What made you happy today?

[RaphaelinSTL]

Unfortunately about two months ago, I was laid off from my job as were 70 other employees. I've been a little down in the dumps especially since it was right around the holiday season. I bought a house last March and have been living here with my girlfriend ever since so losing my income was certainly something that was worrisome for keeping everything afloat with bills and mortgage payment...especially since my job was more of what helped pay for a lot of things. Luckily, with just being able to save as much money as I did prior to getting my own home...I've been able to be okay while looking for another job.

I've been applying like crazy within my field and I've had three phone interviews that ended up going nowhere. Lots of automated rejection e-mails as well, so on top of the midwest weather being a little depressing...I was starting to feel a little sorry for myself as well. Also, generally listening to music has always helped me feel better and without my work laptop...I don't really feel up to listening to any new music or even the vinyls I collect. Thankfully figure collecting, video games and movie podcasts have kept me out of my funk completely...but I always know I'm sort of depressed when I start to get 100% into my hobbies.

Now...after all this kind of sour mumbo jumbo...what made me happy today? More so, what has made me happy this week is that on Tuesday I had an awesome in person interview for a digital marketing position in a motion picture licensing company. The opportunity seemed amazing and this was my second interview with them after a phone interview last Friday. Everyone seemed to like me and I felt incredibly confident after it was over. The next step is a questionnaire type quiz they send out and then perhaps an offer of employment. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I really, really need this and it would be such a great step for me in my career. Even if this isn't the one, this has been the ray of light I desperately needed.

[Jephael]

I had a bit of a frustrating realization earlier today when trying to remember the word "reputation". I dunno why it's so easy for me to forget such common words like that, but as a writer it scares me because having a good vocabulary is essential to the writing process, not to mention basic communication and social skills. I think I might require an MRI to see if I have some form of temporary memory loss in that portion of the brain.

[IndigoErth]

I dunno, that word is enough of a mouthful, I can see how it could be one of those "it's just on the tip of my tongue" words sometimes and pretty sure I've 'lost' it now and then myself.

Though one of my biggest recall nemesis is "autonomous." That one never recalls without thought, and sometimes refuses.

But I also sometimes try to call a calendar a map, so, yeah... lol (I mean, it sort of works, it's a map of the year, right?? )

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

Ours got some in too. Wasn't really impressed though, especially the Shredder. Left them all there. I'm just glad hubby got me the blue outfit April from OotS for X-Mas a while back. Our Wal-Mart never got either her or the maskless Casey.

We never got them much around here either. I only ever saw them once, and just one each. (Got Casey. Passed on Megan Fox, I mean, "April.")

Originally Posted by RaphaelinSTL

Now...after all this kind of sour mumbo jumbo...what made me happy today? More so, what has made me happy this week is that on Tuesday I had an awesome in person interview for a digital marketing position in a motion picture licensing company. The opportunity seemed amazing and this was my second interview with them after a phone interview last Friday. Everyone seemed to like me and I felt incredibly confident after it was over. The next step is a questionnaire type quiz they send out and then perhaps an offer of employment. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I really, really need this and it would be such a great step for me in my career. Even if this isn't the one, this has been the ray of light I desperately needed.

That's awesome, hope you get it!

[Jephael]

What the hell? That was supposed to go into the "What Grinds Your Gears" thread.

[plastroncafe]

It's new phone day!

My phone massively failed last week, like to the tune of giving off a burning plastic smell. But since it was still under warranty I had a new one shipped and it's up and running today.

My commute just got a whole lot easier.

[Jephael]

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

My phone massively failed last week, like to the tune of giving off a burning plastic smell. But since it was still under warranty I had a new one shipped and it's up and running today.

I had an issue with a new phone last year. I really wanted to get a Samsung Galaxy S6 after trashing my Samsung Galaxy S5, though I couldn't quite afford it right off the bat, so I went with an LG brand for a while. That one worked well, despite it was a bit smaller in size that I cared for, but one day the oddest thing happened. There was a vertical green line going down the left side of the screen. I tried rebooting the phone, but the line was still there, so I went to the store and they helped me order a replacement.

[Utrommaniac]

My dad and I cleaned up the litter box area for our cats, and we moved a long-disused cat tree in front of the window. They stopped using it for some reason, but I think the kitten had something to do with it. He's been gone from this house for a while, but I think moving it in front of a window has helped.

So not only is it clean, but at least one of the cats has gone back her tree. Plus she has "new" window to look out.

