Month: April 2015

Daily Post 0096: Round Two – Fight

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I’m angry still. And most likely will be for a few days.

On the upside I slept last night. I ended up staying in bed for about an hour, trying to sleep and failing because my shin hurt so much. I got up around 3am and took Nyquil with Advil. I also ate since I knew I would be hungry from being awake for so long, and I can’t sleep when I’m hungry because I’m lame.

So I finally got to sleep and slept until 11. Later than what I wanted to, but at least I as awake before I had to be to work.

I had my coffee, showered, dressed, and packed everything up. I had enough time to go to my sports bar for lunch which was nice. I at least got to keep most of my routine in check. I made my to-do list and listened to music. I even started taking care of my tasks while I was there.

I got to school later than what I wanted. But I wasn’t late, so that was fine. I like being early so I can be setup and ready to go. I was willing to sacrifice that today to be able to have my lunch time.

Lab went well. While I was on break I ran over to the Dollar General store near work. I wanted to see if the had a 1 quart pitcher since that will fit better in my mini fridge then the gallon pitcher I have right now.

No dice though. Guess I’ll have to go to Walmart for it. Or maybe Target would have one. Worth a look-see.

Critiques went well, however we’re still running into an issue where after 10 people the hangout gets full, and no one else is allowed to join. We’re going to try using a different system next time. I think it will work though. Lots of really awesome feedback again.

Next Friday Clavan wants to do a coding session afterwards, which I think will be a great addition. Each Friday can have a different focus. One Friday can be code, the another Friday can be the guest speaker AMA. Just have to figure out what to do with the other two Fridays of the month…

But yeah, that went well.

I got all of my schoolwork done. The case study was once again interesting.

I was able to figure out an issue with Shannon’s rig that was stumping everyone, so that made me feel good.

It’s too late for the dojo or the gym. I’m supposed to run with a friend tomorrow, though we won’t really be running together. We’re app buddies through Nike now, so we agreed we would both run tomorrow, which means I can’t run tonight, so I don’t really have an outlet for the frustration.

I don’t think running tonight would be a good idea anyway with how sore my shin still is. Even running on the treadmill tomorrow might be pushing it. But at this point I honestly don’t care. I’m going to do it regardless because screw you body.

Maybe that is mildly self destructive of me. And it’s only now that I remember that I have the dojo class at 10am tomorrow so I’ll be waking up at 8 and unable to go running in the morning. I have lunch with Rhonda so I can’t do it midafternoon. Sam is getting the computer desks, so I can’t do it in the evening, and then I have lab at 9pm…

FML… I feel like I just got one-shot by the world again.

Daily Post 0095: Angst and Frustration

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I don’t know what to write.

It’s one of those nights where I’m frustrated and angry, yet at the same time apathetic and uncaring. And I know all of it has to do with being tired.

I know if I just went to sleep I would wake up and at least be mildly ok.

But I can’t ‘just go to sleep’. I have all of this angst inside, and it’s so stupid, too.

I feel like an option. And it sucks. It makes me lash out and crash against the confines of my being.

“I’m more than that,” I scream on the inside. “I deserve to feel like more that than.”

But do I really?

I feel the way I allow myself to feel. I’m doing this to myself. If I could just breathe and let it go things would be fine. I would be fine.

If I just went to sleep and let tomorrow reset everything it would be ok.

But today feels like a waste and I can’t get over that.

And it wasn’t, so I don’t know why I feel that way.

I woke up, had breakfast, read over half of my reading for the week. I had lunch with Sam. We even went and got teas together afterwards. It was nice.

I came back home and started a new cross stitch while I listened to more about copyrights and copyright infringement. I went running and had my third best time ever, which is why my left shin feels like it’s about to shatter into pieces.

I showered and went to work where I finished the puzzle I’ve been playing with on Frank’s iPad. I stitched more. I got to help one guy with a personal project because he had a rig he was messing with.

