engineering prints

i can't help but love all of the amazing ideas and solutions on that great reservoir of creativity that we call pinterest!

when i moved into the new place, i had a heck of a time trying to decide what to do with all of the wall space above the head of my bed.  i scoured said reservoir and there were some amazing ideas... a headboard made of open books (turned to personally relevant pages), lots of great vinyl art, string-light cutout confections, maps (i love maps). but even though i loved a LOT of these ideas, and they even seemed to represent me accurately, i simply couldn't decide.

enter pier 1 and their stinkin' good sales!  i happened along some faux window frames for 60% off, and i made the first decision.  i liked that these were imminently changeable.  i could use the lovely panes for just about anything... photos, miniaturized maps, book pages or quotes, etcetera. the flexibility was mind boggling.  so much so, that i put them up on the wall, and they remained empty window frames for about four months.  clearly, i have commitment issues.

then, after arriving home from vegas, and going through my usual unpacking, re-organizing routine, i looked at the empty frames and thought 'hey! those family photos we took at christmas might look pretty good up there!' so i took some measurements, but i knew i wanted one photo per frame (NOT pane) and i wasn't sure exactly how the faces and bodies would line up.  i was hesitant to spend $45 to have the two photos blown up and printed without being sure.

then, the magic happened.  i recalled a post (probably on pinterest) about engineering prints, and i googled. turns out, staples will print these over sized documents for a pittance.  they are black and only (which is exactly what i wanted) and not typically meant for photos, so the quality isn't the same as a photo print would be.  but i was kind of going for a 'shabbier' version anyway.  i placed my order online, was called 15 minutes later to be told i could pick them up, headed to staples where i paid my $4.57 and brought them home.  yes, $4.57 instead of $45, and they are exactly what i wanted.

i did run into some placement issues, but the way it worked out, family members
that are partially 'cut' in one frame are totally visible in the other, and vice versa.  and ultimately, it's exactly the feel i was going for.  now, i'm just trying to figure out what else i can have made into engineering prints!

vegas

i don't know how much more i can say about vegas.  i feel like i've 'been there, done that' so many times that it's getting a little old. but i'll give it a shot.

i had a lot of mixed emotions going into this conference.  a staffing upset just two weeks before my departure had left me and other members of my team scrambling into problem solving mode, and the outcome left us all feeling a little shaken.  so, in addition to my normal 'fear and loathing' i felt a trepidation i've not experienced in a very long time in a professional setting.  and yet, i was really excited to see melissa, katherine, the bulgarian, and my freeman cousins!

so before i set out on the four hour drive, i decided that i had done everything within my power to fix what was broken and i began the process of letting it go.  that process moved much more quickly once i arrived, when i headed directly to the exhibit hall to check-in on things and to deliver my special valentine's goodies.

i have discovered about myself that i am not naturally service oriented.  i am always so appreciative to be the recipient -- in any context, but when i am the 'giver' it is with a very conscious effort.

in the last several months, i feel like i've finally settled into california. i don't know why it took me seven+ years, and it's not in my long term plan to stay here, but since being shaken from my 'routine' of the last five years, i feel more at ease here.  and, as a result, i find that i am becoming a little more...me.  i've cooked more in the last six months than i have in the last 10 years.  i find that i am more aware of others, more naturally inclined to want to do nice things. i feel more creative than i have in a long long time.  and i think being here in long beach gives me the freedom to engage in social activities or to power down when needed without feeling like i 'should' be doing this or that.

all that to say that i have recently had a number of occasions to be reminded how gratifying it can be to

exercise intended thoughtfulness.  in this case, most of my exhibit team had been on the road for nearly four straight weeks with other clients at other shows.  i knew they would all be tired and missing home, so even though i didn't arrive until the 15th, i took the opportunity valentine's day provided to show my appreciation with some 'made in my kitchen' baked goods.  their reactions were, i suspect, of greater benefit to me than my gifts were to them. which was a nice way to kick things off, since it would be a very long few days.

6 days in vegas feels like double that in most other cities, and not in the good way.  just the walk from my room to the exhibit hall is enough to drain me for the rest of the day, but that's just the beginning of the exhaustion.  fortunately, some of my favorite people were in attendance at this conference.  i got to spend my evenings with melissa, katherine (who i introduced to serendipity's famous frozen hot chocolate), emil, and of course, my cousins. they all managed to keep me sane in their own unique ways, and that went a long way to taking edge off my least favorite city.

all in all, the event was a success. more than i would have dared to hope.  and the best part? only one more (very) quick trip to vegas next month before i can write the city off for another year!

valentines

for my colleagues  

individual oreo pudding cakes

for my roommate

self-explanatory :D

for me

mani/pedi & eyelash extensions

it's sunday evening..

