Junk Food Eviction

When shopping for desk food, I normally don't realize where I'm spending my money. Just recently I noticed a few pounds being added onto my waistline, along with daily headaches. Let me explain...

Not my desk, but close enough :-)

There is usually some form of junk food in my desk drawer. This drawer houses Oreo cookies, apple sauce, miniature Snicker bars, sunflower seeds, Pringles and candy canes. My coworker who sits right next to me has boxes of cereal at her desk. The other intern in our office keeps bringing Starbucks to work, on top of the occasional cupcakes/cakes that are brought in.

My daily routine at work includes periodically checking my Blackberry, adjusting student accounts and stuffing my face with this junk food. Not only this, but I rarely take my lunch to work and watched my debit card rack up over $250 in fast food charges in a little over a month! When I first started this internship, I was onto a good start... bringing my lunch everyday, using my break time to study or read and just learning everything there is to know about our office. Now that I'm used to things and can understand/interpret things a lot better, I have fallen into a slump. I guess this is what happens when there isn't much empowerment on the job. Not enough room to make changes or implement new ideas since everything is done by the book. Therefore, I need this 'excitement' in my day. My work day has been minimized to reading mindless news articles, magazines, eating junk food and shopping on my lunch break.

2010 has got to be a much better year for me! I've already decided to try new healthy snacks like apples sprinkled with cinnamon, bananas and peanut butter, 'desk-made lemonade' consisting of a few squirts of lemon and ice water. Not only will this save me money, but it'll also help me feel better. I'm also enrolling in a hip-hop dance class with my new intern friend.

I guess being able to train the new intern who starts in January will add a little excitement to my day and help with my binging activities.

What's the Dress Policy?

A few weeks before I began working at my internship, I received a letter stating all of the company policies... my pay rate, the dress code policy, my work hours, etc. Seeing as to how I've never worked in a highly professional area, my "work clothes" were minimal. So with my last check from AH, I went and splurged on a few nice pieces to dress up what I already owned. A few pair of dress slacks, a couple pairs of shoes, and a few neutral colored tops. I was really dying for blazers though. I didn't, and still don't own any blazers.

To our surprise (mine and the other intern), the dress code we were given was a bit skewed. On the first day, we were both over-dressed. She had on high heels and a business suit, and I was dressed in a similar manner. It took us about a week to realize that that policy was simply a hoax.

Since I've been here, people have worn leggings, layered tank tops under jackets and blazers. I even noticed my SUPERVISOR wearing flip flops on a warm fall day. So much for a dress code policy. What sparked this buzz in my brain was the fact that one of my coworkers is absolutely outraged at the fact that we can't wear jeans to work. It's really confusing because our policy is already a bit relaxed, so what more should she be asking for? In my opinion, not a lot. I've also realized that I like to dress up a lot more than I like to wear jeans. They've become a little uncomfortable for me, but hey... to each it's own! It just gets frustrating hearing her complaints all the time about our inability to wear jeans. Come on now, as much as she makes, she should consider wearing suits everyday! Your work is minimal, you're making more than the value of your work, so what's the complaining all about??? Attention-seeker maybe! Let's keep some level of professionalism in our offices. That's all!
                                   
                              VS

Motivation from All Angles

Something that many of you may not know about me is that I'm very self-motivated. The key to remaining driven and at your best is to stay motivated at all times. A lot of individuals wait for the moment of inspiration to become motivated. Instead, try creating that moment as a dream and always strive toward that dream.

You can gain motivation in various ways. Reading, writing, singing, dancing, working out, going to school, working, knitting... Whatever it is, abuse that outlet to get where you want/need to be. I'm highly motivated by reading, writing and going to school. These 3 things drive me daily. I read about what's going on around me and in the world, whether it's about economics, finance, or poverty. I try to read for pleasure as well. I'm currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and recently finished Precious by Sapphire.

There's also a very useful site for women, and I subscribe to their daily newsletter. It's called Little Pink Book. The newsletter has very useful and practical information. Just today I received a newsletter titled 'The 2010 Financial Checklist'. The newsletter contained a checklist of where you should strive to be financially, grouped by age. According to Little Pink Book, I should be setting goals, learning to budget, calculating my monthly income, subtracting my expenditures and contributing to my savings. All of which I have been doing. So I'm right on track!

Come the winter time (which has snuck up on us Michiganders), I'll be volunteering as a tax preparer for low-income families through the Accounting Aid Society. I'm very excited about this, as well as my 40-hr work week, 2 night classes and my internship course. Along with finding a job after my internship is over, and preparing for my last 4 classes as an undergraduate!

Basically, motivation is what keeps me going. It's what wakes me up in the morning, after which I've had a long night. It makes me appreciate life and actually gives me something to live for. Because I know that all of the things that I am doing right now are bettering me as an individual and will allow me to be an asset to society, and to teach these things to my offspring.

What are things/ways that you stay motivated? Inquiring minds want to know!

Tips and Tricks for Women: Winter-Proof Your Car

If you live in an area similar to mine (Michigan... Midwest) or maybe even the East coast, some of these tricks from Woman's World may come in handy. I'll be trying some of these myself, because there is nothing worse than your locks freezing causing you to be late for work.

**Keep your headlights clear with car wax

• The wax contains special water repellents that will prevent the messy gunk from accumulating on your lights. This technique lasts for weeks.

**Ice-proof your windows with vinegar

• Mix 3 parts vinegar with 1 part water and spritz on your car windows at night. Vinegar contains acetic acid which raises the melting point of water- preventing water from freezing on your windshield.

**Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray

• Spritz cooking spray on the rubber seals around car doors and rub it in with a paper towel. Oils in cooking spray prevent water from melting into the rubber.

**Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream

• Shaving cream creates a protective film on the glass that prevents fogging. Spray some on the inside of your windshield and wipe it off with paper towels. The cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.

**Get unstuck from the snow with your floor mat

• Stick the rubber side of one of your floor mats under the spinning tire. It provides the grip you need to get going.

**De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer

• Put the hand sanitizer gel on both the key and lock. It contains alcohol, the main ingredient in most commercial de-icers. The sanitizer must be at least 60% alcohol, otherwise it's ineffective.

**Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol

• Wipe them with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This can cut the buildup of grease and grime, the main culprit that prevents wipers from working.

!!!!!!!!! New GAB Contest !!!!!!!!!!

So after much thought on my behalf, I realized that my last contest was a little too demanding for my readers. You guys need something simple, something that doesn't take long to do! Honestly, I wouldn't have participated in my own contest :-(

So to make things easier for you, I've designed a better contest (at least in my opinion). Since tis' the season to be jolly, I'd like for everyone to share their funniest holiday story. It doesn't have to be long in length; the only requirement is that it's FUNNY!

THE 3 FUNNIEST STORIES WILL BE POSTED ON MY BLOG! THE 50TH PERSON TO SEND IN THEIR STORY WILL RECEIVE A $50 GIFTCARD TO THEIR FAVORITE STORE FOR CHRISTMAS!

**Disclaimer: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest ends Friday, December 18th at 5:00p EST.

Now there's something to pass on!