clap if you believe in faeries.

Randy Pausch "The Last Lecture"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

I highly suggest clicking the link.
It cannot hurt, it can only help.

In other news, I am intensely enjoying the end of my schooling, doubly so as my sister is in Montreal and I have the apartment all to myself. :D
There have been many trips to the library. And many hours spent reading. And many hours of not feeling guilty for spending many hours reading.
I have, so far, read ten books this year (I am not counting the number of graphic novels, as I consider them appetizers compared to the main courses regular novels offer.), and while I do not know how many books I had read at this point last year, I find it safe to say that it is a considerably larger number. Today I just finished reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe by Douglas Adams (yes, i know, finally)

Other books I am currently engrossed in (yes, all at once, and in no particular order):
World War Z Max Brooks
To Be Continued... Michele Karlsberg & Karen X. Tulchinsky (eds.)
To Be Continued...Take Two Michele Karlsberg & Karen X. Tulchinsky (eds.)
A Girl's Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings from the Girl Zine Revolution Karen Green & Tristan Taorimo (eds.)

I have been contemplating starting my own zine. Because zines are cool.
Mine would be a rambling affair punctuated by nonsensical/nonlinear prose, poetry, and illustration, and probably more haiku than most people have ever seen since high school English (or something). I would reach out to all the creative people I have ever met (of which there are many, going by my Youthwrite network alone).
There is also the question of print or digital. Because I am painfully lacking in funds by the second, I am thinking that digital = practical. And would also help me flex my web design muscles that have been growing rather flabby lately.

My plans over the next few weeks include tackling a commissions list I've been ignoring for years (yes, years.), and putting together a website for a friend of the family from back home.
And then I will be going back home, at the beginning of May. (Gods, I miss everyone so much.)

I am not sure how the whole graphic-design-employment thing is going to go. I'm choosing to stay positive and not worry about it too much until I get back. I know I have the skills, and I know I have talent, and I've gotten a lot of good feedback on my portfolio and my website (//pimp).
I'll be okay. :)

(Gods, I never meant for this entry to be that long, it was only going to be the link and that's it 0_o oh, well. Later, dudes.)

i just wanna run and lose control.

So. Yesterday?
Yesterday, I was happy.
Like, criminally happy.
If you know me, you know that that doesn't happen a whole lot, especially in the last year-and-a-half.
Why was I so spontaneously happy, you ask?
Because I got my book printed yesterday, and it looks SO FREAKING COOL.

I am totally allowed to be spastic about this.
I mean, it's 136 pages of my soul and psychosis spilled out on the page.
It's a BIT of a big deal. Just a little.
(And the dude at the printer's seemed VERY impressed that I did everything by myself) :D

The other reason for much happiness was that I got my website up :D
The Angel's U-turn
(I hear it's got some pretty cool stuff on it.)

I was SO HAPPY I actually called my parents to let them know just how happy I was.
Because my mother worries. A lot. Which makes my dad worry. A lot.
(On the upside, I haven't called them while threatening to burst into tears since fourth quarter. Yes. This is an accomplishment.)

So then TODAY. TODAY I make the trek to North Vancouver. By myself. When I've never been farther than Lonsdale Quay by seabus, or if I have, I was in a car.
I got to Lonsdale just fine. The seabus is cool.
Then I got on the right bus. Going in the wrong direction ;_;
Then I got on the right bus, going in the right direction. But I went too far and ended up at Capilano College (way way the hell North Van).
So I started to double back on foot and--this is so freaking dramatic--the Gods were like "CUE THE RAIN"
And it was raining and kind of sleeting and windy and I almost lost my umbrella and I was lost in a huge friggin' city.
I wanted to cry. Seriously.

But EVENTUALLY I found the place (Centennial Book Binding <3)and the owner-guy is SO nice and Irish and I love his accent (PS: Happy Saint Patty's Day :D) and everything else went very smoothly and I should be getting my finished book on Friday :D
(pictures are forth-coming. see illustrations here.)

So now I am back at school (I got back to Lonsdale Quay and then back to Vancouver proper via seabus all well and fine) and it stopped raining a while ago and the sun is SHINING. And I got a fairly good critique on my final portfolio project (which is the only reason I came back to school anyways).
And I bought myself a mocha latte and a muffin to feel better.
(lol, I am so hardcore.)

Moral of the story: when getting on a strange bus, ALWAYS harass the bus driver so you know EXACTLY where to get on/off. ;_;
The only thing that makes me feel better about all the time I wasted is that I did this today, rather than trying to do it all yesterday when the book got finished printing, because I never would have gotten back to school on time to finish my website and make it to class.
And now I have a clearer idea of what the hell I'm doing, so I should be able to get there faster on Friday <3

So NOW, instead of staying at school and working on my portfolio HERE, I am going to go home and work THERE. Because I am sick of this cave and my apartment will be nice and sunny and I can blare Linkin Park or Breaking Benjamin or Batman Begins or The Dark Knight and be HAPPY again. :D
...while working on portfolio. (lol, maybe not.)

And I need to pick up energy drinks, cuz for the next few days?
Yeah, all together now: ALL NIGHTERZ. X_x
Hmm, although maybe that's giving into hyperbole. I think I'm actually doing quite well, but I find that I am a firm believer in expecting the worst, and thriving in the relief when the worst doesn't happen :D

Hey, it WORKS. *FLEES*