Categories: Chitchat

Almost, I have an exam/critique on Thursday.

I start working on the census tomorrow. Hopefully that will keep me employed until my divorce goes through. Pays pretty good, but it is temporary.

Seems strange not having homework deadlines hanging over my head. I have about million things to do, I don’t even know where to start. At the top of my list is an update to my resume, several updates to my website and designing some super awesome graduation announcements for my son. (OMG! My baby is graduating high school! That doesn’t seem possible, but I guess it is.)

I have killer sore throat and I don’t really want to do anything today, but neither can I sit and do nothing, but the extensive spring cleaning this house needs and/or moving boxes is not happening. Nor am I going to any big cooking projects, I have been wanting to make some hummus for days. One of my goals this summer is to change my eating habits and get away from so much processed foods, simple carbohydrates, sugar and salt. I want add more vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean meats. I haven’t made a plan yet, but step one has to be cutting out fast food.

For my resume I’ve decided to go bold and non-traditional. A traditional resume hasn’t been getting me anything and since I want to work in the graphic design or printing industry I’m hoping a bold graphic resume will get me in the door.

Ever have one of those weeks when you are almost afraid to leave the house by the end of the week? Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were so traumatic I don’t even remember Monday and Tuesday.

Wednesday I spent all day trying to assemble some two sides tri-fold brochures. The school printers do not print two sided, and the work tables are sitting height not standing height so my back was killing me by the end of the day. It was pouring rain and I got soaked on my way to my car. My car was acting a little funny so I was supposed to drop it off at the mechanic after school. I got on the highway and immediately realized my car was not up to the task and started aiming for the next exit, so I round the bend and what do I find? Stopped traffic on N475. It took me 2.5 hours to get home, usually takes 20 minutes even with the detour to mechanic it should have been more than 40 minutes.

For some reason I didn’t get any sleep that night and couldn’t concentrate on studying -the aching back and the stress overload from 2.5 hours in stop and go traffic in soaking jeans might have had something to do with that- so Thursday test in Typography did not go well at all, the word “FAIL” comes to mind. Then the instructor got mad at me for being confused. I got my car back in the afternoon.

Friday I got up ran some errands and went to work. A few hours later I went to go get lunch and my battery was dead, my power locks wouldn’t work dead. Someone jumped it for me, it ran for 10 minutes and died again. This wouldn’t have been so bad but I work on the other side of town and I didn’t have anyone to call to come help me. I had it towed to the mechanic and the the driver gave me a ride and my wonderful mommy gave me ride from there.

The terminals were corroded underneath and the battery wasn’t making contact. The mechanic fixed it for free because they missed it, which really was understandable, I looked right at the battery and didn’t see it either. I’m not very mechanically inclined but I can tell corrosion when I see it, I know battery contacts need to be cleaned sometimes.

My car got a severe scolding on the way home from the mechanics today. Which is slightly more effective than scolding the cats… but still completely useless in the end.

Do you see why I might like to hide in my house today?

But I did go out, went to the student art show reception. Even drove my mom and we all survived. Next week will be better hopefully.

I got nothing much done and now I’m struggling to get back into my class work. I don’t know why, I just can’t seem to focus. I am so not making the Honor Roll this semester; oh well, its not the grades that are important, it is the experience, the knowledge and the contacts.

I changed around my website some, still haven’t got most of my content back up. It had become such an unmanageable mess, I opted to reinstall the WordPress software. Hopefully, I will be able get all the pages and more back soon-ish!

My son put together a new computer for me. Works great! Doesn’t turn itself on. He is a total Superhero Kid!

The paperwork is at the lawyer office. I don’t know how all that will go. I really don’t want to deal with it now, but has to be done.

I also need to get my knees x-rayed. They apparently aren’t supposed to sound like rice crispies in milk when I bend them.

Which is really not so good since I need to get my butt in gear and get to work.

Yesterday was the annual Winter Guard competition hosted by Springfield HS. My boy and I helped out at concessions, it’s a long day but kind of fun. It is nice to do something different and get out of the house. Try and get my mind off homework and my disaster financial situation. But I am not used to being on my feet all day so I’m a little stiff and sore, though not as bad as I expected.

I started to sum up my to do list but it was just too long.

All the local schools systems are closed. I guess they were worried about getting the kids home because there wasn’t any snow out there when I got up. It is starting to really come down now…

Wow, ask and you shall receive! The automated system just called Owens is closing at 11:00 which is when my class begins!

