to whom it may concern...

those who can, do. those who can't, go to grad school.

2006-06-06T22:44:00.000-04:00

Time for another monthly update. Issa's wedding was so much fun!!! It was beautiful weather and I fell in love with Boston. Issa was gorgeous for the wedding. The reception was so much fun and only got more fun as the night went on and the wine continued to be poured. I missed my college girls so much and it was a great chance to see everyone. The highlight of the weekend however was dancing with my matthew :-) He looked so handsome in his suit!

The whole grad school process has been stressful because both schools managed to lose something. It's all straightened out now though and yesterday I was accepted to Univ. of MD at College Park (outside of DC). That's the 1 year program. I'm pretty much accepted to Univ. of MD Balt. Co. (UMBC) because the Education Dept told me that I was in if my GPA was above a 3.0, and it was a 3.57. I'm now most likely going to go to UMBC for the 2 year program. Unfortunately the down side to that is that I have to take a pre-req at HCC in Educational Psychology. I'm sure it will be an interesting class but I feel like I'm too much of a snob for community college. I can just see the first day going around the room introducing ourselves, "hi i'm avery and i have a bfa degree from rit in upstate ny and i'm only taking this class as a pre-req for a masters in teaching program at umbc."

I took the Praxis Exam 2 weeks ago. Passed Math and Reading, waiting to hear about Writing. It's basically the exact same format as the SATs. Piece of Cake. Felt strange to do high school math again after 6 years!

I'm talking with Jill (the store's owner) to possibly make me some sort of marketing director of the store. It would be creating flyers and posters and other promotional material, planning monthly store events and promotions, and overseeing the mailing and emailing lists. I'm really hoping this happens, we're going to talk about it Thursday in more depth. It would be really good experience too.

Matt has been teaching me to play golf. We go to the driving range once a week and practice. I even bought my first golf club! (a 9 iron). I'm anxious to actually play on a course so I know what I'm in for and should be working on. In other Matt news our 1 year anniversary is coming up. I'm getting him a digital camera (he's been wanting one to take pictures of the work he does and will be doing) and also making him a website to put the pictures on and be his sidework business site. Those of you who know him please don't tell him what he's getting or where you found out :-) thanks yo.

dream walkin'

2006-05-01T23:16:00.000-04:00

Here is an update for the people, (Krissy).

Work has been extremely busy. Jenn and I co-produced this years fashion show and it was a hit. I modeled 2 outfits, and poor Jenn was so sick and felt horrible. A lot of the people that RSVPed didn't show up which irritated me a little, but all we really did a good job and had some great ideas this year. I really need to be a party/event planner, I was so born to do that. Cause let's face it, I love parties and I love to plan. Thank god Rach is letting me help plan her wedding.

Grandma Helen had a stroke last week and has been in intensive care since then. Mom flew out early Saturday morning to be with her. Sunday she had a pacemaker put in, and today she had artery surgery. I spoke with mom today and Grandpa Morrie is a nervous wreck and mom is trying to be the strong one. Before she left I was trying to be the strong one for her but Saturday night all the pressure of everything going on in my life combined with worrying about my grandma led me to just break down. I'm so lucky to have the best boyfriend in the world cause he calmed me down. I'm still really worried and can't get my mind off it.

Attempting to change the subject and think of something else... I'm applying to UMBC and UMD College Park. Both are for a Masters in Teaching in art. UMBC is a 2 year part time program and College Park is a 1 year full time program. I'd rather be done in a year even though it means a shitty drive to Shady Grove. The good side of that is I can just hop on the metro and hang out in DC if I have a big gap between classes. I would start either program this summer.

Matt and I leave Wednesday afternoon for Issa's wedding. We'll drive up to Waterbury, Connecticut to see his grandma and then Thurs morning it's another 2 hours to Boston. That night is rehearsal and dinner and bachelorette party. Friday morning is the bridesmaids luncheon, and then dinner at her parents house. Hopefully that night meeting up with Brendan. Then Saturday is the wedding and primping for it. Sunday there is brunch and then we drive back home. I can't wait to see Rachel and everyone.

