Frank "Grimey" Grimes

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what's really important to me and makes me happy in my life (and we all know that life is short; you never know how much time you'll have here and even if you live a long life, it's never enough time). Yeah...a lot of heavy thinking going on recently. But when I really asked myself what gives me the most joy in my life, the answer was crystal clear: making art. I've been putting so much energy into finding a job that I wouldn't even care about. I don't want to answer phones for the rest of my life. I'm sick of lying at interviews and spouting tripe like, "Oh, I loooooove working with people! And doing menial clerical work is my favorite!" 

I cringe doing public service work and couldn't possibly care less about the success of these companies. What I do care about is making art that makes people feel things and ultimately makes people happy. It brings me joy knowing that the art I'm making is bringing joy to others. And the fact that I haven't made any new drawings in the past year makes me very sad. I have a degree in drawing and I quit drawing only a year out of school because I was in such a big hurry to get a better job, an apartment, a husband...all of those things that society thinks I'm "supposed" to have. But in the long run, would that higher paying job and tiny little apartment bring me happiness? Shouldn't the happiness be coming from inside me and not from outside sources? Finding a partner to share my life with is still something that I want very much but maybe the reason why I haven't found him yet is because I need to find myself first. I need to figure out how to be truly happy on my own before I find someone to share that happiness with. Or maybe I'm just doomed to be alone...I don't know! :p

I talked to a good friend about my conundrum and he offered some really sage-like advice. I told him how I often compare myself to others and by doing so, I often feel like I'm not measuring up to the success of others. He told me we're all on our own paths and never to compare myself to anyone else or "timelines" set by society. He also said that I'll figure out what I want to do with my life simply because I want to and, "You never know what will happen or when, you just need to make sure you are at least allowing those situations to appear." 

So now we're at the point of this story where I've made my decision. I've decided (for now) to go back to my part-time job and spend the rest of my time really concentrating on my art. My old job didn't pay very well but I don't have a lot of bills and am generally a pretty thrifty lady. What's more important to me right now than having a lot of money is TIME. Art takes time to create and if I were to take a 40 hour a week job right now I know for a fact that I wouldn't feel like making anything when I got home. I'd probably still have time to make the occasional embroidery but I know I wouldn't make any fine art. And if people want to judge me for living at home, that's their problem, not mine. At least I have parents who love me and support me. When I told my dad about my plan he said, "That sounds like a great idea! You need to do whatever it is that makes YOU happy, Courtney." 

I know there's no guarantee that my art will be super successful but you can't win if you don't try, right? And if making art makes me happy, then that's a success. But I still believe that I have something special to offer with my artwork and that it has potential to get even better. I just need to practice more and work more on marketing my work. And I'm also going to work on not expecting so much out of life. My expectations of myself have been ridiculously high in the past and that only leads to disappointment. I'm going to work on being more kind and compassionate towards myself. I heard someone say once, "We're all worthy of our own unconditional love" and I think it's about time I really start treating myself the way I treat everyone else. Because I'm worth it ;)

And so our story continues...

This blog has turned into a suspense thriller in a way...will our heroine ever find a job? Short answer "Yes" with an "If", long answer "No" with a "but".

I recently interviewed with a company (who will remain nameless) for another receptionist job. I wasn't too jazzed about the job from the start but at this point beggars can't be choosers. I was not impressed by the place at all from my first interview but after my first one they said I might be able to do the second interview that same day. The HR lady told me to wait in the lobby and that she'd come and get me in "just a few minutes". Just a few minutes turned into nearly 40 minutes and in those 40 minutes my already sour impression of the establishment dropped even further. When she finally came back she told me that they actually didn't have time to do the second interview and to come back in the morning. Despite having a bad feeling about the place I went to the second interview anyway. When I arrived the next morning I met with a different HR rep who told me that I had scored "extremely" high on the IQ test they had made me take the day before and that they were very impressed with me. At that point I was feeling a lot better about this second interview since I'd never really taken an IQ test before.

Shortly after I was taken to the top floor to do the "real" interview with the woman who would be my boss. She asked me the normal arsenal of questions common in interviews minus one...Usually I've been asked to name just one weakness but this little pistol wanted THREE! I had only one prepared so I got a little flustered but felt like I recovered okay. After she was done asking me questions she went on and on about the job telling me what a great company it was and how this position would be a great starting spot for me blah blah blah. She said she would like to fill the opening in 2 weeks so to expect a call back shortly. On the drive home I was feeling pretty good about how the interview went and confident that I had finally nailed a job.