I showed another guy the Node Editor in Maya and blew his mind with switching connections on materials, saving him at least 30 minutes worth of work in roughly 10 seconds.

It feels like I did nothing though. It feels like I got nothing done. Right now it feels like I’m setting my life on fire. Overly dramatic, but at 1:20am after being awake since 7am I don’t care.

I’m angry. There is heat and anger and hurt. There is disappointment in myself.

My podcast is still undone. I haven’t done anything with 3D Blitz. I have to be awake pretty early tomorrow. I have lab for four hours and then critiques. I have my case study I still need to do which I’m actually looking forward to. My car is a mess and I’ve been wanting to vacuum it for weeks, and just haven’t made it a priority. I have 20 emails in my inbox. Next month I’m still going to have labs at 5pm so I won’t be able to do the dojo, maybe. I’ll have to talk to David and Frank. It also depends on if the later labs need two instructors or just one. And what days SAL is compared to CRI1.

I’m tired of working six days a week.

I didn’t return the extension cord like I wanted to. I didn’t go to Dollar General like I had thought about. And I was ok with all of that earlier, so I don’t know why I’m not now. But I’m not.

Tomorrow I’m not going to be able to do much of anything. I won’t even be able to make it to open mat at the dojo.

I’m able to focus on all of this negative stuff. All the things I didn’t do. Can’t do.

Why can’t I be happy that I went running in the rain and that it wasn’t super hot outside and that I did amazing?

Why can’t I focus on the fact that I did well on the quiz I took even though I didn’t finish the last chapter of reading because I couldn’t bring myself to care about copyright anymore?

Why? Why must it be so hard to keep things in perspective when I’m this tired? Why is it when I have no energy the only thing I can be is a raging ball of pissed off and disappointment?

Why is Buddhism so easy yet the hardest, most frustrating thing in the world?

If I just accepted the moment, as it is, I would have peace and be fine. But I want it to be different, and it’s not, and by wanting I’m tormenting myself. Essentially.

There’s no one to blame but myself and that makes it all the worse.

I’m sulking and I know I am. Brooding inside of my own head. I know that is what I’m doing, but I can’t seem to make myself stop. I realize my issue, I even see where it is stemming from and yet I can do nothing to change it.

You win Universe. Today, you win.

Musing Moments 0035: 30 Day Challenge – Day 25

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How often do you reward yourself for the things you accomplish? How often do you take a second to recognize your hard work?

If you’re anything like me, or the rest of society, the answer is most likely, “Not often.”

Day 25 really pushes the importance of acknowledging your effort.

A reward doesn’t have to be big and expensive. It doesn’t have to be a physical object. Maybe taking an afternoon to have a picnic in the park is a reward. Getting a coffee at your local book store. New headphones… whatever.

The point is don’t just move from one project to the next in a never ending cycle of motion. Take some time to give yourself a pat on the back. Take a second to realize that you just got done doing something. That you actually reached a goal.

Hello? We just scaled a mountain. We’re allowed to enjoy the view before looking to the next peak.

The homework today is to list our proudest accomplishment(s) since we began the challenge all those 25 days ago. Has it really been that long already?

We’re also supposed to say how we plan to celebrate our next accomplishment.

My Proudest Accomplishments
Google Hangouts

Getting the Google Hangouts setup would have to be my biggest accomplishment on a personal level, followed by completing the freelance project.

Using the hangouts for the PCC Critiques has opened up the rigging community in such amazing ways. Online students are now able to interact with campus students and exchange real time feedback on projects. Alumni are able to comment and give support to aspiring artists. In instances where students are unable to make it to campus they are still able to participate and be part of the event.

It has been an extremely positive addition to the critiques and I’m glad I tackled this project finally and that it has been such a successful and nurturing improvement.

 Owning Freelance in the Face

The freelance project, while having its frustrating moments, was a nice project to undertake because it reaffirmed my abilities as a setup artist. It also reaffirmed my time / action management skills. While being a full-time employee, a full-time student, and a full-time human with a life (because I still haven’t found a laundry fairy…) I still managed to complete freelance work.

