I am starting a new blog on my journey to getting healthier & fitter! I recently joined my gym and have already lost 5 pounds. The site will document my work-outs, eating, triumphs and struggles. I hope the blog will motivate me to have a constant reminder of where I'm coming from and where I am going. You can check it out at http://primadharma.blogspot.com Primadharma translated is "One Path". I thought it was appropriate for my journey!

I will still have Day In The Life for my personal blogging on whatever I feel lke, haha.

All The Best,

Erin

Can't sleep...ate...to...much..chocolate

Gosh I feel like I gained 20lbs these past 2 days. Eating,drinking... at least I was merry through it all! I got to see my friend Bridget, my cousins came down for Thanksgiving, hung out at my sisters friend's house last night. Fun fun...

Fun little survey to do...


What was your love life like a year ago?
Exact same as it is now

Have you ever had a serious conversation with your dad?
Yes, lots of wisdom infused....meaning of life type stuff.

Hook-up or the whole relationship thing?
Hook-up please, casually date too...

Who is your closest friend of the opposite sex?
Don't have too many guy friends but my cousin and I are close

Last person to make you smile?
My sister

Who can you blame for your bad mood today?
Myself

What was the last song you listened to?
Top Chef theme song

Name one person who is the most like you?
My fried Kristina from Cali. We have the same humor and demenor

What would you do if your best friend moved?
Wish her luck. I'd be sad but it would be a different place to visit

What is something you really want right now?
A glass of water....

What are you doing this coming weekend?
Well it's Saturday, my life has been pretty fun lately. Maybe shooting a wedding. Not spending to much $$

Do you have any fun plans for today?
Tomorrow I plan on doing random errands, job hunting, yuck.

Is there anyone that you care more about than yourself?
My sister and parents

Last person who held your hand?
A guy I met out a couple weeks ago

What are you listening to at the moment?
Silence. yuck I'm depressing

Do you like to have long hair or short hair?
I'm getting sick of my long hair....uh oh

Do you want to cut your hair?
Yes but everyone says nooo

Are you in a good mood? If yes, Why?
I'm tired but feeling creative, hence this survey

When was the last time you wanted to punch someone in their face?
Hmmm punch? Not sure of anyone lately

Do you think your ex still likes you?
Hahahaha

What is wrong with you right now?
I'm tired, overly full and feel gross

Did you ever waste too much time on a certain boy or girl?
I'm the queen of thinking everyone is my soulmate

Are you slowly drifting away from someone?
Eh...people always are coming and going.

Would you kiss an ugly person for $1,000?
Yes

Has someone close to you passed away this year?
My dog:-( still sad

Do you watch "The Hills"?
Yes it's a guilty pleasure

Last CD you Played?
My mixed one of soul music

What are you thinking about right now?
My ex boyfriends for some reason

Wearing any bracelets?
nope

What were you doing at midnight last night?
Drinking/hanging with the girls

Have you ever gone to a beach?
I live 10 minutes from the beach

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Orange Sherbert

How long does it take you to get ready?
I'm pretty fast, but I get sidetracked a lot

What are you wearing?
Victorias Secret patterned pajama pants and a purple tank top

When was the last time you smiled?
I'm half smiling right now!

Good night....Off to bed.

Giveaway Giveaway Giveaway now

So this giveaway I found is really fun and so cute. Leaving & Loving on a Jet Plane Is giving away a stemware set from Pottery Barn titled "Marie Antoinette Coup Stemware, soooo cute. So go enter!

Best. Thing. Ever.

Michael Phelps... AN (almost) ENCOUNTER

"Okay before I start telling you this, your have to promise your going to believe me", was the words spoken by the guy I met last night in AC.... and the plot thickens

So I'm at Harrah's Pool in Atlantic City, which is a great nightlife club that isn't to clubby and reeeallllly beautiful. I'm chatting it up with some random guy who I'm not attracted to but he makes good conversation. So I ask him, "Why are you here tonight" and he says the above statement. He sparked my curiosity right then and there. He informs me that he is neighbors with Michael Phelps, Phelps asked him if he wanted to TAKE A DAY TRIP to AC to gamble AND Trump flew them out on one of his jets. Soooooo I'm laughing at this point thinking this guy is totally trying WAY to hard. The best athlete in the world at Harrah's Pool nonetheless (leave it to Michael Phelps to goto the casino with the sweet pool). OK so he whips out a picture first of the jet taken at night (it looked legit) THEN a picture of him with Michael Phelps and he's wearing the same shirt! O M G

So My friend Amanda is talking to the other kid and she turns around and also is freaking out because the story is pretty legit. He knows Phelps's dogs name etc... said he lived with him for a month, went to same high school, he's not B.Sing.

