-Pandora has become quite the pilferer of pillows.  The last two weeks I keep waking up with her firmly ensconced on MY pillow, and my head at an odd angle on the mattress itself.  I can't even get upset with her, because she is so freaking cute.  *grumble*

-I had an interview today for a regular full-time position at the bank, and it went very well.  Also, another position opens up in the department I currently work in mid-February.  My current manager has said repeatedly that she doesn't want to lose me when my assignment ends, plus she is friends with the manager I interviewed with today.  I feel pretty good that I will have one of the jobs by President's Day, which means benefits, paid time off, a 401k, and a pretty good pay increase.  *keeps fingers crossed*

-I did some more writing today, mostly plot or cultural ideas for my characters.  I finally decided on a naming scheme for my dragons, and started working on a timeline to keep things straight.

-I've been doing some book reading lately, which had been neglected last month while trying to get caught up on my magazines (my subscriptions are People, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Wired, Vanity Fair, and Realms of Fantasy, plus I pick up the British magazine Empire every month and read Mom's Reader's Digest).  I got caught up on several of my fantasy series that had new books released in the past few months, including Book 4 of the Age of Fire series (titled Dragon Strike, by E.E. Knight), Book 3 of the Imaginarium Geographica series (titled The Indigo King, by James Owen), Book 5 of the Powers of Three series (titled Long Shadows, by Erin Hunter), Book 14 of the Tail of the Moon manga, Book 8 of the Trinity Blood manga, and I am two-thirds through the latest Pern book, Dragonheart.  I sure love my books. *grin*

-Finally, here are some more pictures I took on Wednesday.  These are about two hours later, when the snow was coming down much harder and the wind was picking up, causing the snow to drift.  A few hours later, when the snow died down, I ventured outside and made some snow ice cream.


     


   

There is too much wine in this house.  I was cleaning out the kitchen when I decided to see what was in our little wine rack.  I rarely buy wine, and Mom buys it even less than I do, so the fact that we have six bottles is a lot for us.  A chardonnay, two white zins, a pinot blanc, a merlot, and another red wine (possibly another merlot, could be a pinot noir).  Guess it's time to take some bottles with me to New Year's!  I already took over a champagne and a blackberry merlot earlier this year to a friend's house, where they were enjoyed.  :)

More good news for me.  I asked my supervisor today if she had an idea of when the ending date was for my current assignment, so I knew when to start looking for regular FT positions.  I am needed as a temp until Jan 6, when the woman who's cube I am using returns (she has been on medical leave).  However, she is hoping to have a regular position be granted to her around that time, and she wants to keep me on if she gets the position.  If not, then she knows of another position in a similar department (our two departments work with each some) that will be available, and she will recommend me to the supervisor of that department.  Therefore, things look promising on that end.

I am thinking of taking Jan 2 off, even though I do not get paid for the holidays.  It would be nice to have a four-day weekend to spend in Newark with my friends.  On an unrelated note (snort) I have also looked at selling some of my photos on ebay.  I am thinking of choosing around 30 designs and offering them as prints in limited editions (some 10, some 25, some 50), individually numbering and signing them.  I will probably put half of them (the lower numbers) in mats and sell the other half just as the print.

Off to Wal-Mart tomorrow (pending weather) to pick up Prince Caspian on DVD and a couple of Christmas gifts.

I finally got around to getting a new winter coat yesterday.  My old one was almost ten years old, had a rip along the outer layer on the right side, was missing its hood, and had a broken zipper.  So I went to Penney's and got a new one, and I LOVE it!  Their coats were 50% off, and I had a 25% coupon, so a $225 coat only cost about $85.  It's stuffed with down and feathers and is much warmer than the old coat, with half the bulk.  Lots of zippered pockets, including a cell phone pocket, and an adjustable fur-edged hood.  All of this in a material that will be easy to keep clean, and in a pretty shade of chocolate brown.  I'm very happy with it.  :)

I also had my interview with B&N yesterday.  It went very well, and I will find out by the end of the week if I get the job.  It's only seasonal, but it will help get a little extra money in for me to add to savings (plus buy some books a little cheaper too).  I also picked up the new Anne McCaffrey book (just in case I don't get the job).  I also stopped by the Starbucks I used to frequent when I worked at Hallmark, and said hello to the employees there that I knew, and treated myself to a chai latte.

The new position is going well.  I have learned two new things, which will become my responsibility in the department until my assignment ends.  This is a very nice and friendly team, and I've meshed very well with them.  I appreciate having a little shorter drive too!

Well, my current assignment at Chase ends this Friday.  However, I immediately move into a new one on Monday.  It's at a different building, a little closer to home.  I will continue to work with invoices, but instead of auditing them, now I will be working with other departments and approving or denying bids for preservation work on foreclosed properties.  It pays the same, but it means more responsibility and I will be learning different techniques and software.  And I only have a month to fulfill the 4-month requirement as a temp and then I can start posting to regular positions, with benefits. 

I also submitted an application at Barnes & Noble for part-time work on weekends.  If that doesn't pan out, then I will try a few other places, but I really need to get some extra money in.  I'm practically not doing Christmas this year, and will be selling extra fabric, trims, a costume or two, and maybe a couple of swords.  I really need to get my credit cards paid down.  Hopefully, I will be able to get that photo shoot with my friend's family done later this month too, and that will bring in a little extra money.  At least I am working, and have enough to pay my bills and put a little into savings.

Ok, I've started drawing up some pricing lists and such for my photography. So if you are in the Central Ohio area, and want some portraits done, shoot me a message. I have both color digital and black & white film available, and will provide a proof CD. As soon as I get my prices determined, I'll get some flyers and try to get a basic website up with the information. I can also do photo retouching and basic slide-shows onto DVD.

I started looking at digital and film SLR cameras and lenses online too; I hope to be able to get more professional cameras soon.

I'm excited about this! More excited than I've been about something in a while. Hope it pans out.

OK, I need some advice.  I love taking pictures, both digital and film, and have had several people suggest I start charging people for my work.  I have also thinking of getting into doing some freelance photography, especially scenic and portrait photography.  I was told I had a strong portfolio in those subjects.  The bad thing is, I really should have better equipment if I am going to be charging people for it.  At the present, a have a nice 5 megapixel Kodak digital camera (unfortunately, it does not have changeable lenses) and a manual SLR (which I use for my black-and-white film) that does have interchangeable lenses, but I only have the standard lens it came with.  I also have a nice six-tank HP photo printer and two tripods.  So, a nice basic setup, but I would feel more comfortable having at least one additional lens for the SLR and a more professional digital (at least 8 megapixels with interchangeable lenses).  The bad thing is, I am on a fairly tight budget right now and cannot afford to buy any of those things.

On the positive side, I have had photography training (I took two classes in college) and I have a Fine Arts degree.  I also have a nice portfolio of work to show, and can do photo slide shows set to music (I also love doing videos).  If anyone has any recommendations on how to get started, where to get deals on equipment, film, developing, and printing (I can't use my poor printer for everything) and how to start promoting myself, I would be grateful.  I have been doing some photo sessions with friends, and am working on a business card and a website to show my work.

I love photography, and it would be fun to get some money doing something I love.