To make up for not posting yesterday, I will post two today(ish). Those morning hours are kind of iffy when it comes to assigning days.
I have thus far enjoyed the life of a freelancer, although day one probably has my body hating me. I'm still getting up early, but going to bed even later. I just put in about ten hours straight - my back hurts, my wrists hurt, and my eyes are barely focusing. Lunch was an apple with peanut butter and some cake, and dinner was chips, homemade salsa, and a few jelly beans that were close by (to end the jalepeno-induced mouth-on-fire sensation). Meals were eaten at my desk. My day also included two cups of coffee, one cup of tea and two packs of gum.
So, tomorrow will be better. I was in, out, digging my car out (it was stuck for 1/2 an hour), slushing through the snow. It's almost midnight and I'm about to start my fourth project of the day.
It's been fun, even though the stress levels get up there. I am lucky to be working with some great people, and it's fun to be able to make stuff again! I get to read magazines for research, gather images, and buy cool office supplies. On the other hand, I also have to read about managing the finances of a small business, figure out tax info, learn how to handle invoices, etc. while scheduling meetings and launching new projects. I am going to sleep really, really well when I finally go to bed!
Side note: Check out Caged Creatives - the first postings are up (mine is going up soon...)!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Ready to travel, but better on snow days
I decided that if I wasn't going to play in the snow, I was at least going to out and dig out my car. Five minutes later I trekked back inside, unsuccessful. My fists and keys are no match for more than 1/2 an inch of solid ice.
My time inside has made especially fond of (read: in love with!) a few things. I feel the need to share.
1: Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate: This stuff is amazing. Think, Italy. Think, Chocolat. Think, rock your world and make you addicted. At only 90 calories, 1 gram of fat, and natural ingredients (there are only four ingredients), this is way better than anything I've found anywhere else.
2: Malin + Goetz bar soap in rum: I've switched from peppermint to rum and love this one even more. Lightly scented, this is great for guys and girls. The scent is great and lasts all day without being powerful. It makes your skin soft and leaves it feeling clean. Plus, it reminds me of one my favorite places and the good times spent there (and getting there).
3: Bert's Bee's Banana Hand Cream: Forget the hands and go straight for the lips. I'm not really sure if it helps hands, but I do know that it keeps lips soft and nice all winter. The banana scent is soft and goes away quickly, making it okay for those of us who don't love smelling like faux banana.
4: Field Notes Notepads: These little guys are great to have lying around. Under the couch, in a drawer, or on the desk where they *should* be, they look great and fit nicely wherever they end up. I love, love, love the mini-graph notebooks. Great for taking notes or creating your next illustration when you should be taking notes. (In freelance world, they are incredibly handy when you are, say, working on the couch and a client calls with vital info.)
4: Field Notes Notepads: These little guys are great to have lying around. Under the couch, in a drawer, or on the desk where they *should* be, they look great and fit nicely wherever they end up. I love, love, love the mini-graph notebooks. Great for taking notes or creating your next illustration when you should be taking notes. (In freelance world, they are incredibly handy when you are, say, working on the couch and a client calls with vital info.)
Just four today, but more to come. Take care of yourself out there!
And the snow snow snow came down down down
I'm going to try to write every day now. We'll see how that goes.
The snow came as predicted. Snow, ice, all of the above. At 8:00 I heard the laughter and screams of kids sledding outside my window. Despite the fact that it made my apartment colder, I opened my curtains and enjoyed the seemingly warm glow of my apartment.
When I was little, I lived in a big Victorian house that had the old, working radiators. In the mornings, their noise was the sign that the house was waking up. They would hiss and bang and I would run across the cold wood floors in bare feet (or slide across them in socks) until they warmed up. After a day of sledding, we would wobble in and have a mass undressing, laying everything out on the radiators. Everything would eventually dry, stiff and smelling like snow. In the evenings, I would lay pillows on top and lay there until I was almost asleep. Gas heat and electric heat, while sufficient, just don't compare.
