Good, good, good

Things are great!
I redid my room with a few pieces of new ikea furniture, some art & decorations, a desk so I can set up my soon-to-be-brand-spankin'-new mac, a sweet lamp, nice storage, and a few other changes. I'm not all the way finished, but will be shortly (as long as I can find a chest of drawers somewhere) I needed a redesign of my space. I like the vibe in my room now. I'm thinking that this is my way of coping with not having my own apartment or house! Haha.

In other news, at work, the big boss-man (Andy) has really liked all the work I've done with Flipside, as well as my recent designs for Fall Home & Design (a special section annual publication). So last week he asked me to be in charge of the huge Winter Sports and Recreation magazine. This is a big deal to the company - they make a lot of money selling ads, so it has to look appealing and clean. Basically it's a huge guide to Park City and all that it offers. Mainly the tourists and visitors during the ski season and Sundance Film Festival will be reading it. Andy specifically came to me to design it. Then, after I made a mock design he approved it with a beaming smile (YES!!! Mind you, he is very picky and he will most certainly let you know if he doesn't like something)So this is my big project right now. ...Oh, and I didn't even mention the sweet $$ bonus I will be receiving :)

More good news came this morning when Andy came to me with his ideas for the holiday gift guide. It's a shopping guide that will be a folded tab insert. So Andy wants me in charge of this gift guide, mainly for the cover design because the rest is pretty much only advertising. So it'll be a small project, but still I'm glad he wants me to do it.

I am very happy that Andy really likes and approves of my work (especially since he is the head honcho). It makes me feel better about my "design abilities" and certainly gives me more confidence, which is always a nice thing. I am busy, but also thoroughly enjoying it.

President Obama

He did it. He won. Though it was not much of a surprise, I'm glad the election is over and he will be taking over the reigns and leading this country.

If nothing more, I think his presidency will unify the people of America and with it create a more positive outlook towards the government, politics, and as a result, create a better future & country of people who care. Not to mention, I think the rest of the world likes the outcome of the election and hopefully Obama can piece together our shattered world relations.

I am pleased, now I hope he can walk the talk.

Cute, furry friends

Pets make life so great ... and I just love my little animals, so I wanted to post a photo blog about them.



This is Max, or as my parents like to call him, Honey.




This is Kitty. Seriously, his name is Kitty (very original, I know). He can have a little temper when it comes to people he doesn't know very well, but he is so loving and cuddly with me.




And finally this is Zeke, the kitty that is actually mine and Tommy's (not the whole family's). These pictures are older, and he is a lot bigger now. Zeke such a great pet, he is always so excited to see us and no matter where we are, we can count on Zeke's presence as well. He is unlike the ordinary cat ... he isn't fearful and little makes him jumpy. We play hide and seek and tag with him all the time. that's how cool he is.

Fleet Foxes

We went to see them in Salt Lake City last night. There is only one word to summarize the show: AMAZING. I think this was on of the best concerts I've ever been to. The melodic harmonies of their voices, the deep percussion, the keys and guitars created an absolutely beautiful sound that resonated with me for hours. The lead singer showed such passion and emotion, opening his mouth wider than I've ever seen anyone do to belt out those high falsetto notes. It was a great time. I'm so happy that I was able to see one of my new favorite bands play.

If you've never listened to them, make a wise choice and visit www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes

Flipside 08.07.08 - 10.03.08

More covers of your favorite free-weekly ;)

thinker's thoughts

I am a steady, very happy, life-loving person. But, today I am having one of those days, where you can't stop thinking. I am a thinker. There really isn't a day that goes by without analyzing and thinking about things you think you've figured it out, but then you start thinking again. Today is just especially bad. I've mulled these thoughts over and over in my head, making sense of them, then being confused all over again. My conundrum is the comfort, the ease, yet the utter monotony that is my life at the moment.

Wake up. Eat breakfast. Get Ready. Be to work by 9. Sit at my computer and design. Get home around 5:30. Eat dinner. Meet up with my friends. Hang out. Be in bed by 11-ish. Repeat.

I feel as though I am unwillingly becoming the quintessential "adult", eagerly anticipating the weekend. I've made it to Thursday. This means there's only one day left until Friday. Freedom looms nearby. Options and decisions come my way of how to spend my precious time in 2 days of liberty.

