May 2025

Interviews are about as stressful as first dates, except in this case your risking a better job with a better salary, not a guy who will make you fall in love with him until you discover he has a foot fetish and possibly a drinking problem. (Too much?)

Whether this is your first time or your coming out of a long term relationship job, it never hurts to brush up your answers on the most popular interview questions. Be warned, most are trick questions where the person interviewing you doesn’t really care to know what your greatest weakness is. And no, working too hard, caring too much and being too invested in your job are not weaknesses. (Please tell me one of you recognizes that reference.)

Before your next interview grab your resume, cover letter and the job posting, and take some real time to answer the questions below. There’s a 100% chance you’ll get asked at least have of the questions listed, so it’s better to mess up your answers in front of your pet, mirror and friends than in the actual interview. Along with the questions I added a straightforward guide on possible ways to answer each question.

Tell me about yourself. 

This is the time to not only reintroduce yourself, but mention where you studied, currently work and something interesting about yourself to set yourself apart and make you memorable. I’m not recommending you share something odd like your Gilmore Girl’s DVD collection, but mentioning that you studied abroad or volunteer somewhere is a good alternative. 

What interests you about this job?

You want to sound like you want it, but at the same time not sound too desperate. Talk about how you meet the qualifications while also having certain aspects that you are interested to learn more about. If your degree ties into the job field, mention why you chose that field of study, and if not, discuss what interests you about that career path.

What do you know about the company?

As someone who has worked in the hiring department of a company, I know that this question can make or break an interview, and it’s usually one of the first ones asked. Take the time to read the company’s website, learn what ongoing projects they have and what their mission statement is. If you don’t know much about the field, at least you can learn what the organization believes it is working towards. 

Related Post: The Best 5 Websites to Find Your Next Job Now!

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Don’t try to be cute and give some fake ass weakness, it’ll just annoy them and most likely lead them to just have to ask you again. Come up with one real weakness along with what you are currently doing to combat it. For your strength, mention something that ties into your last job role or one of the job requirements for the position you are interviewing for. 

Why did you leave your last job?

Never insult your coworkers or the organization you once worked for, because at the end of the interview it reflects poorly on you. Instead mention that the job wasn’t a good fit with a brief synopsis of what made you begin to look elsewhere. If your coworkers were the problem, you can translate that into saying you much rather work in a team oriented environment, or whatever sounds best for the job you’re applying for.

Related Post: How to Make the Best Resume with 10 Easy Tips

How do you deal with conflict/stress in the workplace?

If you work in a retail setting, this is one of the most important questions, but in a professional setting, it says more about how you handle uncomfortable situations. Employers tend to prefer answers that illustrate you taking control of a situation instead of running to HR, although there’s nothing wrong with needing extra support. As long as you’re ready with a strategy of how you plan to combat conflict and stress, there is no real wrong answer.

What’s one of your biggest professional accomplishments?

Do not mention anything that doesn’t directly apply to the position, this is your chance to mention relevant work skills that make you look like an ideal candidate. Use buzzwords like cooperation, managing multiple priorities and setting benchmarks for your goals. Practice this one until you get it right, because with the right example it can set up apart from all the other candidates. 

Tell us about a time you failed. 

A time you failed professionally! Not personally, just in case you were wondering if your last relationship was worth mentioning. Don’t set yourself to look like a failure though, bring up an example where you took steps to never make that mistake again or learn from the experience. It’s perfectly fine to say something didn’t go as you planned, as long as you can explain what you took from the situation. 

Related Post: 10 Reasons You Didn’t Get the Job

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’m a bit different from most people when they answer this, in the sense that I’m brutally honest in telling employers what my five year plans actually are. Currently I work in the administrative end of a law firm, and during my interview I let them know I had no interest in human resources or law, I just needed something to do until I earned my masters. Most people don’t do this. You can choose how to answer this, the important thing is to emphasize how you are currently qualified for the job. If you can do the job well now, they shouldn’t be too worried about where you plan to be in five years.

Why should we hire you?

This is your chance to brag about yourself, so don’t be shy! Mention your work experience, past projects and what your plans are if you do get the position. Employers don’t expect a perfect answer, but they don’t want to see you advocate for yourself. Feel free to mention specific needs mentioned in the job posting or interests you have in projects they already have going on.

