It seems like I tend to neglect my blog for a while, then announce that I’m going to dive back in to it. I write a post or two, then it tapers off, and before you know it, THREE MONTHS have passed without any activity. Here we go again….
When we last saw each other, there was a lot of shit going on that I couldn’t talk about. This is primarily why I stopped writing – the things on my mind weren’t things I could tell the world. Here’s a recap (it’s a doozy)!
I’d been generally unhappy at work since Christmas. I had a lot of trouble focusing on small tasks, and found myself working really hard not to be angry at people who didn’t (necessarily) deserve it.
From the stress of it all, I started having heart palpitations. I went to the doctor (which I’ve mentioned before), and she told me there was nothing physically wrong. She sent me to a behavioral therapist to try to talk through my stress.
I ran across this article on the wonderful Eat. Drink. Better. blog in February. I couldn’t talk about it because I didn’t want to freak out my employers, but Oh. My. God. They have graduate programs for exactly the kind of things I’ve been spending all my free time learning about! Those of you who know me well know that I think about food constantly. Cooking, eating, nutrition, sustainability, you name it. Now, Montana is not high on my list of places to live, but it got me thinking – and researching – and now I have a short list of universities to apply to if I decide to really do this (continue reading, other circumstances may change in the next year).
Thinking about school immediately lifted my spirits, and I started feeling much better. After a month or two, though, it sank in that this couldn’t happen for at least a year, and the day-to-day realities started to bring me back down again (and the panic attacks got MUCH worse). I got put on anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medication. Yay!
At the end of March I did what I always do when GDC comes to town – I went to work during the day, and hit the parties at night. It was good to catch up with out-of-town friends, but then an unexpected thing happened – a job opportunity! Now, my thought process around this decision was very involved, and too long for this particular blog post. Long story short, I took a job working for Jet Set Games – in Las Vegas! No, Jon did not move with me (yet).
So I’ve been here in Vegas for about a month. So far, so great! I am working on iPhone development, which feels very fresh and cutting-edge. Everyone I work with is fantastic. I’m never cold here! Mostly, I am having time by myself to clear my head from all the clutter that’s been building up over the last six months. In a year, I should know whether the software industry is where I want to stay. This feels like the kind of company where I can be really happy – cool people who know what they’re doing, short project cycles, new exciting platform. A lot can happen in that time, but for now I am putting all of my energies into Jet Set and getting settled in Vegas!
That’s all the hush-hush-can’t-talk news I was holding inside. TMI?
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Also, how did I not watch So You Think You Can Dance until now? That show is fantastic!
Remember this post? Yeah, so I got the idea for the first recipient’s gift pretty much right away – and then life happened. Finally, 3 months and 1 day later, it’s done!
(Apologies in advance for dark and crappy photography; there is some detail that doesn’t quite come through in the pictures)
I present to you, Andrei, your Idea Pillow!
You are definitely an “idea” guy, I think. I hope you like it! It’s waiting for you, for next time we see each other.
I wish I had made the pillow a bit bigger, and the applique a bit smaller in relation to the pillow size. My favorite part, though, is the zippered back:
I’ve been trying to take better care of myself lately, given all the stress I’ve been under, panic attacks, fatigue, you name it. Here’s a quick rundown (again, indulging my list fetish):
Ballet is now pretty regularly three times a week – Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. I got new shoes that feel terrific (last pair was from college, yikes!). It finally feels like a place I belong. I also cherish leaving work at 5pm and getting to be by myself on the train for 30 minutes – it is easy to get so caught up in work that you let it run over the rest of your life.
Running on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I am now up to 4.2 miles, well on my way to a healthy Bay to Breakers! Here’s yesterday’s map:
As an experiment, last time I was at the pharmacy I picked up a bottle of glucosamine/chondroitin, and Jon and I have been taking it daily. I don’t know for sure whether it is helping, but I do know my hips and knees have been pretty happy this week. I’m giving it a month.
