mwah hahahs!

A day in the life

I have to say that moving here was the easy part. I have found myself extremely busy with work which is good in economic state that is as volatile as the weather. The sad news is for all my work my paycheck seems extremely small....this of course does not factor in tips. My tips are good on days that I am there before noon...and I have been doing a lot of closing shifts. I know this is all subject to change it is just depressing at the moment. The difference in a morning shift vs. closing is 20 dollars. Yesturday I worked a 10.5 hour shift...which might not be advisable to all, but for me worked out...I had to leave before all the tips were tallied but I have a feeling it is going to be an 80 dollar day.
We went to costco today with the intention of buying stuff and taking the train home with our wares....this proved to be more difficult than expected. For one thing we bought heavy things (we brought a cart as preparation) and the cart seemed unfit for 40 lbs of kitty litter and a 35 can pack of diet coke. A guy aproached us as we were trying to negoatiate space in the cart, bags, and our limited number of hands. He offered a ride for 12 dollars and we gave in. It turned out to be the best idea b/c there was no way it was going to work. The question is next time do we do the same thing or do we get zip car? I don't know. One thing I do know is that there is an inclined conveyer belt that takes people and carts to Costcos second floor...crazy.
SO to get away from money for a bit....I am still trying to figure out the whole having time to do art thing and have a social life. I just feel so flat when I cannot use art to decompress from work vise versa. I know this will get better, but right now I feel a little doomish.
I am going to do some drawing today which will be good.
Other fun things coming up:
1. Counter Culture cupping at roots & vines tonight
2. leading a cupping or two on monday
3. Going to DC (again)
4. cooking newly purchased bulk food items from costco.
5. Ikea...tbd

trees, chock full of fiber

I am sitting at home in my sweats watching the inauguration on tv and not only am I not in my home town of DC, but I have to trudge off to work today...poop.
Maybe we'll set up a tv in Joe's today.
On a different note: this illustration took a week to finish mainly because I did not have one solid chunk of time to finish it. I think that the time I had away from this made the color and layers that much better. I have a couple more designs ready to go so in the next couple of weeks hopefully I will be able to knock them out and get them up on etsy.

What winter?

Today was my first day off where I did not have a million other obligations. It felt so good to sleep in.
JJ and I did a grueling interval run in Prospect Park after breakfast.
Later my friend Janet from the Murky days came over to give me a hair cut and then we went to Southside Coffee in Brooklyn. It was great. We hung out and talked with Ben one of the co-owners. I bought JJ a hoodie b/c they were out of super cool shirts, but I am sure I will be going back there. It is a great space, small, cozy, and friendly.
I had Monday off as well, but took a shift at the co-op (we have to work 2.75 hours every 4 weeks to have a membership). I work at CHIPS, the soup kitchen that the co-op donates its older produce to. I have worked there before and I did not have a great time, but thought maybe if I tried another day with a different crew it might be more fun. The problem with kitchens is there is always someone who wants control over everyone else and it doesn't matter if everyone is nice someone always takes the helm which stressful. The long and short of it was I did not have a good time and immediately went to the co-op to switch to a cashier position. I am not going to let myself be miserable in a new city.
Last night JJ and I went on a date for my b-day last night. We went to NANA, a great sushi joint, and had an amazing dinner and afterward we went to BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) to see Milk.
Tomorrow's mission: Barington Roastery field trip in Barington, MA.

Ham and coffee

It has been two weeksish since we moved and I am still completely disorientated. I have been working nonstop which is great, but I have had little time to draw and paint. I know this is the constant struggle to try to balance work and the non-paying-right-now work. I think the spring/summer craft fair circuit should make me feel more productive. I also need to make sure I produce something once a week even if its only so-so. Last night I got home and immediately went to the drawing table even though it was 10 pm.
Anyway, life is pretty good. A little too much wine and cheese in my life....it seems like cheese is the symbol of adulthood and we have just become adults.
I like work a lot. It is still difficult to know what to say when people say the very new york "so what do you do?" I say I am in specialty coffee and they say "oh" and then I add "and I am a freelance illustrator" at which point they get really excited and interested. Well except when I told a painter that I was an illustrator...she looked at me and said "hhmm" and they started talkig to someone else like I made clip art or something. By the way the first people to make and sell clip art in the 80's raked it in.
Barington coffee roaster still has not won me over. I bought some Indian Mysore and it was tart, but fell flat to me. It was not even old. Maybe I do not like Indian coffees b/c I am bored by our espresso too and that is apparently 4 different Indian coffees. I also tried our Sumatra and today the Costa Rica (from where I do not know) and once again not much going on. Either the roast is too dark, the beans are not great, or I am just choosing the more boring of their coffees. Either way I need to find something Barington does that I like or else I will be unable to really stand behind our coffee.
Oh counter culture...I miss you.