Ebates in the 20s

Thursday night was my company holiday party. Yes, I know, a holiday party in January? Who even knows! Better late than never, I must say.
I had a blast. It was Great Gatsby themed and I went dressed to impress! Sadly, I don't have a photo of my entire outfit, but I hope you can tell how much fun I had getting dressed up! One of my friends opened up her apartment to a small group of us to drink champagne, eat cheese and get ready together. We did our hair and makeup and spent the evening listening to country music and gossiping and talking girl talk. I spent the entire evening laughing and smiling and drinking champagne. It was glorious! I mean, who doesn't love a good photobooth!?

I am absolutely loving the community I am building for myself at my new job. It definitely started out a bit rocky, but it has turned into something amazing and I am so grateful.

The Ebates Kool Aid

Alright, guys, it is about time that I tell you about Ebates. If you haven't heard of it before, please let me explain how it works. You shop online and you get paid a quarterly commission based on that online shopping. It is that simple. The commission comes in the form of a check or you can opt to be paid through your paypal account. What I mean is: real money is sent to you for shopping online at almost all, if not all, of your favorite stores. What I also mean is that it is that easy. I know it sounds crazy, but it's real, oh so real. {can you tell that I am drinking the Ebates Kool Aid...just a little?)
Yes, yes, I realize that I should have spread the word before the holidays, and to be completely honest with you, I have no idea why I didn't. You know what, I am sharing it with you all now - better late than never, right? So here is the catch = ha, gotcha! There is no catch! You shop, you get paid. The membership is completely free for shoppers and it is easy to use. To shop you go through the ebates.com webpage to your favorite stores, shop like usual and then the following quarter you will see your reward. What is also great about Ebates is that it isn't only a cash back site, there are also tons of coupons so you get the best of both worlds and there is a smartphone app that is super user friendly, too!!
What I have been telling people is: 'If you shop online and you don't use Ebates, you are doing it wrong!' Hop on the bandwagon, click through the button below, and get to shopping! :-)

Oh yeah, and I work at Ebates! They hired me full time mid December after being a contractor for about 8 weeks. I am really happy with my new job - and no, I am not in sales for them, ha! . It is hard and rewarding work for a company that is great and a product I can stand behind. No, they aren't paying me to write this, I am just that excited about the product and about what I do! 

Curry Up Now SF 7x7

Restaurant: Curry Up Now

Dish: Chicken Tikka Masala Burrito

Verdict: Delicious

Alright, to make you all jealous, yet again, about my place of work: we get lunch and dinner catered. There it is, I said it. We get 3 different options for lunch and one option for dinner with 2 fully-stocked kitchens in between. Yesterday for lunch, Curry Up Now catered and since the restaurant is on my SF Big Eat 7x7 list I figured I would check another dish off of my list! 

They have come in the past and I have gotten their veggie options and have been less than impressed. But yesterday I decided to go with the dish on the list and boy, was I not disappointed! I definitely recommend this one!

Buon Appetito

Weekend Randoms

-- This made me laugh out loud..is that wrong?

-- I just love SF and Mad Men, this is really really good!

-- I got to check out the new BART cars that will begin their debut in 2015. Read about it here

-- My team went to 21st Amendment last week for our Q1 event (yes, I know we were a bit late). We played some fun ice breaker games and ate only fried foods and drank lots of beer...oh yeah and we had shots...it was basically a super fun day that started at 11:30 and ended at 5... :-)

-- On our team, I am in charge of the ice breakers and basically all of the fun that our team has :-) We played a game where we had to roll 2 die and if you rolled a double, you had to put on a wig, gloves and sun glasses and eat a hamburger with a fork and knife while the rest of the played continued to roll the die. If someone else rolled the die, you had to then take off the costume and the other person had to put it on. It was hilarious! I am sure everyone in the restaurant thought we were crazy! We were all laughing hysterically! 

-- On Friday I met with my dad for lunch and we checked another dish off of my SF 7x7 list!

Restaurant: Coqueta

Dish: Pluma Iberico de Bellota

Verdict: Okay

Coqueta is one of Michael Chiarello's restaurants located along the Embarcadero. We ordered a few dishes to share - the restaurant is tapas style - and this was probably my least favorite dish. It was kinda boring and the honey in the glaze was really overpowering. We also had the White Gazpacho (delicious, we ate it with a spoon, but you can also eat it like you were drinking a shot), the Sunny-Side Up Egg (recommendation from a friend, the sauce is amazing!), Crispy Shrimp (delicious) and the Pluma (okay) all for about $100...it was a pricey lunch to say the least...and we didn't even get drinks! 

