BrendaDargan.com

I’ve recently rejoined Weight Watchers to rid myself of some holiday pounds. A New Year’s cliche, I know, but I worked really hard to drop 30 pounds on the program last year and I’m not happy with the slow creep back up on the scale I’ve witnessed. So it’s high time to nip it in the bud. Plus, I just feel better when I’m accountable for what and how much I eat. A few days in and I’m already seeing the results. I’m a little less jiggly and most importantly, I’m regaining the drive and focus that propelled me to that monumental weight loss last year.

Helping me out is the handy-dandy “Healthy Checks” feature on WeightWatchers.com which allows me to mark off each glass of water, serving of fruit/vegetables, lean protein, etc. I’ve consumed. When I’ve met my daily requirement, a happy face icon appears. Sure, I revert to a kindergartener with the gratification derived from that rather juvenile seal of approval but hey, it works and I’m not going to criticize it.

My goal is to drop 10 pounds and then maintain the weight. In addition to WW, I’m going to fire up my Wii Fit again and thanks to a gift from my dear friend, Jess, I can now step up my efforts with Wii Fit Plus. I also have EA Sports Active, which really kicked my ass the last time I used it. I’ve even considered getting that Jenny McCarthy exercise program but I’m not entire sure I can tolerate her for a prolonged period of time. I can’t quite shake the memory of her burp-and-fart-filled broadcasts on MTV back in the day. I just can’t.

An added benefit of my recent health kick is the boost to my finances. I cook more so that I can control the amount and quality of the ingredients. I made a huge pot of Italian lentil soup yesterday for about $10. I even shared it with two friends and we barely made a dent in it. I split it up into smaller containers and put some in the fridge, the rest in the freezer. I will have lunches and dinners for weeks to come. This is awesome because I work in far west Chelsea where the lunch options are few and far between. Oh and good luck finding anything for less than $9. That seems to be the neighborhood-wide going rate. I think it’s a conspiracy.

Today’s tip: If you have the seed money handy, open up a Hale & Hearty franchise near Chelsea Piers. You can recoup your investment and retire to Boca in record time. I would do it myself but that J. Crew/Anthropologie habit I developed in my 20s still haunts my bank statements. Sigh.

I am having quite the week. First, I got into a stranger’s car. I not only freaked out the driver, I also broke one of the most basic safety rules drilled into my head since childhood.

But I rebounded from that episode quite nicely and even got a good story out of it.

The latest incident is so ridiculous and kind of hard to explain to those who were offended by it. See, I manage multiple Facebook Pages on my account, one of them being for Chaos Theory, the web series I write for. As part of my duties, I schedule tweets and Facebook status updates in advance using HootSuite. I adore HootSuite and I’ve encouraged several major brands to work with them. In other words, I’m a HootSuite believer so the issue I’m about to explain is not with the program but rather with me and my tendency to be a major dumb ass at times.

So, last night I scheduled some content to go live throughout today. Unfortunately, I erroneously selected my personal Facebook page for the second update. I didn’t realize it until I started getting notifications about likes and comments. My BlackBerry chirped away and I stared at the screen quizzically. I could not make sense of the comments… until I scrolled up. I think the gasp I let out is still echoing in the hallway.

It was a rather unfortunate status update, too, considering some of the recent activity in my News Feed. It read:

High school friends: please stop posting about your wonderful wedding/baby. We know. Thanks.

Oops. I totally sympathize with that statement, but the thing is, I didn’t write it. One of the other writers did so not only did I make a stupid tech error and offend my high school classmates, I also inadvertently plagiarized. However, I’ve since rectified the situation. You know, after I stopped simulataneously cringing/laughing hysterically.

I think I’m going to just bunker down and not go outdoors or communicate with anyone this weekend. It’s for my own safety.

Wanted: One sucker… Um, I mean “non-paid intern.” I kid, I kid. I was precisely that back in the day and, well, look at me now. Among other things, I can make a mean pot of hazelnut coffee thanks to my semester slaving away for one Mr. Geraldo Rivera. It’s a valuable skill!

This position requires no coffee-making nor the threat of flying chairs at the hands of neo-Nazis… that I’m aware of. If you know a suitable candidate, please email me and I’ll put them in touch with the proper person. Details below. Thank you!

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Emmy Winning Producer Seeking Marketing Intern (Virtual)
Emmy winning writer/producers are looking for a Marketing intern to help promote web comedy shows aimed at young women (college age and older).

REQUIREMENTS (And these are all MUST haves)
Excellent writing skills
Rich working knowledge of the web (not technical, but rather web sites and blogs)
Exceptional organizational skills

EXPERIENCE
Knowledge is more important, but web marketing experience (other internships are completely viable) is a big help.

JOB INFORMATION
This job can be done virtually.
This position is part-time (hours TBD, based on availability).
While there is no pay now, there is a chance for pay in the future.

Location: Virtual
Compensation: $0 now, but possibility of pay in the future.
Telecommuting is ok.
This is a part-time job.
This is an internship job