Analysis of Where Things Went South

I am having a better day today and did yesterday than the day before. This morning I woke up and began to think and analyze where my student life went amiss, and where my focus got thrown.

Becoming a studio art major was the biggest mistake that I have made to dote in my career.

I used it as a means to get into the game design program at MSU, knowing that it wasn’t my passion; I allowed others to advise me to do something that will “actually make you some money”, and who steered me in a direction I was not concrete about. It is a very expensive major, one that I didn’t have the means to pay for, and although I enjoy art and art creation, it was not the thing I needed to focus on at that point.

Just realizing, after posting this: I love playing bassoon. I loved my bassoon. But I refused to study it in college, because I didn’t want to kill that love. I didn’t want that love to become a labor. I allowed people to change the creation of art and web design from my loves to my labors, and it killed them for me. I am not the best at them, nor do I strive to be. I do them because they are enjoyable. That’s all they should have and should ever be for me.

I’ve looked at this mistake, and will likely expand upon this and this entry more in the coming days, but I will also be moving forward from it.

My two greatest passions are teaching people and writing. I should have always recognized that, and I should have actively pursued it, unwaveringly. Right now, I have about three semesters worth of non-progress that I need to recoup. That’s a lot, for someone who has been paying for school on student loans. That’s a lot of interest-laden money out the window. But I will bounce back from it. I am ambitious. Briefly, I changed the name of this blog to “yet Casesar was ambitious”. It’s how I feel about myself.

I’ve been analyzing that operations consultant position, and determining how best to get there. I am wanting to finish up my degree in art history, which I do love (it combines my like of art with my passions for teaching and writing). I spoke to a friend yesterday, and she re-emphasized to me the need for focus; I have been everywhere since that semester in 2007 when I decided to become an art major. I haven’t had a clear plan of action. I was about to say that I had a clear idea of what classes I needed to take, but even thinking back to then, I didn’t.

My thoughts stopped, just now.

I explained my analysis with a coworker this morning, and she told me to keep a journal. I used to journal. I was a bit more focused when I journaled. That means that right now, in this phase of my life, journaling is going to be essential. I guess my next entry might be about my decisions I’ll be making to enact a new plan of action in my life, and what steps I’ll achieve to get there.

Mostly because I want to talk about this really cool laptop that I saw at Walmart yesterday for 300 bucks. :D

Operations Consultant

I was applying for jobs today, and I stumbled across this one. I’m not applying, but I think it’s really cool! And very similar to what I like doing/what I aim on doing. I’ll research it, learn more about it, and see if it’s not something that I’ll add to my career goals. =]

US-TX-Plano, United States 

Description


Responsible for the day-to-day resolution of complex problems and the execution of complex transactions for a single site/business unit or smaller business unit(s), including research. Participates in the design, development and implementation of complex products, systems, and services in an operations environment. May manage projects and direct activities of a team related to special initiatives of an operations nature. Should function as the technical expert in their assigned area. Major accountabilities are based on individual expertise and capabilities. Should have in-depth understanding of the business unit’s operations, processes, and implications on other groups within the operations function and other divisions within the company. Knowledge acquired through increasingly responsible operations analysis work. Clearly recognized as a content expert by peers. Bachelor degree or equivalent preferred. Individual typically has 3-5 years of experience.

LOB Specific Description 

Competent with Microsoft Office suite and Info Mapping. Effectively handles several small to extra large size writing assignments and meets due dates, or works on larger projects under the direction of more senior team members. Able to follow established style and consistency standards. Analyzes business requirements and large, complex projects to understand impacts to documents across all of HL&I, and can accurately inventory impacted documents. Engages other Policy and Procedure teams as required, and facilitates cross-functional efforts with the Policy and Procedure team. Develops clear and accurate user documentation based on business requirements with little direction. Researches, asks probing questions, follows up on gaps and verifies information to produce quality documents. Works independently on several projects simultaneously, including setting and managing to target dates with assistance from manager or Senior Operations Consultant. May train and mentor less experienced associates on tools, processes and business functions. Detailed understanding of the business they support.

 

Qualifications


Required Skills 

Proficient in Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Strong customer service skills

Desired Skills

Technical writing experience 

Henna

Apparently we can ditch that last blog entry about the hair routine for the time being. My coworker’s sent me her  henna recipe. Hopefully it’ll loosen my hair texture + impart color! Crossing my fingers on this one. I used henna once, but it scared me because I couldn’t get it out. Now I have to figure out, though, when I’m going to do this. Saturday mornings? Because the thing is, the stuff has to sit overnight, and it takes three whole hours to sit. Good god.