That's about it. I'm still catching up on sleep, and trying to get grad school stuff taken care of before leaving not to mention buying last minute things for the wedding.

raining in baltimore

2006-04-07T13:58:00.000-04:00

I suppose an update on life is due since I've been living in MD for a month now. As far as work goes, I'm back to being in charge of Vera Bradley, even though now I can't stand the stuff. Every girl and her mother and grandmother all use it and it makes me want to vomit. In other work news, Jenn, her mother, and I are in charge of planning this years fashion show. It will be far superior this year. I have taken on the position as marketing manager.. hehe.

As far as my progress of becoming an elementary school art teacher... Getting through to the MD school board is pretty comparable to getting through to a radio contest. Once I find out what classes I need to take, I'll be registering at Towson or Maryland and hopefully be done in only a semester. I'm hoping to find a job in Howard County but we'll see. I also have an opportunity from a family friend who works at an advertising firm near DC that is hiring artists right now. They do all their work for nonprofit organizations, Habitat for Humanity being one of them. It would be a crappy drive though.

Issa's wedding is coming up so soon I can't believe it, seems like we were just sitting at Macgreggors when she had just gotten engaged a year and a half ago. Matt's coming up to Boston with me for the wedding, which is actually a 4 day event. It's going to be a very fancy evening wedding so it's gonna be fun to get all dressed up and we're getting our hair done. It's also going to be a 2 year reunion for the college group, Issa, Rach, Shana, Ori, Will, Stacie. Speaking of Rachel, she got engaged last Saturday. She wants me to help do a lot of the planning because lets face it folks, we know how I am about planning. She also knows I'm not going to let her pick out a bad bridesmaid dress for me to wear :-) So I'm very happy for Rachel because she left Rochester finally and loves Maine.

Things with Matt couldn't be better. We've had all kinds of fun dates like visiting Amy at the Aquarium, going to the cherry blossoms. We're planning a camping trip for our 1 year anniversary. Oh yeah, he got a promotion at work and is becoming a project manager, so yay for him!

Allie is moving to New Zealand in October, so she has a checklist of things she wants to do before leaving America. Soon we will be conquering that list. I believe Preakness is the first activity up. Nothing beats a giant tailgate party with some horses running around!

That about sums up the last month of life. I couldn't be happier that I moved back. I probably won't stay in MD forever, but definitely the East Coast.

P.S. This week 2 amazing albums were release and you must purchase them. Matt Nathanson's LIVE recording is so good I can't stop listening to it. Also the new Rascal Flatts album is outstanding as well.

Stalking The O.C.

2006-02-24T23:26:00.000-05:00

Today started out with me and dad riding bikes along the beach just to the Redondo Pier. When we got there we were locking the bikes up when we noticed all the security everywhere and all the trucks and random equipment everywhere. I was hoping deep down it was what I thought it was and I was right! The security guards would only let us up the pier to about 50 to 100 ft from the filming and when I asked him what it was he said "The OC." We saw them film about 2 different scenes. The first one involved Adam Brody (Seth Cohen) and Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan Atwood) walking towards "The Bait Shop" and into it. The second scene involved both of them leaning against a food counter talking. We found out they were filming a beach scene at 2, so we went and had lunch and came back to see more filming. They wouldn't let us past the bike path because they were super strict about what was showing up in the shot. It was still really cool. Then as we were getting ready to walk away this guy was walking up from the beach and as he walked past me I realized who he was, it was the actor who plays Volchok (the mean surfer dude who always fights Ryan) He is way hot in person, and I totally would have taken a picture if I had the time to react. So being the huge OC dork that I am, I embraced my inner 16-yr-old-stalker and here are the best pictures I was able to get.

Adam Brody (aka "Seth Cohen") on his cell between takes.

Benjamin McKenzie (aka "Ryan Atwood") w/ the black jacket.

Both of them leaning against the counter during one of the scenes. Adam in the dark blue and Ben in the green.

Shooting a scene under the pier.

explore. dream. discover.

2006-02-21T02:23:00.000-05:00

In less than two weeks, I will be embarking on my great American road trip. Some days will include driving The Mother Road, or Historic Route 66 as it more commonly known as. Passing through old ghost towns abandoned after the Dust Bowl, less than mediocre roadside attractions to provoke tourists to stay in town for awhile, and some of the best kept natural secrets of the country.

