Project Updates:

in no va tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (n-vshn)n.
The act of introducing something new.
Something newly introduced.

What did I learn this past week?

• It really doesn't take that much fabric to make a pair of shorts.
• My old version of Adobe Photodelux has a lot of cool hidden features. I used them on my site redesign to add the grass background to the logo.

Projects!

• Website: Check out the projectjen.com redesign. With STRONGER CSS! I am not sure about the background images and colors just yet. I also know that there are a few issues here and there (note the little BETA under the logo). I am slowly reading through "Zen and the Art of CSS Design" to assist me in taking over the world one bit at a time.
• Sewing: I cut out most of my spring line last week. I hope to get it done by early May. I haven't been able to find any bottoms I like in the store that are in my price range so I decided that I will have to do it myself.
• Yard: I purchased a Lawn Hog (Yes, that is the name that Black and Decker gave it, not the name I gave it.) on Friday along with a new attachment for the Leaf Hog. I plan on retiring the grandpa push mower. I spent Saturday and Sunday doing yard maintenance. I transplanted grass from the flower beds to the yard, turned the compost, and tested out my new gear. I will have some pictures up soon. I need to do the before and after for my grass transplant experiment.

This was the closing line to a blog entry at Worthwhile Magazine on Escaping the Dead end Job.
The entry is totally relevant to my current mission in life which is answering the question, "What do I want to be when I grow up?"

This was the second blog entry that caught my eye. The first one was my reason for cruising the Worthwhile site.

Careers 101. The blog entry that angered me. It echoes the many conversations I have had with my dad who is an HR consultant. He is constantly telling me that I need to stick around at a job so I can gain more experience. I counter with, why should I suffer for experience. Isn't there somewhere I can be happy and gain experience? I understand that there is the "dues" system but, where I am currently working most people are satisfied with absorbing experience vs proactively seeking knowledge. The turnaround time on rewards shouldn't be the same for both the absorbers and the seekers. I on the other hand am a seeker of knowledge. If work won't provide it, I search for it on my own time. Do I get credit for this, no.

Ok, enough whining..

Projects!

• Website: Projectjen.com will be getting a new look. I decided that I should make a few changes when I fix the alignment issue. I hope to finish up the design concept this week and roll it out in early May.
• Sewing: I am in the process of designing my summer wardrobe. I can't find shorts that I like in the store so I am going back to the drawing board.
• Yard: I put in some more plants. I expanded the edible garden to include wild onions, tomatoes and green bell peppers. On the decorative side I planted honeysuckle to choke out the weeds, spiderwort (more weed control) and a few other things. I will add some pictures once everything blooms.

This is my ongoing weekly theme but atleast its getting some national recognition.

I went for a long drive on Saturdayand had time to think about a lot of stuff. Mainly the fact that during my non-work hours I am going above and beyond to recover the time lost during work where my brain gets little to no stimulation. If I don't stop this now I will most likely end up in a room with padded walls.

I am thinking that I may be better off using my vacation fund to get professional assistance in my job search because there is only so much time in a day and I am not making any progress.

Any suggestions on this?

What did I learn last week?

• I discovered this really cool product called steam-a-seam. Its this double-sided, iron-on tape. I used it to hem my dress on Thursday.
• I learned about making jackets at the Austin Sewing Guild meeting on Saturday afternoon.
• Someone on my floor at work had whooping cough so I did a little reading on the topic to make sure that I wouldn't get it.

Projects!

• Website: I attempted to fix the alignment problem on my website along with the last updated on the index page (I want it to change to reflect the most recent update sitewide). This will involve me learning some php or baking some cookies for Jordan for php assistance. stephaniedelk.com is moving along. I think that my sister is finally satisfied with that latest style sheet. I did some research on Paypal donations and adding MP3s.
• Sewing: The dress is finished. The jacket needs buttons and to be hemmed. I hope to do this at stitch and whine on Wednesday. My next project is to finish the other dress I cut out a week ago.

I was checking out some stuff on Molly.com and found out that she is teaching some sort of seminar with Geek Cruises. I had to check it out. Not that I am a big fan of big ol' cruiseships. Its just interesting that they attempt to bring geeks out of their natural habitat, towards sunlight even.

Check out the brochure.

My friend Sunday entered the Air Guitar Championships and enlisted my help in making a cape.

So I am 90% done with the dress. I have to hem it and press it but I decided to give you all a sneak peak.

Since many of my readers are men I decided to remind you that it is Testicular Awareness Week (aka Get a Grip Week). I promise that I am not making this stuff up.

What did I learn this week?

• I miss science. I even miss the math related to science. I took an Intro to Groundwater Investigations class through EPA and realized that maybe its time for me to return to this sort of work vs being the admin with tech skills. So, I have a few job applications out there as we speak.
• The evil bushes in my yard that keep coming back are called nandina. This weekend I succeeded in digging out 4 from the backyard (last year I tried cutting them down to ground level and they grew back). I am trying to figure out if they will come back with the majority of the plant gone or not. I didn't fill in the holes just in case I need to get back in there to remove more of the roots.
• I have been researching a vacation and stumbled accross some really neat places. Petit Byahaut is high up on my list of places to go. Then my all time (extremely expensive favorite) the Galapagos Islands. The whole ecotour thing was spawned by an article on Treehugger and my hatred of hotels (especially after my run in with the temperpedic mattress at the last one).
  

• Website: I did a little work on my sister's website. Once again, I am not allowed to release any information.
• Sewing: I am almost done with my new and improved hoodie. I have to attach the pockets and I decided that I want buttons instead of a zipper. I started a new project. I want to make a dress for the wedding I am going to this weekend. It doensn't look that hard but I have only gotten to the point of cutting it out. Here is the pattern
• Yard: I am in a lot of pain but I managed to remove the evil bushes and haul 3 wheel barrows worth of dirt into the cleaned out flower beds. I also mowed the lawn with my grandpa style push mower
• Cooking: I am working on perfecting a creamy tomato basil sauce. The basil cryogenics project made this all possible.