What’s new… I start college on September 7. September 2 is a “portfolio review” to see if I can go from Pre-Graphic Design to Graphic Design. Since I am a web designer, I’m feeling fairly confident that I’m a shoe-in. I guess you never know, though. The guidelines for the review list previous work done at college, and all my examples are websites I’ve made. Unfortunately, all examples cannot be digital. So I had to print out websites, which really is not a great way to showcase your work. Things are sized down, colors are muted. At any rate, I’m hoping the examples will be sufficient. I have nothing else! I haven’t drawn or done any artwork in years. Besides – it’s for GRAPHIC DESIGN; shouldn’t examples of graphic/web design be what they want to see? Fingers crossed!

I’ll have a lot less free time when school starts. Especially Tuesdays and Thursdays. I do believe my schedule will have me up at 5am (which will be every day, for the bus) until my last class ends at 8 or 9pm those days. So not looking forward to that. I didn’t want any evening classes, but one that I need is only available then. I’m hoping I’ll buck up and use the college gym when I have a big gap between classes. We’ll see how comfortable I feel. If the gym is mad busy, I’ll probably pass. It’s “free” (if you consider $12,000/year for college “free”). Riding the bus is also “free” for being a student.

I’ll be getting a locker and bringing my own lunch/snacks so hopefully I don’t have to pay inflated prices for crap in the school restaurants. I even bought a super cute new lunch bag and matching insulated water bottle holder (you know how those metal bottles sweat!). I’m fairly certain I won’t need to have a Macbook, at least right away. I emailed the instructor for my 2-D Digital Design class, which stated needing a Mac, and she said as long as I have Photoshop and Illustrator (I do) I’ll be fine. I’ll have to use a school’s Mac to upload assignments or something, but whatev. Better than dropping $2k on a neutered machine with less hardware features than I’ve got already! Ordered a new 500GB hard drive for my laptop so I should have plenty of space (I have 160GB right now – ugh!).

I am so not looking forward to being stuck around a bunch of pretentious art snobs every day. Hipster Mac fanboys and -girls. Nor 18 yr old hyper dimwits, especially if they come to class fully decked out in their goddamn pajamas. I am thinking I’ll be blogging/tweeting a lot more when school starts. Mostly to make fun of people. Am I a bad person?

Thankfully I don’t have to take, like, composition or math and all the other basic stuff. Hoping I’ll be around older more mature people. And with the economy (so sick of that word) the way it is, I’m hoping there will be a lot of, erm, geezer students like myself. I’m 28! That’s like 30!!

I signed up for a few clubs. One for video gamers (I’m not sure how well I’ll fit in, being a noob), one for playing the game Go, and one for playing desktop games. I don’t know if the last one is like D&D or something cool like Battlestar Galatica. I’ll at least check them out. Also signed up for the Art+Design club. If it’s not too pretentious, it should be cool. I need more friends!

The coveted and later acquired boots.

I’m not sure if it is the closing of a chapter in my career (thank FSM) or having a steady boyfriend for really the first time ever, or what. But I suddenly have an obsession with fashion. I have never been a fashion girl. Always tshirts and jeans and sneakers. Forever and always. Now? I own like 6 skirts. I have a bunch of cute tops that aren’t tshirts. In fact, I kind of cringe at wearing a tshirt anywhere but at home. I like heels! I’m obsessed with buying cute booties with a wedge or thick-ish heel that I can walk in. I only have 1 pair so far, but I tried on a pair the other day at a store and fell in love! They were so hot with jeans. It took everything I had to put the $60 boots back on the shelf. I am sure I’ll go buy them some other time.  But I couldn’t justify the purchase quite yet. I’m unemployed! I do so enjoy browsing various websites for shoes, bags, jewelry, clothes (that might fit me – but rarely do they, so I like the accessories more). That’s browsing – not buying! I’m even a bit of a brandwhore. This is not Angela! Or rather, not the old Angela. New Angela is really a whole new person.

