Getting My Eyes Opened

It’s been 6 months since my career change. I have experienced so much in half a year than I’ve ever had in a long time. Obviously, I’ve experienced being completely and totally unemployed. I’ve experienced life as an independent contractor, working with a few clients on a few small projects; as a hired hand for any odd jobs; and as a party hostess and promoter for a product. And now as a full-time freelancer at a huge advertising firm. I’ve always wanted to work in advertising since I made up my mind in 8th grade. I did summer internships at...
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Lost and Found

Wandering

All who wander are not lost. But when you’ve wandered around a while, you’re starting believe that you might really be lost. Since my 6-year career at the nonprofit ended in March, I’ve been wandering in and out of small projects and side jobs, and online and in-person interviews. I’ve wandered into the territory of full-time freelancing, puffed up with optimism and confidence. But some negative experiences with people along with what Seth Godin called “Lizard Brain”–the resistance part of your brain telling you to slow down and be careful–sent me packing. Eventually, I return to the familiar open space...
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iPodyssey returns

ipodyssey

Last year, I participated in the Wise Guys Events first-ever iPodyssey, an Mp3 flash mob event.  An offshoot of New York City’s famous Improv Everywhere‘s MP3 experiment. I’m going to do it again this year! Many of the folks I know from Thrill the World and GuerilLA Improv were there too.  Well, some of us from GLA were already at the rehearsal for the flash mob musical so we just headed down the freeway from there. It was so much fun!  Running around with all these strangers, following only the voices in your ears.  Other people were looking on like WTF...
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NASA: Mission Inspiration

lego moon landing

In a few days, the last American space shuttle will be launched.  An era will come to an end. But according to the NASA PR machine in USA Today, it ain’t over yet. The United States needs to cede its low-earth orbit missions, such as the space shuttle, to the private sector so it can free up resources to explore deep space, [NASA’s administrator and a former astronaut Charles F.] Bolden said. President Obama has directed NASA to work toward sending manned spacecraft to an asteroid and to Mars. Translation: American astronauts will rely on the Russians to get back...
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Someone save my life tonight: Basic CERT Training

Firefighting

I was introduced to Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program originally at the mandatory safety overview for the Downtown LA high rise I was working at.  Essentially, they’ll teach you to be a trained individual to help your neighbors out in case of emergency where the first responders would not get to you right away.  If you want to do more, later on you can take more classes and join the volunteer force. The basic 24-hour course was being offered in our building about a month from then.  Since I was one of the only two people in the...
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A Matter of Faith

Shepherd Book's quote

When I talk about belief, why do you always assume I’m talking about God? – Shepherd Book, Serenity. That there was a quote that launched a thousand thoughts over this Memorial Day weekend. It started on Thursday night when I watched Serenity with some friends.  As a Browncoat—fan of Joss Whedon’s Firefly series and the subsequent movie–I’ve watched this movie several times. At the core of it was about faith, not in a religious way, but a belief in something so strong that one is willing to live by it and die for it. A kind of faith I’ve always...
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