Anyway. Here’s Meli’s text:

1) take about 1 cup or henna
2) add yogurt to it … 
3) add an egg white to it
4) add 2 spoons of coffee powder and alittle (1/4 teaspoon [i assume teaspoon because it's so small]) concentrated tea water … 
5) 2 spoons of oil any oil will do (olive , coconut ) 
6) add about 10 drops of [assuming lime or lemon juice here] (not too much … )

– Mix well .. thickness as much as cake batter … 

– well keep over night … 

– apply on head till all is covered 

– keep for 3 hrs [ =[ This is the thing I hate most about henna... ]

– thn just wash it off with water (no shampoo)

– once hair is dry put oil well … keep atleast for 8hrs [If I can, I might sit under heat for awhile after...]

– then wash with shampoo n conditioner … 

Do this every week for 2 months … Then once in 2 week for 2 months … and then once a week … u will see the difference in teh 3rd week 

the process is long but guaranteed results … 

u can change the ingredients … the quantity is its all natural so no damage will be done …. 

but put yogurt n egg white n oil … it makes the hair really good … 

Gonna do this, religiously….

Pounds to lose: 28.29

In order to get to 15% body fat, optimal for fitness modeling, I need to lose half of my fat weight, or 28.29 pounds. At ten pounds a month, that would put me there in September.

Unemployment and working on a schedule

Hi. This will be somewhat brief. Needing to do laundry. I’m trying to work out a haircare maintenance schedule that I’ll be sticking to. It’s based on six weeks with two six week treatments and a plan of only relaxing every two months.

  1. Relax
  2. Deep Condition
  3. Color
  4. Deep Condition
  5. Protein Treatment
  6. Deep Condition
  7. Trim Splits
  8. Deep Condition
And then, since relaxing and coloring would conflict at week 9, I guess I’d start the whole cycle all over again from week one in what would have been week nine. I’m also going to get someone else to do my eyebrows for me each deep conditioner week.
Laundry will be done on a weekly basis, as will vacuuming. These pets are driving me nuts. Hair everywhere. I’m trying to determine what plan of action is best for me right now, because I’m having to turn all my goals inside out. The next plan/post will be about me and my schooling. Hopefully that gets sorted out quickly.

Marketing Internship, and Goals, Goals, Goals

So I’ve gotten pretty busy. Work is surviving, but there have been issues cropping up in there. But I had a phone interview (in person because my phone was out) for a marketing internship at an office nearby. I had a second interview after that. It went alright, but it was last Wednesday that I had that interview and, even with the long weekend, I have not heard back from them today, so I’m not holding my breath. My car died yesterday, and if I have to get a bike I REALLY am not going to be able to afford the apartment that I’m living in right now, so I might have to move on campus. I don’t know. I’m very confused.

My two year relationship ended, and it was amicable, but everything is in shattered shambles right now. I’m trying to adjust, but I don’t think that it’s going very well on the financial side of things. Right now I am on Satisfactory Academic Progress probation because I missed assignments and had to take a fail grade for several classes, along with trying to work more just to make ends in the apartment meet. I have to file my appeal and explain to them why my life turning inside out and backwards affected my ability to complete the semester, as well as being overly ambitious. Hopefully they accept the appeal.

Right now, I’m working on trying to redo and reunderstand my goals, my capabilities, and my potential. Nothing really makes sense to me anymore. I am working on honing my skills as a web designer (adding PHP and jQuery under my belt, by the time the summer is done) as well as adding a marketing emphasis to my learning.

I feel like the more that I try to stay here in Texas, the more god or karma or whoever stabs at me. Like I’m hanging to a ledge and someone is stamping on my feet. I am a fighter, and I keep fighting, but the black spots in my vision and the inability to breathe very well anymore is getting staggering and painful.

That’s it for now. Supposed to be going to the gym, but if I end up riding a bike here all the time then the gym might be unnecessary. Goals will be forthcoming…

Found Another Sheet of Goals

While transforming our empty dining room into our office/studio.

