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I will sum up my birthday weekend like this: my brother got me a cake that said: Happy Birthday Buttface on it.
PERFECT! Picture to follow. Please notice that most of the decorations on the cake were already swiped off. That is SO my family.
Voodoo
I spoke with my boss about my interview, and that was refreshingly sane. I half thought about what would have been the right way to leave, and I think I'd rather be honest than front about leaving and bounce with a two week's notice. To be fair to my colleagues, and they really are friends as well, I need to give good notice and make sure that everything I'm doing supports everyone, including the people I'm leaving behind.
I have some mixed feelings about leaving: new places, new faces, promises made to students to be there for them, etc. It's going to be a tough transition either way, but like I said, this was a good experience for me. I love where I work, but there are times to move and learn new things, and this is one of those times for me.
I won't get into detail, but like most interviews for staff at the higher education arena usually looks like this: meet with students, support staff, laterals, and supervisors. Oh and throw in a lunch too. These meetings are an hour each, and you're going to be seen by 3-6 people each time. So now you know why I was so tired. I came home, passed out, and woke up at 10PM. Didn't sleep until 2.
And again, you want to know how I did? Here's a video for you. Turn up yo speakers, and bounce with me.
Love from,
Voodoo
Today I had the fortune of having some company at the house, complete with a half bottle of cabernet sauvignon from Beaulieu Vineyards. I don't mind sharing a bottle with company, especially with my brother.
I've been watching Tour de France...my favorite July activity next to my birthday. I've looked forward to this every year, but it's always hard to follow when I'm not consistent with watching it. I take weekends off to be with Husbandido, but I sneak in some time when he's passed out. Today I had a lot of admin work to take care of at work, and I needed to get over it when I got home.
I had an interesting conversation with my boss today. I told her I was interviewing and was going to be out of the office on Tuesday and Friday. We had a good heart to heart about moving forward in life and taking the opportunities that come your way. I've been really fortunate to be able to have good leadership to inspire and teach me, and one of these days I'll do the same for others. I hope.
One of the questions a colleague asked me was "Where do you see yourself going in the next few years? What's your long range plan?" I thought for a minute. I want to be that person who trains advisors. I want to be able to teach others how to work with students. I've seen great advisors, and I've seen crap advisors, but luckily most fall within the "meh" line. I hate it when students say to me, "My advisor doesn't spend half the time with me that you did. I don't even think they care!"
That sucks. I can't imagine being a bad advisor, and I can't imagine being a student who has one in their corner. I'm excited about possibility, and it makes so much sense that you should have someone in your corner that believes in possibility, especially your own. I think academic lives are made and destroyed by good advising, but maybe that's just me.
I had a student come by today that was ready to move to Duke University to start medical school. She is a top ranked student, but she's always kept it real with me, and I'm happy that she stopped by and said goodbye before she left. I wonder if she had a bad advisor, what her life would have been like. I asked her today if someone read her personal statement before she submitted her app, and she flatly said no. Unfair. And then a part of me laughed when she said, "8 revisions later, you said submit it. Just like she said after the first try." Unfair, unfair, unfair.
I've been really thankful that I've had good advisors in life. Hopefully you will have had some along the way.
Anyways, August is coming up, and I've taken the month of July off from the Year of Creativity. Next month is 35MM photography, but I am debating on using my Lomo instead. Let me know what you think. I honestly don't want to think when I shoot, but I don't want to waste film either.
Sales of the book are good. I can't complain, but I wasn't expecting anyone to pony up and buy one either. But if you want it, here's the free shipping code: bfq307. Good until Sept. 30.
Okay. I have to settle down and focus a little bit. Damn Cabernet.
Wish me luck. Interview tomorrow.
One!
Voodoo
When life ends
And the time comes
For you to say goodbye
Do the angels remind you of everyone you've
Forgotten to say goodbye to
Do the clouds descend enough
For you to step onto
And if you could take
Something
With you
What would you take?
In the sunset of your day
As you take that short walk to the
Next unknown
If you could look back
And remember one last thing
What would you want to see
The perfect day
Faces
Smiles
Your favorite truck
When everything was better?
Before you go
Thank you for showing me
How important
This time is
And that person is
And how very important it is
To not wait
For that ending
To ask for that one
Moment
To be able to look back
One last time.
Godspeed, Harrison.
Voodoo
Words dazzle and deceive because they are mimed by the face. But black words on a white page are the soul laid bare.
— Guy de Maupassant
Discuss.
Voodoo
It's late on Sunday, and I realize how late it is as I turn down my Robbie Williams music. I am debating whether or not to do more work on my class (part of it is online), or to blog. I realize I haven't been in touch lately. Maybe it's just that I want to be away from the box more and do more reading.
Since the book went to print, I've had more of a life. Truth be told, it's just like when I finished with All the Things She Left Behind and my dissertation. I feel like I should be doing something, but I'm not. The book has gotten really good reception so far from those who have seen it. I'm starting to get people asking me to help with theirs (to which I respond with bug-eyed huh?). I'm pretty happy about it. I just found some of my old writing, and I'm going to put that aside for now and possibly do another book on the other service, lulu.com for the next book. There's the matter of my poetry collection, Breakfast Lunch Dinner, to publish, but that'll be sooner rather than later. I think it's more vanity than talent that keeps me writing, but the whole idle hands are the devil's work is a truism of mine.