I firmly believe that at some point in every person's life, they should take a road trip. A serious drive-across-the-country road trip. A throw-away-the-mapquest-directions road trip. A don't-make-any-motel-reservations road trip. This is something I have wanted to do for the last six years now. Ok, so maybe seeing the worlds largest cross west of the Mississippi or the ten old graffiti-covered cars planted nose first into the ground aren't completely necessary. But having a picnic lunch at the Grand Canyon, seeing the oldest inhabited town in the country, the Acoma Pueblo, walking where a government building once stood in Oklahoma City that now preaches intolerance to terrorism, seeing the motel room Martin Luther King Jr. slept his last night in exactly as it was left, crossing the great Mississippi, seeing the home of country music... these are the experiences I'm talking about.

I'm not saying this road trip or seeing those things will change your life forever, but if you take away from it a photograph of yourself in front of somewhere new, or even a smile, then it was all worth it.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain

and i need to take a pill to make this town feel okay.

2006-02-12T14:22:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that already a year has gone by since I first started planning my move to Los Angeles. Now the weeks ahead will be a reversal, an undoing of that planning. This has been an amazing experience full of good and bad that ultimately made me come to the conclusion that I belong in the East. No town is worth having to take anti-anxiety medication.

LA is a great place... if you want to take a vacation and pass through it on your way to something better like San Diego or San Fran. But beneath it's sunny exterior is a city of cities that is far from feeling warm and welcoming and most importantly home. I have learned that home is most imporatantly where you heart is as corny as that may sound. I have a great family that I'm passing up dinners with dad, shopping trips with mom. I have amazing friends who always give me a 100% guarentee that we will have fun. I have a wonderful boyfriend who I could fall asleep with any time I wanted to. What could possibly be any better than these people?

March 1st Amy flies out here, followed by the movers coming on the 2nd, and Friday, March 3rd we embark on the great road trip. The Grand Canyon (yes my 6th time there), Santa Fe, Texas (fortunately only for a brief section), Oklahoma City (seeing the memorial to the bombing), Memphis (yeah I'm walking in Memphis), Nashville (yay country music!), and then up through Virginia on to home. Our expected arrival date is Thursday, March 9th, possibly the next day if needed.

In honor of the East Coast Blizzard, I am now off to the beach on this sunny day in Californ-I-A.

five

2005-11-18T16:55:00.000-05:00

This week is almost over, which means it's almost the week I get to go home. I'm anxiously awaiting getting off that plane and getting a kiss from Matt :-) It's been six long weeks. I miss lying in bed together fighting over the remote: football vs. desperate housewives. football vs. the oc. football vs. laguna.

I'll be going to Thanksgiving dinner at his house, it's my first holiday type thing with a boyfriend. I absolutely love his family. It's such a different experience then my family dinners. His are loud and every is laughing a drinking. Gotta love an Irish family. My family dinners are quiet and usually end in some sort of play the kids put on for everyone, or a slideshow of my dad's latest trip. Of course I love my fam, it's just nice to be part of another one and get to celebrate their way as well. Especially when the celebration involves hitting up bars after dinner to entertain his cousins.. :-) Black Friday will be Thanksgiving at dad's house with the PA relatives visiting.

The rest of the visit will be a nice step into actual winter. It doesn't seem right to be 80 degrees out when it's the end of November. I'll be helping Matt move into his new place and paint it. Allie turns 21 which means it's time to teach her to drink, since she's a newbie.. riiiiight.

I finally conquered the poster I had to redo and it was approved and loved. I also got a commission to design the stores new business cards. I've basically done their entire new identity which is pretty cool. I mean I even designed their inlayed floor logo and type. First is to do yet another poster for them for the holidays.

I suppose I should take advantage of this weather and get me a tan. Beachin-it.

Best Imitation of Myself

2005-11-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

Why is it my parents don't understand that the more they call me and try to tell me things the more they frustrate, depress, and confuse me. You can't tell me that I don't want to give up an art career. You don't know that it's not what I want to do anymore. You don't know what the hell is going through my head and you don't listen.

Why is it my mother especially can't get it through her head for the 10th time that NO I DON"T LOVE IT HERE SO STOP SAYING I DO. California feels like a never-ending bad vacation that I can't get out of. I feel trapped here. Why is it every time i mention moving home when my lease is up you have to say, "it's not because of matt is it?" BECAUSE IT"S NOT.

She wants me to go to a therapist to sort out everything going on in my head.. did I mention the same therapist that is responsible for her and him getting back together. Like I am going to trust the psychological perspective of someone responsible for such a bad decision.