Twix’s Five Year Plan (as of December 12, 2009)

  • 2010 – 23 years old
  • 2011 – 24 years old – Graduation, Spring 2011
    I am on track for this goal
  • 2012 – 25 years old
  • 2013 – 26 years old
  • 2014 – 27 years old
December 12, 2009 – May 12, 2010
  • Get a raise to $12.00/hour at work by February 12, 2010
    This is what I was originally supposed to be getting paid. I did go in and discuss it with my boss, who said that she would up my pay, but she hasn’t done it yet. Since my hours are limited, I am not able to do as much around the office as either of us were anticipating this last semester, so I am not currently in a position to negotiate it with her at this time.
  • Pay off at least 1/3 of my cumulative debts
  • Refine my web design skills (how?)
    My boss actually did talk to me about this one… I need to perfect and hone my CSS design skills so that the websites I create have a more polished, professional look. I need to pay closer attention to detail and to learn to utilize shortcuts where I can. Detail work is the biggest clench for me right now though.
  • Improve my portfolio to include samples of my web work.
    Done.
  • Achieve at least a 3.5 average in all course.
    If I’m lucky this will happen… again I bit off more than I can chew in a fit of ambition. I think the four classes I have I will get at least a 3.0 in. I’ll take only 12 credit hours, POSSIBLY 14 with my portfolio practices class if I can help it in Fall 2010; I am scheduled for 14 this summer.
  • Get a summer internship with a web design firm or a game design company.
    I have already taken steps toward applying for a marketing artist position at game design company in Plano; I also already work for a web design place, more or less, so I question this goal. It may do me well to go out of the academic setting and familiarity of my job so that I can accomplish more.
  • Lose 48 pounds by May 12, 2010
    I’ve lost 13 pounds so far; it was 16, but like I said last time, I am going to reweigh after my “aunt” leaves town. I don’t think that I’m going to be able to lose 32 pounds in a month though. :P
  • Have at least one of my blogs turn profitable.
    Not really my priority goal at this point… Need to finish school and develop myself as an artist, writer, and art historian first.
These goals will have deadlines between Feb. 12, 2010 and May 12, 2010.
  • Get a raise to $12.00/hour by Feb. 12, 2010.
  • Pay off at least 1/3 of my debts (in number) by May 12, 2010.
  • Get my driver’s license by February 12, 2010
    Yay! I did this! But it wasn’t until March but WHATEVER I DID IT! 8D
  • Update my web design skills to be more interactive by May 2010.
    I started qualifying my goals better here… Still working on this.
  • Improve the variety of websites in my portfolio by April 2010.
    I have a few in here, mostly interfaces, but I think I need to step to this.
  • Achieve at least a 3.5 GPA in all courses for Spring 2010.
    Likely not gonna happen. I’ll try my hardest though.
  • Be accepted for a summer internship with a web design or game design firm by May 12, 2010.
    Eep.
  • Produce at least 2 design documents by May 12, 2010.
    Double eep.
  • Lose 48 pounds by May 2010.
    HA.
  • Have at least one blog turn profitable by May 12, 2010.
    This is doable, I suppose. And I think that my new contracted gig with Break Studios fills this qualification. I wanted to make a profit off of my writing.
Now I get to assess where things have gone wrong:
  • I haven’t lost as much weight as I would have liked, much in part to the fact that I don’t go to the gym. I hardly make it to class most of the time, let alone the gym. I will be more careful from now on with how I schedule my classes, so that I have time for both myself and school, even if it means that I will have to do school part-time.
  • The raise thing. I have been spotty with work because of how limited my hours are. Again, I’m going to adjust my workload to be something more manageable, so that I can still continue to earn a living while going to school. Money goals are also tied to this; I barely made enough money sometimes to cover our bills. But hooray! My boyfriend got re-employed, and his income is definitely helping out with things.
  • I need to develop a tighter schedule, which will be much more feasible now that my live-in-boyfriend has a job again and, more importantly, a consistent work schedule. We’ll have to plan around each other, but so far, so good. I don’t want anyone to think that he is an obstacle to my growth; I guess we’re just having to adjust to having to work around another person being in our lives.
  • Portfolio: again, time. However, part of this is due to me not making time. I spent a lot of time on Facebook and things like that, and even now I do… I have been cutting back though. I just need to stay motivated and assign myself deadlines and STICK TO THEM.
Alright. More revising to more realistic goals and the addition and merging of the two lists to account for the future shall happen at a different time. I’m a bit tired and still have lots of work to do tonight.