What’s the hardest question you’ve ever been asked in an interview? 

First days of work are hard. Don’t believe me? You must not have read my last post on how I cried in my office, twice. You can read all about that embarrassing moment here. As someone who likes to prepare for every possible situation, first days of work are a mix of anxiety and excitement, with a whole lot of caffeine added throughout the day. If you’re starting a new job soon or just moving to a different department, it’s important your first impression be the best represenation of you. In my last poisiton it was my job to get new staff memmbers acquainted with the office, as well as answer any questions they had about everything from copy machines to lunch recommendations. I’ll admit that seasoned staff members have a lot to say about new people, and it’s not always kind. Make sure you put your best you forward by makng your first day in the office a productive one, here’s how.

Related Post: 8 Reasons Your Coworkers Don’t Like You

I know, I know, having to get to know a whole new office of people sucks, but it’s so important you get this out of the way on day one. The reason you want to do this on your firsty day is because people are most receptive to talking to and helping you when you’re new, so use your inexperience as an advantage. Plus, people are most likely talking about there being a new person anyways, so make sure you make yourself known with a good impression.

Before my first office job I had no idea that it’s typical for someone from the company to take you out to lunch on your first day. Besides making a friend in the office, going to lunch with a coworker is a great way to ask questions one on one with someone who isn’t your boss, and learn a little more about what’s both inside and outside the office.

Related Post: 20 Things Only People with an Office Job Will Understand

As someone who used to give office tours, I know firsthand how beneficial they are to those who accept them. Avoid the stress of not knowing which printer to select of where the supplies are kept two weeks into your new job. Plus, on most office tours you’re introduced to people who you might otherwise not meet, which is another great way to make sure you meet most everyone.
Figuring out what to wear can be hard, especially if you don’t have much experience dressing for a office environment. My best advice is to dress as professionally as you did when being interviewed. Once a week has passed, you can either replicate the style of your coworkers or ask any questions to any friends you’ve made in the office.

Related Post: What to Wear on Casual Friday with 7 Outfit Examples

Most likely your first day in the office will be full of orientations and training, which is why it’s important to arrive early rather than just on time. Leave some wiggle room in your commute for traffic or getting lost, especially in those first days where you’re doing more than just your normal work. If something does arrive that will make you late, don’t hesitate to call the office or send an email to notify your supervisor. Eventually your new coworkers will stop thinking of you as the new person, meaning they’ll expect you to know basic office tasks and practices. Taking notes not only prevents you from remembering vital information, it also shows everyone how prepared you are on day one. Don’t be shy about pausing to make a note, it will benefit you in the long run.

So tell me, what’s thing you always do on the first day of work? In my case, I always wear black, it’s a no fail wardrobe decision. 

If you are anything like me, senior year of college consisted of too many people asking you what your plans were after graduation. Now a full year later, I’ve successfully managed to move across the country and transition from a low paying job at a nonprofit organization to my current position at a global law firm. How did I do this? Magic!

Just kidding! I worked my ass off. Not just after graduation, but throughout college as well. With every news outlet reporting how hard it is to get a job in today’s economy, I wasted no time during my four years in college. The only problem I’ve had is figuring out how to put all these experiences on a piece of paper. With so many applicants hoping to hired for the same job, it’s difficult to stick out in a sea of high GPAs and low salary requirements. While I can’t magically give you work experience or an amazing recommendation letter, I can take my experience with working at an organization that focused on unemployment to warn you about the all too common resume mistakes people make that leave their resume in the ‘no’ pile. Let’s not waste a single moment more and get to talking about all the things you want to avoid doing before submitting your next job application… While it may be hard for us to understand, this is an HR manager’s pet peeve. Typing at the bottom of your resume, ‘references upon request,’ is not only unnecessary, but sometimes redundant. Many applications today have you include references as part of the application, making the line completely unnecessary. For those applications that don’t initially ask for references, the hiring manager already knows you will be willing to provide references. You want the job, don’t you? Again, this is a small thing that bothers anyone who spends their day looking at resumes all day. If you include the month in one date range, make sure you include the month in all date ranges. For example, if I write I worked at Google from Sep 2012-Aug 2015, but my college dates are 2010-2014, the formatting is not the same. Fix it! It’s so simple yet such an eye sore when done wrong.

