Entries categorized as ‘Work’

Random things

July 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Being back in Boston is wonderful — except for the missing Texas, family, and friends part. But the weather is much better, it’s good to be back with the boyfriend, and I’m actually being quite productive.

Last weekend had two daytime adventures. Saturday took Frank to the haymarket, which he had apparently never been to before. If you lovely readers will remember, it’s a giant open air farmer’s market that sells everything from fish to veggies to cheese. For someone who loves food and enjoys spending money impulsively — Frank in a nutshell — it is excellent because prices are ridiculously low. This time our purchases included pineapples for .50, grapes for .99, and four pounds of broccolli for two dollars. It’s made Frank’s and my attempt to eat healthy a BIT better — though other “bad” foods keep somehow slipping in.

Sunday Frank, me, and Richard went to the aquarium which none of us had been to before. Richard had never seen penguins in real life before. I was quite impressed with Frank’s retained knowledge from his fish studies class at Harvard (kay, I don’t remember the actual course name); he served as sort of our personal guide and was able to give us a lot more information than was on the plaques. The aquarium was definitely smaller than Corpus Christi or Monterrey, but I mean, even a bad aquarium is fun, and it wasn’t bad.

This week I have mainly been getting some writing and odd errands done. Not having internet at the apartment severely limits what I do doing the day (I’ve decided not to turn my internet on this month; it’ll save my $65!) but I’m still managing to be productive, and it means I budget my internet time much better. We’ve watched a bunch of movies, gone out a couple of times, but overall pretty lowkey.

Interesting talent alert!: So it is a joke about how I will eat food until right up to the point at which it will kill me. I cut the mold off of cheese or bread, gouge out the mushy parts of fruit, etc. But one thing I DO NOT budge on is milk. If milk smells the slightest bit off, I say no. I have had no many episodes of taking a big gulp of milk that I thought would be fine only to run my tongue along the carpet to get the stale milk taste off.

Well Frank has apparently taken note of this talent, and I am now the high judge of food. If he can’t decide whether it’s good or bad, he brings it to me and says, “Smell.” This all started the other day when, after baking a chocolate cake (I said we were TRYING to eat healthier), he poured us a glass of milk. After downing half the glass in one gulp, he held it out to me and asked, “Does this taste funny?” Sure enough, it was three days past expiration day and WAY funny tasting. Ick. The smell was revolting.

Anyway, that’s all the news for now. I’m procrastinating actually sending anything in to be published, which is what I’m actually supposed to be up to these days. Send good luck, concentration, peppy, and focus vibes my way, please! I have a fiction and a nonfiction piece both ready for submission, a couple poems I might submit, and a couple of fiction pieces that need some reworking but will soon be ready. Oh, and those two ten-minute plays can be submitting, and a one-act that is almost ready. Also, I’ve realized that a full-length play I started a year ago, which I’m a third finished with, would probably do well either as my BFA thesis or publication. So definitely lots of projects to be working on.

Categories: Boston · Fun · People · School · The Loft · Writing

resume building

July 8, 2009 · 2 Comments

It is not fun.  I realized it’s important I have a resume, or at least a grand master resume so that I can easily copy and paste to make a specific-job resume.

My resume includes education, theatre-related work, published writing, published photographs, and actual jobs so far.  And it kind of looks ridiculous.  My high school awards take up four lines and I only did awards from the last two years — AND I think I’m forgetting some.  My extracurriculars take up another four lines — and this is all size 10 font.  What a joke.  Did I just not sleep in high school?  I asked Mom and she said, “Well you were always on the go.”  No wonder I was so burned out by the time I hit college!

Anyway, I’m using my boyfriend’s resume as a guide, but I’m having to just wing it on the theatre, writing, and photography sections and make up my own formatting.  And it’s just making me realize how LAME I am about not submitting my work.  This section definitely needs to get bigger; I’m going to submit like crazy for the next few months.  Cross your fingers/pray for me, please!

But that’s what this month is for.  Since I can’t get a job for July, I’ll be writing like crazy, and pouring over my publication bible to start sending some things off.  SCARY.

Categories: Photography · Stress · Work · Writing

you know what’s great?

June 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Suddenly having SO many nanny jobs that you have to figure out how to juggle them all.

