Updating of Lists.

Hi blog.  I'm still unemployed but I have a phone interview tomorrow.  So that's exciting, right?  Sadly, my second thought (my first thought being fear) was, "Crap.  I wasted all my free time moping and being confused and now I'm going to get a job again and be too busy to do any of the things I wanted to do!"  I'm not really sure what to take away from this experience.  I've come to the conclusion that I'm really good at brainstorming, conceptualizing, and making lists and plans but I'm terrible at motivating myself to take the first step to complete any of these tasks.  Probably because I'm afraid of failure.  Stupid.

So I'm updating my two big lists to show myself that I turn my dreams into plans and my can'ts into cans!  I have done things and I will continue to do things.  I'm not Type A and I'm not a robot and I can't be expected to be super productive and busy and perfect all the time.  But I can try harder to realize my ideas.  Ok.

Remember, as creator of these lists, I have the right to edit them as I see fit.  I'm switching out a few goals here but that doesn't mean that I can't stick them back in later on.

THE TURNING THIRTY BUCKET LIST VERSION 3.0

1. Go on a date

2. Pin-Up Photo Shoot

 Instead of doing a pin-up photo shoot, my  new goal is going to be Simplify and Declutter.  My interest in the pin-up aesthetic has lessened and I don't have anything to prove by taking cheeky pics in my underwear. Instead, by the age of 30, I'd rather simplify my life and clear out the boxes and bags of silly things I've accumulated throughout my life

3. Go to Australia

4. Drive a car in Philadelphia

5. Hold a job I enjoy

6. Try Roller Derby

 I really wanted to be a derby girl but I didn't especially want to skate in circles.  A smarter move, by the time I turn 30, would be to Get Health Insurance.  Besides, I can't play derby without it...

7. Consistently take a yoga class 

8. Meet Stan Lee

9. Relearn guitar

10. Read the entire Bible

11. Make money off Ranger Elf

12. Sell artwork to a stranger

13. Walk a portion of the Appalachian Trail

14. Write a rough draft of my novel trilogy

15. Participate in a zombie crawl

16. Create and maintain a website

17. Indoor rock climbing

18. Attend a rockabilly festival

 I like rockabilly and all but... seriously, I'd rather Make New Businesscards.  Haha  I just realized that all these new goals and super practical and boring.  Hahahaha

19. NY Comic Con as Rogue and Lambchop

20. See a taping of Conan O'Brien

21. Volunteer 

22. Take a creative writing workshop

23. Learn self-defense

24. Be an extra in a movie

25. Paintball

26. Acupuncture

27. Dance class

28. UK Trip with Leah

29. Own a pet

30. Write a manifesto!

EXTRA CREDIT:

1. Watch all three LOTR movies in a row

2. Shoot a gun

3. Make a martini

Not super into martinis anymore.  You know what I'd rather do?  Get a Tattoo!

4. Get hair professionally dyed

5. Give up Facebook for Lent

PROJECTS FOR THE UNEMPLOYED

I also pared down this list.  It was getting all wild and wooly.  

1.  create (and stick to) new budget using mint.com
2.  go through my things in mom's basement
3.  keep making Ranger Elf comics
4.  finish Matt's Christmas present for his birthday
5.  Ranger Elf project with Pat
6.  make new business cards
7.  keep up with Behance, LinkedIn, Monster, etc. accounts
8.  make collages
9.  write a NaNoWriMo for Bleed Epic
10.  make character sheets for BE
11.  make plot cards for BE
12.  make character pages for Ranger Elf
13.  visit Leah
14.  research Half the Sky organizations
15.  watch Half the Sky documentary
16.  watch summer Olympic opening ceremonies
17.  DRAW
18.  WRITE
19.  READ
20.  clean out laptop
21.  research American/union made companies
22.  learn how to do more with your hair
23.  hang out with friends
24.  research women's organizations in the area
25.  make Ranger Elf stickers
26.  make Ranger Elf zines and set up at indie comic con
27.  teach Katy to use the wacom
28.  find frame for The Kills poster
29.  start prayer journal
30.  walk that long trail down by Kelly Drive
31.  clean up Itunes and Ipod
32.  help Sean move to the city
33.  go on Coffee Safaris
34.  go for photo walks
35.  enter all the T-Shirt contests!
36.  Clicky Pig
37.  Aquarium
38.  Art Museum
39.  Jewish History Museum
40.  enter Pterodactyl art show
41.  Rehab white dress and t-shirts
42.  make real life Ranger Elf costume
43.  switch banks
44.  switch phone companies
45.  get shoes fixed
46.  complete more buckets
47. go outside
48.  find a job

So that's that!  Hopefully, if my unemployment continues, I'll find the power and energy to stay motivated, stay project-oriented, and get things done, yo!

