Well, I’m excited to announce I have found an equally gratifying, significant endeavor: I will be joining forces with Women’s Empowerment at WORC as the assistant director of communications and media.

WE at WORC is a branch of the Worldwide Orphanage Relief Coalition (WORC). WE takes WORC’s mission—to empower children by providing resources and opportunity and reestablishing human rights where those rights have been violated—and applies it more specifically to the lives of women and girls. WE focuses on giving young girls and women the opportunity to express their needs, desires, concerns and hopes for themselves and their communities, while aiding in the formulation of a more fulfilling, stable and self-sustaining future.

The group’s standard of work is established foremost upon the identification of various existing barriers that prevent underprivileged women all over the world from achieving their truest potential and from living a life they deem fulfilling. By standing in the gap, offering her support, resources and a pathway to education and selfdefined success, Women’s Empowerment at WORC aims to create positive change, establishing opportunity through community one voice at a time.

I ask and invite you to “like” WE at WORC on Facebook and follow us on Twitter as I navigate this venture and collaborate with my new team members to further the mission of empowering marginalized women and girls all over the world.

Rewind a few years, and I know these friends in other, more substantial capacities. We had relationships that extended beyond the screen into apartments, workplaces, bars… you get the point. But as happens with high school and college graduations, we dispersed and now freckle the country, our only regular coming together happening on a Twitter or Facebook feed.

It’s one thing to know a person on- and offline. It’s another thing to exclusively know a person online. I’m a big proponent of the power of social media, coming to its defensive every time someone calls it shallow, alienating or a waste of time. I believe it makes us a more connected, informed people, ideally moving us all to care and act for the betterment of society and the world at large. Still, even my social media-loving self cannot deny the following downfall:

Among the friends I only interact with online is a person I’ll call Donna (I’ve been watching a lot of “The West Wing” lately). Donna and I are friends from college: We worked together, went out together. The friendship never reached the “I know I can go to you for whatever I need” level, but I still considered us close.

For the standard reasons—new jobs, new cities, blah blah blah—we lost touch after graduation. In the past year, we’ve seen each other once. The reality is nothing to be broken up over, though it does mean our relationship has been distilled down to what we convey online (whether or not you even deem that a relationship is your call).

The other day Donna tweeted about a band, announcing her dislike for their “unoriginal” sound. For no good reason, I found the comment obnoxious, even getting a little worked up over it (It’s worth noting the band in question is not one I listen to). It took some time for me to realize that most of Donna’s posts to Twitter and Facebook are negative (or enough are negative for me to recall the majority as such), and what had felt like an over-the-top reaction to her musical commentary was actually the consequence of her constant complaints.

Here’s the thing: I know Donna isn’t an exclusively negative person. To the contrary, she is actually a roof-raising good time. Still, because I presently only know her through these channels, my immediate reaction to her posting was, “For the love of all that’s holy, can you stop whining already?”

I went to my good friend Emma (that’s her real name, for the record, and she’s awesome) about this, and she empathetically told me of how she recently started to work with a gentleman she worried would be judgmental based on his snarky viral voice, but turned out to be a surprisingly nice guy.

We discussed how social media brings out the most passionate, rhetorical parts of us. I don’t turn to Twitter when I’m underwhelmed; I tweet when I have something provocative, newsworthy, etc. to share. As I’d assume is the case with most people, I want my online voice to be colorful, and thus I only broadcast my thoughts when I feel them worthwhile (Do my Twitter followers or Facebook friends find what I have to say worthwhile? That’s a can of worms I’d rather not open).

My point is this: On social media, we position ourselves to have a larger-than-life personality. We want to broadcast the best of us—the most intelligent, the most funny, the most interesting—but in turn we risk homogenizing our voice. Whether you’re posting positively, negatively or somewhere in between, social media demands the rhetoric be turned up to 11, and thus we’re always screaming, always speaking in hyperbole. If the content you post is also homogenized—if you, for example, post predominantly complaints—the delivery goes from in-your-face rhetorical to bopping-you-over-the-head brash.

