2.29.2004

Today the YCC has a field trip to Bullwinkles. Should be fun, or something close to it, anyway.

I have to be at the center at 9, to beat the kids, and we leave about 10:15. We should be back at the center about 3. Hopefully everyone remembers to pay. ;)

2.26.2004

I collect Wade Whimsies, and have since I was about two. They're figurines manufactured by George Wade Pottery. They come in boxes of Red Rose tea, and have for decades, and they're totally cute. I didn't realize that so many other people collected them, and you know what else? I didn't realize that other countries (Canada, UK) had other series I didn't have. I want them now! They're so adorable!

These are the series I currently have. I in fact, have about 200 figurines (thanks to my Grandfather and Robin, who both bought the tea and gave me the cute figures) and so I've probably got doubles or triples of each series. (You know a single figurine sells anywhere from 5 to 25 dollars each? AH! That's more then the box of tea cost!)

I love these things, how can you not? It's like the prize you get in a cereal box. You get yummy tea, and a little present too! Got to love it.

2.25.2004

My obsession with onions is starting to get out of control, I'm pretty sure it's not normal to eat onions with your cottage cheese and pepper.

Someone give me something else to put on everything I eat, like bacon bits, or turnip.

2.23.2004

Yotsubato!

This is an adorable manga about an extremely weirdo kid and her father, who move into a new town. The scanlations are very well done, and I got a kick out of reading the first eight episodes. If you're bored, and looking for something to do, I suggest downloading them and giving them a go.
Those broken graphics are starting to drive me batty. I think I'll work on the new layout tonight when I'm all done with work.
Pro #453 of owning your own business: You can slack and there isn't anyone to yell at you for it.

Con #4642 of owning your own business: If you slack, there is nobody else to blame when the work doesn't get done. Other then the work gnomes, who don't look kindly upon being blamed for your laziness and will bowstring you in your sleep for it.

Today I managed to both thwart and land myself in the middle of, a major business problem. I'm starting to get a bit frustrated with having to field all the problems on my own. Normal businesses have staff, staff who are paid highly to deal with all the crud that the stuffed shirts don't want to deal with. Where is my highly paid staff? Where is my assistant bringing me non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris and rubbing my feet? Where I ask you? Where?

Now, don't get me wrong, there are a couple of really great guys who have taken the time out of their day to sit with me while I'm gnashing my teeth and poking myself in the eye with thumbtacks to justify the tears and have helped me solve more then one problem. I appriciate the fact that they help me, and they do help me alot at times.

I adore them. No, I love them even. I want to marry them and have their little scary-smart children and sell them on the black market for disgusting amounts of money, and hire a staff. These sweet guys, unfortunately, don't work for me and can't keep suggesting things for me to try (after I've tried everything I know, of course) for much longer before they figure out I've got the three or four of them, and form a lynch mob. In some country, somewhere, I think what I'm doing is a form of tech-adultery.

Hopefully today marks the strangled gasping death of any more major technical problems. Once in a while (IE: every seven to ten years, please) is amusing and challenging, once a week is starting to bring back the tick that years of seeing Doctor Vacalavakia eliminated.

Tomorrow I have a full day of meetings. Meeting at a school, meeting at a bank, an appointment in hell (read: DMV), and a second meeting at my college, in which I'm going to ask slightly dense and annoying questions about dual enrollment. It sounds like fun.

But, until then, I'm avoiding work like a good little slacker. I avoided one major problem, and am taking the credit for fixing the other, even when I know it fixed itself all by itself. So, I think I deserve a good few minute break. I even flitched this from Fred's blog in a vain and slightly pathetic attempt to avoid having to edit that course that's sitting open behind the 'create a new post' page.

All questions refer to your situation right here, right now. Please answer accordingly.

The time is: 1:54 PM PST

I have been up for: Nearly ten hours.

I smell of: Raspberry shampoo

My hair is: Curly

My shoes are: In my bedroom

My bed is: Also in my bedroom and made, because a made bed is a happy bed.

The nearest person to me is: Robin

The nearest object to me is: My water

That annoying sound I can hear is: The radio, but I find it more soothing then annoying.

I: wish these surveys weren't so darn tempting. It's back to work for me now.

2.22.2004

I think Oliver Beene is completely adorable, and if you haven't seen it, you really should.

2.19.2004

My graphics below my post are broken. It's a sign from above (or below?) that a new layout is needed...I should do that today then.
I just edited a free class for PST on dealing with head lice. As most anyone who's ever delt with it, or anyone like me who deals with it quite often when they work with children, they know how absolutely disgusting, creepy crawly nasty lice are.

I itched through the whole thing.

Did you know 'eat your own head lice' is slang for liking someone? You didn't? Now you do, aren't you grateful? Or like me, completely grossed out.

2.16.2004

I'm on week three of The Artists Way, it was given to me for Christmas and I didn't start it until, well, three weeks ago.

