I am...

a wannabe Computer Animator that turned Technology Teacher.

Hears my story...hear me bark...

When I was a little girl I dreamed of being everything from a teacher to a doctor...like most little girls. When I was in Middle School, I actually hated art. I never thought I was very good even though most teachers and fellow students disagreed with me. I was always my hardest critic and still am. Going into High School, I discovered I loved computers with a passion and wanted to do whatever could get me to be on one. I researched all kinds of computer careers and even thought I wanted to go into Computer Programing. Then I met Mr. Dave Young. He was actually my sister and my brother's art teacher when they were in high school. My sister who went to art school actually got refereed to her college by him. I loved Mr. Young's classes. After my first one I just took everything he offered. (I also had a student teacher crush even though he's 20 yrs older than me) As I took more classes and learned more about art and how...check it out you could do art on the computer. COOL!!! I starting thinking I could combine the two.

As I was ending my junior year and starting my senior one I thought about which art schools to go to. I did a lot of research on the school my sister had gone to, Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL. I also talked a lot with Mr. Young about this. He actually recommended this "great" school in San Francisco, CA, The Academy of Art College. At the time I was like no way am I going to move to SF. All I wanted was to be close to my sisters.

Well, when I started to talk to my father about this he said NO to going to art school. For those of you who know me, know that my father rarely if ever says the word NO. So, I resigned to going to the University of South Florida (GO BULLS) and proving to my father that I would still want to go to art school after two years. :) I started school and I had a great time and LOVED my art classes and my computer classes and actually my math classes. ;) That summer after my freshman year I was still interested in art school so I book a flight out to see my sis in San Diego and up to SF to see the school. I did a whirlwind of a trip. I left on Thursday night and flew into SD and flew to SF on Friday and toured the school on Saturday. Flew back to SD on Sunday and home on Monday. :) On the plane back all I could think about is...I LOVE San Fran!!!!!!! So...long story shorter, I convinced my dad that was the place I HAD TO BE!!

I applied and got accepted and in the Fall of 00' I was OFF to SF. Not that i didn't cry my eyes out the whole first plane ride and made the poor folks who had sat next to the unassuming young woman regret their seat choice. I was leaving my sisters and my nieces and nephews. As much as I was excited about going on my adventure I knew that they were going to grow while I was gone. The second flight was a blessing because I sat next to a young woman who had grown up in San Francisco and was living in San Diego. She told me as many exciting stories about SF as she could and got me very excited. :)

My college adventure in San Francisco was the greatest and hardest of my life. I missed my family and had some Bad Things happen while I was there but so much good came out of it (Mary, your one of these good things) and hey I got a Bachelors of Arts while I grew up and shaped a lot of who I am now. I'll have to add some stories of my San Fran experience in later posts.

Then I graduated.... UGH!! this was a hard part too. Everyone in my life expected that when you graduate you get a job and you live happily ever after. I disagreed even before I graduated. :) I tried to get a job in animation for about a year before i got my first gig, as I'll call them. I worked at a fitness club most the time I was actually in art school. (hey, I wanted free membership) So, I kept that job while I was looking for a job for a while. I was done with classes a semester before I actually graduated from art school.(long story) So, I graduated, turned 24 and decided to move to San Diego to live with my sister at about the same time. I'll leave this story for another date and time. But I moved there and got a job at an emergency vet and met new friends and had an OK time. Bad things happened while I was here too...which effected my friendship with my sister and her husband greatly and was a big reason why I wanted to GET OUT!!

After I had moved away from FL to Cali, I decided that I didn't want to go back. I loved California and I was a Cali girl through and through. That was until living in San Diego was not as fun as I had hoped and I missed my family more than I could handle. I started looking for animation jobs in Florida. And lo and behold there was One...count that O...N...E!!! I applied and I got the job. My dad flew out to San Diego and drove across country with me. (I'll have to post a blog about this adventure too...even though it was a while ago.) I started my job working the 2ND shift at a small and I mean tiny studio in Tampa, Florida. Maybe a week after I started I decided to adopt a dog...not that I hadn't been looking for about a month. :) Well. I went to the SPCA and met and fell quickly in love with Jackjack. (then BlackJack...ewe)

I met some pretty cool folks at the animation studio but within three months got laid off and then quickly found a job with two other guys from that studio who had quit. So, I packed up Jackjack and moved to Melbourne, FL. I loved this place...well I love the Blueberry Muffin..(brian you know you love it too)...the job part wasn't that great but I loved the town. (I'll have to add some stories from here as well at a later date)

Ok...if you are still following or trying to follow you can see that I was moving A LOT. From San Diego to Melbourne was less than a year. By this point I had moved 6 times and with my contract ending there was another move on the way. I was talking to my sister who teaches at a private school and she mentioned that they had a technology job available. I said whatever promises that I'll be staying somewhere for at least a year. :) She said you have to sign a year contract. I said sign me up.

So, I applied and got the job and started my teaching career. Let me say that by the time I got to high school I had decided that the last thing I EVER wanted to do was TEACH KIDS!!! Now I found myself in a job teaching MIDDLE SCHOOL ER!!!!! Not just kids but the most rambunctious age group of students out there. I have now been teaching for 2 yrs and am planning on a 3rd. :) I guess it hasn't really been as bad as I thought it was. NOT saying that it's not HARD and by 3pm I'm tired and ready to go spend time with my dogs who are obedient for the most part and cuddly.

So...I started this whole tirade to say that it's summer and I'm having to find a "summer job". At first I was going to work with a friend but two weeks into it I had had enough. I then went to a temp agency and two days later started my first temp job, which I am currently at writing this blog. It's a front desk position at a college, which they only need me for a week and a day.(working on staying for the rest of the summer) I have discovered that when I have a lot of free time at a computer that is not mine and that I am not busy...I have discovered BLOGS!!! I had already started my own blogging but have added a few more to my mix but I've discovered READING blogs. Who knew there were so many people out there who have wonderful blogs that keep me entertained for the 8 hrs that I sit in front of a computer and answer phones. My favorite two that I must make note of are http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/ and http://www.missdoxie.com/. If you have time you should check them both out. There are archives of funny stuff. Maybe some day someone out there in this world would read my blog and think it's entertaining but I can only hope. For now all I have is my family and friends who check my blog and those I have for my dogs. :)

Thanks for reading,

Gnat, also known as the Dog Lady.