While I haven't really been cooking proper meals since the bf and I are staying in the presence of one of the most amazing cooks I've ever met, I have been packing lunch daily for the bf and I. The bf and I have decided to make a real life change in terms of how we eat. We've both gained a significant amount of weight during law school and have decided now is the time to start losing that weight. Since it is way easier to control what you eat when you pack it yourself we've been packing lunch everyday for class. An added bonus is that this saves us a ton of money!
Since there are always plenty of leftovers, I have been coming up with combinations of these leftovers for lunch that aren't boring. Below is the recipe for the grilled chicken and couscous salad that I made for tomorrow:
Grilled Chicken and Couscous Salad: (for 2 people)
2 grilled chicken breasts cut up into small pieces (or 2 servings of the prepackaged grilled chicken)
1 cup prepared couscous (any style with any seasonings you like)
1/2 cup steamed broccoli chopped
1/2 cup grilled zuchinni sliced
1/2 cup grilled onions and mushrooms
Drizzle of basalmic vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a plasticware bowl and mix well; place in the fridge. Allow to marinate overnight and you're done, it will be ready to eat for lunch the next day. I'd throw in some pretzels and some fruit to complete the meal.
Enjoy! Also, I'm sorry there are no pictures for any of my recent posts. My camera cord is MIA right now because of the move. As soon as I find it, I'll start posting pics again.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Finally, some thriftyness!
Since the bf and I are staying with his aunt and uncle currently, I haven't been cooking at all. BF's uncle is an amazing cook so we've been very spoiled in terms of dining lately! Which I guess is a little unfortunate for my blog since it is supposed to be about food.
I do have some thrifty thoughts of note. Today the bf, his aunt and I went to the Prime Outlets in Lake View, Wisconsin. I must admit, I love outlet malls, I think they are a goldmine in terms of finding a good deal! I found several of the aforementioned good deals today, especially at the J.Crew outlet. I love the J.Crew outlet, it's almost the same stuff you find at the store, but its always on sale and much cheaper! I got a pair of the buttery twill pants in navy as well as a green chino critter skirt with anchors and a navy Jackie cardigan, all for $66. Most of the stuff was already on sale and I got an additional 15% off with my student I.D. For those of you who don't know, J.Crew gives a 15% student discount and a 15 or 20% discounts for teachers. If you apply for one of these, let them know when you check out next time so that you can get the discount.
I also racked up at the Old Navy outlet since they had basics on sale; I got basic t-shirts for $6 a piece and a really cute pair of shorts for $6 on clearance! Every store I went in had amazing sales, so next time you want to go shopping check out your local outlet mall, you never know what you'll find.
I was also excited that there was a White House Black Market outlet as well as a Cole Haan outlet. For those of you still looking for dresses to wear to all of those summer weddings, White House Black Market had some really cute things deeply discounted. I was hoping to find a pair of basic navy pumps at Cole Haan but was unable to do so, oh well, hopefully I'll find a pair soon (I need them to wear with my new interview suit).
So that's about all for today. I have to apologize for my last couple of posts being so negative, I'm afraid it's made me seem like I really don't like my new surroundings. It's not that at all, the behavior of the two individuals I blogged about was truly appalling to me and I just felt the need to blog about it.
In other news, I really LOVE Chicago! I think it was a great decision for the bf and I to move here to start our careers! Hopefully I'll have some more thrifty finds very soon!
I do have some thrifty thoughts of note. Today the bf, his aunt and I went to the Prime Outlets in Lake View, Wisconsin. I must admit, I love outlet malls, I think they are a goldmine in terms of finding a good deal! I found several of the aforementioned good deals today, especially at the J.Crew outlet. I love the J.Crew outlet, it's almost the same stuff you find at the store, but its always on sale and much cheaper! I got a pair of the buttery twill pants in navy as well as a green chino critter skirt with anchors and a navy Jackie cardigan, all for $66. Most of the stuff was already on sale and I got an additional 15% off with my student I.D. For those of you who don't know, J.Crew gives a 15% student discount and a 15 or 20% discounts for teachers. If you apply for one of these, let them know when you check out next time so that you can get the discount.