The downside is, two of them are weekend jobs, and the other is a weekday job, so it’s likely I won’t get to go back to Boston to visit until July, but Frank is probably coming down for the 4th anyway.  :(

Categories: Work

earthfest and misc.

June 1, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Saturday took Frank and Curtis with me to meet up with some friends (Stef, Jessye, and Sarah, plus a few) at Earthfest, a big free concert put on by Whole Foods and some radio station by the Charles River.  We got there pretty late but still got to enjoy some overpriced crummy carnival food (fried dough? ew) and dance to some cool tunes, haha.  I’ve actually always wanted to go to the summer concerts that Boston frequently has there, and hopefully I’ll go to a few more during my trips back here within the next two months, or once I’m back in August.

In other news, I’m headed back to Texas on Monday.  I’m actually quite excited about being home and seeing my Texas friends and not having to deal with public transportation EXCEPT that I’ll miss the few friends that I still have here in Boston quite terribly.  :(   I hate having two homes and only being able to be in one at a time.

I know I haven’t caught up with my Ireland entries yet.  This week I will, alongside job hunting, as well as scanning in my polaroid shots.  I’ve taken some super cute photos.

Saw Up last night, the new Pixar movie.  I definitely recommend it.  I cried probably four times, haha; it’s an adorable and endearing movie.

Also made another blueberry pie for the boys, per Frank’s request.  Unfortunately, I had an hour in which to construct and cook it, and my blueberries were frozen.  Instead of being a normal intelligent person and defrosting them with like a microwave or something, I used the heat from the oven, which means they were still quite chilled when I put the pie in.  I forgot about the fact that while frozen, they have a LOT of juice which I drained last time, to keep the pie from being too runny.  So, go figure, the pie is really more of . . . a blueberry soup with some crust.  Frank and Richard have both very kindly insisted it’s perfectly fine and that they love blueberry soup as muh as they love blueberry pie, and both ate heaping plates (should have been in bowls . . . ) in front of me.  Boyfriend and boyfriend’sbrother win, haha.  I didn’t cry because my first pie for them was darn near perfect, but it still was a baking failure, and those are never fun.

Really wish I had a scanner and already could post my polaroids, but since I don’t, I’ll settle for these two photos Jessye took of me at earthfest with a D80.  A D80!  She checked it out from our school for her summer digital imaging class, which means I’ll have access to it when I take digital imaging in the fall.  Hurray!!


That’s me and Stef listening to the music.


And that’s me and Frank.

Have I mentioned my friend Jessye is an awesome photographer?  You may have seen the portraits she did of me for her photo project about a year and a half ago, as well as a couple portraits she took of me while we were in Europe.  She definitely knows how to make me look good in a photo. :)

Categories: Boston · Fun · Funny · People · Photography · Pictures

windows take a year to fixtrue

April 17, 2009 · Leave a Comment

truefact.

I have been mentioning to my landlord and calling into facitilies since I MOVED IN SEPTEMBR 1st about my broken window.  I just called again because it is 65 degrees outside and beautiful and I would like to have my window more than 5 inches open.  I was told “we are waiting for parts.”  “Since September 1st?”  “Sometimes these things take a while.” 

If it isn’t fixed within a week, I am going to “fix” it myself.  Not kidding.

Also, gold stars to Mom for quite possibly saving my weekend and my photo final grade. 

Saw Godspellw ith Diana last night at a convention center that is within walking distance of our new apartment for next year, in South End.  It’s such a cute neighborhood.  We are going to have way too much fun.  Our apartment is SO cute and in a creepy looking brownstone.

Birthday party tonight. 

Did I mention my electricity went out momentarily again?  I was in the shower an suddenly everything went dark and I thought, “Well I am naked; what do I do now?”  So I continued to shower and it came back on within a few minutes, but it blew up my hairdryer so I had to buy a new one today.  That kinda sucked.

Just got back from running and I’m all sweaty and gross, so I’m going to go do some kickboxing and then prepare for Indian food dinner date with Frank and then birthday party.  I keep thinking of other random things I haven’t blogged about because I’m just too wicked busy.  Was home for 19 hours for Easter last weekend, haha, with 11 hours of flying.  I do the dumbest travel things sometimes.  Ugh. 

Also, this morning with Diana discovered a bus that basically goes directly between my apartment and Central, where both her and Frank live.  Could have been saving myself SO much time with that . ..  well now I know!

