Adulting

It was graduate school that I started using blogs, and I created this blog. While in graduate school, one my friends was following Adulting Blog (http://adultingblog.com/) by Kelly Williams Brown, and my friend got me hooked as well. For a while now, I have been waiting patiently (my close friends are probably laughing at the idea of me being patient) for her book to be released, and then for me to find the time to read it.

I have finished reading Adulting: How to Become A Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps, and here's my review of the book: This is the perfect book for someone in their early twenties who just finished undergraduate school, is entering the workforce for the first time, and/or having to search for their first apartment. I am 27-years old and I definitely feel like 70% of the advice/steps were commonsense (I am currently living in my fifth apartment and have lived in four different cities away from my parents); however, I have always been overly independent and proactive. That being said, there were still a lot of advice that was helpful and especially in the "Friends and Neighbors" section, advice that I had some deep reflection. I love all of the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I would purchase the book solely for the Discussion Questions and have a night with friends where we discuss our answers to the questions. Additionally, I LOVE her blog and LIKED the book. I love the "randomness" (and I mean that as an endearing adjective) of her blog and I find it to be more amusing; BUT the book is still humorous (just in smaller doses).

I thought I would share some of the advice in the book and some of my commentary on the advice, which will be in burgundy. So you aren't lost, "adulting" is a verb not a noun....aren't you glad I cleared that up for you!

•   Chapter: Get Your Mind Righ
• Step 11: Recognize six-month problems
• When one gets upset about something, step back and ask yourself if you will remember it in six months; if the answer is no, then find a way to move on.
• As I get older, the less I seem to be holding grudges; however, I am still guilty of worrying, being frustrated, getting mad at things that will eventually run their course and be forgotten in six months (even though I have an excellent memory).  "Life is too short to be living somebody else's dream" -Hugh Hefner.....and yes I realize I just quoted Hugh Hefner.
• Chapter: Domesticity
• Step 28: Buy tools. Five should be sufficient, for now
• The recommendations are hammer, adjustable screwdriver set, crescent wrench, tape measure, and cordless drill.
• I have 2 out 5 (hammer and tape measure), and I think it's a good thing that I don't have a cordless drill; I would do more damage than good. I do have a phillips and flat-head screwdriver. My mantra is that if it can't be fixed or put together by a hammer or those two screwdrivers then A) I wasn't meant to have it or B) I will gladly pay someone to use the necessary tools to put it together. 
• Step 30: Make two copies of your keys, then give one to a friend, and hide one somewhere  near your house
• Hiding an unmarked key somewhere near your apt is GENIUS! I don't know why I didn't think of this while I lived in Omaha. My Omaha apartment would lock automatically as soon as the door shut, and I got locked out of my apartment quite often (less than 10 times during those 3 years). I gave my  extra key to a friend and she had to let me in to my apartment before, but then there were times when she would be asleep or not in town and there went my way into my locked apartment.  
• Step 33: Make your bed, every morning
• The longest sheets should go without washing is two weeks. Try to have at least three sets of sheets.
• Making my bed every morning is NEVER going to happen for me and I am not ashamed of it. I agree, it's the best feeling when you freshly changed your bed but it's a feeling I will easily forfeit, because I am lazy and find the chore of making one's bed everyday pointless. However, I thought I was being very "adult" by changing my sheets every 3-4 weeks, but apparently I should do it a week earlier. I feel like I should change my toothbrush sooner than I currently do as well. The book recommends that you have three sets of sheets (didn't indicate for each bed though). I have two sets of sheets for my queen bed and one set of sheets for my full mattress...so 2+1=3...yah me!
• Step 36: Be mindful about your garbage
• There is a list of basic cleaning supplies that everyone should own.
• I do not own a mop and bucket (I used a Swifter wetjet),  cloth diapers, toothbrush for little crevices (my days of having to follow sterile techniques in a lab are over and so no toothbrush cleaning for me), knee pads (I guess I should have kept my volleyball pads), and Goo Gone. I liked the advice for the cloth diapers; you use them for mirrors and windows.
• Chapter: Cooking
• Step 70: Store and freeze things properly
• Things in a freezer should be eaten within six months, and that is a maximum, one should shoot for three months.
