The Early November Acoustic Show at Center Stage Atlanta’s Vinyl Venue

You know that warm feeling you get sometimes after catching up with an old friend over coffee? That wave of nostalgia you didn’t know was missing hits you, and you start wondering why you two stopped talking in the first place?

That happened to me Wednesday (July 30) when I saw The Early November play an acoustic set at Vinyl inside Center Stage.

The Early November’s frontman Ace Enders, left, with newest member Bill Lugs, right, perform an acoustic set at the Vinyl in Atlanta, GA, on Wednesday, July 30, 2014.

A Honeymoon in Ireland and England: A Much Belated Post

I’ve been missing Ireland a lot lately.

The Husband and I went there almost two years ago for our honeymoon. We had a 12-guest wedding, so we spent most of our funds on go to the land of green fields and heavy accents. We also took a four-day trip to London. It’s without a doubt the best vacation I’ve ever taken.

I realized the other day that I never blogged about it. While it has been some time since the trip, I think the occasion deserves a post. Mostly just to show off the photos.

Our trip was from late September to early October 2012.

On the first day in Ireland, we hopped on a Dublin tour bus and walked around. This is me in one of the parks in a snazzy (faux) leather jacket.

We went to the Jameson & Sons Distillery. This dining setup was for a taste test to see which whiskey brand was the best among the ones on the tour. Guess which whiskey won?

Impromptu New York Trip: Daniel Radcliffe, Ben Bailey and the Empire State Building

The last weekend of June, the Husband and I took a trip to New York. We were supposed to go camping with friends, but the predicted rainfall didn’t agree with those plans, so he surprised me with a last-minute trip to the big city.

He’d never been, but I’d been twice before. I enjoyed showing him all the spots I’ve seen (Time Square, SoHo, China Town, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center) and experiencing new places with him (Little Italy, the Upper West Side, the Guggenheim, the Museum of Sex, Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library).

For a two-night, three-day trip, we actually did a lot. We visited all the top shopping destinations around Time Square (I didn’t buy anything, though; I learned on my last trip to NY that my love for real shopping should be spent online) and walked all over, only using the subway once and a cab to and from the airport.

On the first night, we saw Harry Potter play Daniel Radcliffe play a handicapped Irishman in “The Cripple of Inishmaan” on Broadway.

Daniel Radcliffe in the Broadway musical “The Cripple of Inishmaan” at the Cort Theatre in New York

‘Fangirl’ Book Review: Fanfiction, Insecurities and Nostalgia

For the past few months, I’ve dedicated much more time to reading. Great novels such as “Gone Girl” and “The Fault in Our Stars” have revived my love for page-turning, although it’s technically button-pushing now since I won’t read anything unless it’s on my Kindle. (I like to read while lying on my side. Good luck trying to do that with a paperback or hardcover for more than 10 minutes.)

I’ve decided to start reviewing the books, which are mostly young adult, with a few exceptions. The latest novel I read was “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell.

“Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell

I’ve read two other Rowell books, “Attachments” and “Eleanor & Park.” E&P is actually being made into a movie, and while I enjoyed reading the novel, it’s actually my least favorite of the three, even though I love the ’80s and am a sucker for teen romance. “Attachments,” which is about a guy who is hired as an Internet security officer (he reads internal emails for inappropriate content) for a newspaper staff and ends up falling in love with a girl based on her quirky emails with a co-worker, is way better plot-wise. I would much rather see a movie based on “Attachments.”

Or “Fangirl.” It’s definitely my favorite of the three. In fact, I like it so much that I’m having a hard time settling into another book.

Here’s why: It’s the first book that’s hit home for me in a long time.

New Blog

I just switched to WordPress from my previous blog at Blogger.

While I’m no stranger to WordPress, I felt like a change was needed.

And I’m so glad I made the switch. The layout is so much nicer; my old blog felt like it was stuck in the Xanga days from the mid 2000s.

Expect more updates on all sorts of things from me.

Does Size Matter? The One-Page Resume vs. the Two-Page Resume Dilemma

I’m in this intense career development program that’s prepping me for my job search by helping with things like interviewing, networking and developing a marketing plan. During a “bootcamp” class designed to kickstart the program, the instructor says the one-page requirement for a resume is a myth, and he expects a two-page resume from most people.

While the course is filled with lots of great information, I’m not completely convinced that a longer resume is acceptable to many companies. A quick Google search for resume tips in the journalism field says so.