...and it's time to start wrapping up a great weekend.

friday night, i joined a group of friends in my old huntington stomping grounds to watch the olympic opening ceremonies.  it's no secret that i love the olympics (favoring winter just a bit over summer), and it was especially enjoyable to experience them with so many other olympic obsessives.

the crowd included my friend kristina who worked at the olympic village during the salt lake games and my ukrainian/russian friend larysa, who provided a lot of helpful and insightful cultural background information.

it also provided an opportunity for me to try a new recipe, and in honor of the olympics, i chose the buffalo chicken crescent ring (representative of the olympic rings), i'd come across on pinterest.  wow! did it turn out yummy! the receipe can be found here and the only change i made was including the cilantro IN the mixture.

saturday morning came way too early as jami and i made an attempt to secure our tickets to this year's comic-con.

as previous attendees we had the opportunity to try our luck during a pre-registration sale.  only a certain number of tickets are made available and all 2013 attendees could participate.

in previous years, our experience has been EXACTLY like this:

(thanks to melissa for tipping me off to this scene, since i don't watch the show)

this year though, they 'randomized' the process and refreshing was a big no-no.  we had to log in early with a special registration code, then hope we would be randomly sorted in a registration 'session' that was high enough to still get tickets for each of our desired event days.

we waited, staring at our computer screens, hoping every two minutes (when they auto-refreshed) that we would be allowed to buy tickets, and that the tickets we wanted would still be available.  after an hour and a half of nervous anticipation, jami finally got in and was able to purchase all of our tickets. YAY!  so relieved that i can rest easy until july when i'll have to play the "big bang game" for nerd hq tickets (still a first come first served scenario).

late nights and early mornings make for an exhausted tara, but after an hour power nap, i headed to the cousins, to meet up with jenny before heading to a nearby karate studio in support of rachel and drew in their belt testing.  rachel, going for her brown belt, and drew going for his black.  it was interesting to watch the testing and i was honored to have been included in what was a great achievement for both of them!

walking dead is back tonight (yay!) and i can't get enough of the olympics, so february is off to a good start!

december

as seems to happen more and more, december just seemed to slip away when i wasn't looking.

it started with the final planning and execution of my last event of the year -- our biannual all employee meeting.  with a few added elements, this was our most 'complicated' employee meeting yet, and, to add insult to injury, i was also tasked with presenting.

those who know me well know that speaking in front of people is my all-time greatest fear. it's a nausea inducing fear that i try to avoid at all costs.  not to mention that there were a thousand moving parts (usually by me) that had to be handled while i was supposed to be on the stage in front of my 500 co-workers.  

the good news is that it all went off without a hitch.  and, i even learned yesterday that in the post-event survey sent to employees, my presentation ranked the highest of the event.  while i'm pleased and grateful for the result, i'm mostly just glad it's over!

fortunately the first couple of weeks weren't all fear and nausea.  my friend vicki invited me to join her at a minor league hockey game, where i had my first 'up against the glass' experience.

and i joined my roommate and another friend in los angeles for las posadas on olvera street.  not only was this my first time using the metro here (i still can't believe there is one), but it was also an interesting educational experience.  the event commemorates the journey of mary and joseph from nazareth to bethlehem, and their search for shelter. there were pinatas, and nativities, and singing. and, there were churros.  i don't know that i would do it again, but it was a new an interesting experience.

only a couple of days after my big work event, i headed to savannah, georgia.  

in november, i received a job offer from a company based there.  the offer was completely unexpected and created a lot a lot of internal conflict.  on one hand, i would really like to be back east, closer to my family.  on the other, i just wasn't sure savannah would be a good fit for me.  

my long weekend there was a bit of a rough one (travel problems, terrible weather), but ultimately it confirmed what i had already begun to feel. the job would have been a good fit, as would most of the people. but the city...is great for being a tourist in, but not to live in. at least not for me.  

the decision was not an easy one, and it occupied the majority of my free-thinking time in november and early december.  but turning it down also made me realize that i'm not ready to leave california just yet.  and there is a certain peace in that.

only a few days after returning from georgia, i was back on the east coast.  only this time, it was to meet my brand new niece and spend the week with my family.  

usually my visits home involve a lot of going and seeing. visiting with old friends, undertaking various activities.  this trip though, we all just kind of hunkered down and spent the week with each other. and it was perfectly lovely.

it nearly kills me to have say goodbye each time, and i still wish i could snuggle in with the new baby, but i was back just before new year's to celebrate in california for the first time.  

despite my reservations, i opted for the big local mid-singles celebration. and, while i have nothing exciting to report, it was an enjoyable evening spent with friends, which is really all i could ask for. 

back at work now i'm trying to get up to full speed preparing for my biggest conference of the year, while managing a nasty sinus infection.  

at this rate i have a feeling that my next post will appear in february and i'll be talking about how quickly january flew by.  seems to just be the way things go these days!