I don’t know that I have solution to this phenomenon—I’m not even sure that there is or needs to be one. As we wrapped up our conversation, Emma made the comment, “Sometimes it’s refreshing to just hear the ‘you you,’ ya know?” I’m not sure how to structure my tweets or posts so they reflect the “me me,” but seeing as I get hyperbolic discussing what kind of toast I had for breakfast, it’s certainly something I’ll be conscious of.

I turned 23 years old today. It’s a fairly inconsequential brithday, and I didn’t do anything particularly exciting to celebrate it, but it was still a great day. Here’s why:

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison last May, and shortly thereafter read a piece on things we should learn and appreciate in college. Among the many insightful items listed was the following: “All your best friends will never be within such close proximity.”

So while turning 23 lacks the excitement of 16th, 18th or 21st birthdays, today was still a great day, because in the span of 24 hours, via one medium or another, I heard from just about everyone I love and care about.

The first year out of college is a tough one. You’ve swallowed the bitter reality pill: Your first job does not involve rescuing puppies or other world-saving efforts, Lena Dunham is the only person who understands the chaos that is your love life and your diet includes far too many “instant” meals. What’s more, your best friends are no longer within arm’s reach. That’s what I’ve had the hardest time dealing with, but that is what has felt least relevant today.

So thanks to my friends and family for the birthday wishes, and thanks for allowing me to write about them with pure cheese here.

Although I’ve yet to move a single piece of furniture into my new place, I can already picture myself coming home from work, turning on some tunes and making a delicious meal. Maybe this. Or this. (OK, probably this.) Fine. It’ll be a Lean Cuisene. Regardless, the music will reflect the cozy nature of the food I long to cook.

Naturally, I’ve already made the playlist, because why pack up all of your belongings when you can browse Spotify for three hours? Priorities, people.

Anyway, I’ve included the playlist here and below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do (and cook better meals while listening to it than I do).

1. “My Little Corner of the World” – Yo La Tengo
2. “Sex Tourists” – French Kicks
3. “There Goes The Fear” – Doves
4. “My Life” – Best Coast
5. “She’s Bound to Get Hurt” – Summer Fiction
6. “Right Moves” – Josh Ritter
7. “Butchie’s Tune” – The Lovin’ Spoonful
8. “Magic” – Girls
9. “King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1″ – Neutral Milk Hotel
10. “Wind and Walls” – The Tallest Man on Earth
11. “Cowboy Boots” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
12. “Dreams” – Fleetwood Mac
13. “Back to Front” – Eliza Doolittle
14. “Hold On” – Alabama Shakes
15. “Between the Cheats” – Amy Winehouse
16. “Let’s Do It” – Billie Holiday
17. “I Thought I Saw Your Face Today” – She & Him
18. “Night Windows” – The Weakerthans
19. “World News” – Local Natives
20. “Worry Dance” – Diet Folk

I have to admit, I’ve never read the book, but its title was easy enough to interpret. The paint chips were generously donated by Ace Hardware (which is to say I awkwardly walked in, nabbed a bunch and left) then hot glued onto a cheap grey skirt from Target. Add a grey top, plastic handcuffs and the world’s longest fake eyelashes, and you’ve got yourself a “Fifty Shades of Grey” costume. Madisonians seemed to get a kick out of it. Hopefully you do, too .

Special thanks to my main gal, Sarah, for the idea.

My hiveless sister, however, loves cats. Quite a bit. Enough so that I can’t think of anything not cat related to get her for her birthday/the holidays. As such, I’ve assembled a substantial enough collection of cat paraphernalia to share the items here. May you only pass mild judgment on the cat lover in your life when you gift upon him/her these same unique goods.

Unacceptable. Give me fall back.

Throughout the summer (my least favorite of seasons — gasp!), I willed it to be autumn with the purchasing of oversized sweaters. I’ve gone for a more cost-effective, calorie-ineffective method this time around: Spicy Tomato Dill Soup.