Having more room on my resume would be super convenient for me (especially since I was at a 10.5 size font and half-inch margins for my one-pager). But when I was an editor and journalists would send me their two-page resumes to try to get freelance work, I would roll my eyes and ignore them.

So it begs the question: Does size matter?

Does size matter when it comes to resumes? Credit: Morguefile

A Nugget of Work Advice From April Ludgate of ‘Parks and Recreation’

There’s a scene from NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” that has stuck with me ever since it aired.

During the episode “Filibuster,” characters April Ludgate and Andy Dwyer are eating dinner after Andy surprises her with a 19-hour visit to Pawnee. Andy has been working temporarily in London for a rich lord.

Not the brightest crayon in the box, Andy admits he doesn’t want to work there anymore because he feels inadequate, scared and confused, and he has no idea what he’s doing. He says he’s like Chuck Norris, but in present day: “some old guy with a beard who used to be good at karate but became a dumb has-been.”

His wife’s advice is one of the best life reminders I’ve heard in a long time.

“No one knows what they’re doing,” she says in a straightforward voice. “Deep down, everyone is just faking it until they figure it out. And you will, too, because you’re awesome and everyone else sucks.”

Zombie Run

Run for Your Lives, the zombie 5k obstacle course mud run I had been training for, was a few weeks back.

It was not what I imagined at all, but it was still enjoyable. I don’t know if I would do it again, mainly because of all the mud. I was so muddy from it that I was still finding mud in my nose three days later.

I think what frustrated me the most was that I had trained so hard and met my goal, yet it didn’t matter. It had rained badly the night before and morning of the race, so at times we had about six or so inches of fluffy, tough mud.

The mud was pretty much impossible to run through, so we only sprinted when we needed to, which were when zombies were around. My muscles weren’t used to some of the obstacles, so that took a toll on my body, especially since I didn’t stretch after the run. My left thigh is still is a bit messed up from the race.

I almost made it out alive. Everyone had three flags at the start, and the zombies would try to take them. I had all of mine up until the very last zombie obstacle. There was a five-foot opening in this maze-type area, and a zombie took my last life while I was trying to go through it. I was so close =[

But alas, everyone still received a medal.

And last but not least, some pictures taken over that fabulous weekend:

Elliot, left, with me and Patrick, right, hanging out before the big mud slide at the end.

Patrick and I before the big slide.

Before the race.

Catching up

I finally have a minute to update! And by saying that, I probably just jinxed myself.

Let’s try to get things up to speed: I’m actually losing weight with exercising and changing my diet. (Well, sort of, anyway). Last time I checked last Saturday, I lost 4 lbs., which isn’t a whole lot, but when you’re only 5 feet tall, it’s a lot. Plus, my goal is to lose no more than 10 lbs. and get toned.

This week and next week I’m guest editing for the Norcross Patch. Laura, one of the best editors I’ve ever worked with, decided to leave the website, and now Patch is hunting for her replacement. So far, I’m being considered for the position, but I’m not getting my hopes up; the same thing happened with the Lilburn Patch, and the position went to someone else, so I just don’t want to be disappointed.

And here are the photos of Gatlinburg, Tenn., I promised:

Now You Sea Me, So Exercise.

Couldn’t sleep. These days, I end up sleeping at 4 a.m. and waking at noon. I thought exercising everyday is supposed to help you sleep better?

I figured I’d update. I’ve neglected blogging, and it was because of that guest editor job. Don’t get me wrong; it was good money and good experience, but it was time consuming like nobody’s business. I blame some of it on not being accustomed to certain formats and protocols. Regardless, hopefully doing it placed me higher on the job ladder, because I’m not finding anything else to do at the moment.

Which gives me enough time to finally get my exercising straight. I’ve finally gotten serious about the 5K I’m doing in March. I’m hoping I stick with it, at least until the run so that I’m not a complete failure. With the obstacles and everything, I’m hoping I can run it in 40 minutes. Then again, I’m not sure what the obstacles actually entail, so 40 minutes could be really shitty.

Anyway, this is what I did today in 31 minutes:

I wish there wasn’t a glare. But yes, that is 2.916. My goal, and though it may not be much, is to do three miles under 30 minutes. I’m hoping I can do that by the end of January so I can start training outside in February, with real hills and real dirt and real weather, but I’ve been fluctuating with my timing. Sometimes I have a good run, and sometimes I don’t. This, so far, has been the best, considering timing and speed and treadmill hills.