Talk about mixed blessings! For the week and a half prior to this getting cleared up I had been saying my goodbyes to coworkers, cleaning up my portfolio samples and obsessing over the impending change in my income. Now, I’m back to trying to find some free time to work on my creative pursuits.

I did have to make one significant adjustment to my routine as a result of my employment. On the first day of the quarter the instructor of the drawing class that I signed up for announced that there was an error in scheduling, and that the class would start and end an hour later than what we’d been told. I was already burning my candle at both ends, so dropping this class for an independent study was an easy decision.

Anyway, that gives me more time to use my new camera. (More of that later.)

The biggest event of my weekend involves work. After giving my whole situation plenty of far too much thought, this morning I concluded that it’s time for me to leave BECU. Working at BECU has been a wonderful experience and I’ve really enjoyed the people and the opportunities but, ultimately, the paycheck doesn’t outweigh the sacrifices. As always, there’s a lot more to it than that, but, for now, it’s enough for me to know that continuing my educational adgenda is more important than the lure of temporary income.
I called my agency this morning at gave them notice that I’ll be ready to leave BECU on September 16th, which is two weeks from now. I’ll be more than happy to stick around a little while longer or to leave a little earlier to accommodate the client’s need.

Today I’m starting a new gig over at the Boeing Employee Credit Union (BECU). Yahoo Maps tells me that I’ve only got about a twenty-minute commute to this Tukwila assignment, so I’m guessing that more realistically translates to about thirty to thirty-five minutes of driving time. I understand that this job will involve a lot of mid-level Photoshop work, which reminds me of working at Cascade Bank last summer. I don’t know too much beyond this at the moment.

Jeff closed the door to his office before speaking to me, and then explained that they are still waiting for some of the prints to arrive from Spain, so I should call him in about two weeks. He then went on to explain some of the corporate restructuring that’s going on over in his side of the world. To make a long story short, considering the dramatic changes, I don’t think I’ll be returning to work for them any time soon.
Meanwhile, in my corner of the world, I’ve been keeping quite busy. After a great deal of consideration, I finally overcame the block I’d hit in working on a logo treatment for Epilogue Books, and was able to give them a file of the new logo so they can advertise in a local coupon booklet. Although I had been thinking about (and working on) Epilogue’s wordmark for quite some time, I wasn’t able to resolve some design obstacles until yesterday. After that, things just fell into place. My client’s initial reaction was jubilant and enthusiastic, but I’ve asked them to live with the new design for a little while. I hope to mock up some stationery and business cards over the weekend. (They even bought dinner last night in appreciation! Woo-hoo!)
So, for today, things are looking sunny and bright. Current weather reports predict a high of 79&degf (26.11&degc), and 73&degf tomorrow. If memory serves correctly, there will be a lot of activity on the water this weekend, which is associated with May 5th’s Boat Season Opening, so there should be quite a few water-related pictures out there. I’ll be heading to the darkroom for a few hours this morning, and I hope to be out and about by late afternoon.

The short story is that I’m going to be in a holding pattern a little longer than I first expected, so I’ll be taking any jobs that come my way. Since yesterday’s job opportunity was filled by another candidate, well, that sucks. Regardless, I’m going forward, hoping that I can find a few things to bring in a paycheck while I wait for the situation at WD to stabilize. Obeying the first rule of bondage, I’m not planning on getting myself into anything I can’t get out of.
On a happier note, Jeff also said that he’s got samples for me to add to my book. Awesome!

I did get a little chuckle today while passing through the warehouse at Winn Devon. Someone has a boom box that usually gets turned on (or up) later in the afternoons. It’s an eclectic selection (I can pass on the country music, thanks). As for today, I didn’t know what I thought was funnier, that they were blasting the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar, or that I know every last word of it. I tried to make a friendly joke about it, but my attempt got caught up in my aforementioned awkwardness, so I just felt stupid again. Yeah, that’s me, Mr. Cool.
In other news, well, you know how I’m always saying that if there was any way I could go to school, I would? Well, today–miracle of miracles–I officially enrolled for spring quarter over at Shoreline Community College! Even better (brace yourself), I’ve signed myself up for “Art 101E,” which is a night course in black and white photography! (Hell yeah, I’m thrilled!)
In case you don’t already know, I’ve been trying to get my ass over to Shoreline for the last few years now. I had funding two years ago through the State of Washington that enabled me to pursue a Multimedia degree with North Seattle Community College. I filled out all of the paperwork and jumped through all of the appropriate hoops in order to follow this course, but by the end of my first quarter I came to the realization that NSCC was incapable of providing me real access to what I wanted. It looked good on paper, but I’d have to find an alternate route to my goals.
Now, I’d gone to Shoreline back in

I’d love to tell you all about our conversation, but I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable about going into the details. I must report, however, that it was a very good conversation. I’ll revisit this turn of events at a future date. Until then, you’re free to let your imagination run wild.

After going thrifting, making a grocery run for the week and holiday and picking up some Ph

In short order, Juliette directed me to a dark, well-used cubicle resembling a teenager’s bedroom more than a professional workspace. Left to make myself comfortable, I quickly settled in with a Mountain Dew and a bag of gummy bears. Hmm. No windows this time.
The standard issue overhead office lights in the production department remain turned off, accentuating a relaxed atmosphere. Well-selected MP3 playlists continue their advance, filling the air from one of the G4′s on the far wall. Someone was quietly taking a personal call on the other side of my cube’s wall, and there’s random conversation from the pedestrian traffic, but there’s very little activity beyond the music.
Twenty minutes into the assignment… and still no word on what I’m supposed to be working on. I sure am glad I had that initial welcome, ’cause at the moment there’s no evidence that anyone even knows I’m here.
At around 2:30, a half-an-hour after I walked in, Juliette rounded the corner of my borrowed cube and asked to talk. Meeting in her office, she briefly explained the circumstances of my employment. It turns out that the department has been burning the candles at both ends, and that the regular employees were sent home to sleep. The company is ready to pitch to Coinstar, so they’re making sure they have enough people available to accommodate the changing need. She also explained that they don’t really know how late and how early they’ll need me, and I assured her that I could accommodate any reasonable requests. She finished by inviting me to surf the web or make phone calls as needed during the downtime. Cool.
People continued to arrive as the end of the usual business day approached. I spent about an hour-and-a-half converting various images into RGB JPEGs for a Powerpoint Presentation, but spent the rest of the afternoon in a holding pattern. I’m really not bothered. They know that I’m waiting for the next thing, and I know that they don’t know when the next thing will come.
More importantly, I’d like to take this moment to tell you that I am extremely pleased to have this opportunity. Working an assignment right up to Thanksgiving provides a welcome and constructive distraction from my recent concerns. Having downtime on assignment provides me with a fresh space to sort out a few concerns. Anyway, after yesterday’s little mix-up I’m delighted to find myself with three days of work instead of just one.
Oh, yeah, I haven’t told you about yesterday yet,

Working with HL2 was a great experience. I really enjoyed the work and feel that I made a substantial contribution. I hope that I get the chance to work with them again some day.
The down-side to this assignment is that it ended after only one week, which is a far cry from the “four to six weeks” I was promised at the beginning of the assignment. Although unforutnate, I really don’t regret turning down the other two assignments I’d been offered as I accepted this one. These dramatic changes are to be expected, and it’s my responsibility to deal with the logistics these changes involve.