What are you up to?

[Blazemane]

Hello, everyone.

I think Alak started a thread like this a number of years ago, but as situations in life change and since we've had new members come on since then, I'm curious to see what the answers would look like now.

So, where is every one in terms of occupation, schooling, dreams for the future, etc.? Basically, what are you doing, and/or what are you interested in doing?

[Blackrosefencer]

Hello, everyone.

I think Alak started a thread like this a number of years ago, but as situations in life change and since we've had new members come on since then, I'm curious to see what the answers would look like now.

So, where is every one in terms of occupation, schooling, dreams for the future, etc.? Basically, what are you doing, and/or what are you interested in doing?

Right now, I'm working at a nursing home running activities for the residents. I have a lot of responsibilities between scheduling events, taking the residents on trips, running activities, writing up assessments, attending meetings, etc. It's exhausting. But I didn't go to school for all of this. When the economy in the US took a turn for the worse, my actual career, which was teaching, fell to the wayside. I had no choice but to eventually just take the steady nursing home job over unsteady substitute teaching jobs. They just weren't hiring teachers at the time and I had bills to pay.

But right now, I'm taking a few courses to be certified in therapeutic recreation so I can take over the department once my boss retires. I also am, somewhat slowly, writing a novel. I'm, of course, fencing in my spare time and also took up archery! I am, unfortunately, the lowest scoring archer in the ladies league I shoot in....however, I'm the only bare bow shooter (which means no sight, no stabilizer, no clicker, no kisser button).....so I'm sure if I added all of that fancy stuff, I'd be keeping up with them a bit better. My dreams for the immediate future are to shoot at a competition by the end of the year and fence in more tournaments....I haven't done one of those in a long time.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

I don't think too much has changed for me. I moved into my own apartment last September and considering how brutal this winter was, it was quite an adventure. But at least I am closer to work than I was. Speaking of work, I will have been there for ten years at the end of this June (I work in quality control at a precision manufacturing machine shop). Ten years! Where does the time go?? And because our regular cleaning lady (cleans the parts we manufacture) often takes leave for her sick husband and our regular back-up cleaner is out for a few months for knee surgery, I have been chosen to be cross-trained and clean the jobs when they're out. I'm the back-up to the back-up. And let me tell you, it's quite physical, especially for someone at my height. I dip in and pull out baskets with the parts in tanks that are torso-high to me, leaning over them and on my feet the entire time. Some of the tanks have sodium hydroxide, amisol and anolox which are pretty nasty chemicals. So I just did it on my own the other day and survived. Hopefully having this new skill will give me a raise. You'd think it would since it makes me more valuable and I'm a very reliable and diligent worker but there are no guarantees at this place especially with how slow it has been the past year.

I still draw. I know I haven't been sharing it much on here anymore; I usually forget but I don't think anyone has noticed anyway. I've been thinking of deleting my deviantART account because I don't get as much traffic anymore and there's so much art on there that no one bothers to ask for a print or buy anything. I've been looking at Storenvy to possibly sell some prints on-line and see if that goes anywhere. I still try selling my prints at conventions but it's too costly to travel to the farther ones, so I'm sticking to the east coast this year. I haven't sold much at any cons (even the big ones like DragonCon and Supercon) since TFcon in 2011, so I'm heading back there this year. I may just stop trying because I barely sell enough to cover food let alone the plane tickets and hotel costs, and the debt keeps racking up on my credit card that I desperately try to pay back and try not to use for anything. Tough business. I don't think I can get anywhere with it. Such is life, right? But I have my health, my friends and family, my cats, so all in all, it's pretty good. Just have to stay optimistic on what matters most.

[starshadow]

Not much change for me either. Occupation is still a student but I'll be graduating somewhere next year in April. I'm aiming to get into a school of Digital Game Art and Design after graduation. So far...my results are good, just needed to maintain my grades. I've also been designing my own games but eh...making them is never going to happen.. Other than school work, I'm designing stuff such as T-shirts, posters, notebooks etc. for my future local webshop/real life shop which of course is never going to happen because of money issue...Things are going somewhat well for me anyway.

[Phoenix]

Why would you delete your deviantart page, OOP? Granted the economy hit everyone pretty hard, but hopefully things will pick up again. In the meanwhile, as long as it doesn't cost you anything to have the gallery, it's a great place to show off your talent.

