Social Networking Craziness

I have spent the day here at the MasterWerks office figuring out, or at least attempting to figure out, how this whole social networking thing goes. What I've learned.....? It's complicated stuff. It all can tie together and work as this amazing machine of communication iiiiiiffff you can figure it out and do it right.

Now, as I've already mentioned in this entry, I have yet to enter the smart phone, iphone, app world. I had a choice last month when I purchased our new phones to get the data plan or not, and I chose not to. Internet at the office and at home on the laptop is enough. Needless to say, as far as social networking goes, I do facebook and thats it. This blog is merely a creative extension of that activity in that I've managed to click a share button a few times.

I say all this to say, I volunteered to be in charge of social networking with the company and a world of communication opportunities are at my fingertips now that I never put effort into exploring before now. I've managed today to make the company blog (please follow us! I'm the only follower so far, so I'm basically following my own updates, haha), set up our Twitter acct and managed to link it to the facebook page so it will update both simultaneously, AND put links on facebook and the blog to our Vimeo and You Tube channels.

SO - If you'd like to be connected with everything MasterWerks, essentially, I'll point you towards our blog because that is the hub for all communication. I'm pretty proud of myself for connecting the dots today. I did a lot of google "how do I?" searches. Ha!

tickle me pink

I remember thinking after I finished my blog design the last time "I'm not going to change this for a long time. I'm perfectly happy with what I have for once." As of today, I needed to change something. If anything I could revamp the color theme without much hassle and be happy with the product. This thought is a lesser version of the "I don't have to buy new furniture right now, but if I rearrange the furniture I have, it will make me happy for a while" concept. Small commitment without too much energy.

I considered changing the header, but once again, too much energy and I actually like that element still. =) Thank you Photoshop for your abilities to assist me in achieving my color changing goals. I tried several different color combos and essentially settled on the one you see above. Now, why did I go with this one? Could it be that possibly I've returned to the same colors for almost my entire life whenever I'm painting, coloring, or Photoshopping? Ever since I received my first Big Box of crayons (with the sharpener built into the box - whoop whoop!) I have gravitated to these specific crayons. Don't ask me why...I can't help myself.

I'm happy with my blog for now...I mean, why wouldn't I be when there are so many different versions of Sea Green, Robin's Egg Blue and Tickle Me Pink in it. =)

Paint Paint and More Paint

I feel like I've been in a whirlwind of life since I got married and I'm just now getting to the point where I'm looking around the house from the perspective of what I'd like to do with it all. Its pretty fun experimenting in my mind, but now its time to take some action. I've had an extra room for almost a year that has only served as a dumpsite. I have continued to call it my "creative space"...in reality, its been more like "I will do something creative in this space someday, but until its just the way I want it, I will do nothing."

As you can see from my to-do list (---->) I'm going to be a busy busy girl. I have given myself lots of painting tasks. Some I've had for quite a while and haven't done anything about them. I got a desk yesterday and I'll be getting some shelving tonight....so additional furniture to redo on the way.

Chloe's pretty excited about it. haha

My craigslist desk that's loaded up with everything that will be on the shelving units that will arrive this evening. Funny thing about that - I unknowingly responded to my friend's ad. We both had a good laugh about it. So I drove down the street and picked it up last night. ha!

The dresser from my childhood bedroom. I have literally wanted to paint/redo it for years. Katelyn and I had planned on doing it. Then we didn't. Then I gave the dresser to Carlos when he had his own place. We were going to redo it together. Then we didn't. Then when he moved in with his parents before we got married, we managed to take off the knobs and sand down the top and front (obviously not the drawers). Then we didn't do anything else. Now its in our room in its ugliness, continuing to be ugly until I do something about it. Part of me wants to get rid of it, and the other part knows that I need to finish the job. Carlos thinks that its followed me around this whole time because God knows that I will feel really good when its finally pretty.

This piece is in our living room...and I'm kind of visualizing red in its future.

Same with this one, in our living room and if I do the other one red, I'll probably do this one in the same color.

Inspiration Board

Do you have one? Have you ever made one?

I think I need one.

I know what I like, but I need to start taking pictures of what I like and letting the pictures hang out together in a place that I see often. See I have this creative opportunity called an extra room that I am determined to turn into a wonderful space. My space for work, for creative, for anything, but above all else, I want it to represent ME.

Right now the only pieces of furniture that represent me and isn't just furniture that Carlos had when he lived on his own or furniture that we've inherited (thank God otherwise we'd have a VERY empty house) are the dresser that I have had since I was 8, one half of the pair of burnt orange-y/brown rocking chairs that have been in my mom's house (and then afterwards in the garage) since I was born and the coffee table that I scouted out on craigslist and purchased shortly before we were married. So really, I only count the coffee table because its the only piece that represents my taste, right now.

