Gone for so long… the beginning of a journey Thursday, May 12 2011

Hi gang….

It’s been awhile and I know I’ve been a horrible horrible blogger! So quick recap. I’m a co-producer of the Rogue Festival with APJ. I’m still a server at the Starline Grill. And, probably most importantly, I’m currently a Senior at Fresno Pacific University in the English program where I will graduate in a year. I am taking a summer school course (only 3 units) and will attempt 18 units in the Fall. Oy! So… with all my free time I’ll be taking a journey into my own writing. Barry Smith told me I should take this journey, and he’s not the first to mention it, so I’m gonna embark on this 12 week journey to discover my inner creativity. And to get my writing chops back. I’ll be taking a creative writing class in the Fall so I’d better get in gear!!

I’m going through Julia Cameron’s the Artist’s Way which claims to be “A spiritual path to higher creativity.” There are a ton of writing assignments or workshops. I’ve got the book, journal, and workbook to guide my journey and all I need is to start the path. I think I’ll start next week (har har) because I can tie this into my homework for my 12 week summer school course. 🙂

I also started a reading group on Facebook called the “Summer Funner Reading Group” which is a monster within itself. I had no idea there would be such amazing response!! So many people talking about reading so many different books!! It’s neat! On my summer reading list:

Jane Eyre (in progress)

1984 (in progress)

The Hunger Games

Walden

John Muir’s “My First Summer in the Sierra Nevadas”

among other titles. Since I’m only working and taking 3 units, I have a lot of free time on my hands. There will be Rogue work done and I will sleep an ungodly amount of hours… also the bad chick flicks will be viewed (already in progress…. M. Cyrus, you madam cannot act!!). Oh, watched “Something Borrowed” and I don’t know WHY Hollywood is applauding affairs. The heroines in these movies nowadays want you to root for them when they are cheating on their husbands (Water for Elephants) or on their best friend (Something Borrowed). I seriously felt uncomfortable rooting for a chick who was causing hurt! Oh, well…. whatever sells, right???

Ok…. so no promises to blog consistently. I hope to blog about my journey through the 12 weeks… to be accountable and such. I’m not worried about readership, I cannot promise to read your blog so I don’t expect you to read mine. 🙂

So yeah… and such….

Leave a Response »

 

The IBC, The Rogue and the 2nd Rate! Thursday, Feb 25 2010

Hey party peoples!!! I’ve been busy busy busy but that’s nothing new. The IBC (also known as the Iron Bird Cafe) is about to reach the sft opening March 1st. The Rogue opening party is a week from today, March 4th and on March 5th The 2nd Rate is blowing it up at the Starline!!! You might remember the 2nd Rate cats from my b-day party a year and a half ago or so…. they are awesome! Definitely worth that come out and see! 🙂

The IBC is going well. Learning how to perfect espresso (and drinking WAY TOO much coffee!!!) and steaming milk. Working my butt off to get the new recipes down before we open Monday! Oy! I’ll be the morning barrista and serving it up to all you early birds from 5am (yes, that’s in the am! Oy!) to about 1pm. A long and fulfilling shift because I know all you Fresnans will be coming out to say hi!

The Rogue is happening. Finishing up the promo stuffs and making it happen! I can’t wait to see all the returning performers as well as meeting the newbies. It’ll be great.

So now, if you can’t tell be my disjointed stuffs… I’m on a caffine kick and should probably step away from the puter… Ha! 😉 I’ll be seeing all ya’ll out and about this next week at the IBC, The Rogue and the 2nd Rate Partay!!!

One Response »

 

Catching UP Thursday, Feb 18 2010

So I”ve been in training the last few day to work at a new coffee shop opening up. It’s called Iron Bird Cafe and will be the premiere host to Barefoot Coffee. If you know nothing about this coffee, go check out the website and see why I am SO super excited to be working with this company. I”ll be uploading pics of the cafe soon as well.

The Rogue is full steam ahead with only a few more things on my to-do list. Mardi Gras was awesomeness, the articles are done and sent off and I’m finishing up the housing stuffs. It’s good to feel that we’re moving right along and things are quickly getting done and taken care of. I’m excited to have everything falling into place.

Short post today, have to get back to work!

One Response »

 

Perspective… It’s silly Wednesday, Feb 3 2010

So I got Scarlett back from the shop and I realized I felt that I was sitting lower than usual. This was odd to me because she’s so tiny. She’s not really a big car at all. Of course she’s purring like a new baby and super happy to reach 4th gear, but I felt lower in the car. May I’m just used to riding around in Mountain-bot (Halo’s car) or maybe it’s just that I wasn’t in the car for a day and it made my perception different… I don’t know.

Anywho I was taking her on the freeway today and I realized that my head rest was higher than I usually have it. I fixed the positioning on my head rest and sure as shit…. I felt like I was right as rain in Scarlett. Weird huh? Perspective is a weird thing.

