Shold I stay or should I go?

My boyfriend's family invited me to Hawaii next January. I really want to go. I have never been there, but it looks amazing. The trip is scheduled for the middle of January. The problem is it might be the first week of classes of the spring semester. I would be missing one, maybe two, 3 hour classes.

So, dear readers, I put this question to you. Should I go on the vacation and possibly miss the first class? Or, should I skip the vacation and be there in the lecture?

The first step to a problem

is admitting it.

I am a complete control freak. There I said it. I like to know everything before it happens; I am not into surprises at all. It's so bad that I even like to know my Christmas or birthday gifts before I receive them. I read spoilers for my favorite TV shows, which is pathetic really. I like to know who else was invited to a party or get together before I R.S.V.P. At the moment, I even like to try to make decisions for my boyfriend, who is currently unemployed and seriously seems not to care at all about finding a job. Is it really a character flaw in myself that I would like him to find a job and work? He's almost 26, by the way.

This desire to be in control of my own universe is getting tiring and no matter what I do things still go wrong or don't turn out how I expected them to. I can give something my absolute best effort and it still won't happen as I thought it would. So from now on, I am just letting go, forgetting about trying to know (and control) everything. I am just going to leave it all up to fate and let the world take me where it may. I think my life will have a lot less stress after this. Wish me luck dear readers as I turn over this new leaf. Get ready world, a more relaxed Stephanie is coming your way.

After all, at the end of the day there are so many things that I cannot control. So why try?

Let's hear it for New York

Watching the season finale of Glee has renewed my desire to go to New York as many times as possible throughout the summer to see Broadway shows, have lazy afternoons in Central Park and eat delicious cupcakes at Crumbs bakery (the Promises, Promises one is my fave). I absolutely love going to New York City; I mean there is no other city like it in the world.

Just think about how many songs are written about it or how many movies and TV shows are set in NYC. Gossip Girl. Confessions of a Shopaholic. Breakfast at Tiffany's. Wall Street. Home Alone. Maid in Manhattan. Something Borrowed. The list goes on. I want to feel like Audrey Hepburn buying jewelry at the Tiffany and Co. flagship store. I want to be able to go anywhere in the city with a quick swipe of a metro card or a short cab ride downtown.

In a perfect world, I would live there and be able to experience the awesomeness of New York every single day. From shopping on Fifth Avenue to dining in Little Italy, I just love everything about the city. There's so much to see and do. But, this is not a perfect world and I do not live in a penthouse on the Upper East Side. 

However, I am seriously thinking about looking at jobs and the possibility of living in the Big Apple after I take my GRE on June 7. One of my aunts lived in Greenwich Village for a few years and loved it. I would like the chance to do the same. I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps (Frank Sinatra anyone?) and thrive in the fabulous city.

After all, Frank Sinatra said if I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere.

Different rules apply

In my house, different rules apply to different people. My family has no problem doing things without me, but god forbid they do something without someone else. For example, last Friday I had work until 2 p.m. While I was at work they decided to go to Dave and Buster's, which is all fine and dandy except that my dad won't even stop to eat at a restaurant or anything if my younger sister (she's 21) isn't there. This is the same guy who's rule used to be if you aren't there, you get nothing. Now, it's if Nikki isn't there, we don't do anything. Stupid I know. If I am not there though, the rules out the window.

Everyone seems to find their way to places I would like to go, but never seem to make it to. I work till 2 in the afternoon 5 days a week and my parents both work full time. There really are  only small windows of opportunity to do anything together. Despite all this, it seems I still miss out on all the fun. Then my sister gets angry that I go do things, like eating at certain restaurants or going to the movies, without her. Well, how am I supposed to go with her if she never wants to go? Not to mention forget about planning anything with her for the weekend. That's when her boyfriend comes home from college and they have to spend the whole weekend together, so heaven forbid you interrupt that.

My favorite example of this nonsense is last summer when my dad decided to go to the beach. All summer long he said we were going to go to Ocean City, Maryland for a few days. He asked everyone when they could go and I told him anytime before the second week of August, that was my first week of classes.  Guess when he scheduled the vacation. Yup, during that whole week- the one week of the summer I absolutely could not go. So they all went and had a great time. I worked and went to school and had to hear all about it when they got home.

This really isn't a big deal or even an important matter at all. I am just frustrated and needed to complain to get it out of my system. I can't expect everyone to mold their schedules to mine or that I won't miss doing things with my family. That's not realistic. But for a family hanging together by a thread, is it really that hard to work out a time when everyone that wants to participate in something can?

Snacktime

Via

I have been trying to eat more vegetables lately and these little Green Giant packs are the perfect way to do it. They come in a variety of flavors and cost less than $2 at your local grocery store or Target, where I buy them.They last longer than fresh vegetables because they are frozen. No worries though, they are just as nutritious as fresh veggies. These make it so simple to eat such a delicious healthy snack. They are also endorsed by Weight Watchers.

