One Week In

My first week on the job is done and I'm happy to report it has been a good week. I've designed a wedding announcement, done a few business cards, run the envelope press, made all kinds of copies, gone on several delivery runs, and generally learned a lot. This job has me up in the mornings at the same time as Am, so we've had breakfast together four days this week, and that has been quite nice. All the people I work with are friendly and good natured, so that is a bonus. The amount of jobs coming through our doors has been light this week, which is bad for the bottom line, but good for me learning at a steady pace rather than having too much to do and getting frustrated.

I like the work, I'm getting paid to do it, and in a friendly environment, not a bad arrangement.

Celebrate

Am and I are going out tonight to celebrate getting my new job. We are going to see Inception and then go out to eat somewhere afterwards. It'll be nice to be able to afford to do these kinds of things a little more often.

It sounds like they are going to start me out a little lower pay-wise for the first 90 days than I was hoping for, but I can understand going that route, as they need to see that I'm not going to flake out on them. And then the insurance benefit won't kick in until 6 months out. There are also 401(k) options, but I'll learn more about those on Monday. And they are still determining how to work out my schedule at least in the short term. But I'll jump through the hoops I need to, especially in this job market.

Minuteman Offer

Well, it took all day, and I got pretty worried there when I hadn't heard back by the end of business hours, but...

I GOT THE JOB!

Minuteman Update

I sent in my resume on Friday and then spent the weekend with my in-laws. We went camping at a church campground called Cinnamon Creek. It was supposed to be a ward camp-out, but there were only 4 families there, but I guess that was alright, since we got to know the few people that were there better than if the whole ward was there. We played some soccer and glow-in-the-dark Ultimate Frisbee, had s'mores and dutch oven cooking, and went canoeing. Then on Sunday, my recently returned missionary brother-in-law gave his "homecoming" talk and even more family came for the talk and dinner. I've been greatly blessed, not only with a wonderful wife, but with a great new extended family.

As far as the job opportunity goes, I told Am yesterday morning that if the guy didn't call me by noon that I would call him. And then, right around noon, he called! We set up the interview for 3 that afternoon. So I quickly got ready, rushed over to my mom's to print off some of my newer pieces to go in my portfolio, and realized that I'd left my portfolio at home. But before I took off for the interview, the guy called and said that he was stuck down in Provo and asked if we could move it back. So we set it up for 10 this morning.

I went in, and I think that the interview went well. It is a modest little company, but seems to be pretty stable as most of the people there have worked there for years. Afterwards, the guy said that he had a few more interviews to do, but that he would make his decision by tomorrow, and let me know whether I got the job or not. I thanked him for the opportunity of just coming in for the interview, since it's been almost a year since my last real job interview. He said that my friend highly recommended me, but that he would have brought me in just based on my education. That made me feel pretty good.

So stay tuned for an update!

Minuteman Prospects

I heard from a friend that she is leaving her position as head designer at a local press shop, and suggested that I apply for the position. She feels that I would be the most qualified person to apply for the job thus far, and they want to hire ASAP. The thing is, it is a full-time position, so I would have to drop my classes at UVU to accept the job. I keep hearing from design people that it is not the degree that gets you work, it is the portfolio. I could possibly maintain half-time status at UVU by taking classes in the evenings, to stave off the repayment of student loans. However, the class selection is not that great, at least this upcoming semester. There are two art classes that I would want to take, but they are held at the same time.

If I was offered the job, though, it would be perfectly suited to my skill set. And the title of "Head Designer" sure would look snazzy on a resume. It would also prove to be a balm to my confidence to know that I am desirable to employers. This has recently been a worry of mine, as hardly anyone has asked me in for an interview after all the resumes and applications I have sent and completed. My friend tells me that I have a very good shot, especially since she is the one referring me.

Thoughts?

There's Something in the Chinese Food...

Ick. I know several people in our area that like Won Won Wok. I wanted to give it a chance, I love good chinese food, but after two tries it is getting a negative vote from my household. First off, they haven't gotten our orders right either time. We specifically ask for fried rice, but both times we get plain white rice instead. That wouldn't be so bad if after our second trip we got hit with food poisoning. I just started doing work for LaborReady last week and I've now missed three days. The first was the worst, and now my digestive system is just trying to recover. It seems like we've just been unlucky, but all it takes is one bad experience to lose customers.

There's Something in the Water...

So I have been experiencing, um, intestinal problems since before Easter. It has been a real problem, I've never experienced anything like it for so long. I went to a real bland, simple diet to mitigate a lot of the discomfort, but it was getting really old after a couple of days. Three weeks went by and my mom suggested probiotics. So I went to the local health food store and picked some up. It helped within a day or two. I've been eating regularly since, but my troubles have lingered. But Am wasn't being affected so I didn't know what it could be. At least until this last week. Am has been experiencing similar issues and the austere diet has been hard on her.