SO I asked him "Where is HE?" He says he's playing a private game of cards in the building. O M G outcries again. So I'm chatting to him some more just to be in the presence of someone who is friends with someone of greatness (haha) and he asks my friend and I if we want to go hang out at their hotel suite. I was assuming with PHELPS! Mind you I'm not drunk, but I am starstruck and freaking out. MY friend and I follow these guys out to their Limo, then all of a sudden a wave of questions plague my thoughts..

What if they are liars & con artists?

What if they are taking us to a shady place and are LYING

What if the whole thing is B.S (you get the point)

Honestly though they were totally telling the truth, they were nice guys and both my friend and I admitted they were not sketchy. BUT my other friend who was drunk was like "Hell no, I am not getting in there (she hadn't been talking to them) so we kinda just ditched them and left ( It was also 5am).

So who knows if I would've rendezvoused with Micheal at the Taj sipping on vodka infused with the gold of his medals chatting it up with him about his uhhh strokes....ummm err...

Wow.... Maybe we would've met him, maybe not, but all in all it was a pretty memorable night to say the least.

The Good, The Bad & The Truth

No one I know (personally) reads my blog. That's the way I like it. I don't know if what I am about to say is "venting" or writing out my confusion with people's decisions lately. So, recently my sister's 2 best friends both found out they were pregnant (Age 21). They are both equally immature, still in their crazy party years and can barely take care of themselves. They said they forgot to use birth control. At first I felt shock, then I was thinking that safe sex is the one thing your cannot be lenient about. Okay, so not done. Today I find out my other friend (Age 23) is pregnant. You may be saying to yourself, "23, that's ok!) It reality, this friend drinks more than any friend I have, smokes 2 packs a day and has no job (still in school). I know these things, "just happen" and you cannot reverse them, but I wonder if these girls actually "forgot" the birth control. The three of them are dramatic and crave attention. Being skeptical, I wonder if these "accidents" are really legit or maybe just a simple cry for help. The miracle of life is an amazing thing, and I am not condemning their right to have a baby. It just seems fishy to me.

I don't know what to feel about it...and I don't know if I ever will until I am in their shoes. It's shocking to me though that these 3 girls, with whom I saw partying it up for at least 3 more years will be with child in 9 months. It's unknown the reasons why our lives take turns, and sometimes the turn comes to a screeching halt. Other times we are finally out of the dark tunnel and events occur that help us to see the light. Crazy events like this are sometimes a sign to chill out or just show someone consequences to their actions. It could be deeper and be a cry for help, or it's as simple as them forgetting to use birth control..... They are the only ones who know the truth.

Ugh...

Twilight zone

I finished Twilight...

...and Loooooved it. Stephanie Meyer is not only a great writer, but writes with passion and keeps your wanting more. The love scenes were pretty passionate I must say!!!!! The storyline has that Harry Potter-esque feel of a distant reality while reading, (the vampires have a history and it's supported by storyline facts that make it all make sense to you). I'm super excited for the movie as well. I feel this book should be read by my generation, because it falls on that line of maturity and playfulness. You feel old enough to understand the emotions Bella and Edward feel, but you can't resist wishing all the super powers the vampires had were real (mannn....)

Anyway, read it, don't feel "too old". Trust me, it's great. Off to the movie on Friday.

Cold Cold day in NJ... Snow maybe tonight.

Still haven't gotten a call from the film company....maybe soon. Trying not to think about it, hence finishing a 500 page book in 48 hours.

Off to watch Biggest Loser, I kinda love it.

And for you.....

Music of the day ~ Jack Johnson ~ Christmas Album! YAYYY!




AND

Head on over to Grounded Fitness for a giveaway of "Nature's Path" products. I Loooove their bars/hot cereal, good and organic :)

Who is this?.... It's me

For some reason I can't get enough of this SNL skit. Is it because Paul Rudd is hot, or that the hahahaha song is infectious....It's twisted and dark but so unlike normal SNL and friggin' hilarious.

Did anyone catch Justin Timerlake's dance in Beyonce's video! So funny too

Tofu Medley

Just got back from Borders!

Bought the Twilight books 1 and 2, (I know I am one of those people now hahaha) and made myself a delicious lunch:



It includes

1/2 block of marinated bbq tofu I had from 2 days ago.

1/4 of cut cucumber

1 slice of American Cheese

drizzle of bbq sauce and Franks Red Hot Sauce (I'm obsessed with it)

1 Whole Wheat Mission Wrap

It's delicious.....yummmmmmmmm

I'll let you know how Twilight is....Hopefully worth the read :)

Diet or obsession...

I stumbled on an article at The Weighting Game about orthorexia. This definitely opened my eyes to a fine line between healthy eating and obsession...

