on with the Olympics

I was starting to get a little worried, and hungry, because I hadn't received my school money yet. I'd been trying to salvage my groceries and make do with my leftovers ideas, but it drives me crazy not to have any money! When I say no money, I don't mean enough to go out and buy a new Porche, I mean enough so that if I want a taco on a Tuesday night, I can get one and won't have to worry about my bank account being overdrawn.
But, I checked my account this morning and, like magic, there was the money! Yay. So this morning I'm off to replenish my empty refrigerator, potato bin and my cabinet-sized pantry. Wheww!

In my graphic symbolism class, we had to design some directional signs that could be used at the Olympics. I felt like mine were just okay. I did learn a new technique in Illustrator and used that in my design. Some of my classmates I felt really knocked it out of the park and had some neat ideas. I worry about this because these are the people I'll eventually be competing with for jobs!
My critique was pretty constructive. I was the only one who didn't use a figure as the main part but instead used just the sporting equipment.

Overall my instructor liked them and so did the class.
Yay me!

Our new assignment is to develop two rebuses (rebi? rebus'?) and one pictogram.
Here's one of my rebuses so far. What do you think and can you tell what it says?

I will give you one hint: my donut didn't transfer well,
 it was supposed to be solid brown, not ruffly like it is.

the answer is "Don't you forget about me"

...rollin', rollin' down the ribbah....

It's the second week of school and I just keep rollin'.
  The tempo of Ike and Tina's version of Proud Mary is how I feel about the way things are going in school this quarter. It starts out slow, then after about a minute, they break it down and it really rocks, then comes to a big finale!

I have a Package Design class which is lots of work. A friend of mine who had this class before said, "Oh my god, I feel sorry for you, you're gonna die."

 I think he just felt like dying because this isn't his thing and he's only 20. I've waited a long time to go to school and figure out what I want to be when I grew up and I like school and homework.
I know it's a lot of work, I mean more than you'd think and more than I've had for other classes, but I'm having fun with it. This class is the reason I changed my major from plain ole Graphic Designer to Advertising Design.

I was in the store one day when I first moved to Dallas and I stood in the middle of the noodles and sauce aisle looking around at the boxes and jars. I spotted one box in particular that was boring and plain and thought, "Huh, someone got paid, actually got paid to design this box of noodles and it totally sucks. I bet I could do better." And that was that. At the beginning of the second quarter of school I went to my advisor and said, "I want to be in Advertising. I think I got some good ideas and I think I can do it."
Stamp, scribble, signature, done and done.

So, now in this Package Design class, my teacher is very organized, which I appreciate, and moves in the steps of the process. So week one in this class we had to research some products and decide what we would package and also find fonts to use and sketch ideas for a logo and answer a bunch of questions concerning our product.

I narrowed my products down to three: pasta - I thought I could use a Pringles can and repurpose it; soap - I thought it would be cool to package scented bar soap in paper that is imbedded with flower seeds you could throw out into your yard; and sewing tools and supplies - I thought it would be neat to package a repair kit in something that looks like a matchbook and put tools like scissors and stuff in a box like a slide out match box.

So which one do you think I picked? We had to present our ideas in class, so tune in next time to see my progress!!

my desk/workspace...I got a lot going on.

My phone is now smarter than I....

It's true. I did it. I went and got me one of those new phones, a smart one, too.

I wish I looked this sexy with my new phone, but I look more like this:

I didn't get one for a long time because I didn't think I could afford the data plan. I'm single and wouldn't be part of a friends and family plan like most people I know with a smart phone. But on Monday, my friend Sergio texted me and asked me what I was going to do that day. I told hime "Get a new phone." I was just tired of not knowing what the hell everyone else was talking about, so I got in my car and went to Verizon to see what they could do for me. Since I've been a customer with the for about 7 years or so, they put me on a loyalty plan and I'll be paying the same as I was with my old basic phone. Also, they gave me $50 for turning in my old phone and a $50 rebate I still need to mail in. There was no sign-up fee since I'm already a customer. So basically I didn't pay anything for my phone and with the rebate, the accessories I got (a case, screen protector and charging cord) are also free. My first bill will be in March, so I guess we'll see if the sales guy knew what he was talking about.

