While many of you were dreaming of a white Christmas, I think most folks in the Southeast were hoping for a rainy one.  With many states facing one of the most severe droughts in history, any amount of precipitation would be a welcome change to the sunny, blue skies.

Since the drought affects many of my loved ones, I have stayed up-to-date on the conditions thanks to USA.gov.  I can check the local drought forecasts, get weekly drought monitor maps, and calculate how much precipitation it would take to end the current drought conditions in the next three months.  For much of the Southeast and parts of California, it would take 18 to 21 inches of rain! 

At drought.gov, I can get recent news related to the drought as well as impact reports from media, observers, and other sources.  These reports are searchable by state and county, category of impact (environment, agriculture, social, etc.), and time period.  They are also a real eye-opening read on how the drought is affecting individuals and communities from job loss to wildfires to sparse crop growth. 

One positive that has resulted from the drought is the need to be more conscious about conserving water.  While I was home for the holidays, my Mom had to gently remind me to take shorter showers and to turn the water off while brushing my teeth.  To help encourage folks, the state of Georgia has put together a great website, ConserveWaterGerogia.net, which is full of useful tips on conserving water at home, school, and work.

Here’s a few to help get you started:

• Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes.
• Fix leaking faucets and toilets.
• Turn off lights when you’re not in the room since energy is produced using large volumes of water.
• Don’t overwater your lawn.  Lawns only need to be watered every 10 to 14 days in the winter.
• Avoid over fertilizing your lawn.

You can also find creative ideas for saving water such as collecting rainwater with rain barrels and test your WaterSense with the EPA’s new interactive online quiz.  And for more helpful advice and resources checkout thedailygreen.com.

O.K, you may have not made the cut for Celebrity Apprentice, Project Runway, or American Idol.  But there’s still a great job out there for you.  You just have to “make it work” as my favorite fashion guru likes to say.

Take it from me, after my dreams of being a rock star were dashed by the fact I can’t carry a tune, I turned to another passion:  public service.  I always knew with whatever career path I chose, I wanted to have the opportunity to make a difference.  During my job hunt, I saw federal service as a way for me to accomplish this goal.  Thankfully, a search on USAJobs gave me the chance to work with the folks from Pueblo, CO.

Now, I know working for Uncle Sam isn’t for everyone, but the government does have tons of great career resources.  For instance, the “Finding a Job” page on USA.gov connects you to info on choosing a career, building a resume, applying for jobs, and more.  There’s also the “Employment” section of Pueblo.gsa.gov and the “Jobseekers” tab on the Department of Labor’s homepage that are full of useful tips and services.

I’ve also found the followings sites to be a source of really great and sometimes humorous career advice:

• The Wall Street Journal’s CareerJournal.com
• BusinessWeek.com-Managing Your Career
• Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist
• Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Starting Out-Careers

Please feel free to suggest other career resources that you’ve found helpful.  Or share a great “You’re Hired!” story.

Recently, I saw the movie “Into the Wild,” which is a screen adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s acclaimed bestseller. The book tells the true story of Christopher McCandless who, after graduating from college, donates all his money to charity and heads on a journey out West.

When I read the book several years ago, I was not only struck by McCandless’ inner journey but also his outer one through the American West. It’s a part of the country that I haven’t really explored, but the spirit and scenery has always fascinated me. And seeing the breathtaking images of the Pacific Crest Trail and Denali National Park on the big screen only heightened my curiosity and sense of adventure.

If I truly wanted to “go west young man” (or lady in my case), where would I go and what would I want to see? At pueblo.gsa.gov, I found two helpful publications, National Park System Map and Guide and National Trails System Map and Guide. These full-color maps list activities at more than 300 parks, monuments, and historic sites, along with 17 national trails. They’re a great starting point for discovering all that our national parks and trails system have to offer.

Another great resource is USA.gov. Just typing “national parks” in the Search box gave me tons of quick links and images to help make my planning easier. You can find a national park by name, location, topic, or activity. This link is great for someone like me who likes to swim and hike but isn’t so into snow skiing. There’s also a link to National Register Travel Itineraries, which can take a lot of guesswork out of your planning.

