A short while back I ate dinner with my boyfriend at a Chinese restaurant. When we received our fortune cookies at the end of the meal, mine said that the current month (June) would be my most profitable month this year. I don't normally take these little bits of paper very seriously, especially since so many fortune cookie fortunes say things like "you like Chinese food" instead of actually predicting any sort of future occurrence. And I believe shortly after reading that fortune I was 1) laid off, and 2) shelling out major bucks for a new car. Didn't seem very profitable to me at all.
But then I started to see things from a different perspective. It was in June that I sent out a handful of e-mails to local sports teams, requesting to be their national anthem singer. A few of the teams took me up on my offer, and I've now sung the National Anthem in Safeco Field and Key Arena. The Seattle Storm game that I sang at was also nationally televised, including my performance, so I would say that those were pretty profitable experiences.
Then I thought about my new car. I went down to Portland (in June) to buy it and got a screaming deal. In fact, it was so screaming that today when I transferred the title over to my name, I had to jump through several hoops to justify why I was able to get such a great car for such a low price. Apparently Washington State thinks I should have paid upwards of $3000.00 more for my car than I actually did, and wanted to make sure I wasn't cheating them out of any sales tax. So it looks like my car deal was pretty profitable, too!
Ah yes, and that brings me to my layoff. Well, after a bit of searching (in June) and one very successful interview, I am happy to say that I received a job offer and will be starting my new position on July 20th. And the salary and benefits far surpass what I am earning now. So definitely profitable.
I still don't really take Chinese fortune cookies too much to heart, but June was undoubtedly a profitable month for me, and perhaps will be my most profitable this year.
My boyfriend and I returned to that same Chinese restaurant two days ago and my fortune said that this winter will be a very happy one for me. I'll let you know how it turns out, but I have a good feeling things will be going my way.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Update
I think about blogging a lot, but it appears I haven’t managed to sit down to actually write a post in some time. Let’s remedy that, shall we?
My most exciting news is that I bought a used car nearly two weeks ago. It’s a zippy little Mercedes that looks way more expensive than it ended up costing. My Dad found the listing online and I purchased it in Portland from a very nice woman, making it to date the largest check I have ever written. And I am happy and relieved to say I now own a very comfortable car that gets me from point A to point B. And I am 99.99% sure it will start (and stay running) every time I try to use it, which is a refreshing change from my last set of wheels, that unfortunately left me stranded several times in the past month.
Job-hunting is a very interesting process. For each application packet I submit it feels like I’m playing dress-up. I carefully read through the job description and start to visualize myself doing the tasks being described (putting on my job hat, so to speak.) Then I compare that vision to my own job experiences and craft a letter that will (hopefully) wow the hiring manager enough to call me and beg for an interview. When I hit “send” and the packet is sent off into the worldwide web, I take off that job hat and go try on another one, starting the process all over. So far the phone isn’t ringing off the hook from employers, but there is a chance I can stay at my current job a few weeks longer than originally planned, which buys me a little more time to find a job that’s perfect for me.
Summer is here and I am keeping close track of my garden. I planted 12 dahlia bulbs (my favorite flower!) and 6 have emerged. I have been told that there is still a chance the remaining bulbs will still grow, but I’m starting to get skeptical. Patience is something I possess in spades when it comes to knitting, but gardening is another story altogether. I also keep telling my tomatoes to hurry up and get ripe, but they are taking their dear sweet time as well.
Speaking of knitting, I am having all sorts of problems with my set of Viking Hats. I expected this to be a short project that would take about 2 weeks. Well, about four weeks later I am still working on them. It turns out that I am using a different size needles than I intended and the hats are knitting up WAY larger than I planned. So both hats are knit, and large enough for full-grown adults, and not 2-year-old children. It’s time to spend some time in the frog pond, ripping (ribbit!) out the projects and starting over. Again. Ah well, knit and learn.
Updates coming soon (with pictures!) of finished Viking hats and deck chairs!
My most exciting news is that I bought a used car nearly two weeks ago. It’s a zippy little Mercedes that looks way more expensive than it ended up costing. My Dad found the listing online and I purchased it in Portland from a very nice woman, making it to date the largest check I have ever written. And I am happy and relieved to say I now own a very comfortable car that gets me from point A to point B. And I am 99.99% sure it will start (and stay running) every time I try to use it, which is a refreshing change from my last set of wheels, that unfortunately left me stranded several times in the past month.