Today I awoke to not a phone call but an email telling me that this woman (she didn't even have the decency to email herself) had chosen not to offer me the position "at this time". What does that even mean? She might offer me it later? Such bullshit. And it's not like they decided to go with another candidate because I saw that they renewed the job posting today. So all day I've been in a rotten mood and trying to figure out what I could have possibly said to blow the interview :(

The worst part is that I wasn't even super stoked about this job either. I'm super sensitive to rejection so any form of rejection is always a major blow. I just can't understand what she didn't like about me and it's been bugging me all day. All of my friends have been really great and supportive through this whole job hunting ordeal and have been telling me that the right job just hasn't come along yet. I sure hope they're right because this has been such a nightmare, a nightmare that I'm ready to end. 

As much as I'm ready to go back to work though, it would probably be worse if I got a job and it sucked. I've had my fair share of sucky jobs so I think I can hold out a little bit longer for a decent one to present itself. It would've been nice to have found one before my birthday though...

Speaking of birthdays (nice segway, huh?) my birthday party is this Friday and I'm hoping to be in a better mood by then. I just have to remember that "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

P.S. I saw a wonderful movie last night. It's Studio Ghibli's newest feature, "From Up on Poppy Hill", and it was beautiful. If you get a chance to see it I highly recommend it!

Phoenix in Phoenix

Last night I saw one of my favorite bands, Phoenix, at the Marquee Theater in Tempe. I must say it was a spectacular show, in fact, one of the best shows I've been to in recent memory. I was worried that they were going to play mostly songs from their new album "Bankruptcy", which is being released soon, but surprisingly, they played songs mostly from their last album "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix". I was hoping they would play my favorite song "Too Young" but sadly, it wasn't included in their set. No matter, I had a great time singing along and jumping around to killer tunes. It made me reminiscent of my younger days bouncing in my seat to Blink 182 and Weezer at America West Arena (now US Airways Arena). Those were some good times. Anywho, Phoenix's vocalist, Thomas Mars, was a fantastic performer. He jumped into the crowd several times and I was overwhelmed with the desire to touch him! It was so weird! I'm normally pretty weird about human contact but having one of my favorite musicians so close to me turned me into a creeper. Unfortunately, my creeper fantasies were thwarted by about 2 inches (I couldn't reach him) but my friend got to. Better one of us did than none of us, I suppose.  Here's some photos from the show:

Photo courtesy of Sharleen Chen

Photo courtesy of Sharleen Chen

 Since I don't have that much disposable income at the moment I'm unable to go to very many concerts so this concert was an extra special treat. When I do have money again I'd like to see these bands/artists in concert (if they ever visit Arizona):

*Foster the People
*Florence + the Machine
*Two Door Cinema Club
*Metric
*The Black Keys
*Ellie Goulding
*Vampire Weekend

Moving on from the music topic, I had a job interview today that turned out not to be for the job I thought I was applying for. I applied for an office assistant position at a preschool and even noted that that was the position I was applying for THREE times on my application. The person who I was interviewing with managed to go through the entire interview without mentioning once that she was interviewing me for a TEACHING position!! ME!! TEACHING!! I thought it was quite odd that she needed me to take a Tuberculosis test as for a receptionist job but then she started asking me what age range of children I'd like to work with...that's when I had to say, "Wait, I applied for an office assistant job. Is this for a teaching position?" It was. And what's really funny is that she was ready to hire me! The World's Least Child-Friendly woman being a preschool teacher. Good grief!

I have another interview on Thursday for an actual receptionist position which sounds a lot more suited to my skills. I hope it goes well. I'm really really tired of being unemployed (although I'm positive I'll miss being unemployed the day I go back to work). 

I'M IMPOSSIBLE!

P.S. 10 day til my b-day! AAAAAHHHH!

Donny, you're out of your element

So...I didn't get that job but whatever, man. I was pretty bummed about it for a few days but I'm over it. I have to remember my mantra: "Fuck it, Dude." Although I'm not a religious person, I'm still a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Everything in this life is interconnected and that job wasn't on my path. Something will turn up and even if the job I do end up getting isn't the best job ever, there's something (or someone) that I need to learn/meet there. Looking back on my job history, even though all the jobs I've had have felt pointless  and even shitty at times, I gained something from all of them. Let me illustrate that for you:

*Toy Store: first job where I met my best friend and soul twin, Ashley. Also learned a valuable life lesson, working SUCKS.

*The Hotel (I won't name names because I'm now aware that companies use search tools so they can find any and every post ever that mentions their company's name. Cool, Big Brother!): first full time job where I got over a lot of my shyness and fear of people. Before I got this job I couldn't even order a pizza for myself! Even though this job felt absolutely soul crushing at times (all the time) I grew a lot as an individual. I also learned that the more money you have the more of an asshole you become (for the most part).

