Project Updates:

To those of you that know me, you are probably wondering what I have left that needs cleaning. I must admit that I am an obsessive cleaner when it comes to my house. When I first saw that it was National Cleaning Week my first thought was to vacuum and wash my car.

Now that I've thought about it a little bit, maybe its time for a general soul cleansing. Shaking off the dust of everyday life and taking a clear look at what it is that I am doing here and what I want to be doing.

In all honesty I'd much rather clean out the dustbunnies from under the couch. They are much easier to deal with. Hoover hasn't come up with a soul cleansing attachment just yet.

What did I learn this past week?

• The people at the auto shop weren't kidding when they said there was a lot of labor involved with fixing my driver's side headlight problem (The headlight mount broke so things jiggle around a bit. On occasion the bulb will come out of the socket and roam freely inside the hood). I took apart my car on Saturday only to find that after removing 8 screws and 1 bolt I had barely enough room to wiggle my hand in front of the battery to get the bulb out. I survived the bulb replacement and discovered that my car has a 4 bulb system. Hopefully I will get a new car before another bulb goes out on the driver's side.

Projects

• Website: I have been working on improving stephaniedelk.com. Its been nice working with someone who has actually thought about building a brand (down to the font). Apparently Steph has been pondering this for a few years now and finally decided that it was time to go for it. I hope to have everything done before May. Sorry no previews are available at this time. I changed up asgaustin.org as well. That client isn't so picky so its a little difficult to know when its done.
• Sewing: I made a front zip hooded sweatshirt out of polar fleece last week. It only took a few hours (with a pause in between to make sure it fit). I have yet to photograph it. I cut out another jacket and a pair of pants this weekend in addition to starting a design challenge from my mom.
• Yard: I started my yearly expansion of the flower beds to cut down on the amount of grass to mow. I had to stop 5 feet before the end of the bed due to fire ants. I had intended to put in some new plants but we had some freakish weather.
• Cooking: I tried out a new quesadilla recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

I didn't think that Massage Safety was an issue. The next question would be is the safety part for the person giving or receiving the massage? It could be both.

What did I learn this past week?

• I have lived in Austin for almost 11 years and I attended SXSW for the first time. I have been missing out on a lot. I think that I will try and volunteer next year (more chicks on the tech crew...)
• A whole lot about web design.
• Starting a business can be scary but the payoff can be BIG.
• There are women in tech. We are a minority and unless we become positive role models we will continue to be a minority.
• There are state employees out there who actually enjoy their jobs. Maybe I could be one of them.
• Sleep is overrated.
• How to use the Trimble 3 Navigation system. I dared to take a GPS course during sleep deprivation week.
• It is ok to be a dork. Dorks are cool people.

Projects...

• Website: The titles have returned to my blog entries. I have no clue where they went but they are back. coming soon... implementation of the things I learned at SXSW and a new section for web developers.
• Sewing: NOTHING. I got to show off my new pants last week.

I had the opportunity to attend the SXSW Interactive Conference this past week and it was AMAZING. I started by attending the panel discussions Saturday-Tuesday (yes, I took off from work).

Here are my notes and some useful links...
Friday, March 11
Ducking Bullets and Blowing up Barriers: the Indie Development of Alien Hominid- Tom Fulp
-I will willingly admit that I am not into video games. I attended this talk in the hopes of gaining some insight on indie marketing, branding and other business stuff.

Saturday, March 12
How to Hotwire the Creative Process: Drive it like you stole it-Curt Cloninger
-I attended this panel to get some insight on how to get out of my rut.
Check out the presentation
Good Stuff: If you are going to be successful, its important that you don't doubt yourself. Build yourself a personal design playground. Everyone needs a place to fail and its better to do it semi-publicly and in a medium you want to improve. Be less derrivative. Go back to the roots of everything (aka. au naturale).

How to Make Big Things Happen with Small Teams - Jason Fried
-I was there to find out how small teams could take on big tasks.
Key Concepts: Reduce Mass, Making things Manageable, Lowering Cost of Change (secret weapon), Staying out of Debt.
What next?: These are definitely rules to live by. I dream big, but I really don't envision myself in supercorporate land.