Once you’re ready to explore, visit Recreation.gov to make reservations for campgrounds and tours and to buy an annual pass for national parks and federal recreational lands. If you aren’t able to take a trip sometime soon, don’t worry—you can still experience the wonder of our national parks with the National Park Service’s Soundscapes. Make sure to check out this sound clip of a bison in Yellowstone!

One of my 2007 New Year’s goals (I don’t like saying resolutions) was to volunteer more.  And with a new year right around the corner, I have to admit I wasn’t that successful in achieving it.  Like many, I found it much easier to give financially than to give my time.

However, this goal will be back at the top of my 2008 list, and this time I intend to follow through.  Before Thanksgiving, some friends and I volunteered at Food & Friends, a wonderful D.C. organization that prepares, packages, and delivers meals and groceries to more than 1,300 people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses.  I also have become involved with One Brick whose motto, ‘commitment-free volunteering,’ is great for a busy gal like me.

I really like these two organizations, but I also want to find some others to share my time with.  Thankfully, USA.gov has a great “Public Service and Volunteerism” page that can help make my search easier.   From volunteer opportunities at national parks to the Smithsonian, there’s something for everyone no matter where your interests lie.

I found the following three sites to be very useful in helping me match my interests (reading, music, the environment) and talents (shopping, multi-tasking, knowledge of all things pop culture) with organizations around the D.C. area.  Please feel free to share other helpful sites along with your volunteering experiences in the comment section.

• USA Freedom Corps:  Helps you find service opportunities that match your interests and talents in your hometowns, across the country, or around the world.  You can also learn how to earn the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
• NationalService.gov:  The Corporation for National & Community Service offers information about volunteering and administers several volunteer programs, including AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps.
• Volunteer.Gov/Gov:  A single, easy-to-use web portal with information about volunteer opportunities.  You can search by keyword, state, activity, agency, and/or date range.

As an extension of Colleen's post on online shopping, I would like to introduce you to the dress that was not meant to be:

Trying to be proactive, I’m planning to stage my midlife crisis rather than letting it catch me by surprise. Determined to get it all over with in one day, I’m ushering in my 40th birthday (more on that traumatic milestone in a future post) with a 1950s-style party. I'm doing up the house in kitschy retro decor, serving 'back in the day' food like pigs in a blanket  and am dressing for the role of the happy hostess.

I stalked this fifties frock at an online auction site, staying up past my bedtime to bid on it right to the nail biter ending. And with five seconds to go, somebody who did not NEED this dress like I did beat me out by a dollar. A lousy buck.

Not that I’m bitter.

Now I know online auctions aren't new. But there are still millions of people who have never tried one. And there are lots of others, like me, whose bidding skills could use a little finessing.

Internet Auctions: A Guide for Buyers and Sellers lays out the basics of the online auction world with tips on bidding, listing items you want to sell, and keeping from getting ripped off by unscrupulous dealers.

If you collect anything, from velvet Elvis paintings to Fiestaware and don't want to pay antique store prices, or can't stand to fork over half your paycheck at the mall for new things like designer shoes (hello, Samantha!), there's somebody at an online auction site willing to sell it to you for a better price. And one of those somebodies, it turns out, is Uncle Sam. The Government Sales and Auctions page is one of the most popular destinations at USA.gov. When I first heard about government auctions, I envisioned outdated furniture or 20th century computers. But a look at some of the things up for bid online from the government put my imagination to shame and forced me into the 21st century. Government auction sites are filled with modern computers and office furniture; late model cars, trucks and boats; jewelry, clothes and home decor; art and collectibles; houses, farms and commercial property and more. Everything's been seized by law enforcement or used by the government, and it's up for bid online at fair prices.

So why buy retail when you can save a bundle and enjoy the hunt in an online auction?

As for me and my dress situation, all is not lost. In fifties fashion, I dried my tears, smoothed out my apron and dove back into that auction site, scoring a little periwinkle number, circa 1955.

This was the dress that was meant to be.