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July 7, 2008

Run Down

Here's a run down of things in my brain:

Projects to be completed & or in the mail by the 18th:
- sister's birth announcements {the baby will be 2 months - that's not too bad right?}
- zine pages {phobias is the theme - got my idea - execution time}
- sketch of picture to go with a story for a collaborative project {again, have idea just gotta get it down!}
- notes/handout on how to use a blog {i'm leading a small blogging 101 type class for the art group i'm part of}

Projects I'd like to do soon:
- Catch up on my block prints - i'm supposed to have 6 by now but only really have 3.
- Make glass coasters for house warming gift to s-i-l {don't worry she doesn't read the blog}
- Start scanning in documents i want to keep but don't want the physical copies of

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Where are we going to live?! We have to give notice by Aug. 1st if we're renewing our apt. lease or moving. We're toying, a little, with moving downtown {gasp!} Or we might rent a house Or we might stay where we are and try to buy in 6 months.

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Cleared out 1 more box from the closet. Found my birth certificate, old stamps i'd been searching for for months and varies nick-knacks that i forgot about but now fond of again that i found them. They went back into a box, i don't know what to do with them yet. I did not find: car title or original packaging for my MS Office 2000, I still need the key code for reinstall. {side rant: my usb ports are not working on my computer! I can't access old files on a external hd and i can't unload my camera card. I hate reloading my computer. I'd love hmm, i don't know $5,000 to start over with all the programs i want}

I also went through a box of old journals/sketch books. O.M.G. i tossed several journals filled to the brim with teenage drama. Some people like to hold on to their journals or reread them. I find it painful to go back through them. Painful in the way that i'll catch a line and think "wow i still struggle with that insecurity" or i'll find pages filled about some emotional upheaval i was having over a guy that at the time matter a lot but now i have no clue where he is {nor do i care}. I'd rather just chuck the journal then carry around all that muck.

The other thing about going through all these boxes that have been stashed is how much crap i have. The past 4 years i have been slowly chipping away at all i brought with me to Portland. Still have no clue how it all fit in a 10ft x 10ft room in Texas. I still need to developed that callousness to just toss anything i'm not using because no one really wants it either. I did, finally, go through a few old {2003} Real Simple magazines and pulled out articles and a few receipts i wanted. It's kind of surprising how similar Real Simple issues are from one year to the next. Still love the layout of the mag though and those little inspirational pages in the front.

Ah, the woes of a pack-rat.

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When a prayer request is voiced don't confuse it with a request for human advice. If you're offering unsolicited advice don't be offended if the intended receiver disagrees with you and don't try to explain the advice again in an attempted to persuade them. No need to over explain and only explain a point if the person requests it {this is really good with anything not just advice}.

So, there's my unsolicited advice to you.

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2 What do you think?:

rhon said...

"I'd love hmm, i don't know $5,000 to start over with all the programs i want"

What programs do you have now and what would you buy with that $5,000?

I got a MacBook Pro for Christmas and need to buy design s/w for it. I used Corel Design Suite at work and Macromedia before that. Adobe is everywhere but my replacement at work actually said that CorelDraw was easier to use than Illustrator.

Thoughts?

Violet said...

rhon, congrats on the new MacBook! As far as CorelDraw vs. Illustrator i'm not much help because i've only used Ill. It's what was used at school so that's what i purchased. I didn't feel like it was hard to learn but then again starting from a clean slate probably helped.

My original thought of $5,000 included a new computer - i haven't really researched what kind, i just want something fast and can handle having more than 1 program open. I’m open to switching to Mac but really I don’t have a strong preference. If i had to update the PC i have now i'd need vista and ms office home (but really, i'm starting wonder if i need ms office with the other similar programs out there for cheap or free...)

Software I'd like to update to Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Design Premium for $1,799. I currently have a previous suite that came with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign & GoLive (never used GoLive). By buying the suite I get new versions of those listed (except GoLive) and additional web programs (dreamweaver, flash & fireworks) I currently don’t have but would like. There are also other programs that would be considered extra goodies.

So i'm sure between the new computer and Adobe suite i'm up to my $5,000

If you don't have one i also recommend getting a pen tablet - wacom is the highly recognized name brand but i have a cheaper brand and it works just the same.