Gnumoon's Stuff

"Have blog, will travel", reads the card of a man...

Hey guys...I need some help! I'm currently waist-deep in my research project for my Master's Degree, and I've chosen to do the project about creative professionals who network via blogging.

If you happen to be both a creative pro AND a blogger, could you please jaunt over here and fill out my little survey? I'm defining "creative professional" as photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, and writers for the purposes of the study. I'm searching your blogrolls for other pros as well, but if you know someone who qualifies, please direct them to the survey as well.

Thanks! If you think of other things I need to be asking, drop an email and let me know.

Report from the new job

4 days in the new job- so far, so good.

It's such a different environment than I'm used to- creative people sharing stories and ideas all day as opposed to overworked, miserable people trying not to get yelled at. Of course, I've only done one project so far, and it was a quick -n- easy Photoshop job, so the newness *may* wear off when I get some harder work. But that's good- I need to be challenged.

I'm surrounded here by people who are absolute experts in their specialized fields. That's very new for me- I'm used to not only being the biggest fish in my pond, but the ONLY fish in my pond. It's made me a little bit timid, because yes, I'm a good photographer, but I'm not a quarter of the shooter the guy here is, and I'm good with Illustrator, but I'm not on quite the same level as the expert here. Because they're all very specific, while I've been the jack-of-all-graphics-trades for years now at my old job. I guess it's just a matter of figuring out where I fit- figuring out what I bring to the table.

Anyway, sorry I've neglected the blog. Tis been a crazy week- I'm very much looking forward to much turkey and sleeping on Thursday. I lack the energy to even be witty right now- how sad is that?!

OK, one little amusing bit: I made up a joke in my sleep the other night. Then I woke up, thought of it, laughed to myself, and went back to sleep. So without further ado, here is my terrible slumber joke:
Q: Where do tuna in the Southwest live?
A: Albacoreque

Clear head, new life ahead

10:37 p.m.
SO here it is. My last few moments here in this job that has consumed me for so long. (The moments should have been much earlier today, but I had some unforeseen computer back-up problems)

Not much left to do, not many loose ends left to tie up. I have to lock my office door and load six years of my working life into my car. It’s a bittersweet experience, to be sure.

My friends here are sad, the people who think I’m the resident arty weirdo aren’t saying much, and my husband keeps mentioning how odd it will be to walk by and see my empty office tomorrow.

The plundering of my things has begun already- it’s the business-world equivalent to how lions will begin to feast on the glistening entrails of a downed wildebeest before she bleats her last. Today, no less than four people casually “dropped in” to see if certain pieces of equipment or furniture were spoken for, and many were saddened to learn that some of the cooler toys actually belonged to me originally and will be leaving with me. I’m just waiting for the bitching to begin after I deauthorize this computer and wipe out my iTunes library…it will be classic.

17 minutes until the complete system backup onto my external HD is complete. Then it is goodnight, my sweet G5 prince. How I’ve loved you all this time. I promise it won’t hurt much when I wipe your brain clear.

Then it’s done. I close up and leave.

I feel like Tender Branson, speaking his last words into the flight recorder:
There’s so many things I want to change but can’t.
It’s all done. It’s all just a story now.
Here’s the life and death of Tender Branson, and I can just walk away from it.
And the sky is blue and righteous in every direction.
The sun is total and burning and just right there, and today is a beautiful day.
Testing, testing, one, two—

Also…I’ve been waiting 6 years to be able to say this in public, and now I can:
I utterly loathe women’s basketball.

Thanks guys

<sappy post>

I just wanted to say thanks for all the well wishes and advice, on all my impending life changes.

Also, I want to give as solemn a promise as I can that this will NOT become a "mommy blog," because I really can't stand those. (You know the kind, with the kiddie colors background and purple Comic Sans font: "OMG, my baby ate a green boogie today, it was soooooooo kewt!")
I probably will relate plenty of "Weird things my body is doing" stories, but I'll be sure to give fair warning if the story is overly grody.

