Marketable Skills as told by a Theatre Major

I’ve kind of been off this blog for a while. After my last post I did some “blog searching” to see what stupid things I had said not even a year ago. Well, its not all bad, but I did realize in my side bar I promised to provide some organizational tricks. In high school I was super organized. Then came college and my new lovable-but-throw-everything-on-the-floor roommate. Let’s just say the organization didn’t stay for long. And I don’t know if this blog will every be exactly where I wanted it to be a year ago, but for better or worse I’m not restarting now. (Even though it seems as though my audience of myself wouldn’t be too upset if I did…)

Only slightly off topic there.
I have been asked, formally (in an email and everything) that I contribute to a Webucator series about the “Most Marketable Skill” for the Class of 2014, since the job market is such a scary place and all. Now, if the people at webucator had done some more of their research (which I would say is a pretty marketable skill: good at research.. fact checker…? I don’t know there has to be some way to spin that..) They might have realized that I might not be the best person for the job. Sure, I could have gone to Yale or NYU, but I didn’t. So what are my qualifications? I had never even had a real paying job until the beginning of this summer, and its not like I’m doing office work either. Well if they had truly done their research, they would know that I am an actress, or at least aspire to be, which is a job many people take not so seriously. And although my parents have been supportive, they still want me to make money, so I juggled my budding acting career and piles and piles of AP work in high school. Now, I’m in college and essentially doing the same thing. I take more classes than any other student and far exceed my “suggested weight load” especially when it comes to extracurriculars. In fact I have racked up so many credits from my hard work in AP classes in high school and from this past year alone, that I will have enough credits to graduate at the end of next semester. Which I won’t be doing, still, it’s interesting to know. So that comes to Marketable skill numero uno

1- Perseverance and Dedication.
I set my mind to making something out of myself a long time ago. I ensure that I succeed in everything I do, and that is not done by sitting around and waiting for goof things to happen to me. I actively pursue opportunities and when people tell me something cannot be done, I try harder. For that reason alone, I will be the first triple major in my college’s history. They told me it could not be done over and over and over and over. But I did not give up, I made it happen by persevering and being dedicated that I would receive that triple major. The school had to rewrite software to accommodate my perseverance, but they did, because dedication is rewarding.

2. Organization
Speaking of dedication, maybe I should dedicate myself back to my organization tips because, seriously, those are important. Nobody is going to hire an unorganized employee, its just not worth it. For example, my dad is the least organized person I know, nonetheless, when he’s working he pulls it together. Sure, there might be a slip-up now and then, but that makes us human and supposedly more likable (which might not be a skill but is important). It only takes a few minutes to organize a small space, now if you want to color code that might take a solid 10… honestly, it is much easier to organize before the mess happens. Once something is organized, keep it that way. Put things back where they belong and find homes for new things, its simple really.

3. Laugh
I know. It sounds stupid. But there is a reason theatre kids do so well in all different job markets. If we make a mistake we are learned to laugh at ourselves and just go with it. A hard trick to master, but one of the most important to learn. You are always your hardest critic, rather than being down on yourself, brush yourself off and get over. It might seem hard at first but it pays off in the long run. Instead of spending that time drinking vodka on the rocks to ease your sorrows, you can take that time to be productive instead. And its the constantly productive person that gets the promotion over the guy always kicking himself over the last mistake.

I know that’s more than One most marketable skill, but, hey, I’ve always been an overachiever

The jobs I have carried are unlike the typical office job, I know that. But I have been hired to be in over 24 productions in the last five years. So I must be doing something right.

One last thing. Don’t put these skills straight on your resume. Show your future employer(s) that you have these skills, writing them down on a piece of paper does not prove that you are skillful, just that you can lie. Embody the traits and the person hiring you will see you true skill set. Unless of course they are stupid, then persevere right onto the next hiring manager.

