Gasp! She's Alive!
I forgot about this thing for a while. I re-read some entries from a year ago, and I got inspired to write tonight. So here I am.
Justine and I moved in July. From pretty much the 1st step into the new apartment, it felt like home. I'm still not completely sure why. I love the architecture (the walls and ceilings are angled and weird b/c we're on the top floor), I love my room, I love all the space we have, I love having a parking stop off the road, and so far I like the drive home from work more... is that really all I needed to be content? These reasons sound so trivial. I suppose I shouldn't complain though. Also, as of a week ago my best friends from Philly live w/in 30 seconds of our apt. That's another great thing.
Speaking of friends, I realized I once again lucked out. I've complained about almost every aspect of my life before, but somehow I've always been blessed w/ an amazing group of friends since I started school. I have my Philly friends, my NJ friends, and my FPC friends. The one thing that kept me sane this past year was my group, and I'm so grateful for them.
Work has been quite the roller coaster. I really didn't feel comfortable until the start of this year - that means it took my 6 months to adjust to my job. Feeling comfortable has helped my enjoy my job more, but I know I could be happier at a different place (I also know that finding the said place will be difficult). The biggest perk of the job is that I can't get fired. LOL. Also, my boss told me today that he trusts me more than my predecessors, and that he isn't checking my work as closely as he has before. That's an amazing compliment, and I honored, but also confused... I feel like I make a decent amount of mistakes, hahah. I'd be willing to bet that I have the best attitude and most dedication, but quality of work? I'm surprised. Still though, hearing type of things helps. Also, this job gave me plenty of valuable experience. I'm starting a system for cleaning off out job server, which probably sounds mundane, but it's a system I developed on mu own - that's a great thing for a resume, plus it makes me feel good. The cons of the job - I get 1 week of vaca per year (I have 1 day left til next July), I can't miss work EVER (I need to schedule doctor's appointments around work), I miss working w/ people (like I miss having an art department), I miss working w/ people my own age, I didn't get a raise this year (stupid economy), and my boss has a short temper (almost never w/ me, but still, the office gets tense). So.
Step one to getting a new job is to get my portfolio up to date. It needs a lot of work, and I'm struggling to get new pieces since I don't do design work much. However, I've been obsessed w/ graphic design for a while now, and it's be awesome. I LOVE researching, reading blogs, following tutorials, and in general teaching myself new skills. I feel like I've gained so much knowledge in the past month, and now all I need are some pieces to demonstrate my knowledge. I'm in a catch 22 though - I need a good portfolio so people will want to hire me, but I can't get my portfolio together w/out new jobs, haha. I'm not worried though. I'm just enjoying my art time, and slowly but surely I'll get my portfolio up to date.
I'm also big into photography. I really want to join a class, but i gave sexy!camera to my brother for a semester (he's taking a photo class, and since he bought the thing, I feel he has a right borrow it for a bit). I did get a new Kodak guy. It was cheap, but I had a good experience w/ my old Kodak. This one will get beat up in my purse anyway, so I wasn't going to get some fancy model. Anyway. My idea of a good afternoon is going out to shoot for a few hours (as long as I get some good shots, haha).
I visited Caitlin few weeks ago. I had a strange (in a good way) feeling during the drive up to CT. I spent the morning w/ my Philly friends, helping Emilie move, and as I drove out of Philly I felt so content w/ my life at that moment - it felt great to spend time w/ the group. As I got closer to my parent's house, I remember the times w/ my NJ friends (the gang, Brooke, high school, etc), and I thought about my family, and again I felt very happy. Then, once I got closer to New England, I remembered college, which (you guessed it) made me happy. The drive up made me think about all the people in my life. It was a good experience.
I think that's about it. I guess what I'm really saying here is that I'm FINALLY back to normal. There aren't nearly as many bad moments in my days as there were a year ago. Things changed, but for the better for once. Instead of feeling tired, hopeless, and irritable, I feel optimistic (usually), relaxed (usually), and motivated. It's not an epic struggle to find joy in my life anymore. I still feel like I have iffy moments, but I'm getting better at dealing w/ them.