Excerpt:

When eating begins to interfere with your life, monopolize your time or dictate how "good" or "pure" you feel, there's a problem.

There's always a point where you need to step back and draw a line that could save your life.

Glow on over....

I've always been out to find blogs that keep me going back to read each day. I have most of them listed in my "sites I visit". I don't usually advertise on here but, I reeeally love Angela's blog over at "Oh She Glows". Not only for the fact that she featured me in her post today for sending in a "food" post, (it's funny my food consists of coffee and wine!), but she writes on a varied list of topics such as health, food, lifestyle, fashion and product reviews. She also does interactive polls which I love. I am pretty selective with blogs, in that some are hard to read, overly bragging, or trying to "preach" something. Angela's blog is far from anything I dislike. She's sincere and honest and well... just go check it out :-)

Oh She Glows

Tell her Erin sent you :-)

I'm off to eat some sushi and food shop a little. I need ideas for a Thanksgiving appetizer away from the traditional

It's been a long day

First and last drink of the day...




enough said my friends....

~~~
~~~
~~~


(P.S. I did cheesily place the wine in line with my header on my blog!!)

Positively 4th Street

Had the interview....

And it went VERY WELL! He said I could start off doing part-time odds and ends and office work. I'd also get to goto the film shoots! He's going to call me next week.... to confirm I guess? Honestly I would do ANYTHING (almost!) to just work in film production. He was such an interesting man, not creepy at all just interesting. He paints, does real estate, antique appraisal. He also asked me the most random questions on my interview like.

1. Do you smoke?
2. Have you ever been injured?
3. Are you married (um errr haha)

Whats the weirdest interview questions you've ever been asked?


My best friend Ashley works in the building, who got me the interview, and we went to Java on 4th street for lunch. I had a mozzerella, basil and tomato baquette which was delicious and fresh tasting. I really liked the area the building was in. It is a magnified version of small town Fort Collins, but still eclectic. The commute was about an hour and a half, which if I work out hours I think I can pull-off.

It's weird when you're on the brink of a life change, or on the brink of a let down. I picture myself standing on the edge of an airplane waiting to freefall and it makes my stomach jump. It's these moments in your life though that when you look back on them you daydream about the excitement you felt. I love uncertainty and chaos, unlike others. So I'm going to wait with bated breath for the biggest news of my life.... Translation... I will be going out with my friends tonight and placing all this in the back of my head.

Song of the day: Days Like This - Van Morrison & Positively 4th Street - Bob Dylan (it just seems appropriate:-)

Have a good weekend....

Interview - Check

I got a call from the film company owner.

The interview is tomorrow morning in Philly! Haven't been there in a while! And I get to see my best friend Ashley who I haven't seen in a year! It's a win-win either way I think!

Off to my friend Daryl's then possibly shopping for an "interview" shirt.

Rainy Rainy day here...I just took a long bath and read "Haunted". It's kinda hard to get through....Even though I love Chuck Palahniuk.

Kind of non-exciting day.

Marinating tofu (bbq style) for dinner! YUM.

Happy Thursday~

Shrimp Chowder by Erin&Sis

Just adding...

My sister and I made delicious (spicy) shrimp chowder 2 days ago! We used 2lbs of shrimp and used a lot of ingredients off of Ina Garten's Shrimp Bisque recipe here (we doubled it too):

Ingredients

* 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
* 4 cups seafood stock
* 3 tablespoons good olive oil (I hate when she says "good")
* 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (We used carrots celery and onions instead, yum)
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
* Pinch cayenne pepper
* 1/4 cup Cognac or brandy (didn't use this didn't matter)
* 1/4 cup dry sherry
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 cups half-and-half
* 1/3 cup tomato paste
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



I added some extra spice (curry/cayenne), a bag of shrimp seasoning that you take out after 8 minutes, and some coconut milk (which was SUCH A GOOD ADDITION). I made homemade seafood stock too, which is simply by just putting the shells in the broth.

My dad and mom said it was a little to spicy, BUT I tried it again today and the flavors tasted so good together! I am a spice freak!!!

To Good To Be True

My best friend Ashley called me today with some good news....

The film company that works in her building may be calling me for an interview this week! WHAT????? The owner said my resume was impressive. The thing is, when stuff like this happens to me, I always get this bittersweet feeling. I am excited and overjoyed but also doubtful and psyching myself out at the same time. This job would be a dream come true.... I am not even kidding. Not only would I be working in film production, BUT I'd be working in the same building as my best friend.... Ok see what just happened?