Old Angela? Workhorse, depressed and angry, single, drab in appearance.
New Angela? Going back to school, feeling somewhat hopeful (but still depressed a lot), boyfriend, caring about how I look.

Closing doors, starting new chapters, big life changes! Exciting!

Thank you, New Balance! I feel justified. You may recall, I had a bit of a rant on the hideous Skechers Shape-Ups in Fugly Shoes. New Balance (love their sneaks) comes up with a far more attractive version.

Though I still think the effectiveness of these “toning” shoes is in the fact that people walk more than they usually would just because they’re wearing new sneakers with grandiose claims of effectiveness. Something of a placebo effect, I guess you could say.

Who the hell decided what is “professional”? Who decided that everyone in the working world has to conduct themselves in only that one professional way? You must write your resume like this, you must conduct your job interview like this, you must do this on your first day, you must act like this in front of your employers/associates/clients. You must, above all, never be yourself. Don’t talk like you normally would, don’t conduct yourself the way you feel comfortable, and surely don’t ever have an opinion unless you water it down so as not to step on anyone’s toes. Before you say anything, run it through your political correctness and buzzword jargon filter. Don’t ever say what you really mean to say. It’s like you’re performing a play every day. Here are your lines, this is your role, stay in character.

I certainly don’t think anyone should act and talk like a complete moron. I just hate that everything you do relating to a career has to be done only one way. This is especially bullshit when in a creative field. How is anyone supposed to create art when they’re supposed to be in this one box of behavior and thinking on the job?

An aside – designers, don’t you fucking hate it when someone tells you to “think outside the box”? They never really want you to think outside the box and do something amazing, they want you to think outside the box of good taste by doing it a completely shitty/stupid/outdated way. As soon as a client or employer says “think outside the box”, fucking dump their asses quick as a jackrabbit. Game over. Otherwise, resign yourself to doing something awful and omitting your name from it.

Back to my point, why can’t we speak and act like humans? Why do we have to pad everything with meaningless bullshit? I don’t want to be an automaton, and I have a feeling no one else does either. So why do we all still try to be this way with our careers? It makes no sense! Let’s say “fuck that” to the conventional professionalism bullshit!

Earlier this year, I decide I should amp up my design skills. I figure a BFA in Graphic Design might be a great idea. Enrolled, accepted, go to orientation and registration earlier this week.

Required: a 15″ (at least) Macbook Pro.

Cocksucking motherfuckers.

But it’s free sales tax! Your loans can be used to buy it!

It’s still fucking $1,699, plus the software I’ll be required to purchase and use! I’ll be lucky if my student loans cover my tuition, much less this overpriced fucking thing.

The kicker is I have an awesome laptop, with the entire Adobe Creative Suite. It works amazingly. I’ve been a designer for 10 years (5+ professionally) and never needed a goddamn Mac. Ever. Now because people are ignoramuses and think Macs are “easy to use”, Apple has their fingers in the fucking university system, with their grossly overpriced shiny junk.

Don’t give me that shit about Macs being better with design. A) I have my doubts, and B) it’s $1,699+ that I don’t have. So all the arguments in the world will not make up for the fact that requiring this hunk of shit may mean I cannot attend university.

It was also great when, during the tour of the campus, it was pointed out a few times, that new wings or fitness rooms came in under budget, so the college bought a bunch of flat-screen TVs. Uh, assholes, how about kicking some of that money back to your students that you are robbing blind?

Goddamn, I hate higher (priced) education. Motherfuckers.

Edit: I am trying to find a more reasonably-priced used Macbook on eBay, but I’m certainly not getting my hopes up.

Cheese!

Cheese necklace!

Cheese earrings!

Owls!

Owl necklace!

Owl earrings!

More owl earrings!

Kitties!

Kitty necklace!

Kitty earrings!

Roses!

Rose earrings!

I love a lot of the bracelets, but they’re the dangly charm bracelet type. I think the noise and having shit dangling around my hand would bug the hell out of me, so I’ve skipped on the matching bracelets for now. The cheese items are my faves. How ridiculous are they, right?! I love it. The necklace pendant is bigger than I thought it would be, it cracks me up so much. This week is going to feel like xmas as all my wins come home to their new mama!

