Friday, September 30, 2011

I'm not Dead, I Swear

I've just been really busy, and not just in a this-is-just-my-excuse-for-not-blogging amorphous busy way.  I have been trying my very hardest to earn money.  I am making some money very soon from selling some artwork, which is pretty freaking exciting.  I made the following for a guy at my church.

And apparently everyone who sees it loves it, which is honestly pretty mind-blowing.  I mean, I totally love it, and printed out an 8.5 by 11 for my wall, but I'm sort of biased since I made it and everything.  So I made an enlarged version and set out to meet my client (I think it's so cool that I have clients now, but secretly, because I am an adult) to get it printed before church on Wednesday night.  The first print shop had an issue with their printer where it turned everything vibrantly blue, and not in a good way, in a very very bad, melting your eyeballs out of their sockets sort of way.  Luckily, in the University District, and more specifically on the Ave (remember the Ave? It's where all the homeless people and drug dealers hang out, but also where all the cheap places to shop and eat are), there are lots of print shops.  So we crossed the street and went to another print shop.  Their printer was also having issues, and ended up turning the light blue pink.  So they had me fill out a form and they're going to get their printer serviced and give me a call when my artwork is ready to pick up.  I posted the picture of it on Facebook, which I have again now, not sure if I told you that.  My aunt commented that she wants to buy a print, so I'm making even more money off of it than originally planned.  If any of you want to buy your very own copy of my artwork, the good news is that you can!  Just click right here.  Those prices may seem high, but just remember that I only make a quarter of the total price, since they're printing everything and letting me put my art up for sale without charging me to do so.  Of course, if you really want my artwork and don't have the cash, you can print it off of here and I won't even know it.  Seriously, I'll look the other way.  But if you do buy my artwork, I'll love you forever, so there's that.

And while we're talking about art, I'll take the opportunity to inform you that I met with another prospective client yesterday and he is going to pay me by the hour to turn a sketch he did into a computer graphic.  So that's cool.  It's sort of like a part-time job.  But I am still looking for a real part-time job.  I applied at a frozen yogurt place a while back and totally nailed the phone interview, so I am waiting for them to let me know when they want the in-person interview.  They had me email them dates and times when I'm available.  I also filled out an application for Goodwill yesterday, which would be a pretty cool place to work.  After my last post, I bought three workplace-appropriate jacket type things, two blouses, one pair of flats, and a little black dress that is not for work but I hear that it's something all women should have.  I don't feel like taking pictures right now, so use your imagination.  I'm not describing them either.  Deal with it.

I promised the guys that my blog will not turn into a fashion blog and that I would blog about football, and I will, after the weekend, since that's when football is on.  Brief recap: University of Washington (that's where I went and where G is getting his master's) Huskies beat the California Bears 31-23 last Saturday.  The refs were awful, but what else is new.  Seahawks beat Cardinals 13-10 last Saturday.  Next week the football recap will be better, and will include comments on the games, but this is it for now.  Count yourself lucky you get this much.  There are starving children in Africa who don't even know what a football is, so finish your vegetables.  Wait, what?

If you want to watch a hilarious movie, I highly recommend "Shriek if you Know what I did Friday the 13th".  It's on Netflix.  You will not be disappointed, probably.  It's a horror movie parody laden with written gags that make it even funnier.

I will probably blog again on Monday or Tuesday.  I spend the weekends with G, mostly watching football.  But this weekend is extra-special, because it is our one-month anniversary, which to most of you is like no time at all, but he's my first boyfriend ever, so it's a big deal for me.  He's taking me out to dinner.  And then on Sunday it's his niece's 5th birthday.

I also have an idea for two funny cartoons, so maybe I'll finish them by next time.  Maybe not.  That's all for now.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Fashion Post 2: Style on a Budget

Being an adult means having to dress like one.  I need to buy some work clothes, since I am determined to have a job.  So I turned to Polyvore for some budget fashion inspiration.  I made a work outfit.  If I can find something similar to it at Goodwill, Buffalo Exchange, or Crossroads Trading Company, I'll be pleased.  Next step to being a real grownup: learn to walk in heels.  I  have been practicing a little bit each day and I'm getting better,  but nowhere near the point where I would try wearing them for any sort of a length of time outside of my house.  Anyway, POW! Fashion!

Fashion on a Budget


Did I mention that I actually kind of love fashion?  Just not fashion trends, but I like putting together outfits and stuff.  So if you're a guy and you're thinking, "Ugh, when did she start fashion blogging?! *Unfollow*."  Well, don't unfollow me, because I'm going to start blogging about football soon.  And if you don't like that either, then maybe you'll consider sticking around for my movie reviews, art, and occasional wit? Maybe? Please?

