I got the job. Portland, here I come.
I thought I'd be able to relax and calm down once I finally heard back from I**** (regardless of the decision they made)... but now I'm anxious and breathless in a new way.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Quick Thanksgiving
Work is having a potluck tomorrow and because I love Thanksgiving foods, I went a little crazy and I am bringing 3 things tomorrow.
1) Sausage, Cranberry, Apple Stuffing
2) Sweet Potato Casserole
3) Red Velvet Cake Balls
The cake balls are kind of a mess and I'm a bit embarrassed to bring them in (but I don't want to keep them because I'll eat them all). The cake mix / frosting ratio was off in the recipe, and I wasn't paying attention and added too much frosting -- so the cake was a gooey mess to work with, even after leaving it in the fridge to harden up a bit. This is what I get for relying on a boxed cake mix and canned frosting. Then the chocolate bark stuff didn't melt well, and in a rush to finish it all up, they just don't look that nice. But they taste fine.
The sweet potato casserole went off without a hitch, but it's a no-brainer recipe.
I'm most proud of the stuffing, which turned out great, and I kind of did up my own recipe based on two similar ones -- recipe 1 and recipe 2. Here's my combo version which I will definitely make again in the future:
Sausage, Cranberry, Apple, Stuffing
About 6 to 8 corn muffins (1 box of Jiffy)
Loaf of hearty bread (the one I got says 24 oz -- 1 pound 8 ounces)
2 leeks (chopped)
3-4 stalks of celery (diced)
1/2 onion (diced)
6 T. butter
Minced fresh sage, rosemary, thyme (maybe about 1-2 Tbsp worth) -- use more sage & rosemary than thyme
1 pound sausage (I used Jimmy Dean sage sausage)
1 Granny Smith apple (diced)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup flat parsley (Italian parsley)
2-4 cups chicken broth
1) Break corn muffins & loaf of bread into small chunks and dry out in the oven/lightly toast -- use a low temperature, like 300 degrees. Put the bread chunks in a large bowl.
2) Cook leeks, celery, and onion in the butter for about 20 minutes (add some salt and pepper). Break sausage into vegetable mixture and cook sausage through. Add the sage, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 2 more minutes.
3) Add sausage mixture to the bread chunks. Stir in apple, cranberries, and parsley. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and assess the moisture of the mix.
4) Spread stuffing into shallow baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Take off foil in the last 15 minutes or so to crisp up the top.
1) Sausage, Cranberry, Apple Stuffing
2) Sweet Potato Casserole
3) Red Velvet Cake Balls
The cake balls are kind of a mess and I'm a bit embarrassed to bring them in (but I don't want to keep them because I'll eat them all). The cake mix / frosting ratio was off in the recipe, and I wasn't paying attention and added too much frosting -- so the cake was a gooey mess to work with, even after leaving it in the fridge to harden up a bit. This is what I get for relying on a boxed cake mix and canned frosting. Then the chocolate bark stuff didn't melt well, and in a rush to finish it all up, they just don't look that nice. But they taste fine.
The sweet potato casserole went off without a hitch, but it's a no-brainer recipe.
I'm most proud of the stuffing, which turned out great, and I kind of did up my own recipe based on two similar ones -- recipe 1 and recipe 2. Here's my combo version which I will definitely make again in the future:
Sausage, Cranberry, Apple, Stuffing
About 6 to 8 corn muffins (1 box of Jiffy)
Loaf of hearty bread (the one I got says 24 oz -- 1 pound 8 ounces)
2 leeks (chopped)
3-4 stalks of celery (diced)
1/2 onion (diced)
6 T. butter
Minced fresh sage, rosemary, thyme (maybe about 1-2 Tbsp worth) -- use more sage & rosemary than thyme
1 pound sausage (I used Jimmy Dean sage sausage)
1 Granny Smith apple (diced)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup flat parsley (Italian parsley)
2-4 cups chicken broth
1) Break corn muffins & loaf of bread into small chunks and dry out in the oven/lightly toast -- use a low temperature, like 300 degrees. Put the bread chunks in a large bowl.
2) Cook leeks, celery, and onion in the butter for about 20 minutes (add some salt and pepper). Break sausage into vegetable mixture and cook sausage through. Add the sage, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 2 more minutes.
3) Add sausage mixture to the bread chunks. Stir in apple, cranberries, and parsley. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and assess the moisture of the mix.
4) Spread stuffing into shallow baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Take off foil in the last 15 minutes or so to crisp up the top.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Antsy antsy antsy
I've been vacillating between confident optimism and resigned despair for the past 11 days as I continue to wait for the In*** results. I've become compulsively obsessed with staring at the Gmail web browser tab that stays open during the work day, waiting for it to refresh with a new message -- or alternatively, staring at my phone, waiting for it to light-up with an incoming call. Not a pleasant state of mind to be in, and now I'm just ready for the results so I can move forward either way.
