So...a good chunk of you are likely wondering if I've fallen off the face of the earth.

Never fear! I do exist!

I haven't done traditional art for a while--haven't been really inspired. Got an idea once but it didn't come out on paper like it did in my head. Will have to try again.

Been pretty busy at work--I do application support for proprietary tax and accounting software. My most "omg noob" call so far went something like this. This guy was having a cookie issue, and didn't want to lose his saved passwords, so I had to guide him through manually deleting the specific offenders. I could immediately tell that he wasn't very apt at computers because I had to go very slowly and be very specific about what I wanted him to do. No big deal--most CPAs and attorneys don't really know anything about computers. However, he was unable to find the cookies he needed, so I said:

Me: "Ok, so we need to search again."
Him: "Where's the Again button?"

So far, everyone I've spoken to, even non-techies, believe that to be absolutely hilarious.

~~~
In other news, part of my extended absence was related to multiple trips out of state. My maternal grandmother passed away on July 5 due to complications from a medical procedure. I spent the first weekend of July there to help my mother and to be there while my grandmother was passing, and then the second weekend for the service. Unfortunately I had to fly back up in between for work. (No PTO, not even for bereavement.)

My grandmother was a fantastic person and I didn't truly appreciate all of her different aspects until later on. We lived with her when I was a little girl and back then all I saw was a very strict person. Going back to visit her after I grew up, I saw so many different sides of her that I never knew about. She was full of life and laughter, extremely talented in the arts, and above all she had such a deep compassion for every living thing. She had always seemed so reserved until I spent some time with her in 2007--she saw me suffering and she demanded that I never accept second best. It had seemed so out of character from my understanding of her, so that's why it stuck with me and resonated. Honestly, it proved to be a life-changing statement, so for that I will always be thankful to her. I wish I could tell her how much that moment meant.

Her service was small and attended by people that I know truly loved her. She was cremated and scattered along Sanibel Island--it was her favorite place.

We've discovered hundreds of pieces of her watercolor and original sketches that we never knew about. My family has decided to make a project of scanning all these in and posting them somewhere (probably Flickr, for the fact that you can have a low-res and then a high-res version only for specific people) so that her talent will live on. My aunt and I each have a few books to scan. I'll let you all know when it's up--then once it is, I'll have you note me for the URL.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who's visiting me?


Create your own visitor map!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watashi no tomodachi-tachi! (My friends)


Stamps I like/Clubs I've joined! (I'm sure I will amass a vast collection eventually...)
:thumb44312107: :thumb63463716: :thumb58644973: