Positive Vibes

So, that dress I bought on super sale at Kmart last I wrote? I finally tried it on and discovered that it is actually a romper. A ROMPER, folks. Ugh. Not to mention what I didn't notice when in the throes of olympic-level shopping (i.e. fighting crowds during a store closing sale) how crappy the fabric is. I mean, kind of duh on my part, but... another checkmark goes in the slow fashion column. Quality over quantity, dudes and dudettes. I don't know why it's so hard to get through my head! (It's not really... I think more than anything it's about lifelong habits going back to shopping at Hills as a kid or something. Don't get me wrong, I loved shopping at Hills with my mom. I remember spending what seemed like hours there, poring through all the clothing racks and picking what to put on layaway... quite frankly, those are really nice "Mom" memories. I also remember shopping for expensive Jordache jeans and Bastaad clogs. I'm not sure how my divorced working Mom managed it, honestly!)

But I digress. The whole experience is making me crave that rebuilt wardrobe even more now, so much that I think I'm going to start a sinking fund for it as I realize how important it seems to be. I also envision revamping my underwear drawer: 10 pairs of comfy black socks, 10 pairs of (preferably black) underwear, a few bras I already own. Currently the underwear situation can be described with one word: Chaos. I never know where my socks are, they are often mismatched, and god forbid I get into an accident that anyone outside my partner sees my stretched out, overworn underwear. Just sayin'.

The first and only painting made in 2018, for my friend Maria based on her travels to Finland.

I'm feeling pretty good today. One reason is that last night was an ibuprofen dose night (I'm always good for almost the whole next day), and another is because all the sudden I find myself with all kinds of cool opportunities. I take it month by month based on the income I lost when I stopped teaching online, but you know? Things have been mostly OK. And now, these next few weeks will be even better. I got a new freelance logo design gig; I finally finished a commissioned painting for which I'll receive final payment for tonight; I had an offer for a pop-up art exhibition in February featuring my new foray into landscape painting (!) after a couple years' hiatus from painting all together and... I am starting training for a new position at the company I've been full-time at since August. It means a pay raise, though I won't know how much until it's clear that it's a good fit -- we're doing a trail/training period and if all goes well, it'll happen! I'm very excited about it. It's in a slightly different area (data management) though I will still be on the same "team" so to speak. And I'll still be able to offer support in the kind of work I am doing now (word processing proposals and other documents). I see it all as a very win-win and I get to learn something new and have a skill set that will benefit the company even more.

I know a lot of people don't like change, but to honest? I kind of thrive on it. I feel that in a short time I'm already well-valued here and to me, this offer says a lot about what my boss and others think of me and what I have to offer. It feels good! I really like going into the new year with all these positive vibes. 2018 was a real roller coaster for me, and while everything ended up turning out really well, I'm ready to say good bye to it and never look back.