Related Post: How to Make the Best Resume with 10 Easy Tips

This mistake would have to be in the top 5, with so many people not realizing what they’re doing wrong until someone points it out. When describing your work experience, all jobs and positions you once held should be referred to in the past tense. Talking about everything in the present tense not only sounds like you are currently very busy juggling a lot of tasks, employers will automatically know you aren’t and conclude you simply failed to revise your resume. For help with avoiding making this mistake, ask a friend to read over your resume. My general rule for what to include on my resume is that it needs to be no longer than 2 years ago, then again, I just graduated college and have never put in too many years at one job. While everyone will have a different span of time, make sure the experiences you are including on your resume aren’t from too long ago. Talking about a position you held 10 years ago isn’t very helpful if you haven’t done anything recently to expand on that experience. Just recently I was revising a resume for someone seeking positions in the field of security. In his aim to fill up the page and include as much as possible, he listed a job he held almost ten years ago in a surf shop. Again, he was looking for a professional job in the field of security! How he figured selling surfboards factored in his job search, I don’t know. As objectively as you can, look over the experiences you include and ask yourself if they are actually relevant to the job you’re applying to. If you cant apply any of your duties or skills to the new job, save the space and remove it from your resume. Your resume should be an equal balance of all your past experiences, meaning all past positions should have relatively the same amount of bullet points and space given on the overall resume. If you take up one third of the space on the page talking about one job then cram four more positions in the remaining space, that should be a signal that not all of the positions are relevant and necessary. Aim to have the same number of bullet points per position or decrease the number of listed experiences so you can expand on those you wish to.

Are any of these common mistakes on your resume? What’s your biggest struggle when trying to update your personal resume?? Let me know in the comments below!

Ever since I made the goal of not giving up on my dream, which is to create an online community for twenty somethings, I’ve dedicated a lot of time to trying to figure out my plan of action. As someone who can’t so much as clean her apartment without making a list, I like to have a set of steps to follow, milestones to reach and ways to define what success means to me. Lately I’ve been very overwhelmed by it all, especially with so many bigger and more popular blogs to compare my little space on the internet to. Even though I totally understand that these bloggers have been doing it for longer, have more time, or are at times just more interesting than me, it can be hard to motivate myself to publish something knowing I get a fraction of the page views they do. And for anyone who says that page views aren’t everything, that may be true, but if I didn’t care about how many people read my writing I’d publish it all on a private blog.

So much of my weekends are spent reading everything I can about how to create a successful blog. The most popular topics circling the internet right now is that I need to create a newsletter, offer a product, provide value. This may all be true, and even with my love for lists, it can be tiring to post list after list of how to get a job, get over a guy and decorate your space. Don’t get me wrong, I love my blog and the content on it, but sometimes a girl just wants to spill her guts to strangers on the internet.

Related Post: The Night I Was Emotionally Slutty

After a lot of thinking I figured out what I have that makes me unlike the other millions of blogs out there. Me. My personality, my experiences, my thoughts and opinions are something that no blogger out there has. The advice that I give should be applicable to everyone (or most everyone), but the personality behind it will always be uniquely mine. For someone who preaches about wanting to connect with other twenty something about how hard adulting can be, I don’t often share the awkward moments I experience in my day to day life. My content will stay the same and my purpose is still the same, the only thing that will change are more details of my personal life will be woven into posts, plus some extra posts that are completely dedicated to the twenty something experience. Now that I’ve figured out that my perspective of trying to enjoy life in the city is the value my blog provides, it’s a little easier to not have to worry about what my reader is taking away from reading a post. My writing doesn’t have all the answers because frankly I don’t have all the answers, but I promise to share any I find along the way.

Are you a blogger? If so, how do you deal with blog on blog jealousy, plus, what’s one thing you have to offer that no one else does?

P.S. Are you a twenty something that isn’t sure if you’re living the dream or just surviving it? Click here to learn more on how you can connect with other twenty somethings on Instagram who know the struggle of trying to figure out how to adult while also eating popcorn for dinner one night a week.