I go off on a tangent about it get all excited then realize, "What if I DON'T get it?" It would be so heartbreaking. It's the paradox of my life. I always did say to myself when I moved out West that, "What's the worst thing that could happen?". I think I need to work on not thinking ahead and just focusing on what is occurring right now. I tend to get ahead of myself to the point where I am on a mountain looking down on myself saying, "C'mon, follow me up!" Or I'm at the bottom of looking up saying, "Erin, come down, you're not there yet".

Besides this new addition to the "job hunting extravaganza" I call my life, I am still waiting to hear about the details of the New Orleans trip. Who knows what it'll entail.

As for my social life, I haven't been this happy in a while with the people I am around. I do miss so many people from CO, but there's a certain comfortable feeling I get when I am around my sister, parents and friends from NJ. I had forgotten a lot of great conversations and points of view that they enlighten me with on a daily basis. Going away from a comfort zone is a good thing because it shows you what your made of, but I think the feeling of returning beats going away any day.

Wow, I'm extremely deep today. Maybe I should tread to shallower waters for a little bit and go watch some Food Network.

And with that a message from Bob:

I don't think the human mind can comprehend the past and the future. They are both just illusions that can manipulate you into thinking theres some kind of change.
Bob Dylan

...so right...all the time

Let the seasons begin... it rolls right on

MUSIC
Sooo, I first heard this song over the summer when I listened to a CD my sister burned. The song is "Elephant Gun" by Beirut. I just stumbled on it again and wow. It is soooo beautiful and at the same time unlike anything I've heard in a while.

When I shut my eyes I'm in a small village dancing around in a flowery skirt with the mariachi band playing. It's AMAZING. Listen here:

The video is out there, but pretty passionate. I think you could describe it best as "drunken splendor". Ahhh.... flowery, vibrant and melodic.

TV
Side note.... It's happened. I've been bit by the vampire bug. Actually my friend Sonia has gotten me obsessed with "True Blood" and has RAVED about Twilight for the past 2 weeks. True Blood is in that phase right now where it will either take off or crash. I think it's intriguing except that lead girl Suki annoys me. The concept is interesting and it plays on the whole good vs. evil card. She said she read the book in 4 days and it's 600 pages AND she hates to read. The series has nothing to do with the book/movie except for the fact that there are vampires involved.

I don't know why this has such an appeal to me. I'm usually down for "The Office" type TV. I watch "Entourage" on Sundays and True Blood is on before. I feel like I've always made fun of "vampire-eqsue" pop culture until now. Maybe I feel like vampires are kinda hot, in the mysterious, kinda eclectic types I usually fall for, who suck the life out of you on their disposal, haha. Sooner or later I'm going to be ordering red wine at bars and using pale cover-up. Watch out. HAHA. I'm buying the book tomorrow to see what all the actual fuss is about. Until then, I'll have to simply assume I was put under hypnosis which caused the obsession.

There is a house in New Orleans......

Soo......

A lot has happened in the last 12 hours.

I recently got a call from the company I had an interview with to shoot a documentary for the Sugar Bowl, and.......

They want me to shoot the documentary!!!!

It's funny I had no idea what the Sugar Bowl was, or that is was in New Orleans, but I'm going from December 30th to January 3rd and well I have absolutely no clue what equipment I'll have, who I'll be with or where I'll be staying. So this is my official first PAID business trip and I hope I have many more! I just can't believe I'm getting paid to go on a trip to shoot video, which is what I love doing. Everything DOES HAPPEN FOR A REASON.

My friend Kim told me about this book called, "The Secret", I'm sure you've heard of it. It's motto is to think about what you want to happen and it will. I wanted this job and believed I would get it and I did. Haha, I may be sounding like an extreme optimist but every time I've used this mantra, it's worked for the most part.

My good friend from college is also passing my resume onto a film producer who works in her building in Philly. We'll see if anything happens. If her and I worked in the same building my life would be complete.


So, this sure beats my self-loathing previous posts about the world and the job market. Even though still no "full-time" job has been landed, I hope this opportunity leads me to new ventures, or just to New Orleans, on New Years? Hopefully I'll get to party a little, hahahaha.

I'm shooting a wedding tomorrow in Hammonton with my co-worker Jay. He's my age so things are usually pretty chill. My friend Jess did know him from high school and told me a pretty incriminating story involving him, his ___ a picture and a piercing. Hmmm.... I can't seem to get this out of my head. And to think I was slightly attracted to him. Maybe I still am, hahahahaha. No one that reads this will tell.

So, Life is good, and has always come around and helped me out when I needed it!

So for music today, I really love Kings of Leon lately and love "Use Somebody" and "Sex on Fire". Trust me, listening to them once won't do it, you'll think it's nothing special. But listen to them again and you'll see what I mean.

Peace, Love, and Future Ventures,
Erin

Proud

~Postsecret entry last week...


Right on....

Bob is a genius

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand

Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.

Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.