I drew cookie monster's portrait and got hired in a matter of 48 hours.

Good god. Talk about a whirlwind week. I don't think the whole pms factor really helped that much, but besides one or two low points things have been surprisingly smooth.

So! School. School started. (Duh.) Even though I'd made the decision to take fun classes, you never really know how a class is going to turn out until you've actually sat in it a few times. So in order:

Drawing: You seriously don't realize how much skill you've lapsed on until you revisit the basics. Like every single other drawing class I've taken, my profs (it's co-taught by a man and a woman) use the Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain book for most of their beginning exercises. The vase/face, upsidedown drawings, etc. Which, so far, is totally what I need. I've spent a long time not diligently practicing and drawing so I haven't improved and grown as much as I could have. Not to say that I wasted time, because I learned other stuff outside of art, but now that I'm rediscovering art as a passion and a possible future, I really need to buckle down and start drawing regularly. Which means doing the simple stuff. I did the cookie monster's portrait upside down in charcoal on Wednesday. Let's just say that the fur detail nearly killed me.

Hindustani Ensemble: Can't really say how this one is going to go yet, because I've only been to one class. The woman who leads it appears to be very sweet and wonderful. We did a bunch of exercises (vocal ones, obviously) and started learning an entire piece, which was rather overwhelming for two hours (after walking in late I might add; my art profs thought the class ended 10 minutes later than it actually did. Oops.) I have high hopes though!

Children's Literature: I seriously love the fact that I get to take a class that requires me reading kid's books. That is entirely awesome. We're currently reading folk and fairy tales as a foundation to look at themes in other children's books (since, let's face it, not all fairy tales were meant for kids). Also, my teacher is quite attractive and funny. And well dressed. I'm kind of in love with her shoes.

Gender and Interpretation (Through Italian Literature, I assume): You know how there are some teachers who just can't help but give boring lectures? Even if they use power point with pretty pictures, you can't help but feel your eyes slowly start to close... Well, the prof for this class is the complete opposite. She is frickin' rad. She's an older-ish (50s? 60s? I can't tell.) Italian woman who speaks like the best goddamn story teller in the world. Passionate about what she does and teaches about, makes 1 hour feel like 20 to 30 minutes, I am in love with it so far. Making an Italian Renaissance writer appear this interesting is always a plus, especially considering he's a bit of a misogynistic fucktard.

The other thing that's been weighing on me is the whole job issue. Basically I've been trying to find a work study job so I can (duh) collect the work study portion of my financial aid. Without it I wouldn't be able to pay for all the basic needs and therefore would have to get a loan.
So I applied for a variety of work study positions (as well as looking for a job outside of the school), and the only one I got a call back for was a dishwasher job. Not my most favourite choice, but I needed the money, so I decided to go ahead and go to the interview. (Besides, these kinds of positions can be stepping stones for future jobs in food elsewhere.)

On Tuesday at 2 o'clock, I trekked over to where the interview was. It took me forever to find it (mostly because I had no idea where it was, other than the fact that the building was somewhere to the right of the ARC). I was the fifth person (who was currently there) to be interviewed. I heard the woman tell a couple people that they'd received a shitton of applications (I'm paraphrasing, obviously), and that they would call back if you were hired.

So here's me sitting there thinking, “So maybe I won't get the job anyway...?”

Then it's my turn. The woman noted that I had a passion for art (I think the work as an Art Tech at Sierra College, being Head of the Art Department in retail, and working for the art gallery gave it away). I laughed, “Yes, that's one out of the many.”

And so she went on to ask the questions on the form. After she had finished she inquired if I would be interested in applying for other locations. I asked what she meant, specifically. She told me that there was a position available in catering, which was handled out of the MU. I gave an enthusiastic “Sure!” because it sounded a hell of a lot more fun than dishwashing in a dining hall for the dorms. She filled out a little form with another interview time on it. I'd be meeting with someone else on Thursday at 2.

Fast forward two days (meaning, today). I got to where she specified I should be, but no one was there. I wandered around a bit, before someone asked me if I needed help. I got passed around until a guy said that they actually wanted me downstairs in sales. (Never woulda found it.)

Once I finally got there, I waited for ten to fifteen minutes and then, interview time! The most prominent thing I remember about the environment were the purple office chairs (random tidbit of useless knowledge for you). Seriously, they were bright purple. It was awesome. I met with a guy and he asked me the rest of the questions on this application thing (I think it may have been the same one from the first interview). Things like “What would you do to maintain a safe work environment,” “What do you enjoy most about working” (I think), “Think of a time when you received poor service at a restaurant; what would you have done differently?” and he asked me a separate question about how I would handle the intensive physical labor side of the job (since you're serving for 45 minutes and cleaning/setting up for 6 hours).

He hired me on the spot. I had to take some paperwork back to the original woman and tomorrow I'll be meeting with someone else (hopefully) to verify that I can legally work in the state, etc. Then I'll go through orientation, and then hopefully start working.


Also, vegan pancakes and yoga to Abbey Road make the BEST start to a morning. Just thought I'd let you know that. :)