the past two weeks have been on par with the apocalypse in terms of homework load. i've had three midterms, a research paper, a short essay, a lab presentation and other miscellaneous crap to do. apocalyptic! i told you. add on 30 hours of work a week and a very crude attempt at maintaining a social life and i feel like i'm on the verge of mental insanity. wasn't it just this past weekend when i fell into that day-long spell of depression? yeah, that was saturday. after tomorrow everything will be over and done with and it'll be another two weeks before anything major is due again. and then it's time for a break. and then what, only three weeks left until the end of the semester? i don't really remember september anymore.

with all of the mounting stress and lack of free time my desktop managed to become bombarded with files and space was fillin' up fast. it was like i couldn't breathe and claustrophobia was setting in. so i spent half an hour and organized and deleted and shuffled around tons of files into their respective new folders. and now my desktop is perfect and i feel so much better.

it's crunch time!

so when i found out several weeks back that i wasn't chosen for a graphic design position due to my lack of office experience, i was a little frustrated. if they posted the job for a graphic designer, then you shouldn't require that they have office experience. (but really, what student doesn't have some sort of office experience these days?)

then tonight i grew enraged! i saw a posting on the U's employment website from the same department looking for an office assistant. which means: that now the graphic designer isn't responsible for office duties. the designer can just design. which is what i would have done. and i was the most creative candidate they interviewed. now that they'll have an office assistant, that job should have rightfully gone to me.

i'm almost tempted to apply for the office assistant job and see what they do. (they pay the same, which i think is odd.)

while at work i had the greatest idea to order a greek pizza from pizza lucé for our grey's gathering tonight. i'm too lazy to cook anything before people would come at 7. it was the perfect plan.

but i forgot to get money from the atm before we left school. no problem, i figured they would take checks. i called, the guy asked how i wanted to pay for it, and i asked "so i can't pay with a check?" i guess they've gotten a couple bounced checks. so i opted to pay with my check card. i wondered how they would charge me exactly, and when the man came to the door i payed close attention.

after signing for the pizza he took my card. i assumed this act was to verify my signature. but then he started rolling the receipt paper around my card. and i thought to myself "um, i need that back." but then he pulled out a CRAYON and carbon copied my card number.

hey, whatever gets the job done, right?

i called to shoot the breeze with my mom tonight since i had nothing to do. literally, i spent the entire night on the phone, in the tub, or in front of the tv playing nintendo. during the 40 minute conversation with my mom we talked about my future plans. "future" referring to thanksgiving, this coming summer, and even post-college.

i told her how i've been really interested in interning in new york for the summer. her initial reaction was "oh, ok. how are you going to afford that?" then i dropped the research bomb i've done and after finding out that housing is provided free of charge, i'd be able to sublet my place in minneapolis, and i would probably get a decent hourly wage, she approved. i'm glad. i'd like to try and get a feel for the east coast, since i have a feeling i'll be moving out there after school to get into the publishing business. either that or london.

after i convinced her she said to me, "you certainly do have big plans for yourself, michael. first berlin, now new york?"

my reply: "i know."

there is nothing wrong with setting your sights high. it hasn't failed me lately.

it's snowing! not much, but it's snowing.

i distinctly recall riding in anna's car late this past summer and talking (more like complaining) about the lack of real-world experience our graphic design education at the U provides us. for the past couple of years we've been putzing around making stupid posters about dumb topics; never really putting our skills to any sort of decent use.

all that seems to have changed this semester. at least for me anyway. my GD I instructor took the initiative to send an email out to University departments in need of graphic design help. our first project consisted of creating a logo and all sorts of materials for Northrop Auditorium. that project is behind us and i feel really confident with what i presented to the client. should they decide to use any of the six ideas presented to them, that students work will become the official logotype for the building and will be printed a million times over on posters, mailers, websites, etc. it's kind of exciting when you think about it. (every time i check my email i'm ever-so-slightly expecting an email from them saying they want to use my design, but i doubt that's going to happen.)

today we started our second project. we're creating an identity system using predetermined logos and styles of globalwarming101.com. it sounds like a great foundation-- will steger is a minnesotan who has set numerous records for traveling to both of the poles in an attempt to raise awareness about global warming. our project is due on november 1. they are pushing back their print date to accommodate a student's final design. this will be even more exposure, since the foundation is planning on printing 50,000 sets of materials for distribution to classrooms nationwide. that's a lot of exposure, and a great opportunity. i need to make something great.

wish me luck.

so you probably remember the design job that i applied for in mid-july. and the subsequent interview i had for it two months after. and then there was that week where i patiently waited to hear a response (i never heard a word from them). and then today, after i'd given up all hope, i got an email from them. finally, almost three whole months after this application process started, they made a decision. (yeah, that's a 1/4 of a year.)

i started off reading the email and my heart raced and i got excited. this could be it. and then it took a sharp turn for the worse. the following is the email i got from the woman.

"You were our most creative candidate and we enjoyed viewing your design samples. You have a great eye for design. However, we selected a candidate with substantial experience in design and office work. We felt this was highly important for us at this time, because it is a new position and because of our upcoming move."

i'm a freaking OFFICE ASSISTANT! that means i assist in an OFFICE. i do office-y stuff, like sitting behind a desk and helping people and filing shit. i don't know how much more office experience they require. but at the same type, it makes me feel good. i'm finally starting to feel really confident about my work. i take a lot of pride into what i've come up with lately. and if they were looking for strictly a designer, i'm assuming that i would have gotten the position. i'm going to stop looking for design jobs this semester. i've got my plate full, and i like what's on my plate, so why bother? some other time. and i'll kick ass.

i don't even know how many weeks it's been since school has started. around five? somewhere around there sounds about right. life's monotony continues as always with work, class, work, work, class, class, sleep, etc. more class and work than anything else. nothing really new and noteworthy to mention. i got new glasses. they are awesome and designerly and they're practically the equivalent of wearing an entire month's rent on my face. i think most people approve. i pride myself on looking more like a designer than anyone else in my design studio & lecture.

my four-week long Northrop project will conclude tomorrow. i still feel really confident about it. my group of three (2 girls and myself) selected my logo (since it was obviously the best of the three) and have made a bunch of materials (in the form of flyers, websites, mailers, etc.) incorporating my design. it's nice to see things come to fruition. i think that's why i love graphic design and the tangible things you can hold on to afterwards.

i got an email this afternoon that i nearly just junked, thinking that it was more random junk from the U. but i opened it up a second time and took a look at the website. it's called Art Buddies and it's a group of 50 volunteers (both students and professionals in various creative fields) who help underprivileged kids help realize their various design/creative dreams. it's a couple of wednesday afternoons after i'm done with class. not only would it be a great opportunity to network with fellow graphic designers, but i think it would just be a crapload of fun. so i applied and i'll hear back from them in 2 weeks. i'm excited!