Sunday, March 13
DIY Now, or Someone Else will-Alex Hart, Ted Rheingold, Gina Trapani, Willem Vos
-I was drawn in by the catchy title
Check out the presentation
Notes: Almost everything falls under the DIY catch phrase (blogging, podcasting, open source, unfunded web business, zines...). Why should you DIY? Its cheap, there are many prebuilt tools out there, lots of people are looking to work on a new hot project, there are endless amounts of information online. The rewards are endless. The main reward being a full time job that is a spin-off of a temporary/part-time project.

What next?: I think that I will take this new information and run with it. I am not comfortable with the idea of dropping my current job to start up on something that has little to no security. I also see that many of my part time projects have the potential for becoming lucrative full-time work.


How to be Beautiful: More Hi-Fi Design with CSS- Douglas Bowman, Dan Cederholm, Molly Holzschlag, Christopher Schmitt
-I was there because one can never get enough on CSS.
Check out the presentation
Notes: The Road to Mastering CSS...#1 Understand that CSS is an integrated language. #2 Know markup. #3 Document and Data Structures are equally important to design.
What next?: Getting better at design and coding. Taking up more space on Jeremy's server (my playground for now).

Malcom Gladwell, Keynote Speech.
-I was there to see what the hype was on Gladwell. His book "Blink" was added to my reading list after Halley blogged on it a month or 2 back. The talk reinforced the fact that I NEED to read the book.

Elements of Meaningful XHTML- Tantec Celik
-I wanted to learn how to be a better coder.
Check out the presentation
Notes: The goal is to be precisely meaningful, like Goldilocks. Everything should be just right.
What next?: Clean up my coding. My code is valid but it could be a lot better.


How to Build your Brand with Blogs- DL Byron, Jim Coudal, Jason Fried, Molly Holzschlag, Robert Scoble
-This came up at the right time. With Steph and Paula's websites to build I was curious about how a blog could make or break them. In both cases it would be wise.
Notes: Blogging your brand is key for new, small brands, blog about a niche. You can use your brand to build an audience. A blog also allows you to be honest and open with your audience. A great blogger is passionate and authoritative.
What next?: Paula gets a blog to reinforce the fact that although she is a lawyer, she is a human being who cares about people.


Monday, March 14
Does Design Matter?- Joe Clark, Kelly Goto, Jason Santa Maria, Jeffrey Zeldman
-I wanted to know if there was an answer to the question.
Notes: The most interesting portion of the discussion was the debate on Design or Lifestyle, Which came first? Its pretty much the same as the chicken and egg thing, we aren't quite sure. Design can influence your lifestyle just as lifestyle can guide design. The key example of this was the IPOD. It is the perfect combination of all the aspects of design. More people are creating things that you didn't know you needed until you experienced them personally. Webdesign seems to be headed in that direction. Another hot topic was was desire. People will deal with crappy user interfaces if they really want something. A prime example of this is Ebay.

In the end...The designer should really focus on meeting the needs of their target user.
What next?: I will keep designing. Even though many people are in a content oriented phase right now with their mobile devices and site feeds, there are still people who want more than content.


How to Inform Design: How to Set Your Pants on Fire- Nick Finck, Kit Seeborg, Jeff Veen
-The title led me in. Why wouldn't you want to know how to set your pants on fire?
Check out the presentation
Notes: Can we design for what people are expecting? Cool example USDA's Hay Net
Simple, yet does exactly what you need it to do. You want to talk to your audience and highlight the interesting things. Put yourself in the users shoes.

Where are the Women of Web Design?- Molly Holzschlag, Min Jung Kim, Nancy Massey, Eric Meyer, Maxine Sherrin, Tiffany Brown
-I was there to meet my peers and to see if a solution for the problem was in the works.
Notes: There's been a lot of buzz on this question. The main reasoning behind why women are such a minority in web design is the lack of role models. Other reasons: Women don't stand out, they tend to stick to small business or non-profit. Women often avoid it because they are afraid to put themselves out there. They feel underqualified.