*Another Hotel: I learned to get verbally abused by strangers without crying! I also learned that I work very well with males. All the dudes I worked with at the hotel were true blue. There was no drama or cattiness between myself and my male coworkers. They always had my back.

*Baby Store: I learned that I'm more intelligent than 90% of the human population. 

*Student Paper: I learned that I'm able to meet deadlines and have leveled up to Responsible Adult. Also gained validation for making comics for over a decade.

*Educational Store: Gained more people skills and realized that I have a likeable personality! Major bonus points for the old self-image! Made lots of friends, including another one of my bestest friends,  Heather, and also noticed that I'm a fast learner (wasn't aware of that up until this point). Also, through the support of a coworker discovered a talent I didn't know I had! Opened up an online craft business as a result!

Craft Store: Met lots and lots of great people and instantly made friends in a new store and a new city. Was surprised how everyone liked me even though I felt shy and boring. Got more skilled at making small talk with strangers.

So as you can see, skills and friends were gained from all of these employers even though they weren't "prestigious" jobs and I hated most of them while I worked at them. 

Yesterday I went on a bike ride with my old man and he really helped put everything in perspective for me. He said, "If you really look at it, your life is pretty great. All you really need to be truly happy is a job you can stand and a significant other. Two things! How many people can say that? Most people need two things and then a hundred other things to be happy!" And I realized that he was right. If I had an okay job and a man who loved me, I'd be the happiest girl who ever lived! Over the years I've gotten to the point where I like who I am and I've found people and hobbies that bring me joy. All that's missing is a bearable job and a babe. What gets me down the most is how hard it's been finding this man. But, as long as I believe that everything happens the way it's supposed to, I have to believe that he'll come into my life when he's supposed to. When the planets (and myself) are in perfect alignment that's when he'll find me. Gotta stay POSITIVE!

 Back to the topic of working, although they're not that lucrative (yet) my embroidery hoops have been selling like hotcakes lately! Here's some of my most recent work:

All of these hoops have been shipped off to their new homes and that makes me very happy. It's cool to think that my work is all over the continental USA and also on a few other continents as well. 

Oh! And more good news before I get back to the job boards today, this Saturday I'm leaving for San Diego with Ashley! She's taking her little boy to Disneyland for Spring Break and asked me to come along. Even though I know I just went to Disney World a month ago and I really should be saving my money, how often to you get to go to Disneyland with your best friend and only have to pay for your food and ticket? Not very often. 

Okay, back to the grind for me but hope your Thursday is a good one! 

Take her easy!

A is for Anxiety

Since my last post life has been a little...hectic. I was hoping that the Universe would give me a bit of a break since last year was such a stress-inducing time for me but 2013 seems to be following suit.

For the past month and a half I've been busily looking for employment. I've been to a few interviews but haven't really found anything I'd want to do long term. One job I applied for sounded promising but they didn't offer health care "at this time" so I had to turn it down. As a life-long hypochondriac a good health insurance plan is indispensable when seeking a potential employer. It's scary to think that I've been without health coverage for 5 years now. Talk about playing with fire. Luckily, I've been relatively healthy up to this point...but lately I haven't been feeling too good. Since I came home from Florida I've been feeling weird. I don't know if it's just stress or if there actually is something wrong with me. Being a person who suffers from Anxiety Disorder it's often hard to tell. Anxiety can cause so many physical symptoms that it's difficult to differentiate between a "real" symptom and an anxiety related one. In case you're curious about the plethura of body symptoms that anxiety can cause, here's a short list:

-chest discomfort/tightness
-heart palpitations
-dizziness
-tingling in hands/limbs
-numbness in hands/limbs
-headaches
-diarrhea
-jaw pain
-disorientation/confusion
-hyperventilation
-nausea
-muscle tension
-body aches/pains
-trembling
-fatigue
-feelings of unreality
-depression

I've struggled with anxiety for most of my life and have experienced all of these symptoms at some point. It's not fun and overcoming this disorder is a life long battle. In the past decade I've made tremendous progress but sadly, you don't ever get cured from this condition. A lot of it is biological and runs in families but it can be intensified by one's environment. My great grandmother had it, my grandmother, my mother and then me. That's a big reason I don't want to have any children; I don't want this to be passed onto my child. Even if I was to adopt, my neurotic-ism is bound to be picked up by my child. Honestly, I wouldn't wish this disorder on anyone. Life is hard enough. 

