Reading...

So, my friend, Tsukikomew, is doing this reading challenge thing... Which, while I am not inspired to do the actual challenge [I have no interest in most of this month's books], kind of reminds me of how much I haven't been reading...

And I don't mean fanfiction. I've been reading that for a long time without slowing down up until this point [I just can't find anything to keep my attention]. But I haven't read a book all the way through in a loooong time... And it was probably a Harry Potter book... Which makes me able to say I haven't even read a new book in forever!

Although I do have quite a few books I've bought and haven't read [list of these books and links below], I'm considering going back to Harry Potter... And maybe working on a project I started long ago called "Comments and Commentary" where I just kind of wrote random things as I went through the books. I was going through the Harry Potter books and work my way through others. Well, it's hard to write and read at the same time.

But I kind of want to revive the project. And maybe if I give myself a timeline, I'll do a little better. And maybe after going through the series, I can work on all the books I own but haven't read before!  Since I've read the HP series through several times, I should be able to go through quite a bit of it pretty quickly. And it will be interesting when I get to books I haven't read because it will be the real fresh thoughts that I'll be putting down.

So I'm going to give myself 20 days [September 1st-20th] to get through Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. Normally it wouldn't take me so long to read a book but if I'm reading and writing at the same time, it will be a little more challenging. Also, I have work and other things that will take me away. Anyway, depending on how that goes will determine how long I'll think it will take to get through Chamber of Secrets.


Books and Links [Amazon listing]
The Angel's Command [Brian Jacques] - Just note that this is actually the sequel to Castaways of the Flying Dutchman. Another note is that the author is the same author who wrote the Redwall series
The Crystal Cave [Mary Stewart]
The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass [Philip Pullman] - The second and third books in His Dark Materials series [in which I can't find my copy of The Golden Compass]
The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum [Robert Ludlum] - Again, the second and third books in the Bourne series [and there are more Bourne books but they are written by a different author]
The Hunger Games [Suzanne Collins] - While I don't own this book, I do have it on my wishlist. And if I don't get it relatively soon, I'll buy it myself before they ruin the cool cover with imagines from the movie.

And there are more books I have that I haven't read but I think this list will do for now.

And then there is that hurricane...

So, I happen to live in the area where Hurricane Irene is going to hit at one point [Sunday for us apparently]. We were suppose to go to Long Island this weekend to celebrate the grandmother's 90th birthday but that has since been nixed. My aunt [who was the one throwing the party] is quite upset about this. And rightfully so because she invited a lot of family and it was suppose to be a really big deal.

Either way, no traveling for this family. But with every [kind of*] up, there is always a downside. I work in a grocery store... And when big weather things are suppose to happen... People kind of freak out. And read "kind of" as "majorly." So basically, I was harassed by my bosses all day about whether or not I would be able to work tomorrow. But I didn't know what the plans for tomorrow were [this was before my mom confirmed that the party was canceled].

And I hate randomly going into work. I hate not having notice to these things. Just today, I stayed an extra hour and then some to help up front. I don't like working front end anymore and when I have to work front end, I like to be mentally prepared for it. This usually means 48+ hours notice. Especially when working up front because it is such a draining process.

Working the front end of any store is probably some of the most emotionally and mentally draining work there is to be found. You have to constantly be on show for customers and your bosses [because they are usually the bosses not just of your department, but the entire store]. People aren't afraid to bitch to you about how your store sucks and how we didn't have such and such a product. As if the cashier can solve all of your problems. And if they are really irritated, they'll tell you how slow you are or that you're doing everything wrong.

That's not to say that I can't handle sudden changes or things not working out perfectly. It's just the preparation needed for a front end shift includes getting well rested the night before and mentally preparing myself to be berated and dealing with irritated people. Because nothing annoys people more than waiting in lines when some sort of epic storm is about to hit.

[/rant]

P.S. If I end up working tomorrow, I think I'm going to treat myself to something nice for my birthday [which is coming up]. I don't know what yet but we'll see...

P.S.S. I'm going to work. I have an idea on what I want but we'll see if I get it...

Glamour + Youtube + Marketing Education + A lot of Links...

I'm not really a big subscriber to magazines. I've got a subscription to Entertainment Weekly and every once in a while, if someone I like is on the cover, I get a Cosmo. But other than that, magazines are kind of a frivolous purchase to me.

But I had to get this month's Glamour magazine if only for the fact that my favorite vlogger to date, Kandee Johnson, was in it [I'll have a bunch of links at the bottom of this post btw].

Like I've mentioned in the past few posts, I've been kind of in a makeup craze right now. And a big part of that comes from my youtube watching. For a long time, I was just watching some various vloggers who simply talked about their lives or random things [Like Nerimon and Charlieissocoollike] and then moved on to the infamous Vlogbrothers, John and Hank Green [and in the case of Hank, his videogaming channel]. But what you may have noticed... All of these vloggers are males. I wasn't watching an interesting female vloggers...

Until I found MissChievous, also known as Julia. She's a vlogger currently in Switzerland who does some pretty cool things with makeup. I love her videos because not only does she do wearable makeup but she's done some pretty cool designs with it too. She includes what are called "haul" videos which is basically summing up a shopping trip and everything bought during said trip and gives great tutorials. Watching her work is just fun! I also follow her blog but in general, her blog goes into some more depth into what may not have made it into a video or something.