So many people make New Year’s Resolutions based on their perceptions of themselves. It’s the norm to turn to friends when needing advice on relationships or important life decisions, so why aren’t friend’s opinions also factored in while making resolutions for the new year? My first week back from winter break I walked back to my apartment after a not so long day and did what any normal 21 year old would do, opened up my laptop and vowed to not put on pants until the next day. All I wanted after having to discuss feminist theory for three hours was to scroll through my Tumblr dashboard while an episode of Spongebob quietly played in the background.

What I got instead were my upstairs neighbors deciding they were going to start doing whatever it is they do that makes the walls of my apartment shake, rattle and release dust. I proceeded to call them beasts and try to ignore the fact that asbestos was raining from the ceiling. Not an exaggeration, I had to sign a waiver saying I wouldn’t sue in case I become deathly ill.

I understand it’s a free country and my neighbors could care less that their banging interrupts my nap sessions, but just maybe this article will find them. Below are resolutions everyone around us needs to make to help make 2014 a bit more bearable:

1. Neighbors: To not be so damn loud. Whether this means not stomping like a wildebeest at 1 AM or not playing their music to the point that I know all the lyrics to the song too.  

2. Friends: Don’t shove your new healthy habits in my face. I don’t want to do yoga with you, it bores me and my forehead is too small to wear my hair in a ponytail. Once this phase is over text me so we can go grab some froyo. 

3. Parents: Don’t automatically assume I’m lying dead in a gutter if I don’t return your call the same day. I probably just forgot, if two days pass by, send out an Amber Alert. Any selfie I posted on Instagram is an approved photo for any missing person posters. 

4. Roommates: February means all my favorite shows will be returning from their mid-season finales. If American Horror Story is on, don’t speak to me! If I’m screaming bloody murder on a Sunday night, I’m fine, Walking Dead is just making me feel things. 

5. Anyone on the road: I’m not saying we should all resolve to follow all the traffic laws, but can we at least try to not kill one another. Sincerely, a bike rider who doesn’t want to die.  

6. Classmates: If you are one of those people that pushes into a classroom while there are 50 or more people trying to exit, stop. Everybody hates you and you are a horrible person.

7. Guys: If you text me after 10 PM I will automatically assume you are interested in me and commence stalking you on every type of social media. Don’t start this chain of events if you are not serious about our future together.

Over time social media has become something I use less and less, with the exception of Instagram. My slow transition to no longer using Facebook had a little to do with the comparison game we all play and a lot do with the amount of negativity I saw on the platform on a daily basis. When I joined Instagram it was a place to share photos and follow puppy accounts, long before DMs were possible and comment sections were full of negativity. With Instagram being one of the few forms of social media I still use on a daily basis, I’ve become discouraged by how many people on my feed are not only receiving hate but how they are coping with it as well.

Something you may not know about me is that I thrift for profit, meaning I buy cute, designer clothes and resell it online. Because of this, I follow a lot of other people who do this as a full-time job, plus bloggers and everyday people I’ve met. This week alone I’ve seen numerous people talk about their “haters,” show screenshots of rude messages they receive, and let those comments negatively impact their day and self-perception. As someone who doesn’t let much get to them, all I ever want to do is shake them and remind them these people don’t matter! And maybe respond with the crudest thing I can think of. Since that’s not an option though, or at least not one many would accept, here is the advice I would give any client or friend who came to me with this problem. I’m a therapist, just in case you hadn’t heard me mention that before. Okay, let’s talk about online hate. Although I’m a therapist, I often fall into the trap of telling my friends that what other’s say about them does not matter, forgetting to remind myself that their feelings are valid no matter the situation. If something someone said bothers you, don’t try to pretend like it didn’t. Rather than obsessing over someone else’s comment, spend some time thinking about why it bothered you, whether the comment bothers you, or just the fact that they brought it up. Let’s use me for example, I have a big ass nose. There’s no nicer way of putting it, somewhere during my adolescence my nose grew to a size I did not authorize. I’ve had this nose my whole life, so at this point, it no longer bothers me. Now let’s say someone made a rude ass comment about it on Instagram, chances are I would suddenly feel very self-conscious. In this case, my feelings have less to do with my nose, and more to do with my unhappiness that someone would try to use my own body parts to hurt me. Most of the times when people insult you, they use something that previously didn’t bother you against you, such as your weight or voice pitch. The trick to letting go of the pain that comes with those comments is to ask yourself if your nose/weight/voice bothered you before the comment, and if not, carry on living. Of course, there are times haters will hit you right where it hurts, in those situations, it helps to remind yourself that feeling worse about something doesn’t cause change. No matter the situation, your feelings are valid, and it’s up to you how you choose to respond to those feelings. Out of all the things I may say in this post, this is the most important. Your feelings are valid, what they say is not. One more time so that it sinks in. Your feelings are valid, what they say is not. Just because someone says something that hurts your feelings does not make it true, and more often than not, what others say about you says more about them.