So as much as I look around and see "us", as I should, seeing as how we're married (ha!) - I also look around and think, what can I do to make this look like me, something I would have put together because I liked it and not just the conglomeration of our furniture hanging out together because they have no other choice but to do so.

Does anyone feel me? Newlyweds? haha

I never lived on my own before I was married, so this is the first time really, that I've had the creative license to make a change and create something that is completely and totally me. Its pretty exciting! So exciting that I wasn't able to sleep for a while last night as I lay in bed imagining the possibilities and I had to play UNO on my phone to distract my brain.

Things to consider:

1. Paint colors for the walls

2. Paint colors for the furniture (i do have a couple of smallish dressers to fix up)

3. What all I want the room to be...creative space/guest room (meaning at least a twin sized bed or fold out futon) or just a creative space/office space

4. Theme!

5. What kind of surface I need/want considering it will be an office space for when I'm doing AdvoCare and MasterWerks work from home, but also a craft space for when I'm hopefully beginning the Etsy side of things. Desk? Large Table? Smaller table that transforms into larger table when necessary?

What I will need:

1. Desk/Table

2. Shelving for AdvoCare products that are currently hanging out in boxes and aren't very organized.

3. Rearrange furniture so that there's room for everything without making me feel claustrophobic!

If you have any tips for one who's revamping a room, that's currently a blank canvas with the exception of the piles of stuff that are residing there just because they can - I'd love input!

Off to scour craigslist for garage sales and inexpensive furniture to help me on my way!

Plans

Aren't they funny? Big or small, we as people continue to make them and they continue to be blown out of the water every time (for the most part).

Take today, for example. Carlos went to work, I stayed home. The plan was to clean the entire house, from dishes to vacuuming to dusting, to putting away laundry, to clear off the kitchen table and file/sort/organize every bill and document that has arrived in the mail for the past month that I've "planned" on putting away, and after having done so.... *DEEP BREATH* .......wash Chloe and possibly shower myself (if time permitted after everything else was spotless).

Then amongst those things that I needed to get done, are those things that I just wanted to catch up on.....blogs (mine and others), browsing craigslist for cool stuff for cheap, etsy, dreaming of how I'll eventually have an office/craft space once I figure out how to make our extra room into such a space instead of a dump site.

Instead, I got up at 8:30am when Carlos left, took Chloe for a walk, called Steph and decided we should get out of our homes and take a walk today since we live two streets apart and I'm rarely home during the day for such things. That was about 30 minutes away so I worked some facebook networking and posting for MasterWerks. By the way, check out our vimeo channel because we've posted all of our recent films. Steph and I went for a walk with Chloe, came back to the house, ate some lunch and watched about 6 episodes (What!? I had to get her caught up!) of Parenthood - the best show on the planet if I haven't already stated that in this blog.

Now, as I look around my messy living room, take a peek at the dirty dishes in the kitchen, waiting for Carlos to get home and survey the lack of cleanliness....(including me and Chloe), I'm okay with the fact that the day turned out the way it did. I don't hang out with Steph enough - it was due time for a lazy day hangout. And it was my duty to fill her in on the awesomeness of Parenthood season one.

So on the list of things I've accomplished today I've:

1. Taken Chloe for a walk twice.

2. Spent time with my best friend.

3. Eaten healthy food and took AdvoCare supplements at the correct times =)

4. Watched hours of Parenthood.

5. Is writing a blog entry - something I haven't done in almost 2 months!

6. Will have some yummy salmon for dinner.

....and I'll probably make a checklist tonight so I can be better prepared for tomorrow's to-do's!

But if something comes up, and I only complete half the list, it'll be okay. =) There's always tomorrow, and speaking as a perfectionist/procrastinator (see this entry regarding the phenomenon) - I KNOW that if I can't get everything done, a part of me won't be able to fully commit to beginning it. I'm going to fight the urge tomorrow!

Taking a break from being at the computer to . . . be at the computer.

Does anyone else's life revolve around a computer screen? If you're reading this blog, then I'm sure yours does to an extent, and just due to the world we live in, your life at least revolves around an iPhone, Android, or some other smart phone and the glorious apps that they provide. I have yet to enter in to the app world, or any other world that requires the purchase of a data plan, but when I'm at the office, I spend countless hours in front of a screen (editing pictures these days, editing film projects others, and researching everything else in between). My eyes hurt so I'll take a break, or its lunchtime so I'll take a break, and my break consists of eating while checking my email or facebook or blog or...or...or....

In a way its a break because I'm not focussing my eyes on one thing for a long amount of time, instead I'm scrolling or whatnot, and I guess that's a break? My eyes know that I'm kidding myself, but there's a difference, even if its a psychological one. Break time means mindless computer time, work time means creative computer time that's a little more intense. Either way, I'm pretty glad that I don't have internet at home, because then my eyes wouldn't get a bit of rest.