Anyway, I'm rambling. I'll get back on topic now. So before my trip to Florida I met someone new. It wasn't an ideal situation but I've been trying to live more in the moment this year and not living too far in the future. It's been a long time since I've been in a real relationship and this person seemed really special. The last time I started a new relationship I had to go on Paxil and almost lost my damn mind so you can imagine that the thought of another relationship could cause me to freak out a little bit. On top of that, I had two interviews for a really great job opportunity. If I were to get this job I would be able to be financially independent, I'd have health coverage from day one, and I'd be able to get my own apartment. So there's a lot of pressure over this job on my shoulders right now. Both of these things on their own would be enough to cause a panic attack but together they are an unstoppable team of anxiety inducing chemicals! Oh, and I forgot to add the icing to this stress cake! After my first date with this potential suitor my mom has another SEIZURE! I had just come home from having a great time to having to call 911 and follow an ambulance to the the emergency room. Good times! Since then I've been on constant alert wondering if my mom is going to keel over. 

This past week I went to my in person interview. I had prepped for this interview like a madwoman and when I got there they didn't ask me a SINGLE question I'd prepared for! I felt like I did okay despite having to make up examples on the spot but after the interview they said it was a pleasure meeting me and thanked me for coming in. I was hoping they'd give me a time frame of when they'd make their decision but no such luck. Two days after my interview things came to a screeching halt with new romantic interest. Although I knew from the start that this relationship had no long term potential I was still majorly disappointed. It's rare for me to even entertain the possibility of letting someone new into my heart these days and then for it to fall apart so quickly... Anyway, so back to me feeling weird. I was hoping that since one of the stressors had been removed that I would start feeling better but unfortunately, the vertigo I've been feeling for the past 2 weeks has only intensified. My head feels like it's spinning and since it's a symptom I haven't encountered in my long term experience with anxiety it has me a little freaked out. It's kind of a vicious cycle, really. Your brain causes these physical symptoms in response to the stressful event you're experiencing but people who suffer from A.D. become so concerned with these physical symptoms that they completely disregard whatever the initial stressor was and focus entirely on their physical health. It's counterproductive if you ask me and I wish my brain would realize this. 

What's bothering me the most is the fact that I can't even go to a doctor to get checked out. It would ease my mind so much to be able to go to the doctor and get a physical exam. It's so crazy to live in a country where you can't even go to the doctor when you're sick unless you have insurance. It should be a basic human right to have access to health care. What if I DO have a brain tumor or something and didn't get checked out until it was too late? If that happens, America, it is your FAULT.

Hopefully, I don't have a brain tumor but as a hypochondriac, whenever I feel any kind of discomfort my mind immediately thinks it's cancer. Seriously, every time. 

Well, I'll let you know if I get this job and I'll keep you updated on my hypothetical tumor.

Take her easy!

Your neurotic friend,

Courtney
  

People are Strange when you're a Stranger

HELLO OCTOBER! Mama missed you so!

ERMAHGERD! Has Mama been BUSY! I've now been at my new job 7 weeks and am feeling a lot more confident. Instead of having to ask for help 800 billion billion times a day, I'm down to maybe just 800 billion. Everyone is still pretty cool and I've been getting a lot of compliments from customers too which is reassuring. I've also been making more friends at workies too. A gal, Nikki, who works in my department is super cool and we've been hanging out almost every weekend. It's great to have someone to go thrifting with again now that I don't have my Nathan around anymore. It's a bummer that we don't get to chit chat very much at work (we keep getting busted for chatting with each other more than we do with customers--oopsies!) It's not OUR fault that the customers don't want to talk about Harry Potter and video games...

In addition to being busy as a Japanese beaver at my day job, I've been working into the wee hours of the night on custom orders from people on Etsy. Everybody's been asking for Pokemon commissions so that's all I've been doing with my free time lately. Here's some of my recent works I've been doing for some super cool ladies:

I have one more customer order to complete then I have to start building up my inventory for the holidays. The holidays can be a scary time for anyone with a small craft business. Last year I made 2 dozen felt brooches in about 5 weeks. Boy, it was intense! But it feels good to create something that people enjoy and actually want to wear and display in their homes. In case you're interested, here's some of the bands that I've been listening to lately while I craft:

*Foster the People
*Two Door Cinema Club
*Phoenix
*Empire of the Sun
*Miike Snow
*Florence + the Machine
*Dragonette
*Black Keyes
*Metric
*MGMT 
*Band of Horses

I'm so happy that Pandora Radio came into my life. For the past 10 odd years I've been stuck in a musical time warp. I didn't listen to anything past the 1980s. But then my dear dear Ashley told me about Pandora and it changed my crotchety views about contemporary music. Not being into indie music was really the only thing that was keeping me from being a full-blown hipster too so that was another reason why I was trying to distance myself  from it. I guess some things can't be helped and I should just accept myself as I am...