The Artists Way is like a twelve step, with twelve weeks of activities and things that encourage you to get past any blocks, hesitations or whatnot that may keep you from doing whatever art (or anything it is) that you do.

My biggest problems are that I let what people say ("that's great...but", "that's almost perfect", ect) get in the way of creating things or showing my creations to other people because I start to doubt my abilities. I also guilt myself when I work on anything at all that is purely for myself, because I feel like (once again thanks to people around me who think I should be more 'adult') I'm not being responsible enough to my life when I'm doing art, even though I know better.

You can't be a happy, healthy productive person to yourself or others if you're entirely selfless, you have to take care of yourself and do things that improve, empower and inspire you and make you happy in order to be a complete person, and doing so does not make you selfish or irresponsible.

The course requires you to take a once a week artists date with yourself, where you spend time with yourself doing things your inner artist (mine being a total gooby kid) likes to do. I used to do these types of things naturally, it was just part of my personality, and although I still do at times, it's rare that I do it without a slight nagging guilt for doing so. Just complete and total abandonment of responsibilities to act immature and do things on impulse for fun. Not because I have to, but for absolutely no reason at all.

The dates are what I have the hardest time with, partly because I have no time (and you've got to make it) and because I'm broke, also, because I feel extremely guilty over taking time for myself and not allowing anyone else to intrude on this time. (Which causes angry people, because I am not talking to them, doing things for them, ect)

I used to spend time every day fiddling with whatever projects I may have had, my MUD, my graphic design, Mister Sticky (a web movie/comic guy I draw), webpages, writing, just stuff that totally made me happy. There was no reason behind making layouts, I just made them to make them, but I was constantly getting 'why are you making that, if it's not being used for anything?' and sooner or later it wore me down. What exactly was the point of putting time into any project if it wasn't for something productive?

It also requires you to write three pages of anything every morning, aside from any writing projects, ect that you may have. This part is easy, it was just getting past the feeling that if I was writing it should be something productive (there it is again, the whole 'You must be adult' thing) but once I told myself I could write three pages of 'I'm writing three pages of crappy crap crap' over and over and it was ok to do that, that I was fine with it. Slowly I find stuff emerging from the brain drain, odd poetry, bits of stories, and it's fun.

It's definitely helping me get over the feeling like I have to spend sixteen hours a day working, and then take a ten minute break and go right back to work. This is not me, and this is not how I want to live my life, so why am I doing it to myself? Art is not synonymous with childish or irresponsible, and I'm not going to let anyone make me think otherwise.

It's awful when you've done something wrong, and you knew it was wrong when you did it, but your brain is separate from your body and you watch yourself in disappointment from some odd-shaped glass box far away do it anyway.

Ah..

And then later, when you apologize (because you will, because you're a good person and good people don't do things like that, and when they do, they apologize) the person doesn't listen to a thing you say.

So, then you're left with a doubt. Maybe you're not a nice person? Maybe you just think you're nice, but you're really this irresponsible, judgmental, horrid person some people you know like to accuse you of being. Then you really start to kick things around, are you too angry? Too bored? Too stressed? Maybe you're snapping at everyone and don't mean to, maybe everyone does hate talking to you like those people say. Even when your rational mind is screaming "Crazymakers" at you, and you know better then buy into that hokey crap that these people have tried to label you as, you find yourself doing it anyway.

Over, and over, until all that's left to do is choke on it all and take a nap.

2.12.2004

My dog has figured out how to dislocate her shoulders, pull a David Copperfield and get out through the cat door.

This is not good. Any suggestions on how to keep the dog inside without having to play doorwoman for the cats at the front door?

2.10.2004

I'm moving furniture around in my room tonight so I can set up DDR. I miss it. I'm having withdrawls, I'm doing the steps when I dream. It's driving me crazy.

Anyone wanna come over and dance with me? It's fun, I promise.

I need new pages for my day planner. I've been using Outlooks planner and it's just not the same, and since I don't have a PDA to put that information in and take it with me, I'm not quite sure what's when if I have to make apppointments outside of being here to put them on my calander. Unfortunatly, I don't even know where in the world I'd find them. Last year it took me a week of searching office supply stores and drug stores before I finally found them. Hopefully this time won't be as difficult. One of these days I'll finally learn, and buy two of everything and then I won't have to go searching so much.

I should go get that today. Right now, even.

2.09.2004

I love Quizno's new commercials. They're just not right, and so I find them beyond amusing. Little odd spongmonkeys with goggle eyes, one playing a guitar the other screaming bad songs at you that have nothing to do with sandwiches whatsoever but still manage to catch your attention.

I love it.

If you haven't seen them, you can catch a few clips of what they're like on Quizno's website (the two on the front page are the same in the ads), and even download a screensaver (yes I did, you can also view a part of them singing there) that has random clips of the singing thingies. I'm trying to find a place that has the whole commercials for download, if I find it, I'll post it here. If you're anything like me, you'll find it amusing too.