A final public service announcement from Webucator will be in the comments and I will leave you to your life, and hopefully some promising job applications! Congratulations Class of 2014, Can’t wait to be joining you all soon

xoxo
An Angry Princess

This month at Webucator we’re focusing on our Microsoft offerings, because we think it’s an essential skill for a modern worker and being demanded by employers of all types. At this page you will also see that to give back to 2014 grads and other professionals, we’re offering continual self-paced free courses regardless of participation in this campaign (right now its Microsoft Word 2013) http://www.webucator.com/microsoft/index.cfm

Blair Waldorf or Serena Van Der Woodsen

I have been watching way too much Gossip Girl. I never got into it when it first came out, so now I am subjected to watching it on netflix. Where there are no commercial breaks and no real life distractions. It’s terrible really. But with so much Upper East Side coming at me, its hard to not find subtle nuances that are the same as my West End slightly southern life. Then again, I am sure that’s one of the hundreds of reasons why the show was so successful; no matter where you live, every girl can relate to backstabbing bitches, cat fights, hormones, stupid, stupid boys and overbearing parents, even if we don’t get to handle it all with champagne.

Be that as it may, I can’t help but wondering. Am I a Serena or a Blair? It seems like a stupid thought, a remark only to be made to only the closest of girlfriends in confidence. Why would I want to compare myself to either of them? Well that is the simple part really. They are the queen bees. They are polished and sophisticated (mostly). They are beautiful. They are seemingly perfect. And the are two classic stereotypes of girl behavior. By that standard, I must be one of the two. Or, at the very least share a majority of qualities with one over the other. Let’s examine, shall we?

Blair Waldorf
The Queen that, was I still in high school, I would most certainly aspire to be. Killer outfits, perfect hair, perfect boyfriend(s), perfect grades, aspires to Yale, lives with her fashion mogul mother, has a maid she can count on (I mean Dorota is one of the most perfect party planners) and is all around perfect. Blair might be conniving, but only in the best way. She uses her manipulative powers for good more than she might realize, like saving that prestigious Yale alumni’s daughter from skeevy “Brooklyn men” and even though Nate was so not that into her anymore, she tried to help his financial situation even when it meant the untimely loss of her new relationship and future aspirations to become princess. She is poised, yet funny. Charming yet slightly disillusioned. Blair Waldorf is a character plot I would aspire to become.

Serena van der Woodsen
This Queen had it rough. Or so she thinks. She gets to party, look flawless, drink underage, make out with the hottest 5-10 boys at any party, VIP on VIP, an adorable little brother, and, honestly, not a care in the world. Yes, Serena went through some tough times, but she always came out on top. She’s quirky, everything you would think an Upper East Socialite wouldn’t be, and yet, there she is. There’s nothing to say about Serena except that she went through some tough shit and she’s still out on top without even trying. She’s not with the current fashions, she flies by her own rules and her own style.

So am I a free bird or a structured Queen?
If you asked me a year ago I probably would have sided with Blair Waldorf. Hell. I still want to be able to side with Blair Waldorf. She gets whatever she wants, but its not like it is just given to her, she works for it. Which of course only makes it, whether it be revenge or something more innocent, that much sweeter. Then, at the beginning of my freshman year, I probably would have said Serena Van Der Woodsen. I was attending a small school, which was not necessarily my dream school, partying, enjoying my life, doing whatever I want with my friends, and, without even trying I was on top. And yet, something changed between now and then. Was it me reverting back to my Blair Waldorf ways of working too hard only to fall in Serena’s shadow? Maybe. Was it realizing I had some tough shit to get over too? Perhaps. I think I was going back towards what I had been, without losing all of what I was becoming. I didn’t know it yet, but much like in Gossip Girl, the two separate Blair and Serena stereotypes I tried to keep apart, had to stay together.

Now I’m just now in Season Two, so nobody ruin it for me, but it seems as though Blair and Serena are at their best when they are together. And maybe, just maybe that will happen to me.

xoxo
An Angry Princess

(see what I did there)

The First Summer Back

Like many students, I arrived home a few months back for my summer break. My first summer break, I might add, since leaving for college. Many of my friends stuck close to home, making weekend, if not daily, trips back home to their humble abode. But not me. I chose a college all the way down the East Coast. 12 hours by car and 2 by a $500 airplane ticket. Needless to say, I had not been at home for an extended period of time.

But what about winter break? You might ask. Yes. I came home for winter break. But that was filled with cookies and Christmas shopping and decorating and more shopping and the first real chance to talk to my friends about my new life. It all fit so conveniently into that tiny little block of time. I arrived back at college in January just as I was starting to get bored and/or fed up with being home.