-- On Saturday, I met with some Alpha Gamma Delta (plus 1 Kappa - we don't discriminate :-)) ladies for brunch and then to see Divergent. We read the book in our book club...ie, I didn't read it, but it was the book for our book club, and I wanted to see the movie. We also checked off another dish on the SF 7x7 list...yes, I am plowing right through these! :-)

Restaurant: Zero Zero

Dish: Skillet Fried Chicken Thighs

Verdict: Very good

These are listed on the brunch menu with waffles. I have to say that I was stoked about this because I have not have chicken and waffles before (well I had it at work once and it wasn't very good..so I don't count it...) This dish is huge and could have definitely been shared!

Merry Monday to all! :-)

5 Seconds of Summer

On Friday afternoon, one of our office managers, who has a clear view of the street, runs to the area I sit in to let us know that there are hundreds of teenaged girls standing outside... (we work across the street from a big building that acts as the home to a few bay area radio and tv stations)

Anyway, of course, a bunch of us run out to see who it is and witness the excitement on the street. We find out that the band is called 5 Seconds of Summer and they are performing a private concert for the radio station across the street. We get the information, and go back inside to watch from behind the window. All of a sudden the girls are running down the street toward the corner and they are all screaming and giddy. We rush outside just in time to see two big black suburbans turn the corner and drive down into the garage under the building all while the screaming increases along with the girls jumping up and down and taking photos.

We walk across the street and check in with the teens and they told us that the band drove by and rolled their window down...like ohmygawd

The band is now inside and there is not much more action, so we walked back to the office followed by a group of about 10 girls. We asked them about the band they are Australian, we asked which song to youtube She looks so perfect, we asked if they are better then One Direction Umm, yes, and we asked why they weren't in school I just didn't go.

During our very educational conversation, they were looking through their photos and one of them captured a picture from behind the suburban with an arm sticking out. 

Girl 1: Oh my god, how did you get that photo??!

Me: Well, I want to see!

Picture girl: It may not look like a lot to you, but it means a lot to us...

Well, of course it does you sweet thing! 

If you have (1) heard of this band and (b) listened to this song you are way ahead of most of our office. Now, let me leave you with their top-hit video...watch the entire thing...you won't be disappointed!

Now on to when the band left...screaming and yelping was coming from outside which meant only one thing: the band was leaving. We run outside. There were screams, tears, thumbs ups and jumping....I may have screamed and jumped...I did not shed a tear though....right?

(who knew I could make a gif on my phone..!?)

Merry Monday!

5 on Friday

1. I am looking to order one of my very best friend's bridal shower invitations. I want to go with a local spot or with a shop on Etsy. Does anyone out there recommend a card maker?? Please help a girl out! ;-)

2. I am loving the 90s pop Pandora station. Like, seriously. // Who doesn't love wine?! This is awesome! My company is its own country!

3. Superbowl Sunday was my littlest brother's 13th birthday. The little guy is finally a teenager and I am pretty sure my parents are elated sad to not have any kids in the house anymore. #heartbreakersince2001

 4. Honestly, I haven't been much in the mood for blogging this week. Sadly, my family experienced a great loss last week and we are still recovering and celebrating the long life that was lived. Likely, there will be more to come sometime in the future. Always with death comes celebrations of life. I have been able to spend a little bit of time with my family, which has been a blessing.

5.Rich's classmate and fellow Marine has worked so hard to help his interpreter from Afghanistan get an American Visa and it finally happened! Read the article here. Mohammad has an incredible story and he is a kind and gentle man. Just a few days after he arrived in the US, I had the privileged of meeting him, sharing a glass of wine and listening to him speak. His story is one of perseverance and I know that his loved ones will join him here some day very soon!

