This journal is what I'd like to call "friends mostly". Personal things and entries related to my job will still be friends only (but honestly, I add anyone who wouldn't be affected by what I say under a filter) but fandom stuff will be not quite as private. So please, add if you want!
badly out-of-date at the moment, but: ( Collapse )
haha i totally forgot to make a post after the friending meme, so here's a little something. hello new people~ my (possibly outdated but still pretty much good) intro post is here. if it's locked for you, please let me know, because that means you're not on a specific filter that you really should be on! :D
work's been picking up like crazy, which is why i've been scarce. the summer has been especially fruitful, too, so that's always a plus. i'm still looking for a second job to supplement this one, though UGH i would really like a part-time art ed job and they just don't seem to be coming. it's getting to be a last-minute thing for schools to hire and i guess all the other art teachers are holding onto their jobs. i can't blame them, though. the economy's pretty awful.
i'm not sure what else to update about, really! work has been most of my life lately. i'm suddenly stepping up my ~beauty regimen~ because i found smile lines around my mouth lately and freaked out. XD so i'm now a bb cream user during the day and a full-regimen dermalogica user at night. ugh, the price of beauty~
PERSONAL LIFE ASIDE, LET'S ALL TALK ABOUT MATSUMIYA SHARE HOUSE AND HOW JUN CLEARLY HAS A SECRET DESIRE TO BE A MASCOT PERFORMER. (and/or how he was doing what i can only assume is akin to pulling the mascot's proverbial pigtails during the whole episode. jun, are you into cosplay?)
i've been doing a little conversing on tumblr lately about the idea of johnnys having daemons and it's been eating at my brain ever since. it originally started when i started re-reading the his dark materials trilogy audiobook-style on the way to work every day, and, as usual, my mind started to wander in between trips.
can we talk about how difficult it is to properly photograph 3-d nail art? i've tried sunlight, ambient house-lighting, harsh bulbs, soft bulbs, and shade. i guess the only thing i haven't tried is a proper light box WHICH I'D RATHER NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE. :<
anyway, i'm teaching myself 3-d acrylic sculpting. it's something we didn't learn in class (and something my first salon was really terrible at) so once a set of 22 cnd acrylic colors practically fell into my lap, i figured it was time. day one and two of practice were pretty mediocre, but i sat down for a few hours today to really take it seriously and i think i'm definitely on my way!
it's not perfect yet, but it's only my third day, after all. i'm really quite pleased with the cat, even though he looks more like a tiger without stripes. cute though, right?
life's been pretty okay lately! my time (and tips) at work's been picking up, but i still need another job to support myself. such is the life of a nail tech~ so i applied for a part-time art ed job nearby in hopes that i can use the two to supplement each other. my current job, as is standard with all salon jobs, doesn't offer any sort of health insurance, which... hasn't been very awesome. XD even if i'm only working a few days a week teaching, i'll at least have that weight off my shoulders.
i've been having a fandom crisis lately, mostly regarding my participation in arashi fandom. i don't do nearly as much as i used to, especially since i'm rarely on lj anymore. so i've been trying to make an effort to fall back on my tried-and-true 'shop days. behold my most recent effort:
as usual, i've forgotten to use lj at all for weeks. XD so i figure i owe this journal (and y'all!) a little update once in a while.
i've been working at the health club spa for about a month now. it's so much more rewarding than my previous job (which i STILL haven't gotten my money from) and they promote me like crazy. i'm expected to do self-promotion, of course, but the club does a lot to put me out there, too. i've mostly been giving co-workers complimentary pedicures in exchange for their praises when members ask how the nail services are. though "complimentary" here means that the client doesn't pay, but the club still gives me my cut. it's the best deal ever, really!
last night was the bollywood spa event, which i was initially wary of for ~appropriation~ potential, but it ended up being really great! there was an indian-themed buffet, a belly-dancing class, and then the spa ladies were all there to give quick versions of their services. i did polish changes and got a queue going right away! XD in the two hours the event went on, i only got about halfway through my list, which was unfortunate, but there wasn't much of an option to stay later, after all. i hope a lot of these women come back, though - they seemed to be happy to hear that i'm around and capable!
i'm just so glad that i've finally found a good fit. the driving time is killing me on gas, but hopefully i'll be able to move closer to work soon enough.