Goals: From July 2009

I found a notebook that has the goals I wrote down in July 2009. I figured that it’s a good time now for me to re-examine myself and my goals, because things have gotten to be in a disarray again. Here’s the text from the journal. I’m writing corrections underneath it in a different color…

July 30, 2009

Writing down goals from a yellow legal pad.

  • Graduate by Spring 2011 with a BFA Visual Communication and a history minor.
    I’ll be graduating in Spring 2011 with a BA in Studio Art with a painting emphasis and an art history minor.
  • Save $10,000 toward the purchase of a home by 2014.
    Still working on getting my finances straight. I’ve run into a lot of unforeseen issues, and my school situation has attacked my work hours. =/ But this goal is pretty far off.
  • Have 3 children, adopt 2 children.
    Not happening right now. Married first in 2011. Thank god I realized that this goal is still ambiguous back then and didn’t put any nearby date on this.
  • Be 165 pounds by August 2010.
    193 right now! I was down to 190, might still be; I might have water weight right now.
  • Have Braces off by Sept. 2011.
    Not happening. Still have to get the braces on.
  • Bra strap length natural hair by August 2010.
    Self-relaxing with lye relaxer setback; will try aiming for this by August 2011?
It goes on to talk about this purity movement thing that I wanted to do with art, but that’s unimportant. I’ll write more. I have homework to do. I know I have another list of goals around here, and there were specific things that I was aiming for. I need to revise these soon, though; graduation is approaching and I want a good game plan.

Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies! There is an awesome bakery here, but in South Arlington, called “Paris Bakery”, that makes very awesome thumbprint style cookies. Even though they’re only fifty cent a piece (sixty cent a piece, if you get the double cookie with the filling), they’re pretty addictive, and a dozen of them equals six bucks! So I decided to learn how to make them on my own. I combined two recipes: a thumbprint cookie from allrecipes.com, and a chocolate frosting recipe from cooks.com. That said: here we go!


For the cookies:
1/4 c. butter, room temperature
1/2 c sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. milk
1/2 c cornstarch
1.25 c. all-purpose flour (my all-purpose flour has whole wheat flour in it, but it’s cool if yours doesn’t!)

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I did this, but I think next time I’ll use foil, like I usually do. The wax paper that I do makes cookies stick to it…)
  2. Cream together butter, sugar, and salt. Beat in vanilla, milk, and cornstarch; stir in flour until combined.
  3. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in course sugar, if desired (I didn’t). Place on the baking sheet and make a shallow indentation with your thumb.
  4. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until just brown.
  5. Cool on wire rack.
Supposedly, this yields 2 dozen cookies. I’ve made the first dozen, but am allowing the dough to chill in our fridge until I’m ready to make the rest, lest they all get eaten right away. Now onto the frosting! I only used half the recipe for the chocolate frosting and, because our coffee maker is broken right now, I don’t have any available. I will be using it next time though!

For the Chocolate Frosting:
6 tbsp. cocoa
6 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. confectioners sugar

You want to just combine the ingredients for the frosting, but make sure to do it with a flat spoon or something, and start out pretty slow; the confectioner’s sugar will try to get everywhere otherwise, and the butter needs to combine with the dry ingredients very well in order to accomplish the frosting. That said, I think they turned out pretty great! I might add a bit more milk next time to the cookie recipe, as the dough was still a bit crumbly. These aren’t the exact texture as the cookies from the bakery, either, but I did enjoy them. I’ll probably start making them for friends and neighbors as gifts.

Also, I’m pretty sure that the supplies for two dozen of these darlings costs me wayyy less than the six they cost at the store. Still; I love Paris Bakery, and I’ll still shop there and support a nice local bakery.

Well. It’s been awhile

Sorry that I haven’t updated in awhile. Real life got a strangle hold on me. I’ll be going to workout on Wednesday and will weigh myself then. Last I checked, I lost 16 pounds and got down to 190 pounds. I’ve likely gained some of that back (I’m fairly certain I gained five back).

I’m transitioning to natural hair that I’ll be straightening once a week. :P Had some breakage, learned my lesson about doing self-relaxers.
That’s about it for now. I’ve become insanely busy this semester. One of my new goals is to build my portfolio and get into SMU’s Guildhall game design graduate program. I have a bunch of scholarships to apply for as well.
Thanks a ton for reading. Or continuing to watch.