*5 on Friday Link Up 

Cinco on Friday!

uno. I finally finished Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom. It was an emotional, inspiring, true, awesome book! I definitely recommend it! Now moving on to Gone Girl. Yes, I know, totally different - but so far it has me hooked! Seriously though, who has read Gone Girl?! I need someone to talk to about it, and no I can't wait to for our book club to meet!

dos. I am a huge TED fan. Check out TEDyouth. It is so powerful! // And Rich and I are adding this to our bucket list! Gorgeous. Scary. Rush. Totally awesome! // This article. Amen to number 4! :-) I mean, I love me some babies, but I am so not ready for one of my own.. // BOOM My company made yet another Awesome place to work list! I mean, duh! // O.M.G. This is amazing! I think we need to go on a road trip just to eat everything on this list! // On my personal bucket list: Make Ricotta Cheese // This is totally true! Emails are the WORST // It looks like I am adding this burrito to my SF Bucket List! // This Article #3 - this is totally my siblings & #9 - I know, say what?!

tres.
Last weekend, Rich and I finally walked across the new Bay Bridge. It was a seriously beautiful winter day in the Bay and our last hoorah before Semester Numero Dos of Law School started. The trail across the bridge is about 6 miles round trip and doesn't quite make it to Treasure Island. (The path is projected to extend all the way to the island in the summer of 2015. Not there is much to do there anyway...) They have already started taking down the old bridge which was really neat to see. We reminisced about having driven over the old bridge for our entire life and how surreal the change has been. I must say, the new bridge is pretty spiffy!

cuatro.

This is a bit r-rated but totally hilarious. It's crude, and I.Don't.Even.Care.

cinco.
My celebration beer. "Celebrating what?" you ask? I have been offered permanent employment at my current job! I signed on, initially, as a contractor for 90 days. And that 90 days is about to expire and I was offered a permanent job here! WooHoo!

*5 on Friday Link Up 

A Speakeasy Holiday Party

 

 

  I know that this is super behind, but we just got the pictures from the photobooth, the picture from the photographer came almost immediately after the party, and I just had to share!

If you hadn't noticed, I work for a really fun company. We constantly have treats around the office, monthly massages, catered lunches and dinners with 2 fully stocked kitchens, and fun after work events. I am thankful every day for this opportunity and for all of the awesome people I work with.

Our holiday party was planned by our dedicated Tagged ninjas - yes you read that right ninjas - they take care of our Friday happy hours, all of the fun treats we get in the office and really make our company a lot of fun to work for. The ninjas planned a 20s Themed Speakeasy Holiday Party at a beautiful Art Gallery in San Francisco that was fully equipped with a whiskey bar, a live jazz band, an ice sculpture, a photo booth, people teaching us how to roll cigars and so so so much more. It was definitely a night to remember...well...you know what I mean...!

The best part? That one of my coworkers brought breakfast burritos in the next day to help us cure all of our hangovers for breakfast. It was perfect!

Needless to say, we had a blast and it was so nice to finally introduce Rich to most of the people I work with!

New Job!

I have now been at my job for a few days and I am starting to feel more comfortable with the routine of going to sleep at a decent hour, waking up early and the stimulation of working! I commute using public transportation, which is super easy; however, this whole BART strike is really throwing a wrench into my daily routine…fortunately I have a couple of coworkers who are awesome who live in the area and we are able to carpool together!

I am a project manager for a social media startup. The company culture is awesome, I feel taken care of and the people I work with are friendly and patient! I feel so fortunate to be part of this industry and be working in such a cool environment.

All meals are provided on site with tons of options. For breakfast, they have fresh fruit brought in, every day, and I feel like I am in the bulk aisle at Whole Foods with how many different types of cereal is offered. Lunch is catered by 3 different restaurants, there is an afternoon snack of sandwiches and cookies and dinner is also provided, on a much smaller scale, for those who stay later. There are multiple chess boards, a ping pong table, foosball and pool and did I mention that a yoga instructor comes in twice a week for classes and there is a keg with 2 beers on tap. I like to describe this place as an amusement park for adults! It is amazing!

My first day was also my department’s team outing. Pizza was catered for dinner. While we sipped on beer and margaritas I was able to meet most of the team which was followed by being bussed to a karaoke bar for what will always be considered the best first day in the history of first days!

I hope I didn’t just make you all jealous of my new job….Just know that places like this are real, not just a fantasy you see portrayed in movies and documentaries about Google and Facebook! Are you all about to put in your 2-week notice and move to San Francisco to work in the Tech Industry?! Yeah, I thought so! :-)

Happy Wednesday!

New Job!

I am happy to announce that today is the first day of my new job! Yay! 

After this post, I was offered a job and a week later I was offered another, even better, job! What a lucky gal I am, in this market, that I was given two opportunities to choose from. I cannot wait to start this new chapter in my life and get back to work! Woohoo! Once I get into the swing of things, I will share more details!

Wish me luck!