But we just found out that there is now a water contamination issue in our city. Surely our problems are unrelated, they would have caught the problem a lot sooner if it was, right? Well, in talking to some people to find out more, it sounds like people all over our town have been having these same problems for weeks. How does something like this happen? How does a problem like this go unchecked for so long? At least we know now, and we will boil our drinking and cooking water, and hopefully the problem will subside.

The Results are In...

Grades just hit and I'm a little bit surprised. Not at the C I got in Layout & Typography II, but at the A I got in English. I was thinking B at best. I got behind, but my professor graded me on the merits of my writing and not on my timeliness in turning in my writing. As for the C, while not a surprise, my experience in that class was eye opening. That professor seems to be all about all the ways to dock points from students with strict timelines and rigorous project requirements. I'm in for a tough semester in the Fall as I have that professor again. I wish I could get around taking the class from him, but he is the only one teaching it, and I can't wait to take it another semester. That and I will have the most concurrent computer design classes in my career. It will be challenging. I'll have to work harder than I ever have before.

School's Out for Summer!

Blessed release! The semester is finally over! I think I will sleep in tomorrow. But not for long. I have to finish up some designs for Doctrine & Covenants Scripture Mastery over at Latter-DayVillage.com. But tonight I am taking my wife out on a date. We are going to a concert (Thanks Hannah!) and out to eat (Thanks Tucanos!) for a day-late birthday celebration. My wife is now 26 years old. When the Primary sang to her on Sunday I almost couldn't sing along, I was so glad that we are married. I love her so much!

I also love her folks! For our birthdays they are paying for half of the cost of season tickets for BYU Football this coming season. That means no more tracking down scalpers or watching home games from the neighborhood clubhouse! Rah Rah rararaaaaahhhh! Go Cougars!

Touchstones

My piece that was accepted into the student art show was also selected for publication in the English Department's student journal Touchstones. It looks like I should explore printmaking further. Apparently I have a bit of talent. And now I present, "Robby"!

Random Occurrence, or Something More?

So I was wasting time today, playing a game on Facebook, when I ended up in a game with someone with a unique (to me anyways) name, the name of someone I knew once. Now I have played this game with many randomly selected players from all over the place, some with names of friends. Yet I never once assumed that they were anyone I actually knew. But because of the uniqueness of the name, I thought I'd try to see if it was the person I knew. This person is Latino and their name really isn't uncommon among Latinos, but it is to me. Well, it turned out to be the person I knew. I had been friends with him at the time that he joined the church. I had heard through mutual friends that he had left the church later on, so I didn't want to bring it up. But when I brought up our mutual friend they said they had to go. Was this a chance encounter, or was it an opening for something more meaningful?

Art Show

It has been awhile! I just wanted to throw this out there to anyone who may have missed the announcement on Facebook. If you happen to be in Utah anytime during April, head over to the Woodbury Museum on the second floor of the University Mall in Orem. The entrance is on the east end of the mall by Nordstrom's. There you can see my piece entitled, "Robby". We will see on Monday if I'll be able to say "award winning" piece, or not. Either way I am in the UVU Student Art Show! I submitted the piece more for a grade in one of my classes than in hopes that it would actually be selected. I figured others who put their heart and soul into their artwork would be selected before me. I submitted the only thing that qualified and it was a piece I did for a class that I was taking just for fun. My teacher figured presentation had a lot to do with my being selected. I spent a lot of money on framing it, a lot of money I was not so sure I should have spent. But it has paid off. Especially if I win a cash prize!

On a completely separate note, Am and I have been together over a year now. Saturday the 20th marked one year from our first date. I can hardly believe how much my life has changed for the better since then. Thanks for saying yes, Am! I Love you!

School's Out For...Winter!

I just checked my grades for my first semester at UVU, and things are good, if not perfect. I earned two A-'s and two B+'s. So I'm in good shape, but still have room to improve. The most important thing I learned was not to leave points just lying around. Both B's could have been A's if I had been a little more attentive. Art History from the Renaissance would have been helped by turning in the first homework assignment and tracking down a study guide for the first test. I failed to realize just how big a factor that first assignment would prove to be. Not that I didn't do the work for it, I did, well sort of. Am really helped me out when I was feeling positively stressed out at the beginning of the semester (and before the wedding). It just took me too long to buy the book, so when I finally finished the assignment, I thought it was too late to turn it in. I just figured that every assignment would be similarly weighted, but it was the biggest one of the semester. I also missed points on the first midterm because of the missing study guide. I didn't study for a third of the material and still got a B- on the test. Most people dread this professor, but I seemed to get his tests, and did well with minimal effort in, or away from, class.

My photography class was harmed because I didn't work hard enough at the end of the semester. I hardly studied for the final exam and it showed. I left several questions unanswered because I drew a complete blank. And I could have taken better care of my negatives on my last roll of film, they got hammered being loose in my bags, and it showed on what could have been my strongest images. Ah, lessons learned, right?