Now, summer break is an entirely different monster. After making the 12 hour trek home with all my belongings not-so-neatly shoved in my 4door Jeep Wrangler I was hoping for more of a welcome than what I received. Sure, I drove to the close-by college where a few of my friends were attending. (Their classes were still in session. HA.) But that was uneventful. I quickly realized that if this was how my summer was going to go, then I needed to get back down South ASAP. But, for a few weeks, it was fine. I saw a couple friends here and there until finally they all but stopped calling. My life wasn’t new or interesting or exotic anymore. They had caught up on all my party tricks and they went back to living their life exactly how it was before. I hadn’t existed all school year, and except for a half hearted “Wats up” text on the rare occasion, I still didn’t exist.

I found myself missing friends from back at college that I didn’t even have. That girl who ran through the middle of campus everyday right as I was walking to lunch. I missed her. The guy who was always seen with a strangely large handful of packages from the post office. I missed him. I missed the post office guy. I missed picking up my own mail. I missed the Margherita Pizza at my favorite downtown pizza joint. I missed the club by the downtown pizza joint. I missed the bouncer at that club who always flirted with me when I walked in. I missed being able to go to that club at 1 in the morning. I missed my roommate (although that took a while). I missed my brunch friends. I missed my big. I missed my complete and total freedom.

You see, I had never known freedom for as long as I lived in my parents house. I was always a minor. I turned 18 while I was in college. I turned 18 in a dorm room. So coming home after all this freedom was literally just handed to me, asking nothing in return, is a difficult “transition”. Nothing is how I expected it to be. Although I did sorta kinda half-expect ice cream and netflix all day (which has been fulfilled), I also expected my perfect “18” summer. With the bonfires and the group of friends I have known for forever and nothing has changed even though we all went our separate ways and the beach trips and the late nights and every other movie-worhty cliche imaginable.

When in actuality…

it kinda sucks.

I want to be back in college. I want to be an individual. I want my friends. And I want my 2am Margherita pizza downtown. None of that seems achievable anymore. Its like I came back from a fantasy land. Not saying that my parents haven’t been good with giving me my freedom.. because they have been… mostly… kind of… But I actually have to ask. I can no longer just grab my keys and waltz off to get ice cream in my slippers (which happened a lot for me in college). It’s weird. And not the good weird. The I-want-my-life-back-where-am-I weird.

My first summer back home from college has not been anything like what I expected. It’s been a lot more family time than I expected. And let me say this, I cannot believe how much my siblings have changed. They’ve grown up so much and its weird to think that I am going to miss the next three years of growing up. My middle sister might think she doesn’t have much more growing up to do, but looking back at myself at that age… thank God I grew up so much more after that. And the baby is going into middle school. Absolutely unbelievable. I have (almost) completely fallen back into the same rhythm I was in my senior year of high school (sans the friends and the classes and homework and college stress). And although I do love being with my family, I’m starting to go on a family/icecream/netflix overload.

xo
An Angry Princess

DIY Chevron Wall

The Chevron Wall. The quitessential statement of all things prep. Or trendy. Or really just about anything. Depending on the color scheme, the chevron pattern lends itself to become just about aything. Obviously, I chose colors and a larger, blockier pattern to be a more understated prep.

The Chevron Wall can seem daunting at first. Where to even begin is the first challenge. For the room I was painting, this was particularly difficult. Way back when, my parents mixed sand into the a strange color of sage/olive green to create an “interesting” texture. The end result was that it actually just looked like green sandpaper with a rough grit. So the first obstacle was to figure out how in the world to remove this texture.

Thank goodness it was as easy as painting a thick primer over the walls

Although this picture is sort of dark (sorry it was like 2am by the time I had finished painting) – you can still tell that the wall is covered pretty thick. We used about 2gallons of primer to cover the entire walls. Running your hand over the walls with the primer on them, you could tell that there was still some left over “grit” but I figured that the next two (or three, or four) coats of the colored paint would to well to finish covering the sandy texture.

And I was right

Although there’s definitely still a solif coat and a half to go here, you can already see how much smoother the walls were looking

Then came the worst part. The actual chevron-ing of the front wall.