Okay, but seriously, I’m yucky and sitting down right after working is giving me a headache, so I’m going to go finish.  Hooray for beautiful weather; let’s hope it sticks!!  Off to continue enjoying my 4-day weekend! :D

Categories: Boston · Fun · Photography · Stress · The Loft · Travel

Welcome to Writerhood!

March 27, 2009 · 1 Comment

I received my very first official rejection letter today, lol.  Welcome to the world of publishing, I suppose.  It’s from the Boston Theatre Marathon for the bathtub play I had submitted.  I’m actually not overly distraught like I had worried I would be.  I think the plus side of being hyper, hyper critical of myself is that I don’t actually EXPECT to get into anything, so it’s a nice surprise when I do.

Anways, the artistic director put a nice little handwritten note on the letter that the writing was good but the judges commented about the time . . . but then she referred to it by the wrong title, so I’m thinking she got it mixed up with someone else’s?  I don’t know.  At any rate, the plus side of this is that I haev no May committments after school is out, so if I can tuck away enough money,  I can take a trip like I had wanted to.

Anyways, going apartment hunting with Fidan and Diana tonight.  Hopefully we find something we love so I can mark that off my to do list.

In the meantime, I’m really eager to start submitting stuff for publication.  My goal for life is to always have at least two things I’m waiting to hear back about, and I currently have nothing out there that I’m waiting on –I’m pretty sure my fiction pieces didn’t get accepted for the Emerson Review because I haven’t heard back and it’s already going to print, but they’re supposed to send out rejection letters.  How annoying.

Anyways, I’m going to go continue to peruse my 2009 publication bible.

Categories: The Loft · Writing

scary

March 25, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I just bought the 2009 Publishing Guide book thing to begin my journey into the world of publication, since I have several pieces I’m ready to start submitting.

I guess I’m just tired of making excuses for not submitting my work.  Work, school, time, not good enough, not old enough,don’t know enough, too much to learn.  I’m just ready to start seeing my name in print.

Still, it’s scary.

Also, I’m sitting on a bench in the hall at school beside a girl who is snuffling her nose incessantly and it is about to send me on a tristate killing spree.  I kid you not.  I may be writing my next post from jail.

Categories: People · School · Writing

Photo Inclusions: London & Budapest

February 27, 2009 · 2 Comments

I mentioned before one of my London photos of Westminster Abbey was shortlisted for inclusion in Schmaps (like my Boston church one).  Just received the e-mail that it has been included; here is the link to view it:

http://www.schmap.com/london/introduction_history/#p=524&i=524_49.jpg

Also, my picture of Hero’s Square in Budapest has been included in Schmaps Budapest:

http://www.schmap.com/budapest/sights_districtxiv/#p=141552&i=141552_42.jpg

Finished shooting my large-format project, except I have five negatives left and think I may try self portraits, or else I’ll go out to the Esplanade in the morning.  I’m exhausted.  Shooting with that camera is SO much work and it just beats you up.  I have 20 negatives now to process tomorrow, and hopehopehopfully they’ll turn out.  As it stands, I was racing against the impending rain and battling the gale-force winds, but my models Fidan and Ayla were helpful and patient, and there were pockets of perfect shooting light.  All in all, took me basically three hours to prep and shoot.  Ugh.  If these don’t turn out, I think I’m going to drop the class and throw myself off a cliff.

On the way home, a homeless man was sleeping on the subway, and I wanted to tell him that he is missing a beautiful day outside, and that he should have saved that subway ticket for a cold, yucky day.  I mean, if you’re going to sleep outside, today’s the day to today it.  But then I realized how awful that is of me.  But seriously, it’s beautiful outside.

Categories: Boston · Musings · Photography · Pictures · School · Stress

Shortlisted again

February 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Now one of my London photos is shortlisted for Schmaps London.  Um, just hire me already, geez.  And thank you, flickr, for doing all my work for me.

Categories: Work

Photo shortlist

February 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I recently posted the link about my Boston Park Street Church getting included in a guide.  Well I just got an e-mail that one of my Budapest photos has been shortlisted for inclusion in the Schmaps Budapest Guide (the exact same publication thing, except for Budapest).  Cross your fingers for me, please!

OH and it is 55degrees outside today.  Dear Boston: please stay like this FOREVER.

Categories: Boston · Work