Summer

This week flew by very quickly. I applied for tons of jobs and got responses on a couple, so that was nice. I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow, we'll see how that goes. I got to spend time with Eric and Becky in Menomonie on Friday night; that was fun as well. It was nice to have a relaxing weekend. I enjoyed the weather and spent some time outdoors. Saw a beautiful view over the water as the sun was going down, took a walk on a trail. It was just nice to be outside, though it was a bit chilly last night and the wind off the water made it a bit more brisk.

I am pretty happy with the start to my summer. I look forward to many other wonderful nights and a lot of time spent outside enjoying the weather. I think this week if there is time I will spend some more time on the gardening and I am going to try to get out and exercise each day as well. There is only a month before our trip to Florida and I need to get my tush in shape lol. Not an easy task as many of you know.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and that they are enjoying the summer as much as I am!

Weekend

This past weekend was amazing. I really needed a weekend away and I got just that. On Friday I went to Eau Claire and stayed at my mother-in-laws for her birthday. We had a great dinner and were able to relax and just enjoy the evening.

On Saturday Garrett and I drove up to the lake. Several of my family members were up there. On Saturday evening we had a fire and went out to a couple of the local bars and sang karaoke. My Dad was the best singer there, which is no surprise.

On Sunday Grandma came up and we took the pontoon out. Sunday afternoon/evening we ripped out the old back dock and we moved the new dock that the neighbors were giving us, into our yard. That night we sat around the campfire just enjoying the evening and relaxing. On Monday morning we took the old front dock out and as we were trying to wheel it over to the back to put it in the water, a wheel broke off. Luckily we had a friend nearby who was a welder. We somehow managed to get the new dock in the water without too much trouble. After the old front dock was mended we put it in the water and were finally done with our three dock movement, at least for the time being; we only really got it half-way in the water and it got stuck in the nasty muck. It was a lot of work but I enjoyed the weekend thoroughly.

Cookin'

Every now and then a person stumbles upon something they love, or someone gives them an idea and they run with it and for whatever reason, it turns out perfect. Tonight I am making a simmer sauce from Trader Joe's. Clint told me to do this so I have bought several of the Trader Joe's Simmer Sauces and tried most of them.

What you do is you saute' onion and garlic in olive oil, then you toss in some chopped up tomato, green pepper and whatever else you like along with your choice of meat.

I choose to add black beans and chicken. I put it atop whole wheat spaghetti. For those of you out there who think I do not cook; these are the things I currently make.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Simmer Sauces

...and anything else out of a bag or box lol. Hey, it's a start.

Weekend

It's Thursday and I have spent my week thinking about how I do not have a job; searching for a job; and how frustrated I am with people and some conflicting issues that are currently driving me nuts.

1.) I am currently designing something that I am not at all enjoying and have no desire to do.

2.) I feel useless not having a job.

The one good thing is that I have been looking forward to the weekend all week long. I am going to Eau Claire to my mother in laws Friday night and then for Saturday and Sunday I am going up to the cabin. I can't wait to see everyone and spend some time relaxing.

I have not yet resolved the dilemmas but a decision has to be made. I hate conflicts. I'm a push over. If it weren't for this design delemma I could have more time to search for jobs and more time to write as well as deal with a couple of other issues currently in my life that definitely need tending to.

Personal Trainers

So this past Saturday, I joined a second gym; only because the price was great and this one is close to my house and the other membership ends in a month and a half. Upon joining I was offered a free session with one of the personal trainers. My personal trainer kicked my but. I knew I wanted to lose weight but I did not realize how out of shape my muscles in certain parts of my body are.

If you think you are in shape but you do not lift weights, or do things such as lunges; think again. I was lifting weights and doing 30min to 1.5hrs of cardio 3-4 times per week; I am still quite out of shape. I need to tone and strengthen my muscles.

I was offered a great deal on a package of 12 training sessions, and as much as I want to take it; I know it's too much money to spend when I have not yet found a job. Not to mention, if I don't get myself into the habit of doing weights and lunges on my own; who says I will do it after the training is done? I need to get this started by myself or I will never stick to it.

Anyway, if I stick to this schedule and do my cardio and my "feel like I may fall over dead" work out, I could lose a significant amount of weight in the next three months. It's worth a shot.

Graduation

I made it through a second round of college and I now have my AAS in Graphic Design Technology. I spent the afternoon yesterday with my mom and sister and then went out for dinner with friends and family. The evening was great and I am glad that I spent time with friends and family to celebrate.