I measured the wall all the way across. Based on the length, I determined that the measurement from point to point would have to be approximately 1.5 feet. So, using chalk (and since I hadn’t exactly thought that part through while in Home Depot, I ended up using sidewalk chalk that had been in our garage for years, and it worked super well) I made a gridwork all the way across the wall. This was definitely one of the more time consuming and frustrating parts of the project. It took my sister and myself about 2 hours to chalk out the whole wall, not counting the probably hour and a half it took to figure out the actual measurements (but that’s really only because I suck at math, not because it should actually take that long)

Next came the taping

So simple and easy with the grid marks. Of course the door was a bit of a pain in the butt, but it too was conquered.

The next step that tons of people overlook is to seal the edges of the tape with the base color. I know it seems stupid asnd redundant, especially if you splurged on the “special super locking tape” that so many of the brands sell. Here’s a hint. Don’t buy them, you still have to seal the edges of the tape with the base color to make sure that none of the accent color leaks under the tape. Because it will, don’t be fooled.

I knew I wanted to find a nice gold color to paint the chevron, but it was so hard to find. Seriously, there are like a million and none gold paint colors all at the same time. Don’t ask me how this makes sense. For some reason it just does. So, after lots of searching, I stumbled across the Martha Stewart paints and found an antique gold color that absolutley fit the style I was going for.

Yep. That’s a keeper. I also decided to paint the electrical outlets, even if they weren’t going to be seen too much, I knew it would be something that would bother me.

Annnnnd, yes I painted over the speakers. They had already received the sand green treatment, so I figured this regular paint wouldn’t do too much damage. And the speakers work! Although they’re still not hooked into the tv.. Just the gamecube…

Anyways. The Chevron Wall was conquered. (A fact I am still a little bit shocked by). But it definitely goes to show that pretty much any one can chevron. I mean seriously. I did it.

Walking on Words

Taking the oh-so-Pinterest worthy Paper Bag floor to a whole new level

 

It was pretty easy to do- even if it was relatively time consuming.

First there was all the obvious ripping up of the carpet and cleaning of the plywood subfloor – merely prep work for what would come

To start I put down the “Paper Bag Floor”

Basically you take brown paper, rip it up and paste it to the floor using a 3-1 Elmer’s glue to water mixture

 Totally “perfectly-imperfect” type feel

Next – rip pages out of somewhat meaningful books and paste them down with the same mixture – I tried to keep straighter lines with this part

and it progressed…

Then taking a wood stain I sponged it onto the floor so that it wouldn’t be “too dark” and also so that the pages were semi-readable

 Giving it this vintage-y sorta-kinda-not-really-hardwood-but-super-artsy kind of feel

 

totally new floor for only about $20

 

 

 

 

skinit.com

I have a serious obsession for Lilly Pulitzer. For a while I had the cutest Lilly case on my shiny new iPhone. But after countless drops in the school parking lot and a near miss into the river I decided it was time for a shiny new Life Proof. So, classic Meg, I bought the pink life proof. Too exciting. But I was missing my Lilly.

I was browsing through the life proof site and I found an option to buy something from skinit.com, for only $15 I could design my own skin to put on my phone that was also drop proof and waterproof. It took forever to my code to arrive in the mail (why they don’t just show you the code immediately is beyond me) and I designed a simple skin using the Anchors Aweigh pattern, then, because I am also monogram obsessed, I ordered a glitter monogram off etsy.com and applied both to my phone (which is in another blog post)

Soon the rest of my family wanted one as well

The easier way to do it:

Buy the skin directly off the skinit.com site

upload the Lilly print (or whatever else)

go to a monogram generator online (I use a pdf I got from Jessica Marie Designs even though they are technically binder covers.. but I use them for that too…)

take a snapshot of the monogram

edit the background of the monogram color (I use the online editor pixlr.com)

upload that onto skinit.com

and put a colored circle behind the monogram

It should look something like this:

J Crew

J Crew has got to be one of my top places to shop. It’s adorable, yet can still be quirky and is incredibly fashion-forward.

But here’s the problem: it is insanely expensive.

Take their famous chino shorts for example, they are only 3″ (so definitely not “school appropriate” for high school kids and really not flattering on those thighs that need a little more gym time) and yet they are $45. Not to mention whatever the tax is.