One thing that hasn't changed, though, is my need of an absurd amount of sleep :P. Time to shower and get to bed.
Justine and I moved in July. From pretty much the 1st step into the new apartment, it felt like home. I'm still not completely sure why. I love the architecture (the walls and ceilings are angled and weird b/c we're on the top floor), I love my room, I love all the space we have, I love having a parking stop off the road, and so far I like the drive home from work more... is that really all I needed to be content? These reasons sound so trivial. I suppose I shouldn't complain though. Also, as of a week ago my best friends from Philly live w/in 30 seconds of our apt. That's another great thing.
Speaking of friends, I realized I once again lucked out. I've complained about almost every aspect of my life before, but somehow I've always been blessed w/ an amazing group of friends since I started school. I have my Philly friends, my NJ friends, and my FPC friends. The one thing that kept me sane this past year was my group, and I'm so grateful for them.
Work has been quite the roller coaster. I really didn't feel comfortable until the start of this year - that means it took my 6 months to adjust to my job. Feeling comfortable has helped my enjoy my job more, but I know I could be happier at a different place (I also know that finding the said place will be difficult). The biggest perk of the job is that I can't get fired. LOL. Also, my boss told me today that he trusts me more than my predecessors, and that he isn't checking my work as closely as he has before. That's an amazing compliment, and I honored, but also confused... I feel like I make a decent amount of mistakes, hahah. I'd be willing to bet that I have the best attitude and most dedication, but quality of work? I'm surprised. Still though, hearing type of things helps. Also, this job gave me plenty of valuable experience. I'm starting a system for cleaning off out job server, which probably sounds mundane, but it's a system I developed on mu own - that's a great thing for a resume, plus it makes me feel good. The cons of the job - I get 1 week of vaca per year (I have 1 day left til next July), I can't miss work EVER (I need to schedule doctor's appointments around work), I miss working w/ people (like I miss having an art department), I miss working w/ people my own age, I didn't get a raise this year (stupid economy), and my boss has a short temper (almost never w/ me, but still, the office gets tense). So.
Step one to getting a new job is to get my portfolio up to date. It needs a lot of work, and I'm struggling to get new pieces since I don't do design work much. However, I've been obsessed w/ graphic design for a while now, and it's be awesome. I LOVE researching, reading blogs, following tutorials, and in general teaching myself new skills. I feel like I've gained so much knowledge in the past month, and now all I need are some pieces to demonstrate my knowledge. I'm in a catch 22 though - I need a good portfolio so people will want to hire me, but I can't get my portfolio together w/out new jobs, haha. I'm not worried though. I'm just enjoying my art time, and slowly but surely I'll get my portfolio up to date.
I'm also big into photography. I really want to join a class, but i gave sexy!camera to my brother for a semester (he's taking a photo class, and since he bought the thing, I feel he has a right borrow it for a bit). I did get a new Kodak guy. It was cheap, but I had a good experience w/ my old Kodak. This one will get beat up in my purse anyway, so I wasn't going to get some fancy model. Anyway. My idea of a good afternoon is going out to shoot for a few hours (as long as I get some good shots, haha).
I visited Caitlin few weeks ago. I had a strange (in a good way) feeling during the drive up to CT. I spent the morning w/ my Philly friends, helping Emilie move, and as I drove out of Philly I felt so content w/ my life at that moment - it felt great to spend time w/ the group. As I got closer to my parent's house, I remember the times w/ my NJ friends (the gang, Brooke, high school, etc), and I thought about my family, and again I felt very happy. Then, once I got closer to New England, I remembered college, which (you guessed it) made me happy. The drive up made me think about all the people in my life. It was a good experience.
I think that's about it. I guess what I'm really saying here is that I'm FINALLY back to normal. There aren't nearly as many bad moments in my days as there were a year ago. Things changed, but for the better for once. Instead of feeling tired, hopeless, and irritable, I feel optimistic (usually), relaxed (usually), and motivated. It's not an epic struggle to find joy in my life anymore. I still feel like I have iffy moments, but I'm getting better at dealing w/ them.
One thing that hasn't changed, though, is my need of an absurd amount of sleep :P. Time to shower and get to bed.