News Feed: Jess and Joey are now in a complicated relationship <3 1:54am

You're awesome and fabulous. Your Facebook states otherwise. We guarantee it. Besides proving you are not a hologram it doesn't do anyone much justice.
So, what does your Facebook page say about you?

First things first. The Relationship Status:

1. From In a Relationship, to Single, to In a Relationship again... to Single again (within 2 weeks).
The world does not need to know about your incapability to stay broken up with your boyfriend. Leave it blank.

2. It's Complicated: Doesn't saying that your relationship status is complicated make it more complicated?
The answer is yes, yes it does!

3. It's Complicated with [Insert Name Here]: We're really glad you are both proud of your unstable relationship.
It's complicated without marriage, real problems and children in the mix? Do yourself a favor, move on.

4. In an Open Relationship: It can't get more open than this.
You can't decide if you want John or Adam or Brittney.

Bottom line: Relationships are tough. Maybe that's why the DMV only gives you three choices: Single, Married and Widowed.

Peace & Love,

Jess & Joey


© 2009. Chic, Broke & Confused. All Rights Reserved.

"Recruiting doesn't stop in a recession."

Both of us are currently dealing with the woes of job hunting during a recession. Joey has been unsuccessful in securing a job offer after completing her MBA back in December and I am currently finishing up my portfolio to become an Art Director.

Cecilia Gorman is the VP, Director of Creative Services at Y&R Advertising in Irvine, CA. For some time now we've been following her blog. She is extremely blunt and honest, which you've gotta love. Whether you're currently employed or not, you are bound to find some advice to take away with you.

A few days ago, I hit an emotional wall because in two weeks I will be joining the hundreds of thousands of Americans that are currently unemployed. Joey is already among this group. Two years ago no one could have seen things getting this bad. But they did. So what now?
We think it's more important than ever to believe in your ability to produce great work because someone is bound to notice it.

We'll be posting tips and updating you on our personal experiences during the job hunt. This should be interesting as I am looking for a creative gig and Joey is looking for a more technical spot.

So keep at it. We know we will.

Jess

Here's the link:
Confessions of a Creative Recruiter: When no one's hiring

Banging the Buck

Welcome to Banging the Buck: Recession Proof Spending Guide

Forget the $12 cocktail. The days of spending too much money on overpriced drinks are long gone, at least for now. Some people (ie. us) have a problem staying in. You’ll just have to forgive us if after having a rough week, we feel the need to "disconnect".

It's time to dust off those martini glasses you bought back in 1999 and clean that messy apartment of yours so you can host a little gathering.

Here are the pros of this oh-so-genius idea:

1. Your buck will stretch for miles: $10 per person can buy you LOTS of alcohol and food. Not sure what to serve? See our Banging Sangria recipe below.
Note: Chic, Broke & Confused does not encourage binge eating or drinking. The confused bit will increase. The chic part will decrease. Believe us.

2. You will avoid the O’Douchebag Pub, which our studies show, will help you decrease the chances of meeting another douche by 99.9%. Impressive.

3. Chances are, your significant other had a tough week as well. The last thing they want to hear about is office drama that doesn't even have anything to do with you (who does?). Give him time for himself, it's not the end of the world if you don't see each other on a Friday night. Friends are the most important people in our lives and many of us forget that when we are in a relationship.

4. When was the last time you all got together?

Finally, go green with this idea. You can use green materials and avoid plastics, but that’s not our point. We think you should be doing that already. What we are suggesting is to recycle the idea per se. If you hosted the gathering this week, let your awesome and fabulous friends host future gatherings. Before you know it, doing anything else may start to sound lame!

It sure feels great having a good bang… for your buck.

Peace & Love,

Jess & Joey

Banging Sangria
3 1/4 cups dry red wine
2 cups lemon soda
1/2 cup Spiced Rum
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 large orange
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup of Seasonal Fruits, chopped (i.e. apples, pears)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Preparation: Pour all the ingredients into a large pitcher, mix well, and refrigerate. Serve chilled over ice.


© 2009. Chic, Broke & Confused. All Rights Reserved.

Different Country Code. Same Shit.

All men are created equal. Thomas Jefferson said these timeless words once upon a time, while writing a little known document called “The Declaration of Independence”.

Needless to say, he is right. You have met different men in different cities and countries. Isn’t it funny that most of them turn out to be the same? Their means may or may not justify the end, but in this case these might get lost in translation. The end, however, will be the exactly the same. Most of them will end up not meeting your expectations and annoying you. You will certainly end up acing your study abroad program in "Magnetismo del Douchebag 101" – yet again.

After having one too many glasses of the local alcoholic beverage, you might actually be thinking the fairy tale story. You are already seeing yourself falling in love abroad and staying in this remote town, which you cannot remember the name of, for this local, tall and handsome dude. The pick of the litter at O’Douchebag Pub. Let’s face it. We, women, have a chromosome or some genetic malfunction that quickly disables us to see things for what they are: a plain fling or one-night stand. Mea culpa. It has happened to us. It may be about to happen to you.