I have a day to catch up! I’ve been struggling this whole semester. Sure, I only have two classes but they are both taught by the same crazy woman. Her classes are jam packed with information, projects, homework and tests. She is by no means perfect, but she means well and is genuinely trying to prepare us for working in the graphic art industry but her classes wear me out.

Typically, every class has lecture time and some lab time, homework is one or two chapters to read with questions and there is always some kind of design project. For projects she usually wants 25 or more pencil thumbnails, at least 3 or more color roughs –they have be complete enough someone else could take them and put them on the computer- and the project.

What I think wears me out though is trying to do things in her artistic style. She keeps talking about using these pieces in our portfolios but I don’t usually end up with pieces I’m all that in love with, they’re good but I don’t feel like they express my style. If I put them in my portfolio they won’t be reflective of my style. I don’t know to explain why that is important, if you have to have portfolio then you understand, if not I don’t know what to tell you.

Well suppose I should get to work before people realize I’m not “busy” today and decide I should be doing other thing.

Unfortunately I am not. I have two classes with the same instructor on different days at different at times. I am so confused! Usually I try to take my classes on the same days so I don’t have to run out there so much, but somehow I scheduled my classes over Monday through Thursday. Oh well, I’ll have to find a way to make it work.

I’m taking Electronic Page layout and Digital Design and Typography. I had an accounting course, but I dropped it at the last minute. I’m wondering I shouldn’t have dropped Typography instead, because Carey for two classes is an intense amount of work. Her classes are jam packed with information and challenging work; all good and useful stuff, but an immense amount of work. Then again accounting would probably have me banging my head against the desk, plus after this semester I only need one more class for the Commercial Art Certificate, though I’m not sure how useful that is… but maybe it will look pretty on my resume.

Still fighting with unemployment over this work study job, they don’t seem to understand that if I quit school the job goes away and that there just aren’t many hours for me there. Unfortunately there isn’t an office where I can go talk to someone. It makes no sense to me to not go to school right now, if I find a job I can always drop or withdraw from my classes but sitting around worrying about not working all day seems pointless, when I can be gaining skills that might help.

Anyway, I’m getting pulled a lot of directions and I feel like my head is spinning. One day at a time, one thing at a time.

Today’s To Do List:
*send out some resumes
*work on roughs for class Tuesday
*laundry & dishes
*balance check book
*work on a new POD design

See that doesn’t look so bad. So with my thoughts gathered I am off to get started!

Since I have yet to get a clear description of what my job is, “work” of any kind is challenging. Add the cats, the phone, the person who can’t find his gloves and my wish to be doing absolutely anything else and it a total lost cause.

I rue the day I sent a resume in for this job. Now I’m stuck and I can’t find a way out.

There are a lot of little things about this job that bug me:

• the pay (minimum wage)
• the distance (12 miles through the city and 24 on the highway each on a 15 year old car that slurps up oil like a writer downs coffee)
• the utter lack of clear duties and responsibilities
• the fact I’m not gaining anything from the experience
• coming out with less money at the end of the week than if I was getting unemployment (because of car maintenance and gas)
• the fact this job has no future at all
• the absurd crap about being the technical person

Altogether those are annoying enough… but none of that is what is really bothering me.

I can’t quite put my finger on what the real issue something is telling me this is just not where I should be. I feel like I’m being pushed down stream. Maybe it is just the whole bit about having to take the job that bugs me; after all no one likes situations where they have no choices.

I made the Honor Roll at school again. Yeah for me! It does leave me wondering, why I can’t translate that into workplace success? Maybe everyone gets all A’s. I don’t think so then it would be silly. I work really hard trying to do a good job and learn everything I can from my classes. I do see that sometimes others don’t. I do the same thing at work too. I’m not a people person I know that causes me some problems.

Again, I find myself wondering where I could apply to gain some insight and experience in the field I want to work in? And in the mean time isn’t there something closer to my house I can earn slaves wages at?

I am so tired of being broke, and so sick of feeling helpless. I want to go the grocery store and buy whatever I want as long as it is what I think is healthy for my family! I want to be able to make my house a nice place to live. I’d like to be able to buy some new clothes once in a while. I’d like to not always be wondering how the bills will get paid next months and have a little nest egg in the bank. Just ordinary stuff most people take for granted. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think most people think of buying their kid winter boots as a major purchase.

Now that I’ve alienated and annoyed just about anyone who cares about my plight today including my cats, I guess I’ll go see if I can mend some fences.

POST SCRIPT: This day would have been my 18th wedding anniversy, may have been a little grumpy for that.

My son liked his warm socks.

We had fun. Our family is full of lunatics.

My sister is here! The baby is so cute! She has chubby cheeks and a sweet little smile!