Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tea and Sympathy (Bottles and Bones)

I spent 12 hours at my desk today and didn't even realize it. I took breaks to do things like shower, vacuum, do some dishes. This is how it's been.

The Black Keys was uh-mazing. Had I been able to move, it would have probably been too much handle. As it was, I didn't even have room to put my hands at my sides (seriously). The woman in front of me had Stevie Nicks hair that she kept flipping back into my face. She was also taking up about ten feet of space. The guy behind me was about seven feet tall, drunk, and dancing, so his elbow kept going into my back. I tried to pretend it was a massage. Despite all of these things, they put on a really, really good show. Somewhere in the middle, everyone kind of accepted that we were all sweaty and close, and we all kind of just went with it. That night I realized that a good friend is one who throws herself between you and the two guys fighting behind you.

The next day, I woke up with sinus/allergies/a cold. I have three running projects that are keeping me busy. I had two call backs on full time jobs, had quite a few people contacting me about my new classes, and put a bid in for an apartment close to downtown. That night I realized that a good friend lets you freak out, invites you over despite your sickness, gives you a blanket and tea, and watches Reality Bites on a rainy Tuesday.

My first yoga class in the new studio went really well. I just had my regulars this week, but I've now had four new people contact me about coming to a class. I've started a blog here. I walked in and the class before us was chanting. The teacher is also the owner of the studio, who I had never met. She bounced out a few minutes later, jumped up and down, and ran over and hugged me. She's totally eccentric, and I love it. The class was great: it was hot, we had wood floors, and we listened to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs the whole time. Love my students!

Today, I am still suffering from pollen or the cold. I finished up one project, will finish another tomorrow, and picked up a new project today. I've been able to make new contacts, learn some new skillz, and finish up projects on the side. It's been a really interesting week that has made me so, so thankful for the amazing people in my life. And now, almost 14 hours after my day began, I am going to watch a movie...

*Points to anyone who recognizes the title of this entry*

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Everybody's Free

I have loved this week. This week made up for the rainy, bad week preceding it, and then went a step further and extended itself into next week.

Wednesday, as some of you know, was Earth Day. I love the Earth, of course, but I also love free stuff. Aveda Institute was giving complimentary facials in honor of the big day, so I started it out there. It was fantastic and I felt great all day. I followed that up by heading to Northstar Cafe, home of the best burger in town (even though it's a veggie burger, it still won). They were giving away free v.burgers, so I enjoyed it with the rare sunshine we had that day.

On Thursday, I went to see Neko Case in concert. I met up with the BFF Miss Yaca for tea beforehand (rose latte!), and then we walked to to show. I wasn't a huge Neko fan, but I am now. She put on a really fun, personal show, even doing more than planned for the encore. Realizing that she was a really cool person made me appreciate her music even more. Oh, and her stage was great! Her hair is amazing, and they had a night sky animation behind her a lot of the show - great colors going on.

I also colored my hair on Thursday and I now have purple/red/black locks. No streaks, that's just the best way to describe the color. I've received more compliments on my hair in the last few days than I ever have, I think. Even if no one said anything, I love it.

On Monday, I am going to the Black Keys show at Skully's. There are still people ready to do just about anything for tickets, so I'm just happy that I was able to get mine with only minor amounts of dignity sacrificed. I have a feeling that it is going to be an amazing show!

On Wednesday, I'll be teaching my first class in the studio that I'm renting, and I'm really exciting! It's close to downtown and campus, so I'm hoping to draw in new people. I've been having shoulder problems for about a week, so I'm hoping those clear up. I've been doing a lot of design work this week and I think my shoulder is messed up from that more than the yoga. Yes, it's ironic.

Today, I am headed to a Crew game. I can't even believe how perfect the weather is! Pair that with the new music my friend gave me (23+ cd's!) and I am in a rare state of bliss today. Enjoy the sunshine, and remember, everybody's free to wear sunscreen (so slap it on).

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Nobody knows

Today, this is what made me happy:



Oh, and some ice cream. Have a great week!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Hit the floor

I've written two posts and failed to post them because both of them just trailed off at the end. No one wants to read that.

Day three of rain over here. Everyone is bitter and complaining, but I personally really like rainy days. As I am unemployed, a rainy day translates into a movie day. Or a reading day. I'm currently reading both Revolutionary Road and Reading Lolita in Tehren, and both are good so far.

Not good: both my car and apartment were leaking. Seriously?