My name is Courtney Price and I'm a hipster! GAAAAAAHHH!

Hey, it's not like I can really help that I like cool things (that you've probably never heard of) :P

If you haven't listened to it yet, I'd highly recommend Foster the People's album "Torches". I've been listening to it nonstop for almost 2 months. It's one of those rare albums where EVERY song is gold. Mark Foster has such a unique voice and I love his quirky songwriting. GET THIS ALBUM!

In other news, I recently got new glasses that I'm really excited about. Here's a peek!

I've been wanting cat eye glasses all my life and I finally found some on my favorite online optical store www.zennioptical.com. This website is seriously the berries. They have hundreds of frame designs and all you have to do is enter in your prescription information. You can even upload a picture of yourself to get an idea of how the frames will look on you. It's the best. I'm so glad Nathan told me about this site. ^__^

In other news, I almost have my Halloween costume ready to go. Anyone who knows me well knows that Halloween is my favorite time of year. I exploit any opportunity to dress up; I live for costume parties. This year I've decided to go as...wait for it...

BELLATRIX LESTRANGE!

I'm soooooo psyched about this costume. Originally, I was going to only cosplay as Bellatrix for my upcoming trip to Harry Potter World in February but then I thought, "If I'm going to spend lotsa money on this costume I might as well get the most out of it!" So I'm going to be wearing this costume to Nikki's Harry Potter themed Halloween party and to workies (my manager was totally pumped that I was being Bellatrix and insisted I wear my costume to work). So far I have the dress and the wig so all I need now is a killer pair of boots and her bird skull choker. EEK! So excited!

I'm also super excited to be getting my first true taste of fall. Being born and raised in Arizona, I've never really gotten to experience all four seasons. We pretty much only had two: summer and winter. Nothing in between. All the trees in my neighborhood have turned red, yellow, and orange and they're so beautiful. It's amazing how excited a gal can get over a red tree. Here's some pics I took yesterday after work:

So yeah, things have been going pretty well for little orphan Courtney Annie these days. The only thing missing is "the boyfriend". I've been trying to be a good feminist and be happy on my own but as the seasons change and the nights get colder a gal becomes more aware of the lack of romance in her life. I've been on my own for quite sometime now and for the most part, I've consistently held onto hope that there IS someone out there for me. But after waiting and waiting in vain, I don't know...My hope has begun to waiver a bit. I can't even remember the last time I sparked with anyone. I've had my share of crushes over the past few years but have yet to make another strong connection. It's a little disheartening to tell the truth. And I can't fake my feelings. I could never be with someone who I wasn't crazy about. I want the real deal and that person continues to allude me. Everyone keeps telling me different things too. Half of my friends tell me that he'll come into my life when I least expect it and the other half say that the reason I haven't found him is that I'm not "putting myself out there". If I "put myself out there" doesn't kind of mean I'm expecting to meet someone? Everyday I see so many couples and I can't help but wonder where they met since it's been such a struggle for me. Where does an introverted, artsy girl find her match? I honestly don't know. And don't tell me the internet. I've tried that. All of my experience with internet dating have been negative ones so I don't think he's there. And I'm the kind of person who has to meet someone and feel their energy to decide if I'm interested in them or not. 

Sigh...

I guess all I can do is keep living my life and try to be a little bit more social. For the past fews years I've been trying to do more things that are generally out of my comfort zone and during this experiment I've met a lot of people who I otherwise never would have met. I don't want to change who I am just to be in a relationship though. No sir. Changing yourself for someone else is always a recipe for disaster. It's taken a long time but I've accepted who I am and I like myself, flaws and all. It would be nice to find a man who accepts me as I am too and who wouldn't want me to change a thing. I hope I find him sooner than later...

Well, wish me luck! I need all I can get!

XOXO!

Mary Tyler Moore

VERY HAPPY NEWS! You know that job I interviewed for...twice? Well, apparently I nailed it! I start on August 14th! Here's a pic of me on the day of my second interview!

 What a relief to not have to be staring at job boards for hours and hours on end everyday. So now I have about a week left to enjoy my freedom. But what to do? Now I feel pressure to do lots of fun things before I have to work 40 hours a week again. The trouble is, I'm not very good at thinking of things to do. I often get so overwhelmed trying to think of something fun to do that I don't wind up doing anything. It's pretty counterproductive. 

