Total Randomness with a recipe

Live blogging here, from Cubes & Crayons on my new Dell Mini when what I really should be doing is live searching for jobs and resume writing. It's time, it really is. I've got a couple months, but in this economy, with these utterly depressing headlines and friends losing jobs left and right it may take much longer than that to get a job. But I've been filling my time with lots of cool stuff, and I'm not just talking about the Wii or catching up on episodes of Psych and Ugly Betty.

I've been cooking, and meaning to post recipes like pork in plum jam a dijon mustard sauce (which I of course made with fig jam and hot sweet mustard), but the kids absolutely loved it. I'd weaned them off chicken nuggets and macaroni, but when I heard my son say "chicken again?" I knew something had to change. I scored a great recipe book called 122 Week night Recipes from Sunset (came free with some personalized wine) and the Orange Carnitas were also outstanding (I made that with turkey).

The last two nights we worked on a giant lasagne and next up are the chimichangas my mom used to make. You take a frozen brisket, sear it on all sides then cook it for many, many hours in a combonation of red wine and coffee (or beer and wine, or beer and coffee). The broth makes an awesome base for french onion soup. Shred the meat and sautee with onions and peppers and fill up tortillas. You then fry those up and can freeze them for later, or serve them right away with sour cream and guacamole and salsa and whetever you want. Mmm mmm good.

I've also become a regular at Keegan's school, where tons of help is needed this testing season. Monday I read to the kids, today I had them constuct a water cycle wheel in honor of this lovely wet weather, and I'm tutoring a couple 2nd graders to help then with their first English comprehension standardized test.

But right now, well after I get something to eat and party it up with some fellow moms tonight, I'll turn my attention to this hear job hunt. A friend on a similar quest has sent me some job postings. I hope to get and give advice on the search for those in the same boat. Right before I left work I ramped up my efforts to build my online network, on LinkedIn and to a lesser extent on Facebook (my former new college grads I'd hired are on there.). LinkedIn is an excellent place for finding jobs, and Craigslist and to a much lesser extent Kijiji provided some leads. I also found @JobAngels on twitter but have yet to start participating.

So on that note, off to update my resume. A friend just suggested we need a program which would automatically rearrange the resume to suit different jobs, so if anyone has access to that or funding to start that business let me know. I hate customizing my resume.

I leave you with this, my transformed children.

Anti-aging advice in a comfy chair

Now that I'm a mom of leisure, or in other words, not bringing in a paycheck with a full-time job, I'm all over ways to get free lunch and gift certificates, which is what Skin Spirit and Cubes & Crayons was offering this week. Actually, I've heard so much about Cubes & Crayons through my SV Mommy blogging friends I thought it would be a great opportunity to check in out in case I do ever need a nice place to work and get childcare. The verdict? I want to know where they got those awesome chairs with the little desk attachment, so need that for my house. It was a nice place, and the Mountain View location is totally convenient to my house with lots of parking, I just need some freelance work to justify joining.

Skin Spirit was there to tell us about the non-surgical anti-aging treatments that are available and that they provide. It's an interesting place, a spa that's also a medical facility. I went there once when I wanted some quickie laser treatments for my high school reunion and my dermatologist was out of town. It's a great atmosphere and don't charge a premium just because they are a spa, although they did tell me about way more expensive treatments that would help my facial "issues." I know there is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself, and I've probably done more for my skin over that last few years than ever before - and have to say at 40 the time and $ I've spent on my face and hair are paying off. However, those investments pale in comparison to botox, fillers, thermage (ooh, I'm coveting that as I see my profile look more an more like my moms), and latisse (mmm...longer, lashes).

One thing I've learned, and was reminded of Friday, is that if you want the benefits of retin A or other elements in your lotions, you must have a prescription grade. I'm suspecting I could do something more for my face, and really need some better sunscreen, so thinking about using my free time for a complimentary assessment. I just need an iPhone application to make sure I don't spend much over my gift certificate.