J Crew does have their famous “warehouse” sales to look forward to… where everything from ballet flats to wedding gowns are thrown into this big empty building and sold for next to nothing (Last year’s awesome purchase: a white quarter-sleeve lace shirt for only $4). But these only happen maybe twice a year, if we’re lucky. Unless of course you live in Lynchburg, Virginia, the home of their largest warehouse and countless sale opportunities, we must rely on online shopping.

Well not just online shopping, although I do love it…

sign up for the emails J Crew sends out, as well as their factory website. They are always offering sale opportunities, and even if it is not the best sale, there is always another one around the corner that may not be advertised in the store itself. But with email it is written down and you can use paypal to pay via their online site!

Those chino shorts sure look a lot better in the 4″.. and when they are only $20…

 

Check out J Crew’s latest sale

 

Ebay- an online shopping addiction

Ebay is this magical thing that I can buy really nice things from for next to no money.

For example, I almost bought my sister a new with tags red longchamp le pliage bag, medium sized, for only $65. I say “only” (as if that wasn’t a paycheck and a half) merely because these bags normally sell upwards of $120. Not to mention the Lilly Pulitzer dress I got for nearly $25, give or take some for shipping costs. Regardless, ebay is a safe, reliable and wonderful way to get real brand name stuff for super cheap.

Now, a lot of the things on ebay are junk. Try sorting from “lowest to highest price” and you get a bunch of crap that isn’t even worth the 99 cents they want you to pay for it. But if you have some time and really search through (and get the app on your super fancy smartphone)  there are some spectacular deals that are almost too hard to pass up. Trust me, my paypal account can testify to that one. 

Ebay has been my best friend for finding designer, or look-alike designer, stuff for really cheap. It’s almost like going into Chinatown in the Big Apple only you can leave the heels in your closet and take the two step walk over to the computer. Not to mention it is much more cost efficient, the going rate for hotels rooms in NYC? More than I can afford, that’s for sure. 

It is the perfect way to find beautiful earrings, bags and, my favorite, dresses, for far less than you would ever pay in that cute little boutique across the way. Although the instant gratification of being handed a shopping bag with your latest purchase is taken away, you are instead given a competition.

There have been a multitude of times when I went over what I had limited myself to spend on an item just because I was trying to beat some other buyer too it. 

There is something just so overly satisfying about clicking that “Bid now” button, exhilaration even, and the reason why so many other ebay fanatics I know are quite literally addicted. Luckily for myself, and unluckily for my bank account, I have expanded my horizons to other online shopping venues such as amazon, etsy and the merchants own site. But ebay still has that mysterious allure of “I ordered this from some seller in China, I wonder when it will arrive” (The answer? – months later…)

It’s too bad I would have to pay ebay to list my items … it’s about time I begin to liquidate my assets before I head off to college – namely my massive closet full of clothes that aren’t exactly right for Florida weather….

Love for Lilly

I am literally in love with all things Lilly Pulitzer. As of today (my new Lilly sham covers just arrived!), I have 9 Lill Pulitzer items. Only 2 dresses.. but I’ve been saving to get some of the more expensive ones.

Anyways, I am obsessed. The prints this brand comes out with are absolutely adorable. Perfect for the summer time, but also offer just the right amount of summer in the winter. (Ya know, S’Winter).

My Lilly favorites: (Slash the things I actually own)

Item #1:

Agenda in You Gotta Regata Print

This has been my most useful purchase by far. It’s almost time to purchase one for the upcoming year, but I am having such a tough time letting go of this print! The sailboats are super cute without being too overwhelming… but alas, I soon must make the all important decision of my next agenda, a purchase which will be VITAL come college classes and due dates in the fall

This agenda is the size “large” and although at first I thought it might be too big, having been accustomed to smaller agendas, but I loved this size. It has a month calendar before every weekly breakup and, of course, had charming little drawings on every page. And it comes with stickers! Who doesn’t love stickers!?