The solution for the future... Mentoring programs and getting men to realize that they can't appeal to the masses if the team is composed of only men.

What next?: I will keep on keepin' on. Hopefully I will inspire others. When I get some free time I would like to do some volunteer work.

Tuesday, March 15
Internet 2010: What will the Web Look Like when it Turns 20?- John Allsop, Douglas Bowman, Eris Free, Jon Hicks, Dave Shea
-I wanted to get some insight on where the web was going and what I should be studying as a developer.
Check out the panel blog
Notes: The general vibe was that there wasn't going to be much change. Sure there will be more media types to design for but that can be handled with CSS. Web design and Industrial design use to be very separate ideas but now the two seem to be converging.
What next?: I will continue to perfect my CSS and HTML skills.

Notes from the Underground: The Rise of Remix Culture- Jeremy Brown (DJ Reset), Glenn Brown, Eric Stuer
-I was curious about crossovers in industry.
Notes: The biggest issue for remixer is copyright.
Check out: This Place Sucks (remix of Superfriends and Office Space)
Remix Radio Creative Commons

Bruce Sterling, Keynote Speech
-I followed some friends into this panel. I didn't know much about Sterling but after his speech I plan on checking out his books.

Turning Pink into Green: The Online Business of Pleasure- John d'Addario, Amelia G, John Halcyon Styn
-I was a little curious. I often joke about turning to the adult industry because it would be more lucrative than my current employment.
Check out the Presentation
Notes: There is a new revolution in porn. It is more art/creative based. Why create adult websites? The most damaging thing in society is sexual shame. Porn is the last honest medium.

I am chugging my coffee right now in the hopes that my sleep deprived self will wake up (or atleast be alert enough to head out into traffic this morning).

What did I learn this past week?

• Even though I hate being confrontational, there are just some times when you have to suck it up and be brave. (After last week, I rewarded myself with a pair of shoes)
• I don't give myself enough credit. I went to the Austin Sewing Guild meeting and brought a few items for show and tell and was amazed at the fact that women who had been sewing longer than I have been alive were applauding me for my web design skills (even though the site isn't even close to completion) and my newly acquired sewing skills)
• Some of my best thinking and conversations often occurs when I am lying in bed. I need to see if there are any studies on why this is so. My current theory is because I am tall and lanky and therefore it takes more work to operate my body in the upright position
• It is ok to accept expensive gifts from people. I am usually anti hand outs but recently a friend offered up something that I couldn't refuse. In the end my decision was based on the fact that they said that they wanted me to improve my skills and therefore it was for my own good. (more on this later)

• Taking over the world (little bits at a time)
  
• Websites. Check out Austin Sewing Guild More content will be up soon. I need to sit down with them and get all the old newsletters and scrapbook stuff on the web.
  
• Sewing. I finished the handbag and it is currently in use. I will put up photos of myself in the whole ensemble later this week.
• OKcupid. My report isn't done yet. It will be interesting though. In order to make a full report I need to get a friend of mine to log in so I can see what guys see on my profile. They seem to leave some stuff out when you are viewing your ranking.
  

I finally caught up on my lunchtime blog reading and found this on Worthwhile Magazines blog.

It made me think about my life and my goals to make a difference. In my current job I am doing outreach for a Groundwater Program at a state agency. I am doing my best to get information out the public via the internet and various publications. I feel the need to do more but unfortunately this is not #1 on everyone's priority list. They are stuck in the past and its hard to convey how important a website is for getting information out to the public.

So what am I doing about it in the meantime. I decided that its time to think bigger. I applied for a job at the agency level. If all goes well I will be working towards the agency's goal of better web representation for all agency programs. In addition to that I would be doing publications management.

By keeping people informed you are saying that you care.

I have officially owned my house for three years now.

Some of you may be wondering why a 28 year old single female would own a house. Well here goes:

1. Because I can.
2. I was tired of dealing with running from rent increases and racist landlords.
3. I don't make that much money so I figured that mortgage payments were far superior to regular rent. Placing money in the hands of the bank as an investment is way better than placing money into the grubby hands of a landlord who often cares very little for the property and never fixes anything.
4. I enjoy remodelling/redecorating.