2.04.2004

With the new year for me has come an oddly serene new feeling that everything will work out. With so much on the horizon (trips, classes, more classes, work things, and the like) it's hard to feel anything but positive about the opportunities that are coming up.

Good stuff, this is. All of it. Everything from the YCC to school to all the education classes and organizations I'm a part of outside the college, to restarting my writing program and my stupid exercise program which requires getting up before God even cracks an eye. I like it, I like being busy. It's fun. It keeps me out of trouble, and as much fun as I am in trouble, I just can't afford another bench warrant.

And isn't this just the cutest baby ever?
Something's shaking with Blogger. Sometimes it loads IBOM sometimes it doesn't, it says half the archives are missing too. What kind of two bit joint are they running here? I pay good money for this! I didn't stuff all those envelopes with all those pretty blue and yellow bills and ship them Priority Overnight for nothing.

I think it's time for a layout change. I keep saying this, but I haven't found the time to put one together. I'm not sure what I want here either. Something fresh and new. Or, if time is lacking, something stale and moldy or un-original and stolen...

2.03.2004

It's odd how things you never think will move along do, and things you think for sure will, don't. Just when I think I've got it figured out, something new (and not necessarally bad) comes along that gives all my marbles a good toss and I get to once again crawl around on the floor and gather them all back up.

It keeps things interesting though I guess.

Yesterday, in the series of two back to back meetings, I got the green light for a bunch of huge projects that are competely insane, and I can't wait to get them going. I'm a planner, and I love to take on big projects, and (contrary to what some people believe) if the project doesn't involve me, I always get them done and do them well. This is especally true with other peoples projects, or projects that involve work. (My priorities are simple, if it's work or a responsibility to someone else, it gets done first. If they're mine, sometimes I finish them and sometimes I set them aside until I know what direction I want them to go. And sometimes, I just get bored with it and have to take a breather until I'm ready to move the project along.)

One of the largest one involves PST (for those of you who don't know what PST does, our company teaches courses for people in Early Education fields (childcare, centers, administration, preschool teachers, ect) so they can get their yearly licensing hours so they can keep their certification) and the implementation of live courses (currently we do mail order and on-line courses) in the Oregon area. We've secured a lovely classroom and the most amazing timeslots to use this classroom so it's just perfect. Our first series of live trainings are set for April, and I'm really looking forward to having them moving along.

The second one, is one that has made everyone who's heard about it, save three people, call me completely insane. I teach a children's class once a week at a Center, and more and more (especally since spring and summer are not all that far off) I've slowly introduced alot of activites and structure to this class to keep it something that builds week on week, not just a bunch stand alone weekly classes. I've even started the planning of extra weekly classes for summer so that the kids who attend can feel like our activites span throught the entire week, not just when we have them, so that they feel like they're part of the rest of the activities in the Center.

My goal is to make the kids feel like their just as much members as their parents are, and have them really want to come back. So far I've been doing really well. I started with three kids a class, and I now average about 20 kids a class, with about 50 enrolled. What really tops it all though, is the parents tell me that the kids say they have to go, because they can't miss the class. That right there makes the not so great parts of it all worth while.

Anyway, one of my major ideas for expanding the class into a 'Center Program' of sorts if you will, is the plannings of some major trips. Normally my classes are set up in three month season blocks. Every three months there is a party, a field trip, a voulenteer session, a game day, a movie day, and a free play day. The rest of the days are filled with art, science or some other activity that fills up our hour. (Like next week, where we're blowing stuff up...it should be extremely entertaining.) But twice a year I'm going to start throwing a major field trip (major being one that either takes us out of the state, or includes an overnighter trip somewhere) and I got the green light to start planning some very big ones.

The first is for this July, for a summer camping trip, which isn't very major but does include an overnight so it becomes one of the bi-annual major ones. I haven't picked a place to camp yet, and I'm tempted to either make it a camping trip at a local state park, or a camping out in the Centers backyard as a test of how the kids will handle an overnighter so I know how the next one will go. Either way, this should be fun.

The second is in August, I've recieved a nod from the Aquarium for a private sleepover in one of their exhibits (this one, tell me that is not just awesome). I'm extremely excited about this, and have already started to do a bit of planning to make it a weekend trip to the beach that will include some other stops on the way.

The third, is next March, and is currently causing me to wonder if I got myself into something that will make me go grey. I got the basic go ahead to start the kids on thinking up ways to raise money to take them down to Disneyland. (Yes, me, a few adult voulenteers and nearly 50 kids going to Disneyland. I love it.) Unfortunatly I have absolutely no idea where to start with this thing. I contacted their group information line and requested information, and I'm thinking of talking to a (nice) travel agent who might be able to either help me set this up or point me in the right direction.

Sooo, all comments about me being insane aside, if anyone knows anything about planning a trip to Disneyland I could use some pointers right about now. Also, some fund raiser ideas, I already have a huge list of basic ones (yard sales, bake sales, car washes, ect) but I could use some ideas on some really creative ones.

And maybe let me borrow a few of your marbles.