• I enjoy cooking and the majority of my meals are those that I prepare; some are made from scratch, others are semi-homemade. Since I am usually cooking for just myself, I either reduce the given recipe by half or I end up freezing the leftovers. I am definitely guilty of keeping food  in the freezer for more than six months. Soups and ice cream are my most common violators. I am one of those people that do not eat a "bowl" of ice cream but rather just have a teaspoon or two; therefore, ice cream sits in my freezer for a while. I currently have a quart of Pumpkin ice cream from Trader Joes in my freezer from October and it's barely half gone.
• Step 72: Buy the Joy of Cooking
• Recipes for everything.
• The main criteria for me to purchase a cookbook is that it MUST have a picture for every recipe featured in the book. Joy of Cooking does not meet this criteria; therefore, I will not make room for it on my bookshelf. 
• I like how the author gives essential recipes throughout the book, such as: Chicken Noodle Soup, Salad Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Baked Potatoes, Chicken, Steak, and Whipped Cream.
• I realized that I have been making grilled cheese sandwiches wrong MY WHOLE LIFE; I blame my dad, because I picked up my technique from him.
• My (I mean my dad's) technique: Assemble the sandwich. Place in skillet, and then place a small saucer plate on top on the sandwich. The purpose of the saucer plate is to add pressure to the sandwich so it compresses and browns quicker. And you put the saucer on the sandwich during the entire cooking process.
• Adulting technique: Assemble the sandwich. Place on a griddle. Put a lid on the top for the first half, but leave it off after you flip the sandwich.
• Step 80: Make a decent steak
• One can tell if the steak is ready by using nothing but a hand. For well-done one just needs a pinkie finger. Once the steak is done it needs to rest (loosely covered in aluminum foil).
• I eat steak maybe twice a year but I will definitely implement this technique next time and see if I can tell a difference. 
• Step 83: Make a dope cheese plate
• Components
• One soft cheese (Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Muenster)
• One hard cheese (pecorino, Manchego, Emmentaler)
• One orange cheese (cheddar, Cotswold, Gouda)
• Bread or crackers (one for two cheeses, two for three cheeses)
• One accent (strawberries, olives, pickled asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, artichoke hearts, et cetera)
• I am a big fan of red apples with cheeses. And when eating cheeses I prefer to eat them with crackers. I use bread more for dipping in oils.
• Chapter: Fake It Til You Make It
• Step 89: Be aware of local, national, and world events
• Grown-ups should know who the prime minister of Germany is, what NATO stands for, how a bill becomes a law, and why they vote Democrat or Republican, who are their presidents, senators, representatives, and local officials. Most importantly be registered to vote.
• Prime Minister of Germany: Angela Dorothea Merkel
• NATO= North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• Bill becomes a law
• Immediately watch the episode of Schoolhouse Rock
• Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyeJ55o3El0
• Why one should vote Democrat or Republican
• Vote DEMOCRAT, duh
• President= Barack Obama
• Washington State Senators= Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell
• Don't live in Washington, looks like you have some googling to do
• Washington State Representatives= 49 State Representatives
• Seattle's (all democrats): Bob Hasegawa, Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Adam Kline, Jamie Pederson, and David Frockt
• Local Officials: State Governor= Jay Inslee
• Registered Voter: You betcha!
• Step 115: Send a thank-you note
• Provides a template for a thank you note
• This is something I want to consciously make a better effort of doing with friends and family. I still regularly send holiday cards to my parents and I have a postcard graduate friend that I keep in contact with monthly. But I definitely do not send enough thank you cards/notes.
• First thank you note you should send is to me for answering all the questions in Step 89.
• Chapter: Get a Job
• Step 176: Do not steal more than three dollars' worth of office supplies per quarter
• Never steal scissors.
• But what truly is three dollars"?
• Chapter: Money
• Step 203: Develop your anti-shopping mantra
• Inner monologue "You don't need that." Repeat as many times as necessary.
