Home again, home again...

It was a delightful 2 days at the beach. Came back with a light sun burn even. The bad news is we think that the old fuji digital SLR i've been using for a few months has kicked the bucket. We load the batteries but an ERR flashes on the display screen. At least i still have a decent point & shoot until we can figure out if the fuji really is dead.

Friday Beach Day

It was a beautful & sunny drive leaving Portland. The good weather continued all the way to the coast.

We arrived early evening to the hotel & I enjoyed a little relaxation. Its a new hotel for us & so far really enjoying it.

Had a nice long walk on the beach after dinner. Enjoyed dessert with the sunset. We have a great ocean view from our balcany as long as we don't look down at the roof of the hotel's pool room.

This is a great continuation of my birthday celebration.

(All photos are from my phone which isn't the best)

27

Sister's text message to me:  "27, right?"

Me: "Yep. Weird huh?

Sister: "Very"

That pretty much sums up how i'm feeling about turning 27, very close to 30. Thirty feels a little bit like a looming deadline but for what i'm not exactly sure.

Tonight I saw How To Train Your Dragon in 3D - it was very good all the way around. Enjoyed the plot, the way they dragons were designed, the voice acting, the 3D treatment. Highly recommended.

I'm off to the beach for the next few days. The dogs are going with us but we have little dogie sedatives for Z who is a crazy ball of anxiety in the car. She is so filled with anxiety the drugs don't even make her sleep but at least make it tolerable for her to sit there and not fight against her dog seat belt or whine & bark the whole 3 hour trip. We're bringing raw hide and treats & her favorite ball to play with on the beach to make up for the car ride.

Uplifting Advice

Something I was given to think about:

Why not me? Why shouldn't I be the one to claim a fulfilling life? Why can't a miracle happen to me? Because honestly it can be, i can have a fulfilling life & a miracle can happen.

This is my update of what happened yesterday

Yesterday was Tuesday as you probably know. I was able to spend a few hours tutoring a friend on the finer points of how to use Photoshop. Overall that was very successful, i was able to explain tools & processes and he was able to reiterate back to me in his own words what i just said, proving that it made sense. This also was a good experience for me to know that in the future i could offer services as a tutor. This has gone down on my long list of: Possible Ways to Make Money

First Day of the First Full Week

Monday was a product first day:

- Went to the gym for the first time in about a year. I was shocked at how busy it was at 9am but thinned out by 10. I figure i'll go at various time to see which options are the best.

- Did the dishes when I realized i need a clean coffee pot and there were dishes in my way. Plus, i had the realization i had nothing more urgent to do than clean the kitchen.

- Figured out exactly what i'm eligible to do or not do while collecting unemployment. I'm encouraged that they allow you to earn some income and still collect (of course there are rules about how much i can collect etc.). I was further encouraged when i talked to a woman who recently was on unemployment and how easy it was to go to a building to talk to real people about training classes, resume reviews and more. 


Yea for productivity!

Pretty View

Lovely view of Mt. Hood that I can easily see by looking up ;-)

Look Up

 
The theme for May at NaBloPoMo is Look Up and i've chosen to participate this month. It is an apt theme for me because on Thursday I got laid off from my job of 3.5 years. There is nothing like being pushed out of a comfort zone to re-exam what i want to be doing. This was the end of my first traditional 8-5, cubical farm, with benefits & 401K job after college and so I imagine I can only go up from here.

With it only being about 60 hours since i got the news the most enlightening thought i've had is that; this is the most free time I've had since childhood. Especially considering the past 9 years has included a combination of college (year round), homework and work (worked part-time in school & then full after.) I know I will spend a fair amount of time looking for a new job but i'm pretty excited about having time & energy for some personal projects that have been stewing away for ages.

If you're participating in NaBloPoMo for May let me know, i'll come visit.