Busy doesn’t even begin to describe it. But I got it done, with better than expected quality. I have made an awesome contact with Ray and already have a new freelance opportunity. The overall experience has been positive and has helped grow my professional career.

What is this word ‘Reward’ you speak of?

My next major accomplishment will be posting my Curves Tool v 2.0 script online. That has been slipping to the back burner over the weeks just due to life events taking priority. I want to get this done soon. The sooner it is completed, the sooner my anxiety over publicly posting can begin to ease.

I don’t know what I’ll do to celebrate. I’m not good at finding rewards for myself. If I bought a book it would be one of the ones I want to read for self improvement. So I don’t think that really counts. It would be buying something for another project, which doesn’t really seem all that rewarding…

Congrats! Here’s something else to work on. Enjoy!

Maybe I’ll get new compression sleeves for my shins; the ones I originally wanted rather than the pair I got from the store since that’s all they had. Or maybe a new workout top to replace one of the ones I’ve had for literally four years.

I guess a reward would be getting something that I want but don’t really need. Something that I keep telling myself isn’t a good investment because there’s debt I need to pay off, or other things higher up on the list.

Maybe splurging a little bit and getting transition glasses when I finally make my eye appointment. Or maybe a pair of athletic sunglasses for when I do stuff outside…

I guess I have some ideas for rewards. I like the idea of a new workout top the best. I think I’ll go with that for this project.

Post script. Get new top. Go running.

Sounds like a plan in my book.

Oh man. I totally want to get that podcast completed so I can go to Sports Authority now. And since the weather is nicer I could totally go running at Crane’s Roost or Waterford; those awesome bike trails that are just a little too far away to be convenient.

But this is a reward. Screw convenient, efficient, and logical. Challenge accepted. : D

Daily Post 0094: Publix Failed Me

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I don’t know why I’m still tired. I slept fairly deeply last night. Maybe it’s all of the emotions tangled with Sir’s situation. We talked for a while last night, and there’s mixed emotions with that.

I may be seeing him tonight after work. Since work doesn’t end until 1am we’re playing it by ear. I don’t know what my energy level will be like later. I don’t know how he will feel after the events of today. There are a lot of unknowns that can drastically change how either of us feel on a social level.

So currently there’s no set plans. No obligations. Which my introvert appreciates.

I got stuff and things done yesterday. I got almost everything on my list done which was nice.

I completed the grading, but my email was being screwy so I couldn’t email the information to Clavan until I was on campus. I ended up seeing him in the hall because I had to go back out to my car for something. I let him know that I had just sent the Excel sheet with the grading, and he said I could go ahead and post the grades and comments on my own.

Lame…

I added that task to my to-do list and knocked it out though. It’s not hard, and it doesn’t take all that long. It was just an additional thing to do that I hadn’t originally factored into my day.

While I was at home I messaged Jon about the money for the laptop. He said he would pay me ‘next paycheck’. That message was on the 12th and since the military pays out on the 15th I wasn’t sure if he meant he would pay me in a few days, or the beginning of next month.

I’m not hurting for the money, but knowing when to expect it would be cool.

I messaged Sam because we’re supposed to try to meet up today. I honestly don’t know what’s going on. I’m trying to get some stuff over to her house that she wanted, but every time I asked if that’s what we were doing I never got a reply. So I truly have no idea what’s going on in that department, and at 8:40 in the morning I can’t bring myself to care just yet. My coffee still requires most of my attention.

One of my former classmates messaged me the other night asking if I knew anyone with a dragon rig. I messaged Tre to see if he would be interested in letting my friend use his dragon asset for personal VFX projects, to which he said yes. So I got them in touch with each other yesterday.

I messaged Rhonda to confirm a lunch date where we can talk about freelance and different things she can do for her reel. That’s going to be Saturday.

