Growing up is hard to do

I graduated college in 2008 and have been a member of the working world ever since. I'm on my third apartment, by myself, and am less than a month away from the big 2-6, which means I've already lived through the first half of my twenties. With that being said, I thought I'd make a list of some of the habits I should probably start breaking, or perhaps the ones I should pick up, because after all, I really am an adult and should probably start picking up some adult-like habits. Don't get me wrong, I'm as mature as you can get, but there are a few college-habits I just haven't been able to break. Here we go:

1. Start eating dinner at my kitchen table, instead of my couch - I bought a very pretty pub-style table when I moved to my new apartment, because I thought as an "adult" I should have a real kitchen table. Despite dropping a significant amount of dough on the table, I still migrate to the couch for all my meals...I guess it wasn't so bad when at my last apartment, I didn't really have a kitchen table, but used the coffee table instead. I haven't yet purchased a new coffee table for this apartment, so I literally use a pillow as my table. Yes, I know...it's a terrible habit, one I'm convinced to cease come April 11th.

2. Start using actual recipes when cooking - I like to cook, but I'm often lazy, so I make the same things, regularly. I throw some spices (usually salt, pepper, garlic powder, maybe some other seasoning) on either chicken or fish and call it a day. I'd like to spice up my cuisine and add to my cooking repertoire, so my goal is to start actually making some of those fabulous recipes I'm always reading about.

3. Buy a pajama set - I've never been a huge pajama set kind of girl. When I was little, I wore an over-sized t-shirt to bed. As I grew up, I started wearing shorts and a tank top...and still do. I find there to be something "adult-like" about having an actual matching set of pajamas.

4. Have a landline phone - Yes, I know it's how we millennials operate - we only have a cell phone, no attached to the wall, need to charge, cordless phone. BUT, with that being said, my new apartment doesn't have the best cell service, and it's really not very adult like to constantly have dropped calls (especially when you're on the phone with work). So, I've decided to call good ol' Comcast and upgrade my double play to a triple.

5. Ween myself off Ranch dressing - Ever since I was little, I needed to have a side of ranch for my chicken, fries, steak, potatoes, really anything. Although I use the low fat version (which is just soo much better), I think this is one habit I should can. But, I won't give up my ketchup, that's just too American.

6. Buy curtains - Ok, so I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but when it comes to my bedroom (my living room is pretty awesomely decorated), I'm more concerned with blocking out the intrusive morning sun, than I am about style...and I have resorted to using dark sheets and blankets as curtains. So not adult like. My goal by April 11th, is to invest in some black-out curtains - I mean really, how un-adult can you get with a snowman blanket as your curtain?

So these are just a few of my goals. I'm sure I'll come up with others, but for now, here goes nothing . . . I may just be an adult with real adult habits by the time I turn 26 after all.

How many breakfasts can a breakfast fan eat?

I'm a lover of pretty much all things breakfast. Belgium waffles? Sure, where's the syrup? Pancakes? Yes, please. Oatmeal? Absolutely. Rye toast? Just give me some peanut butter. Cereal? Any time, anywhere. I really enjoy breakfast. In fact, I regularly eat breakfast for dinner. I've been known to make a quick egg sandwich, or some egg white pancakes, or even just pour myself a bowl of cereal for dinner. Simply put, I love me some breakfast. To that end, I read a recent Times article about the "Second Breakfast," and yes, I'm guilty of being a second breakfast eater too! The article discusses how Americans are treating themselves to smaller breakfasts and then eating a snack or a second breakfast later in the morning. I guess the key here is "smaller." I suppose if you consume two equally large breakfasts, you'd really be doing more harm than good, but I tend to be in support of a second breakfast. I actually think I might be a third breakfast kind of girl. I tend to mostly work out in the mornings, so I usually eat a couple pieces of this special egg white Belgium fruit waffle I make (recipe forthcoming)  before I work out. Then, after I bust my butt at the gym, I'm ravenous, so I tend to eat a full breakfast (oatmeal, or chiobani, or cereal, or eggs) around 8 a.m. But then, after I've made it to work, I'm usually starving again by 10-10:30 a.m. I try to arm myself with healthy snacks, but sometimes, a girl just needs some chocolate, or a perhaps a lemon square from Starbucks? Ugh, so there you go. I admit it. I'm not just a second breakfast eater, I'm a third breakfast eater. Please don't judge.

Here's the article for your reading pleasure.

The Pains of Moving

One month ago, I made the move to Connecticut from Philadelphia to start my new job, with a company I adore. While I knew moving would present some of the usual challenges, packing, literally moving, I've had some other battles to deal with.

Ironically, this was one of the easiest moves I've ever had when it comes to the actual moving of boxes. I hired movers, who literally packed me up in three hours and had the trailer unloaded in two. Between the packing, unpacking, and driving time, I was in my new apartment in less than eight hours. Seamless! Well, or so it seems.

Despite my frustration with Comcast, I didn't have much of a choice in Connecticut, so I signed up with them again. Since I didn't have time to drop the boxes off in Philadelphia, I mailed the cable boxes back in the Comcast-provided USPS boxes, along with their pre-printed shipping labels. I dropped the boxes off about a week after I moved and figured I was done, nothing left to worry about. Think again. I started to get call after call from Comcast informing me that I had yet to return my boxes. At first I figured they just hadn't received them yet, but after a week and then a letter informing me that Comcast was not only charging me $520 for the unreturned cable boxes, but also reporting me to a collections agency, I realized this was not the case. I made a call to Comcast's customer service department, which transferred me three different times to different call centers between Connecticut, Boston, and finally Philadelphia. I explained my case to the representative who said she'd issue a ticket and investigate the case. A little while later, I get a call and the representative says, "I understand you're having trouble receiving service in your Connecticut apartment?" Umm...what?

Being a lover of social media and absolutely refusing to pay Comcast $520 for boxes I promptly returned, I took to the twitter airwaves and sent a tweet to Comcast's customer service handle letting them know I was frustrated and very unhappy. Wouldn't you know, within an hour I received a new call from an Executive, with a direct line who assured me she'd help me out, even though she had no record of my boxes being returned, nor did she have any record of USPS boxes ever being mailed to me. Interesting. After multiple calls back and forth, I finally spoke with a representative on Friday, who let me know that she had no idea where the boxes were, but since I'd been such a good customer, she was going to remove the boxes from my account and wait for it  . . . issue me a $108 credit. It's amazing what social media can do.

I've also had issues with the post office - delivering my packages to the wrong apartment number and some never arriving at all. I issued a complaint via their website, but wouldn't you know, the Post Office never got back to me. Bank of America also sent my new debit card to the wrong address and thanks to Twitter, within a few days I had a new card. Macy's is my latest issue. I opened their credit card over the phone after I moved, only because I wanted the $100 discount on my new, beautiful couch. Literally, the only reason I opened this card was for the discount. When my bill comes, no discount. Nothing. After calling Macy's they indicate they have no record of me purchasing the couch on the same day as when I opened the card. Really? Thank goodness I'm in PR and have learned that you always keep a paper trail - I faxed my receipt over to Macy's this morning and wouldn't you know, after lunch, a $100 credit appeared on my account.

Long story short - keep a record of everything and when all else fails, utilize the tools you have to create change, i.e. complaining via Twitter is a great solution, especially as companies seek to maintain their positive brand images in a consumer-controlled environment.