My parents were always cool enough to let me have people spend the night if we were almost guaranteed a snow day. We would stay up late, giggly. We would make a tent in the living room, or laugh until my mom had to come in and tell us to be quiet. We lived at the bottom of a giant cemetery hill that was great for sledding. Some people were a little shocked that we would sled there (and this might be a part of my attraction to Tim Burton), but I always imagined that the people buried there liked to hear people laughing and shouting now and then.There was an innocence to it all. Life was simple. I think it would do wonders for companies to allow time for snow days now and then.
The snow came as predicted. Snow, ice, all of the above. At 8:00 I heard the laughter and screams of kids sledding outside my window. Despite the fact that it made my apartment colder, I opened my curtains and enjoyed the seemingly warm glow of my apartment.
When I was little, I lived in a big Victorian house that had the old, working radiators. In the mornings, their noise was the sign that the house was waking up. They would hiss and bang and I would run across the cold wood floors in bare feet (or slide across them in socks) until they warmed up. After a day of sledding, we would wobble in and have a mass undressing, laying everything out on the radiators. Everything would eventually dry, stiff and smelling like snow. In the evenings, I would lay pillows on top and lay there until I was almost asleep. Gas heat and electric heat, while sufficient, just don't compare.
My parents were always cool enough to let me have people spend the night if we were almost guaranteed a snow day. We would stay up late, giggly. We would make a tent in the living room, or laugh until my mom had to come in and tell us to be quiet. We lived at the bottom of a giant cemetery hill that was great for sledding. Some people were a little shocked that we would sled there (and this might be a part of my attraction to Tim Burton), but I always imagined that the people buried there liked to hear people laughing and shouting now and then.There was an innocence to it all. Life was simple. I think it would do wonders for companies to allow time for snow days now and then.
Given my current state of unemployment, I'm feeling a snowman (ice man?) creation is inevitable...
While I was planning a similar entry, I think Mr. Smitley captures the idea beautifully (and
shares his fun, so bonus points!).
*Pictures t/c*
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Yeah, it's okay
Day two of unemployment and we are nearing snow storm number three. It makes me feel a little better about being locked up inside for a few.
The past month has been slightly traumatic. I've kept most of it out of here, but there have been lay-offs, a random shooting, a wreck, and other traumas involving people close to me. It's really hard to see the people you care about go through these things and it's really easy to let it all get you really down. You're powerless to really improve these situations other than a phone call or best wishes. The world seems colder and a little less safe than it did not so long ago. It kind of makes you want to throw your cell phone out the window, too.
After a day of work and errands, I crawled into bed at about 1:00 and my thoughts caught up with me. Instead of taking me down, I found myself just being really thankful. It became this strange prayer: thanks for the bullet that grazed the chin, thanks for the cars that weren't in the other lane, thanks for the warning, thanks for so many people to be thankful for, thanks for the time I got to spend with them, thanks for the warm food, the car that is paid for right outside, thanks for the amazing people that i have around me...it went on for quite a while.
I don't really believe in asking God to heal the sick (trust me, death happens), or make it rain (maybe someone else really needs a dry day), or grant certain jobs (although that one is tempting). I think he was capable of making a world that spins around fairly well. I do believe in asking for things like peace, and grace, and acceptance. These are things that are usually outside of my abilities, and they are things that even logic can't seem to grant me. I also believe in giving thanks when it's due, and sometimes that can be found beautifully in the really messed up times.
On a much lighter note, I have a new life goal: to be a part of a flash mob (this one is an ad, but there are great examples here).
The past month has been slightly traumatic. I've kept most of it out of here, but there have been lay-offs, a random shooting, a wreck, and other traumas involving people close to me. It's really hard to see the people you care about go through these things and it's really easy to let it all get you really down. You're powerless to really improve these situations other than a phone call or best wishes. The world seems colder and a little less safe than it did not so long ago. It kind of makes you want to throw your cell phone out the window, too.