I also racked up at the Old Navy outlet since they had basics on sale; I got basic t-shirts for $6 a piece and a really cute pair of shorts for $6 on clearance! Every store I went in had amazing sales, so next time you want to go shopping check out your local outlet mall, you never know what you'll find.
I was also excited that there was a White House Black Market outlet as well as a Cole Haan outlet. For those of you still looking for dresses to wear to all of those summer weddings, White House Black Market had some really cute things deeply discounted. I was hoping to find a pair of basic navy pumps at Cole Haan but was unable to do so, oh well, hopefully I'll find a pair soon (I need them to wear with my new interview suit).
So that's about all for today. I have to apologize for my last couple of posts being so negative, I'm afraid it's made me seem like I really don't like my new surroundings. It's not that at all, the behavior of the two individuals I blogged about was truly appalling to me and I just felt the need to blog about it.
In other news, I really LOVE Chicago! I think it was a great decision for the bf and I to move here to start our careers! Hopefully I'll have some more thrifty finds very soon!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Update on BarBri B*+@h
I'm already here because the bf and I arrived early for class today and Blondie was "telling" her side of the story from yesterday. I think someone from the main office spoke to her about my compliant (although it was not about how she treated me, but how I saw her treating someone else). I can't believe she's unprofessional enough to have that type of conversation while students are walking in the door. What if the person she's talking about overheard her?
And now a brief aside -- Message to BarBri (should you ever read this post) -- I understand that most of your reps are law students and with that comes a certain attitude since some of us can be quite douche-y. However, when your representative law students present that attitude while representing your company it makes me seriously re-think giving you $3,000 of my hard earned money. I expect to be treated with respect when I shop at Wal-Mart and buy a $5 t-shirt. Similarly, I expect at least the same level of respect and professionalism when I deal with your representatives. You are getting a lot more of my money than any department store or supercenter at this point and therefore I expect this experience to be a pleasant one in terms of dealing with the customer service side of your organization.
Back to Blondie. Apparently she thinks that she was really nice and that the other girl who asked to attend the morning session "attacked" her! Seriously, I'm thinking that she doesn't realize that she's a bitch. She also said that Brunette is just "too nice." I was appalled by the way she handled the situation yesterday, I feel like if someone from the BarBri office had seen what transpired they would have been equally as embarrassed that Blondie represents their company. BarBri should also be embarrassed that she was talking about the situation while working the BarBri desk at class this morning. You never know who is going to overhear what you say, especially when your voice carries (and Blondie's does).
Even worse, I also overheard her talking about me this morning. Apparently Brunette was being "too nice" when I asked about attending another session because of the wedding. Great way to start out the day. Perhaps it's time for another call to the BarBri office.
I have to say that what I think is so absurd is that she tells people that she cannot authorize them to attend an earlier session of there are extra seats, but the main Chicago BarBri office told me that, guess what, she's got that authority.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do next Thursday when I need to attend the morning session. I know Blondie is going to hassle me but I think my plan of action is going to be to call the main office promptly at 9:00 a.m. tell them there is an extra seat and have them to authorize me, and let them speak with Blondie if she's going to hassle me.
On a happier note:
Apparently there is a production company casting for a Real Houswives of Chicago, although it is not yet affiliated with Bravo you can read about it Here. I'm hoping Bravo picks it up. Would you watch? I'm thinking about trying out, after all they do pay. Think anyone would be interested in watching an unemployed 25 year old lawyer who shops mostly at thrift stores, consignment shops, TJMaxx and Wal-Mart?
Speaking of Real Housewives, has anyone been watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey? I'm already addicted, it's like watching a trainwreck, even the bf is getting into it!
And now a brief aside -- Message to BarBri (should you ever read this post) -- I understand that most of your reps are law students and with that comes a certain attitude since some of us can be quite douche-y. However, when your representative law students present that attitude while representing your company it makes me seriously re-think giving you $3,000 of my hard earned money. I expect to be treated with respect when I shop at Wal-Mart and buy a $5 t-shirt. Similarly, I expect at least the same level of respect and professionalism when I deal with your representatives. You are getting a lot more of my money than any department store or supercenter at this point and therefore I expect this experience to be a pleasant one in terms of dealing with the customer service side of your organization.