So, after I got my new phone, I met some friends over at Starbucks and they attacked my phone all at once, swiping the screens and clicking on things. Before I knew it, I was signed up for Snapchat, Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Luckily, they showed me how to use all those apps and also how to use the rest of my phone. 

Since then, I've added an app for my bank, a yoga for beginners, Instagram, books, a few stores for coupons, and Pinterest. 

So if you want to follow me on the Pinterest or Instagram, I'm: bohemiangirl72 and on Snapchat, I'm just_vicki

And the hits just keep on comin'

In my Thursday classes, I happen to have the same teacher. He's a good instructor and goes really fast, so we will be doing a lot in both classes.

One class is for Packaging Design, which there is a lot more to designing a packaging than you'd think;  and the other is Graphic Symbolism, which is learning about logos and symbolic images and how to apply them with typography. In both classes there is a shit ton of homework to do. I got most of it done, but I will need to be in school most of the day Wednesday (my day off) to finish everything to turn in so I don't get behind.

In the Graphic Symbolism class, we had to make a Visual Thesaurus. Some of the words I chose are: gaudy, extirpate, taboo, jingle and 8 more. Here is an example of two of the words I finished for the book:

we have free artistic reign of whatever design we want to make the book.
I'm not happy with mine. It sucks. maybe I should make all the pics look
like a polaroid?

I was not too excited to go to school today because I have a Photoshop II class on Friday, which, for those of you who do not know, I HATE PHOTOSHOP.

However, my friend, Nick is in my class, so I'm happy about that.

I understand the benefits and am amazed at the effects you can do with Photoshop, but that shit is so intricate and so full of steps to get from A to Z, it drives me out of my mind.

We had a refresher today from what we learned in Photoshop I, which for me was about 6 months ago since I've touched it. As long as someone is sitting with me to help me, I'm fine. We had a poster to do for homework based on our refresher stuff and it took me almost 2 hours! Something that should have taken at most 20 minutes.

Here is my result:

I recolored the blue skier and put a bear face on her; merged three
different mountain photos; added the people with the bear;
did the text; and made an effect with the Olympic rings
in the back and added a blue cloudy sky.

And now that Photoshop class is over, I must drink.

Cheers!

a tiny obsession talks about me!

I have friends that blog as well and I read their blogs. A list of them is at the bottom of this page....aaaallllllll the way down at the very bottom there.

 I enjoy the poetry on "Raindrops",  occasionally listening to a podcast from my friend, Al, and most recently I learned a girl at school has a blog, too.

I don't quite remember how we met since she's a fashion design student and we don't have any classes together. Probably one of us just started talking while we were in the elevator, in the hall or in the student lounge.

I found out Tuesday that she had been reading my blog because she ran up to me and hugged me and said "You're the devil in disguise!"

She's an interesting person and you should take a look at her "Tiny Obsession".

Odds and Ends

Just a few pics to see:

my dad takin' it easy in the back seat on our way around the mountain

me sneaking a pic of my mom driving

Mr. Appleseed at the orchid

a beautiful mural inside the House Mountain Inn near Lexington, VA

some weird house we came across finding our way back down the mountain

me helping the snowmen take down the robot at the town's recycling place

yep, this is where my parents live

this is what's going on in my apartment currently

and here is a shot of my front door, complete with directional signs

the challenge picture I drew!

Yay! School!

At the end of the quarter (my school's version of a semester, only shorter), we all get antsy about getting our projects done and getting a break! But, when it's time for school to start again, I get excited. I love school. The whole thing about it: classes, teachers, projects, homework, classmates, hanging out in the student lounge and even the building itself.

me leaving my apartment to go to school today

Today was my first class: Art History I with a lady called Mrs. Uhlmeyer. She's a short, sassy, smart, ego-driven old gal who will shoot you with her Nerf gun if you start acting up.
I like her.
I read the syllabus for the class this morning before I head out to school. It's a lot of info and when she explained everything in class, it's even more to digest than I originally thought. There's gonna be a considerable amount of work to do, research and write. I feel confident that I can do the work, there's just A LOT of it! She's the kind of teacher that wants to stress critical thinking.
After the slides and lecture today on Paleolithic and Mesolithic eras, the teacher started talking about part of our homework she calls a workshop and passed out a piece of manilla colored paper. She then said, "Any question?" I looked at my friend Eugenia next to me (she's also an older student) and we both asked, "what exactly are we supposed to do with this?"
Mrs. Uhlmeyer explained everything then said, "I never get anyone to ask questions." to which my friend said, "We're old, we know to ask questions."

