Disco Dog

You have to see this. =)

Tree

"Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind.
To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all."

~ Buddha

It's been a roller coaster the last two weeks. Interviews, offers, rejections, mismatches, matches made in heaven and disappointments. Looks like I'll be staying at the hardwood showroom for awhile. I've worked twice and enjoy it quite a bit.

I've had some heavy discussions with friends, family and myself in the past week. Something about interviews and having to "sell" myself brings up alot of insecurity (a.k.a. anxiety). At the same time I have been getting a lot of attention at school for my good work. I feel like I'm going from 0 to 60 on the confidence gas pedal every other day.

The best advice I've gotten so far was from my friend Hasmuk, who happens to be an architect (and a very wise yogi). I was telling him about all the guilt I carry around about my career choice. Struggling with the feelings of interior design being materialistic, shallow, environmentally irresponsible and often socially challenging. Hasmuk reminded me that when I feel this guilt it's really my "ego" talking. It's the ego who wants to feel like it is doing the right thing. It's the ego who worries about what it "should" do and what expectations it "should" be living up to. The EGO is BAD! This is something Siddha Yoga tries to teach it's students....but alas...I haven't been a very good student lately!

But this all really clicked for me. I get too caught up in defining myself with my career. Hasmuk says, work is work. Go to work, do a good job and then that's it. There isn't any more to it. It is what it is....it's not me... Which isn't to say that I can't enjoy it or be passionate about it. But I let my "ego" trick me into thinking that it's all there is. No more Ego...I've gotten smarter now. I'm going to "rest like a giant tree..."

This post goes out to my long lost little sister...

Where are you sweetie!!!!???

Dana was my first little sister in my sorority at Cornell and in the last few years we seemed to have lost touch. Then suddenly her name showed up in the Comments from my blog on Tuesday!

Dana,
I was in Colorado, gosh...back in May 2004, for Stefanie's wedding and I called you when we were in Boulder but it told me the phone number was disconnected??? I didn't know how to find you!

email me: sarakaminski at hotmail

Can't wait to hear from you!

Get well soon

[Bill and his beautiful wife Denise]

My dear friend Bill went into the hospital for his THIRD hip replacement surgery yesterday. I wanted him to know that I am thinking of him and sending him wishes for a quick and COMPLETE recovery this time. I hope all is well.

Floorplan

Well it's been a whirlwind of a week for me. Sorry I haven't written sooner. I've had four interviews in the last week; a furniture store, Design Within Reach, a temp job with Professional Office Environments, and a hardwood flooring showroom. Good news is I was offered one today and I took it... The bad news is (if you can call it bad news...) is I got a call for another interview next Tuesday. My Dad will tell me that I should be glad...this is a "good problem to have..." somehow I still feel awful. The guy at the new job is awesome...very nice and there is even a yellow lab there!!!! I start Saturday. (I can't believe I have to work Saturday! I've gotten used to having weekends again...) But... I can't wait to have money again! Yeah!!

So other than job hunting I've been throwing myself into my school work. This is my first project for Interior Design II that I handed in on Monday. The point of this project was to learn how to draw one-point and two-point perspectives.

Here's the whole board:


This is the one-point perspective:


This is the two-point perspective:



Now not to toot my own horn or anything..... but I've gotten a crazy response to this board! My classmates gushed over it; telling me that they didn't want to stand up in front of the class and put their board next to mine; my teacher said great things about it; the other Interior Design II teacher used it as an example for her class.

When I saw my own teacher in the hall this afternoon she complimented me again on a good job and she mentioned entering my board into an Interior Design competition my school is hosting this spring. =) I think this would be pretty exciting. Although I don't really expect to win, but it's nice to be considered.

I've been really obsessed with school. I worked on floorplans for 5 hours last night....when I didn't really have to. And then I didn't sleep all night....dreaming about floorplans. More hours spent on a different floorplan this afternoon. Maybe I suck at floorplans if it is taking me this many hours. Then again I just like to think that I'm a perfectionist....and I like working on them.

Andrew has been busy brewing more beer.


His latest experiment has been making a "starter"....what I call growing yeast. Did you know that yeast get so crazy feeding on sugar that they create their own current? Go yeast! Next beer is ready this weekend and two more are brewing. And more kegs are on the way to our house!!! I bet my brother never dreamed I would live with a brewer. Maybe this will get him to visit me.

Kula is busy napping....in my vintage Milo Baughman chair. Della is busy meowing. Well I'm off to work on more floorplans.....or clean the house, which is a disaster area..... or watch the olympics.

Happy Valentine's Day

Mentor

This is Sarah Richardson. This is my mentor. Well, at least in spirit. She lives in Canada so it would be hard to get her to mentor me in person....although that would be a dream.

She has two design shows you should watch. Room Service was her first and Design Inc. is her newest one. Design Inc just started airing on HGTV in the U.S. I love it!!! Mostly because it gives me a feel for what my career might actually look like someday. Sometimes it scares me; sometimes it looks exhausting!!; and sometimes it looks like a dream. She also just started her own furniture line.

What I would give for an ounce of her talent. For now I'm just going to imagine....and try to use her to motivate me to work my hardest (especially since I'm having some trouble getting started today...)

Melts my heart

[My niece, Maggie, 2 years old, Jan 2006]