oh hey, let me just say this:

Seriously, if Thomas Kincade found something that works for him, that's fine--for a while. But the man has been pumping out essentially the SAME THING over and over. If you've seen one quaint cottage, you've seen them all. He, much like boy bands and girlie pop-stars found a thing that sells and continues to reproduce it with slight variations. His longevity and continued appeal is beyond me. I admit, I'll fault him for it partially out of jealousy, but also because man, it's getting old.
How about Wyland:

He is basically the T.K. of the tropics. I want, so badly, to compare him to Jimmy Buffet, but I feel as thought Jimmy Buffet is more diverse in his talents. He also writes AND owns some restaurants (yes, I called investing a talent.)

(one of my favorite things to do/one of the most romantical things of all time is this: writing/studying alone but sitting with someone else doing their own reading/writing/work while drinking coffee/tea.)

more date-related updates tonight, i mean it!!

but in the meantime: i might be moving to baton rouge, la?
from:

Matthew  <mxxxx@xxxx.com> to Amy Txxxx<atxxxx@xxxx.com    cara schmidt   <caraaschmidt@gmail.com> date Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 10:24 AM subject Staffing this week

hide details 10:24 AM (6 hours ago)

Let's Discuss this list:

Staffing this week:

Tasks to do list:

BC:

1. Data center wall.  (needs ) Matt

2. Inserter room (wants ) Amy

3. CEO Coffee Bar- (Amiee to set up Alonzo to revise the rendering)  Amy

4. Security Building- Matt

5. All projects- Meeting notes (completed- Nate to review and send out) 

BR:

1. Issue ASI for finishes- Amy

2. Issue ASI for Lobby revisions- Matt

3. Send back the aluminum submittal- Matt

4. Revise finish boards to new finish selections- Cara

to which i replied:

Matt,

I'd prefer to do the CEO Coffee Bar, honestly. This must have made its way to the wrong Cara Schmidt though. I'm in Pennsylvania. Let me know if I should read up on Finish Boards.

Thanks,

 Cara

leading up to date twelve

i was supposed to be updating this on a regular basis. unfortunately i got busy with the start of a new semester, applying to grad school, shopping for a replacement car and doing my best to remain optimistic during the time of year that brings me down the most.





when my car was lost on that monday following date #9 i called milkshake. he immediately came to my aid like the good friend that he is. as we walked away from my car it hit me hard that i wouldn't be able to go to do a lot of things:
- go on date ten to the story slam.
- make it to new york for the talent show.
- get all of the dates in by the end of the month.
- necessarily get a new car by january 3 to return to work.

my biggest concerns (i know, i realize the last on the list should be most important...) were getting to new york and finishing all the dates. it was freezing and my fingers, i was convinced, had detached from my hands. they were just sitting in their rightful slots in my gloves. i wanted to cry but was too cold and too upset. besides, though i'm extremely comfortable around this guy, the last thing i wanted to do was cry to him. he'd just done me a big favor and i didn't want to get all over-the-top, etc.

some really good things came out of this whole nightmare: he changed my question. i thought it was "am i going to go to new york?" he made me realize instead that i needed to begin it with "how..." get a rental? take a train? a bus? just go. yes.
he recognized that we'd planned to go to a party on new year's eve, so instead of having dates 10, 11 & 12 on tuesday, wednesday and thursday, just make the last night of the year the last date of the project. i admit it: this is something i'd wanted to ask him, but with everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes i kept my mouth shut. when he suggested it though, it was a tremendous relief. were this a movie of my life, i'd be hearing some adorable singer/songwriter. i'd get my final date in. it would be with someone who i actually really care about and it's on a night that is kind of momentous: last night of the month AND year AND my project deadline. WOOHOO!!
also, we got coffee and i got a cheese and pepper sandwich. that was pretty good. yeah, all around good night. oh, also worth mentioning: when i posted on facebook that i'd lost my car my hysterical friend tom whitaker responded with: "ALL MY WORK!!!!!!" he's a great guy and has put in way too much time changing my headlights, and and and. in writing it, i realize i've lost a lot of what's funny about it, but just trust me, ok? here i am, sitting in some 24 hour brown and orange cinder-block restaurant eating a meatless cheesesteak. i've just lost my beloved car and it's three in the morning. my friend hears about this accident and his initial response is concern about the time he spent checking a headlight. trust me. hilarious.


so now i've got all my dates lined up. i am delighted.

date eleven

i'd be lying if i said i wasn't disappointed that i haven't heard from #11 since our date.
jon was polite and handsome and contributed interesting things to the conversation.

i met him at fiume for some bluegrass. we talked, listened and looked at pictures in each others phones. (funny how that's a normal thing to do.) a third of the way into the evening we left to put coats in my car. it was hot up there and nice to take a little walk. i thoroughly enjoyed this guy and can't help but wonder what it was about me that made him say he'd see me again, but not actually follow up on it.

(that's one of those things that is really getting to me. he and #2 both seemed to enjoy the evenings, both expressed interest in getting together again, but neither of them have made any attempt. and, as expected, they are the two that are now eating away at me most. drives me crazy, absolutely crazy.)

we talked about ideas, projects and motivation. he told me about the dance party machine which, by the way, is extraordinarily awesome. in discussing this we met some guy who apparently does electronics on sculptures. had i not been a total slacker, i would have networked the hell out of the situation and at this point we would all be in a room with a moving box, flashing lights, and a fog machine to keep the energy up. (note to self: accepting invitations.)

when the night was done jon walked me to my car and i drove him home. at this point, he paid me the best compliment i have ever received. i left smiling. when i got home 35 minutes later i still had this dumb smile plastered across my face.

i feel as though I should write about date #13 because was originally supposed to be date #10. the circumstances surrounding this guy were interesting, all thing considered, even by my often skewed standards (for example: is it ever ok to share a toothbrush with someone? I don't say no. this has resulted in various discussions.)

but then, at what point does it stop being a project and start being too much information by a girl who should maybe consider investing in a filter?



but trust me, this one was pretty interesting.

boots are the new bag

chapstick. credit card. id. keys. lotion. money. notebook. pen. phone. scissors. sunglasses.

oh, he!!o 20!!

this is the year to get totally thrilled!!
this is the year to get tota11y thri11ed!!
this is the year to get tota!!y thri!!ed!!





date 12 just ended, I guess you could say.



overall I am amazed, excited, inspired, optimistic, up and sometimes yours.

I'm going to sleep but the updates will be overwhelming. I let too much time lapse. oops.