Totally Look The Part

This week I have two interviews that I am excited about. One is for a job in Sacramento, the other in Manhattan. I've been going back and forth in my mind moment by moment, second to second, as to which job I would take if offered both. And as of this morning, I don't think I have a clear answer. But a sweet little soul I used to babysit for ,who is now an even more beautiful young woman than I could have imagined, reminded me that an answer will present itself at just the right time...

So until then, I'm heading into each interview with confidence. Whenever I dress up for work or an interview and get to wear my blazer, I always think of Elle Woods on her first day of classes at Harvard. Elle Woods is one of my idols. I've always loved Legally Blonde, and Elle is a beautiful example of a woman who is both feminine and commanding. She believes in herself first and foremost, and finds happiness in her own accomplishments and within real relationships.

One of my bucket list items of things to accomplish before I am 35 is to have a job I can dress up for. And even though I am eight months in to a year of no clothes shopping, I still believe that clothes and fashion and sense of style greatly influences how we see ourselves, and how others see us. 

Before she goes to tackle her first day of classes at Harvard, Elle looks in the mirror, double checking her outfit and says with such confidence and enthusiasm, "Totally look the part!"

xxo

An Afternoon in Lodi

Saturday I had the chance to meet up with a friend from school for dinner. We met up in Lodi, which is half way between where she lives and where I live. I decided to venture out to Lodi a couple hours before we were to meet up to wander around the downtown area. 

Several things about it reminded me of Old Sacramento. There were a lot of antique shops and little boutiques. The downside though to a small down like Lodi, or Old Sacramento, is that a majority of the shops closed at 5pm on a Saturday, which did not serve me well. But I got a beer and delicious sweet potato fries from a restaurant called The Dancing Fox in the mean time. 

Also made two new friends along the way...

I ended up spending about an hour at a wine bar called Wine Social before meeting up with my friend. I loved the set up because there was a bar area to order drinks and food, but then the rest of the restaurant was set up similar to a coffee shop, with couches and cushioned chairs. I found a comfy seat to read my book (read: The Goldfinch, which I am thoroughly enjoying. It's been so long since I've read a book that's not about feminism or sexuality or adolescent development...). In general I enjoy going out to eat alone with a book or my journal. And I think part of why I enjoy it so much is that I can be alone and reading or writing, but still be part of a bigger community/social experience...

We ate at a restaurant suggested by a yoga friend called Rosewood. It was delicious. It was so lovely to spend time with my school friend-to reconnect and discuss things going on in each of our lives. She's so funny and relatable. I appreciate her so much.

xxo

California's Capital

I'm not sure that I even visited the state capital when I was in elementary school for a field trip...All of my life I've lived here and have never seen the inside of our state capital. I've heard it so many times that you never really explore (at the least the more "touristy" parts) your own city. And it's even funny for me to think that people travel to Sacramento, like I travel to New York or Chicago or Seattle. 

A similar sentiment to what I've been posting lately is that I've got so much free time now to really explore the touristy parts, the up-and-coming parts, and the undiscovered parts (to me at least!) of my city. I only had enough change in my car for about 15 minutes on the street meter, but it's definitely on my list to go back to the capital and check it out more, especially the rose garden (so dreamy). 

xxo

WAL Public Market

I've been seeing and hearing a lot about the WAL Public Market on R Street downtown lately. Recently I made my way down and spent the morning wandering through the shops. I've never spent much time in that area of downtown before, but I loved the vibe. It reminded me of the neighborhood the brewery was in Portland that I did my bike brew tour out of. The artists lofts just above the market looked dreamy. I'm a sucker for the old building/big windows/New Girl loft vibe. 

Inside there are several little shops and eateries. I browsed through Old Gold and found some cute greeting cards (especially the Spice Girls one, which I obviously bought!). 

Local artists were featured in the hallways

xxo

16 Days

I'm heading back to New York for a couple weeks in just 16 days...Feels like it'll take forever to get here since I'm not working right now. But I know time will fly and I'll be boarding my flight before I know it. 

I got in some quality FaceTime with the little this am. So thankful that I have her there to stay with and experience it with. She's been a friend to me since high school and continues to support and encourage me in all that I do.

I've also been feeling a bit anxious about all of the job searching I've been doing. Been looking and applying to jobs both here in California and in New York. Gotten a lot of "thank you for your interest but..." emails, a couple interviews, and a lot of waiting. It's really true what they say, that job hunting is a full time job. 

When I get to New York I want to really be there, body-mind-spirit. So maybe at least the first week I'm there I won't do any job hunting. I'll use that first week to explore and work on my thesis. Then I can get back into that headspace of looking for a job. But if there's one thing I've learned these past couple years traveling, it's that I won't enjoy myself if I'm moving too fast and trying to cram everything in to one trip.

Easy does it.

xxo