Having spent more time than usual in my apartment, I'm aware of something fairly disturbing. I don't typical get spooked often, and I'm not a big believer in ghosts. That said, something is weird around here, and even my most skeptical friends are telling me to move. My doors have been closing on their own. All the windows are shut, heat is off. I would still typically blame this on a draft (still telling myself that's what it is...), but the other day, a door shut that could in no way be hit by a draft. Draft or not, it's unsettling to be sitting down, watching a movie, and suddenly have a door slam shut in your apartment. Spooked yet?

On a brighter note, I got what is possibly my favorite necklace to date. Here it is online, but it actually looks better in person. I also love the "I Spy" necklace, but it sold out fast.

I also got seven months of patience and hair cut off in one hour. My hair was hanging just below my shoulders. It was nice. It was girly. It was also thick, and had weird waves that no straightening iron/product could defeat. After going to several shows and galleries lately, I decided that I really missed my short, edgy hair. I think my stylist was a little disappointed (she's been encouraging me to grow it out this whole time), but she gave me a great cut and totally understood. Ah - feels so much better!

Speaking of concerts, I won tickets to the Black Keys show on the 27th! I'm a little bitter that I didn't even win it at Ladies' 80's night (all that dignity lost for nothing), but I'm not complaining. Junior Boys will be performing at the same place two nights later and I'm thinking about checking them out, too. Diplo or Junior Boys? So much techno-laced music, so little time.

Two yoga classes, two projects to work on, and one book discussion/lunch today. Also, I think the sun is supposed to make a brief appearance today. Have a great Wednesday!

Friday, April 10, 2009

The goods

Saying "good Friday morning" is always a little weird on actual Good Friday. Another fun fact? Someone once told me that it rained every Good Friday. This doesn't makes sense when I think about it scientifically, but for the record, there have only been two years that it hasn't rained since I was seven years old.

It's been a productive week, even though I've been fidgety through most of it. I've even been trying extra yoga/kicking it up to work off some of this weird hyper/restless energy, but now I'm just amazingly sore. The legs, they hurt. I tried Tiger Balm after two recommendations in one day. I'm not exactly sure how well it works, but it does have a nice little zing to it that, strangely, puts me right to sleep.

I gave Ladies' 80's night another chance and the second time around was much better. We danced all night, adding to my soreness. Some friends joined us this time, and we were only hit on once thanks to our spot up front. The guy was polite, but he still warrants a tip:
:: Don't hit on a girl by asking her how old she is. You seem creepy and it doesn't exactly make her more attracted to you in any way.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting up with friend to catch up on the latest from my old office (oh the drama) and then going to "CD101 Day". I'm hoping it's as cool as I've hoped for three years. After that, I'm meeting some friends downtown post-Crew game. In other news, I just won tickets to a Black Keys show! You can't buy the tickets, so I've been entering everything trying to get in those doors. Seeing Psychotic Girl live? Somebody hold me back.

To get you ready for the weekend, enjoy this mix. Not my usual style, but I'm going with it...

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Cut the lights

I don't think I'm doing myself any favors by listening to my recent music picks: the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' It's Blitz!, Crystal Castles, my 100 Dances mix. All good things, but not when you have to sit still and concentrate on a certain task for hours. I'm all fidgety and restless, despite the long list of things I've completed today. Somebody get me to dark dance floor, and more strobe lights, please.

Today has been wildy successful. I had a meeting this morning, distributed some business cards, did some shopping, and then made some mad progress on my project list. Oh, here's my card (my scanner will not do it justice, but you get the idea):









I'm in the middle of designing my yoga cards and I think those will be really fun. I'm going with a different company and the quality alone is impressive. Plus, they're a fun mini size, so I'm really excited about just rocking them out.

In my thinly veiled attempt to win some Black Keys concert tickets, I'm returning to Ladies' 80's tomorrow. On Saturday I'm checking out a concert by the local radio station: 5 artists for $5. It's an annual show that I have annually missed, so I'm interested to finally check it out. Something about warmer weather demands more/louder music and it's nice to have options around here.

And now I have to eat before what I am guessing is going to be one hot yoga class. Wednesdays always kick my butt and I'm still sore from this weekend, so this could be interesting! Have a great night!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Shake it anyway



If that doesn't make you want to shake somethin', then I don't know what will. With day two of cold gray skies, I figured we could use a little pick-me-up.

I'll be spending another day inside, thankful for my ability to work from home. I had to call in back-up yesterday to help me work on some code. I've decided that programmers should make tons of money. They earn it. Today should move along a little more smoothly and quickly and the site should launch this week, so I'm really excited. I should also get my business cards at some point today! If they turn out ok, I'll post pictures. If not, you'll just have to imagine some really awesome cards with my name on them.