Back to Blondie. Apparently she thinks that she was really nice and that the other girl who asked to attend the morning session "attacked" her! Seriously, I'm thinking that she doesn't realize that she's a bitch. She also said that Brunette is just "too nice." I was appalled by the way she handled the situation yesterday, I feel like if someone from the BarBri office had seen what transpired they would have been equally as embarrassed that Blondie represents their company. BarBri should also be embarrassed that she was talking about the situation while working the BarBri desk at class this morning. You never know who is going to overhear what you say, especially when your voice carries (and Blondie's does).
Even worse, I also overheard her talking about me this morning. Apparently Brunette was being "too nice" when I asked about attending another session because of the wedding. Great way to start out the day. Perhaps it's time for another call to the BarBri office.
I have to say that what I think is so absurd is that she tells people that she cannot authorize them to attend an earlier session of there are extra seats, but the main Chicago BarBri office told me that, guess what, she's got that authority.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do next Thursday when I need to attend the morning session. I know Blondie is going to hassle me but I think my plan of action is going to be to call the main office promptly at 9:00 a.m. tell them there is an extra seat and have them to authorize me, and let them speak with Blondie if she's going to hassle me.
On a happier note:
Apparently there is a production company casting for a Real Houswives of Chicago, although it is not yet affiliated with Bravo you can read about it Here. I'm hoping Bravo picks it up. Would you watch? I'm thinking about trying out, after all they do pay. Think anyone would be interested in watching an unemployed 25 year old lawyer who shops mostly at thrift stores, consignment shops, TJMaxx and Wal-Mart?
Speaking of Real Housewives, has anyone been watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey? I'm already addicted, it's like watching a trainwreck, even the bf is getting into it!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Words of Wisdom
In the past week or so, I have learned some very valuable life lessons. You see, lately it seems that I've encountered several unpleasant people. I have two very good examples of this below.
For example, when the bf and I went to pick up the moving truck in Winston-Salem on Thursday, we arrived on time and were greeted by the most unpleasant, rude, unhelpful salesperson EVER! I have never encountered someone who seems to hate her job as much as this woman did and she let us know that as soon as we walked in. The bf had reserved a Budget Rent a Truck along with a car trailer online. We assumed there would be someone there to help us hook it up to the truck. We were wrong. The lady was a massive bitch and told us that she couldn't help and that we would have to hook up a car trailer to a 16 foot truck by ourselves. Did I mention that the parking lot was not wide enough to do this? Besides being completely unhelpful she also tried to send us on our way with a car trailer that was completely unsafe according the the nice folks at Budget Roadside assistance. When we told her this she got extremely defensive and starting yelling at the bf and I because we questioned her and called her out on being confrontational. Of course we called Budget to complain and are going to do this again very soon, because we feel like some sort of refund is in order for the manner in which we were treated. This woman needed to be fired, I have never in my life been treated with such disrespect! Because of the treatment we received we decided to leave the bf's car in NC for the summer because we didn't want to hassle with the car trailer anymore since we had already been at the Budget office for 4 hours.
Example number two, this morning as the bf and I arrived at our bar review course (he's in the morning session and I'm in the afternoon so I study while he's in class and vice versa, it works out well because we only have one car now). Anyway, he and I need to go to a wedding in Ohio next Thursday and we need to leave before 1:00. My class ends at 5, so I need to attend the morning session. The BarBri rep (will call her Brunette) that I spoke with told me to call the main BarBri office and explain the situation and that they may allow me to attend the morning session because of the circumstances. However, Blondie interrupted her and told her that she was wrong that they wouldn't allow me to attend. I was personally very embarrassed for Brunette, I felt like the Blondie was a complete bitch about it and could have said what she needed to say in a much more professional tone. I did overhear her later half-heartily apologize to the other rep but in my eyes this did not make the situation any better. About 10 minutes later a girl walks in and asks if she can attend the morning session and is essentially yelled at by Blondie for simply asking to attend the morning session. Blondie told the other girl that she wasn't where she needed to be and that she would have the call the BarBri offices and get permission (which is understandable) and then wouldn't even give the other girl the number for the Chicago office. Blondie then told the other girl that Blondie needed to go to class and showed absolutely no hint of politeness to the other girl. I'm sorry, but we've all paid upwards of $3,000 to take this class and I expect the BarBri reps to be polite and helpful for that price. I would also expect the BarBri reps to be courteous to one another and not be openly bitchy to one another.