I've been loving life with my Wii, and Husbandido is wailing away on Madden 07. It's so complicated looking, and I think I'll stick to my lame-o Rayman Raving Rabbids or Wii Sports. Or Big Brain Academy. I like simple point, shoot or whatever games. I can't do this complex multitasking football stuff. Brain's not cut out for it, ya know?
I went out to dinner with the Girls on Friday, a celebratory fete of epic proportions. Congratulations on your new life, homegirl. Now go have fun. I hate to see my famed late night prowess be nipped in the bud, but I turned in early where the other girls went out to paint the town. I guess that's what happens when you are about to turn 37.
At any rate, I'll be at work tomorrow, and for all intents and purposes, this marks the end of my summer. My job takes on it's Fall guise in less than two weeks, and I've got a lot under my belt to show for it. I have a piece of papercraft done at the office, no less, that includes "visions" of things I want to obtain or attain in the next five years of my life. It seemed to happen naturally, rather than a careful thinking. I'll have to take a picture of it and add it onto my flickr. Don't worry, I'll let you know.
Today Husbandido and I went out to dinner at E&O Trading Company. It was way overpriced, but we like to get out of the house every now and then. It was pretty much a jammy kind of day, but we hauled ourselves out to get some yummies. It's a sure bet for good food if you have $$ to cover, and luckily we had a $50 gift certificate from OpenTable.com to spend on dinner, so that helped a lot :-). It's one of my favorite places, but $14 bucks for a bowl of pho is a bit extreme. But yes it was good.
August is 35mm photography, and I'm kind of excited about it. A short rundown of what's coming up next:
September: Music (god, i'm kind of scared of this)
October: Manifesto
November: TBA (probably another novel, god, but maybe i'll just make books)
December: the portfolio (putting everything together)
Anyone want to go in on the Year of Creativity next year? Let me know. I'm willing to coach!
So on that note, I'm off to bed. I have a feeling that this came off a little sad, and truthfully, I'm not looking forward to the school year starting. I've had a restorative period, and I'm not ready to go just yet.
Voodoo
I was at a baptism and reception today, and then I also helped my future sister-in-law pick out her dress. It was a good time for all. The Tour de France was on today, and I found myself wrapped up in it as always, sad that I wasn't sure if it was all bad or who was cheating. Who knows. At any rate, that was exciting, and it was nice to hear the old familiar names. Interestingly enough I have already pre-programmed myself to try and catch it before I go to work in the morning. It was SO much easier when I had a TV in my bedroom...but alas, we don't. Which is good and bad.
Above? Oh that's my boy, JLP. I love him. Sometimes I have those moments, but not today.
Oh and I changed my phone number, but not to an iPhone! Stop asking me! If you didn't get the email regarding my digits, please email me and I"ll shoot it over to ya.
Voodoo
Yippee. What a great week. First I have a Wii for my birthday from Husbandido (thanks! now I can get my ass handed to me playing tennis). Secondly, it's a great day. The freaky firerworks get on my nerves though. At any rate, with the book done, I can focus on other things...like Sim City 4. VoodooLand is currently struggling, but hey, it's my first go and it's comedy so far.
Regarding the book: a few deets to share.
1) I chose blurb.com largely because they had a software (free) that I can use to lay it out. I was afraid that doing it myself would have given me some blurry pictures, etc, and even though I knew I had a vision of what the book would look like, it's always easier to drop it in. The project was EASY to do once I had everything.
2) The other option was lulu.com, but you would have to use the templates and DIY. I'm all for that, but I know that would have taken me a lot longer. it IS cheaper though, and my next project will probably use Lulu.
3) It doesn't have an ISBN, but Lulu would have been helpful in that regard.
4) It really did take me a month to do the entire book, from hunting down contributors and collecting their work.
5) If I could do it differently, I would have done the larger format EARLIER. It turned out I did it wrong, and that's my fault. But next time, it will probably be coffee table size. But that's more expensive, so ya know. Maybe not.
6) I've updated the website. Surprise, surprise, it's a featured book. I'm honored, but I hope it's because it's good, not because it's by default.
That's it for now. I have an early morning to get to, so night night!
Voodoo
PS: congrats to Ms.M&M. It never ceases to amaze me how people can really take advantage of another person, esp. when that person is a good person. Now that you're free, enjoy it. You deserve happiness.
So when I was working on the book, I saw that the size was 10x8. I didn't think much of it, I was justgoing to import it into a larger size when I was done.
Can't do it, I found out. So this means, the idea coffee table book I was ready to rave about you'll have to wait for because I am going to knock that bad boy out sometime this week. Meanwhile, the other, smaller brother is ready to be put on the sale table. If you're down for that, let me know. I'll get that up and running.
If you want to wait for bigger badder big brother, go put a kettle on the stove. It's going to be awhile, but it will be there. Sorry for the delay. It's my bad, really.
What sucks is that not only will ihave to do the big version by hand all over again, some of the larger photos that I wanted to use no longer fit in the larger format. So the larger one will definitely have less pages (the small one is 102 pages), and the pictures will be different. Not all, but some.
Fudge.
Voodoo
UPDATE: I am not going to update anything. Seriously. I have to move on with my life, kids, and you'll have to forgive me for being an ass and screwing up the page layouts nice and early in the process. Here's the 411:
Go to www.blurb.com
Search for beatsrhymesnlife
Order to your heart's content.
*there is a .pdf preview that includes the first 15 pages. pretty dope. Enjoy.
If you're too lazy: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/64351