One of my yoga girls/friends came over for her lesson last night and not only did we not do yoga, we ended up going to her house and having a giant, delicious meal: brownies (yep, first), sweet corn soup with a touch of paprika, amazing salad, steak roasted veggies, and mashed potatoes. It was more than I typically eat in a whole day, so even with a very, very small portion size I was blissfully full. She and her husband make some mighty fine meals and make for some great company. It definitely beat out my plans for dinner, which were looking more and more like ice cream as the day went on (yep, I'm becoming that girl). Oh, and, they have the funniest dog ever.

I might have some exciting news soon, so stayed tuned...

And um, how amazing are these?!

Better get busy - lots of work ahead! Have a great day!

Spring was in the air

Nothing like snow to shake you from the spring-weather-induced buzz that was this weekend. I'm going to see if I can hold out and keep the heat off for the next two stupidly cold days...

I spent much of my weekend going out in the way that makes my married friend jealous. I'm usually just happy when the excursions are actually as fun as they sound, and that was the case this weekend. We started it off with Ladies 80's night at Skully's. While it's not my usual scene, we had a decent time and "danced" to some good/bad 80's music for about two hours. The highlight was this one guy who was totally into it, 100%. I stopped dancing several times and just watched him. Unfortunately, there were slimy guys, and they were plentiful. I almost killed a guy. Seriously. Some tips:

1: Not all girls left their houses looking for you.
2: Do not kiss a girl's hand if you don't know her. Don't kiss her cheek, and sohelpme, don't think about kissing her neck. These are all fatal errors, regardless of how charming you might think you are.
3: Never start off a compliment with,"I've been watching your body move all night...". That's just gross.
4: Don't be the old, overweight guy taking pictures from the corner on his phone.
5: Stop.trying.so.hard.

I'm giving this night another chance this week and going with a group. I'm anticipating a good time (and hoping to win tickets to the Black Keys show!).

On Saturday I followed up my normal yoga class with an advanced session that was awesome but that also kicked my butt. After this weekend, everything hurts, but it's great. Bring it, bikini season.

We went to Gallery Hop on Saturday night and found it to be much, much colder than expected. We also ended up sitting outside for dinner because that was the only place to get a seat. I've never been so happy about the lighting of the candle on the table. We hit our usual galleries and then headed to Mojoe lounge. I think I met half of the people I know (and some that I didn't) at some point that night. We were supposed to meet up with some people and go to a "goth dance party afterward. None of us knew what that even involved, but we were open to checking it out despite our lack of goth-ness. In the process of walking there we decided that the night had been full enough, and rocking out a goth party would have to be postponed.

After two more intense yoga sessions, I am yet again sore this morning. I'm about to meet up with a friend for our weekly get-together. After that, I'm caving and going to American Apparel for some t-shirts. I never knew it was so hard to find a good t-shirt. The rest of the day will be spent on working (yay!) and then teaching tonight. Have a good Monday!

Oh, and get the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album. Some good stuff.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Get your milk and shoes (and that one hot new album...)

Today's Song that you used to love is Promiscuous. I might have listened to it twice. I can't say that I'm proud.

I taught my first kids' yoga class yesterday and that was interesting. I think it was fun for the kids, but had me reconsidering having children (or, at least, nine children at once). The whole experience reminded me of science class, when they showed us atoms bouncing around, primary colors and all. The quote of the day came from a little girl who came up and said, very seriously: "I like yoga because I, I like ice cream".

In the design world, things are still moving, but at a slightly slower pace. A friend recently asked me what I was going to do and I had to just admit that I don't know. Compared to two years ago, the market is drastically different. I'm trying to figure out how to adjust. I'm also trying to build on my skill set while riding this all out.

Instead of a print designer, companies now want a designer who can do print and web, who know print production, PHP, HTML, Flash...the list goes on. Instead of a good designer, people want someone who can "do it all". I know there are people out there who can do it all, but not surprsingly, I've seen some really horrible designs come from this set-up. The design industry tends to mirror what is going on in culture, and I think this is especially true now. People no longer go to specialized stores for things, they go to large retailers. It's easy and saves both time and money. We are a culture of convenience. Unfortunately, I think we have given up quality in a lot of cases. If you have a print designer and a separate web designer, you more likely to get higher quality work because they are each specialized in what they do. Design has also become watered down thanks to pirated copies of Photoshop getting into the wrong hands. Anyone can "photoshop it", but not everyone can edit and design well, and unfortunately, people seem to be forgetting this when they are comparing costs. I'm not happy about the current economic situation, but I can't help but think that this time of reevaluating our spending habits is a good thing. Maybe we can actually get back to a place of higher quality and greater markets for focused skills.

So, until I master the web/photography/marketing/design/general office duties, I will stay busy. Tonight that means dancing, tomorrow, working from home on a rainy Friday...
 
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