Tightening Up

From the eyes of a newbie tightening up.

     I never lived in the depression, but I saw my great grandmother rinse and refold aluminum foil, I also watched her eat everything from her fridge even when it had little specks of mold on it. Stale crackers would get crumbled into her soup, nothing was wasted. I always thought that was silly. 
     Now that I am living on my own with a full time job/ benefits I always assumed all my bills would be covered because that is how the world works. Well, I have come to find out unlike the 1930's when only the men worked to support a whole family, the women have to work as well, with multiple jobs. How is this possible? How can one job not support your life? 
     Now I catch myself shutting lights off as I leave the room, rationing my food, thinking about items I can buy that will compliment the few other items I have in the fridge. I don't just drive around but make one trip to as many places as I can to save gas. Life takes a lot more planning and my mom was right, the older you get the more stressed you are. 
    So today is another day where I am still in the job hunt, the average weekly hours I will have to work to support myself: 78. A part time weekend job, if you know of any in the Indianapolis area let me know, I will again be a "newbie" on the weekends, hopefully very very soon. 

Hailey

My eyes are opened

From the eyes of a newbie growing up.

     My dog loves soccer balls, so for Christmas I bought him a soccer ball that I thought might last...

     I am learning that many things in life that you think might last simply do not. But in this learning experience the makings of such things are revealed, the layers pealed away and core exposed. Slowly but steadily the inner makings of all that I thought would last and didn't are uncovered. I think this is called "growing up." My eyes are being opened, and sometimes I wish that they had been closed. 

     Sorry for all of these metaphors, I simply meant to say, I am finding that things are not what I thought. 

Hailey

Transforming

From the eyes of a newbie transforming.

     A couple of years ago I was given a project by my Illustration professor to take a 2-D cartoon and turn it into a human with real biological features. This was quite a challenge and took about a month to complete. I think his mouth and chin area was the hardest for me to interpret from the line drawing. 

     When I look at these drawings I laugh, they are very comical and I learned a lot from doing this project. When I look at them again, it makes me think of how I am transforming from a "line drawing" into a more "well rounded, 3 dimensional" career driven woman. The transformation has been a bit grueling at times, and certain parts are a lot harder than others. 

     College gave me the basic "line drawing"  to use when I started my first job, and it was up to me to render this drawing into whatever I could imagine. My drawing is still in the works, but it is looking more and more realistic everyday. 

Hailey

To a Chicago Friend

From the eyes of a newbie to a good friend.

     I am dedicating this blog to a special someone whom I have known for just under 4 years. She has flawless taste in fashion, is an amazing cook, extremely knowledgeable in basically all current events, a talented bargain shopper, well organized and OCD about her cleanliness, she is beautiful and doesn't wear any make-up...I miss her very much, and I hope that she knows how much I learned from her in my years in Chicago. 

     Many times I don't realized how much someone means to me until they are taken from my everyday life. When I look back onto the days we spent together I realize we spent thousands of hours by each others side. She has shared her talents with me and a select other few, and I hope she continues to share her talents with everyone else. She has much to offer, and if you ever run into her...I would suggest opening your ears.

Hailey

Stressed Much?

From the eyes of a newbie stressed out.

     Stress is dangerous, every time I am stressed I get sick, like now I have bronchitis, and work is really busy! It physically hurts me and I deal with it everyday so....what is the solution?

      All that stuff people tell you to do, meditate, take a warm bath, listen to soft music, works for about 30 minutes and then the stress returns. It is hard to learn the fine balance of work, home, and what to be stressed about. I love my job but when it is stressful I cannot allow it to interfere with my personal life. But when doing a good job is so important I think about what I can do at work all night, in the shower, cooking dinner, it keeps me up at night...I stay late at night trying to tie loose ends, I come in early. I am still very new, at 6 months old maybe when I mature I will be able to work faster and get things done before 5pm rolls around. Regardless, I need a quick fix, maybe a glass of wine will do the trick.

Hailey

Glamorous

From the eyes of a newbie 
"Glamorous while in your first year of work."

As Valentine's Day approaches I think about strawberries and champagne, diamond rings and the Drake Hotel. It is the time of chocolate truffles and engagements, short dresses and kisses. Pink and red are on my mind but celebrations are modest in the first year of employment. There will be no fancy dinner downtown, but I will still be glamorous. I will do up my hair and make-up, put on my high heels and walk down the street to celebrate Valentine's Day...even if it is a dinner at a Chinese restaurant with plastic forks and 80's decor. 

Hailey