Side projects, the ultimate way to take a breather...
With the raffle going on, my work responsibilities changing, and a lot of personal things going on in my life in the past few weeks, I've had very few chances to keep up with Vox-- ironically enough. There's so much I want to just spit out into one entry, but there's a lot that's been happening that I feel I need to figure out myself right now, so I'll let some of that be. In the meantime, I've been trying to keep busy (like I need more to focus on!) with little side projects. Sidetracking is what I do best; it's one of my many hidden talents, heh.
I've been getting stressed over classes starting up in about two weeks. At this point in my life, I feel and I know that school is obsolete for me at this point. I'm going into my fifth year as a college student, and it's difficult facing the reality of an entirely new year when I know that I've already absorbed four years of information-- some helpful, some pointless. I started to get antsy last year with taking classes I found out I never even needed to take, so I'm hoping that being enrolled in classes that are mandatory for my English major (meaning, they'll apply to what interests me) will somehow give me the drive to push through all the stress and overcome... college altogether.
Shawn and I are in the same boat when it comes to how we feel. At this time, we both have good jobs that we're pretty happy with, and we know what we want to do with our lives. We keep telling ourselves and each other than one more year is nothing-- we can get through another year of classes. (I suppose another hidden quality in me is being revealed: impatience. Actually, I'll put a positive spin on this one and say that I'm eager to get out and do my own thing.)
Speaking of Shawn, he was recently offered a full-time position as a Computer Programmer for Kohl's for after he graduates. Until then, upper management offered to let him keep working there under an internship-type deal. Adult life is looking up for the both of us more and more every day. I seriously can't believe that just one year ago, we were so far from where we stand now-- without steady jobs, without an income, without that needed confidence to just move on through all the crap.
That's why side projects make the stress easier. I get a chance to focus on things that are important to me, yet don't require immediate attention. At the moment, I'm working on something for my friends at Vox and for anyone else that decides to join in. It's nothing official for Six Apart; it's just a Lauren fun thing, but I think it'll prove to be very helpful for all Voxers. I'm excited to work on it more. I've already gotten started on it, but I still need to tweak out some ideas.
Another little project I've started on has to do with one of my hobbies: Tamagotchis. I've been a fan of virtual pets ever since I was in sixth grade, and I've slowly adopted more cute pets into my digital family. Just the other day, I ordered two new Tamagotchis, versions 4.0 and 4.5. Bandai is getting more creative with every release, because the ones I'll be getting in the mail any day now will be even more interactive. Knowing this pushed me to get more active in the Tamagotchi community online, which of course means I joined and re-joined a couple of forums. ^__^ The project I started is another blog that is dedicated to keeping track of my Tama's growth. I needed something to take my mind off of things this weekend, so I decided to mess around with designing a layout for my Tama blog. Here's how it looks so far:
I worked a good chunk of my afternoon getting the coding to work. I forgot how challenging learning a new blogsite can be. I don't plan on posting a lot about my life there, but it'll be nice giving small updates about my Tamagotchi.
Along with working on some blog projects, I've been sprucing up some of the Vox groups I host. I've been going through them and making sure that everything is working well. If anyone has any concerns, comments or suggestions for any of the groups they know I host, never hesitate to let me know.
The Kawaii Anniversary Raffle Event has almost reached its final stage. I still haven't mailed out the packages, but I plan on doing so tomorrow. Life kind of got in the way this past week with work scheduling between Shawn and me. Mainly, Shawn had to work around his own schedule so he could finish the <3 Vox bracelets according to the wrist sizes that all the winners provided me. He was finally able to finish all of them last night. (Whew!) I'll try to rush to the post tomorrow so everyone can receive their packages this week.
I've found that the best way to deal with stress is to reward myself every so often. A little present reminds me that, yes, there's still something to look forward to. I can work, but I can have fun at the same time. I bought Plum and Lamb a few new pieces of clothing, which has been tons of fun. I've been able to relax and know that my dolly family is comfy and fashionable all at the same time, tee hee.
My second treat to myself was a Nintendo DS Lite case. Shawn and I went to Toys 'R Us the other day, and I found the very last hot pink Princess Peach DS case there. The case is so, so cool-- seriously. There are so many little compartments that help me organize my DS life!
The case is wonderfully heavy, full of quality and fun places to put my games, stylus, DS Lite, and a card where I can put my Wi-Fi game codes. The best part is how perfectly all of my DS accessories and console match. I am the biggest fan of pink and Princess Peach, so having all these pink digital goodies makes me incredibly happy. I've been playing with the case alone for days. If a case can be this entertaining, why even bother having a DS Lite console? *grin*
And I think I'll save everything else I have on my mind for another future post. For now, it's time to sit back and relax. I hope everyone else can do the same. <3
Comments
Good luck with school! Hopefully once you get back into gear, things will get better. :)
I used to LOVE Tamagotchis when I was in 6th grade. I had one of the first generation originals, in purple. ^__^ I have no idea whether or not I still have it... I'll have to look next time I go home. Everyone else had a GigaPet, but I loved the Tamagotchis, especially when it would poop, LOL, I thought that was the funniest thing. The one in the picture you posted is adorable! They've come a long way it seems since I last played with them. I might have to check them out, hehe.
