Keeping the dream alive [well...]

This past Labor Day weekend isn't exactly what I would have called the most ideal way to brush our summer freckles away, but I'll take it because it is unlikely that I could have spent it with a better companion. We learned, once again, when it rains, it pours. After a car towed, a flooded house, a counterpart's broken hand, a serious longing for candy, and four full trash bags later-here I am. None really need explaining except perhaps the heap of garbage bags that now sit complacently in my car. I guess this perfect Chicago Autumn weather this past Monday gave me the Spring cleaning kick and I tackled my closet. As mentioned previously in some other post [obviously you're an avid reader and nearly have my posts memorized...] Fall is the one season that I actually shop for or get inspired just by the weather. I love going to Goodwill to pick out a few sweaters. In anticipation for that, I thought it would likely be reasonable for me to take a few things there because my closet always has a few unnecessary items. Needless to say, I didn't really expect to be getting rid of SO MANY clothes. The worst part about it is that I just went through my clothes just over a year ago, but I find that sometimes it takes a few closet clean-outs before you let yourself throw away certain items. So here is the final result;

I share a closet with my counterpart. This is my half.

We kind of converted his old bedroom/closet/spare room into one massive walk way so it's all connected.

This organizer pretty much runs the length of the room. It's terribly convenient. Ikea ;)

The motivation to write has been scarce. My motivation to do much is scarce...but rest assured! I am indeed getting things done, i.e. lots of paper & yarn flowers. In case you haven't heard [you probably haven't] I'm barely working these days. Which can be great for things like crafts, long walks, and quality time with my cat. It can be bad for things like; bills, food, and my general well being. However, my house is constantly clean, laundry never piles up, and I have my Saturdays back. Don't worry, this whole paragraph will be just chocked full of comparative measure, but my intentions are good. It just feels nice to have so much time to do all the things that I've been wanting to do but haven't had the time to do because I was working at the prime "get things done" hours.

One of the primary reasons that I find it so hard to snag another part time gig is because of the huge amount of talk going on in this household revolving around a move to Portland, OR. I fear finding a part time job that I end up falling in love with and progressing rather quickly into something more stable and finding it that much harder to detach myself from when it comes time to move. There's a lot more that goes into the reasons why I do not even want to tamper with deplorable search to find a job; I sort of like my soul and it's such a shame when it gets sucked out of me and if you possess a job it's bound to happen.

...but after watching this video, it seems like it would be pretty easy to detach yourself from anything to keep the dreams alive!

{We are pretty into Portlandia in this house and we wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm so glad it's renewed. Back on IFC in January. YAY! It only adds to the excitement/motivation.}

I feel like I can't be picky when it comes to choosing a job, but I am. There are some things that I just cannot see myself doing, and the whole process is just damn depressing. Everything I want to do I'm extremely unqualified for, but dudes! Doesn't On-The-Job experience count for anything these days? Oh you bet it does. Especially with the decline of available/qualified workers for highly technical positions in this country; a few examples here [1], [2]. Ha! I cannot help but laugh when I see that the latter was written in 1989, proving that this has been a pressing problem from 20+ years, yet the education just continues to dwindle down as the funding gets taken away. Companies are starting to take people and train them as they go along because that is the best place for them to learn; schools aren't teaching it. To me, books can never give you anything near a real life experience anyway. It is like my meteorology teacher always said: "You're reading a book on how to ride a bike. It's useless." which is not the most motivating thing one can hear, but he was absolutely right. Anywho; here's how jobs are looking.


With Fall brings; good shows, spooktacular weather, trying to out-carve my pumpkin from last year, amazing seasonal eats, and it of course starts the countdown for me dressing up as Rachel Maddow for Halloween this year. The only problem I may encounter is something with that wig, which would ultimately be the end of that idea. Hopefully the search won't be as irritating as I'm expecting it to be. Overall, this season always has good things in store. It makes me realize how much I find other seasons to be completely useless.

So yeah, I wasn't yanking your chains when I told you I was getting downright crafty. Here's one of my favourite things I made from the weekend;

The Crayon Meltdown

In music news, I am so happy that PJ Harvey took home her second Mercury Prize-the first artist ever to do so. Her album 'Let England Shake' came out earlier this year and I fell in love with it right away. I'm glad to see it got the recognition it deserved. I also have to admit I am SO glad that she outdid Adele for the prize. I love Adele, but DAMN I'm worn out. While I also think that Adele is plenty talented, I feel that PJ Harvey is more of an artist.

[read more here]

It seems as if I've been writing this post for days...