I think it’s interesting to be so involved with a project, say hmmmm like Rogue! While dealing with each individual task it’s feeling like nothing is getting done and there’s no progress. I can understand that I’m accomplishing a brand new task and not getting the usual work done that I used to do with my other tasks… but it’s different. Having meetings making to do lists… it’s all piling up and it seems that I won’t hit the end of my list in time. Prioritizing the deadlines are crucial in this sense because we have Press articles that need to be in to the Editor before they go to print. It’s a crazy crazy business. But when I look back on how much we’ve accomplished so far it’s amazing all the work that has already gotten done! So I guess when you’re feeling down and feeling like you’re running up a glacier and slipping, just take a step back and looka tt eh bigger picture and you’ll see how far you’ve really come!

One step at a time….

Rogue To Do List:

• Undercurrent Articles
• Community Alliance articles
• housing assignments
• mardi gras shopping
• meetings
• volunteer workshops
• tech set up
• closing party award do-dads
• etc., etc., etc.

Leave a Response »

 

Much Needed Media Blackout Monday, Feb 1 2010

Well not really a Media Blackout as I watched tv most of the afternoon…. but I didn’t pick up my Crackberry once! I was needing to just ignore my responsibilities and the Rogue madness as of late and decided a full day without my connection to the outside world would be good. And you know what?? It was so nice to not have my phone go off every 5 minutes. It’s been such a crazy time, with the Rogue gearing up (well I’ve been all Rogue all the time for months now) and the Mardi Gras parade coming up, Super Bowl parties and the like! Oy Vey!

The Rogue Map is to the printer, I need to jump on the hospitality things and I’ve scheduled multiple meeting for the upcoming Festival. Performers are getting ready and settling down…. getting a 3rd venue secured took a TON of stress off! I have multiple meetings this week, a presentation to prepare for next week and little tasks to do in order to better prep everything.

::PHEW!::

I think I’ve sent out hundreds of emails today and am continuing the massive question and answer time period for those that don’t know Rogue. Oh yeah, I also need to write a 1500 word article for the Undercurrent…. ok, yeah I need to get in gear. Thank goodness for my one day and I’ll look forward to another one of those after March 15th.

One Response »

 

Ham Radio??? Wednesday, Jan 27 2010

I’m studying for the Technician class of Ham Radio Licenses. It’s Scientific. I’m learning about how electricity behaves. It’s confusing. Possibly one of the hardest pieces of material I’ve had to read. It’s hard. But I’m going to get my license and understand what to do with it damn it!

The ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League) puts out a handbook (not the one pictured to the left) that allows you to study for the license test and hopefully pass it with flying colors. The book is extremely helpful and has many references to their website. It’s nice to have multiple tutors and study guides at your convience.

I find that if I read the book with Halo, he is getting his Advanced Technician (level 3) license, he’s able to help me understand what I’m reading. Except we’re so busy right now it’s hard to have that sit down time at all. Plus it’s hard so I’m reluctant to avidly read it. What needs to happen is a bearing down and just plowing through the materials. I’ve found that I want to understand all the concepts I’m reading and they will be explained later and I’m not wanting to move forward thus stagnating myself in my learning process. It’s frustrating to not easily grasp a concept. Talk about Shakespeare or Donne or English sub textual communication and I could talk for hours. Talk about the Rogue and I could talk for days. Talk about Ham Radios and I’m lost after 5 minutes.

::sigh::

Just buck up and get through it, right?? Sure. There’s a lot of information to cover before the February 20th test. And with the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras coming up…. it’s going to take dedication and resolve to get through it.

Then there’s also the job hunt. The Iron Bird Cafe’s opening date is now pushed back to March 1st. I’ve littered the main parts of Fresno with my resume and applications and there’s nothing biting. I will be looking for a way to get student loans and maybe just hit up the school thing again. I need to talk to a counselor.

I feel like a slacker, a failure. It’s hard and maybe I’m not doing enough. This effects not only me, but those around me that expect me to be successful. Again…. it just takes bearing down and going for it. I guess I’ve been lazy long enough. It’s time to actually get serious and make something happen.

2 Responses »

 

Poor Poor Scarlett! Tuesday, Jan 26 2010

So… ok ok I’ve been putting this off for a while. Scarlett has had her check engine light on for a long long time. I haven’t exactly had the means to pay…. ok I”m lying it wasn’t a high priority for me. Scarlett ran ok, she just never hit 4th gear! My registration is up in February and I needed to get Scarlett smogged for the first time. That means I need to fix her so I can then get her smogged and then make my registration payment… easy right??

Dr. Dave is a mechanic and so I thought I was going to be smooth sailing. But Dr. Dave can’t work on Mazdas. Crap! I asked him to recommend me to someone trustworthy. I mean seriously, I’m a chick. I walk into a mechanic place and have the word ‘sucker’ across my forehead! I know NOTHING about cars and I don’t really understand too much about maintenance other than put gas in and change the oil. Dr. Dave sent my to his friend Russ at Auto Performance Lab. Wow, does Russ know his stuff. I asked him to look at the back breaks and see if they were in need of fixing because I hear noises back there when I break. And sure enough they do need replacing. And then the check engine light is on because of some dohickie that makes the sensor thingy transition over for my car and basically making it possible for Scarlett to reach 4th gear! I’m listening to Russ tell me about the cost and labor and diagnostics and hearing the cash register ring up. I was super worried that this would drain my bank account when there’s not much int here to begin with! But when it’s all said and done?? I’m getting outta there for under $400! Whew!!!