Back to me as an example. A while back I had someone telling me I was, well, a crazy bitch. Am I a little crazy? Well, yeah. Can I be a bitch? Sure, sometimes. Am I so much of a crazy bitch that I deserve to be told repeatedly? Definitely not. Just because someone says something that hurts you, or even rings a bit true, does not make their word gospel. Feel your feelings as long as you need to, but don’t forget to remind yourself that what they are saying is just their opinion, and opinions are like assholes, everyone has them.

For a few moments, I’m gonna step off my therapist pedestal and put on my best friend hat, because it’s not fun always being the bigger person. I’m not saying you should make it your new life mission to expose a hateful person for the crap human being they are, but sometimes it does feel good to call someone out. Here’s my advice, if you personally know the person sending you hate, keep moving. Things get too messy when there are mutual friends, plus the anonymity is gone making the whole situation very weird. If you don’t know the person sending you hate, what’s stopping you from sending them a quick message reminding them what a fucking asshole they are? Is it the most grownup thing to do? No. But it feels good to call someone out on their shit sometimes. If you are receiving regular hate from someone, or even multiple people, remind yourself that the majority of these people are simply seeking attention. I cant think of a time where I went out of my way to send someone a hateful message, but I can admit I thrive off annoying my boyfriend. Unfortunately, he’s learned to ignore me in order to get me to shut up faster, and the same concept can be used to get people to leave you alone. Many people send hate in order to receive a response, whether a direct response or a cue that what they said has affected you in some way. This is the reason I’ve grown so tired of seeing women on my feed tearing up on their Instastory, they are letting their “haters” win! In my opinion, you have two options to respond to hate, ignore it all together or address it once and move on. To be totally honest, when writing this post I had one specific person in mind who was a large motivation for me writing this post. Just this morning she went on a teary-eyed rant about how sad she feels for her haters and how she doesn’t want people telling her to ignore it because she is not going to let them win by being ignored. As someone who has already reached out to her the first time this happened, I know that she thinks she’s doing all of social media a public service by crying on camera and letting her haters know she knows they are hurting. But guess what? Not every hater is a wounded bird acting out for attention! Some people are just assholes, and they more attention you give them the bigger they grow! If there is someone regularly sending you hate, please explain to me why you have not blocked them? I’ll wait. Oh right, there is no credible reason as to why you shouldn’t block negative people out of your life. The block button exists for a reason, so don’t be afraid to use it! If the hateful person is a friend or family, remind yourself that social media is not real life, meaning there is nothing stopping you or them from communicating with you in real life.

Starting your first job is stressful for so many reasons. By the time your first day arrives the excitement of being hired has faded away and all you’re left with worrying if you even meet the job requirements and if your coworkers will be giant pains in the ass. On top of everything else, you never truly know what the dress code is until you’ve been there a few days, so you risk looking way too overdressed or like one giant slob.

While I can’t tell you what to wear every day of the week, I can steer you towards stores where I buy all my work clothes whether my dress code is business casual or dress like the Secretary of Defense is coming. True story, I once got an email to wear my nicest outfit because the Secretary of Defense was visiting our office.