Once I got into work I critiqued Desiree’s rig. It’s pretty solid over all. The things I noticed were more from an animator’s stand point, and minor functionality issues. We’re going to spend some time talking about it Friday after the PCC critiques.

I worked on my 30 Day Challenge while I was on break. I was worried that I wouldn’t get to that, but I was awesome and totally wormed it into my day. I even sort of finished setting up my Work Base at work.

I say sort of because I got the surge protector velcroed down to the desk, however the extension cord doesn’t have a three pronged socket, so the surge protector can’t plug into it…

Leave it to me to buy the wrong thing when I have both objects in my hand… /sigh

So I have to return the extension cord at some point and see if they have the kind I actually need. I don’t think they will. I think if they had had options I would have looked more closely rather than assuming that all of the stuff they offered worked together seamlessly.

The one time Publix let me down. Sad day.

So I’m one step closer, but not completed with that project.

Since I changed my address the other day I had coupons in my email that I wanted to print out. I work with a Zero Inbox setup. If I have an email in my inbox that means something needs to be done with it. There’s some action that still needs to happen.

Currently I have 4 emails from Fredenator since I still haven’t completed that. I have several from the 30 Day Challenge as well since I’m still working through the days I missed. Plus I had four emails for coupons…

My brain was freaking out every time I looked at my inbox. How could I let myself get so far behind? ;-;

Well, at least I got those coupon emails out of my inbox. I’m working on the 30 Day Challenge. And as far as the Fredenator thing goes, I might add that to my tasks for over the weekend. One good thing about this class I’m taking is that all of the homework is due by Friday, which leaves me two whole days to myself.

Too bad I normally have to work on Saturdays, so I really only ever have one day to myself.

I was supposed to do most of my reading for school last night. But that didn’t really happen. Sir messaged me and we ended up talking for my entire lab. I don’t regret it. Just noting that my day today is going to be structured a bit differently to make up for incomplete work.

It was actually the only thing on my list that I didn’t get to which would have been nice.

The reading this week shouldn’t be as rough as last week. We’re moving on to copyright stuff, which I think will be more relevant than patents. Once the reading is done I can take the quiz, which leaves only the case study, which I feel can be completed tomorrow. That, along with a reply post or two for the discussion board. I already have people disagreeing with my stance. Too bad I can’t post this picture as my reply.

 honesty

As of right now I plan to cross stitch while my Mac Book reads to me. We’ll see where things go from there. I don’t have to go to lab until 9pm. A nap might be in order later. Aikido is at 7 but that doesn’t really leave me with time to shower before going to work… It’s looking like the only time I’ll be able to go this week is Saturday. At least that means I’ll have earned my lunch with Rhonda. The trend so far is that Saturday practice kicks my ass.

Musing Moments 0034: 30 Day Challenge – Day 24

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I actually really like day 24. Chalene says some really awesome, eye opening things. When I first heard them they were mind blowing and really made me rethink how I interact with my time.

 The “Being Busy” Mentality

There’s this misconception out there that if you have a to-do list, or if you’re into time management that you’re into ‘being busy’. You’re that weird person who’s always doing something all the time. You never cut loose and have fun. All work and no play.

But that’s not what this challenge is about at all. It’s not about ‘being busy’.

It’s about knowing what task will give you the most bang for your buck. What task should you be focusing on that will be the best investment of your time?

Do that first.

Cool. Just got that task done. Awesome! What’s the next most important thing? Guess I should move on to that then. Done. Like a bawce. Next?

Knowing what you ‘should’ be working on is what turns you into a lean, mean, task destroying machine.

Chalene calls it the ‘Now’ approach.

In ‘Jen Land’ I call it the ‘Nike’ approach. I don’t know… in my head ‘Victory’ just sounds cooler than ‘Now’… Maybe it goes back to that whole ‘task destroying machine’ thing…

The idea is still the same, though. Nike’s slogan is ‘Just do it.’