This is my favorite dish on the planet (I know I’m a hyperbolic person, but I promise I’m not exaggerating). The recipe comes from Summer Kitchen, an adorable restaurant in Door County, Wis., my family spends most summers frequenting. That I developed my love for this piping hot soup during summer months is a testament to its deliciousness. Still, it is best enjoyed during colder months — the weather is more fitting but the clothes are not.

Ingredients

• 2 cups onions, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup butter
• 6 cups vegetable base
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2/3 cup of butter (for roux)
• 1 cup flour (for roux)
• 6 dashes hot sauce
• 2 28 oz. cans of tomato sauce
• 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons dill weed (best if it’s fresh, not dried)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground basil

Directions

Saute the onions, garlic and 1/3 cup of butter in the bottom of a large pot, one capable of holding six quarts.

Once the butter has melted, add the vegetable base and honey. Bring this to a boil.

While you are waiting for the mixture to boil, make your roux. Melt 2/3 cups of butter in a saucepan. Once it has melted, slowly add the cup of flour. Cook for three minutes, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Set aside.

Once the mixture has come to a boil, whisk in the roux, making sure there are no roux lumps. The mixture will become smooth and thick.

Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, dill weed, black pepper, red pepper, chili powder and ground basil to the mixture. Stir well.

Taste the soup and adjust for personal taste.

I made these caramel apple cider cookies a couple weeks back and they were delicious. Credit to this blog for the recipe and my mad Instagram skills for the photo.

Warning: The recipe advises you refrigerate the dough for an hour before baking. As I’m sure you all know, this is the most disheartening tip to encounter in a recipe, so I did what any rational being would do when faced with it: I ignored it. (Truth be told, had I read the recipe in full before committing to it, the hour-long wait would have kept me from baking these. Huzzah for my dwindling patience!) 

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
• In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• Cream together the butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder in a mixer until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Refrigerate for about an hour.
• When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels.
• Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut.
• Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If they cool too much and stick to the parchment, place them in the freezer for a few minutes — they’ll pop right off!

In honor of the show’s return, I thought I’d bring this photo out of the vault: Last Halloween my friend, Kevin, and I went as April and Andy. It’ll be hard to trump that costume this year.

Last Halloween, my friend, Kevin, and I went as Andy Dwyer and April Ludgate from “Parks and Recreation.”

Enjoy “Parks and Recreation” tonight, but until then, do this. FBI Agent Renee Dawson out!

Let me rephrase that: I love gleefully wasting hours of my time looking at pretty things, and Pinterest allows me to do that.

When I first encountered the site during my senior year of college, it did wonders for (which is to say it entirely hindered) my attention span, particularly in the classroom. Poor elbow patch-clad Professor Kydd. If only his lectures on World War I peace negotiations had been as enticing as Pinterest boards devoted to low-calorie pumpkin baked goods. Alas…

Since those days, however, I have come to appreciate a more practical side of Pinterest. I work in social media marketing (“What’s that?” you say. “You have a job?!” I do! But more on that later) and am expected to advise clients as they integrate Pinterest into their social media strategies. This is one practical side of the platform I deal with on a daily basis, but recently I’ve found a more fun, albeit equally practical (ehh, that’s debatable), aspect of the site.

Holiday wishlists. It took a salary for me to realize just how royally broke I am, and thus I’ve started compiling a list (or board, rather) of household “necessities” (I use that term loosely) I’d love to be gifted come December 25. I try to keep items like toilet paper holders and tupperware off the list (though a lovely Anthropologie dish towel set was on the list for a day before I realized it would be the bleakest Christmas gift in the history of the holiday), but it does have a more practical theme than lists of the past.

More than fulfilling my own needs and desires, it’s proven useful in providing family members with ideas of what my impossible-to-shop-for-sister may want for the holidays. You’ll notice the board has a whole two items on it as of yet (like I said, impossible to shop for), but browsing for gifts, whether they be for her, me or everyone else, has proven a mildly more practical way to waste away the evening on Pinterest.

Note: Some of you may be wondering why I’m talking about Christmas lists in September. Ha, clearly we do not know each other. Let me take this moment to introduce myself. Hi, I’m Jacqueline, and since the age of 13 I have started my Christmas shopping in July. Thanks for visiting my website.