And from there, I just continued searching for other makeup youtubers... And that's how I found Kandee Johnson. I think I was looking up birchbox or makeup haul videos when I came across her. And she's just so awesome! I'll admit, her style is definitely kooky but in a good way. She is just so positive and such a good influence on the beauty youtube community. Her videos are so much fun to watch and her personality just makes it all the more exciting. And you can tell she has fun filming her videos. It doesn't come off as a job to her.

Not only are her videos amazing but she also keeps up with her blogs. She has a more personal blog where she is more open about talking about her kids and life. Of course, her other blog is about all her makeup adventures and contests and whatever else she wants to really post.

So yeah... I just bought the magazine cause she was in it. Kind of reminds me of my teenie bopper days... But this is way cooler [which I probably won't be saying in 10 years time]. Of course, since it was a mega issue, there were lots of other cool and/or interesting articles in it. This magazine also introduced me to a kind of advertising I hadn't heard about before.

So Glamour as this app that you can download for smartphones. The app kind of works like a QR decoder app [I'll probably go into QR codes in another post for those unfamiliar but here is a link for an overview]. Except these were different markings that went away from traditional [which sounds so weird considering they aren't that old] qr codes. They included the facebook logo and around the edges was the coding for the app to actually distinguish which code you were photographing [picture of an example will come later]. You took a picture and you could either be entered into a contest or you'd like a facebook page and be entered into a contest or you could get a code for a special store or product. So they have some awesome direct marketing going to people who want it happening here [which makes everyone a happy camper].

So I'm definitely happy to have gotten this issue. Even if I don't have any uses for "Men Tell All: The #1 Thing He Craves in Bed Tonight Is..." at this point in my life.

[And really only the ones I mentioned above though these vloggers have links below their videos for anything I may have missed and yes... I am kind of nerdy.]
All my Kandee Johnson fixes
Makeup Youtube Channel
More Personal Youtube Channel
Makeup Blog!
More Personal Blog

Alex Day/nerimon
Nerimon Youtube

Charlie McDonnell/charlieissocoollike
charlieissocoollike youtube

Vlogbrothers
Vlogbrother's Youtube
Hank Plays Games


Julia/MissChievous
MissChievous youtube
MissChievous Blog

Birchbox

As I mentioned in my obsess post, I've really gotten into make up at this point in my life. And I'm still looking at videos about Birchbox. Actually, right at this point, I'm watching one with a guy going through the box.

It is quite interesting to see him go through it all. He's a little more focused on price point than all the girls I've seen do Birchbox videos. He has only done two videos on the boxes so far but honestly, I can't tell if he is really interested in the products or not. Some are more unisex than others but that's not to say a guy can't like nail polish. But then again, I guess you should know what you are getting into when you sign up.

Anyway, why I'm really wanting to talk about in this post.... They have an intern position open. I've considered sending in my resume but... I just. I guess It's kind of anxiety over sending out my resume. Especially when rejection can kind of hurt. Even if you don't hear a response back... I'm not the kind of person who can just forget about it.

But then there is the counter to that... I'd get a call asking for an interview. I'd do the interview. And I get the internship... Except they are located in NYC. So going up there to interview alone would be a distance to go for an interview. And if I were to get the job, I'd either have to move up there and find a place I could afford... Which is highly improbable. Or I would have to stay with some of my NY family. Which would be awkward since I really don't know them all that well. I mean, I could commute but that would be really long and probably more costly to do. And I doubt they'd cover my travel expenses.

This is just one of many times where I've had a constant war with myself over whether or not to do something. My mom says that I'm a lot like my father in that respect. That I overthink things and I just need to do it. Well, she doesn't understand that the overthinking thing isn't something I can turn on and off. If I do it, I just mentioned the scenarios that could happen. But then again, if I don't do it, this could be one of those nasty "What would have happened if I did...."

-sigh- Well, at least this video makes me happy.

That looks like an interesting career...

With my mother being the ever pusher of the family, I've been feeling the pressure to get a full-time job and move out of the house. And I do job search... Just not very seriously and I don't actually apply to everywhere.

Right now, I've kind of been on and off researching becoming an event planner. And I never realized how much there really is to it than after I went through some [not even all] of this website. It's amazing how much actually goes into becoming an event planner.

It's also very eye opening. Like any career, there are the little intricacies for each. And as always, the movies make it look so easy. And it's way more than just planning events like you think. The range of jobs are broader than I suspected. And wedding planning doesn't seem as particularly fortuitous. An inundated market with not enough people using them.

And sounds like it is bloody difficult to get into the business. Of course the woman who made this site has an e-book and now offers a course. But what is refreshing is that she doesn't make any promises like "You'll be able to start your own business by the end of this!" And she was reluctant to even do the course and only has it because the people who have visited her site wanted it.

But I'm still keeping it open. She recommends going through the whole site before making a final decision. And I'd definitely say some of the options are appealing, particularly the ones that involve travel.

Of course, on the reasonable job front, I've been searching around on craigslist at the recommendation of sister-in-law #2. Nothing has really stood out to me at this point. Mostly positions in the city and anything remotely related to marketing is sales. And I get that sales in pretty entry level for marketing, it doesn't really make it an option for me. I'm not the go-getter type when it comes to pushing a sale. The only reason I did well in the one sales class I took was because it was rote and I had plenty of time to do it. Of course, I also knew what exactly was going to happen at the end of my role play project.

-sigh- Well, that's my rant/talk about job hunting this time around.