I was happy to see my classmates again that I hadn't seen over Christmas break. I'm a part of a group on Facebook called Artsy Farts. It's just a bunch of us students and some friends who post inspiration and some stuff we're working on or created. I started a game on it though. (oh, like you're surprised at this? You know I love games!) It's a challenge game. You first tag someone to draw or create something you've requested then that person posts it and tags the next person and request. It's been doing pretty well for about a week now and it's come back to me: I'm supposed to draw a cow fighting a dragon and I have until Friday to post it!

I'll try to post the finished pic here, too!
For now, I've got homework and a picture to draw, so later taters.

Back from the land of Moonshine and Collard Greens

Back in September, after I'd finished crying over asking my parents to co-sign a student loan and Discover credit card for me, my mother called me up one day and said to buy a plane ticket and they'd send me the money for it.

How did I end up with such great parents? I'd already asked them to help me with money issues and now they wanted to spend more money on me. They wanted me to come home for Christmas, which I hadn't done for a long time and I had not seen my parents since moving to Dallas to go to school in the first place. My emotions were all over the place. Happy to see my family again, but upset that I still needed help from my mom and dad.

As the season grew closer, I did get more excited to go back East again. I knew I'd be visiting my sister, too, who lives on the coast of Virginia near Langly Air Force Base. Even if we didn't go to the beach, the smell of the ocean would be in the air, which I love and miss.
My friend, Jerrad dropped me off at Dallas-Ft.Worth airport at about 5:30 IN THE MORNING. Yes, I was up and running around in the morning! But it was for a good reason because when I arrived in Roanoke, Virginia and saw my mom and dad waiting for me, I could feel a wash of relief left behind.
When we got to the house, they said, "We goin' to a winery tomorrow. You'll like it, anyway, we're gettin' low on wine." I saw the stash of about 20 full wine bottles and thought, "huh? I guess that's getting low?"

Off to Peaks of Otter Winery in the Blue Ridge Mountains we went.  Compared to the forestry on the east coast, the trees back in Dallas look like shrubs. I have missed trees without even knowing it.

low clouds around the Blue Ridge Mountains

goofing off at the orchid/winery

After a winding drive on the road around the mountains, we arrived. Inside was a renovated barn with the wood plank floors still intact. We set out to taste all the wine on the menu. Danny, one of the owners (an old moonshiner, he said) poured for us. He told us if we didn't like it or just wanted to toss out the last sip to throw it on the floor so they could continue to "season" it. So I did with the Mojo wine I got; it was too minty for me. We tasted some good flavors. My favorites were the Vino Cafe, which is a white apple wine that is infused with coffee beans and tastes just like it sounds: coffee flavored wine. I also liked the Truffle which tastes like a Tootsie Roll.
We got down to the bottom of the list where two wines called Chili Dawg and Kiss the Devil set. They are infused with a variety of hot peppers and I was anxious to try them. My dad tried the lighter of the two last time they were there, but I wasn't afraid. For the Chili Dawg wine, Danny put a line of squeeze-cheese on my hand and said, "Now, ya taste the cheese then ya drank the wine and you got yo'self a chili dawg." So I did ... and I did! These people are great with experimenting and inventing new wines and great ways to drink wine! The last wine on the list, I was given a sticker to put on my coat collar which said "I kissed the devil at Peaks of Otter Winery." I asked what that was for and our host said "It's so the doctor know what wrong wit' ya if ya got to get to the hospital." I looked at my mom and dad and my mom said, "Go for it!" Of course she would be there to egg me on, she's always the one to say "just try it" to about anything. So I took my swig of this apple wine infused with five types of peppers which included habanero and Thai chili. At first, I could feel the buds on my tongue dancing around like trying to cross the street barefoot on a July afternoon, then it settled a bit as my stomach got warm. "That's actually quite delightful. I can definitely taste the hotness, but it's not as bad as a New Orleans 5 Alarm chili." My host gave me a sip of strawberry wine to chase it down anyway.