Did you see the episode of Wife Swap with the English guy from San Francisco (self-edited to remove any other descriptors – he was at his worst, and doesn’t deserve to be badgered about it after realizing what happened)? You should. I don’t like the premise of the show, and never watch it – except for this one that has been going around the Internet. The one good thing to come out of that episode is that I found out about his wife, Renee Stephens, who is a life coach. After a little googling, I found out she has a weight-loss podcast that I have been listening to RELIGIOUSLY for the past week. I know I don’t have a huge weight problem, but I do have a huge food problem. I need to get in the right head space, or no amount of exercise will get me to where I want to be. This podcast seems to be exactly the right thing to help me do that.
In other news, the sweater is coming along (a few more rows and I’ll be able to put together the three body pieces, make sure they fit, start on the sleeves and start looking for a couple more skeins of yarn to match)….getting geared up for GDC (which I am not attending, but always brings many friends and parties to town)….in general, just trying to get my life in order to prepare for what is to come. There are a lot of things up in the air right now that should be resolved in the next month or two – hopefully for the better!
Two new additions to the store today – gloves and a scarf:
For a little while, I think I will be working on a few non-Etsy projects – a sweater for myself that has been WIP for a year and half; the first of my “I will give you stuff” projects (materials have been purchased), and a special order pair of gloves (need to find the right yarn).
On top of that, there’s thinking more about the design of this site, there’s working on my side website project with Jon, and you know, regular work
I did not have a cold. I had the most vengeful bout of food poisoning that I’ve had since I can remember. I had a really great illustration picked out from Google Image Search, but I don’t want to gross you all out. Let’s just say the worst of it was over Thursday, but it was Monday night before I was able to eat food besides crackers and orange juice. I tried on Saturday night, since we had Valentine’s Day reservations for dinner at a nice place, but I was really only pecking at my risotto and felt pretty bad afterward.
This is me today:
Just got back from my first run in oh, I don’t know how long. Gmap-pedometer says it was about 2.75 miles. It felt great! I don’t want to commit myself to too much for fear of getting all stressed out again, but I think it would be cool to be in shape for Bay to Breakers this year (12K in mid May).
I’ve been wanting to post more regularly, but haven’t had the time. Quick, before the morning standup meeting, here are some keywords:
iPhone!
Ballet is fun again, instead of just something I’m getting back into
Been thinking about a new website project with Jon – more later
Stress is stressing me out – no time for hobbies – see note about not posting enough
I’ve been crazy moody lately from stress. I’m trying not to let it shut me down. The funniest bit is that the actual stressors aren’t so bad – it’s the fact that I’m having that stress that’s making me stress out even more. I’m talking heart palpitations. Does that even make sense? I went to the doctor; she said I need to have less stress (duh) and more fun. I’m indulging in hanging out in the Mission after ballet class on the weekends. LOVE the restaurant Herbivore. Have many more restaurants, boutiques and bookstores to try in coming weeks
America’s favorite Hallmark Holiday is coming up this Saturday. I’ve always had mixed feelings about it. Growing up I was very susceptible to advertising (as are most kids), and bought into the imagery from jewelry and flower commercials. My parents were there to remind me that one should share their love every day, not just when the calendar tells us to, and that loving someone doesn’t necessarily mean giving them presents.
I still want to believe in the meaning of this holiday, though, so my personal philosophy has come down to this: if you have someone special, spend time with them. Jon and I are going out to dinner. No gifts. If you don’t have a significant other, share the day with friends or family. There are more kinds of love than the romantic kind.
Finally, this video below started me thinking about things you can do to share your love with people you don’t know – people who could really use it. Enjoy.
The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
What I create will be just for you.
It’ll be done this year. (might be a little while)
You have no clue what it’s going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to repost. We can all make stuff!!
So disappointing
Rips the company apart
Layoffs are the worst
I still have a job, but a lot of people don’t after yesterday. Much beer was had, which quelled the high blood pressure, but it will be very depressing showing up to work on Monday with so many (awesomely talented and friendly) people gone.
