hiring woes.

Dear prospective employees. Please do the following:

1) Write a cover letter to ME, specific to MY advertised position. At least use my company name ONCE in the body of the cover letter. Make me feel like you care about my company enough to try spelling it once or twice.

2) Write a real objective. "To obtain a job that uses my skills to make the business a success" does not mean anything, to anybody.

3) Attach your resume in an easily printable document format- honestly, a PDF is easiest.

4) "Internet Explorer" is NOT a skill. "Proficiency in multiple browser platforms" might be.

5) ONE PAGE- not 1 1/4. 2 is fine, if everything you have on it is interesting and relevant. But, seriously, 1.25 pages? Spend 10 minutes making your language more concise. And NO– setting your font to size 8 is not an option.


I'm very happy to have so many applicants, but based on your resume formatting alone, only 2 would be called in for an interview. Taking content into account, I'd increase that number to 4 (thankfully the initial 2 still pass muster). I know that resumes can be difficult, but 10 minutes on google will point out 90% of what is wrong with your resume.

Hint: If you are looking for a job, your cover letter and resume are your first impressions. You never get a second chance to make a first impression! And yes, an emailed resume needs a cover letter- that is what you put in the body of your email. Even if it is just a few sentences long, make it personal to the job for which you're applying.

Carrie's Turbulent Throwdown this Thrusday is complete. I'm out!

Preparing for gad school, hopefully

I have some work to do before I'm accepted into grad school, and with the last correspondence... I'm not that confident. I have to write an essay illustrating my penchant for original thought. I should ahve been working on that all day today, but I can't find my copy of my book. My mom won't help me look for it. I can't look for it myself because I'm on crutches. And my brain is telling me "write write write!".

So the moment I find my copy of the Secret Garden, I'll be searching it for something to create a spark. Writing notes and outlines, and preparing to write 1500 words. 5 pages. That's not much. That's easy. But I need my text and I'm particular put out about it right now. My feeling of helplessness last week was replaced with a task- this essay and my "additional qualifications". But now I have a task, I can't start, because I am so physically helpless.

My thoughts now are based around the themes of displacement, which I propose as part of my graduate school studies. The trauma of displacement is ameliorated by shared imagination. I will also address how this text was published for adults, but has since become a child's novel.

ok. there's my brain starting to work. Let's see if I can get a draft done by Monday.

My Mini is on the way!!!

My mini has been built and is almost on the way! I can't wait. And now its time for me to learn how to drive stick. EEK! O_O

Anybody want to volunteer to teach me?

Downton Abbey

I watched the first 3 Downton Abbeys ages ago. Today I started with the 4th episode. These are my remarks.... starting with 3/4 through episode 6.

Cybelle! You are being such a Marianne!
YESSSSSSSS!
OH NOOOOOO! Mary! you're such a fool!
I effing love Maggie Smith...

Moving onto the next episode... 7!

BABBY?
why is OBrien a cow? MOO! moo moo MOO!
Damn you Edith. You're a cow, too! MOOOOOOO!
gah! World War I is starting and its going to be horrid!
I cannot use my own library because one of my housemaids is in there applying for another job? *ay carumba!*
stop being stupid OBrien! And stop eavesdropping.
OMG OBRIEN YOU HO!
NOOOOOOOO oh no no no no no no.
thomas you bastard.
Why hasn't thomas been dismissed outright?
and awwww Irish boy is keen on Lady Cybelle... kinda thought the Cybelle Mathew thing might develop.
MARY you bitch.
Poor middle sister. You thought you were to be married, but your sister ruined it. To get back at you for being a horrid person!
.....aaaaaand O'Brien you now realize how stupid you've been. You killed a baby cause you eavesdropped.
awwww no Mathew! I liked you! Stupid Mary.
and. its. war.

and thats it for the season. GAH!

This is a blog post just to get in the habit. Keep it regularly updated, you know?

I recommend staying at home and drinking a few beers and just relaxing every once in a while. Its been a while since I've had some totally alone time, and I think I needed it. Beatrice hung out and watched a movie with me for a bit, but then I jsut played some minecraft (solo) and drank some beer, and watched Top Chef.

Speaking of Top Chef: I'll be cooking something delicious tomorrow. I havne't decided what, yet, but i THINK I'll do tori no kara age. And laundry.

this blog post sucks.

Testing in bed blogging

Writing a blog post frOm my iPhone is easier than it looks. While google has optimized a ton of their services to take advantage of mobile markets, it seems blogging wasn't a top priority. That, along with hitting the "done" button inadvertently whenever I head for a P makes this mini endeavor on a thanksgiving night thoroughly less enjoyable than it first seemed. My underdeveloped thumb muscles (lack of console gaming to blame) are cramping instead of effortlessly gliding across my touch keyboard. Even my wrists are strained. It is thus my professional opinion that blogging should be reserved for iPads and conventional computing devices. On another note, I'll be populating this blog with various Hot Toddy recipes throughout the next few weeks leading up to Christmas. Stay tuned!

Butternut squash experiment

My very own recipe for Butternut Squash Soup.

2 squashes
fresh thyme
fresh sage
fresh parsley
1 vanilla bean
bit of ginger
cinnamon sticks
ground cinnamon
bay leaves
garlic
mascarpone
1 yellow onions
1 sweet onion
1 parsnip
1 large sour apple
brown sugar
nutmeg
chicken stock and boullion
shallots

Cut and seed the squashes. Cut the onions in have (and the roots!) but leave skin on. Do same with shallots. Cut tops of garlic but leave skin on. Peel parsnips. Cut apple in half and core. Rub root veggies with oil and place cut side down on a baking pan. Put garlic and sprigs of thyme under the squashes. Put apples on pan as well (may need to use 2 pans). Cook at 375 about an hour. The squashes really need to cook well. Pull apples when they're mushy.

While this is baking, make your bouquet garnis. I use large fillable tea bags. 3 cinnamon sticks, a tiny sliver of ginger, 1/2 vanilla bean, 3 bay leaves, 3 sage leaves, bit of garlic. Simmer 3 cups chicken or veggie stock with the bouquet garnis for about a half hour- or just keep simmering. (you may want to take the vanilla bean out halfway through)

When all the veggies are baked, take them out of the oven and leg them cool. Chop them up willy nilly into smaller bits, peel garlic and onions, scoop squash. Now, using a blender, add some onions and parsnips and some of your simmering stock. Blend until smooth. Repeat as needed until all white veggies are blended together. (take the bouquet garnis out) Replace on stove and add your butter nut squash and stir and blend and add more water and stock and bullion as needed. Also, add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar, apples, ground cinnamon, fresh grated nutmeg, and anythign else you fancy.

Use your immersion blender to combine and attempt to create a smooth texture. It'll take a while. Simmer for about 45 minutes, checking and stirring and blending for a while.

Before you serve, add a bit of mascarpone cheese to the soup. Whip it all together and TA DA!