My favorite ones are the Green Giant Healthy Vision, Healthy Weight, Green Beans and Almonds, Rice Pilaf and Roasted Potatoes Mix. My absolute most favorite one is the Green Giant Healthy Heart one. It has barley, snow peas, and carrots in it. Yum!

Something Borrowed

I went yesterday and saw Something Borrowed starring Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinski and it was so good. Yes, it was a total chick flick/romantic comedy and I l-o-v-e-d it. It made me want to read the books by Emily Griffin that the movie was adapted from.

Source

The cast was perfect. Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin are fantastic as the movie's female leads. They play best friends that have known one another since they were little. Kate Hudson plays Darcy, the fun loving blonde engaged to her best friend's friend from law school. Ginnifer Goodwin plays the nice girl Rachel who learns to stand up for what she wants and starts living her life on her terms. Sounds a little bit like something I should try. The character Dex (Colin Eggelesfield) was gorgeous and had the most amazing green eyes. If for no other reason, go see the movie just to stare at this hottie. John Krasinski, aka Jim from The Office, was hilarious in the movie as one of the girls' friends from childhood. It's definitely the perfect date movie.

Don't you want to see it now?

I really liked this movie and am going to start reading the books tonight.

What do the Post Office and the DMV have in common?

They both have lines that go on and on with endless waiting time.

Today I had to mail a birthday card for my best friend (Happy birthday Kelly) and I waited in line for a really long time. There seriously had to be 8 people in front of me and a dozen or so behind me. Normally, I don't mind waiting in lines. It's lines that don't move that kill me.

The kicker was the two older women with packages to mail. They didn't even have the packages assembled! They had the bag of stuff they were going to mail and all the supplies, like the tape and the shipping box. I only needed to buy two stamps and there were people in front of me mailing packages, changing their address, etc. I thought buying stamps would be a quick process. We used to have some type of stamp vending machine but it was replaced by the automated postage center that only accepts debit/credit cards. I only had $1 bill with me because I was just buying a few stamps. Next time I will definitely remember to bring my debit card so I can skip the line and just get my stamps. Or maybe I should just buy a book of stamps.

Bucket List

This post is all about my bucket list. Its a few things I would like to accomplish in my lifetime. Let's take it one step further and say these are things I would like to accomplish before I turn 50, which is a birthday I want to celebrate in Hawaii because of an old TV show called Hawaii 5-0.

In no particular order, I present to you my Bucket List...

Get married.Most women have this goal. I am in no particular hurry for this one. It will happen some day and be one of the best days of my life.
Ride in a hot air balloon.Purely because the view from the balloon would be amazing.
Celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square.Just for fun. It would definitely be a crazy night.
Go to a winetasting.For my inner wine-o.
Go bungee jumping.Something I had wanted to do since I was little and would watch people do this at the beach.
Host Thanksgiving dinner.A grown up goal. I want a big family, so it's a big goal of mine to be able to host a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.
Keep in touch better with college friends.Put simply, this includes more phone calls, texts, visits and emails.
Travel the world.Because who doesn't want to see all the magnificent sites the world has to offer.
Learn to knit.For my inner creative lady. Besides, who doesn't want to knit their own scarf and mitten set.
Visit the polar bears in Churchill, Canada.My favorite animals on the planet are polar bears. How cool would it be to see them in person?
Take a ballroom dancing class.I think this would just be so much fun.
Graduate with my Master's degree.Leads to a more successful future.
Have children.Again, in no hurry for this one.
Learn to cook.A skill that will come in handy many times in my life.
Get a puppy.Because dogs are so much fun.
Learn a new language.Who doesn't want to travel to a country and speak the native tongue?
Learn to ski.This would be so much fun to do. You could plan a trip to Aspen just so you could ski.
Go snorkeling.On a tropical vacation to Hawaii or around the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Eat better.Healthy habits lead to a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle.
Have my own home.A goal everyone that lives with their parents should have.
Write a children's book.I have several ideas for this one. I just need to put the pen to the paper and get writing.
Go to a red carpet event.Not very realistic, but how fun would it be to go to the Oscars or the Grammy's?
Go the Kentucky Derby. Basically, I want to go to the Derby so I can wear a cool hat and sip mint juleps all afternoon.
Throw a killer Halloween Party. I love getting dressed up for Halloween and what could be better than throwing a really awesome Halloween party.
Be a member of an audience during a TV show. Wouldn't it be cool to be on TV? 
Have my own garden. Just so I could grow cucumbers and green peppers. Yum!
Host a murder mystery dinner. Again, something that is just fun. 
Be an extra in a movie. My best friend from college was actually in the second Transformer movie in the scenes they shot at Princeton. I would like to be an extra on Glee or in some romantic comedy. 
Go to an Olympic Event. Preferably one in another country. 
Go to England during Wimbledon. This goal is totally inspired by the movie Wimbledon starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Betany.