So what else has Courtney been up to besides nailing interviews, you ask? Well, this week I've been mainly trying to not die of heat exhaustion. Yesterday it got up to 92 degrees with 46% humidity and no air conditioning anywhere. It was kind of a nightmare. I ventured out briefly to make a trip to Capital Hill to visit a friend at his work but the heat quickly got to me and I had to retreat back to my new best friend, the fan, back home. I'm actually quite proud of myself for getting to Capital Hill (which I'd never been to) without getting lost once. I may have conquered my navigation system--FINALLY. And get this, I BACKED into a parking space. I know, pretty big stuff. I think it might have been my third backing in park job ever. My mom said, "If you had a psychiatrist, they'd be astounded by the progress you made today!" Thanks, mom! 

Another thing I've been doing lately is trying to do more things that I don't normally do. I could be described as being "stubborn" and "stuck in my ways" so I'm trying to break away from those descriptions of myself. After all, the purpose of moving to Seattle was to have a fresh start. Not to say, I'm going to start drinkin' and partyin' anytime soon, but I'm trying to go a little outside of my comfort zone. It's kind of like a self-anthropological experiment. So far it hasn't been so bad. I have a new friend who's really into the local music scene so he's been encouraging me to go to shows and meet new people. I haven't been too successful at the meeting people aspect but I'm at least getting out of the apartment. Going to these shows has made me feel a little regretful though that I never really tried to pursue music. Anyone who knows me well knows that I've always wanted to sing. To be honest, singing brings me more joy than anything else, even my art (which is saying a lot) but around 14 years old I developed an almost crippling fear of performing in public. And I feel bad to have this talent that I can't share with other people. I started singing at the age of six (after seeing "The Little Mermaid) and being young and pure had no inhibitions of singing for others. But then it turned into a bit of a problem. Kids started being total jerks about it like trying to force me to sing on the bus or in front of their friends like I was some kind of performing monkey. I didn't like that. In middle school I was in the choir and sang a solo once for my class. After that my teacher kept calling my house and tried to get my mom to convince me to sing a solo in every performance we did. Being 13 years old, I already was feeling awkward and self-conscious about myself, getting up and singing in front of an audience was too much for me. So to avoid this problem from resurfacing all of the time, I stopped telling people that I sang. It turned into a secret that only I knew about. I've sang for a handful of people since then and all of them have encouraged me to try singing in public again but...I don't know. I feel like it's kind of too late anyway. This phobia has been ingrained in me for so long that I don't think I could get over it at this point. But seeing other people perform...it just makes me feel a little sad that I never had the guts to do it.

Whoa, this post is really starting to bum me out. Let me get back to the positive stuff that's been going on. Last week I went with my roommate to Gas Works Park and it's probably my favorite place I've been to in Seattle so far. It was just lovely. We sat on this hill (Kite Hill) that overlooked the water and watched all the people on sail boats and in kayaks. We had come there with the intention of reading our books but neither of us got any reading done that day. I was just too enamored with the water. Being from the desert, water is kind of hypnotic to me. Gas Works has an awesome view of downtown too. Here's some pics! 

That same day we went to Greenlake and walked around the lake. While we were walking we played this game a friend and I invented called "A or B". Whenever a pair of fellas walk past you, you HAVE to choose which one you'd go on a date with. I know...it's terrible but it's fun. A few days later we went to Ravenna Park (which I'm in love with) and played frisbee. I hadn't played frisbee in AGES and it was really fun. All of us were pretty bad at it but being bad at something shouldn't stop you from doing it. 

Oh, another thing I did last week was visit the Washington Arboretum and the Japanese Gardens. They were both pretty cool. I'd like to visit again in fall (my favorite season) and in spring. Apparently, I had just missed all of the trees blossoming so that was a bit of a bummer. Everything was just varying shades of green but still lovely all the same. I joined a tour group of the gardens and learned an interesting factoid: gingko trees are the oldest species of trees and have been around since the days of the dinosaurs. FASCINATING! 

I've been working on some more pet hoops as well. Here's my most recent work:

  "Flapper Batman Hoop"

7 inches

felt and embroidery floss

 "Eleanor Hoop"

7 inches

felt,buttons,embroidery floss

"Frederic the Dashing Dachshund"

7 inches

felt, buttons, embroidery floss

Okies, well, Mama is ready for lunch but I'll let you know what fun things I decide to do with my last free week of summer. Hope you all have a great week!

Laters! 

When in doubt,craft

I'm happy to tell you that since my last post I have had one interview! I think that's pretty good, for me at least. In Portland I don't think I had my first interview until I'd been there about 5-6 weeks. So 3 weeks is a new record for me!