5 on Friday

1. This Video

think about it.

Definitely gets you thinking about food, what is acceptable for fast food chains to put in their "food" and what we willingly put in our bodies. I am not saying that I don't eat the occasional bad-for-me treats, but I do overwhelm our diets with healthy meals that include lots of veggies with carbs and cheese in moderation. This also gets you thinking about how one person can make a difference. No more excuses! Lets make a difference for ourselves, our society and our future! 

2. This Video

hilariously funny.

(yes...I went there) I love using hashtags, though sometimes I forget to, they are fun and I have definitely seem some that crack me up! However, when they are used in excess, I want to explode! C'mon people! One, maybe two, is enough.

3. Job Searching 

Alright, in all seriousness.... I need a job! I have been searching high and low on job posting sites, I am working with recruiters and networking, networking, networking! I know I haven't been on the search for too long, but I am starting to get restless. Do you all have any great tips to share? Please send them my way! Thanks soo much in advance!

4. AGD

I am proud to say that my collegiate chapter is going through recruitment this weekend and I am more than excited for them! I know that they are going to ROCK it and recruit amazing women to join our sisterhood!

I would also like to brag about the chapter that I have recently started to support in North Carolina - they pinned 15 new members this semester bringing their house up to chapter total! I am soo honored to be apart of this exciting time of year! What a great adventure! I can't wait to see what comes during their formal recruitment in the spring!

WooHoo!

5. This Blog (The Law Student's Wife)

Don't all of these recipes look freaking a-mazing!?

I want to make this, this, this, this, this, this and this. Oh and maybe this, too!

Was that too much? Sorry...I'm not sorry.

both videos were sent to me by one of my dear friends, you know me all too well! - you know who you are, thanks!

Day 8: A Piece of Advice

Challenge: Day 8: A Piece of Advice

---
I have a few pieces of advice for all of you out there...
Marriage Advice: Do some sort of pre-wedding counseling.  Whether it be through your religious affiliation or not, it is really important and I can't stress this enough. Yes, you know your future spouse, I mean, you agreed to marry that person! But there are inevitably topics that you have yet to cover. Trust me! Rich and I only had phone calls and skype dates for the majority of our relationship, so we pride ourselves on our communication skills. Even when the marriage counselling came up, there were topics that we hadn't really talked about and this was a great way to get the conversation started.
Wedding Day Advice: Take about 20-40 minutes to spend time alone with each other. This just happened upon us. We hadn't thought about it. No one told us to do it. Between our ceremony and the reception (and all of the pictures and bustling my dress and and and) our caterer/day-of coordinator set up a tray of hors-dourves and champagne for us in a tucked away room. Away from the guests and the cameras, the flowers and the food to just be together. The room we were in was upstairs and had a big window looking down on the entire reception venue so as we basked in this amazing day we watched our guests enjoy the reception venue. It was magical. We were able to sneak away and spend some alone time together in peace and quiet and shrieks of excitement!
Work Advice: Make sure you are ergonomically set for your body type and drink a lot of water. I can.not. stress this enough. With the way technology is advancing these days, I cannot see moving away from sitting at a desk all day, typing away on a computer keyboard and staring at a computer monitor. Make sure that you are in an as ergonomic friendly position as you can be; if you can stand, stand! And make sure to drink a lot of water, for 2 reasons. 1) To stay hydrated! Obviously. And 2) So it forces you to get up from your desk and walk to the bathroom. Take frequent 1-2 minute breaks to stretch and look at something aside from your computer monitor. Break up your tasks with computer and other tasks that you may have that involves other muscles, and limbs! (Need help: check this out)
Life Advice: Your body is a temple, you only have one so take good care of it. Thanks, mom! This cannot be more true in more ways than one. Keep your mind learning, your body active and your heart loving. If you are lacking stimulation in any of the aforementioned categories, change up your routine! Run a new route, eat a new food, read a new article. Keep up with current events so you can engage in intelligent conversations with people aside from your spouse and your parents. Teach yourself a new language, start a new hobby, don't dwell on the things that hurt you in the past, forgive. All of these things keep us young at heart and wrinkle free!
Happy Hump Day everyone!

A Day in the Life: Customer Service Volume 58

Alright, I know that I have had my new job now for a while, but this is the last one of this series - enjoy, its a good one :-)

So at the end of calls we have to ask the customer if they know someone that would want to have a free trial of our newspaper.

