...And then I woke up from cryogenic sleep

Due to a rather unfortunate series of events spanning the last 10 months, I haven't updated this blog nearly all year. I've given lots of excuses as to why, but in truth, it just takes a lot of time to post and come up with original content each time. So then you suddenly realize why some people get paid to do this. However, the perks are pretty good: most bloggers I know sit around in their underwear all day and eat Taco Bell. The rest of us work (like, for real).

Since I've been gone I've had the privilege of getting a new job where I actually design stuff for a living, met a lot of new people, had a few clients here and there, discovered electricity, won a Nobel Prize, got married to David Gilmour, and had sextuplets which I famously gave up for adoption to Donny Osmond to form another family band.

In other news, Portland Fashion Week is coming up, and I've had the privilege of working on some materials for some of the events. If you can make it out to the show and see some of the collections, which were designed in to be eco-conscious and reflect the unique corner of the country we live in, you should check out the website at www.portlandfashionweek.net. In the meantime, take a look at the promo card below for more details (which I also had a hand in working on).

Swine Flu is bad.

Swine Flu is bad., originally uploaded by Deluded Secretary.

This is something I made by request of my boss to be hung around bathrooms and other random places around our building. I'm sure it's pretty obvious what wording was changed for my own amusement.

New Year, New Digs

Here's my desk at my new position as a graphic design intern at Century Arts Interiors.  So far, the gig's been pretty good, and I've been keeping busy updating the products and services catalog, as well as designing their New Year's card and a few other odds 'n ends.  Notice the Twitter site is up on the screen... always a crucial time-waster.

In these hard times…

One must cut corners whenever possible. So when I saw the price on this cut of "meat" I was tempted-- But seriously, what is chub?

27% fat? Sounds tasty…

A New Addition to "12 Reasons Why I Love Her"

I'm totally ecstatic (yes, I am a big enough dork to use that word) about meeting Jamie S. Rich and Joëlle Jones, the respective author and artist of the graphic novel 12 Reasons Why I Love Her. The book's amazing, and if you haven't read it, get yourself to Powell's right now and pick it up. The story of Gwen and Evan's relationship is told in 12 chapters, each titled after a song, and the chapters are arranged in an out-of-order sequence. Since the story is told out of order, I can now reveal a page of the book with an alternate storyline, courtesy of Jamie and Joelle, added to my copy of the book last night at the Wordstock Graphic Novel First Thursday. I think the artsy high I got from last night is going to last me the next week at least.

I'm also really excited about Jamie and Joëlle's collaboration on a new graphic novel due next year, You Have Killed Me, about private investigator Antonio Mercer. For more info on Jamie, Joëlle, and their collaborative and independent projects, visit their blogs - Jamie's is here and Joëlle's is here. Support your local Portland artists!

So, next on this week's agenda is an interview podcast with "Chinatown Dance Rock" sensation The Slants, playing this Saturday at the Someday Lounge. I'll be there with JP, Tim, our cheap recording equipment, and several pitchers of Pabst to celebrate the end of another work week. Come join us if you're in the area, 8pm on 125 NW 5th Avenue, to hear tracks from The Slants' new album, Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts.

My horrible excuse for slacking on my blog.

Of you two people out there who read my blog, one of you have pointed out that I have been slacking on updates. That’s almost 50%! So with such a high percentage of response, I felt it was necessary to provide an explanation for the neglect.

So the big reason is I went back to design school (my second degree, argh) for some continued education. Having a bachelor’s degree nowadays is just not enough, apparently. Here’s a quick list of jobs you can get with only a bachelor’s degree:

Receptionist.
Any kind of sales job.
Unpaid intern.
Any type of job that requires you to wear a phone headset.
Greenpeace/global warming/any type of activist recruiter.
Data entry.
Cashier at Starbucks.
Homeless person.

I will continue to update, but not as often, as I work full time and spend my nights in class. My sincerest apologies to my two readers :(

FYI, Northwest Noise will be conducting an interview with THE SLANTS this Saturday @ the Someday Lounge. Keep checking out nwnoise.com for more consistent updates about Portland’s indie music scene!

Audrey Tautou in "Priceless"

priceless - audrey tautou, originally uploaded by Deluded Secretary.

Drawn from one of the movie stills.