Haiku Review.

Avengers

Thank you, Joss Whedon!

Best superhero movie!

So well assembled!

Like you didn't already know that...

Thankful Thursday.

Not feeling very thankful today.  I've been really down in the dumps the past couple of weeks, mostly just feeling mopey and sorry for myself.  It's dumb, I know.  And I haven't been super productive, which is really disappointing.  Because what's the point of being unemployed if I'm not working on all the things I don't have time to work on when I have a job?  I don't know.  It just turns into me sleeping a lot and staring at Pinterest.  Sad.  I need to snap out of it.

1.  The weather is getting nice again after a brief cold spell.

2.  My computer hasn't completely crashed yet.

3.  So many happy dogs outside!  (I drew those ones at the top!)

4.  Matt and I went to the zoo for my birthday last Sunday and it was awesome!

5.  And he adopted the red panda at the zoo for me for my present!

6.  I had a nice Easter at home with my family.

7.  They're moving my dad to another hospital to begin rehab.

8.  I'm trying my hand at cooking more interesting things than the usual fare I create (toast).

9.  Saber, Katy and my cat, seems to like me more now that I'm home all the time.

10.  My friends and family continue to be supportive of me despite the fact that I have come to the conclusion that I suck at life.  Hahaha

What I'm Reading.

BOOKS!!  SUCH A STRANGE ASSORTMENT OF BOOKS!!  I feel like I've already talked about some of these... but maybe not.

I borrowed NeoZoic by Paul Ens from Sam because it had a cool looking girl and a dinosaur on the cover.  But then I stopped reading after, like, five pages because I didn't like the writing and it wasn't really about the girl and they were fighting the dinosaurs instead of befriending them like they should.  Oh well.

My mom really loves Jimmy Buffet and all of his wacky books so she lent them to me.  I'm hacking my way through Tales from Margaritaville and have formed the opinion that Jimmy Buffet sucks at writing.  This book goes like this:  Random quirky character does things and everything goes well.  It's really not holding my interest but I'm half-way done so I should just finish.  Also, I've heard that Jimmy's In Search of Joe Merchant is much better.

Timothy Keller, on the other hand, is a great writer.  He has several Christian non-fiction books out.  That genre is generally super fluffy but Keller's writing style is so no-nonsense, it's great.  The Meaning of Marriage is about, surprise, marriage and, surprise, it was awesome!  This particular institution scares me and I've had several doubts and confusions over it and wasn't really sure what to do about them.  But Keller was all like, "Hey.  Marriage is freaking difficult but it can also be freaking great.  Let me talk you through popular misconceptions and give you some tips that actually make sense" and I was all, "OH I DIDN'T GET IT BEFORE BUT NOW I DO".  Thanks, Tim Keller, for making me slightly less batshit crazy.  Maybe.

Supermarket is a four-part trade paperback by Brian Wood.  The comic presents an exciting plot and world in the not-so-distant future where everything is owned by corporations, namely the supermarket and the porn industry.  The main character is a girl who is the heir of both industries and she is being hunted down by assassins.  Unfortunately, everything goes by way too quickly.  I would have loved a longer series that goes deeper into the workings of this universe and its denizens.  It's all a bit surfacey.  I mostly bought Supermarket for Kristian Donaldson's artwork which is AMAZING and my new inspiration for my own doodles and color schemes.

Estelle B. Freedman has compiled a nice chunky book of lady-centric writings in The Essential Feminist Reader.  Bits and pieces of many vastly important articles from the ever-complex feminist movement are here for your perusal.  The writings span thousands of years and the entire globe.  Incredibly interesting!  Highly recommended!

And, finally, I bought this enormous collection of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead for half-off at a comic convention.  Dude.  The Walking Dead is, A) not that much like the show and B) messed up and C) pretty good.  Not super good.  Just pretty good.  I don't especially like the artwork.  The characters often look too similar to one another.  Also... don't really like any of the characters.  They're all pretty annoying and seem to flip-flop on their stances to issues every couple of pages.  Also... where is Daryl??

Coffee Safari.

