Growing Up Sucks

The past couple of weeks have been absolutely nuts. Or, at least, that's how it's seemed to me. I signed up with a temp agency putting the dog-walking thing on hold. Never was offered any work. My car went in and out of the shop 3 times for mechanical issues and then got rear-ended last week. (The accident wasn't a bad one though. Phew!) The mechanical issues are 1/3 fixed, so just a few more things to go. Then, I get offered a job at the newspaper out here and decide to take it, only to get a phone call from another newspaper out in Wyoming saying they want to talk to me about the staff photo job. I'm supposed to start my job in DC tomorrow. Well, I mean, I am starting tomorrow. It's a lot of stress. And, on top of that, the parental unit was in town for a little while. But, it was nice to see them.

Now I'm trying to prepare for my new job and make it work for me. Hopefully it turns out better than I'm expecting it to. 

Moving on. I'm jumping on the bandwagon and will be one of many women out there on Halloween night dressed up like Sarah Palin. I'm on the hunt for a red suit jacket and a nice skirt. That and rimless, prescriptionless glasses. And, I need to figure out how she gets that damn bump in her hair at the back of her head. I also need to find a McCain for the evening. I think it'll go over well in Portland. People should get a good laugh out of it... But, I've got lots of time to think about that.

Life as a Dog

Can you imagine the world being your own personal toilet? I suppose it's not that personal when everyone else pisses on it too. Yes, folks, that's right. I've been dog walking again. The little puppy you see above, no, not one of the dogs I walk, but it is the pup of the dog I do walk. There are 3 more where it came from. It is cute, I'll admit. So, since the journalism/newspaper industry doesn't seem to want me right now, I'll go straight to the people (or mammals) that do, the dogs! Next week I pick up my regular clients for however long I don't have a real job, so I'm guessing a few months.

I'm walking this one dog, I believe it's a puppy, that is SO defiant! I just don't know what to do! She chews on my toes, scratches at me and when I walk one way, she tries to pull the other. Now, who's the boss here? I suppose this is all good training for me when I finally do get a dog of my own. I'm learning which types of dogs I do and do not like. Do: boxers, shepherd/collie mixes... I think that list stops there. Don't: Min pins, beagles, labs... the list goes on. (Now, it's not that I don't like min pins, it's just... they're REALLY small. Sweet yes, but way too small to wrestle with.)

There's my little update for the week. I've applied to 8 (real) jobs (7 newspaper) and so far I've gotten 3 rejections and haven't heard from the rest (Even with follow-ups!). I'll continue my search for the dream job, and in the mean time, I'll work on my tan, get paid to work out and get some puppy love in between.

Work... Everyone's Gotta Do It

So, it's been a while since I last posted. Here's the basic update. I have 3 jobs. Yes, that's right. Three jobs. First job: I'm the photo intern at Wolf Trap. I'm responsible for shooting the shows and other events that happen at the park. Here's a recent photo from the Ben Folds concert I shot last week. The summer is shaping up to have some interesting shows to shoot. A photo story may be in order soon too, so look out for that. I'll post updates as they happen.

Second job: The dog walkin biz... It's going a little slow so I haven't walked any dogs in like three weeks, but here's a picture of one of the few that I thought was sweet.

It's starting to pick up, right as I find my replacement job for it.

Job three: Finding Species. It's an NGO that has hired me as a photographer to take some seriously detailed photos of plants in their studio. So, needless to say, I'll be learning a lot about plants soon. So, that's the update on my work situation...

In between, what have I been doing. Let's see... I went to an open mic night where my sister's friend and her singing partner performed a few songs. I decided to take the opportunity to take a few photos. It was pretty cool to see a friend perform in a small venue like Tiffany's Tavern in Old Town. Pretty sweet spot. Oh, I did another photo assist, meanwhile working on my tan since it was all outdoor work. That was good... And yesterday, spent 7 hours shopping with my sister, though, only came home with four items (and spending less than $60!). Last but not least... Today. Today was the celebration of Israel's 60th Birthday on the National Mall. Lucky me got to see Mandy Patinkin sing and talk and then, a live free concert by the always lovely, Regina Spektor. (I didn't feel like carrying around the huge lens in the awful heat, so this is the best you get to see.) She definitely screwed up a few times and forgot the words to one of her songs, but all in all, it was enjoyable and I'd go see her again, even if I had to pay. So, for the first time in a while, it was a pretty busy weekend. And now, I have to go back to work in the morning, first to shoot plants, then to research my photo story. Speaking of... if anyone out there is willing to help, does anyone know of a photo story that has been done on an opera company? I'm looking for more ideas on how to do this story.

Ok. That's all for now. Signing out. E$