Job-hunting is a very interesting process. For each application packet I submit it feels like I’m playing dress-up. I carefully read through the job description and start to visualize myself doing the tasks being described (putting on my job hat, so to speak.) Then I compare that vision to my own job experiences and craft a letter that will (hopefully) wow the hiring manager enough to call me and beg for an interview. When I hit “send” and the packet is sent off into the worldwide web, I take off that job hat and go try on another one, starting the process all over. So far the phone isn’t ringing off the hook from employers, but there is a chance I can stay at my current job a few weeks longer than originally planned, which buys me a little more time to find a job that’s perfect for me.
Summer is here and I am keeping close track of my garden. I planted 12 dahlia bulbs (my favorite flower!) and 6 have emerged. I have been told that there is still a chance the remaining bulbs will still grow, but I’m starting to get skeptical. Patience is something I possess in spades when it comes to knitting, but gardening is another story altogether. I also keep telling my tomatoes to hurry up and get ripe, but they are taking their dear sweet time as well.
Speaking of knitting, I am having all sorts of problems with my set of Viking Hats. I expected this to be a short project that would take about 2 weeks. Well, about four weeks later I am still working on them. It turns out that I am using a different size needles than I intended and the hats are knitting up WAY larger than I planned. So both hats are knit, and large enough for full-grown adults, and not 2-year-old children. It’s time to spend some time in the frog pond, ripping (ribbit!) out the projects and starting over. Again. Ah well, knit and learn.
Updates coming soon (with pictures!) of finished Viking hats and deck chairs!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Dabble
The older I get, the more I realize that I am a dabbler. I like to learn how to do many different activities (mostly falling under the "home arts" category) and tend to pick up creative hobbies left and right. In addition to designing knitwear patterns, decorating my apartment, and turning trash into treasure, I have found three new activities that have made my life more enjoyable.
1. Personal photographer to the cutest baby (now toddler) in the world.
This is by far the most effortless hobby to develop, considering my subject matter is so darn easy to photograph.
2. The potluck pie-baker.
That delicate mixture of crust and filling is not as easy to master as I once thought. This one is rhubarb and was oh-so tasty, if not the most gorgeous pie ever. I'm ready to make another one, who wants to have a potluck??
3. Flower arranger.
My boyfriend's bush roses have gone completely insane with all of this sunshine, and I can pick enough roses for a bouquet every couple days. This is a new skill for me that isn't coming along as quickly as baking and baby-photographing, but is very satisfying. And it smells lovely.
All in all it's not a bad way to pass a lovely weekend like the one we just had.
Stay tuned for some exciting "after" pictures from my patio furniture makeover. My handyman Dad will be making a special appearance! :)
1. Personal photographer to the cutest baby (now toddler) in the world.
This is by far the most effortless hobby to develop, considering my subject matter is so darn easy to photograph.
2. The potluck pie-baker.
That delicate mixture of crust and filling is not as easy to master as I once thought. This one is rhubarb and was oh-so tasty, if not the most gorgeous pie ever. I'm ready to make another one, who wants to have a potluck??
3. Flower arranger.
My boyfriend's bush roses have gone completely insane with all of this sunshine, and I can pick enough roses for a bouquet every couple days. This is a new skill for me that isn't coming along as quickly as baking and baby-photographing, but is very satisfying. And it smells lovely.
All in all it's not a bad way to pass a lovely weekend like the one we just had.
Stay tuned for some exciting "after" pictures from my patio furniture makeover. My handyman Dad will be making a special appearance! :)
Friday, June 05, 2009
Reality Bites
Did you see the movie "Reality Bites" when it came out in the early nineties? I did. I was 13 or 14, not yet in high school, and was blissfully swept away in the fictional story of four twenty-somethings just graduating from college. The main character, played by Winona Ryder, seemed particularly comical to my pubescent self, especially her desire to be individual, independent, and not cave to the conformity of a typical 8-5 office job.
Fast forward 10 years. The 10-year DVD release of "Reality Bites" came out in 2003 (or 2004?), when I was in my first year of graduate school. I watched the movie for the second time with the same girlfriend who went with me to the movies in middle school ten years earlier. This time I was the same age as the protagonists, and the movie made me a little squirmy. College graduates working at the Gap, unemployment issues, and a general sense of unease and confusion about the future made me fairly uneasy. But I remember my arrogant, graduate student response to that feeling was, "good thing that will never be me."
Fast forward five years. I am now Winona Ryder. I drive my father's German luxury car on semi-permanent loan, I have no idea what in the world I got for all of that fancy education of mine, and I just found out yesterday that my current job with so much long-term potential will be nonexistent as of the end of the month. Winona's character and I even have the same propensity for eating cheetos puffs when we are upset. Sigh. Isn't it funny how you can draw so many different things from a movie depending on your current life situation? Well, at least Winona gets the guy at the end of the movie, and that is definitely a part of my life that I can't complain about at all, so that is a bonus similarity. And my boyfriend is cuter than Ethan Hawke, too. So should I go full-circle and apply for a job at the Gap? Well, maybe Ann Taylor is more my style...
