Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Sorry for the Silence

Now that I have time to blog, I never get around to it. It is this summertime malaise I seem to have developed.

I got my first photo assignment from Volume One - covering Sawdust City Days over the weekend. Basically a giant carnival with a beer tent and has-been 80's bands headlining the nighttime entertainment stage. But the carnival is what matters. I was really nervous about going out and shooting. I didn't know how many shots they would want and I was afraid that I was going to horribly screw up. In short, I was being incredibly stupid. You know those voices in your head that tell you you're going to screw up? They are pretty powerful. And loud. The happy ending is that I got out to the fair and took some shots that I'm really happy with. Below are two of my favorites:




I got a job. I'm working at Sharp again. "But Mary!" you say, "Didn't you vow never to work there again?" Sometimes you go out and drink with your old coworkers and they convince you to come back. You miss the camaraderie, the hi-jinks, the crazy ass pictures, and the smell of photo chemistry. Mostly you just need a job because Macy's and Best Buy never got back to you. (But its not like you're too upset about that.)

Also on my plate are preparations for the big family garage sale. Its this weekend. I WANT TO KILL MYSELF. I just want it to be over already and it won't be until Sunday. My Dad's knees are bad (he's getting surgery again on my birthday next month, woohoo!) so I make many trips up and down the stairs, dragging things out to the garage. (We have an entire wall in the basement of boxes full of Christmas decorations. Yikes!) My Mom has asthma so I get to make even more trips up and down the stairs. I don't mind going up and down the stairs too much, it's nice exersise, but what I do mind is when they both want my help at the same time. There is only one of me! One! My brother was so smart to move four hours away. The upside of this is that I will be making some nice cash because I think need one of these. You know, to do edit pictures faster on. Because Photoshop CS3 will look so much prettier on it.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Just give me a job, ok?

My "interview" at Macy's was a complete waste of time. I got all dressed up - I even put on make-up - for nothing. What Macy's calls an "interview" is actually the process of filling out another application and then two "assessments". So I sat in the Human Resources office in my business clothes, taking a stupid test asking me what I would do in hypothetical situations. Grrrrrrrr. At least Best Buy had the decency to do that to me online rather than in person. I will be hearing about a "second interview" later this week. Goody! I can't wait! At least tomorrow I get to go to Volume One and talk about how awesome I am at taking pictures.

And I really need my Dad to not come home drunkish from charity golf events and tell me that my normal evening activity of watching Discovery Health Channel and knitting is not helping my Mom get ready for a thrift sale they've been planning. "Does Mom need help right now?" Of course she didn't. Go put your drunk self to bed.

And we are moving this summer for reals. I can't fucking wait.

Friday, June 01, 2007

So I don't have a lot to report or say for that matter. I haven't done...anything. My parents got to Rochester Thursday afternoon and we were back in America's Dairyland Saturday afternoon. Its been nice being home and relaxing, but a week of this business is about all I can take. Time to do stuff.

I went over to my old middle school today to help out a teacher friend of my mom's. It was...surreal being back there. Absolutely nothing has changed. Not even the ghastly display in the main entrance of stuffed birds. (We were the Falcons.) My mom's friend needed advice on how to present this kid's photography work that she works with. I guess she wanted a "real" photographer to talk to the kid, which was gratifying. His stuff wasn't bad for a 7th grader. He's doing exactly the same things I did when I started taking pictures (at his age! Gawd, I'm old) walking around downtown (lots of rundown buildings and interesting architecture) and experimenting. Sigh..youth is wasted on the young.

My parents are trying to sell the house. My Dad has a new job, he'll be teaching finance at the university but he'll also be making less. My parents are getting older and feebler, so its hard for them to keep the house maintained. It's also just too much house for them. My brother is officially on his own and I'm not home hardly ever, so it makes sense for them to move into a smaller place. Back to the house selling. We had a showing today, which involved a frantic cleaning of the house and a final dramatic whisk out the door with the cat wrapped in a blanket. My mom and I drove around town with kitty chilling in the backseat. In my experience, Smokey becomes a wildthing when she is brought anywhere near the car - she rightly thinks she's going to the Vet. But this experience was a lot different, she was way more calm for one. She even knew to hop up onto the seat when we pulled into the garage. Such a good girl.

My mom and I also looked at a gym that we are probably going to join. I've gained weight from my screwy hormones and taking an heavy-duty anti anxiety medication last fall and I've been having trouble taking the weight off. I became very conscious of my diet this spring and I think that helped but I couldn't get to the gym as often as I wanted to. This way, Mom and I can motivate each other. A regular excersise routine will be especially beneficial for my mom in the lung capacity department. Her doctor's have her on meds for COPD. Awesome, it's like she has emphysema but not.

Next week things get busy. I've got a job interview with Macy's on Monday (!!!) and then I'm meeting with Volume One to get started on my assignments. Sweet. Plus a baby shower to look forward to next weekend.