Because I bought most of my clothes straight out of college, with no money or type of job in mind, I aimed to keep my costs low in case everything failed and I had nowhere to even wear the freaking clothes. Most of these stores you can find in any shopping mall area, or even better, you can just pick up what you like online. Below each retailer are a few of my faves that are both in stock and perfect for the workplace!
Target is my go to store for so many reasons. Not only can I grab groceries and toys for my cat Max while there, I also spent six months working at Target in the guest services area. This means I know the return policy backwards and forwards, which is great when you’re buying things you’re not sure you need or even really want. Target doesn’t get the credit it deserves for business casual clothes, with an even bigger selection online. During major holidays Target offers free shipping no matter the size of your order, otherwise shipping costs aren’t ridiculously high and you can qualify for free shipping when you spend 50 dollars. The main reason I love Target for work clothes is because I can order everything I find cute online, try it on at home, and return it with no problems if it looks weird on me. Lost your receipt? No problem. Just swipe the card you paid with and they’ll transfer the money into your account that way. I swear this post isn’t sponsored by Target, but I really should be because I’m basically a walking, talking billboard for that store.
H&M is where you need to be if you’re looking for the perfect blazer or work blouse. While I own some pants from there, their sizing is all over the place. I own a pair of pants in size 2 and another in a size 8. Both bought on the same day, from the same store, same brand. Clearly they like to play with women’s emotions. Cardigans, blouses and dress skirts are usually pretty inexpensive. The more expensive things are usually dresses or blazers, but those are investment pieces and really never go higher than 55 dollars. Next time you’re in H&M step away from the crop tops and take a quick look at the business clothes section, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Related Post: How to Make the Best Resume with 10 Easy Steps
I have a love hate relationship with Forever 21. I love their prices (usually) but I hate what it’s become. Or maybe I’ve just grown older and less inclined to wear tops with sequins and words like swag on my body. Forever 21 is really a hit or miss when it comes to work clothes, and I definitely recommend shopping in the Love21/contemporary line exclusively.

My biggest piece of advice is to stay away from blazers from Forever 21, they will rip, and you will be pissed. Stick to buying blouses and cardigans here, wardrobe staples that you don’t plan on keeping forever, despite the name on the label.

If you are, or were once, a broke college grad like me, this is the place you go when you wanna treat yo’self for landing your top internship choice or getting hired at that job that pays you for being sick. As a skinny girl, I can admit I have no butt. Technically yes, there is a butt on my body, but it doesn’t do that thing where it curves in all the right places.

Express has managed to create pencil skirts that make me feel like one of the Kardashian sisters when I wear it, and for this I am forever thankful for. Besides being one of the few stores that sells a size zero (honestly though, why are stores pushing our size out?), Express offers so many wear to work options. Their prices may be higher than the previous stores mentioned, but you can definitely see a difference in the quality. Catch them when they’re having a sale and buy a few staple pieces for your wardrobe.

Where do you buy your work clothes from? Comment below your favorite places to find work clothes that won’t leave your bank account drained. 

Thrift shopping is like gambling except you always leave a winner. Or maybe that’s just my perspective, because my first 30 minutes in a casino was hands down the most disappointing experience of my life. No I wasn’t expecting to be richer, but I at least wanted to have a little fun. Thirty minutes at MGM Casino and I decided I would rather spend my money on a new outfit than playing a game that made absolutely no sense to me. If you live in or are visiting Washington DC, you might have noticed the serious lack of thrift stores. Growing up in California meant I was never too far from a Goodwill or Salvation Army, but metro accessible thrift shops are super hard to find. Three years later and I’ve finally found thrift shops that a) are easy to get to without a car and b) always end with me leaving with a bag full of clothes. Most of the thrift shops on the list I’ve visited myself personally, but one is a recommendation from a friend who always looks like she just walked out of a magazine, so I’ll trust her recommendation. By far my favorite thrift store in all of Washington DC, and stupid me walked past it every day for months without going inside. Rosario 3×10 is a thrift store located in Columbia Heights, on 14th Street just a few blocks north of Target. Shopping there is pretty simple, everything is 3 for $10 unless otherwise marked. Typically items that are not 3 for $10 are located on the three front racks of the store, ranging from $1-$8. In all of my months of shopping there I’ve never paid for than $8 for an item, which was a maxi skirt from JCrew. With the store being small you can shop the entire floor in about thirty minutes, with items including shoes, clothing, linens and accessories. Frugalista is the sister store to Rosario 3×10, also featuring very discounted clothing items in the Columbia Heights area. The main reason I don’t shop at Frugalista more often is because I like how simple the pricing is at Rosario, but Frugalista makes up for it with a more organized store and higher quality items. Frugalista has a larger selection of shoes available and is a great place for men in the District to visit if they are in need of a new work clothes. If you love getting a lot for your money, Georgia Avenue Thrift Store is a must visit. I love this store for one reason, the books! Books cost around 45cents each, with children’s books being even cheaper. In regards to clothing, there is a lot to look through yet there is a visible difference in quality between Georgia Avenue Thrift and Rosario 3×10. Unlike other thrift stores in Washington DC, Georgia Avenue Thrift Store has a home wares section where you can find small appliances, dishes, vases, and other typical thrift store items. This thrift store also has a variety of furniture for sale, children’s clothing and toys, and walls lines with art and mirrors.