Why is it I don't know what I want? I like the idea of getting an MBA and starting my own business. I like the idea of being an art teacher. My head is so confused that the more I try to sort out my thoughts the more confused I get. Why is it that my boyfriends mom can make the observation that I'm just not happy here and my own mother can't? So she couldn't make it with a career in art.. so why do I have to?

What was I thinking wasting my parents money on art college?? Why is it when I ask myself if I could do anything for a living what would it be and the answer is blank? Having an illustration degree gets you no where. Illustration professors are all just illustration majors who graduated and didn't know what to do.

At least I can count on Matthew for being silly and making me laugh when nothing else is going right.

Photographs

2005-10-21T01:31:00.000-04:00

I have this obsession with photographs. There's something magical about a photo if you think about it. A photo is a moment in time, frozen, proving an existence. It could be the existence of an event, a person, a relationship, an emotion.. any number of things. It's something that will never be exactly that way again whether you want it to or not. A photo of me on my first birthday with chocolate frosting all over my face and a smile from ear to ear. It's almost as if that was a different person, I have no recollection of this event, yet there it is frozen forever. A photo of my mother dressed up for a college formal bears a scary resemblence to my prom photograph. I look at the young woman in the photo and it's hard to think she's my mother. A photo of my parents before they were married, my dad looking at my mom, both of them smiling, happy. I can't remember them ever like this, yet this photo proves that happiness existed at one point in time. A photo of myself about 3 or 4 years old with all my stuffed animals around me. I remember my father carefully positioning each one around me for that perfect picture. That girl in that picture had no clue what her life would be like. She didn't know that in a year she'd move to a new house, or that a few years later she'd fall off her bike, or that she'd be catwoman for halloween 7 years later, or that a few years after that her parents would get divorced, or that her relationship with her mother would never quite be the same after that. Eventually she would travel abroad, go to school out of state, learn about broken hearts, and move across the country. But that little girl in the photo, me, didn't know any of that, how could she. All she knew was her daddy was taking her picture and that's all that mattered.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to a time in life where you didn't worry or wonder what was in the future. I know I'm in full control of it, but what kind of decisions will I make, what events will happen, that will shape my life? Perhaps my inquisical mind is speaking on behalf of a small glass of white zinfandel, but most likely it is due to my nightly browsing of my collection of photographs.

Something More

2005-09-24T23:05:00.000-04:00

I quit my job and I'm starting my own freelance design company with Rachel. The week I quit my job I got 4 job offers for freelance projects.

I'm coming home on Thursday. I need to see my family, my girls Allie and Jenny, my sis Amy, and of course.. my boy Matthew who I miss more than anything :-)

So yeah, I'm about to turn 24, and I'm starting my own company. It took me all of college to have faith in my artistic ability but I really think we can do it. I'm so determined to suceed that it has to happen.

Went on all the rides

2005-09-08T11:05:00.000-04:00

There are no words to describe this past weekend. Our relationship is something they would make a movie about on the other side of the hills in the valley. The way we met, the way we had to say goodbye, and the way we've grown closer.

We had so much fun, so many laughs, so many smiles, and of course goodbye tears. We went everywhere. A romantic dinner at a mexican seafood restaurant in Santa Monica, a day at Disneyland, a walk on the beach under the stars, a night out at an awesome bar, looking out over all of LA from the top of the hills, a great lunch in Beverly Hills...

I wouldn't trade the memories for anything.

Katrina

2005-09-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

This hurricane is so devastating. The news tries to hurry it up that things are all going "according to plan," but they're not. Mom is the assistant to director of the Medicare and Medicaid and has been getting all the calls and reports that they aren't showing on the news and it's just so bad. FEMA has been contacting them cause they are trying to get Medicaid to do their work. Thanks to our administration, most of the coast guard is in Iraq, because of course hurricanes are nothing for them to worry about... and a likely cause that other countries will want to donate much money to us when we are the most selfish nation on this planet and donated far less that other major countries in response to the Tsunami. People are being attacked by rats who have come out from hiding, as well as biting red ants. Bodies are being stuck in trees and tied so they can be properly buried eventually. The poor animals that had no chance. This is all just so sad and unbelievable. It is so worth donating for this, even if it's $20.. I saw these kids dumping their piggy banks at donation spots and it was so touching. If a 7 yr old kid can give up their change, I think we can all give up the cost of a couple cds or a dinner out.