I woke up 3 days ago with the usual post-wake-up thought, "What the heck am I gonna do?" Since I am very fond of the crafting, I thought I'd look up art and craft stores near Bellevue (I plan on moving to the east side of Lake Washington at the end of August). The first place I called was a fabric store and they weren't hiring but I could "always fill out an application". Yeah, right. Like, I'm going to drive an hour round trip for a place that's not hiring. I mean, I'm not stooooopid. However, the next place I called was more promising. I asked the woman who answered if they had any positions available and it turned out that they did. This particular store caught my fancy because not only was it an art/framing store but it was also a toy store (and I just so happen to have a background in both areas). So she tells me that they were looking for an assistant manager for the toy/gift department. Perfect! She then asked me to tell her about myself and my experience. I told her that I recently acquired my BA in Fine Art from ASU but that I also had 3 years experience in the toy business. She said that it sounded like I was just what they were looking for and then asked me if I could come in that day. I was in my jammie jams at the time but figured I could spruce myself up in an hour or so. I think I cleaned up ok.

Interview Style Courtney

I was a bit worried about being late since I hadn't been to Bellevue yet and was pretty certain I'd get lost at some point so I left an hour early. The drive there was quite lovely since I got to drive across Lake Washington (which is massive btw) and also through this rad tunnel. My interview lasted over an hour and I think it went really well. The general manager called me yesterday and told me there was one other candidate who was being considered as well but she'd call me as soon as my background check cleared. The job sounded like a lot of responsibility but I think I'm up for the challenge. I haven't been in a leadership position for 3 years and could use the experience. Being assertive is definitely an area I need to work on so maybe this job could help me grow in that department. 

And if I don't get the job, c'est la vie. I'm not going to get too upset about it. Another job will come along. I'm just hoping to find something that won't leave me too mentally drained at the end of the day so I can come home and work on art. Speaking of art, I've been a busy little bee lately. I've completed 2 hoops and have 2 in progress. Here's a peek!

"Frankenkitty"

fabric, felt and embroidery floss

6 inches

"Happy Sloth"

fabric, felt, embroidery floss

7 inches

Both hoops are currently up for grabs in my Etsy shop www.iggystarpup.etsy.com if you'd fancy one on your wall. I personally think that Kristen Bell should buy the sloth hoop :) I also sold a Pokemon pin this past week that got to go all the way to New Zealand. Apparently, you can go to New Zealand for $3.00 if you weigh 1lb or less. That's a smokin' deal!

So anyway, things are going well in the Pacific Northwest and I think they'll continue to get better as time passes. I'm very lucky to have so many lovely folks back home to talk to/email/text whenever I'm feeling lonesome. I still wish I could have brought them all with me. But I guess you can't have it all.

Cross your fingers that Mama gets a job soon or she might be seeing all of those lovely folks back home sooner than she anticipated!

Laters!

Senior-ita

Since the last time I blogged I've been to my new job four times. It's pretty OK, I guess. Everybody I work with is super nice and everyone seems to like each other and get along. That's a pretty big deal for me since every job I've had in the past has come with lots and lots of drama. I'm still a bit nervous whenever I'm on the floor or ringing someone up since I'm still so new (and clueless) but hopefully I'll get more comfortable with time and will be able to actually find stuff when people ask me for help. Other than that, it's a relatively easy job and I'm only there 1-2 days a week so it's not that big of a deal.

School's been going alright except for the fact that my senioritis is kicking in a little prematurely. I just HATE homework with such a passion that it takes every ounce of energy in my being to get it done. And it doesn't help that I'm so easily distracted by the internet, tv, daydreams, food, kitties, etc. I'm really starting to think that I have ADD. Like, for reals. I don't recall having such a short attention span in the past. I really don't. I always manage to get my homework done but it's been pretty last minute for the past semester or two.

I think I may have put too much on my plate this semester for a person with such a natural tendency towards laziness. I mean with going to school full-time, working two jobs, keeping up with making/writing new comics and trying to have somewhat of a social life...I don't have enough time or energy to eat regularly let alone do dumb homework. Uggghhhh...(YAWN) Man, I'm getting sleepy just thinking about how much stuff I have to do...

The only bright side(s) I can see to my current situation is that A.) I'm young and B.) it's only temporary. Hopefully this year will zoom by and then I can look forward to kicking the dust of this one-horse town off my boots. I am so over Arizona, seriously. Arizona is an energy vampire if you ask me. I miss brisk days, green trees, snow capped mountains, and rain drops on my window. I find colder weather invigorating so these blazing hot days make me feel like a lethargic, sweaty, lazy, fat lump. November cannot come soon enough. I'm so ready for tights, boots, and light jackets.