We want you to scratch the hindsight that makes you believe you can be just like the friend of your cousin’s sister’s classmate who went to Barcelona, fell in love and is now waltzing with a hot Spaniard. You might be her but chances are you will come back dancing the Macarena instead, sans the guy. So stay tuned for our analyses abroad! We will go to all sorts of places, inspired from personal experiences, what our friends have gone through and your suggestions. Don’t be afraid to roast le garçon, il ragazzo, el chico, the dude, der junge. You get it the idea. We are better off getting a laugh out of this.

Peace & Love,

Jess & Joey


© 2009. Chic, Broke & Confused. All Rights Reserved.

Douchebag Magnetism 101

Welcome to Douchebag Magnetism 101.

A phenomena easily defined, not as easily avoided.
Like us, if this were actually a class, many of you would have aced it. We have all been there.
There's no one exception, everybody at one time or another has encountered a Douchebag.
You remember. That guy that made you feel worthless? Incapable? Stupid?
Well remember him well, because you will never waste your time again.

Three words: Education through classification.

1. Sir Will NotBeCourteous Douche: Thinks of himself as royalty, far fetch from being a Gentleman. Won't even consider the possibility of opening a door for you.
Seriously? His arm won't fall off. We promise.

2. Gold Medalist Douche: Thinks walking is a race, and he has to get there first.
You are not his entourage, you are his date. He should be walking next to you or behind you. It's not your shoes, its common courtesy.

3. Dudche: He calls you dude...more than once.
If you are not arm wrestling and having a burping contest then there's no need for it. If you are, well then you asked for it.

4. The Wake-Up Call Douche: Always "forgets" to call you, unless its 2AM.
Guess what? You didn't ask for a 2am wake up call! Hang up!

5. In Love With Myself Douche: He has too much love to give...to himself.
He can even make a conversation about PMS about himself. How magical.

You deserve the best! It's not the end of the world if you encountered one of these!
Laugh it off! Awesome and free, the best therapy there is :)

Peace & Love,

Jess & Joey


© 2009. Chic, Broke & Confused. All Rights Reserved.

Chic, Broke & Confused: A modern day unbiased advice column

"He loves his goldfish more than he loves me."

"I am in the middle of a love octagon."

"I can't cook a hot dog."

It's no secret that we all have "problems" in our lives. So what do you do? You call your trusty best friend and hope she tells you what you want to hear.

Yeah. That’s right. What YOU want to hear, not what is in your best interest. We all know how it goes; in the end it’s easier to make the wrong decisions. Not that it's always a bad thing, because you might actually learn something. Still, if you're not happy with your current situation it’s probably because you keep making the same mistakes over and over again. The case of the stubborn amnesiac.

Get over it! Wipe that dirt off your $330 True Religion jeans and move on. It's a great time to be a woman. You just have to embrace that. We are here because we want to be. We want to start a conversation about where we are going to be in the next few years.

To do this, we need to touch base and figure out our daily woes. Confront them and bring that confidence to the forefront of who we are. Change is a biggie. It's not easy to come to terms with it, but once you do, you start appreciating many of the small things. Like penises, ups and downs come in all shapes and sizes.

Who we are.

First off, we are not psychologists. We are not financial gurus (if we were, we would be busy tearing up Wall Street). We are not experts in any one field. Bottom line, we are just like you. We are chic, broke and confused.

We have made bad choices, and moved on. We have made awesome decisions (one of which led us to meet in a great cosmopolitan city in Europe). Bottom line, we’re just like you – trying to sort out what’s right and wrong, separate the black, white and gray areas and use our confidence and capabilities to do great stuff.

What you should expect.

General advice on ANYTHING, really. Just as long we have gone through it or seen someone else do it. You can expect to read from sex and relationship advice to traveling, personal finance and what movie you should see this week. We're sorry, but we can’t really comment on what we think are weird, obscure subjects (ie. Star Trek, C-SPAN, etc).
We are not professionals, as we've mentioned before. Don’t blame us if you slip off the wagon. Don’t praise us if we are able to solve your problems. At the end of the day, you did that on your own, we just gave you that extra little push.
(We can’t write prescriptions for meds either.)

We already think you’re chic, awesome and fabulous, if you are reading our column. So we really will encourage you to eliminate the broke and confused bit of the equation without changing who you really are.

Questions? Concerns? Not sure what to do?
Write us at ChicBrokeConfused@gmail.com!
So we can all benefit from each others experiences,we will post your question with our answer. No worries though! We respect your privacy and we will not disclose any personal details.

Peace & Love,

Jess & Joey




© 2009. Chic, Broke & Confused. All Rights Reserved.