Customer: "Yeah, how about mitt romney"

Me: I laughed, and thinking, oh yeah, I'm going to get this guy... "Oh yeah if you have his address?" 

Customer: "Actually I do.. I already sent one to Ryan"

So I am stunned...

Shocked...

Laughing...

Then he puts me on hold and comes back on the line.

Customer: "Oh yeah here is the file..." and is now rummaging through papers

Customer: "Yeah, you know, the problem now is that he is always traveling..."

Me: "Yes, very good point."

Customer: After a few more seconds of rummaging through paperwork he says: "Oh yeah this isn't it, I'll have to call you back..."

  

Anywhosit

I hope you enjoyed my series of weird customer service calls.

With this one, I would like to bring this chapter of my life to a close...

Finally...

:-)

A Day in the Life: Customer Service Volume 56

Me: This is La Tache, how can I help you?

Customer: (Cheery) Hi La Tache! I have a question for you about something on page B1.

Me: Ok, I'd be happy to help you, are you a current subscriber with us?

Customer: Well, yes, that's why I have page B1... (Sarcastic and rude)

Me: Ok, well you could have a picked up a copy off of the newsstand. May I have your last name?

Customer: Well scr*w you then if you are going to be a b*tch like that

I immediately released the call.

So, no one has ever called me a bitch before (at least to my face ;-))

I couldn't believe how quickly he switched over to this dark side.

Sheesh...

<fortunately, as you now read this...I am in my new position! yahoooo!!>

A Day in the Life: Customer Service Volume 55

Disclaimer, I sometimes work on Saturdays and get the previous Friday off.

I was working on a Saturday....

This customer called to renew his subscription.

At the end of the call:

Customer: Alright, let me guess. You are an art student working here on the weekends to pay for school...?

Me: <Uncomfortable laugh> Ha, I wish, no, this is my job.

An uncomfortable pause follows...

Customer: Well, thanks for being there

bahahaha

I had to laugh out loud at this one...ha!

Thanks for making me feel like my job is totally worthless....

hahaha!

<fortunately, as you now read this...I am in my new position! yahoooo!!>

Workshop in Cincinnati

I had a whirlwind weekend in Cincinnati, more affectionately know as "Cinci"

I woke up on Friday morning, had breakfast, got ready and packed my toiletries.

I called a cab and was driven straight to the airport. 

I went through security, sat down at my gate and watched an ABC.Go show while I waited for my flight.

I got on the plane, headed for Chicago. I did some work, on a presentation, and watched some shows.

We landed in Chicago and I had some time to spare, so I sat down at an airport restaurant and ate dinner, even though it was about 3pm PST...

My friend Lindsay has been raving about this Chicago popcorn, and I saw a shop for it, so I decided to get some - lets just say, I was not disappointed!

The popcorn is a mix of Carmel Corn & Cheddar Corn - mmm mmm, good!

Also, the toilets in Chicago have plastic seat covers that rotate around...

Is it polite or the "right" thing to do after you go to put a clean one on?

ha!

Whats the protocol??

I got on the plane from Chicago to Cinci, deboarded and went to the curb to grab a taxi.

Taking a cab from the airport is interesting because you pay before you get in the cab. You tell them where you are going, they tell you the rate and you pay.

I liked that because there is no room for "taking advantage" (!!)

I made it to the hotel around 10pm local time - yeah...I  lost the entire day! My flight from LAX was at 11:40am and I landed at 9:30pm!

Ouch!

I skyped with the hubster and then went to sleep - which was hard because by the time I was ready to sleep, my body thought it was 9pm!

I woke up on Saturday, had the most amazing Ricotta pancakes at the hotel restaurant, and headed for set up at 8am.

The event start at 10 and went a little over on time, to about 1pm.

We cleaned up, and went to lunch before heading to the airport.

We made it to the airport in time to charge our phones and sit for a few minutes.

We were on the 5pm flight out of Cinci, Dallas Bound.

We landed in Dallas with few minutes to spare - I grabbed a FroYo and we boarded the plane to LAX.

We landed in LA at around 9:00pm (our flight out of Dallas was delayed)

We stopped at TJ's and got a frozen pizza brought it home, ate it and watched some TV - I was pooped, to say the least!

In the span of less than 24 hours, I was in CA, IL, KY, OHH & TX - Talk about exhausted!

It was fun, made a new friend at work and got to rack up some air miles, Credit Card points and eat the most delicious popcorn!!

Happy Monday to all!