too much sadness

This week has been a bit rough.
First of all, another really good person in my life has left this Earth, my friend Trish. She had a brain cancer and couldn't be treated. When she went through chemo and lost all her hair, her very best friends who are closest to her, shaved their heads too so she wouldn't be alone. She was my age and I don't understand how someone so wonderful had to die. She had just gotten married a few months ago to a man she'd known her whole life. I feel bad for him, losing someone so soon in such a horrible way.

My first week of school has felt like a mad race. I have a Monday afternoon class, so I get up at 6:30 for work, leave work at noon, eat a sandwich on the drive to school, class at 1-5 then home to do homework. I have an online class in Psychology, which an assignment was due that first day! I came home at 5, opened my online class and noticed I had until midnight to submit a paper already. WTF? Then had until Wednesday to read the chapters and submit another paper, also to review and critique two other students work on both assignments. I still have another assignment due by Sunday night. I don't like this online class business. I like to be able to go to class, do it and that's it, none of this string it out over the week crap. Well, good thing is it's only 5 weeks which is good because then I will have time to spend on my Portfolio class. OMG I have soooooo much work in that class. On the first day I had to show up with work. This is why I spent my Christmas vacation doing 2 years worth of work in the 3 weeks (if you are not aware, I lost all my digital files from the first 2 years of my schoolwork). I was nervous about bringing in these things. My critique wasn't that bad though. The teacher either loved it ( put a star) , approved it (a check mark) or put a big X on it because it was no good. I didn't get any stars, but I didn't get any X's either. I got 3 check marks and the rest had minor changes to make. So I have to redo all that plus 2 more projects are due next week! And I have to write a resume. And I have to finish making business forms for another class. And I have chapters to read for another class in addition to the Psychology homework. Let's see what else, what else can I pile on?

A good thing that happened this week is that my bosses took me out to lunch on Wednesday and I'm going to the rodeo parade with my friend Marci on Saturday over in Fort Worth, so that should be fun.
Now it's 2 a.m. and I can't sleep because I'm up thinking about the projects I need to do.

Betty, me and Trish at a play --- goodnight my beautiful friend
I will miss your cute smile.

in this new year

"So how was your Christmas break?" is gonna be the most popular question when I get back to school on Monday. So, let me just tell you now:
It was just ok. I stayed in Dallas, spent Christmas day with my boyfriend and New Years day in the hospital with him. He's fine now, but I dread that emergency room bill! I'm glad I don't have to pay it, and since he's not a legal citizen, what will stop him from not paying it either? He'll probably pay it like he did his Tollway ticket since he's not interested in getting deported. I finally got my new washer and dryer in my apartment. I've been doing my laundry at my friend Marci's apartment because the office kept saying they didn't have a unit I could use. I think they are liars. I also worked on my projects for school since my digital files all got lost or erased. I think I've come up with some good stuff. I need to finish my logos and make a brochure and an event poster, but I have everything else done. Yay me!
I was part of a Secret Santa gift exchange and gave a really cool gift to a guy I had only met once: a venus fly trap plant. He loved it. I got John Wayne movies and a snack basket and Star Wars mugs from my Secret Santa, Trish. I love them!
As you know I have a new job and I love that too! My bosses are really good and understand that school is first for me. This Thursday coming up I am going to be helping out at a job fair out by the airport. My boss came up to my desk this morning while I was filing and asked if I could stay late on Friday. I said, "Sure, I don't have class or anything, so it's okay." She said great, then I said, "What's Friday?" She told me that since I've been there for 3 weeks, they want to take me out to lunch. Next Friday I will actually will have been there for a month already. How great are these people?  Also, whenever the the bus drivers go for 30 days without and accident or incident, we get a catered lunch. So, the first week I worked there, we had Chipotle and today we had Chicken Express.
Today I went to pick up my schedule for classes next week. I am taking one online class which I'm a little nervous about. It's for Psychology and I was told it's a lot of reading and paper writing. When I entered the building on the fourth floor, I saw some of my projects in the display case! I was so excited to see something I made on display.( read about the concerns I'd been having) I immediately took pictures and texted my classmates Camille and Emily who were part of the teams to make them. They're excited too!
I'm happy I finally made something cool. Now I don't have to be jealous of my friend Nick, who has had things in the display cases already.

on the Jason's Deli, I was the assistant and created all
the artwork and packaging (my art director, Camille, was the
assistant on the Little Ceasars pizza, so she did all the artwork
on that stuff.)

on the Subway Cafe stuff, I was the Art Director and
came up with the idea to "upbrand" Subway by changing
the packaging to eco-friendly biodegradable and recyclable
materials…also I changed the logo and had the idea
to make an employee apron and special water bottle.
my assistant (my classmate, Emily) actually made the artwork,
I just told her what to make and how I wanted it.

Now, enjoy these things I have created using my programs (these are some of the things I'm taking to my portfolio prep class - these are all digital, I didn't actually "make" anything physical, and I used Photoshop, my nemesis as well as Illustrator to design them)

personal identity package: bohemian girl studio

Ninth Pluto
my idea for a Space Travel Agency. I'm going
to use this to make an event poster and brochure too.

Yans Kitchen
Good Chinese-American Food

Fred contemplates on some news I gave him….