Trying New Things Upon Graduation

I am now an official Pepperdine alumnae! Isn't that exciting! Even if I got absolutely fried, it was a beautiful day, and I am so glad that my parents and boyfriend were able to come out and show their love and support. I am one lucky redhead!

After graduation, we all went to this amazing French bistro called "Bistro LQ" for a 6-course, fixed-plate meal. I can honestly say it was like nothing I have ever done before, but I would totally recommend that everyone do it at least once in their lives -- it was an experience I will never forget! It's important to try new things in this new chapter of my life, and while I have always been a pretty open eater, I thought I would just post what we got to eat last night. It was all really good!

Course #1:

This was the first course, which consisted of sea urchin, over a bed of tapioca pudding, infused with something fishy (lobster, I think). I wasn't sure if I would like it, but it was actually really good! On the right was some sort of gelatinous fishy tasting thing, with a whole mussel at the bottom. I actually couldn't eat this part, but I did manage to get the muscle down! Larry really liked it though.

Course #2:

The second course foie gras over ox tail in a pastry dough, with some greens between. The center of the foie gras is stuffed with huckleberries, which were really good! The consistency of the foie gras was a little weird, but overall the dish was pretty good! I really liked the ox tail, which was warm, and gave the dish a really savory flavor.

Course #3:

The third course was my favorite dish of the night. There was cod on the bottom, in some sort of buttery sauce, and a dumpling stuffed with crawfish. The dumpling actually tasted like a seafood potsticker! On top was some sort of leafy thing, fried in a tempura...which was really good, but now I can't remember what it was called. I think it was the buttery sauce that tied the whole thing together. Yum!

Course #4:

This one was quote an interesting experience. On the left was fish liver, which I could not eat. I did try a little bit, but it was just so fishy, I couldn't get it down. On the right side of the plate was monkfish with porcini mushrooms and some sort of green pesto sauce. It was really good, and I don't even normally like pesto sauce!

Course #5:

This one was really good too. Veal in a delicious sauce, with blood sausage and a few pieces of tripe. If I had to pick another favorite, this would be it. The veal practically fell off the bone it was so tender, and that sauce was just so amazing, I wish he had told us what was in it.

Cheese Course:


No French meal would be complete without smelly cheeses! The first picture is their entire cheese cart...and it was sitting right by our table. Every time the wind blew, we got a good wiff of cheese; not necessarily the best smell. However, while I didn't necessarily care for the cheeses they brought us (second picture), the rest of the family sure enjoyed them!

Course #6:


Dessert was the last course of our French meal. Each of us got a piece of chocolate cake, which was soaked in rum, and the cherries were soaked in sherry. Then they brought the whole table that long plate full of different little desserts, most of which were chocolate in orientation. At this point, I was so stuffed that I couldn't really eat much (especially since it was a lot of chocolate), but my mom and aunt were in heaven!

So, that was my first, 6-course French meal. It was so much fun, but it took a long time (2 and a half hours). I would certainly recommend Bistro LQ to anyone; the food was exquisite! I am really glad that I got to try new things, and it was a great way to start out my new, post-graduation life!

PR Feature

Hello everyone!

Well, today I was featured on a PR blog, spotlighting graduating PR students as they enter the very intimidating job market. The blogger, Jeremy Pepper, offers some great advice for people looking to get into PR, and I am really excited to have made his acquaintance. Check out his blog post below!

http://pop-pr.blogspot.com/

In other new, I graduate tomorrow! Went and picked up my cap and gown this morning, saw my family for a few hours, get to hang around with the beau and then heading to the senior banquet! It's funny to think back about how people always warned that college would go by really quickly, and I didn't really believe them. Now, I can honestly say it was all a whirlwind. It seems like yesterday I was settling into my dorm for the first time, remarking how crazy it was to be on my own for the next four years. Where did the time go?

I hope everyone has a great day!

Internship...Check!

So, today was my last day at Consumer Product Events/BDPR. It was a little bitter sweet. On the one hand I was glad not to have to really deal with prospecting anymore, which might have been the most boring thing I've ever done. On the other hand, it was a good experience in retrospect, and I'm going to get a good recommendation letter out of it. Say what you want about Alyson, if you meet her she is going to help you succeed in any way she can. That's one of her best qualities.

I never really understood the value of internships outside the theoretical discussion of the importance of experience that they give you in college. However, when they say it is important for experience they aren't kidding. From this I learned that I might not necessarily want to be in the firm side of things, though a larger agency with more accounts and opportunities for involvement might be a little different. If I had to do PR tomorrow, I would definitely use a lot of things that I learned from this internship on a daily basis, so I guess in that sense it was a success.

I'm having lunch with Alyson on Monday, and I plan on piquing her brain for what the best next step might be from here. We'll see how it goes!

We've all got to start somewhere

This is the pilot post of Ginger Snaps, and as such, I think some introductions are in order. My name is Tara, and I am a 21 year-old redhead originally from St. Louis. I've spent the last 4 years toiling away at Pepperdine University, where I will receive degrees in psychology and public relations in a short 11 days. My life plans have been shaken with my failure to be accepted to law school despite fairly competitive credentials, and I am now trying to figure out the best path for me to take in a world where I am no longer a student. Yea, that's pretty much me in a nutshell.

My purpose behind this blog is not to rant on and on about my problems, or share meaningless drivel about my life. I really want to talk about my experiences post graduation for those struggling to get into grad schools, trying to find that first job and just overall freaking out about life post-graduation. Hopefully, I can make some of the mistakes for you, and provide helpful insights into the terrifying new world of life outside of formalized education.

I've never blogged before, so this will be an adventure for both of us, and I am excited to learn as I go. Suggestions are always welcomed and in fact appreciated! :)