don’t judge me.

i have an eclectic music taste. i like a lot of different things. i like everything from patty griffin to britney to josh groban. in the spirit of the season of musical “comebacks,” my kelly clarkson just released her newest music video. i likey.

oh, thomas.

be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. 

thomas kempis

full sail ahead

i just visited my blog and decided the old layout was boring and depressing, so i changed it. i can do things like that around here. and that i need to continue blogging. evidently, it can be beneficial in furthering your career. other than that, i just kind of wanted to. is that so wrong? i need a new name up top…chadvaughan.com is stuffy and uncreative. but i don’t want to be cliche. your two cents is welcome. 

——-

is january already about a week from being over? this month has flown by and had plenty of blog-worthy news. although i have not cared to update this puppy. nor do i really care to relive said events here. just know that they happened. 

one thing that i am really excited about is my new job. not this one. or this one. or this one (though i am still doing it part time…killer discount…don’t judge me). but this one. this coming monday will be my first day at my new job (in admissions). i am excited about it. although i kind of feel like a kid approaching the first day of school after summer break…nervous, excited, the whole bit. my nerves are kicked into full gear, dreading being “the new guy.” although i am excited to have something that will give me a stable schedule and room to grow, advance, and try something new. i’ll let you know how it goes…maybe.

i’ve also started reading a new book at the recommendation of a friend. the beginning of the month was kind of rough to be honest. still no job, no growing social network (although i really do love my friends here), nothing really tangible to look forward to or even to hold on to. not that tangible is always necessary…but it doesn’t hurt every now and then. i had a conversation with another friend (who may or may not know that book even exists) who asked me, “are you telling yourself the truth?” that stuck with me. i hadn’t been telling myself the truth. when i have a little more time to write about it (and continue processing it), i will. 

until next time. some time soon. hopefully. soon-ish.

new obsession

among other things, i have an addictive personality. when i find something i like, i really like it. usually, it sticks for a couple of months and i move on to a new flavor. recent addictions include, but are not limited to giada, jon & kate plus 8 (which still generates steady blog traffic), and wicked. my new “favorite thing” (take that, oprah) is adele. i know i am a little behind on this bandwagon, but who cares. she is awesome. enjoy.

a christmas carol…britney style

it’s a small (cruel) world.

not that i need to tell you, right? after a slew of “thanks, but no thanks” emails from different companies, i have turned my eye to part-time employment. two “half jobs” make a whole. this makes sense to me…my mom is a math teacher. (she is also hungry a blog shout-out…consider yourself shouted at). 

my quest to become employable brought me to sherberth ave. there, on sherberth i lost the shred of dignity i still had. behind animal kingdom, i was herded, paraded and forced to perform. this is was not a county fair, and i am not an award winning cow. this was disney character audition day. i had gone back and forth deciding whether to go or not. my usual advice is that wavering on wanting something means you don’t want it. sometimes our own advice is lost on ourselves. 

some of you might know me for my dance moves. i’m sure they are the topic of a few casting directors’ dinner tables this evening. but not in a good way. i love to drop it like its hot just as much as the next person, but choreography is not always as enjoyable. while “it’s a small world” (remixed) played overhead, my short term memory failed me. the choreography i just learned escaped me. so i ended up doing a variation of a gallup from one side of the room to the other, smiling and waving, watching my self-respect fly out the door and noticing casting directors pass my file to the end of the table very quickly.

such is life…you can’t have it all. honestly, i am most upset to not get a free annual pass. that’s all i really wanted. by the way…i did get a job at banana republic. i might not be dressing up as a mouse for work, but it should suffice.

a little nugget

heard this from a friend a while ago, and it keeps coming to mind: 

be where you are.

fried nutella ravioli

giada had me at hello. she had me forever when she fried wantons full of nutella. i have wanted to try this recipe for a long time. tonight in the ainsley home (sans the ainsleys) i worked up the gumption to do it. on the eighth day (of december) i made fried nutella ravioli. and i saw them, and they were good. 

they were really easy to make. get some wantons wrappers (in the produce section your local grocer). use a small kitchen brush and brush some water along all four sides of the wrapper (make sure you get it real good). plop about a teaspoon or so in the center of the wanton. don’t go too crazy here…if you have too much, they’ll explode on you. not that there is anything inherently wrong with a nutella explosion. once the are loaded and corners wet, fold two of the opposing corners together and press firmly together. 

now, just fry these little triangles of goodness in some piping hot vegetable or canola oil. once they are out, top with some powdered sugar and prepare for a good time. oh yeah..be careful when they first come out. when oil gets hot, it gets hot.

enjoy.

well, you wanted it

hello to my two blog fans (one of whom gave me life). please excuse my absence. i don’t know where this blog is going to go, so come along with me into my thoughts on life as of late. 

my last blog was about my gym. i like the gym. i like it a lot. it motivates me to want to work out. i does not motivate me to not eat christmas goodies, but we can’t have it all, can we? not that you are surprised, but i care about my appearance, so i am trying to get my rear (and the rest of me) into shape. they also have a tanning bed. thankfully, it’s a stand up bed. i have a heard horror stories what happens in those lay down beds. all i’m going to say is that if you must use one, bring your own disinfectant wipes. just do it.

i am also working “full time” in a part time job that i share with orlando’s up-and-coming baker. i’m very grateful for it. although i am indebted to the boss-man who is paying me far too much for what i do, i am actively looking for new employment. this was only supposed to be a temporary gig. i am now outside of the pre-determined boundaries i requested. funny how that worked out. so now i am looking for a job at what is perhaps the worst possible time. they talked about something on the news…apparently the economy isn’t so great. i’ve read lots of fancified and automatically generated “no’s” and plenty of silence. it has been less than a hoot. but, i keep applying and hope something will happen soon. (this has been particularly humbling, and i’m still trying to learn the lesson God has for me in all of it…although i wouldn’t mind the cliffnotes version).

i still really like orlando. it is a great city. lots to do, plenty of different places to see. the other night, i went with my former foster parents to downtown winter garden. an enormous christmas tree was surrounded by 50’s styled buildings, christmas lights, old time charm, and an outside showing of “it’s a wonderful life.” driving home, the sky was illuminated by disney fireworks. 

so there are some ramblings. hope it satiates your thirst for a bit.

i knew i went to the right gym

and this email confirmed it.

the second part of the email said something about working out. but lets just focus on the positives.