Here are the highlights of my time as a homeowner:

1. Year 1: Robbery 8 days after moving in to the house. Replacement of bathroom fixtures.
2. Year 2: Replacing roof and siding after major rainstorm leads to water IN the house.
3. Year 3: (The joys of being a landlady) Having to deal with evicting a tenant for negligence and repairing the damages associated with the situation. Installation of new windows.

What is to come?

I need to deal with the fence situation in the back yard (or lack of upright fencing). Once the area is secure then I will fix the deck and do some landscaping in preparation for my hot tub.

I am not quite sure what this week is supposed to mean.
If I figure it out I will let you know. Or perhaps I will just interpret it at my own risk...

What did I learn last week?

• Sex workers are people too.
• OKcupid is kind of lame. I am writing up my full report for Climbing in Skirts
  
• I still remember how to teach lindy hop. Its strange that after a 2 year hiatus it is all coming back.

• Websites: I am still working on the same. I should have a full report on Paula's website next week after our planning session.
• Sewing: Check out the pants. I am currently continuing my work on the "recycled khakis project". I have a skirt and I am working on the matching messenger bag. My goal is to have it done by the Austin Sewing Guild Meeting
  

I finished my second pair of pants today. I am getting much better at matching plaids now. The concept of pattern layout is becoming less foreign and I am getting into less scrapes (or I am cleverly covering up my mistakes). I am also learning about where to make adjustments to fit clothing better. Both pairs of pants are of the waistband-less, low-rise, hip hugger variety (to hid the fact that I am VERY short-waisted).

Both pairs of pants were made from Simplicity 9826. Its from one of their "6 made easy patterns" which are really nice and easy to follow. It makes it easy to change the style of pants once you figure out how you want the waistline to fit.

This is the first pair of pants (pattern veiw D). They are a strange cotton (almost gauze-like). They will be great for Spring and Summer. Its a little chilly to be wearing them now. The zipper is in the back. Something that I am usually against because its tricky to get the zipper to to conform to the curvature of your butt. Usually it does something funky.














The second pair of pants is a grandma-esque polyester (pattern veiw A). It was stretchy so I had to adjust them a little bit to account for that. The zipper is on the side. I didn't trust the stretchy fabric to keep the zipper where it needed to be if I placed the zipper in the back like the pattern called for. The mistake that was cleverly covered is that I didn't have enough fabric to make the pants the right length. Rather than give in, finish them off and pass them on to a shorter friend I made faux cuffs by adding on a piece of fabric to th eboddom. The plaid is a little off though but really who looks at the cuffs of a girls pants?

Check it out

Thanks Hayden for posting this on your blog

Good theme for this week. I kicked it off by going to the Sex Workers Art Show. It was a benefit to raise money and awareness of issues that people in the sex industry have.

As for last week...
What did I learn?

• The lindy hop scene in Austin hasn't really changed during my hiatus.
• A late apology is better than no apology at all.
• OKcupid is a time consuming mechanism for finding a date. If you are online answering questions all the time when are you actually out with people.
• Job#12 is going to be coming along slower than I thought. Reorg is moving really slow. I did see a job posting that pays almost $1000 more than I make now and I would be working at an agency level. I walked my application over to HR yesterday.

PROJECTS...

• Websites: I am still fixing projectjen.com, I started a web magazine called Climbing in Skirts, the Austin Sewing Guild site is moving along slowly (they don't really have their stuff together. Paula is not ready to work on her site just yet and today I received an email from my little sister to fix her website. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Luckily I have the free time.
• Sewing: I learned how to put in a zipper all by myself. I also had mom come over and help me put my new sewing table together (I promise to put up pics of my stylin' pants and sewing area soon)
• OKcupid.com: Based on Jeremy's recommendation I decided to sign up on OKcupid.com I don't know what I plan to do with this. I am finding it pretty amusing so far. I will probably post some of the email I have been receiving just for kicks.