If you know you have a task that needs to get done, like, bad juju, explosive fires, death and destruction from the skies if this task doesn’t get done type of stuff, then just do it.

Don’t procrastinate. Don’t sit and think about how much you don’t want to do it. Don’t waste energy, and more importantly, time, dreading over it.

Burpees suck… thinking about how much I don’t want to do them isn’t going to get them done any faster.

Just do it.

Get it done and out of the way so you can sit back and feel like a bawce. Heck. Give yourself a high five, even if other people are around. Screw them if they think you’re weird. You deserve a high five for being awesome and taking care of business.

 Quick! The boss is coming! Look busy!

Another super awesome point that is brought up is that just because you’re at your desk doesn’t mean that you’re doing something important or productive. I know I’m guilty of this.

Sometimes I need to reply to a message on Facebook and suddenly it’s 20 minutes later and all I’ve done is look at cat videos. And there’s no way to get those 20 minutes back. I basically set them on fire when I should have been responding to a two minute message, if that.

I don’t procrastinate much or often (at least any more. We won’t talk about those years after high school…). And even when I do it’s normally on science articles or random things that are still informative. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a better time / place to indulge in those tendencies.

Are my actions honoring my key priority? Are my actions reflecting that I view as important?

Sometimes not…

We can’t manage time. It’s only ever going to be 24 hours, 86400 seconds each and every day. No more, no less.

The only thing we can honestly, truly manage is ourselves. Our actions. So make sure you’re ok with the actions you’re doing.

I totally love my time watching cat videos. The only time I have an issue with it is when I KNOW I should be doing something else, but I’m not. Everything has a time and place. If I’m doing something at the wrong time, then there’s normally guilt associated with it later.

It’s one of those “I know I should be doing something else, and I know I’ll pay the price for it later” type of situations.

It’s so much nicer to just avoid that whole icky guilt situation completely and to keep my self doing what I know I should be doing, and saving the more ‘unimportant’ things for a moment when I can fully enjoy them.

So, lots of good stuff today. “Just do it,” and, “Manage your actions not your time”.

The homework is pretty simple but can be a hard truth to face. What activities / habits do you have that are unhealthy investments of your time? What things could / should you cut back on?

 FaceFail – The Black Hole of Time

I know for me it’s scrolling through Facebook. Really if it wasn’t for keeping up with my industry contacts I would forego social media.

I still might…

I’ll keep mulling it over. For now I’ll focus on catching myself when I start falling into the black void of time wasting.

 30 Day Challenge – Chalene Johnson

Daily Post 0093: Reality

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Something happened yesterday. But it’s not my place to talk about it. Not even here I don’t think. It does not affect me directly, but if affects Sir very deeply, and my heart chakra is heavy for him. I wish there was more I could do than nothing. More than sending a text message.

We may no longer be ‘together’, but I still care. He’s always going to be part of my inner circle and I’ll always want him to be happy. I know right now all he’ll see is darkness and I wish I could give him a hug.

There are no words that can make this better. All anyone would be able to do is give silent support. But I can’t even do that.

It feels like the situation with Mother Earth. All I can do is sit here in front of a computer screen and realize how separated I am from people. How insufficient my actions truly are for helping to ease the suffering of those I care about. How inadequate.

I would say yesterday was a good day, but with the news I received I can’t say that. It was a dark day. A sobering day. An icy slap of reality.

It was mostly productive. Only one to-do list.

I completed the discussion post for my class, along with three other assignments. I only have the reading and the case study left, which are both due on Friday.

I wrote my 30 Day Challenge post. I cleaned the old apartment one last time. I stopped by the store to get cat food and the power cords I wanted for my office space. I even remember to pick up Velcro.

I went running around the block at my new place. The block is actually exactly half a mile, so I did the circuit three times yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to stretch afterwards so my calves are tight and sore today.

I got over halfway through the grading I needed to do. I have to finish that off before going in to work today.