Which brings me to the lesson here, THERE IS NEVER ANY EXCUSE FOR RUDENESS! Ever! I feel like the Golden Rule has been absolutely forgotten. I mean, is it really that much harder to treat other people as you wish to be treated? I understand that we all have bad days, but when it is YOUR JOB to interact with the public I feel like you shouldn't take your bad mood out on those whom you serve. Isn't it part of your job description to at least be pleasant and show those whom you are supposed to help at least a little bit of respect?
Am I expecting too much here? How would you handle these situations?
UPDATE: I called the BarBri office and explained the situation. I spoke with a very nice man who told me that they can't authorize me to attend the morning session because it is full. I told him that there are seats available and he said that since I need to miss class a week from now that he can't authorize me to attend at this point. However, he told me to show up for the morning session on the day I need to attend that session and that the BarBri rep on site could allow me to attend on the fly. I then explained the situation that I witnessed today and he said that he would check into it and to call him next Thursday morning and that if there are seats he would authorize me to attend the morning class. Wow Blondie, you really screwed up that one didn't you? You DO have the authority to allow people to attend the morning session, you've just a major bitch on a power trip! I wish I knew your name so that my observation about you to the main BarBri office would have been more effective.
UPDATE #2: I just spoke with the bf during his class break. He just got a voicemail from Budget calling to discuss our situation. He hasn't called them back yet, but I think the very nice lady in the Roadside Assistance Office told her superiors about the lady trying to send us on our way with unsafe equipment and well that's not okay. I'm glad that Budget actually follows up on its complaints with some promptness.
For example, when the bf and I went to pick up the moving truck in Winston-Salem on Thursday, we arrived on time and were greeted by the most unpleasant, rude, unhelpful salesperson EVER! I have never encountered someone who seems to hate her job as much as this woman did and she let us know that as soon as we walked in. The bf had reserved a Budget Rent a Truck along with a car trailer online. We assumed there would be someone there to help us hook it up to the truck. We were wrong. The lady was a massive bitch and told us that she couldn't help and that we would have to hook up a car trailer to a 16 foot truck by ourselves. Did I mention that the parking lot was not wide enough to do this? Besides being completely unhelpful she also tried to send us on our way with a car trailer that was completely unsafe according the the nice folks at Budget Roadside assistance. When we told her this she got extremely defensive and starting yelling at the bf and I because we questioned her and called her out on being confrontational. Of course we called Budget to complain and are going to do this again very soon, because we feel like some sort of refund is in order for the manner in which we were treated. This woman needed to be fired, I have never in my life been treated with such disrespect! Because of the treatment we received we decided to leave the bf's car in NC for the summer because we didn't want to hassle with the car trailer anymore since we had already been at the Budget office for 4 hours.
Example number two, this morning as the bf and I arrived at our bar review course (he's in the morning session and I'm in the afternoon so I study while he's in class and vice versa, it works out well because we only have one car now). Anyway, he and I need to go to a wedding in Ohio next Thursday and we need to leave before 1:00. My class ends at 5, so I need to attend the morning session. The BarBri rep (will call her Brunette) that I spoke with told me to call the main BarBri office and explain the situation and that they may allow me to attend the morning session because of the circumstances. However, Blondie interrupted her and told her that she was wrong that they wouldn't allow me to attend. I was personally very embarrassed for Brunette, I felt like the Blondie was a complete bitch about it and could have said what she needed to say in a much more professional tone. I did overhear her later half-heartily apologize to the other rep but in my eyes this did not make the situation any better. About 10 minutes later a girl walks in and asks if she can attend the morning session and is essentially yelled at by Blondie for simply asking to attend the morning session. Blondie told the other girl that she wasn't where she needed to be and that she would have the call the BarBri offices and get permission (which is understandable) and then wouldn't even give the other girl the number for the Chicago office. Blondie then told the other girl that Blondie needed to go to class and showed absolutely no hint of politeness to the other girl. I'm sorry, but we've all paid upwards of $3,000 to take this class and I expect the BarBri reps to be polite and helpful for that price. I would also expect the BarBri reps to be courteous to one another and not be openly bitchy to one another.
