New Year New Diet- Ideal Protein Style

Wow it has been a year and almost a 100 pounds lost since my last post.

I am starting my new Ideal Protein diet, and with the high protein, low carb diet I will need an outlet. So, for the next I will be cataloging my progress, recipes (using IP sanctioned foods of course), and letting you guys now how I am fairing.

So, I have had my 2 IP meals and a snack. Which has consisted of a Pink Lemonade Drink Mix, Chocolate Drink Mix, and a Butterscotch Pudding Mix. I am NOT a fan of the Pink Lemonade- you can definitely taste the protein. The chocolate shake was delicious,  as was the butterscotch pudding.

Lesson One though: Do NOT take the nutritional supplements with a drink mix alone. Wait until your meal of the day, otherwise you risk the chance of nauseousness. Which this being my first day I did experience.

Again, this being day one I don't have too much to say, but will be sure to keep you posted.

The Love of Fridays and Romance Novels

There is nothing better on a Friday afternoon than curling up for the weekend with a romance novel. Especially when you have a new release sitting at home waiting for you.

This thought has been getting me through the day and will continue to do so until my clock hits 6pm. By the time Friday evening rolls around I am exhausted, but the thought of curling up on my couch reading a good book can get me though anything. Come Saturday night I'll be ready to party but nothing beats the love of Fridays and Romance novels.

Come on weekend I am ready for you!!

Does Anyone Every Really Grow Up?

This past weekend my mother and grandmother came down and visited me in my new apartment. Of course when your mother comes to visit a massive clean up always precedes. I am going to be honest, even though I am 24 years old I don't think I will ever grow out of being spoiled by my mother. We took a trip to Garden Ridge where my mother and grandmother (Tete as we call her- that is a story for another day) argued at the checkout as to who would be the one paying. There is something about two people arguing over who will pay for you that is a little odd. I wasn't sure if I should laugh or join in and argue to pick up the check myself. Instead, my mother and Tete decided that one would take care of Garden Ridge and the other would buy me groceries. After our trip in the grocery store we went back to my apartment where my grandmother put everything away even though she knew where nothing went. After everything was "in its place" she proceeded to take every pot I had out of the cabinets and re-wash them. This was all while my mother was putting my laundry in the dryer and adding a new load to the washer. We put curtains up, re-arranged the decorations that "didn't look right", and cleaned every surface of my apartment with white wine vinegar (which I didn't know before Saturday is a miracle product. It can clean everything from floors and mirrors, to walls and bathtubs).

Come Sunday afternoon I was sitting in the cleanest apartment I have ever had, with clean clothes for the week, and a fridge full of groceries. After the whirlwind of the weekend- the silence was almost deafening.

There is no feeling like being taken care of by your family. I don't think I will ever grow out of it and to be honest I don't think I will ever really want to.

10 Qualities All Assistants Should Aquire

So, I found out on Monday that my boss is looking to replace me. He assured me that I would not be out of a job and he would give me ample time to find work. In fact he would like to keep me on as his personal assistant. SMACK- what now? Do I look like Mrs. Fucking Cleaver? If that wasn't bad enough he went on to explain all of the reasons why I would make a great assistant; like answering the phone and scheduling his meetings. Which is exactly why I spent four years and a fortune on a college degree.

Why do I think I was the lucky pick:

1) Big Boobs- a must for an assistant in the office. Low cut shirt...optional
2) Ignore the balding spot- no matter how large it seems to be getting
3) "HAHAHA your so funny!"
4) No you didn't just see him grab crotch while you were trying to ask him a serious question regarding the office.
5) Dirty dish from lunch that you left conveniently on my desk- sure I'll clean it...pass the Dial!
6) Cute voice, sexy tone makes one hell of a message taker.
7) No I don't need help carrying the 20 lbs bag filled with your lecture materials...oh shit but do you mind picking up those papers that just fell on the ground. No...that's okay I can get them....
8) No intercom- fine just yell my name across the office every time you need something faxed...I'll hear you.
9) Of course I take full responsibility for you running late- there is no excuse for me not reminding you for a third time you needed to be on the road by 11:45am.
10)"Yes Sir I'm On It"

Oh there is nothing more satisfying then being the office bitch.

Why Can't You Be More Like That

One of the hardest jobs out there is dealing with people. Everyone has a different personality, a different way of handling situations, a unique way of "doing" things. I have never met two people who did things the exact same. EVER! With anything!! But every once in awhile you will get someone that asks you the age old question "why can't you do it like she used to do?" What do you say to that? How do you answer a question like that? 