But the grade that had the most importance to me was the A- in my Typography and Layout class. This is the one class that required the most out of me. Which is good, because typography and layout skills will be going to be my bread and butter for years to come. Art History will fade, and photography will only be a small side of what I do. (Speaking of which, If you know anyone that needs a photographer on the inexpensive side for a couple of hours, I'd be interested, I'll do a couple of hours for $50) Some in my class complained about how rigorous our teacher was, but I felt he pushed us when we would have been satisfied with less. And from what I understand, other teachers expect even more from the students. That's the thing about my experience at Stevens-Henager. I learned how to use the tools, but because classes were four weeks long, there wasn't enough time to refine that knowledge into how BEST to use the tools. At UVU I'll be getting that. But I count myself lucky to get into UVU when I have. Now it is pretty much open enrollment for the design program, but there is a push to really tighten the admission standards and slim the number of students down. So I'm getting in while the getting is good, but I'm also getting the really good instruction that comes from a lean design program.

A Recent Development

In the last month and a half or so, I've developed a new stress response: migraines. I've never had to deal with them before, and I wish things could go back to the way they were before. I can deal with uneasy stomach and cold sores. These migraines occur on Thursdays and sometimes Tuesdays, which coincides with my typography class and class critiques. I've found that high doses of caffeine help mitigate the pain, but then I'm hopped up on this stimulant. So on days that I need to be at my best, I'm in pain or I'm jittery. I've never had a problem with an occasional Coke, especially of the vanilla variety, but I've never been a caffeine addict either. I don't particularly like how it makes me feel. I tend to crash off any high I might get pretty fast. And now I worry that if this trend continues, I'll get used to having caffeine in my system and it won't work as well on the headaches. Is there anything out there besides caffeine, and absolute quiet and darkness, that you've found that helps with migraines?

Giving Thanks

See my post over at Sittin' in a Tree.

Another 48 Hours

OK, less than that even. Am went through the Temple for the first time last night. There are so many teeny little things to do, but everything is still coming together. I'm glad we changed our minds to go down to Cedar City. We both need the rest, and driving out to, and then up the Oregon Coast and back would have been so draining. It's funny though, when people at school ask where we are going and I say Cedar City, they initially give me a funny look. Like, why we would we go there of all places? But when I explain it to them, they realize it's not a bad idea at all. And better than most people do. At least we'll be sane when we get back. However, I'll have a stack of work to catch up when we get back. At least Am has another week off from teaching.

Less Than Five Days

I don't know how much it has set in yet that my world is completely changing in less than five days. I started trickling my things over to Am's condo a few days ago. Hopefully it won't take too long before it feels like OUR place. It'll be SO nice to cut the small commute out of our schedules. And to settle into a married schedule. While dating and including the engagement we've tried to spend as much time together as we could, and our sleep habits have gotten wonky. It'll be nice to be together AND get a good night's rest. But there are so many other adjustments to be made and discussions to have. But I am ready to get into it. I don't think I'll miss being single too much.

School is going well. My classes are fun and challenging, and are definitely learning experiences. I am seeing that my time at S-H was good preparation for UVU, but I still have a lot to learn.

We've decided to go down to Cedar City instead of the Oregon Coast. Less driving, more resting, less cold, more warmth. Oregon will come at some point for us, I still think it will be fun, but we don't need to have a second vacation to recuperate from the first.

12 Days

Am and I have just attended our last 3 hour block at the singles ward. There are a lot of good memories there. I have had the privilege of being in one great singles ward after another for the last 8 years, but the last 3 that I spent more than 3 months in have really stood out. Bishops Petersen, Davis, and Roberts have been phenomenal! They set the tone for their wards, but there have been so many friendly and faithful people in those wards that were just as responsible for the atmosphere at church. I'll miss them all.

But now I am (finally) moving into the next phase of life. If it is possible to be both ready and woefully unprepared at the same time, then I think that describes me well. But I know that I have found a "one", and I'm making her my "only". I've never been happier. And yet, I see greater happiness still to come. It seems like I am seeing the world with new eyes. The possibilities are endless.

And then there is this endurance thing we have to go through. The next 12 days will be an endurance test for sure. I can hardly believe that I am getting married, and that I have found someone so amazing to share the rest of my life with. At times I feel like I don't deserve the blessings I've been given, but I'll never turn them away.

Countdown to M-Day

There are less than 15 days to go! Picking up the marriage license and going in to pick out a tuxedo. Then we are going out to eat tonight on one of our last dates as singles.

I've been trying to track down someone to talk to about having our ring ceremony on the church grounds across the street from the temple. I can't look up leadership numbers on the Church website since I'm not a member of the ward or stake in Daybreak. Hopefully I'll hear from someone by Sunday.

It's funny, a year ago I didn't even know Am existed, and now I can't think about life without her. I hate to see her sad, but especially when I have had some part in it. Thankfully, she forgives me, and thankfully she is happy the majority of the time.

I can hardly stand the wait!

Choices Update

It's easy to make choices when the choice isn't presented.  In other words, I didn't get the job. School's in session!