!!!!!!....and let's go shopping when i return.

actually, save that donut for our shopping trip, and we can hit up sublime!  :)  

much love, my friend!

doing the happy dance

today's the day, people!  it's my friday.  tomorrow at this time, we'll be well on our way to the beach. 

have i packed? no. 
do i have anything we need? no. 

i've taken work home every night this week, and once i'm finished working, i'll eat a bite and pass out.  tonight i'll be up until all hours running errands and packing the car.  i plan to be in the car no later than 7am tomorrow morning. 

i get a little bossy when it come to organizing...

in other news, i'm pretty sure the mail lady put my glamour mag in someone else's mailbox.  the developers of my hood didn't think that they should come up with all new street names, so it's same name LANE and same name DRIVE (lacking creativity and causing mass confusion among post office workers).  we consistenly receive the same house number's mail on DRIVE, and i guarantee Miz Fitzgerald is reading my issue of glamour.  not cool.  we don't get any of their interesting mail - just credit card applications and various amazon orders. 

i can make it

• it might surprise you that even though today is my thursday, i'm managing to be in a less than stellar mood.  this was also the general attitude i had yesterday.  i'm 100% over it, and when i get like this, i'm one bad cold call away from a total hissy fit. 

• this morning my commute was a total debacle.  it's days like today when i should have the right to turn my car around and go back to bed and start over.  i wasn't even five miles from my house when i saw a school bus narrowly miss running over the honda in front of me.  children went flying.  i'm talking - FLYING.  my {imaginary} children will NEVER ride the bus.  this happens just after news of a school bus accident yesterday leaving a child dead.  i remember when i rode the bus (for like one year), there were no seatbelts...seriously?  put seatbelts in the bus!  i don't know for certain, but i bet that kid this morning went face first into the dash.  

• can school buses really not go in reverse?  husband, if you're reading this, you've succeeded in making me potentially look like a total idiot, but i love you anyway. :) 

• where is master p?  he didn't get pinched, did he?   "i got the hookup, holla if you hear me"

• my week is looking like i'll have candidates interviewing both days i'm out of the office.  i'm happy....i really am...but damnit, can't i just VACATION???  

• i'm excited about this...not the giveaway (because i never win anything), but the line.  bring on a satchel!  if any of you readers happen to be good at winning things, go "like" target on facebook, and enter to win! 

• it's cold in atlanta, ya'll.  i'm excited about a return to 80 degree temps this weekend and a little time out in the sun - then fall/winter can take over.  once we're home, i'm taking on the yard.  

• would any of my atlanta readers want to join some networking groups with me?  i have a slight insecurity about networking by myself, so anyone who isn't my competition, but would like to also make contacts, hit me up.  

this is all for now... my readers have skipped out on me - i've even lost a follower.  i didn't think that happened.  

weekend recap

this weekend didn't exactly go how i thought it would, but i guess it's okay that i didn't end up partying in st. simon's with the next three days ahead of me. 

we spent saturday morning watching five year olds play flag football.  there was one kid (on the other team, of course) who will be the next michael vick (hopefully sans dog fighting).  aside from teeny michael vick, who was very professional football player-like,  watching five year olds play flag football is actually quite adorable. 

after the game, we went over to the husband's brother's house and hung out with the family for a while, and then we came home.  i proceeded to clean, get some decorating done, and relax, and the husband slept and watched all the football games.

on sunday, i opened up all the windows to let the fall air in, and cleaned some more...relaxing.  the next three days at work are going to be hell.  as it turns out, the week i'm leaving, all of my candidates are interviewing - meaning i'll be in touch with the office allllllll day on thursday and maybe even friday. 

i have to be careful what i bitch about, so i'm not bitching - i'm just saying i would be slammed the week i plan to leave town for a relaxing trip to the beach.  i'm going to work late every night to make sure everything is completed, and i spend minimal time on the phone while i'm supposed to be on the beach.  this is why we should just leave the country. 

speaking of the beach, here is our weekend forecast - - -

so. excited.

i've set some goals for my return.  it's important that this vacation be a good mental reload for me because my motivation for work is pretty much shot.  grrrrr........

boo freakin' hiss

can't go to st. simons to celebrate with the girls.

when you've got nothing going on for work, a vacation on the horizon and an upset boss lady, half days are a big fat no.

i didn't even bother to ask because the general mood and look her face was scary enough.

so sad!  looks like i'm spending my weekend local!  countdown til the beach!!

is it too early for this?

me and the husband don't usually have big christmases.  we'll get each other a little something, but we usually just buy things for ourselves as we need them - how romantic.  i think we're going to do it differently this year.  this year will be a throwback to the good old dating years when we spent all of our money on each other all the time.

i have a plan for him - - but i'm not sure how often he checks this, so i'm not going to say anything.  i just don't know if he has a plan for me.  i caught a hint that he's been thinking about getting me the kindle (i think he came up with it by himself.  love it), and i love that idea (the kindle with wifi, just to specify *wink*)...but i also love the idea of owning my very own ipad...

you all may not know that i am a closet mac lover.  like....i love apple.  i try not to be one of those people who loves it too much - like those people who purchase an ipod shuffle then put the sticker on their car and hang out at the apple store all day (hi!  if you're reading from apple!).  truthfully, the reason i love it so much is purely aesthetic.  it's pretty.  and clean.  and clutter free.  and the dock, dashboard, dragging capabilities, apple shift f4, the list goes on...it's love.  when the husband and i were on the hunt for a new computer, i was really cheering for mac, but my argument lost when the computer we purchased was $500 less than the basic macbook with nothing on it.  so, long story longer than ever.....i want an ipad.  this way, i'll have macness and an e-reader all in one.  it's a win-win!  but....at least $200 more than the kindle....errr...

so, readers, what do you think?  do some of you have ipads?  kindles?  what are your thoughts?  give it to me straight.  my first big commission check (i.e. in two years when the market turns), i'll buy myself a macbook as a celebratory and now-you-can-work-from-home gift (i wonder if the ipad will link up to my office network?? - something to look into).

what do you guys think?

OR

that is the question....