Although I don’t typically shop here, my fashion loving friend swears by this place. According to her, items are typically brand name at the Buffalo Exchange near Logan Circle, located on 14th Street. Having never visited myself I can’t accurately say all the items you can find in stock, but I am positive this location offers men’s and women’s clothing, both business and casual. I think we’ve all been inside a Crossroads at one point in time, or were we all not broke teens trying to sell our old clothes for movie ticket money? Crossroads is also located on 14th St, just a few feet north of 14th and U St. Crossroads offers men’s and women’s clothing, accessories and the option to sell your clothes for store credit or cash. Crossroads’ prices vary, depending on the brand and season of the item you have chosen, but the store is two levels so you’re bound to find something you like within your price range.

Are you from the Washington, DC area? If so, share your favorite thrift store in the comments below!

Trip one, back when I had hope

Last week…scratch that, the past three weeks have been a complete test of my patience. With group projects, planning events and my brand new laptop deciding to give up on life, I’ve been a bit irritable. On top of my constant state of annoyance, having to resort back to my old ancient laptop made it beyond difficult to blog, do any sort of homework or be productive in any real way.
Why is it when one bad thing happens it all snowballs into this giant pile of things you rather not deal with. Thankfully I’ve finally sorted everything out, figuratively and literally, and I’m back to my normal only slightly annoyed self. Over the past few weeks it’s been a struggle to keep up with blogging. I luckily had some prewritten blog posts but as soon as I ran out of queued posts set to publish it became a bit hard to try to type a blog post on my cellphone. My lack of writing, failing to respond to all your lovely comments and being unable to share what I was publishing definitely hurt my blog, but no worries, everything is now fully functioning.

The past three weeks I visited Geek Squad four times to fix a problem on a laptop they had only recently sold me. During my last, and hopefully final visit, I sat waiting for the next person to give me more bad news and began jotting down all the people in my life that had one job, and still managed to screw it up. Now I get that there are bigger problems out there, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes a girl needs to vent.

This post was inspired by Best Buy, especially Geek Squad. After opening up my brand new laptop one day to realize it wasn’t turning on no matter what I tried, I frantically made my way to Geek Squad to figure out the problem. I cooperated fully and agreed to let them ship it across the country for a maximum of 15 days to fix the problem. Because it was a brand new laptop and the malfunction was in no way my fault, it was free of cost.

Fast forward three weeks later and I was still laptopless. Not only did they exceed their amount of time with the laptop, they shipped it to Minnesota (I live in Southern California), then couldn’t locate my correct zip code for days. As if the internet doesn’t exist!

After this fiasco I was just happy to have it back, but less than 30 seconds after turning it on I knew something was wrong. The movements were slow, the battery was not being recognized, everything was just wrong. Like any adult I immediately burst into tears of out frustration. I don’t have time to ship it back since I will be moving across the country in 6 days and need my laptop for my new job. Plus, the repairmen were clearly not competent to fix it or they would have the first time. After 30 minutes on hold and talking/crying to half a dozen rude customer service reps, I finally was put in contact with someone who actually cared. The bad news was that because of company policy, a repair would cost me 200 dollars since apparently my battery warranty expired while they were servicing my laptop. With my move to a new city taking all my money, that wasn’t an option, so I basically broke down on the phone until he felt some sympathy.