Black and Brew

Mug of Coffee:  $2.50
Refills:  unlimited free refills!
Iced Coffee:  $2.00
Outdoor Seating:  yes
Food:  salads, bagels, sandwiches, wraps, pastries, fruit
Other Drinks:  lotta lattes, smoothies, etc.
Atmosphere:  cozy, artsy, fun
Music:  Jack White-type things
Clientele:  everybody!
Walk from Apartment:  10 minutes

  A skip down the street from B2 is the corner shop, Black and Brew.  Their menu is extensive and I usually think of them as more of an eating place than a hang out and do some work place but I'd much rather sit here than B2.  Black and Brew has great food and the ever popular La Colombe coffee brand.  The food and drink options are painted on chalkboard walls along with funky local art.  There isn't much seating but there are several tables and chairs outside if you want to enjoy the nice weather.  It's nice and I'm glad I discovered they offer WiFi.




And here's that 80 Projects for the Unemployed List:

1.  create (and stick to) new budget using mint.com

2.  clean entire apartment using natural products

3.  take boxing classes and more gym classes in general

4.  go through all clothing and get rid of a lot of it

5.  go through makeup bag and bathroom bag and get rid of a lot of it

6.  make a bazillion Ranger Elf comics

7.  visit Kelly

8.  visit Audrey

9.  finish Matt's Christmas present...

10.  make map project

11.  work on Ranger Elf website

12.  make new business cards

13.  set up Behance account

14.  do that Ranger Elf thing with Pat

15.  call Vitamin T people again

16.  fix up LinkedIn and Monster accounts

17.  make many collages for friends and family

18.  Nanowrimo Bleed Epic!!

19.  make character sheets for Bleed Epic

20.  make plot cards for Bleed Epic

21.  go through all my junk in mom's basement and get rid of a lot of it

22.  work on personal blog

23.  make character pages for Ranger Elf

24.  use up yoga passes

25.  visit Dad and family more

26.  get in touch with Leah

27.  research Half the Sky organizations

28.  shave your legs

29.  go to the zoo and draw animals

30.  draw for one hour every day

31.  write for one hour every day

32.  edit Turning Thirty Bucket List

33.  complete more buckets

34.  clean out laptop

35.  update resume and portfolio

36.  meet with Sam and brother to talk website

37.  research American/union made products/companies

38.  learn how to braid hair

39.  learn how to do pin-up hair

40.  read all the books

41.  hang with Wendee

42.  hang with Diana

43.  hang with Mia

44.  hang with Lisa

45.  hang with Jen

46.  hang with Shaina

47. do something with your hair

48.  research women's organizations in the area and get involved

49.  make Ranger Elf stickers and put them up around the city

50.  create Ranger Elf zines and hand them out/sell them

51.  grow out bangs

52.  call landlord about leaky faucet

53.  teach Katy to use a Wacom

54.  find frame for The Kills poster

55.  restart prayer journal

56.  walk entire Wissahickon trail... thing

57.  back up everything on laptop

58.  clean up iTunes and iPod

59.  email Shaina about jobs for Sean

60.  go for photo walks

61.  go on coffee safaris

62.  make moods magnet

63.  make all those recipes you keep telling Katy to make

64.  enter Jem T-shirt contest

65.  try to get a shirt on Threadless

66.  look into contests and freelance gigs

67.  delete emails

68.  try online bill pay with that one school loan

69.  defer/forbear all your freaking loans

70.  Clicky Pig

71.  see Bruce Springsteen exhibit at Constitution Center

72.  go to the aquarium

73.  go to the art museum

74.  go to the Jewish History museum

75.  go on the mural arts tour

76.  delete Google digital history

77.  do your taxes

78.  continue calling Chase until they let you forbear your loans, dang it

79.  spend time outside

80.  enter art gallery shows

81.  find a job

Coffee Safari.

Remember when I used to do these?  Aw.

B2

Mug of Coffee:  $1.50
Refills:  first one is free!
Iced Coffee:  $2.00
Outdoor Seating:  yes
Food:  bagels, sandwiches, pastries, fruit
Other Drinks:  tea, Italian soda, hot chocolate, juice, and other coffee related beverages
Atmosphere:  yellow, casual, indie
Music:  Sufjan Stevens, 80's pop, electronica
Clientele:  hipsters
Walk from Apartment:  10 minutes

 Since I am unemployed and my apartment is without internet, I am forced to journey nearly every day to the nearest coffee shop.  And that just so happens to be B2, located on the corner of Passyunk across from The Pope.  I don't especially like B2.  The seats are uncomfortable and the large wooden tables are awkward.  The interior is very... yellow.  This place isn't pretty or cozy or fun.  It is always either too light or too dark.    I'm really sick of classifying people as "hipsters" yet if you asked me for a collection of them, I would send you here.  I don't know.  B2 isn't a bad place.  I would just much rather be elsewhere...

I went for a walk today.