My heart really goes out to everyone who has been effected by this.

seven

2005-08-26T01:08:00.000-04:00

Almost the end to another week.. which means bring on the weekend fun! Not sure what's going on yet, but I think Kat and I are gonna hit up Santa Monica for some shopping. I have to do my shopping report for work so might as well do it in the right place. Matthew comes to visit one week from today :-) I'm so excited to show him all around.. probably beverly hills, santa monica, and definite beach time. The sunset from my balcony is incredible!! I watch it every night over the ocean and don't think I could ever get tired of it. Hermosa means "beautiful" in spanish. Beautiful beach.

I've been learning a lot about the area.. for example, here in hermosa beach the show "the oc" is filmed. The studio set is in manhattan beach and all the other scenes are here in hermosa and redondo. I'm bound to run into some filming eventually. There is so much filming going on that on any week day if you ride up and down the coast you run into something.

Drama

2005-08-24T00:33:00.000-04:00

Life has been so busy. I love living here.

Work has been stressful. There is so much drama! I've gotten the opportunity to do a little artwork, I'm still catching up on a lot of the work that was left for me while they were waiting to hire someone. My car got hit parked on the street at work and had it's drivers side mirror knocked off. That was a horrible day but my estimate was a lot lower than I was fearing.

Kat and I went out for for my first night out in Hermosa Beach. We went to Fat Fenners, Dragon, and my favorite Union Cattle. It's so awesome to be able to walk to all the bars and not have to deal with driving or parking. The lines are so long to get into the places but at Union Cattle the bouncer thought we were cute and let us ahead of the whole line!

I'm still trying to get my laptop to be compatible with Kat's wireless router, so I'll be online and updating all the time once that happens.

update

2005-08-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

I promise to update this weekend.. stay tuned.

Staple it Together

2005-07-22T21:25:00.000-04:00

I am the proud co-renter of a Hermosa Beach 2 bedroom apartment. It is 7 short blocks to the beach, within 2 blocks of 3 grocery stores, a half a block from a park, and short walk to Pier St. with all the bars, restaurants, clubs, and shops. It is in a small complex with only 10 units. Open kitchen with huge counter and bar. The balcony off the living room has a view of the pacific ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains. Each bedroom is actually quite spacious and has a closet that spans an entire wall length. There is a roof deck with patio chairs and a grill, and from up there you can see in every direction, and amazing view of the ocean, the mountains, and on a clear day you can see Catalina Island!! The landlord is totally cool and he said the sunsets from up there are amazing.

Two bratty law students and their father tried to out-bid us but Steve, the landlord, said that we were there first and was totally fair about it. He gave us the keys today and Kat and I went over to take measurements and pick our rooms. She's bringing a grill which will be pretty sweet to have. Afterwards dad and I went bed shopping so I can buy a full size mattress because I think I'm at the age now where a twin bed is lame. Tomorrow we're hitting up the Ikea and I'm getting a platform bed. The best part of all is that my rent is under what my budget was for. Now we just gotta hook up cable tv, cable internet, and the phone line and we are set to officially move in.

I can't wait to buy flowers and other plants for the balcony!!

Summer 79

2005-07-21T01:29:00.000-04:00

Tonight I drove myself to Manhattan Beach to meet Kat, a girl I met through a roommate find site. She was really nice and down to earth and we got along great. I think we'll make compatible roommates and she'll also be a friend. Tomorrow I'm going to make appointments to see the inside of some of the apts I drove past today. Since they are beach towns the important thing is that they have off street parking. You don't feel like you're in LA (technically they aren't part of LA they are their own cities) because they feel like such a small town that's lively even on a Wednesday night. I got there about 15 mins early so walked down to the pier and out to where it starts to go over the ocean. The cool breeze and the salt air felt so refreshing as I watched some evening surfers and about 20 vollyball games going on. And then it hit me...

...this is home.

Driving home I had to do it. I had to listen to the Ataris at full blast. Windows all down driving north on the PCH (pacific coast highway) with this blasting out my window:

"Cruisin' down Pacific Coast Highway,
Put the top down, crawl into the back seat.
Let's create anthems of our own tonight."

Perfect.