Rhonda wants to do lunch so we can talk about freelance and her reel. Desiree needs me to look at her project. I’ve reconnected with someone I used to talk to when I lived with Mother Earth. We have lunch plans for Sunday.

I think that’s about it.

Musing Moments 0033: 30 Day Challenge – Day 23

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Day 23 is all about our environment, which I honestly think should be way earlier in the program, but since it’s not my challenge I can’t really complain all that much.

For me, my environment is a HUGE, MASSIVE, GINORMAOUS factor into my mood and overall productivity. I can deal with messes for only so long. Loud, distracting noises frustrate me and pull me away from the tasks I’m trying to get done. Since I’m a visual person, movement and colors can also affect me.

I know… I sound super finicky, but if you want me to get work done, then leave me alone and let me do it. It’s one of the reasons I always have headphones on, creating my own little bubble of solitude.

The homework for today is to write about an area or environment you plan to improve to boost your productivity juju, and to talk about the environment you create your to-do list in.

Essentially the spot you chose for your to-do list making is your command central. It’s where you plan and structure the rest of your day. It’s where all of the magic happens. So does that place have the juju you need?

Since I just moved I have the benefit (chore) of starting from scratch with my ‘office’ area. I refer to this area as Home Base.

While I lived with Joshua I really didn’t have a very good work area at home. It was alright, but it just didn’t have that ‘vibe’ that I needed it to have to really ‘want’ to work. I didn’t have an actual computer chair, so it was uncomfortable to sit for longer periods of time at home. It didn’t help that he never ran the AC so the room was usually on the warmer side… Just not all that fun of an environment.

I love my setup now, though. My computer desk is where I do pretty much everything. It’s one of my safe spaces. And it’s purely mine. All mine. Seriously, if I let you sit in my ‘work’ area you know you’re special and part of my inner circle.

This meme pretty much sums up how I feel about ‘my’ areas.

touchy

I take a lot of pride in ‘my’ areas. I’ve developed them over the years. I know how I like things organized and what things I like having around me.

If it’s hard to plug my laptop charger in then there’s bad juju. Even that small, trivial thing can be a road block to productivity, especially on bad days where I’m already having to fight through some sort of emotional stress, or just tiredness in general. The harder it is to start, the less likely it’s going to happen. Why make things hard?

Not having pens or paper near me can break my workflow and derail the productivity train, too. Again, something super small, but can have major side affects.

It’s not like I instantly knew or had the perfect work environment. Far from it actually. But I’ve messed up enough times to know what I like and why I like it that way. My environments work for me, and at the end of the day that’s all I really need. My space is for me, not someone else. Get your own computer desk if you want to change something.

I feel like I have three main places where I ‘work’. So I’m going to talk about all three of them, not just Home Base. : D

Home Base

My little corner of awesome. < 3

Currently I need to get some Velcro to keep one of the power chargers stationary on my desk (again that whole being able to plug my chargers in easily thing…). I also need to get a shelf to keep my pens and stuff.

Hanging my cork board is another huge thing that needs to happen. I keep all of my inspirational reminders on it. Cards from my mom, artwork from students, mementos from rock climbing and paint-balling. Awards from work. I’m sure when I get my certificates from my belt tests they will go there, too.

These are my reminders about life. That I’m more than work, and that my work is going towards something other than a paycheck. I have these reminders in front of me always. Reminders of the people who love and care for me and make life worth living.

Work Base

The second area would be the area I’ve picked out for myself at work. It’s not really ‘my’ desk since it’s a communal area. But since no one goes there I’ve started thinking of it as mine. I even have a case of water in the corner of the desk for when I work there, so I don’t have to get up all the time to have something to drink.

That’s actually a huge thing for me. If I don’t have a water bottle or some drink near me I’m most likely not going to get much done.

I need to get a power cord so I don’t have to crawl around on the ground to plug the laptop in. Always that stupid laptop causing issues… Lame…

But overall I like how that area is set up. I might get a mini cork board for additional inspirational messages. Still debating that idea. I like the way it feels inside my head, though. Another added personal touch to make the area feel more like mine; like I belong there.

