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My little sister is a waitress at the APD.. Free chocolate chip pancakes and coffee for everyone!!

My Brain is Expanding!

So my good buddy at work has found me Rosetta Stone (French) on a bitTorrent site and is giving it to me. I can't WAIT to see what I pull out of my subconscious. I've got 7 years of knowledge tucked away in there.

AAAAAAND even though we have a Lynda subscription at work, he's getting me the PHP and CSS tutorials so I can work on them at home without hogging up time online since only one person can be on at once. So so so so so excited! :-D

I'm really almost kind of am on the verge of randomly driving home for labor day, but it will cost a lot in gas so I probably won't. I don't need to lament on that notion, you all know what I'm talking about.

Instead I think I will immerse myself in computer geekology and study some languages.. both verbal and code. Some people may consider this a lame way to spend a three-day weekend, but I'm actually pretty stoked!

Fall is on its way

This morning it was raining and dreary and there were dead leaves all over the patio. Granted, it won't get chilly around these parts til November (sad day), it still smelled like fall. And I want autumn. I want it so bad. I think I'll be able to handle the warmer atmosphere better this year than last, but my heart can't help but ache for a cold nose and the need for a scarf. Sigh.

For the first time ever, (and I feel blasphemous thinking this. Jenna, don't judge me) I want to skip right past fall and October and Halloween and move right on to Christmas. I love love LOVE Nashville, but I just can't shake this homesickness. This is the first time it's been this bad and the longest it's gone on for. Ugh. Morgan may visit for my bday, which I'm excited for, but knowing her, I won't get my hopes up until she's booked the ticket and is on her way. She's fickle like that. Sigh.

Anyway. Sept. 1st I sign up for a drawing class at Vandy! I'm excited for this. Meet some new folks, a new circle of people. Looking forward to it. Vary things up a little.

Nostalgia

The smell of the Clorox Wipes (the kind with the green lid, not lemon scented) remind me of college and living in Lehigh.

Busy and Busier

In between freelance and AIGA craziness, I'm feeling pretty stagnant. I've decided to add some more excitement to my life, learn some new stuff and just improve my quality of life overall. I've recently signed up and am planning to sign up for a lot of new stuff!

• Mondays & Tuesdays: Kickboxing class
• Wednesdays: (starting in September) A Life Drawing class at Vandy's Sarratt Art Center
• Thursdays: Ongoing AIGA Activities
• Fridays: Open for concerts, shows and other social/beer-drinking/entertainment-enjoying activities
• Saturdays: Hoping to sign up for some more hikes with the Meetup group, or go on some on my own. Need to do more backpacking
• Sundays: Church and am signing up for a supper club starting in September.

Particular events I'm stoked about:
• My Morning Jacket Concert
• AIGA Think Tank
• My birthday.. will be planning something this year. Just not sure what yet.
• Paris in May. I AM saving up for this. It WILL happen

Busy busy busy. I am SO ready for fall!! And to all my PA peeps reading this, I will be home for two weeks this year for Christmas and New Years and hope to visit as many friends as possible! So not only am I ready for fall, but I'm wicked excited for Christmas already as well.

Hope summer's winding down well for everyone!

Lazy Summer and Humid Thoughts

I'm convinced that July didn't happen. Here it is late-summer already and I feel like I've blinked and time jumped from May to August without a second thought. It's been a busy summer, but not as busy as it should have been. Travelled home, went to Bonnaroo, worked on some freelance, and have been neck-deep with work at work. And after being down for the count for a week and a half from a sinus infection, I'm slowly crawling out of the haze and sluggishness that it has brought on. As is normal for me this time of year, I've become increasingly lazy, eating poorly, whatever I can scrounge up in less than 10 minutes, not wanting to go outside or move really. I just feel, I don't know, burnt-out. Stagnant. I find this has been happening more and more often. I need to change this.

I read my cards tonight (yes. I read tarot cards. Judge if you wish), two readings. A quick reading to answer a question/situation that's heavy on my mind and while the cards were reversed and heavy, the outcome looks good. And then did an overall major reading, one main question, but the cards brought up various answers and insights to some little things that have accumulated and showed me what I need to work on. The final culmination didn't show much, but my "future influence" was the Magician, a good sign overall. Potentially good change, and change that I need to make. Lots to think about, lots to do. I'm going on an 8 mile hike this weekend which I completely forgot about. It will be good. I need to clear my mind.

Also, I want to apologize to everyone I haven't kept in touch with. Jenna, I am going to call you this week. I just got your voicemail the other day when I was cleaning out old messages and never realized you had called. I wrote down your home number and am planning on giving you a call this week sometime. I also have some stuff to send out to you.

Also Also or P.P.S. I am going to very soon, within the next month, make this blog private. I'm going to start a design blog on tumblr.com and start writing more about design and art in general. If you're interested in staying up to date on this blog, email me at tschena@taylorrific.com and I'll send you an invite.