Busy Day Makes for Last Minute Post

Today has been jam-packed with things to do. Our organization hosts monthly technical webinars for both members and non-members, they are usually held on the second Tuesday of the month. This month was on "The Fundamentals of Wind Flow and Wind Design." I was the only one in the office, which made it difficult to help anyone who called in with technical problems. Our presenter wasn't able to get his screen to broadcast, even though we practiced with him last Friday. Minutes 12 - 20 of the webinar was us attempting to fix his problem. Eventually, I had him email the presentation file to me, I displayed it on my screen and gave him control of the keyboard and mouse. It worked well, except I was not able to use my computer at all during that time. I wasn't able to chat with viewers in the chat box because it would take the mouse control away from our presenter. So, crisis mostly averted.

Attempting to do some writing

I've realized I have some serious work to do on my writing skills. Being a visual designer, I've always relied on others to create copy for me to use with my designs. Now is the time to up my game and become the writer and the designer. My career has started to stagnate, and I feel it is time to push my abilities and exercise my brain in a new way. One of the first steps I took was to do some research. I found the book "Everybody Writes" by Ann Handley and gave it a good read. I've found it very helpful as a refresher in basic grammar and its suggestions for creating content for multiple outlets - Facebook, Twitter, blogs, magazines, and books. I plan on reading it again, it seems as I get older it is harder to retain information upon the first read. My mom says it only gets worse. Oy vey! I've also started to read "The Copywriter's Handbook." This book is very advertising focused, and may not exactly be what I'm looking for at this point in my career, but I'm going to keep reading it anyway. I feel it could help me design better brochures and write better copy for the materials I produce for the annual conference my association holds. And now the reason for the writing resurgence on this blog, which I haven't touched since February 2012 - exercising my writing skills. How do we learn? By doing. I figured this is a safe arena for my writing and a nice place for me to review my work over time. It would be very exhilarating to have a record of my progress and be able to measure my success from beginning to end. I hope to find fulfillment through expressing myself with the written word. It feels like stretching muscles that have gone long unused. I also hope to find my writer's voice, through more frequent writing I hope to understand more about myself and how I think. I also hope to train myself to become more verbose and well rounded in my writing. As a Communication Manager, I hope to find it easier to communicate better, explain things more thoroughly and utilize better grammar. In "Everybody Writes" Ms. Handley lists many tools to help edit for grammar as well as polishing and organizing a writer's thoughts. One of those tools is WeaveWriter, a daily roadmap for writing. So far (Part 3) I've found it helpful as a guide to finding a place to start with my writing. Most often the advice I hear from successful writers is "just write." Make it a daily habit is something I've heard from David Sedaris, one of my favorite authors. When asked how is it that Mr. Sedaris' writing is so prolific, he says I started writing one afternoon when I was twenty, and ever since then I have written every day. At first, I had to force myself. Then it became part of my identity, and I did it without thinking. It helped to have jobs that involved running around, pushing things like dish carts and wheelbarrows. It would be hard to sit at a desk all day, and then come to sit at another desk. Also, it helps to abandon hope. If I sit at my computer, determined to write a New Yorker story I won’t get beyond the first sentence. It’s better to put no pressure on it. What would happen if I followed the previous sentence with this one, I’ll think. If the eighth draft is torture, the first should be fun. At least if you’re writing humor. I'm pretty sure I'll never reach the publishing level of "Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls" but I hope to escalate my career and develop myself for the future. I hope to gain confidence in my writing and pride in creating content for all manners of writing outlets.

From: Top Web Design Schools

XBOX live game: Ilomilo

Can't wait to try this one!

The Sloth: My Spriit Animal

Marriage

I wanted to marry Gargamel from the Smurfs. Here's Hank Azaria dressed up as him. Delish!

Free Speech and the Prophet Muhammad

Chat Roulette with Ben Folds in Concert!

How I would have loved to been part of this!

Tony Bourdain on Yo Gabba Gabba

It would be my dream job to be one of the characters in the suit.

Places I've Been

• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Vacation rentals at TripAdvisor

In honor of my valentine

 

Muppets: Beaker: Dust In the Wind = Awesome

MST 3K Werewolf Movie

Just in case you ever wanted to see a werewolf driving...
http://www.toastedpixel.com/comic/clips/werewolf/werewolfdriving.mpg

Dealing with clients...

Tim Burton's Art

Starting Nov. 22, Tim Burton's art will be on display at the Museum of Modern Art. Anyone want to take me?

I'm might just go back to church...

sometimes, you just have to side with jeebus.

The Dog Carrier

I love my dogs, but this is fucking stupid. Described as a durable, breathable backpack for your front with the dog's head coming out the top and arm, leg, and tail holes on the sides. If you want to look like a douche, you may purchase one at http://www.puptogo.com/

Name the Undead

From Chop Shop, How many undead can you name off? Buy the t-shirt here.

This Man?

Have you seen this man in your dreams?He looks kinda like the dancing dwarf in Twin Peaks.
I had a similar experience when I was in high school. Me and four other people I knew had a dream about a native american elderly man all within the same week. He had grey hair and braids.
From Neatorama:
In 2000, a psychiatric patient drew a picture of a man who appeared in recurring dreams. The picture was left out on the doctor’s desk, where another patient recognized it from his dreams as well! With a bit of investigation, other patients who saw the same face in their dreams were found. As of now, at least 2,000 people recognize the face as one they’ve dreamed about. How about you?

Link

tiled fireplace

I want to do this to my fireplace. I'm not sure I have the guts yet.