a lot has happened this past week. the most painful news is that jinx's injuries never fully healed. she was on a lot of medication and salve/re-wrapping of her wound and died on monday. strangely enough, it was on the way to have her put down because she also seemed to have gotten an upper respiratory infection and she was already on the antibiotic that the vet would use to treat it. she passed away in my lap, which was both painful and a comfort somehow.
bell seems to be doing fine, though she's still reluctant to leave the cage. she's become more... affectionate? or at least more willing to endure my affection. XD she's so soft and fluffy - i'd forgotten how lush her fur is. it's pretty awesome.
that aside, i've also finally got work sorted out. the health club i'd applied for hired me and i gave my current boss a formal letter of resignation on monday.
luckily, i'm already working at the health club! i did a few hours today to get my room ready for clients on tuesday and i think it's pretty well on the way. my boss wants this to work as my salon hosted by the club, so i get to make decisions on pretty much everything. i took a class there last night, a willpower and grace class, just to get the hang of the club and pass out some 20% off coupons for my services. the instructor is new, too, and we got to talking about how well my services can be paired with hers. the class is all about balance and focuses on foot strength, so it got me thinking about doing a cross-promotional deal where people who attend her class get discounts on a pedicure from me. i mentioned it to my boss today and she loved it! she actually expanded it by suggesting that we do a lady's night sort of deal, where women have a light wine and cheese snack, take the willpower and grace class, and get a pedicure. so i guess we'll be doing something like that soon, too!
i'm just really happy, y'all. a really terrible few weeks are finally turning into something fantastic.
on friday, jinx had taken a turn for the worst. she had torn off even more of her fur and had essentially scalped herself from shoulder to chest on one side, including a pocket of skin hanging off of her under her armpit. friday after work, i rushed her to a new vet an hour away because her normal vet wasn't going to be in until tuesday.
i'm so glad i did. dr. xie, the new vet, is the most knowledgeable vet i've ever taken the girls to. he's apparently known as a vet who won't turn any animal down due to being too exotic, so he's a sugar glider owner's dream. he checked her out and sent her home with an anti-inflammatory and an appointment for surgery that we went in for yesterday.
saturday morning comes and jinx is REALLY doing badly. her ears are drooping down (one of the only indicators of a sick sugar glider), she's constantly messing with her wound, and bell isn't getting anywhere near her. sugar gliders isolate the sick, so it was clear bell knew something was really wrong. i was prepared to go in and have jinx put down because i couldn't bear to see her slowly waste away.
dr. xie convinced me (and boo, who went along to ask the questions i wanted to ask but wasn't able to recall in my stressed state) to go through with the surgery because he was confident he'd be able to hide the stitches from her. when we came to pick her up, this is what we saw:
jinx seems to be recovering nicely. i still have to push her foot away when she tries to itch the wound, but she's taking her meds like a champ now (mostly because she knows she gets a treat afterwards) so i'm hoping she's on the fast track to recovery. i'm still not seeing any sign of hair growth, but at least i've made peace with the idea of a potentially-balding sugar glider. XD she'll make the best of it, i'm sure.
i've been meeting up with friends more lately, which is doing wonders for my overall morale. work still gets me down, but at least i can still enjoy time with people who make me happy, right? though haha i don't know how long that'll last, since my boss delivered without telling me and i had to hear about it from a client who she DID tell. she's apparently incommunicado for two weeks, which means still no paycheck. i'm looking for teaching and nail tech jobs, though, so hopefully someone bites.
i feel like my fandom life has changed quite a bit, too. i still adore arashi, of course, but it's been a while since i watched or even got excited about one of their variety shows. it's mostly just rp and tumblr conversations at this point, which isn't bad, just different. i'm dipping my toes into team fortress 2 fandom as of late, so that's taking some of my energy as well. it's strange, being a fan of a game i haven't played, but most of the storyline happens in the comics and website updates, anyway. what a strange feeling, though!
haha i don't remember how to close entries anymore. i guess it has been too long.
can we please have photos of blond nino already? it's killing me to have such a drastic change being kept a secret! i don't even understand why nino went BLOND, but hey. it's really up to him.
i just hope it looks more like hiro's most recent go at being blond and less like nino's other tries at being blond. :/
i mean, if i had to choose.
also, i started nail tech school today! it was a whole lot of not-much today, but i did get my tech kit and student discount cards! now i can shop at cosmoprof~
cheerful
silly
accomplished
artistic
relieved
sleepy
amused