Extreme Couponing

It seems that whenever I have time to just sit down and randomly watch TV, I can never find anything good to watch. I always watch Glee, Modern Family, and Dancing With the Stars (Go Hines Ward!). They are the shows I will DVR and try to keep up with. I watched Gossip Girl until I had classes at PCOM on Monday nights and missed all of season 3. I did buy it on DVD around the holidays, but I have yet to sit down and watch it.

As I was channel surfing tonight, I found in to TLC's show Extreme Couponing. I seriously can't even believe these women on that show. How can they get so many coupons? Why do they buy so many of each item? It's amazing that they save so much money, but in reality does a person really need 60 boxes of cake mix or 99 bottles of Gatorade?

The ladies on the show act like they are training for an Olympic event, possess huge thick binders full of coupons and push like 6 carts around the grocery store. Whatever happened to just looking in the circular and using the occasional coupon? I can't even imagine handing the cashier upwards of 10 coupons or splitting my purchases into 3 or 4 different transactions. These women use tons of coupons- hence the title of the show. They have crazy stockpiles full of stuff taking up room in their pantries, basements, garages and guest bedrooms. Doesn't this stuff just take up space? I would think some of their food would go bad before you even have the chance to use it. After all, isn't food only good for so long?

I sort of think they are crazy, but on to something. Everyone likes to save money and I am no exception. I think I am going to start clipping coupons for some things that I buy like toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent. We'll see how much money I actually would save by using coupons.

A little secret

When people ask you what you want to be when you are a little kid, you give the standard answers such as doctor, lawyer, nurse or teacher. But are those things what you really want to be?

I decided I wanted to be a doctor in high school and this desire continued throughout college. I liked science, especially anatomy and cell biology. It didn't matter that I am not good with needles and cannot picture myself giving someone a shot or that I didn't get a 30 on the MCAT and have a 4.0 GPA in college. I was convinced it was the right path for me until I applied to medical school and didn't get in. Big fat bummer.

Rejection sucks, everyone knows that. Although I was upset about not getting in, I wasn't that upset. I didn't cry myself to sleep for days or stop eating, although I probably should have I might be skinny today if I did that. I was more upset about not knowing what I would be doing after graduating from college. Then I applied to a graduate program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and I got in. I was happy about this and knew I had a plan for after graduation.

Unfortunately, I struggled in this program despite studying all the time and, while I learned a lot, it was most certainly not the program for me. It gave me a taste of what medical school would have been like. Now I am glad I did not get in to medical school because I don't think I would have liked it. I left this program after completing the postgraduate certificate track.

The next semester (January 2011) I started a graduate program at Temple University and I like it so much better. I have only had two classes, but they were interesting and I actually enjoyed them. The only classes I really liked at PCOM were anatomy and neuroscience. So far, this program has been a much better fit. Although, now I am preparing to take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) the first week of June so I can officially be part of the program.

Although I am not sure exactly of what I want to do, I know I am better off now then I was before. My little secret is that I sort of have no idea what I want to do anymore. I do have some idea of where I would like to fit in in the pharmaceutical industry (auditing, clinical trials, drug development). It's just a question of if I will be able to get those jobs or not. Ultimately, I would really like to move to L.A. and become a movie/TV show extra or live abroad for a year and teach English. Working for one of my favorite magazines or being a fashion stylist to the stars would be pretty cool. I think the best job ever would be a journalist job covering different celebrities for E! and the different award shows like the Grammies, Academy Awards or Golden Globes.

However, none of these jobs seem to be realistic for me. So I guess I will just have to finish my Master's degree and get some really cool pharmaceutical job.

Allow me to introduce myself

Hi! My name is Stephanie. I'm a twenty something female, college grad and waitress living in the 'burbs of Philadelphia. Astrologically I am a Libra, represented by a balance or scale, a sign that suits me perfectly as I am always searching for the balance between work and play.  You should also know I am way too organized for my own good; I am a Target shopaholic; I love to eat chocolate and I cannot cook to save my life. Trust me on the last one; I can't even make an omelet. Yeah, that's pretty pathetic.

Right now I live at home with my crazy family consisting of a mom, dad, brother and a sister (when she's home from college). It's your standard issue family, if only slightly dysfunctional. I cannot wait for the day I have a place to call my own. All of you ladies and gents with your own living spaces, you have no idea how lucky you are. I can only imagine what it's like to come home to your own place, kick off your shoes and know that no one has left the toilet seat up (something my brother does) or left dishes in the sink (something my dad does) or left hair on the wall in the shower (something my mom/sister do on occassion).

As a 2009 college grad, I didn't graduate into the best economy and, naturally, my path into the real world seems to be a bit delayed. I waitressed through college and continue to do that now- two years after I have graduated. Trust me when I say it sucks, but until I complete my Master's degree, it looks like I will have to deal with it since I like shopping and paying my bills on time. I will just have to keep looking until I find a job related to my biology degree or the Master's degree I am working on in pharmaceuticals.

Previously, I blogged as the Brunette Suburbanite but that blog was going in a different direction than I intended so I started this new blog.

I invite you to read along as I try- unsuccessfully at times- to become financially independent with a big girl job and her own apartment.