Saturday, April 15, 2006

Sat
15
Apr
2006

Sleep: Where Are You?

It's Saturday. I didn't go to sleep until around 11pm. Why the hell was I awake at 5am? I tried for another half hour to go back to sleep, but I got up. Figured I can always get a nap in later if I start to crash.

I'm sure it's just my mind telling me that I've got a lot I need to accomplish this weekend and it's not going to let me get out of it.

While washing some dishes, I did get to see a beautiful rainbow briefly before the rain hit. Brrrr. It's a cold, windy rain. Oh, well...we need the moisture. Fire danger has been extemely high lately.

While sorting through junk, I found a packet of Lemon Cucumbers and a mini greenhouse with peat pellets that I bought last year. I doubt they'll grow, but I planted them anyway. Lemon cucumbers are really tasty. If they sprout, I'll have to put them in pots outside. I don't dare eat anything grown in the dirt around here. I really miss having a full-blown garden. A real estate agent sent Blue Spruce seedlings to people in the Larkspur area. The office manager was going to throw it out, but I took it. I'm going to try and nurture it and by the time it's big enough to plant outside, we'll be out of this hellhole.

It's amazing how many started craft projects I have. I'm torn about throwing some of those out since I already put a lot of time and effort into them. I have to seriously answer the question about whether I'll actually finish it and if I do, what would I do with the finished project? If it is just going to sit in a box for another 10 years, what's the point of wasting even more time and effort. I did throw out a huge pile of Granny Squares I had crocheted. There were also a bunch that my mother and grandmother had done. Since Grandma passed in 1984 and Mom in 1997, was I really going to make anything out of them? Doubt it. I already have a huge Granny Square bedspread that mom made for me in college that I never use. The dogs would always get their nails caught in it and it's too big and bulky to use on the couch. *sigh* I don't want to get rid of it since it's the last thing my mom made for me. Maybe I can take it apart and turn it into a couple fo smaller afghans. We'll see. Definitely a project for the future. Do you remember how Granny Square clothing was really popular in the '70s? I found an online pattern for a Granny Square Poncho that made me giggle. Mom used to make ponchos and vests for me and I'd have wear them to school. Oh...the horror!

I've got to get my life organized and back on track. I'm not allowing myself to dig into the "Teach Yourself Knitting" kit that Marcus' mother got me for Christmas until I do. I really want to get good enough to make sweaters and socks for myself like Mac does. Every time I see that she's finished a project, I want to delve into learning to knit.

I found this article about the Astrological signs of Billionaires via Amy.
What’s your sign? If you are a Virgo, we’ve got some good news for you. Turns out, more members of the Forbes billionaires list share your zodiac sign than any other.

That was our finding after trolling through all the birth dates we’ve collected on the world’s wealthiest. So far, we have confirmed the birth dates for 613 of our 793 billionaires. Of those, more than 70, or roughly 12%, were born between Aug. 23 and Sept. 22, making this earth sign the most common among billionaires.
What the hell am I doing wrong? LOL

Well, I guess that is enough procrastinating for one morning. Have a great day!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Thu
13
Apr
2006

Networking Rocks

Yesterday, my co-worker told me about a Graphic Design Seminar that they were having at my old school, Platt College, that he had to attend that evening. They had several graphic design professionals give presentations to the students about life as a designer and what to expect when they leave school. He said I should drop by, that I might enjoy it, so I did. I wasn't going to go at first. One, I don't go there anymore. Two, I was really tired. Three, I have an ass-ton of work I need to do to get this freelance thing off the ground. Traffic forced me to take the Dam Road over Cherry Creek home and since I was on Parker Road anyway, I went ahead and stopped in. I figured the worst thing that could happen is they could say I couldn't go, right? I am so glad I did! I really enjoyed listening to the guys from FL2. They're a high-end interactive agency (Web, Flash, etc.). After hearing them, I've got all sorts of motivation to get my web skills back and get a job someplace like that. It was also good to see many of my old instructors and a couple of old classmates. I really need to keep those contacts up. I've constantly kicked myself for letting a lot of my earlier relationships wither. They also had food (another plus since I haven't had much lately!). So, my desire to code for the web is back in full force. Now I just need to get my skills back!

Every day it is becoming clearer that this is not the work place I want to be at long-term. I'm already bored (after three months) with the type of design I'm doing. I also doubt very much that the owner is going to be willing to pay what I think my talents are worth. I've only recently come to realize that I know a lot of stuff. Between my technical, design, web and educational skill, I've got a lot to offer an employer. Three degrees. Common sense. Grammatical skills. Strong work ethic. Grasps new skills quickly. Self-learner. I'm glad I'm finally realizing that I'm a valuable asset with a strong skill base.

I know my place in this world has still yet to be found. I'm not going to waste another 15 years trying to find it.
Thu
13
Apr
2006

Blogging Downside

Here's the latest Joy of Tech comic to make you giggle and brighten your day:

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Tue
11
Apr
2006

Wikipedia Meme

I saw this over at my friend's site, Wondering Why, as well as many other sites on the net:

Go to Wikipedia. Type in your birth date (but not year). List three events that happened on your birthday. List two important birthdays and one interesting death. Post this in your journal.

September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). There are 111 days remaining. The terms "September 11", "11th September", and "9/11" have been widely used in the Western media as a shorthand for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon in the United States of America.

Three events:
1944 - World War II: the first allied troops of the US Army cross the western border of Nazi Germany. The RAF bombing raid on Darmstadt and the following firestorm kill 11,500.
1970 - The Ford Pinto is introduced.
2001 - The September 11 attacks destroy the World Trade Center in New York City, part of The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and crash a passenger airliner in Pennsylvania. In total, almost 3,000 are killed.

Two Birthdays:
1967 - Harry Connick, Jr., American singer
1981 - Dylan Klebold, American mass murderer (d. 1999)

One Death:
2003 - John Ritter, American actor (b. 1948)

Wow, that was hard to pick out just a few things. I can't believe that in addition to the 9/11 Terrorists attacks, I also share a birthday with Columbine gunman Dylan Klebold. Lucky me. I had to pick the Ford Pinto one since that was my very first car.
Tue
11
Apr
2006

I Design

When I have some money, I want to buy myself this "I Design" shirt from iBusyBodies (a CafePress store).

Why can't I come up with a great gimmick like that? They're stick figures, dang it!

I always tell myself that the American public wouldn't waste money on that, yet here I am wanting one. The American public WILL waste their money on that, especially if it is some gift-giving time like Christmas.

OK, Brain, come up with something gimmicky like that!