Given how busy everyone at Rennie’s office is, I thought it was extremely thoughtful (and soooooo appreciated!) of her to take time out of her day just to send me a message of thanks and I sent her a quick note letting her know how energizing it is to get kudos when you’ve done a good job.

That e-mail really set the tone for my day, too.  I got up and was brushing my teeth when it really just occurred to me how very lucky I really am.  Most people have to get up like robots and commute to a job for someone else who tells them when to get there, when to leave, where to sit, what work to do and how much they can earn.  God, I just can’t imagine that kind of life after 8+ years of freelancing – more than EIGHT YEARS I’ve managed to support myself and build a pretty impressive portfolio, all on self-taught passion and determination.  Damn, I really do deserve a pat on the back for that!  And, I really am grateful that I have the skills I need to do the job I do at the level I’m at.  I got my copy of BC Business today with Bob Rennie on the cover and thought to myself, my god…that is MY client!  This guy’s a major player in Vancouver and *I* do craploads of work for his company!  That, in itself, is something to be proud of.  I remember when I first told Carol I was going to contact them (while I was still working at B3) and she let out a little snort of condescending amusement, saying how I’d never get in with them because they’re so big-time.  Obviously, she doesn’t know her ass from her elbow, but that’s not really news, so I digress…. 

I did a quick re-format of the half-page ad for the Sun and a quick mod to a sign and that – in addition to fixing a couple of pages on the Work the Pond site – was, more or less, the bulk of work I did for the day.  The rest of the day was dedicated to taking care of things around the house and getting ready to go to my drawing class.

I finally took the old mats from the patio down to the trash and swept the whole patio again along with the concrete outside the railing.  It’s so tidy out there and I likey!  I went for a walk at the park and had thought about doing a second lap but decided to head back after the normal route and start some laundry.  I ended up doing two loads and getting them all put away before I had to head out for my class.

I stopped by to pick up the mail and sat in Starbucks for a while until it was getting close to time for my class to start.  We did a portrait of a dog this week, based on one the teacher had done, but he brought the 3-foot high furry dog sculpture thing that he drew his picture from.  It’s one of those tacky things you’d see in a flea market or other store selling black laquer/brass furniture and decor. Ick city!  He talked to us a little bit about 1 and 2-point perspective and we watched a short clip of a lady making a watercolour drawing using watercolour pencils and then spraying water on it.  Who the hell knew that’s how they did that!

I mostly worked on the outline in class, but still wasn’t happy with the legs and feet on my drawing, so I decided to start over on a new version when I got home.  I finished it and it came out pretty good.  I wonder how many times I’ll have to draw something and have it come out good to stop being surprised by it every single time. lol

Talked to mom for a few, watched some TV and signed up for this site called Blue Chip Expert. Who the hell knows if it’s a scam or what, but can’t hurt to have your info out on as many sites as possible.

Oh, yes….officially the Visa online thing now says “Current Balance: $0”. YESSSSSSSS!  Take that, CRA bastards!! lol