Can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait! I love Louie! Guaranteed to be hilarious.

Being unemployed, I’m looking for ways to be employed, at least somewhat. As miserable as I was at my last job, I know I wanted to try something where I am in control. I decide when to work, what to do, how often. I was a cog in a machine before, and I wanted nothing more than to experiment and try something else.

I have always been a tomboy. Not the sporty type, just the “I don’t give a shit about girly stuff” tomboy. My idea of getting dolled up was putting on mascara and maybe (for a big event) some lip gloss. I hadn’t worn nail polish in about 10 years. The only jewelry I had were bracelets, mostly the beaded unisex style.

I think since getting involved with my boyfriend over the past several months (that’s right, man, I’m blaming you!), I have turned into a woman who likes girly/womanly shit now.

Also, as I was pondering what the fuck I’m going to do next now that I have no job, I saw a commercial on freaking TV. About selling Avon/mark. products. Watching it, I thought, this… might be something I’d have some fun doing! It’s completely out of my usual character. This is a time for some change though, try something new, take some control.

Avon calling!

So now, laugh of all laughs, I am an Avon lady!

To be honest, my previous thoughts of Avon was that it was for grandmas and other older women. Like, 40+ at least. But, shockingly, they have tons of great stuff that I want. I had absolutely no idea. It’s definitely not your grandma’s Avon anymore.

I have to share a few of my favorite things. Things that you would be insane not to adore. Srsly.

Sunscreen with insect repellent! Genius!

Sunscreen plus insect repellent?! Fucking genius! I want a million bottles.

Butler bag

The compartmentalized butler bag. I love cute bags, but mine have, like, one big compartment, and a little zip pocket. Which means all my stuff is a jumbled mess, impossible to find anything quickly. As soon as I saw this in a catalog, I knew that it must be mine. It may have even been the first thing I ordered. All the compartments are amazing. All my shit fits in my bag neatly, and I can find it! It looks sexy, and it’s roomy enough to toss a light hoodie or sweater into!

mark Hook-ups

As far as make-up goes, I’m still a bit of a minimalist, though I am experimenting more. The mark brand hook-up is the best. It’s 2 products, one on either side of a little connector. I have a lip gloss and a mascara on mine. Keep it in my purse, always ready to doll up or touch up. I think the gloss and mascara are perfect on this thing, because they’re just the right size to be all used up by the time you should be throwing gloss or mascara away (germs, ew!).

There are tons more things, of course, but I had to share these.

As for profits, I’m not making much of anything yet, but I’m not frustrated. I wanted to spend the first couple of months trying things out, seeing what I can recommend to customers. I got a bunch of samples of things to try (and give away). I’m having fun! When I start school in the fall, I’m hoping I’ll have more opportunities to share this stuff with others.

If this stuff looks great to you, be sure to shop my own store: avongorgeo.us Just hit “Shop Now”.

Besides doing Avon, I am still doing freelance web design work, selling a few things on eBay. Keep trying to move forward. I’m a trillion times happier now than I was at that job, so I want to keep this happiness and excitement up. Keep my eyes on the prize of a BFA in Graphic Design (btw – I was accepted!!!), make a little money to stay afloat.

And have new cute things!

The adorable, hassle-free IUD.

The Bullshit:
I have been told since I was 19 that a woman cannot have an IUD until she is over 35 years old and/or has at least one child. I relay this to the Planned Parenthood nurse, because I am only 28 and thankfully childfree. She says that’s a lie that doctors have been saying for too long now.

Sure, there’s a chance your uterus may be too small to have an IUD comfortably if you haven’t had a child and are young yet. But they measure the uterus before installing the IUD, so if it’s not going to work out, they don’t put it in.

The Truth:
Now I feel obliged to pass this message on to women who have been lied to, like I have. You can have an IUD before you have a child and/or are over 35!

Here is what it says on the Mirena (brand of IUD) website:

Mirena … is recommended for women who have had at least one child. This is because most of the medical research conducted on Mirena for FDA approval was among women who had at least one child.

There you have it. It isn’t that IUDs were found to be harmful for women who haven’t had a child, they simply did most of the research on women who had had a child.

If your doctor gives you that bullshit excuse, educate him/her on the facts. If it is still refused, go to Planned Parenthood. They will actually help you make solid choices about your own goddamn life.

Grrrr!
Do I seem peeved? Well I am. I have wanted an IUD since I was 19 and knew I did not want to have children (any time soon). I had asked multiple doctors over the years about the option, and all of them refused. And of course they’re doctors – I figure they know what they’re talking about! Bull-to-the-shit.

So here’s a testimonial from me, a woman who is 28 and has no children, and now has an IUD: it is going great. No pain. No problems. I feel confident that I get to decide when and if I have children in the future. No “oopsie kids”.

I have no desire to deal with this (any time soon):

I am going to have nightmares for a week.

Of course there could be other reasons you shouldn’t get an IUD, I’d recommend learning about them to see if an IUD is even right for you. If the only reasons you “can’t” have one are because you don’t have any kids and you’re young – you can!

Crazy Times Square.

Despite my recent unemployment, I still went on the New York City trip I had planned and had an airplane ticket bought back in March. I had a fantastic time! Exhausting of course. I tried to fill every hour with something so it all felt worth it. My first day there, I was awake for 23 hours because I had to get up at 2:30am to catch my first flight. One must experience the night life (comedy clubs, in my case) when in NYC!

My first day, I went to the Museum of Sex. Very fun and informative! Went to the Broadway Comedy Club that night. My first day, and I saw a 3-legged dog, tons of people wearing leggings (ew!), street and subway performers, and a girl named “Bermuda”. Second day, I took a bus tour and later visited the King Tut exhibit. I was mad because it appeared his mummy would be there – but it was a replica! Lame! Still cool to see all the real artifacts. Walked up and down Christopher Street, but sadly did not see any drag queens. Plenty of gays though (or Europeans, it’s hard to tell). Haha! Went to the Comedy Cellar that night.

Love the hilarious subway performers.

Naughty Picasso! I approve.

Third day, I took another part of the bus tour. Went to the Central Park Zoo, which was cute. Had my hot dog from a vendor in Central Park! It’s just not a visit without doing that. Then I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Amazing! There was a big Picasso exhibit, which was quite enlightening. Turns out he was a dirty, dirty man, which I very much enjoy. It’s like he knew me! While at the museum, I had to check out the arms and armor room (gorgeous), as well as the real Roman statues and Greek art. And of course, I would find pieces of art that I don’t think were meant to be dirty, but I found them dirty. Especially fun among the religious art. Comedy Cellar again that night to see Dave Attell, who I have seen on every trip now!

Lots of pics and a couple videos on my Flickr!

A graphical representation of my feelings.

I suppose I shouldn’t go into too much detail. In a nutshell: they’d been putting me under an insane amount of stress for a couple years now. Last week my employer went out of her way to make sure I felt worthless, and that was the final straw. I called a meeting with the owners. Let them know I was very unhappy working for them, laid out all the problems I had. Asked that they let me work my web design position remotely, or let me go. The following day they sent me an email saying they were letting me go.

You’d think I’d be angry about being fired. Or freaked out about not having my main source of income. In all honesty (at this point at least!) I feel relieved. I feel free! When working there, every day I’d wake up miserable and dreading the day. That kind of thing wears on you after awhile, and I know I was no longer myself in the rest of my life. I felt trapped. I had sought out a new job off and on for a long time, with no luck.

I am still planning to go back to school in the fall, try to finish out a Bachelor’s Degree. Right now I’m trying to focus on my freelance work to hold me over and continue to hone my skills. If a good employer comes along and expresses an interest in hiring me, I’m all for it. I’ve wanted to be a “location-independent” web designer for a long time, so now that I have the time and dedication to put into it, we shall see what happens!