I'm really glad to hear you and Shawn are happy and content with life right now. I read that paragraph and thought that could have been me reading that... it feels so useless to go to school for another semester when I know I already have a full-time job lined up and I'm already doing what I love to do.... but alas, I need to get that piece of paper that says I have a degree. *sigh* You two will make it through, it'll go faster than you think. ^__^ Good luck with everything else going on in your life right now... let me know if you ever need anything! *hugs* <3
~hugs~ You sound like you're doing just fine =)
Take it easy! :D
I agree with you about classes, you learn alot when you start out but overall it feels kinda dumb towards the end. You feel glad to be done with it i'm sure.
busy busy bee! Glad things on the voxy side are doing well.
take care!
:)
I remember Tamagotchis! Haha I lived in Japan when they came out back in middle school...and this boy tried to explain it to me. I actually thought it was a real egg that hatched into an animal. I was a confused little girl. Anyway, so I got a bunch and then I got annoyed...hahaha. I love 'em!
That DS case is waaaaay cute. I'm going to have to search for one also...I can't resist!
: )
your new tamagotchi page layout looks awesome! i think it's really creative!
and reading your post has made me want to get a blythe and a ds XD
You always blow my mind with how busy you are and more over how much you accomplish, although the virtual pets are a nice distraction and are easy to clean up after. Smile your cuteness is infectious, its good that you have found work that makes you satisfied its hard to do but buck up little buckaroo school and classes are a necessary evil, although I graduated and ended up with nothing but a new strange trip in my life!
Amazed at how you do it all so enjoy it (school) it’s a great place to let your imagination run loose and let everyone around you say “W.T.F.” was that….. it sounds like everyone is good and that’s nice to hear!
I would have loved to see a Tamagotchi website set up like the one you worked on. Even though I didn't really know what the internet was all those years ago, I still think I would have loved to see a place dedicated to the virtual pets that I loved so much. =D
If you ever get into Tamas again, or you're just bored one day, you should check out some of the fun sites available for Tama lovers these days. TamaTalk and TamaZone are really great to browse through if you're looking for something colorful and entertaining for a few hours. ^__~
Thanks for the vote of confidence with the whole priorities issue. I think you're right-- I seem to have a pretty good system down right now. I just have to be careful not to let the stress get to me. Shawn's been helping me get through the rougher days by just being here for me, but like I said to him today, "Sometimes, I just want to find an isolated room where I can scream for an entire day." I think that would definitely release some of this pent-up stress...!
See, you're not alone when it comes to being in college longer than you'd like to be. *hugs* I'd like to say that how we feel is that good old Senioritis (as Kathleen always puts it), but it's more than that for us. We know that we're happy with where we are academic-wise, and we know that this extra time is not going to further our education at this point. I think we'll both be fine, like you said so nicely. <3
I had a purple Tamagotchi, too! It was my very first Tama, back in sixth grade. ^____^ I didn't care much for the purple, but I loved the hot pink trim on the inside of the egg, tee hee. I still have mine-- do you have yours? If you ever decide that you need a small hobby that's inexpensive, I totally recommned picking up a new Tama at your nearest toy store. They're even more fun these days. I think I have three or four, with two more on the way, right now.
Good luck to you, too, hon. <3 I think we'll both get through this year just fine. Plus, as the years go by in college, time goes by faster. I like how the days and weeks do that, but I know that I'll probably miss how "easy" I have it now. =p Or not!
Haha, if someone tried to explain what a Tamagotchi was to me when I was younger, without a lot of visuals or news reports with kids dragging their parents to get Tamas, I would think that person was crazy. o_O The concept seems so futuristic to me, even now, but I think it's also a great technological step for kids (and adults). Picking up where you left off with old Tamas is fun. I've done that a couple of times, and I never get tired of looking at that cute digital screen...
I hope you can find the DS case! I did a little research after I got home from Toys 'R Us, and I think it's almost no-existent. Sheesh. I'm surprised mine even exists, haha.
I don't understand how much I get done every day either, Jamie. o_O It's really crazy when I think about it. I used to be a pretty big bum around the house during the summer; I wouldn't work and I didn't really have a lot to look forward to. Now that I have priorities to figure out, I find myself enjoying my down time even more. ^__^
I'll try to buck up-- thanks for the little pep talk! I know that I'll be happy that I went through college someday, but for now, I'm more frustrated than anything else.
Oh, a strange trip, you say? That sounds interesting! I hope that means that you don't have any regrets with going to college, tee hee.