As for me, I work as a registered nurse in a subacute rehab facility. My hours are often all over the place and right now I'm working my third work weekend in a row where I did a double shift on Saturday and a single on Sunday. Can't wait for Monday!!

[Blackrosefencer]

I moved into my own apartment last September and considering how brutal this winter was, it was quite an adventure. But at least I am closer to work than I was.

My fiance and I moved into an apartment too this year....in October. The opposite is true for us though. We're both further away from work....it sucks living so far away from work....I lose so much of my day driving to and from work, but it's a small price to pay for a bit of independence and moving forward in our relationship.

[Alak]

Hmm, not sure when was the last time I updated anybody but I'll just review the past year. I'm still working as a pharmacy technician. For fun, I am taking stage theater classes at the local college. I was recently accepted into the University of Marshall's pharmacy school program so I'll be moving to West Virginia in August.

[Blazemane]

I should probably post in the thread I've made...

I've just finished undergraduate studies in music, which were focused on voice performance. I'm considering sending an application out for graduate school at Belmont University this coming November, and if I was allowed to audition after that and the audition went well, then I could enroll for the 2015-2016 Academic year.

In the mean time, I'm hoping to get part-time work at a few places, one of which I might be able to give voice lessons at. I'll also look into developing skill with the piano, possibly learning the electric bass or the erhu, and continuing to take lessons with my current voice teacher. One day, in whatever way God may call me to do so, I hope to sing Christian music.

[Cheetor]

I dropped off the face of the earth pretty much for a while after 2005-2006.

Finished College with a degree in Computer System Support Technician/Technologist. Started looking for work ended up doing odds and end jobs, call center stuff and then working for a car rental place for a while. I had some opportunities but couldn't capitalize due to past things. I struggled with dealing with my anxiety and stress for a while and had to go on unemployment before landing the car rental job. I was given a chance back in my hometown in 2007 to join the catholic school board in town as an information technologist aka Computer Tech.

Hard to believe it's been 7 years I worked there. I spent that time more with my family and travelling to Albany, NY to visit family each summer when not working and snow mobiling in the winter. I wasn't happy though and things with work were not working well, I drive a lot to rural towns and spend a lot of time on the highway of Northwestern Ontario. It takes a toll on you mentally and physically, I was always very tired and tired of living out of a suitcase and being that living in a small town of 1000 people there isn't much to do social wise. I figured it was time for a change as depression kicked in hard the last 2 years.

Recently I took my talent to Kitchener, Ontario to work for a university and just got moved in, I feel less anxiety and stress with my new career move and hopefully it will allow me to meet some amazing people and allow me to be happy again.

[Wicked Woman]

I finally managed to get the complete Transformers Animated series. And I did watch Age of Extinction twice in theaters.

I'm also going to be taking a beginners drama course in the middle of September. Might take a screenplay writing course in either the winter or spring. Haven't decided yet.

Also finally met Scott McNeil at Anime North. He liked my gift too (I painted the horde design from World of Warcraft onto a shirt for him, although thinking back I could've used green and gold instead of red. all well, he loved it anyway.)

Playing a "bit" of Mario Kart 8 too but otherwise that's it. (other than trying to work on my Beast Wars remake idea)


WW

[una]

Oh, I have been pretty much stagnant as college goes. I have been putting job applications in, but still no such luck yet. Don't actually want to go back to college. At least, that college. I really believe I belong somewhere else, but with no money, I can't actually do anything.

But I'm not fretting! I have hope! There is always ways and I will find a way. And I believe my way is by writing! I'm trying to hone my skills and write some short stories. I'm also trying to write a novel for a contest that could really get my foot in the door. Despite my self-esteem and anxiety issues, I will push through and do my best to do what I love to do. I have a wild imagnation. Must put it to good use!

[Phoenix]

I'm actually looking into going back to school.. I wish to upgrade my degree from an ASN to a BSN. Looking mainly at online degree programs since my time is very limited as is and since I'm already working, I don't need clinical time (work counts towards that portion). The big issue is $$$.. Which we just don't have enough of. Since I already have a degree it's harder to get a scholarship.