As of tonight, I'm leaning more toward the mindset that I didn't get the job, because hey, if they really really wanted me, surely they would have said something by now. Though, granted, one of my UT friends just got a great librarian position at a city university, and they took 6 weeks to notify her (and her interview process was 11 hours to boot -- it included breakfast and dinner with the team).
Luckily, I have a very excellent distraction to occupy myself with now -- I'm going to Mexico City for vacation with the bf next week. I was there exactly 2 years ago and enjoyed the few days in MEX immensely (the rest of the trip was spent in a small beach town much further south). However, on the last trip, L. Noodle and I had quite a cushy time since her Mexican buddies took us around and handled all the transportation, translations, and planning. The burden of figuring it out on one's own (or at least with a lot of prior Internet research) is a welcomed task though, and I can't wait to go back there.
As of tonight, I'm leaning more toward the mindset that I didn't get the job, because hey, if they really really wanted me, surely they would have said something by now. Though, granted, one of my UT friends just got a great librarian position at a city university, and they took 6 weeks to notify her (and her interview process was 11 hours to boot -- it included breakfast and dinner with the team).
Luckily, I have a very excellent distraction to occupy myself with now -- I'm going to Mexico City for vacation with the bf next week. I was there exactly 2 years ago and enjoyed the few days in MEX immensely (the rest of the trip was spent in a small beach town much further south). However, on the last trip, L. Noodle and I had quite a cushy time since her Mexican buddies took us around and handled all the transportation, translations, and planning. The burden of figuring it out on one's own (or at least with a lot of prior Internet research) is a welcomed task though, and I can't wait to go back there.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Back from In**l
All in all, the interview day went as best as it could. The current status is that they're supposedly interviewing more candidates on-site in the next coming weeks, and then they'll get back to me.
I very much want this job, and want to be back in P-town, but of course it is not up to me at this point. I've laid out my cards and presented myself as best as I could, and now it's just time to wait and hope that they see an alignment of my capabilities and the skills needed for this position.
Positives:
This team did not pull out any of those lame, generic, behavioral interview questions. In fact, there were no stupid questions whatsoever, I'm impressed. Each "interview" was more like having an interesting conversation on topics of design strategy, which were based primarily upon my experiences at my current job.
I was the least nervous I have ever been when giving an hour-long presentation. Some things I mentally did with myself which I think helped minimize nerves: 1) Focused on the idea that being nervous is a rude behavior because it makes other people uncomfortable -- so don't be nervous; 2) What I get to talk about are cool & fun ideas on design, and so just relax and view the talk as a series of interesting stories I get to tell.
Socially, I think I was a good fit. There were no awkward moments that I detected in terms of general bantering with the team.
Negatives:
The team needs someone who can take a leadership role for this position--maybe they'll perceive me as not having the necessary charisma and vision to be a project leader. Especially perhaps in comparison to other people they might interview.
My presentation was a little disjointed and some of my sentences were a bit repetitive.
I very much want this job, and want to be back in P-town, but of course it is not up to me at this point. I've laid out my cards and presented myself as best as I could, and now it's just time to wait and hope that they see an alignment of my capabilities and the skills needed for this position.
Positives:
This team did not pull out any of those lame, generic, behavioral interview questions. In fact, there were no stupid questions whatsoever, I'm impressed. Each "interview" was more like having an interesting conversation on topics of design strategy, which were based primarily upon my experiences at my current job.
I was the least nervous I have ever been when giving an hour-long presentation. Some things I mentally did with myself which I think helped minimize nerves: 1) Focused on the idea that being nervous is a rude behavior because it makes other people uncomfortable -- so don't be nervous; 2) What I get to talk about are cool & fun ideas on design, and so just relax and view the talk as a series of interesting stories I get to tell.
Socially, I think I was a good fit. There were no awkward moments that I detected in terms of general bantering with the team.
Negatives:
The team needs someone who can take a leadership role for this position--maybe they'll perceive me as not having the necessary charisma and vision to be a project leader. Especially perhaps in comparison to other people they might interview.
My presentation was a little disjointed and some of my sentences were a bit repetitive.
Monday, November 1, 2010
November Workouts
| Su | M | T | W | Th | F | Sa |
| (1) 5 mile run + 1 mile walk | (2) Nothing | (3) 4 mile run + 1 mile walk | (4) Nothing | (5) Nothing | Nothing | |
| Nothing | 5 mile run + 1 mile walk | 3.5 mile treadmill run + 1.5 mile walk | 60 minutes yoga | 5 mile run | 4.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk | Nothing |
| Nothing | 6 mile run + 1 mile walk | 4 mile treadmill run + 1 mile walk | 60 minutes yoga | 3.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk | 6 mile run + 3 mile walk | Nothing |
| Nothing | 5 mile run | Nothing (Mexico City) | Nothing (Mexico City) | Nothing (Mexico City) | Nothing (Mexico City) | Nothing (Mexico City) |
| Nothing (Mexico City) | Nothing (Mexico City) | Nothing |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)