Which brings me to the lesson here, THERE IS NEVER ANY EXCUSE FOR RUDENESS! Ever! I feel like the Golden Rule has been absolutely forgotten. I mean, is it really that much harder to treat other people as you wish to be treated? I understand that we all have bad days, but when it is YOUR JOB to interact with the public I feel like you shouldn't take your bad mood out on those whom you serve. Isn't it part of your job description to at least be pleasant and show those whom you are supposed to help at least a little bit of respect?
Am I expecting too much here? How would you handle these situations?
UPDATE: I called the BarBri office and explained the situation. I spoke with a very nice man who told me that they can't authorize me to attend the morning session because it is full. I told him that there are seats available and he said that since I need to miss class a week from now that he can't authorize me to attend at this point. However, he told me to show up for the morning session on the day I need to attend that session and that the BarBri rep on site could allow me to attend on the fly. I then explained the situation that I witnessed today and he said that he would check into it and to call him next Thursday morning and that if there are seats he would authorize me to attend the morning class. Wow Blondie, you really screwed up that one didn't you? You DO have the authority to allow people to attend the morning session, you've just a major bitch on a power trip! I wish I knew your name so that my observation about you to the main BarBri office would have been more effective.
UPDATE #2: I just spoke with the bf during his class break. He just got a voicemail from Budget calling to discuss our situation. He hasn't called them back yet, but I think the very nice lady in the Roadside Assistance Office told her superiors about the lady trying to send us on our way with unsafe equipment and well that's not okay. I'm glad that Budget actually follows up on its complaints with some promptness.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Rain Boots
Mine are in storage (I think, or at least I really hope so) because I didn't realize that I would need them, it's summer after all. I think I may have been wrong. I'm sitting in the lobby area of Chicago Kent School of Law waiting for my class to begin and everyone is wearing really cute rain boots. I know that it is supposed to rain today, but it seems a little warm out to wear them (they always make my feet sweat). Am I missing something? Should I go get them out of the storage facility or should I find a cheap pair at Target and make due? I feel like I may need them.
That said, I really love my rain boots but they are an item that the bf packed in our marathon moving session. I'm not sure that he actually put them in the moving truck; I know they are not in my Jeep. I'm a little worried now, I bought them at a boutique in Winston-Salem called Monkee's and let's just say they were not cheap. Plus, they are adorable leopard print with pink trim. I wish I had a picture of them so that all of you could see what I'm talking about.
Anyway, should I dig through all of the stuff at the storage facility in search of my rain boots? Does anyone know if they are on sale at Target right now? Perhaps I should buy a pair of jelly flats that I've been eyeing or those adorable Kate Spade rubber loafers? Thoughts?
That said, I have to admit that I'm a little freaked out. This is the first time the bf and I haven't been with his family since for the first 2 weeks we're staying with his aunt and uncle before we can move into his other aunt and uncle's apartment in the city which they don't live in during the summer. It's weird being in a place and not knowing anyone. It's been three years since I've moved somewhere not knowing anyone and I've forgotten how scary it is. I've never had a problem making friends -- I didn't know anyone when I went to college nor did I know anyone when I went to law school and everything turned out great. I'm sure this move will be the same way. However, I've definitely got a case of the first day of school butterflies!
That said, I really love my rain boots but they are an item that the bf packed in our marathon moving session. I'm not sure that he actually put them in the moving truck; I know they are not in my Jeep. I'm a little worried now, I bought them at a boutique in Winston-Salem called Monkee's and let's just say they were not cheap. Plus, they are adorable leopard print with pink trim. I wish I had a picture of them so that all of you could see what I'm talking about.
Anyway, should I dig through all of the stuff at the storage facility in search of my rain boots? Does anyone know if they are on sale at Target right now? Perhaps I should buy a pair of jelly flats that I've been eyeing or those adorable Kate Spade rubber loafers? Thoughts?
