i have to...

woo hoo!!!

it's a boy!!!!!* now i can do this:




*i'm typically not a big fan of multiple exclamation points, but i will make an exception in this case.

good copywriting and a free blizzard

i'm not sure if many people truly appreciate the art of good copywriting. i know i didn't until i started working alongside some very talented people in the advertising world. my favorite style of copywriting is very conversational, so when i got this birthday email from DQ i was amused:

"The only thing better than a Birthday Blizzard treat...is a free Birthday Blizzard treat! We know what you're thinking, 'Isn't one million dollars and an all-inclusive trip to Tahiti better than a Birthday Blizzard treat?' No. No, it isn't. So, click the coupon button below, grab a friend, and get ready for one sweet birthday! Compliments of The Club."*

it's the "No. No, it isn't." that gets me. i love when i can practically hear someone talking to me when i read copy -- especially someone sarcastic.


*and yes i'm so obsessed with ice cream i'm in the blizzard fan club. shut up.

the belly

there are many forms of discomfort when it comes to being pregnant -- extreme bloating and gas, sore ligaments and joints, random aches and pains... it's a little more than i expected, but a surprising amount of discomfort subsides when i just rub my belly*. i'm not sure how it works scientifically, but i'm glad i figured that out.

i'm starting to get to the point where i'm a little shocked by the size of my expanding stomach. it feels like there's no possible way for the skin and muscles to stretch as far as they're going to need to. it kind of blows my mind.

to be honest, the fact that i'm actually pregnant still pretty much blows my mind in general. like i'll be going along with my normal day and remember that i'm pregnant and think "wow, that's effing weird." i'm guessing it's because i never imagined myself *with child* before.

only four more days until we find out if we're having a little cadence or chase!

*my own, personal budda?

yucky portfolio

lately i've been reflecting on my work as a designer, and when i mentally put together my portfolio of recent projects i get very disappointed in myself. everything i've done feels so uninspired and mediocre*. i haven't pushed myself like i used to, and neither has anybody else.

when i started out as a designer, i had so much passion and ambition. every project was an exciting new challenge of figuring out the best, most beautiful solution. i loved trying new fonts, colors, styles, printing techniques, and learning everything i could about my craft. now after about seven years in the business, i have already joined the ranks of seasoned designers who become jaded and worn by the industry.

client comments are simply the most scathing parts of my job. i can spend hours making something that was originally hideous look as good as possible, and the only response to it will be "i don't like that pea green color." oh, you mean this pea green color? the one that's in your approved color palette? needless to say, it's frustrating and multiple comments like that start to tear holes in my passion and ambition.

i also sorely miss my design mentor. my old boss pushed me really hard, and made sure every single project i did got to its full potential. he didn't let me be lazy and get by with mediocre work. my bosses now are great at many things, and i've learned a lot from them by observing and studying their insane talent, but i feel like i still need a coach to make me run that extra lap.

i wonder if i will ever produce something that i'm really proud of again.


*i just wanted to note that i got the spelling of "mediocre" right on the first try.

girl obligations

ok, we have periods, we have babies, we ate the effing apple first, i get it. and honestly, i'm ok with those things at this point. what i'm not ok with is the most painful punishment for being a girl that seems to go unmentioned: showers.

yes, i'm talking about baby showers, wedding showers and whatever else they decide to start throwing showers for. they suck. if i wanted to be around a bunch of girls doing annoying, super girly things, i would have joined a sorority. every time i get a pink envelope in the mail, my mind is immediately filled with the horrifying images of dungy old church basements, mystery punch and reused streamers. it's enough to make me seriously consider a sex change.

it doesn't even matter who the shower is for, i never want to go. i know this makes me a horrible friend, but if you really were my friend, you wouldn't put me through the pain and torture of getting up early on a weekend morning to try and guess how many marshmallows are in that damn jar, or melt an ice cube to find a creepy, small plastic baby inside. if you really were my friend, you'd let me stay in bed. i mean, even god understands why i don't go to church.

but it doesn't start or end with the cold cuts, non-alcoholic drinks and stupid games. nope, there's the act of finding a gift. guys don't have to spend money on other kids's diapers or waste an afternoon walking around target trying to find aisle 79b with the cinnamon hand towels that are supposed to cost $5.99. no matter how hard you look, you can't find cinnamon hand towels that cost $5.99 in aisle 79b. eventually you end up buying some towels that look more like orange rugs, and make damn sure to get the gift receipt.

the only person i really have to thank in all of this, is the person who invented the gift bag. although, what would be even more ideal is to have gift bags as an option in the checkout line, "paper, plastic or 'congratulations it's a girl' pink?"

i write all this as my own baby showers loom on the horizon. i know they will save me a lot of money on bibs and blankets, but is it worth the price of my sanity? only time will tell...

pregtastic

i'm a little behind with the blogging because when i'm not busy working, i'm sleeping. a lot. i thought i had prepared myself for being stupidly tired by going out and drinking until 4:00 in the morning, then having to be to work by 8:00. i was way wrong. that's nothing compared to the exhaustion you feel when using your body to build a human being.

so i swear, swear i felt the baby move for the first time last week. i was driving in my car and i felt what reminded me of an involuntary twitching pulse point in my lower right tummy. it went on for about 2 minutes at first, then stopped for awhile until i got into work at sat down. it started back up again for about another 5 minutes. i know for sure it wasn't gas (unfortunately i've become quite the expert on that lately,) and i know it's something i've never felt before, but the sad thing is that i haven't felt it since.

it was so exciting. i couldn't stop smiling at the thought of our little baby moving around. it made things so real and clear all of a sudden. at that moment, everything else in the world seemed to disappear into insignificant obscurity, and that feeling has stuck with me--like nothing else matters, including myself. strangely, it's the most peaceful feeling i've felt in a long time.