Bar Base

The last place would be my sports bar. It’s where I do my budgeting and bill paying. It’s where I figure out my weekends. It’s my break from work. My Friday lunch away form the office and students and coworkers. Just me, being a normal introverted person, sitting on my laptop out in public totally ignoring the rest of the world…

Ok, so maybe that’s not so normal, but I love it. I get awesome food. I have a never ending supply of water. I always have the same awesome server, and it’s something I look forward to. It’s my reward for making it through the week. I’m left alone to take care of what I need / want to.

Could I do my bill stuff at either of my other bases? Yeah, most likely. It would be cheaper I’m sure, but I don’t want to. I like my routines, and I like how the environments are set up to help me get my tasks done.

So those are my areas, and how I plan on improving them to become an even more powerful productively beast. Yep… going from the Earth Dragon Who Could to The Earth Dragon Who Did.

Off and away I go to demolish that to-do list I just made.

30 Day Challenge – Chalene Johnson

Daily Post 0092: All of the Things…

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This is the last post for the day. I swear. I don’t think I could write more if I wanted to. Even as it is, I’m tired from having such a full day that I’m barely holding on to consciousness right now.

Ok… maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but seriously, I wouldn’t mind waffle facing on my keyboard. I wouldn’t even be sorry if I drooled a little bit…

I’ve gone through THREE to-do lists today. I wasn’t joking when I said my day was full…

It started with catching up on emails (still), and then procrastinating on my day by writing a post. After that I meal planned then went to Publix. Since I’ve moved I have to go to a different store location. It’s a change in my routine, which for most people isn’t a big deal, but for me it’s new cashiers that I have to get to know, figuring out where the things I want are really located, and figuring out if they even have the things I typically buy. Not all stores are created equal.

So that was a bit of stress, but it actually wasn’t that bad. Traffic wasn’t awful for being 9am on a Monday. The store was pretty much empty, which was fantastic, and I was able to get everything that I wanted. Score!

I was also $40 under budget because I’m awesome like that.

By the time I got home my laundry was done drying so I could hang my cloths. I put my gi (aikido uniform) in the wash with a cup of vinegar to whiten it. I wanted to let it soak for most of the day while I was at work.

I did all of my cooking for the week, so meals are done. Huzzah for not going hungry. I figured out what was going on with my debit card and Metro PCS, so I was able to pay my bill online rather than having to go into a store to do it. Avoiding people is always a plus in my book.

I stopped by the bank and got $20 for Ari since she let me borrow money last week.

I changed my address with USPS and for my voter registration and got some awesome coupons in the process.

I replied to Ray’s email, created an invoice for Tina, and an invoice template for Tre so he could make his own invoice for the project. I was even able to get both of our invoices sent off to Tina today, so hopefully we both get paid shortly.

I talked to Jon today. I guess he got refunded the money he tried to wire to my because my own bank couldn’t find my account, even though they verified that I used the correct account number… Wtf? My mind can’t even wrap around that…

Just another nail in the coffin for why I will be justified in leaving my bank as soon as I am able to.

Jon and I have a Skype date for when I get off work on Saturday. It will be awesome to chat with him for a while. I miss his face so much, which is funny because growing up we hated each other. Sibling love I suppose…

I figured out dates for the PCC critiques and made a post on the Facebook group for them. Monica is going to see about getting a guest speaker for the critique on the first of May.

That’s something new we want to try to do. The last critique of the month we want to try to get alumni to do a Skype conversation where they talk to current students about their experience(s) in the industry and answer questions. So that’s in the works, which is fantastic.

I finally finished getting caught up on emails, work email included.

I sent out my new address to a bunch of people so they could stay in touch with me. I also messaged a few students that I haven’t heard from in a while, just as a way to reconnect now that spring break is over.

