It's been one of those...

It's been one of those "tried my best, but accomplished very little" type of days.

I spent too much time trying to integrate my Etsy shop with my Polish All the Things page, and in the end it didn't even work. Apparently, you could do that last year, but not anymore. I also had to get my Square account switched over to my current last name and bank.

I jumped in with both feet and signed up to do a craft show this weekend. Info on that will be on the page linked above ^ here shortly. I know very few people where I live now, but I'm still gonna put up the event. 😂

I also submitted the scholarship application for the program I'm trying to get into.

I watered a few plants. Made a plant Insta.

That's pretty much all I managed to do today.

Etsy says I need more photos and videos of my stuff. I agree. I have new jewelry displays, so maybe I can make things look fancy and get some new media up this weekend. We'll see.

Currently working on reopening Polish All the Things...

Currently working on reopening Polish All the Things on Etsy.  I need to get some fresher pics, as well as some videos to show the sparkle (not to mention I need to get creating!), but I gotta start somewhere.

Just an update:

I still don't have a job. I was laid off in April. The market has been terrible. I put in applications every week, and I'm getting rejection letters and no call-backs.

When I started college in 2015, my plan was to go for something well-paying and in-demand. I really took to Math and Computer Science, and I have no regrets about choosing those paths, although I never imagined that due to the economy and AI it would be so hard to find work. It definitely wasn't like this a few years ago.

Anyway, I've been looking around for a path forward and I think I have a plan. There's a program under one of the local colleges that offers a certificate for Web Design. I have some years of experience, but I also have some gaps in my knowledge since I am self-taught. I would feel much better applying for jobs doing that if I took this boot camp, so I'm about to apply.

I also didn't really think through the whole "moving to a new place where I knew no one and then working remotely so that I have no local network," but that's exactly what I did. I just didn't realize it until it bit me in the ass after my layoff. 😬 So going through this program would help me start the process of building a network here on top of honing my skills.

I'm still also really interested in learning Spanish, so I'm considering (perhaps next year, hopefully after I'm working) taking Spanish here. Living in New Mexico, it would be super useful to have more under my belt than what I can get from Duolingo. And if I have a major in it, I would feel confident in my competency.

I don't know. Spanish is more of a long-term goal than immediate, but what is clear to me is that I'm probably not finding a job soon, so I need to be improving myself. I will continue to apply for jobs, but I need to make myself more marketable while doing that. So I'm going to do my best.

Also, in the meantime, I will probably re-open my Etsy shop and list all of the jewelry I've made. I might also start making press-on nails since I have so many nail art supplies. I don't know how popular press-ons are, but I know you can buy unique and even custom sets on Etsy, so I might as well throw my designs in the ring, too.

I hope y'all are doing well. Aside from not having a job, I'm actually doing pretty ok. I've been doing a lot of self-care, which I needed.

Local friends, if y'all have time to hang out, please let me know! ❤️

A life update...

I feel like I really needed the deep rest, so being laid off in April was kind of a relief at first.  Now I've been sick for the last week or so, and I've needed a bunch of rest to recover from that.  I'm feeling mostly better, though, so now I'm just feeling really untethered; but not in a good way.  I guess "aimless" would be a good word to describe it.

There is so much I could be doing.  I could finish swatching my polish.  Work on my database.  Try to sell some of the jewelry I made since I don't have an income.  Try to sell some of our extra stuff from around the house because I love to declutter and money would be nice.

And yet...

I just finished removing and redoing...

I just finished removing and redoing the hard gel overlay that had on when I was fired almost a month ago.

It was super grown out and starting to lift. I have plants to repot on Monday when my dirt arrives.

I might be slipping, y'all.

Maybe I'll get Shaun's nails taken care of tomorrow.

I store my Harley cat where I store my nail stamping plates. 😂

I store my Harley cat where I store my nail stamping plates. 😂

I'm about to be off work for a few days.

I'm about to be off work for a few days.

First order of business:  Do. Shaun's. Nails.

I swear if he breaks another nail and then looks at me like it's my fault he removed his gel prematurely, I'mma fight him. 😂😂😂

Birthday post.

Shaun got a lamp for me to do my nails. I'm usually on the dark side of the room, so it's nice to have a light. I just finished filling in/rebalancing my structure gel while using it, and it's really nice to be able to see. He also got me some plant hangers for the greenhouse. The kids got me tasty snacks.

I haven't done nail art in a very long time...

I haven't done nail art in a very long time, and I wouldn't really count this as art, either. I just put on my structure gel for strength as usual, then plopped down the water slide decals I made.

I made these for the work event I attended. I didn't really know what to expect, but I had a great time. I met so many of my coworkers and it was so crazy to finally see everyone in 3D. I interact with so many people on Slack, many of who I felt super connected to, and meeting in person just took that to the next level. I definitely came away from the event feeling energized about work and more secure in my work relationships. I also met a ton of cool people that I didn't know already.

I can't go without saying that it was amazing seeing my friends from GCU. It was hard being in Cincinnati for those 5 months away from my family, but we had a wonderful cohort and mentorship and we learned so much and grew together. It was such a great feeling seeing those familiar faces.

Anyway, I didn't want to let the week end without shouting out my wonderful work place for planning, executing, and treating us to this get-together. I love working remotely, being here with the family and the pets, but I do think I needed this. I'm looking forward to the next one already! 💙

    Custom Decals by Me!

I've had a really low-energy weekend.

I've had a really low-energy weekend.  The only thing I did was nails.  Shaun took off his old gel and I gave him a fresh coat.  I also re-did my gel overlay, but haven't thrown down anything pretty.  I don't know if I can/will.  I have a growing list of things to do that I am falling behind on and I don't like it.