Fast forward 10 years. The 10-year DVD release of "Reality Bites" came out in 2003 (or 2004?), when I was in my first year of graduate school. I watched the movie for the second time with the same girlfriend who went with me to the movies in middle school ten years earlier. This time I was the same age as the protagonists, and the movie made me a little squirmy. College graduates working at the Gap, unemployment issues, and a general sense of unease and confusion about the future made me fairly uneasy. But I remember my arrogant, graduate student response to that feeling was, "good thing that will never be me."
Fast forward five years. I am now Winona Ryder. I drive my father's German luxury car on semi-permanent loan, I have no idea what in the world I got for all of that fancy education of mine, and I just found out yesterday that my current job with so much long-term potential will be nonexistent as of the end of the month. Winona's character and I even have the same propensity for eating cheetos puffs when we are upset. Sigh. Isn't it funny how you can draw so many different things from a movie depending on your current life situation? Well, at least Winona gets the guy at the end of the movie, and that is definitely a part of my life that I can't complain about at all, so that is a bonus similarity. And my boyfriend is cuter than Ethan Hawke, too. So should I go full-circle and apply for a job at the Gap? Well, maybe Ann Taylor is more my style...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Knitting highs and lows
Although I love knitting things for babies and children, it can be impractical at times because I don't normally have a baby or child sitting around to use as a model for sizing. I knit a Viking Hat for the cutest baby in the world's first birthday a few months ago and loved how it turned out. So, after being asked to knit a pair of caps for twin two-year-olds, I thought I would just adjust the number of stitches and be on my merry knitting way.
After about four (or five...) hours of knitting, I looked down and realized that the cap was knitting up WAY bigger than I expected. After digging out a measuring tape to check, I realized that the circumference of this cap is 24 inches:
How in the world would this fit a two-year-old?!? Well, in my brain it seemed logical to add 16 stitches to a hat pattern for a one-year-old. But, it turns out kids don't have heads that expand about four inches between ages one and two. So it looks like this hat is headed to the frog pond (ribbit/rip it) for a do-over. If my online research is correct, the average circumference of a toddler is only about 1-2 inches more than a baby, meaning that with a little stretching, the original Viking Hat pattern should work for the twins. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.
On a lighter note, I finished half of the yoke portion of my September Sweater today! Ooh, look at all of those pretty, twisty cables. Mmmm.
Actually, if you want to visualize where I'm going with this project, you need to look at it from this perspective. Just imagine looking down at a person with their arms out to the side. See, half of that will be wrapped around one side, and then more knitting will be knitted down to make the body of the sweater later. Fun, no?
Those slips of paper were to denote the front and back of the sweater, since I kept losing my perspective while knitting and got confused about how to decrease for the neck. But now that it has been successfully sorted, the rest of this sweater should knit up like a breeze!
What I think is funny is that every time I get going on this sweater, the weather gets really warm and I lose my knitting mojo. Then, a storm blows in (wow, like yesterday and today!!) and all of a sudden I crave a knitting project. I just wonder if I will get this sweater done before summer comes along for real and douses my urge to knit...
After about four (or five...) hours of knitting, I looked down and realized that the cap was knitting up WAY bigger than I expected. After digging out a measuring tape to check, I realized that the circumference of this cap is 24 inches:
How in the world would this fit a two-year-old?!? Well, in my brain it seemed logical to add 16 stitches to a hat pattern for a one-year-old. But, it turns out kids don't have heads that expand about four inches between ages one and two. So it looks like this hat is headed to the frog pond (ribbit/rip it) for a do-over. If my online research is correct, the average circumference of a toddler is only about 1-2 inches more than a baby, meaning that with a little stretching, the original Viking Hat pattern should work for the twins. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.
On a lighter note, I finished half of the yoke portion of my September Sweater today! Ooh, look at all of those pretty, twisty cables. Mmmm.
Actually, if you want to visualize where I'm going with this project, you need to look at it from this perspective. Just imagine looking down at a person with their arms out to the side. See, half of that will be wrapped around one side, and then more knitting will be knitted down to make the body of the sweater later. Fun, no?
Those slips of paper were to denote the front and back of the sweater, since I kept losing my perspective while knitting and got confused about how to decrease for the neck. But now that it has been successfully sorted, the rest of this sweater should knit up like a breeze!