Melissa- Thankies, sweets. ^^ I really love the case. Definitely keep looking for one. There are a bunch of cool accessories and cases at random gaming stores.
Allishandra- Isn't it weird how people (well, me in particular) resort to things that remind them of their childhoods in times of stress? I like knowing that I can fall back on some of my old toys and still ad an grown-up twist to them-- like with blogging about them!
Anise & Cloves- Thanks, hon. I'll try to take it easy. ^__^ You should dig up those Tamas. They're very relaxing to play with.
Phillip- I think you were the first person I talked to who told me that he liked his years after college more than his years during college. That gave me hope. At first, I thought I was the only that felt trapped with going to classes. So many older people I've talked to tell me how much they wish they could go back to those years and relive them. The years are fine, I suppose, but I don't get as much out of them as a lot of other people might.
Tracy- Thankies, sweetie. ^0^ Whoever said that material possessions mean nothing didn't know anything, haha. I treasure a lot of what isn't a physical possession above all my stuff, but all the little goodies that I find give me that extra bit of energy and hope that I need to get through the rough days. They give me something to look forward to once in a while. I hope your dollies are like that for you, too. ^^ Oh, and yes, I bought Plum's new dress off of Etsy. A few of my Blythe friends run stores off the site, and I've been snatching up clothes left and right for the past few weeks. My girls will never be sad now! Tee hee.
Melissa- Thank you! I was a little frustrated with how the blogging site worked, because it's not as nice and professional as Vox is... but I'm happy with how the final layout looks. I'm totally urging you to go and get a Blythe or a DS (or both, mwa ha). =p
NOOS- I'll try to post an update or two about how my Tamas are doing, heh. I love my little digital babies, but I have to admit that I sometimes slip up and forget to feed them! Oopsie? And thanks, I'm glad you like my layout, sweets. <3
I'm glad you like my blog. ^__^ The very concept of kawaii is so contagious, and I'm always happy to share the kawaii parts of my life with everyone else. It's nice knowing that so many people can come together through something as simple as cuteness.
Thank you for the luck, and thanks for adding me, too. <3 !
I discover your blog few days ago and I love to read your posts and watch your pictures always astonishing and original.
It’s really staggering the millions things you can realize!!! Plum is so adorable with her new dress and shoes!
Good luck for school !
I completely understand. As much as I love having my DS, I have to admit that I don't really play it as much as I'd like to. I guess just knowing that it's around, that I can play it when I need to gives me a reason to love it! Tee hee.
Sanrio, and everything else cute in the world, will always be a great pleasure-- never feel guilty about it though. ^__~ It's all too wonderful and positive to think of as a guilty pleasure!
Good luck with everything you do for your English major. I think we really have the best of every world with the career path we've chosen. It's not as demanding and critical as Journalism is, and we get to use a more creative edge, rather than a technical one. It's so cool to know that you're an English major, too... I hope you keep me updated on how everything is going with that. =D
And thank you for the push of luck. That means a lot, hon.
Pschitrose- Thank you so much. ^__^ It means a lot to me to hear that you enjoy my blog. Knowing that encourages me to keep writing and keep going with my photography. Plum sends all her thanks to you for the nice compliment! She's waving hello, too.
Pixie Wildflower- Thankies, sweets, as always!
All of your new purchases look so adorable! Those shoes are so sweet, ahhh! I wish I had a pair for myself. :P
I hope whatever is on your mind isn't bothering you to much. ^^ <3
I bought them over at Gina's TIB Shop. ^__^ They're made by Ixtee, but Gina carries them at her store (which is in the states), which is great. Not only do I get great shoes for my girls, but I get super fast shipping, too.
You can find the shop here. Have fun looking around!
Thankies, sweets. <3 I'm trying not to let everything on my mind get to me too much. I think having a nice, relaxing weekend ahead of me is keeping me in good spirits anyway. So yay!
Aw, remember to treat yourself to a fun surprise every now and then. Buying little clothes for Plum and her sisters really makes life seem good, even in the bad times. The DS case was completely unexpected, but that's one reason why surprises can be so much fun. We all deserve rewards once in a while. ^0^
You know, I just had this "useless information" conversation with my son. I've always been a words guy. I knew I would be in a career that involved words. I hated math classes, took the bare minimum (and got terrible grades) knowing I would never need higher math again as long as I lived. And, whaddya know, over the past few months I have wished I had more math skills as I've been doing my flying thing.
I'm not sure if I have a point. Or if this is even helpful. I guess I'm saying I totally understand where you're coming from, yet suggesting you keep in mind that you never really know where life will take you, even if you think you know where you want to go.
Fortune cookie complete.
I went looking at the Toysrus site and they don't have that case for sale. It's such an awesome case!! Your DS set is so cute. Is the other case just a game holder?