If anyone is looking for a fun and tasty place to eat in Hudson, WI; Agave Kitchen is awesome! The kitchen used to be Idaho Chucks. They still have their great pork nachos and they also have some other wonderful dishes. They have also added some fun new dishes to their menu. Tex Mex at its best.

After dinner we went to the Shout House in Minneapolis. The Shout House is a high energy venue with great music that the patrons can make requests for and sing along with. If you are easily offended then you may not want to visit the Shout, but if you have a good sense of humor and can take things lightly without looking too far into them, then the Shout is definitely for you.

Oh Sweet Irony on American Idol

Picture this:

You are standing on in the middle of a stage. The lights are dimmed and your mind is going crazy just wondering where your fate lies. You bite your lip and put in your final prayers that you will not be sent home. Ryan looks at your amigo and says: "Kris, you are safe, you will be competing in the finals."

Your heart just sank a little because the only other person on that stage beside you and Ryan, is Adam. Adam... the man whom the judges have been saying for weeks is the clear winner. You bite back your emotion as you wait in agony to see if you will be moved on.

I'm sorry Danny, your ride ends here. You are going home.

Everyone believed that the final battle would be between Danny and Adam. I wonder how Kris felt when he looked out at the judges and saw Cara saying: "Oh My God."
She never expected Kris to make it. She was not the only person obviously who showed their disdain.

If you look at the overall performances and what is lacking for both Danny and Kris; you will find that Kris has a voice that to many people, will be easier to listen to. Not everyone can take that scratchy voice of Danny's. I am one of those people. Danny was very positive and a bit silly, Kris was very straight forward and down to Earth. Kris however will most likely be able to relax more and put on a better performance when he is not under Simon's every scrutiny. In the long run I think that Kris will go further and be more marketable than Danny because I get the idea that Danny is very set in his Christian Rock ways.

I'm sorry Danny; all is not lost for you, someone will definitely scoop you up and give you the deal of a lifetime.

Congrats Kris; though beating Adam will not be easy to do, you have put up an admirable fight. No one in this competition is a loser. Everyone should be able to see that compared to past seasons, this group had the most talent.

Plastic Melt Down

She looked into the mirror with tears running down her face.
She knew nothing of who she was or who she would become.
She had spent every moment trying to change for the future.
Staring back with blank expressionless eyes was a shell she did not know.
At what price did beauty come?
She paid in blood , friendships, and love.
Then she paid in pain.
Spent so many days in surgery and all of it in vain.

Her nose matched not her father, her eyes matched not her mum.
She no longer had the same physique as her identical twin, nor the same smile as her son.
Her chest was held up tightly and seemed to be an out of control airbag.
Her smile was so unsightly, accept to eat, she couldn't move her mouth.
She believed for so long she was imperfect, so she added here and there.
Maybe if she'd known she'd have a disfigured face, she wouldn't have been so quick to care.

No doctor can fix her now.
A monster she has become.
Disproportionate chest, crooked nosed, bloated lips, and back pain are what she has to bare.
Look inside and see the beauty, and no one else should care.

The moral of this tale,
stop fussing with yourself.
Your body is your temple, your happiness and your wealth.

-Tricia Markin

School and Stuff

So I just came from my last Web I class and I have found out that today is the last day of class. I thought Thursday would be, but this is a pleasant surprise. I am pretty excited about this because I can now finish up the logo designs I am working on for a family friend and I can put more work into my book.

Still searching for a job; they are hard to come by at this time. Not giving up hope, still looking hard. I hope that I will be able to find something within my creative zone but I will not pass up a job in customer service or retail if it means having a steady paycheck.

Done watching the puppy and the funny thing is, I kinda miss the little munchkin. Despite how wild she is, it was nice to feel loved and wanted. A puppy has no trouble giving love and attention away and you will always be wanted upon returning home from a day out. I still do not want a dog that small, but perhaps someday a dog; someday when I am a bit more comfortable staying home.

Friday is graduation and I look forward to a nice relaxing day. First on the agenda is spending time with my Mom and Sister. Later on the agenda, possibly getting together with friends, dinner, and the Shout House. No plans are finalized yet, but that is a possibility. I just want to be around people and enjoy a relaxing evening doing whatever.