Friday I went with my mates to First Friday in downtown Phoenix and once again it was a total let down. We went to cruize babes mostly and were majorily disappointed but not that surprised by the general lack of babes in Phoenix. Out of  approximately 3,000+ people we saw ZERO even decent looking males. Times are tough for single gals, I'll tell you what. We did have a fun girl's night out though even if we did get bugged by a bunch of 15 year old boys. After we'd had our fill of bad art and gross dudes we got hungry and got grilled cheeses at Denny's. It's pretty sad when the highlight of a Friday night out on the town is a grilled cheese sandwich and seasoned fries.

Add: the seasoned fries came with ranch.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I recently cut my hair. I had planned to grow my hair long again before I turned thirty but I didn't get very far. I didn't even make it to shoulder length. I've had short hair for 7 years now so having hair constantly on my neck was driving me bananas. Plus I just don't feel like myself without short hair. It's become like my trademark. I guess long hair just isn't for everybody, especially us low-maintanence folk.

Here's a pick of my "new" do!

Anywho, I better stop arsin' around and get these drawings done.

Later gator!

Back to School Part II

Today was like a bonus first day of school since it was my first day in my other two classes. It was a pretty good day except that having all afternoon classes isn't turning out to be as awesome as I imagined. Sure, it's cool to not have to be up at 8am everyday but it sucks getting home super late and then not having time to arse around before bed. And I did wind up getting that job which seems like it's going to be a morning job so I have to get used to being up at 8am on the weekends anyway. Aiya! It'll be nice to have extra money but at the same time I got so used to having my weekends free to work on comics. Now I'm going to have to try to get my comics done during the week. I guess this will be a long overdue lesson in time management.

Back to today though...so I had Drawing IV then my anthropology class "Women in other Cultures". I've had the same professor for drawing for the past two semesters so I'm pretty used to her and luckily she thinks I'm charming. She can be a little bit tough but it forces me to work harder. My drawing has really improved since she's been my teacher even though I complain constantly about how nit-picky she is. A couple of my buds are in that class as well so it's good to see familiar faces. I was worried about my anthropology class since I haven't taken a non-art related class in quite some time but it seems like it's going to be pretty cool. There's like, 150 people in that class and only about 6 of them are dudes. You'd think that more dudes would want to learn about babes in other cultures but whatevs.

Anywho, I start my new job on Friday and I'm kind of nervous. I always get nervous trying new things. But since the training period is only 2 1/2 days I figure it must be a pretty easy job. It better be considering they're only paying me peanuts. It fits well with my schedule though and the store is only about 2 minutes away from my house. I've had the hardest time trying to find a job too so beggars can't really be choosers. The manager said they'd hire me as "seasonal" and if things "work out" that they'd keep me permanently. I'm not too worried about being fired mostly due to my general awesomeness and knowhow. I just hope the people who I'm going to be working with are nice. I hate working with creeps. Well, I'll report back post first day of work. :)

Back to School

So...yesterday was my first day back to school. It went pretty ok except for one bit of rotten luck. There's this dude who was buggin' me on the facebook for a couple weeks. The day before yesterday I had reached my wits end with this fool so I deleted his ass. That night before I went to sleep I had a premonition. My gut told me, "He's totally going to be in one of your classes, girlfriend." So the next day I'm waiting for class to start and again my gut says to me, "Any minute now..." and as I look up the turd comes waltzin' through the door. And out of all of the places to sit he sits RIGHT behind me just to make me uncomfortable. Douche. I can be a major ice queen when I want to though so I gave him the coldest shoulder imaginable. I never once made eye contact with him like he was invisible. After class though I could feel in my bones that he was going to say something to me so I BOLTED out of there. I even took the stairs so I wouldn't risk having to take the elevator with this creep (even though I was on the fourth floor).

Besides that bit of unpleasantness, I had a pretty good day. I'm also taking "Art of Japan" with the same professor I had for "Chinese Painting" who I adore. She gives a buttload of extra credit and plans museum visits for us all the time. It's a bummer this class is way on the other side of campus though. Having to walk to the art building while it's a billion degrees outside is not the mama. Monday I have another drawing class and my anthropology class. I'm excited to take an anthro class after taking nothing but art classes for a year. Plus it's lower division. I miss lower division classes...

Oh, and tomorrow morning I actually have an interview... for a job! It's been a year since I've done an interview so I'm pretty nervous. I don't feel that I interview well. And it's at 9:30am when I'm still on my vampire summer schedule where I don't go to bed til 3-4am. I hope it goes well because I really want to go on vacation this winter and need to start saving. Wish me luck!

P.S. My comic strip FINALLY got moved out of the crease of my school's student paper! VICTORY!