After a day of work and errands, I crawled into bed at about 1:00 and my thoughts caught up with me. Instead of taking me down, I found myself just being really thankful. It became this strange prayer: thanks for the bullet that grazed the chin, thanks for the cars that weren't in the other lane, thanks for the warning, thanks for so many people to be thankful for, thanks for the time I got to spend with them, thanks for the warm food, the car that is paid for right outside, thanks for the amazing people that i have around me...it went on for quite a while.
I don't really believe in asking God to heal the sick (trust me, death happens), or make it rain (maybe someone else really needs a dry day), or grant certain jobs (although that one is tempting). I think he was capable of making a world that spins around fairly well. I do believe in asking for things like peace, and grace, and acceptance. These are things that are usually outside of my abilities, and they are things that even logic can't seem to grant me. I also believe in giving thanks when it's due, and sometimes that can be found beautifully in the really messed up times.
On a much lighter note, I have a new life goal: to be a part of a flash mob (this one is an ad, but there are great examples here).
Friday, January 23, 2009
And we're live
I just wanted to let you know that my new website is finally up! It's a rough launch and there are still a lot of changes that need to be made, but it's a start. You can see it here.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I've done this before, so let's just sign the papers mister
You know that scene in some movies, where people are running away from something, and as they're running, they are picked off one by one? That's kind of what work was like for the past week.
I got the bullet.
I think I'm more angry that I had to walk all the way across campus than I am about being let go, even. If you're going to lay someone off, at least walk over to them. They were nice. I'd been through this before. You sign a few papers saying you agree to be laid off and that you won't walk off with a computer, and they act really sad the whole time. Afterwards, I went back to pack up my stuff. It's always the same, too. You feel awkward, and try to make it less awkward, but it just is an awkward situation. Everyone says sorry, it's been nice, goodbye, and then you're walking to your car at 2:00 on a Thursday. Door closed.
I can't say that I'm sad, really. It was never the right fit and I knew that. The first time I was laid off (age 22, publishing co.), I got to a pretty low point. It took me five months to find another design job. As tough as that was (20 interviews, not enough experience), I realize how strong it made me. I'm ready this time, and I refuse to be that person again. I'm visiting my Grandma next week and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to spend time with my family, and maybe even work in some volunteer time. I'm also (finally!yay!) going to get my yoga license and hopefully start teaching classes soon. I'm actually really excited about what's ahead, and no corporate desk job has made me feel alive, ever.
Tonight, though, I am taking a bubble bath and getting lots and lots of much needed sleep! Let the vacation begin.
*The due date for the first Caged Creatives project has changed. Projects are now due Friday, January 30. Thanks, and have fun!*
Monday, January 19, 2009
And then I caught a glimpse of myself
Sometimes you just have to take a step back and watch the world move around you for a while. It's so easy to get caught up in your own little rhythm that you don't realize that the beat has changed. Life doesn't let you ignore it for very long.
I spent my weekend getting everything in order for the "what if" right around the corner. I got Doctor appointments taken care of (and by the way, you definitely can give yourself a 2nd degree burn with a curling iron), brushed up on my unemployment options (I have only been with Sexy Co. for 12 weeks), and worked on my website some more (optimizing jpegs, slices, xhtml, oh my). I also spent time with people that don't allow self pity or illusions, thankfully. There's a strange sense of calm. Maybe it's all too familiar, maybe I realize all too well that there are bigger problems out there, or maybe I am lucky enough to finally get that things really are going to be okay, regardless.
Sometimes we lose the things we need. We can lose our faith, love, people that we depended on the most. Sometimes we lose the things we didn't need, like our lifestyles or our stuff. Sometimes we get the two confused. I'm beginning to think that the worst case scenario might not be that bad, and that maybe my rhythm isn't that great.
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