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Eyes and Jobs

Today I became both dilated and elated.  I had my appointment to see how bad my glaucoma is today.  After I finally managed to get there, after my bus was over 20 minutes late from downtown when I was transferring, so I had to call the hospital and have them look up another bus for me to take instead.  I finally made it, had my appointment, and found out that it is very likely that I do not have glaucoma.  I probably was just born with weirdly large optic nerves, so that's super awesome news.  Then, they sent me on my way and forgot to provide makeshift sunglasses.  If you've never had your eyes dilated, you won't understand, but they are incredibly sensitive to light for hours afterward.  So I got pretty blinded by the light *resists urge to sing that song* but I finally made it home.  Before I got home, I got some tasty teriyaki from one of my favorite restaurants.  Then the bus got overrun by about a million high school students on their way home from school.  I don't think the schools around here have school buses, or if they do, they don't go to my neighborhood.  There were at least a hundred kids on the bus, no exagerration.  High schoolers are ANNOYING, no offense if you're in high school.  I was probably annoying when I was in high school too.  After I got home, I called my mom and talked to her for an hour.  Then I attempted to watch my Hulu queue, which was difficult, but I managed.  If you haven't heard of "New Girl", you should definitely check it out.  It's a sitcom with Zooey Deschanel, so what's not to love?

Now for the elated part.  I posted my resume on Craigslist the other day and actually got a response!  This guy who makes super-intense medical equipment wants me to do algebra for him to help expand his computer programs.  He doesn't have time to do it himself.  I checked out the company and it looks legit, so hopefully that will work out.  He's in California this week for business, but we're meeting next week.  But that's not the cause of my elation.  My elation is one part: I did a phone interview for a frozen yogurt place that's opening nearby and found out today that they want to do an in-person interview!  You might be like, whoop-de-doo, frozen yogurt.  What's so exciting?  Basically, I have never had success at a job interview before.  The jobs I have had in the past did not have interviews, so this makes me feel like I could actually get a job and be a real functioning member of society and all that nonsense.  So hopefully one of these job things will pan out, and I'll continue to be able to pay my rent.  And the other part of elation is this amazing chocolate I bought yesterday.  If you've never had Hershey's Nuggets milk chocolate with toffee and almonds, you totally should, because they're REALLY delicious.  I can't stop eating them! Om nom nom.

On a completely different note, one saying that I think is totally pointless is, "I'll get there when I get there."  Really? When else would you get there?!  Before you get there? After you get there?  Are you some sort of time traveler, so this phrase is actually necessary?  Even then, you would get there when you get there, although you might get there before and after your initial arrival as well.  Let's face it, time travel is complicated.  Maybe that's the hidden meaning behind the saying.  When people say that they aren't just wasting their oxygen, they're saying, "I'm secretly a time traveler, but time travel is seriously complicated.  Don't tell anyone."

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

I'm an Adult

As an adult, it's sometimes okay to play video games long into the night with your boyfriend (I love saying that word :D), and believe me, Little Big Planet is super fun, so fun that we're going to get Little Big Planet 3, and we beat some insane levels, including one called Skulldozer, which really, the name itself just drives fear into your heart, but during the day you have to do grownup things, like get a job.  Sidenote: longest run-on sentence ever? Perhaps.  So, after I Google "how to write a killer resume when you have pretty much no experience", I'm going to write said killer resume, then post it on Craigslist, and cross my fingers hard.  (That's all true, except the Google part.  I use Bing.  Is Bing a verb yet? I don't know; sounds kind of weird.)

It's been hot lately, and my sunburn is peeling.  I walked 30 blocks total yesterday to go to the bank and deposit a check.  I would have died on the way back if I hadn't given up the dollar and eight cents for a ginormous can of Arizona Iced Tea.  (Grownups definitely use the word "ginormous", for reals.)  The clothing repurposing didn't go too great the other day.  It was all fine and dandy until I started practice stitching on some scrap fabric, which my sewing machine promptly sucked inside itself and tangled up.  Thankfully, G bought me some screwdrivers so I could get into the belly of the beast and remove the offending scrap.  Even better, when the screwdrivers he bought were too tall to fit in the small space, he brought the machine to his house when I went over and fixed it himself.  Hopefully when I start sewing the actual shirt, a similar incident doesn't happen.  I've never used this sewing machine before, so who's to say that it doesn't hate me and plot to destroy my every hope and dream? (That's a rhetorical question, by the way.)  Further proof that I am, indeed, and adult: I can cook things consistently that taste delicious.  I even learned how to make salsa, which we devoured most of while watching the first UW game last Saturday.  Huskies won, and I managed to stay awake to see it, while G slept peacefully for the last little bit.  Did I mention that I like football?  Because I do.  Remember that one post a long time ago about watching football then attending a baby shower? Yeah, that's me.  A bevy of contradictions. Like Starburst.  Also, wow that post was short.  Here are the foods I have made lately: Apple Cinnamon Meatloaf, a pepper-onion-chicken mixture that is tasty plain or in tortillas, hamburgers with bacon and pepper-jack cheese (simple), mashed potatoes, smoothies that are a personal favorite of G's, some sort of Italian chicken with a name that I can neither recall nor pronounce, along with yummy unpronouncably named pasta and (a little too vinegar-y in my opinion) spinach salad with strawberries and cheese and tomato and pistachios.  G says that I make the best salads.  Want to know how to make a simple salad that's super delicious?  Spinach leaves, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, pistachioes. Dice the tomatoes, then mix everything together with some store-bought Poppyseed (deliciousness) dressing and you're good to go.  Pistachioes are pretty expensive but they make any salad taste fantastic.

So I have to go do important things now.  I'll let you know (if) when I get a job and I'll take photos of my repurposed clothing (if it turns out okay).  Oh, and also, G might get me a lip piercing on Friday.  So, if that happens, I'll share pictures.