So life goes on

As you know, a friend of mine passed away in mid-November and since then all of us who knew him have been affected one way or another. With heavy hearts, we move on with our own lives.
Thanksgiving was just around the corner. I knew I could go to my friend's house and join in, but I wanted to have my own Thanksgiving for all the single people with no place else to go. The boyfriend went to Austin to see his dad - Mexicans don't celebrate our Thanksgiving, you know. For everyone who showed up, we had a blast- of course. We ate and drank, watched movies, played Go-Fish and Old Maid, had a coloring contest and decorated cookies, also a football game was on, but I don't know who paid any attention to that.
After Thanksgiving, I had a hard time getting back into the groove of school. With only a few more weeks left to finish my projects, I felt like everything was moving too fast now. I did, of course, get everything done. I presented my rebranded Subway Cafe and Jason's Deli items, presented my website designs, gave my speech in Oral Communications (and, for the final exam our professor sang the answers to the test to us!) and I also gave a presentation about my promotion kit for a non-profit. I got 3 A's and a B.
Now on to better news. I quit working as a cashier at JoAnn. The day I left my two week notice, everyone, and I mean everyone, was UPSET. "Why you want to leave us, Vicki?" and "We can give you more hours if you need more money." No thanks, I'm done standing 8 hours a day, it kills my back and my legs, I'm done arguing with people about coupons and taking the blame for things I can't control, I'm done answering the phone while checking someone and taking a coupon and looking up inventory and greeting people, calling for back up that never shows up and asking questions and answers over the radio all at the same time for only eight bucks an hour!
I found a nice little office job out at the DFW airport where I quietly work alone four hours a day, Monday through Friday from 8AM to noon. They are willing to work with my school schedule and I don't have to answer phones or even talk to anyone if I don't want to on any given day. I simply come in, and enter numbers from the bus drivers' passenger count sheets from 3 shifts into a database in the computer. I also file and verify information. Soon I'll be putting together packets for hiring drivers and other jobs available during a job fair. That's it! And they pay me ten dollars an hour for that and it's a guaranteed 20 hours a week. Sometimes it may be an hour longer on a certain day, but no less than 20 for sure. You all know I'm not a fan of mornings, but I am happy to get up and go to this job because I know I'm not going to drive home later upset and stressed out. Plus, when I get home, I have literally all day left to work on my projects, or read or whatever!
So, the shortage of my funds is coming to a close because I also got approved for food stamps short term. I can apply again in three months if I want or need to, but with my new job, I should be okay by then.

I photoshopped this, it's me "modeling" some Subway stuff I made

another shot of some of the rebranded Subway stuff

a diagram of a new sandwich bag for Jason's Deli I engineered and designed.
I made the little drawings, too!

a diagram of the soup cup wrap I made for Jason's Deli.

a mock up of my websites mobile look

a mock up of a website for fitness, I made up the name "Push It" and made the little logo for it too.
I designed the layout and the colors.

a magazine ad I made for my non-profit. I wrote
all the copy for it too.

In a day

Just about a month ago, I texted a friend to see if he wanted to go to the Klyde Warren Park with me and my friend Evelyn and little Zara. He said he had to work, but maybe later. So two days later I texted him about coming over to watch American Horror Story that we and a few others enjoy. He said he was sick so I didn't go over. I had to dog sit anyway. I figured he was going through his allergy stuff again and I'd see him in a few days. Well, in the next few days he sent out a picture of where he was from his hospital bed. I was a little concerned, but did not take the time to see him because I knew he'd be out soon. And he was, but when I asked if he wanted to go see a play with me, he said the meds he was on made him so exhausted. A few days later his mother sent a text to say he was in the hospital again.
That was last week.
I drove down to the hospital to see him after my shift on Monday. He died on Tuesday night. He had a cancer that caused complications to his treatment. It happened so fast, a lot of his friends out of state didn't even know he was sick. The worst part about all this, is that even though his parents were with him in the end, he still couldn't tell them he was gay. Even when he was dying, he didn't feel they would accept him.
I hope anyone reading this who has children would never let your child go through something like this. They are your children and you should love them no matter what. Your kids will always have a different opinion than you on some stuff, but that should not stop you from loving them.

Rest in Peace my beautiful friend.

Humans and lettuce

The Humans:

On Wednesday nights I have my Oral Communications class. My professor is a hoot and I think he's pretty good at explaining why we need to study how to communicate. If I'm able to give the right answers at an interview, then I'll be above the rest of the artists trying for the same job.

Here is a sample of the syllabus for this class and hilighted in yellow is why he cracks us up:

The Lettuce:

So, on Tuesdays I have class from 1-5 then again from 6-10. In between I stroll over to Which 'Wich and have a sandwich for dinner. This week, after eating a hot roast beef, I was picking lettuce from between my teeth - a usual thing - when my filling popped out. "Oh Jaysus, what the hell is going on?" I moved my tongue around and felt the hole in my very back left bottom molar. It didn't hurt and there was no sensitivity, so I thought, "Well, I guess I'll just find a dentist tomorrow and see about getting that put back together."

That was the plan. Here is what resulted. This tooth had a filling in it already on the top from when I was in the Air Force stationed at Wichita Falls. Then, a few years ago, another filling was put on the other side of the tooth in Maryland. This is the filling that popped out. It was never put in properly in the first place so the whole tooth is in decay. So my new dentist is putting on a crown and it's fourteen hundred bucks because I don't have insurance. Luckily I have a Discover credit card I can use so I called my parents because they are cosigners on the card. I told my mother what was going on and she's like "Whaaaatt?? why is it so much?" I told her "That's just how much things cost these days. It's not 1985. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know in case you see the statement you'll know I haven't been out renting limousines and hookers." Then she said, "Well, what you do is your business, just as long as you paying off the card like you said you would and not screwing up our credit."

These are the people that raised me. How great are they? 

And now I want to eat, but the whole left side of my face is still numb.