Today at work I had a meeting with my boss (or should I say confrontation since he did most of the talking and I sat there taking it). Eventually, I was being compared to his old Marketing Manager, Kate, who in his eyes should be renamed "Kate The Great", in which every aspect of my job she did better. Oh KTG used to do this, and she was great at that, and blah blah blah. Why can't you be more like KTG? As I sat their silently fuming, all I could think was- she is not that great, in fact she is as personable as a stick and rudeness seems to rise from her like steam off of crap. I swear I can see it and it's mean- real mean. Why in the world would a guy even compare you to another female...to your face? I know I have a tendency to be stoic, but wouldn't anyone be able to see how making a comparison like that could hurt ones feelings? Or more importantly piss you off?

I spent the rest of the afternoon not knowing if I should be sad or mad. Eventually I said screw it. I am who I am, I am good at what I'm good at, and I am bad at what I'm bad at. At the end of the day I like me just fine. I am Stephanie Marie Seufert dammit. I wouldn't want to be more like anyone else, not even KTG, and if he don't like it he can find somebody else.

How I only wish I could have said this to my boss' face, but money talks and bullshit walks...I think he knew that too. Which, I guess, means he can compare me to whomever he pleases- because I will sit there and take it, because that's who I am.

Is This A Dream Or Did That Really Just Happen?

So, as I have mentioned a few times in my young blogging life- I am trying to become a writer. Today was my first interview as a freelance proofreader. And yes, even though this wasn't a writing gig I thought- hey anyway I can get a foot inside a publishing company couldn't hurt...right?

I scheduled the interview during my lunch break (as I am still working full time to pay the bills) and thought even if nothing came of it I would still gain valuable experience in the world of publishing. Needless to say I will probably not hear back from this publishing house. I show up extremely early (about 45 minutes) which for me is a blessing from God, since I am usually about 10 minutes late to everything! They did not like this...at all. Now, before the interview I did all of the research- went to their site, researched their authors, but somehow after all of this I missed the part of them being an erotic book publisher. I don't know how I missed this, but I did. I am not a prude by any means- in fact I LOVE romance novels (historical, paranormal, regency, contemporary, etc.), but when you are not expecting erotica it can throw you off. I think I turned bright red about 4 times in a 5 minute period. I only wish there was some way I could have captured the moment I found out I was in an erotic publishing house. Not a very good showing by any means.

I also had to rush through the interview, as my lunch break is only an hour long. My boss had scheduled a meeting for this afternoon that I was not expecting.

So- the experience as a whole was not so great.

The question of the day you ask? Where is the balance?? Now I would have loved to have taken the time to really delve into the history of the publishing company. Maybe then I would have noticed what I was getting into. But by the time I got home yesterday from work- I was tired, hungry, and on the whole I have about 1 hour before I slip into a comatose state in front of the television. Then, my boss plans an afternoon meeting, and since this is the job that's paying now, it is the priority. How do you balance what it is you want to do in life with what you are doing at the moment? How do I juggle this and at what point do you say "you know what writing is what I want to do, therefore everything else is on the back burner". I would like to know how others have done it, and how I can go about doing it better, because another interview like the one I had this afternoon and I can kiss my dreams goodbye.

The one positive: this adventure does make one funny ass story. And being that life is a series of stories I guess the next step is finding the working balance between living them and writing to tell about them.

Figuring It All Out

When I graduated from college- the world was my oyster. The problem you may ask...what in the hell do I do with it? I finally realized I do have goals for my life (see my fist post), but more importantly I have figured out what to do with myself. Like really "do" with myself (and it only took two years- which I feel is adequete time). I want to be a WRITER. Not just someone who writes, but a real writer- one who has articles, blogs, and books all written by ME. I would like to make a career out of it- I can only imagine when I can actually focus full-time on making this happen. I know it is not easy for a freelance writer to break into the field. To be honest I am not even sure where to start. I should probably focus on writing- sounds easy right? I need to finish my manuscript. Start getting my name out there. Try and actually make this work.

Anyone out there a writer? If so, any tips, ideas, direction would be more appreciated than you could possibly imagine!

To everyone out there who has found their path- HERE'S TO THE JOURNEY!!
Lets hope it's one hell of a ride!