I wrote my 30 Day Challenge post because I’m not a slacker. I continued on the productivity train by writing about my trip home, and was an even bigger bawce because I kept on going with a weekly recap.

And on that note I’m wrapping everything up with a daily post.

I needed today. A nice, productive day of kicking ass and taking names. A fantastic day of not being sick and getting life back on the track that it’s supposed to be on.

TLDR
Lab went well, and I got a ton done.
Thank you and good night.

Weekly Saga 0012: Trips Home and Sunburns

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I figured I’m already a week behind on my weekly sagas. I can’t let it slip by for another week. If I did then then I might as well miss the week after that and just recap everything in my Monthly Momento and that would just be lame…

I’m supposed to be kicking April’s ass because March sucked.

So, no. This is happening.

Main events for the past TWO (sad face) weeks include:

Sickness settled in to ruin my life
April Fools triggered a conversation with Sir
Old roommates broke up / dating drama
Tre graduated
Moved into a new house

Had a ‘Come to Freya’ meeting with myself
Traveled home
Toured around the downtown Charleston
Went to the beach / got sunburnt
Went to the dojo for the first time in three weeks

Assembled a closet organizer
Bought a mini fridge
Had dinner with Joshua
Finished arranging my room

All in all I think I did alright. Lots of craziness…

Things are settling down though. This is going to be my first full week in the new house with new roommates, so we’ll see how it turns out.

Fingers crossed.

Dragon’s Horde 0025: Pics or it Didn’t Happen

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I may or may not be procrastinating on homework by writing this. And by may or may not I mean I totally am… Why does intellectual property and law have to be so dry and boring to the right side of my brain? ;-;

Anyway I figured I would take a second to recap my trip home since I haven’t done that yet. And I figured since there will be pictures that this post should be part of my horde; my pile of precious things that I gather around myself and cherish.

This was the first time in a while that I had company on the drive home, which was nice and odd at the same time. It was nice that my mom and I were both comfortable with silence, so we didn’t have to talk the whole six hours.

Once I got to my mom’s house I hung out with one of the  few people I still talk to from high school. We actually spent the day walking around the Battery and historic downtown Charleston.

It’s funny that I’ve lived in the area almost all of my life but I’ve never really been a tourist in my own  town. There’s so many things that I haven’t seen or done that I really aught to. Much like how I live in Orlando now, but I’ve never been to the everglads, the Space Center, or Univeral Studios.

There’s all these things around me that people would kill to do, and I’m just sitting here doing my daily grind with work. I’m working on fixing that though.

So yeah, while I was home I actually took time to have a vacation, and walking around downtown was part of that. I got super sunburnt, I ate totally unhealthy food, and I drank while I was dehydrated so I had a headache the next morning.

And I regret nothing.

I  had a blast, I got to reconnect with one of my friends. We passed out on the floor watching cartoons, and in the morning we woke up at 9, got fast food breakfast and went to the beach where I stood in the water as the tide came in and he read a book.

I didn’t check my email the whole time I was home. Which meant I had, at one point, 90 emails to go through. That wasn’t even work related emails. I had messages on Facebook that needed attention, and my room was still a disaster from the move.

But none of that matter while I was at home for those few days.

I slept until I woke up. No alarms. I didn’t worry about the gym, or  the  dojo, or what I should, aught, needed to do. I just existed and let things happen. It was nice letting everything go for a little while.

Right Brain: “Screw that being adult shit. I’m going to go make a blanket fort and color with glitter crayons.”

So now it’s the end of Monday, and the end of my first full day back in the swing of things. And I’m glad to be back, but I’m also glad for the break I allowed myself to have. Here are some pictures of my awesome time, because pics or it didn’t happen.

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This is what I remember when I think of home. Green, everywhere. So many trees and so much grass. Flowers and bushes. So much warmth, growth, and life.

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Nasse photo-bombing my picture…

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The pineapple of downtown.

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I really did go to the beach.

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And I really was in the water. Just for you Mother Earth. <3