It's not that I dislike my job. I enjoy it. I am doing what I love to do - designing. But it's the MONOTONY of it. The do it over and over again. I feel like my creativity is stifled because I end up doing things that are easy or repetitive.

I can't do repetitive anymore. I want something new. An adventure. An opportunity to express my thoughts and creativity without holding back. I want to see and explore the world and document it, make art, write and learn new things. I feel like there is so much that I could be doing with my life, but I am sitting here doing nothing about it. I feel trapped, yet I shouldn't because I am free to do what I want. What is holding me back?

The human nature that likes comfort and stability? The changes in people close to me? My struggles with accepting major changes and being brave enough to go for something new? The intimidation of the "real world"? My attachment to my family? The fact that I feel as though I am still a child living at my home, yet think and reason as would a mature person, yet I feel far from being a legitimate "adult"?

I miss the innocence, carelessness and playfulness as a child, yet yearn for a place to call my own, to decorate, a pet to take care of, food to buy and meals to cook. I miss the excitement of falling love, yet have a wonderful relationship and utter loyalty to my boyfriend. I love the comfort of this town and place, yet want to experience life, people and culture elsewhere.

I feel stuck between childhood and adulthood, not knowing where I fit in, what to do next. I have so many options. I have my whole life ahead of me. I know it's time that I need to move out and on. It's time to decide ... what to do, where to go, ...

But really, does anyone ever figure this out entirely?

Bobby D

I know, I know .... I have been slacking horribly on keeping up with this blog. But I have some time now to document a very blog-worthy activity! So on August 31 we (as in Jeff, Tommy, Dharma, Shawni, and Jeff's family & their friends) attended the Bob Dylan concert at Deer Valley! I was excited that he was coming to Park City and that we had tickets to the sold out show because it was after all Bob Dylan. Even if after 8 songs his voice gets slightly annoying, he is a legend and a huge icon in rock and roll history. Not to mention his lyrics are amazing. So for the past couple weekends before the concert we prepared by having a few shindigs at Jeff's house where we played old Bob Dylan vinyls on the record player, dancing the night away. Pretty sweet to say the least.

Alas came the concert. Of course of all the beautiful, sunny days we had had the whole month of August, this one had to be the day of the cold front. We came prepared with blankets, umbrellas and sweaters - all of which did not suffice the downpour we lived through. Right after we secured our spot - in the very front - it started raining, pouring, creating a muddy river at our feet. We had some wine to warm us up, but it was still cold, we were drenched from head to toe the worst part was the realization of it all when we could see our breath in the air. Miraculously, just minutes before Dylan came on stage it stopped raining. By then people started crowding in and the show began.
Dylan is an old man now. He walked very slowly, and his hand movements looked like my grandpa's. I think that's why he opted to play the keyboard the whole time (even though his guitar and amp were right there waiting to be played.) As far as the performance went, the band was amazing. They rocked it. Bob Dylan's voice is more of a bark and he seemed to growl and slur his words more than sing them. There were times when I was like, "Yup, that's Bob Dylan!" and his voice sounded like the signature Dylan. But most of it was almost unrecognizable. He also changed the songs around so the syllables, tune and timing were quite different than his original versions. So honestly, I didn't recognize any of the songs until the encore when he played "Like A Rolling Stone." I've heard from other people that this was a great Bob Dylan show, and that most of his shows now-a-days are a lot worse. Although Bob Dylan never said a single word to the audience, or ever even looked at the audience at the very end he came to center stage and gave a wave, and a raised his arms and demanded a louder cheer as he had his index fingers up, signifying "Number 1." I thought that it was funny, probably because he looks pretty old. But everyone loved it at the same time.
As the band played the last song, the skies opened up once more for another giant downpour that did not cease. As everyone was walking down the hill, people were slipping in the torrent of mud and water streaming downwards and it surely didn't help that 90% of the people were completely drunk and stumbling already! I was soaked to the bone, shivering as we made our way to the car. My feet were completely numb and my converse shoes were soaked and mud-caked as I had stepped in an ankle deep puddle.
As soon as we got in the car we cranked the heater and waited 1/2 hour to get out of the parking lot.
But it was all worth it and a super fun experience, I mean it's not everyday you stand in the rain,get completely soaked and see Bob Dylan - all in the same night.