That said, I have to admit that I'm a little freaked out. This is the first time the bf and I haven't been with his family since for the first 2 weeks we're staying with his aunt and uncle before we can move into his other aunt and uncle's apartment in the city which they don't live in during the summer. It's weird being in a place and not knowing anyone. It's been three years since I've moved somewhere not knowing anyone and I've forgotten how scary it is. I've never had a problem making friends -- I didn't know anyone when I went to college nor did I know anyone when I went to law school and everything turned out great. I'm sure this move will be the same way. However, I've definitely got a case of the first day of school butterflies!
Monday, May 25, 2009
I've been very MIA
I'm sorry for being so MIA over the last couple of weeks, but it has been a very busy/stressful time for the bf and I. We've finally moved, although we don't have a permanent place to stay yet (his family is from the Chicago area so we've been given a free place to stay while we study for the bar exam, which is absolutely amazing since finding a new apt is stressful in itself. Not having that stress while we study is definitely a blessing).
Anyway, I am now a resident of Chicago! I've very excited to explore my new city over the next few months and hopefully I'll be inspired to post some yummy new recipes that take like 15 minutes to make (because that's all of the time I'm going to have to cook).
My bar review classes start tomorrow and we arrived in the city on Friday night so we've had a good couple of days to unpack (aka move our stuff into storage) and relax with the bfs family. It has been a nice break before starting marathon studying until July!
Anyway, I am now a resident of Chicago! I've very excited to explore my new city over the next few months and hopefully I'll be inspired to post some yummy new recipes that take like 15 minutes to make (because that's all of the time I'm going to have to cook).
My bar review classes start tomorrow and we arrived in the city on Friday night so we've had a good couple of days to unpack (aka move our stuff into storage) and relax with the bfs family. It has been a nice break before starting marathon studying until July!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Lots of Random Things
I'm sorry for being MIA over the last week or so, I've been busy with all of the graduation festivities and packing. I'm a little freaked out, the bf and I move on Friday and we've been packing since the families left Friday night. I'm also excited about the move but it is going to be a big change.
Since my graduation post was like 3 sentences I thought that I'd write a little bit more about it. Long story short, I definitely felt like a pompous ass with all of the stuff we had to wear. Although I have to admit the hat was really cool. The hood kind of choked me. But it was still really cool, as the bf and I were walking to the graduate waiting area we definitely got lots of fun looks from the families of the undergraduate graduates as well as the undergrads themselves. Did I mention that the vice president also spoke and received an honorary degree? He did and didn't stick his foot in his mouth which was probably a relief for many!
Moving has been an interesting experience, it is amazing how much stuff the bf and I have acquired in the last year. Thankfully, we've got awesome friends who have helped us pack for the last couple of days. Also, we were lucky to find a consignment furniture shop who will pay us cash for the furniture that we don't have room for (we're going to be moving from a 3 bedroom house into a 2 bedroom apartment).
Also, USC Emily at From the Land of Cotton has given me the One Lovely Blog Award. Thanks!
Here are the rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
I'm tagging everyone for this award! So congrats to all of you from me!
Since my graduation post was like 3 sentences I thought that I'd write a little bit more about it. Long story short, I definitely felt like a pompous ass with all of the stuff we had to wear. Although I have to admit the hat was really cool. The hood kind of choked me. But it was still really cool, as the bf and I were walking to the graduate waiting area we definitely got lots of fun looks from the families of the undergraduate graduates as well as the undergrads themselves. Did I mention that the vice president also spoke and received an honorary degree? He did and didn't stick his foot in his mouth which was probably a relief for many!
Moving has been an interesting experience, it is amazing how much stuff the bf and I have acquired in the last year. Thankfully, we've got awesome friends who have helped us pack for the last couple of days. Also, we were lucky to find a consignment furniture shop who will pay us cash for the furniture that we don't have room for (we're going to be moving from a 3 bedroom house into a 2 bedroom apartment).
Also, USC Emily at From the Land of Cotton has given me the One Lovely Blog Award. Thanks!
Here are the rules:1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
I'm tagging everyone for this award! So congrats to all of you from me!
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