Skyline Drive

2005-07-20T01:01:00.000-04:00

I am the proud owner of a silver 2005 honda civic lx. She is fully stocked with a cd player, pwr locks and windows, remote entry, and will be getting an alarm and lojack installed on thursday. My car is named Torrance (Torry for short), since that's the town I bought her in. It is soo much fun to drive. I got way lost trying to follow dad to where we were going to lunch and ended up at the beach.. haha. There I was this afternoon cruisin down Pacific Coast Highway with all the windows down and Nirvana BLASTING off the radio (didn't have cds with me!). I'll take pix tomorrow :-)

Pacific Palisades

2005-07-18T01:34:00.000-04:00

So with the first part of the problem taken care of (the finding a job).. I'm onto #2 (buying a new car) and #3 (finding a roommate). The car is easy, we're getting quotes tomorrow and I'm getting my dmv drivers handbook to skim through so I can get my california drivers license soon. As for finding a roommate, I signed up on roommates.com and it's pretty cool cause you fill out a thing about you and what you're looking for in an apt and a roommate and then it matches you up to people. But it's not just people who have an opening in their apt, it will match you with people who are also looking for a place so you can go look together. I got a response from one girl who turns out is originally from Massacusettes and moved here a year ago. We're gonna try to get coffee and talk and get to know each other. We're both interested in finding a place in Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach.

During the days dad and I take drives through neighborhoods. On Thursday we went to Santa Monica. Friday I had the interview from hell in the downtown in a VERY sketchy area. I was so terrified to get out of the car I was actually shaking and RAN into the interview which turned out to be so weird and the job had been posted incorrectly. On the way back we drove through downtown and past the disney concert hall which was designed by gehry and is an incredible building. We also passed MOCA (museum of cont. art) and they are having an exhibit on Basquiat!!!! So that afternoon we went to Hermosa Beach and Manhattan beach which I fell in love with. Hermosa Beach is hilly, full of trendy cafes and shops, and lots of young people. Anyways.. so Saturday we drove through Westwood, Beverly Hills (for a goof, like I could ever afford living there.. it was like the land of BMW and mercedes and audi), then on to see Los Feliz and Koreatown. From there we drove back through hollywood right down Hollywood Blvd past the Kodak theater (where the oscars are) and the old Chinese theater which I didn't get to see last year cause we went during the academy awards. Next we cruised through Culver City which is actually very nice looking with new shopping centers and well-kept houses with typical california landscaped yards. Today we drove back down to Hermosa Beach and walked along the promenade a bit to see the beach. Then drove along following the coast around Palos Verdes past Trump Golf Course.. ended up in Long Beach which was disgusting. It was grungy like atlantic city and smelled like pollution and was all oil rigs and industrial plants everywhere.

So that's the latest. I'm looking forward to everything being settled and having some consistency.

Missin my girls and missin my boy.

Takeoffs and Landings

2005-07-16T00:43:00.000-04:00

Wow there is so much to catch up on.. so here it goes...

I'm living in Marina del Rey and it's really pretty. The apt is right on the water with boats everywhere. In the courtyard to our building is a sundeck overlooking the marina. It's got grills and lounge chairs and plants. There are flowers and palm trees everywhere. Needless to say, I think i'm diggin this California thing.

Yesterday I went to my first interview in Gardena. It's a very industrial town with a lot of the textile industry around it. The woman interviewing me couldn't have been that much older than me and she was wearing jeans, a rock tshirt, and a track jacket. She loved my portfolio and gave me the specs of the job.. basically I would be doing 3 things:

1. entering the specs of different garments into their system
2. illustrator line art of layouts with art on shirts for buyers
3. creating 1-2 pieces of art for the shirts per week

So my position would be artroom assistant and graphic artist. I would be doing graphics for the girls dept. She showed me the art room and it was such a studio, with music playing, art supplies, computers, a color copier.. pretty sweet. She told me every friday they can go shopping in the warehouse and get any of the clothes for $3! Oh and they basically do clothing for big name companies including nordstrom, target, urban outfitters, hot topic, mervyns...

About 4 hours after my interiew I received a call from them with an offer. Today I accepted :-) I found a job in only 24 hrs in LA.

I'll write more later.. been so busy.. but many more stories to tell already!

A Praise Chorus

2005-07-09T14:34:00.000-04:00

And now a look at your up-to-date report on Avery's grand adventure.