And yet, last night, I was talking with my best friend about the endless possibilities that I can enjoy when I transfer over into the data plan world. Whenever I can afford to do that, you can be sure that unless I set up strict rules for myself when I'm at home, there goes the treat that my eyes get to have at the end of the day.

With that said - I am really enjoying editing my sister's engagement photos. With two different photo/filming sessions we were able to get some great shots of her and her fiancee and interviewed them as well for the "love story" film we'll be doing for them. I'll post some later today or tomorrow once I get the okay from her.

Today's Poll:

People say you should take a 5-10 minute break from the computer every 2 hours. Do you?

Dead Laptop Blues

So remember that 30 day blog challenge I began a few weeks ago? Not so easy to continue without a laptop. If it were all typing and no pictures, it would be a bit easier seeing as how with the exception of pictures I've posted on facebook (which is a lot, its true) everything was on my brain-dead computer. Instead, its a mixture of the two, and due to this little perfectionist side I have, I gave up on it all together.

Does anyone else have this problem? I always thought that being a perfectionist meant that you want everything done perfectly, the majority of the time. Instead I've found over the years (and have been told) that perfectionism is closely linked with procrastination. Why? Because if you can't do it perfectly in every way, giving the project/task/BLOG everything you've got RIGHT NOW, you won't do it. Once I do get around to do it, usually when I'm in a time crunch and I have no other choice, I'm forced to work past the fact that I'm not really in the mood to be perfect and I get it done.

Unfortunately this applies to all areas of my life, work or play, as long as there is a task to be accomplished. If I want to make something/do something creative and my crafty area is a mess, I have to clean up the mess first. If I don't feel like I can clean the WHOLE area and be satisfied, I probably won't ever get around to being crafty. If I want to relax and out of the corner of my eye I see mail on the table, I can't just relax. Most likely I wouldn't be able to do anything about a bill on the table at 7pm, but I need to know if I have one that I haven't seen, which most likely will lead to me doing bill filing when really I should just be on the couch taking a chill pill.

When I was in high school and college, rarely did I ever complete (or start) a paper until the night before it was due. Most likely I would be up late into the wee hours of the morning doing it. Each and every time I would swear to myself that I wouldn't do it again, that it was too much stress and that I was way too tired and it wasn't worth it. Then I would get an A. I wouldn't learn, because the perfectionist side would say to me, "You did great! You don't need to start early! You can hit one out of the park even when you wait until the last minute!" And so it happened again and again.

One night in college, I thought it would finally be the night that broke me of the habit. My sister and I were taking the same Political Science course. She and I saved a couple bucks by sharing a book. She and I also share the perfectionist/procrastination gene. DUN DUN DUN.

Neither of us had hardly read the book and had a 10 page term paper due the next day. We traded the book back and forth all night long, highlighting our quotes for our papers. She was on the computer in the living room, I on the dinosaur in the bedroom, both of us staying awake with countless cups of hot Quik. The extra sugar didn't help past 4am apparently because at one point, I passed out, which I only know because I woke up with my head face down on the desk, paper wrinkles on my forehead.

I went to the kitchen, got some more Quik even though the thought of more made me feel sick to my stomach, and plugged away at a paper that I literally thought would be gibberish and my teacher, for once in my life, would expose me for the A student fraud that I was. For once I thought, "Who do I think I am, trying to get away with this???" I proof read it...it seemed fine...it sounded good enough, because it would have to be. We finished in time to shower and rush over to class. When I got my paper back the next week, I tried not to cringe as I flipped through the pages, and on the last page in red I saw an "A" and he wrote "You're a great writer! Good job!"

So....I still have never learned.

I think the only exception is bills, because its a recurring task, that I at least have to worry about on a bi-weekly basis. The perfectionist and nerd is strong enough in that area, due to multiple due dates that I can't just shove aside and wait on. I have my excel spreadsheet, and I'm trying to rock it Dave Ramsey Financial Peace style, because the ultimate goal is to pay down and pay off debt - which I'm pretty rabid about these days. Which was another reason why the whole laptop hard drive death kind of through me for a loop. I had to rebuild my February budget on another computer and it irritated me every second until it was done, because I had to try to repeat a whole process that I had already gone through (and yet, honestly, the nerd in me enjoyed every bit of it).

I'm really trying not to think about pictures, videos, music and other files right now that I may not be able to get back. Thank God for facebook housing so many of my pictures, and that I backed up a lot a year ago. But just thinking about everything from the past year that I may have lost makes me pretty sad. It was a big year! I got engaged, got a puppy, got married, had a few holidays, vacations....please GOD help that IT man recover my memories!

As far as the 30 day challenge goes. I think I got the point of it, so I may just do some when I like the subject, but I think I'll take it from here. I've got enough words to go it alone I think. =)