What I think is funny is that every time I get going on this sweater, the weather gets really warm and I lose my knitting mojo. Then, a storm blows in (wow, like yesterday and today!!) and all of a sudden I crave a knitting project. I just wonder if I will get this sweater done before summer comes along for real and douses my urge to knit...
Friday, May 15, 2009
Before, and During
Remember back in early spring (when it was still snowing every weekend) and I started my balcony makeover? I planted some flowers in a color bowl for my bistro table, and hoped that the freezing temperatures wouldn't kill them.
Now that spring has officially arrived (this time with monsoon rains instead of snow), my balcony makeover is moving ahead...slowly. The flowers don't need any real help from me, except for a good watering every few days.
But my balcony chairs need a little work. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the old and new chairs. I ate breakfast on my balcony this morning and used the left chair, and quickly realized why in the WORLD I started such a long and arduous re-weaving project. Turns out those uncoiling cords are very sharp and were digging into my legs while I basked in the morning sun. Not so nice. But, as you can see the weaving is very slow-going and it may be high summer before my hands (and patience) get me through this project.
I may try to be a little urban funky and do two different chair designs. i.e. after the first one is *finally* done, I'll go crying to my Dad to help me make a wooden seat for the second chair. Or maybe I could (gasp!) rip out the base of even the re-woven chair and only weave the backs of both chairs, with a wooden base and then sew some cushions for them. Hmmm, I'm starting to like the sound of this idea... More to come!
Now that spring has officially arrived (this time with monsoon rains instead of snow), my balcony makeover is moving ahead...slowly. The flowers don't need any real help from me, except for a good watering every few days.
But my balcony chairs need a little work. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the old and new chairs. I ate breakfast on my balcony this morning and used the left chair, and quickly realized why in the WORLD I started such a long and arduous re-weaving project. Turns out those uncoiling cords are very sharp and were digging into my legs while I basked in the morning sun. Not so nice. But, as you can see the weaving is very slow-going and it may be high summer before my hands (and patience) get me through this project.
I may try to be a little urban funky and do two different chair designs. i.e. after the first one is *finally* done, I'll go crying to my Dad to help me make a wooden seat for the second chair. Or maybe I could (gasp!) rip out the base of even the re-woven chair and only weave the backs of both chairs, with a wooden base and then sew some cushions for them. Hmmm, I'm starting to like the sound of this idea... More to come!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Achieve
I have a couple private voice students and a part-time office job. Combining that with the occasional singing gig, I pretty much break even every month financially. Although it isn't the most responsible long-term financial plan in the world, for now I am having a great time. And today is one of the best examples of why I appreciate my "underemployed" lifestyle. Here's a breakdown of what I did today:
Drank a cup of tea and read up on the best beaches in Maui.
Practiced (singing).
Went to the gym.
Knit on my sweater.
Caught parts of an America's Next Top Model marathon on TV.
Ironed all of my summer clothes coming out of hibernation.
Had a rehearsal for an upcoming singing gig.
Got a makeover at the Clinique counter in Nordstrom (so fun!!).
Shopped the weekly bargains at Bartell's.
Chatted with a friend on the phone.
Made a fantastic salad for dinner.
Cleaned up my apartment.
Made a cup of Cafe Vienna coffee.
Put out fresh kitchen towels:
This is one of a set of hand-embroidered towels from my Sister. Each one is empowering and delightful. And it's only a tad bit ironic that each girl-power image has been stitched onto a towel I use for domestic tasks. But I guess that's who I am: a master's-educated, under-employed domestic diva who loves Wednesdays and the fact that there is no need to rush anywhere or do anything in particular. And that is an achievement, my friends.
Drank a cup of tea and read up on the best beaches in Maui.
Practiced (singing).
Went to the gym.
Knit on my sweater.
Caught parts of an America's Next Top Model marathon on TV.
Ironed all of my summer clothes coming out of hibernation.
Had a rehearsal for an upcoming singing gig.
Got a makeover at the Clinique counter in Nordstrom (so fun!!).
Shopped the weekly bargains at Bartell's.
Chatted with a friend on the phone.
Made a fantastic salad for dinner.
Cleaned up my apartment.
Made a cup of Cafe Vienna coffee.
Put out fresh kitchen towels:
This is one of a set of hand-embroidered towels from my Sister. Each one is empowering and delightful. And it's only a tad bit ironic that each girl-power image has been stitched onto a towel I use for domestic tasks. But I guess that's who I am: a master's-educated, under-employed domestic diva who loves Wednesdays and the fact that there is no need to rush anywhere or do anything in particular. And that is an achievement, my friends.
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