Seriously. Best purchase ever

Item #2:

Calculator in May Flowers Print

So I can’t necessarily “review” this, since I haven’t used it yet. But it looks great sitting on my desk! I didn’t take a math class senior year, so there was really no need to get this calculator other than I’m saving it for college! Where I’m sure it will also looking great sitting on that desk! Math isn’t really my thing. And I have Siri.. she helps me a lot…

Item #3 & 4:

Lilly Pulitzer Pen in May Flowers

I actually have two of these in different prints, but I think this one is the prettiest! I love these pens and they write really well, the only problem is that they run out of ink very quickly.. or maybe it’s just because in school I write things down on paper all the time. (I am much less of a computer person) But I really do seem to remember things better if I write them down on paper. $20 is a little expensive for a pen to just look pretty in my backpack, although they do look very, very pretty

Item #5:

Briella Dress in Flutter Blue Lucky Charm (Fluorescent!)

So my sister got me this dress for graduation. Apparently she was agonizing over whether I would like it or not since it is “fluorescent” and the print looks like a Lilly, but at the same time it kind of doesn’t. Well her worrying was for nothing! Everything about this dress is adorable. It is seriously so flattering, even though I am a small this dress shape is literally flattering on all body types. Plus, it is long enough for someone that is tall (I’m almost 5’10”) but still short enough on those shorter girls out there. And not to mention the fabric makes it look sophisticated and on the more higher end of the scale, but it is seriously so, so comfortable. I haven’t officially debuted this dress in public, but I wore it around the house while breaking in my Toms wedges. Sophistication to the max.

Item #6:

Freja Dress Fiesta Pink Everything Nice Print

This dress is no longer being sold! I got it just the other day on a spring clearance! But you can always get it on other websites like amazon, ebay, and zappos (which is what this one links up to)! Anyways, this dress is really cute and has this twisty thing going on in the back which makes it the perfect dress to wear your hair up with! This is definitely more of a daytime summer dress then a special occasion, but it could be stretched with the right accessories of course. Regardless, I would still view this as a casual dress, but it is Lilly Pulitzer so at the same time it works for the slightly less casual par-tay that must be attended.

This cut is also fabulously flattering, or I’ve been going harder at the gym than I thought…

Item # 7 & 8:

Pillow shams in First Impression Hotty Pink Print

I was literally so sad to find that I could no longer purchase the Lilly duvet cover in this pattern, and I searched long and hard as I desperately wanted it for my dorm room. Alas, it was nowhere to be found and I was forced to settle for mere pillow shams. I say that like it’s a bad thing, but I’m actually super excited for them. This is another GREAT pattern and the colors in these pillows will be the colors for my dorm room (I’ve been planning this practically all year). But I could not be more excited. These arrived today and as soon as I post I am heading downstairs to open them up! They are going to make a lovely addition to my dorm room as well as letting everyone know, right when they walk in the door, I am a Lilly Pulitzer Princess.

Item #9:

The skin on my Lifeproof case. Although not officially Lilly, I customized the case with a print directly from the Lilly blog… so I believe it should count at least a little bit!

Obviously, I have a lot of Love for the Lilly brand. I am a tad obsessed and am always looking for new things to add to my collection. Oh clearance rack and sale section, how I love thee

My two favorite things…

Lilly Pulitzer and monograms.

Do try this at home

Yeah, that’s right. I have the ultimate prep phone case. Enjoy.

But really, what is better than Lilly and a monogram (other than a monogram done in a Lilly print, of course!). I was bored with the lifeproof case I had. Although it protected my iPhone 5 from many unfortunate falls from my hands to the cement, I missed the days when I had the real deal Lilly Pulitzer phone case. So I found a solution. A skin! SkinIt.com has a life-proof specific option which you get to customize! And it was around $20, not bad at all! I found a good .jpg at the Lilly Pulitzer blog of the latest print I am lusting over and sized it to fit my iPhone exactly. If I wanted to get all fancy I probably could have stuck the monogram right onto the customize page, but instead I went to another favorite site, etsy.com, and found the perfect silver sparkly monogram. I also went a little monogram crazy and did the home button as well… 

Vinyl stickers are hard enough to put on, certainly not meant for the dumb blonde that occasionally comes out just to baffle and amuse everyone else around me, but the glitter sticker was crazy hard to put on. As was the very small monogram home button. Those are individual letters, people. They do come with instruction sheets (at least the ones I always purchase), but they still require a lot of good old fashioned patience, a virtue I don’t think I ever really learned or received or however that works.

Regardless, I get countless compliments from the girls around town and all my friends are begging me to make them ones. But remember ladies, patience is a virtue.