me and the devil, we're friends now

We left with lots of wine, some jars of jam and a hot tongue.
Back at home, my mother decided to make collard greens, which of course I love, and my dad was talking about the moonshine they had. My head was still fuzzy from the wine sampling, so of course I said I wanted the moonshine. We poured a shot of blueberry 'shine and I ate one of the blueberries that was in the jar, which was not the best decision I had made all day. It felt like a shot to the chest, but I like to thing I held my composure and continued to breathe,  but by the way my mother was laughing, I probably looked more like a flopping fish reaching for sanctuary.
The rest of my visit was pretty tame. We celebrated Christmas with a shot of honey whiskey and two days later drove to my sisters house, who also had moonshine. I didn't feel the need to drink that, but I did eat some of the pumpkin cheesecake she made. We also had a Girls Day where we went shopping and ate at Olive Garden.

a hat I need someone to crochet or knit for me!

I also got to visit my friend, Jeff. He "kidnapped" me from lunch one day and we ran off to see "The Hobbit".

mom and dad on the porch at House Mountain Inn
which overlooks Lexington, Va.

me a the bottom of the stairs

When we got back to my parents' house in the mountains, I felt a little want to return to Dallas. I don't know why, maybe I missed my friends there. However, the day before I was to leave, I then felt that I didn't want to. That feeling I knew why: I didn't want to come back to responsibility and bills and cooking for  myself.
Blah! Being a grown-up sucks.

The most popular question of 2013

Guess what my most popular question of the year was?

Go ahead, I'll wait....
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.
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Ok, I'll tell you: "How do you like your new place?"

As you know, I moved out of my friend's house in April into my very own, all alone, by myself apartment, which I liked at first, but later loathed more than my mothers dinner of liver and onions. If you missed it, you should read my last blog about my last days in that apartment.

So, just before Thanksgiving, with the help of a few friends that live close, I moved into a new apartment in the same complex. It still squeaks, but in just two places in the living room and not nearly as much, as loud or as annoying as the other place. I think this is because my new upstairs neighbor is a single lady who seems more considerate of people living beneath her floor. I do hear her walking around on occasion, but she doesn't stomp and she doesn't wrestle hippos and she doesn't listen to her shows and movies at ridiculous volumes. Even when she has people over, I'm still not annoyed!

When the power went out due to the ice storm in early December, I went up to ask the chick above me about the electricity and she said "yep, out here too, but I built a fire so if you get too cold come on up."
She came to my door one day to say she was going out of town for Christmas and I said "Me too! Have a good trip." She looked at me sort of puzzled at first, but I think it was mostly because I had a turkey on my head.

I introduced myself to my other two new neighbors one at at time. One upstairs neighbor, who has a little son, I met while I was laying on the sidewalk taking pictures of my suitcases (an assignment for that Digital Photography class). She looked at me and smiled when I rolled over and said, "Oh, hi! I'm Vicki, your new weird neighbor."
The guys that live across the sidewalk from me don't speak English, only Spanish. They are hardly home, but no complaints about them when they are home.


The lady that lived here before me had a dog that I think never went outside to relieve himself. My living room still has a faint smell of dog pee that I catch a whiff of every now and then, and wet dog smell still lingers in my bedroom. I figure that will take a while to get rid of. One of my new neighbors suggested spraying ammonia on the carpet. I haven't done that yet, I just got some incense to permeate the carpet for now. Also, my refrigerator smelled like a huge rotten onion, which made my ice stink. I mean, who wants to drink rum and coke with stinky onion ice? I cleaned it out with hot water and baking soda and then unplugged it while I was gone for Christmas. No more stinky ice!

Anywho, no feelings of wanting to stab anyone in the face, so that's a good thing, right?