stephanie is: 
busy…
I keep meaning to write, but things have been crazy busy! In fact, I am writing this on a note pad in the car on the way home from a freelance web design meeting that I went to straight from work.
Wow. Freelance. B-a-n-a-n-a-s! Suddently, everyone wants a new site designed this month. Actually, everyone contacted me within a week of each other. The meeting today was for a window distributr. It will be a pretty big project. I am also starting designs this week for a bellydance studio and a concrete company. I have a previous client that requested some updates to their site, and a former boss recommended someone to me who has a few projects.
My aunt, who owns a needle arts shop in Albuquerque, NM, is ready for a new web site. (My dad and I did her site back in ’97 or ’98.) I have been working on a cross-stitch pattern for her to stitch up and scan for me. It will become the basis for the graphics on her new site – and it will be something she can sell as well. I should have a little time before starting to code her site since she needs time to stitch it up. I used all my spare moments this past weekend to finish it up.
So, where were all these clients when I was trying to make it on freelance work alone? I guess everything happens for a reson, as I am very happy being the senior graphic designer for the doggy daycare. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t had to search for a job to help pay the bills.
Things are good, though busy, at the doggy daycare. We launched the new website I designed right before our weekend in Vegas. The next day, I got a raise. That was very nice. I’ve had print ads I’ve designed run in Bark and The Washingtonian, and a new one will be in the upcoming issue of Entrepreneur. Our fundraising for the dogs who are serving in the military overseas has been going so well, that we have started a non-profit for it. As of yesterday, we broke $15,001 raised!
It’s getting dark in the car (as it is 7:31 pm). Almost home.
Vegas was a nice getaway. It suks that the travelling time eats a day in both directions, but we had 2 full days there and that is all you really need there. Especially if, like me, the smokey environment kicks your ass. I spent the whole tri with painful, blood-red eyes, rashes, and congestion. Regardless, it was great seeing our friend Dcver and meeting his family and friends. Unfortunatly, we didn’t get to see anyone else, but we will just have to convince them to visit our side of the world soon. I enjoyed seeing the few touristy things I hadn’t seen on my first tri to Vegas. I also got some pool time in, as our hotel – the Monte Carlo – has a lazy river. Food was obscenely expensive. What happened to the cheap prices to keep people gambling? Sunday brunch should not be $18. Especially if the food is cold and stale. I played a few quarter and nickel slots and actually won a few bucks I tried to spend it all before we left so I wouldn’t have to lug around $2 in nickels.
Here are a few vegas photos. They are mostly of me and scenery. I have some cute group shots, but I don’t want to post them in my journal for the public when I don’t know how the people ould feel about it. There were 3 other cameras in the group, so I’m sure I’ll get a bunch more pictures eventually. Dcver actually dumped his onto our laptop, but I haven’t taken them off it (or even looked at them) yet.
I’m home now. Danny cooked some gardenburgers for us while I cut my x-stitch pattern up into printable pages. After dinner, I saved them all to PDF and emailed my aunt. I’m so glad to finally get to this point in this project after years!
I think I broke my toe right before we went to Vegas. I rammed it HARD into the sharp cd burner on top of my comper (that I keep under my desk at work). I didn’t think about it until I came out of my work fog and realized my toe stung. There was a nice, bloody slice on it and the whole thing was sore and hard to bend. I could bend it, so I figured I’d be okay. But, ever since then, I have been unable to put weight on it without a sharp pain when I bend it in the way that you do when you stand on your toes. Could it be broken if I can still kinda move it? Should a doctor look at it, or will itjust heal on it’s own?
I am in the bath right now. Bath, then bed. I’ve worked up quite a sleep deficit over the past month. It’s going to be impossible to catch up when I keep getting 4 – 6 hours of sleep per night. I need 8 hours to break even when I’m notbehind on sleep. My bath is filled with orange-scented bubbles and a lavender stress-releif bath bomb. It turned the water purple. I was a cheap-o bomb, but the aromatherapy works with me. I feel less stressed and fussy already.
On Thursday, I am finally doing another shoot with Michael. About time! With both our lives so crazy, and with trying to time it so my braids a fairly new and neat, it’s been a while in the making. He is kindly picking me up from work for an evening shoot. I will buy dinner to thank him for the rides. Danny gets to grill up a steak for himself since he doesn’t have to worry about something vegetarian for me to eat. I have no idea what photos we are going to do at the shoot yet. I’m sure we’ll each come up with some ideas and just collaborate, as usual.
I am going to go straight to bed after my bath, so i will have to type this up throughout the day tomorrow [today]. I’ll probably watch a little tivo, as I am way too keyed up to go to sleep yet.
I had hoped to work on stvlive this past weekend, but my aunt’s pattern took longer than I had hoped. I have gotten the webcampic (webcam snapshots) galleries all up to date. I have tons of digital photos to process and add, including vacations, dogs, and even some more from my last shoot with Michael. I will be making a few changes to the join section of the site a.s.a.p. We just changed the form-processing scripts on the server, and I havn’t updated the forms to use them yet. I will also be adding a new way to get a membership that may appeal to those of you who don’t like to spend money.
On Sunday, I dog-sat for my favirite family of Aussie dogs from work and their adorable 10-week-old baby sister, Stella. They live in a cozy, close-knit neighborhood where everyone knows them, We took them on two walks and ran into people wo knew them both times. The second time, the lady was walking two goldens She let them off leash down the street from us and said “Here the come!” I ended up letting the boys off their leash to say hello to their friends, since we were at their yard and they know to stay in it. The lady was unfazed that strangers were walking the Aussies, but I told her I worked at their PDC (puppy day care, as their mom calls it). Turns out, one of the goldens boarded then in June. I hadn’t met him at the time, but I recognized his name.
Between walks, we hung out in the “dog room” watching animal planet and taking pictres. Jackson was my little shadow, following me wherever I went. His older brother, Charlie, was my first “love”, but he has worked his way up there to tie for first. He fel asleep on me on the couch for close to two hours. Kept me nice and warm so that I was ready for a nap too! When their mommy got home, all the puppies wen tout front to send us off to dinner. We were running around the yard playing (it is hard to say goodbye to an adorable herd of Aussie dags!) when Maggie, Charlie’s littermate (who belongs to a neighbor) came out to join us. I was very excited since she only comes to daycare when she is getting groomed. We eventually tore ourselves away from the cuteness and headeed in to Old Town for dinner.
Oh, Danny was finally able to upgrade his cell phone to a camera phone. He started a moblog that you can view via livejournal here. Fun times ahead, I’m sure!
I guess that is all for now, as I am starting to prune up. I’m ready to be tucked in now! [10:06 pm 9/19]