Trip number 3. I was a ball of rage.

Thanks to the amazing man at my local Best Buy he broke policy and tried to figure out the problem in store. What was the problem? The idiot who serviced my laptop at the Geek Squad repair center unplugged all the wires inside my laptop and shipped it back to me, as if he did it completely on purpose because anyone with half a brain would know that was wrong! After this and another incident with Geek Squad only two days later I’ve lost all trust in them. Any company that preys on people’s inability to fix a problem themselves is not going to get my money. During yet another trip to Best Buy I began jotting down the things in my life that drove me insane, from people who couldn’t do a simple task or daily annoyances that drive me to the point of pulling my hair. Here is just a few of a never ending list… » People who convince you to let them help you, only to bail last minute or claim they “forgot.” » Typos. Especially on big websites where they should definitely take the extra minute to proofread. The announcement for my graduating class says “Class of 2011.” Umm, no one thought to double check the title?! » Charging my phone to a full charge, then finding out it’s dead by 3 PM. How are you out of battery from just sitting in my purse?! » Vending machines that gladly take your money but don’t give you any credit. They are the reason I have trust issues. » Being promised something over and over, only to come to expect that the person will have some lame excuse as to why it didn’t happen.

Before last week I had never heard of the trend of choosing a word to define your year. Resolutions are goals I loosely make at the beginning of each January, but choosing a theme to focus my year on was never something that crossed my mind.

If you read my blog semi regularly, or even caught one of my latest posts, you’ll know that 2016 started off with a bang. But not the good kind. Comparable more to that feeling you have when you feel you’re at your most comfortable, about to drift into sleep, then wham! It’s as if you fall to the floor.

I may have stayed standing when the boy I loved broke the news to me on a busy city street, but on the inside it felt as if I was falling hundreds of feet with nothing to grab a hold of. After spending way too many days at home, with blinds shutting out all light that might enter my now emptier apartment, I’ve finally found the word that will guide me through 2016: perseverance. Quitting is not something I do very often, especially not if the task or person in front of me means a lot to me. I didn’t choose the word perseverance because I have a habit of letting things slide, my problem is sort of the opposite. I put too much effort into relationships that are being carried by me alone, focus all my motivation on one thing at a time, and at times endure too much pain for the simple fact that I don’t want to fail. Whether it be at school, home or in my love life. Currently I’ve lived in Washington DC for just over a year, and in that time gave all my energy to a group of people who were content judging me on their perceptions of who I was. At the beginning of 2016 I came to the harsh realization that there was not one person in my contact list that I could call to come over and comfort me. Not one. So I’m changing that, one day at a time. While I’ve always been a hard worker, I focus my efforts in all the wrong places sometimes. For years I’ve loved blogging, but I’ve let it slide ever since I graduated college. For a decade I spent imagining what my life in DC would be like, only to give all my focus to a group of people that I never dreamed of wanting to spend time with.

Related Post: The Cost of Living the Dream

With all my new found time I’m focusing my energy on two things: forming a community online and forming a community in real life. 2016 will be the year I finally turn my goals into actions. January is about to end and so far I’m doing pretty well. I have a few phone numbers of some pretty cool people I’ve met this month and my blogging is finally catching stride. The only thing is, this is how it always happens. I catch some motivation, see progress, then I get caught up on one thing or person and let everything I’ve worked for dissolve. Not this time though. 2016 will be the year I put my all into my blog, even when my stats dip and my followers disappear. 2016 will end with me surrounded by friends, few or many, but I won’t ring in the new year alone. I’ve worked so hard to find my writing voice and move my ass to the city, and like hell I plan to enjoy every minute of it! All while sharing what the twenty something experience is really like. Hint: it’s not breakfast at midnight and falling in love with strangers. I hope you jump on this journey with me to not quit our goals this year, because they are just too damn important to set aside for some temporary happiness!

Do you have a word for the year?? If so what is it, and if not, what’s one thing you desperately want to accomplish in 2016?