Feeling slightly worried that I had not heard back from (for confusion purposes we shall call it Job #1, graphic shirt company) about whether they had made a decision, I emailed Job #1. Approximitly one hour later the phone rang and it was Job #1. I was told that she had received my email and that no, they had not made a decision. Since I will be there next week can I come in for an in person interview with my portfolio (which I redid about 2 months ago upon deciding doing "the box" was a wasted effort and I converted to a smaller alluminum portfolio that is very sleek and urban). An interview has been set for next Thursday. I was told she had also sent me an email, but had also wanted to talk to me in person. Upon checking my email her email said basically what she said on the phone, in addition to, "I'm very interested in meeting with you."

Job #2 is the graphic design for a clothing company that does artsy women's apparel (sold where I used to work). That interview is for Friday.

The boxes are about half an hour away from being totally packed. All that is left is getting packed into suitcases. T-minus 4 days captain.

Lost and Found

2005-07-07T02:35:00.000-04:00

Today I found the following things while cleaning and packing at both houses:

:: my E.T. stuffed animal that alex had given me for my 22nd b-day.
:: $50 in cash, I had been saving it from when Bill bought a print of my hulafish from the senior show.
:: a really nice pearl necklace from a Spanish island.
:: my favorite pair of Halloween socks.
:: my harmonica from 3rd grade.

Some had been lost, some had been buried, some put away to forget. So while the harmonica may not be making the transcontinental journey (as it is now awaiting the Thursday morning trash collectors), it was still fun to find these things that I didn't remember having. The pearl necklace will help me keep my preppie roots, the Halloween socks will be happily worn on Christmas, the $50 will buy me some groceries, and E.T. will now be phoning home from California (actually when I think about it, the film was shot from california, so he'll be phoning home from his area code).

Currently stuck in my head: "Baby Girl," by Sugarland

Sparkle and Fade

2005-07-05T02:58:00.000-04:00

An entire year has gone by since I met you. Hard to believe. 4 months of sparkles. Probably the best 4 months of a relationship I had ever been in. I suppose it was a little too cheesy that when we met we "saw fireworks." It was still a sweet story no matter how corny. But everything that sparkles must eventually fade with time no matter how much it shimmers. In this case it was an abrupt end. Now I rarely think about you, but certain places and things will always connect to you in my mind. The woodley park metro stop, Notre Dame, Warped Tour, Yellowcard, our bench at Centennia Park, seeing Thousand Oaks on the LA map. No point in naming them all. Even though you don't want anything to do with me, I honestly hope you are happy and if I ever run into you in California I would hope it would be a friendly run-in. Nothing is worse than pretending you don't know someone that you were at one point so close to.

For me I think the 4th of July is more of a new years. While watching the fireworks tonight I thought about what had happened in the last year. I fell in love and got hurt big time, mom had breast cancer, california didn't seem to want anything to do with a little maryland girl like me. And now, at the start of my new year, I am happy and over being hurt, mom is almost fully recovered, and california is suddenly interested in me. Things this new year will surely sparkle, and stay sparkling for as long as possible.

Left Coast Envy

2005-07-03T19:50:00.000-04:00

In 1981, the LA Dodgers won the World Series and the San Francisco 49ers won the Superbowl. You could call it the year of California. Coincidentally 1981 was also the year of my birth. Inevitably the two greats from 1981 had to collide.

This week begins the week of goodbyes. Then the following week begins the week of hellos. Goodbyes aren't that difficult for me in this situation. I guess I have a delayed reaction to them. It's almost a pleasant sort of denial that I'm not really leaving town. Why am I not worried or scared about moving? Why is everyone telling me how scared they would be to pick up and just go? Have I really become that confident in the last year or am I just so crazy that I'm acting out of craziness?

Packing up clothes evokes memories as I empty every dresser drawer and decide what to keep, what to give away, and what to toss. An ex-boyfriend shirt, a high school gym shirt, a shirt signed by a band I once had an irritating infatuation with, a shirt an old roommate and great friend made me, another shirt an old roommate who is like a brother passed down to me, my high school senior week shirt... so of course I get easily distracted from the packing and stare off into space reminiscing on these memories.

Currently tapping my foot to: "Nice to Meet You Anyway," by Gavin DeGraw

Something More

2005-07-02T01:24:00.000-04:00

Message left on my cell phone today by another company in LA that I applied to:

"Hi Avery, we'd like to go ahead and set up an interview for after the 13th. We've extended our deadline for finding someone because [person that is doing the interview] really wants to meet with you."

Another interview. Score.

Currently jumping for joy to: "Mayonaise," by Smashing Pumpkins.