Still haven't figured out the yard situation. It has been mowed but I still have a lot of weeds to take care of. Bah.. weeds are not fun. Trees are even worse when they are growing where they should not be. I don't know how much longer I can let this situation go for. I need some help. Anyone feel like helping me with my yard on Saturday? LOL, it promises to be fun. Perhaps we could get some beers or margaritas and make it fun? Hmm, that's a thought. Who wants to have a weeding party?! It's not a wedding, but close enough. ;o)

Puppies and Babies

I am currently puppy sitting for a friend and the dog is so incredibly cute. I have now decided that in some respects a puppy is more of a handful than a baby. Babies, do not, most of the time, pee on the floor when they are excited. They do not generally bite you in the face, the ear, hang from your pants leg, steal your socks, chew on your shoes, fly at you from across a room, try to trip you when you are walking or bark loudly at you because they think everything is a game.

Babies on the other hand cry, cannot ever be left alone, cost more money, and can make you get up several times in a night and in the morning. Puppies can at least be left alone for smaller periods of time. Although if you have a baby you can pretty much take them anywhere, and a puppy you cannot.

In the end they both require much more responsibility and thought before travel, or just plain having one or the other, or both. I am pretty sure that at this point I could not handle both. Both are cute and I like each in their own way. I am glad I am puppy sitting because it is definitely a learning experience. I just cannot imagine having cats, a baby, and a puppy so I won't be doing that anytime soon, I think maybe I'll have the baby before the puppy or just plain get a dog from the shelter who is around a year old and already trained. I am still not sure that I am ready to give up any form of freedom full time for either a baby or a puppy.

American Idol Upset

So tonight was slightly irritating. There are two shows I watch normally on Wednesday night, which are Lie To Me, and American Idol. I watched American Idol and proceeded to be angry about the choice. I just do not understand how Danny has made it as far as he has. His range sucks, I think he's fake, and I want him gone. He did so horribly yesterday on his song, it was like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Even his family turned the tv off when they heard those notes... Um.. hello?! His own family couldn't listen?! That tells you something right there. Wrong choice America! Get your heads out of your butts. I will back my girl Allison any day of the week over Danny. Allison, I'll be waiting for your record, I know you will make it big; you will not go back to the same life you had before.

Nope, Not Poison Oak

For some reason I was thinking Poison Oak had pointy long leaves, but I believe I was wrong, not Poison Oak.

Flowers In My Yard

Along with the flowers in my yard I noticed something along my fence that looks like Poison Oak... I really hope it isn't but It has five pointy leaves and there is one small patch of it. I also have Wood Violets, and some sort of other purplish pink bush, and Lilacs. No one has taken care of this yard in years; there are also several small trees growing in places they should not be.

If anyone is bored and wants to help me do some yard work lol; the gates open. ;o)

Woot!

So today I am feeling a bit on the drained side but I am pumped that I do not have to be anywhere today. I am happy that I no longer have to attend class on M-W-F but it is time to get moving on finishing my scale and perspective book.

If I can get that done and turned in on Friday, I can focus on writing my book all weekend long, and puppy sitting of course. I get to puppy sit for Katie; their puppy is so cute.

I am looking forward to once again being done with school. Every time I think I want to go back, I realize that I just want to be done and finished with the goal.

Portfolio Show

So today was the portfolio show which I have been preparing for, for the past year and a half.
Cristina Yager won the award for best Graphic Design Portfolio and it was very much deserved in my opinion.

I had one known possible employer look at my stuff and he was looking at my resume so I asked him if he would like to take one and he said "not just yet" and left. Ouch, shot down.

No one took any of my business packets but several people took my business card. It was a long day and I am glad it is over. Graduation next week never looked so good.

Not Guinea Pigs

If those are guinea pigs, then they are mammoth pigs because they are at least the size of a dog.

I have to ask...

I know I shot that photo on the left of the fuzzy critters laying on the ground... can someone tell me what they are called because I cannot for the life of me remember. Are they groundhogs?

Portfolio

The year is coming to a close and an abrupt one at that. I am nearly finished with my portfolio, just waiting for a couple of reprints to come back and then putting the finishing touches on my plan for portfolio day such as what I will wear, making sure all materials are gathered, and getting enough sleep, etc.

My portfolio show is on Tuesday from 8am until 11am in the DCTC Commons. Anyone can go. I do not think anyone will actually be coming there to see me but I am quite happy with my achievements and looking forward to the day.

After portfolio show I still have a few more things to accomplish. I have to finish my Scale and Perspective book and I also have a flash assignment and a newsletter due. I will not have classes on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday after tomorrow; I am pretty excited about that.

Only two weeks left and then I can celebrate victoriously my accomplishments over the past year and a half. To anyone who is still finishing up and in the same boat as me, good luck and remember to take things in stride. Do not give up. Reward yourself when you are done.