If you’re in Fresno I highly recommend going to Russ and letting him work on your car. He’s the MAN! Oh and if you have a GM go to Dr. Dave cause he rocks also!

A big Thank you to Marcel for picking me up at the shop, I was really honestly too lazy to walk from McKinley & Clark to Olive & Broadway.

Ok… so there… I blogged again!

One Response »

 

Out of Retirement? Thursday, Jan 21 2010

I haven’t been on here in quite some time. Causes?? Life. Busy. Stress. And the whole I’m still not at a job where I sit in front of a computer for multiple hours a day. A reason for blogging today?? The horrendous experience at the DMV.

Ok so this started on the 19th. I had to renew my license before the 20th. I went to the DMV at 1:00 pm. Waited 2.5 hours to see someone only to find out that our wonderful court system did not process a payment to a ticket I made back in November. While sitting at the DMV I call the court and talk to someone about the situation. They show I have $0 balance and need to put it through their computer system to release the hold on my license. This takes me to 5pm on the 19th. I’m screwed. I have to go back the morning of the 20th. So I get up and am there at 8:30 am. I think I’m late snce they open at 8 am right??? NOPE! They don’t open until 9 am. So I’m standing in line for 30 minutes waiting for the doors to open. Mind you we’ve been having a storm of epic porportions and I’m standing in the rain. Oh and I also have to take a lovely id pic too…. argh! Finally, the doors open and I get my number. The clerk I talked to at the court system actually called me back (totally above and beyond if you ask me!) to apologize and there were computer glitches and such but don’t worry it’s all fixed. Cool I thought. So I’m waiting to see someone at the DMV and it takes about an hour. I see the same clerk that helped me on the 19th. Coolness. I take my written, pass. Take the pic, not too shabby. And I’m outta there.

I promptly get ready for my lunch date with the Dad and as I’m headed out a mishap of embarrassing proportions occurs. I will not delve into details, it was bad I’m leaving it at that. I’m now running late for my lunch and as I get on the (still raining) wet highway I merge into the fast lane to pick up some time and get pulled over by the UC I merged in front of. He says how I’m driving too fast in the rain and regardless of my proper blinker usage he had to “slam” on his brakes. Yeah Yeah. I apologize and tell him I though there was room. I’m not in hysterics, I don’t use an excuse, but I hand him my license that’s expiring. D’Oh! Ok so technically it’s still legal. So cool. I’m preparing to hand him my paper license renewal proof and he comes back and tells me he’s going to let me go. AWESOME! I make it to lunch on time and my lesson is learned.

Work…. well work yesterday was fun. I had a good time. And I loved all the people that came out and hung out. It was very nice to be around friends after a hectic day.

Oh yeah… if I forgot to tell you, yesterday was my Birthday.

In other news:

The Rogue is coming along. There has been many many snafu’s but we’re handling everything one at a time. It should be good and we’ll get everything all set for the beginning in March. Did you see the Muse?

Yeah, I like her. She’s going to look amazing on the T-Shirt. Cool!

Ok, so no promises on a regular posting or anything. Or maybe I’ll come back and be good about it…. who knows.

8 Responses »

 

Ack!!! Tuesday, Sep 22 2009

Rogue, Rogue, Rogue your boat…. actually it’s my boat. It’s work, work, work all the time, but it’s keeping me sane in that I haven’t gotten a full-time job yet. (still waiting for that phone call and I know there are 2 pending….timing is key) ARGH. But good news is we’ve found The Muse and the Artist is stoked to have her piece used for the project. We’ll unveil soon, promise! Applications are just around the corner and the days are quickly filling up with meetings or things to do to prep for the Festival. Yippee!

I’ve been hanging out and working as much as I can at the Grill and Starline. I’ll be there tonight for the Indie bands and such. It should be fun. Last night Pecha Kucha ROCKED my face. I loved serving that crowd. They were SO courteous to one another and when I was slammed, they weren’t annoyed with me, they waited their turn and even told me who was at the bar first. It was SO refreshing!!! Good job Pecha Kucha crowd!

Lots on my mind lately. Trying to find balance and working out mind, body and spirit more. I’ve felt lately that my spirit is broken and that sucks big time. So it’s through contemplation and meditation that I find balance and growth. It’s all about growing and trying to find a better path in life that enriches you and those around you.

Two weekends ago we were in Sacramento and saw the Capitol Air Show… pretty cool. Last weekend had a girlie day which was much needed. Saw Love Happens and had a fantastic cry. Weird how females can get together and really bond over silly things like crying at a sappy movie, and then spending way too much time in REI and in Barnes & Nobles. There’s still lots to do and more to write about, but I’m gross from my pilates workout and need a shower!

Love you all and I’ll be commenting on your blogs soon, promise.

3 Responses »

 

Happy Labor Day!!! Monday, Sep 7 2009

It’s that holiday weekend and we’ve been working hard. Rogue is fast coming and the Grill is great! I hope you all are having a safe and wonderful holiday weekend. 🙂

3 Responses »