• There is only one store that this is a problem for me, and that is The Container Store. I definitely have to talk myself out of buying things during my entire shopping trip in The Container Store. I will say to myself while looking at for instance the Snap'n Stack Egg Tainer used to carry devils eggs in "I don't like or eat devil eggs but maybe if I had an Egg Tainer I would make them and like them." I can almost talk myself into buying anything and everything in The Container Store; it's a talent.
• Advanced Adulting
• What is a 401(k)?
• My parents set one of these up for me when I was in high school and I am not ashamed to say that they still help with managing this and my other investments. Additionally, I still use my parents' accountant to do my taxes; there is a reason I didn't go to business school. Although, I did like the money-themed music recommendations that she gives for when you are filing your own taxes (Step 229). I can manage my savings and checking accounts, no problem. 
• Chapter: Maintenance
• Step 255: Store jewelry like the expensive thing it is
• Pearls should never, ever have anything (perfume, lotion) near them, because they lose their luster and sulk.
• I do not own or care for pearls but found this very interesting that pearls are very finicky.
• Step 258: Before you write it off as ruined, take it to the dry cleaners
• Dry cleaners are magical. They are sorcerers.
• I am very low maintenance; therefore, I have never taken anything to the dry cleaners. But found this advice to be something that could benefit me in the future.
• Step 271: Pay some attention to your fridge
• If a dollar bill falls down when you close the refrigerator door on it, then the seals aren't working well.
• My refrigerator passed this test.
• Step 280: Consider taking vitamins and probiotics daily
• Recommendations: Omega-3, Probiotics, and Prenatal Vitamins (even if not trying to get pregnant).
• I failed miserably at this step. I take 0/3...and the real zinger is that I am a health professional.
• Chapter: Friends and Neighbors
• Step 300: Tell the people you love why you love them
• Try to once a year, to write a letter to each of your closest friends and let them know why they mean so much to you. Everyone wants to be acknowledged.
• I tend to group together this letter with my holiday card; however, I should send a letter out in the summer too. Therefore, my friends are reminded twice a year how lucky I feel to have them as a friend. Between this and sending more thank you notes I definitely will need to buy more stamps.
• Step 312: When faced with a frienemy, determine which type it is
• Categories: flaky, flirty, boasty, crabby, backstabby, underminey, and doc
• Being "flaky" is a capital offense in my friendship book. I can tolerate "doc" friends, but definitely in small doses and only in certain contexts. 
• Chapter: Times Were Tough
• You learn what the acronym AFGO (pronounced aff-go) means and I love it!!!!!!!!!
• Hint: if you are googling the acronym because the suspense is killing you, it doesn't not stand for "Another Freaking Growth Opportunity" or "As Families Grow Older". So just go get the book to find out what it means.
• Step 391: Keep a few items always available for wardrobe malfunctions
• Three items recommended: stain-removing pen, clothing tape, and safety pins
• I have needed safety pins before but have not used the others. Since I am vertically-challenged (aka short), my jeans are using longer than they are suppose to be (and no I don't go and have them tailored, but really should). And this becomes a problem when it starts raining unexpectedly (and not wearing rainboots) and I need to roll-up my jeans and keep them in place so they do not get sopping drench and I become immediately an unhappy camper. This described circumstance is when I have used a safety pin.
• Advanced Adulting: have some serious provisions in your car
• Recommendations: fold-up shovel, pocketknife, ice scraper, windex wipes, jumper cables, tire gauge, commercial window breaker, paper goods (toilet paper and towels), and cell phone charger.
• I currently have 2/9 items. The two items I have are ice scraper and cell phone charger. When living in the midwest I did have a fold-up shovel. However, while living in Omaha there was a time that I did not have a fold-up shovel or regular shovel, and this led to a snow-removal story involving me using a 12-inch kitchen skillet to dig out my car from my apartment parking space so I could go to school. Needless to say on my way home from school that day I bought a shovel from ACE Hardware.
• After reading the list recommended I am definitely going to grab some jumper cables and a commercial window breaker.
• Recommendations for numbers one should have programed into their phone
• List of numbers include: non-emergency number for police department, insurance company's phone number, someone labeled IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, poison control, local animal hospital if you have a pet, doctor's number, and pharmacy.
• I currently have 0/7 numbers programed in my cell phone.....looks like I am not prepared for an emergency...yikes!