Learning that you may be your own worst enemy.

Things that I have learned since this semester started 4 weeks ago have been a kick to the face.

Partly it is my fault, because not only did I allow myself to get rusty this summer by not actively starting the projects I had planned but after the wreck happened I put my design works on the back burner altogether. So when everything started back up I remember sitting in my Advanced Rendering class looking down at my paper trying to just do simple shapes in marker but it was like a monkey doing a math problem. An utter disaster. Starting with that mess and moving into the advanced product design class I have, it was bittersweet to be back in the class because I love where this class will take me, but the fact that I didnt have my prior instructor made me realize how lucky I had been to have him first. Not discrediting the current one by any means, his teaching style is just so-less polished-than in the spring, So he is difficult in my mind but no less effective and it will take time like any other teacher.

It bothers me sometimes when I sit here and have to talk about these issues in such a public way, but the stresses....they get to me you know? I, like 99.9999% of the human population hate the feeling of "surely someone else has gone through something similar" only to realize that your going through this alone. This past saturday I had to go to the hospital because for the last 3 weeks I have had this vein in my right arm-around the inside of the arm right at the bend-that has been popped out and stiff. At first I remember looking up the symptoms on WebMD, to which I was diagnosed to basically be dead. So my panic didnt subside and my stresses started to literally become worse, so much so that I guess I shut the world off, started sleeping less and I would be sitting at my desk and get so dizzy that I would be afraid to get up. So last saturday came and in typical fashion I became dizzy, but I immediately-and safely-got into my car and went to the hospital. I was so scared, scared to the point that I'm pretty sure if the parking was going to cost me any money by the time I got there I would burst out in tears. I waited in the emergency room for 2 hours and then was whisked to a little room where I probably waited 30 minutes more and was taken up to the other side of the hospital (in a wheelchair) to have an Ultrasound done on my whole upper right side. The verdict? I have superficial vein thrombosis. It is associated with deep vein thrombosis, which is deadly :-(. Scared is an understatement.

Hopefully Ill be okay. My dizzy spells are inconsistent now and I still think it also might be a byproduct of my stress. So after class today I came home and from 6:30-11pm I slept. I needed it.

Lesson from this month-do your homework and try to keep up, but dont kill yourself doing it.

Clearly.

Apparently I have zero manners.

One of the top reasons as to why I started this blog was that I would be able to discuss my troubles as they happen. As you know though, we're all human. We dont like to talk about our problems when we're knee deep in them. Out of sight out of mind.

Im guilty as can be.

I dont want this to start off as a rant or complaint because I think I have done that around my friends enough and dragging that onto here can only be saved until later, either in this post, or until next post which, I can only promise that I will attempt to frequent more often ESPECIALLY since the semester is IN session.

First of all let me clarify my class load-

Advanced Rendering

Advanced Product Design

Lettering Fundamentals

Intro To Digital Tools

Im not sure what to elaborate on first, I guess the most important thing right now to know is that the first real month of school is full of (and I feel like this is regardless of timing) unsociable mess, the likes of which I cant understand since this is the time when communicating between classmates is important....haha

Outside of that, up until August 31 (first day of school) I was traveling back and forth a lot between LA, Nashville, and I managed to get out to Europe with my dad for a weekend in Milan, Italy. Talk about awesome (also explains the picture of the Fiat 500). Also, I was able to travel up north to Indiana to my grandparents farm, spend a couple of days there and then finally come back here and start school.

The first day was great and I have had difficulty adjusting to my schedule considering one class gets out at 9:10pm and im up the next morning by 7. Many add-ins to come later but class loads are VERY difficult for me now.

Also, my wallet was stolen :-| it was on the 12th of this month. I was at Chipotle grabbing dinner and between the front counter and my car my wallet must have either been left on the counter or fell out of my pocket. It was devastating to say the least. If you happen to hear about it or have it and you read this, please dont hesitate to get it to me :-/ it was a Cole Haan wallet with MY WHOLE EFFING LIFE IN IT. hahahah, but these are things that happen. I guess it was better to have happened now than later in life when I might of had cash or perhaps even more vital information in it. Regardless I have my new cards and things so life goes on.

Also right now im doing cologne bottle ideation for rendering and clock design for product. My name in lettering on vellum and a business card and letterhead in digital tools class.

Lets load up with pictures!