And I'll try not to seem overly bitter about the whole job thing. I'm getting into a good situation, and I managed  a positive exit from my job, but the truth is that there is just a lot more to it than that. I can't promise to never say anything about the situation, but I'll try to keep the pissing and moaning to a minimum. The way I see it, I escaped with my sanity and dignity, and I should be thrilled for that.

Anyway, thanks for the support. It means a lot to me!

</sappy post>

Bookish

Robby Rob over at Popcorn Dreams tagged me with this book meme...

1) One book that changed your life:
The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis (OK, it's technically three books, so I'll choose Perelandra as my favorite).
Honorable mention: A Wind in the Door, by Madeline L'Engle

2) One book that you read more than once:
The Stand, by Stephen King
I first read this in the 5th grade, while I was home with the flu. Bad idea, perhaps, but I was fascinated by it and have probably read it over 8 times.
Honorable Mention: Bunnicula, by James Howe

3) One book you’d want on a deserted island:
Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien

4) One book that made you laugh:
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
This one makes me laugh out loud, frequently.
Honorable mentions: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Handling Sin by Michael Malone.

5) One book that made you cry:
The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, book VII)
If you've read the whole series, then you know what part it was. I put the book down in my lap and sobbed. I later spoke with two other people who did the same.

6) One book you wish you’d written:
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman

7) One book you wish had never been written:
Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep, by Jack Prelutsky
This book scared the hell out of me in elementary school. I wonder if it still would?

8 ) One book you’re currently reading:
World War Z: Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks

9) One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Lisey's Story, by Stephen King...
although I got really burned on Cell. I hope this one is better.

It's amazing...

It's amazing how much realer quitting your job feels at the precise moment you dump all your business cards into the recycling bin.

(note: Obviously, this is not my actual business card, but it is made from a business card template I created. Yay for templates.)

More gnews to report...

Thanks all for your fun comments about my big gnews. (And Brent, "FJ" stands simply for "fetus jackson," which would make an interesting name. We have no "real" names chosen, and all the ones that have been suggested are of the uber-silly variety, like "Chauncey" and "Tito.") It's fair to say that I'm completely overwhelmed, and sometimes deal by just not thinking about it. I suspect this will become more difficult to do the more and more I resemble a grazing hippo.

And, because I can't have just one major life event going on, here's another: I finally quit my job.

Seriously, after months of thinking, complaining, whining, being pathetically emo, and being miserable, I quit. I'm joining another division of campus, to be part of a design team. Technically the position is Artist/Illustrator, so we'll see what all that entails on Nov. 16th, my first day. (My last day in athletics is Nov. 15. Quick turnaround, no?)

I have high hopes for the new job, because they seem to really want me to work with them. From what I can tell, they respect my work and are excited to see what I can add to their team. This "being appreciated" thing...that's not something I've ever run across in my current job, and you know what? It feels pretty damn good.

Of course, it wasn't an easy decision to make. For one thing, when I APPLIED for the job, I didn't know I was actually a "we", and found out in the interim, and then had to TELL the prospective employers... "Oh yeah, one other teeny little thing..."  (They seemed okay with it. I guess they never had a boss who would plan her pregnancies around the busiest times of the year so she didn't have to work. Oh right, that was MY boss.)

And, despite all the hell I've been through at the current place of employment, it was hard to leave because I've been there forever. It's odd that I have such an attachment to the joint, since the last year or so has been so grueling and degrading. But I guess you just get used to things, good or bad, and learn to live with them. Hmm...I may explore this further later, when zee teensy fetus isn't demanding that I sleep.

So, to wrap-up: new addition, new job, perhaps getting a new car next week. Perhaps I fear change, so I cram it all into the same timeframe so I can deal with it.

So...this should be interesting.

OK, it's news time. I've been neglecting this blog for the past month or so because I'm 1) mega-busy and 2) asleep most of the time. The reason for #1 is, as always, work work work.

The reason for #2 is this.

So......yeah. How about that?