[IndigoErth]

I don't know if it was so much a happy maker per se, maybe just more amusing...

Stopped to get gas after work, watching the numbers on the pump fly by, getting higher up there, and hoping it would be less than $30, but it wasn't looking likely.

Full and shut off at $29.97. Seriously now, come on. lol



2/8 - Happy maker tip #265

Sneak tiny homages to stuff you love into other projects. The stealthier (so others in the project will have to have a good eye to spot it) the better.



In this case, hidden on the back of an old abandoned freight train car. Hey, if Disney can do their hidden Mickeys, I can to non-infringing hand prints.

[Utrommaniac]

It might be bright and early, but I finally got my hair cut . It's about the same length that I normally get, but it feels a little different, like there's still a little length to it.

The beautician even used a hair gel that I actually think I like a lot! I barely notice it and it doesn't have a lot of odor. I won't buy it to use for myself, since I already don't really care for hair products beyond shampoo - and conditioner if I find one that will work with Dr. Bronners, but it was still one that I liked. It was from the Aussie brand.

[BubblyShell22]

I got three new books today. One is called Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly and is an original story to Beauty and the Beast where Belle finds an enchanted book and steps between the pages of it. So far it's a very good read. The other two are The Isle of the Lost and Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz and are part of the Descendants series.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Today was my D&D game at the library, and it was my first session running my own table/game.for the group. I've been a DM for YEARS, but the local library-sponsored game was being run by a guy who works there and I had been just playing. Last month he decided to split up into two tables due to the size increase in our group, and I had volunteered to run one since I have experience and a campaign and world already made. It went great! Took a while to get everyone started due to character creation, but they already got into their first combat, and have taken to the NPC guide quite readily. (It helps that several of them are familiar with him from a previous campaign in qhich he was my PC in the campaign.) Can't wait til this campaign really gets rolling as I have a lot of surprises in store for them!

[IndigoErth]

A rare Sunday off work. Heck, I got the whole weekend off, that just NEVER happens.

On the down side, so far there aren't many hours at all this week, I'm just scheduled for Thursday. Had better hours last week, after a month of not much, and now we might be cut back to pay for that... BUT I have no complaints about having a Sunday off for once.

[Utrommaniac]

The neighbor and his kids came by for lunch. Granted, the kids spent more time playing with one of the cats than eating (or watching anything we put on Netflix), but it was a pretty good experiment in which of my cats are social and which one's aren't.

Bubba is until he goes outside, Fluer and Rain hide, and Mink is the Social Queen. If she can be chill as two kids run past her to gather up the cat toys, I'd say that's a darn good sign. She was super happy to be getting extra attention

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Speaking of kitties- our two girls have progressed to actually sharing the coffee table and sniffing noses on occasion. Angel is still rather stand-offish about eating together or laying close to each other but they are at least willing to sit together once in a while.

On the downside, we bought them a new kind of treats yesterday, and when it came time for "nummies" Angel turned her nose at them. It sucks because these were "high end" natural ones for weight control and urinary health. Yet she doesnt seem to like them as much as the cheaper Friskies or Meow Mix ones. Go figure....

[IndigoErth]

lol Typical, spend more money on something and they won't want it.

Health food disguised as treats can't possibly be as good as junk food cat treats. That just goes against nature.

Awesome on the progress though, glad to hear they've opted to coexist peacefully.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

What got me was that these were supposed to be all natual- which you'd think she would like better. And we bought two bags. Demona scarfed thwm but Angel? They were still in her treat bowl today. She's a cat treat junk food junkie, apparently.

[DestronMirage22]

I've been pretty happy this week. I've been watching a lot of my favorite ongoing T.V. shows: The Amazing World of Gumball and Bob's Burgers. And I've been going through all the Alien and Predator movies and have been really enjoying them. And tomorrow I'm gonna score myself a NECA Alien Big Chap figure. Things are good!

[IndigoErth]

My grocery store had some of those Yowie surprise egg things. I've heard of them, as one of only a couple brands legal here, but have never seen them. Little pricey imo, but grabbed a couple, one for me and one for my mom.

The display box suggested they have an assortment of little plastic animals from North/South America in them. Still waiting for my mom to see what she got, but I got a cute little Attwater's Prairie Chicken in mine.

Spoiler:

Which is this critically endangered (and kind of adorable) bird:

2/16 - Had a rather long work day/evening, but it was quite slow. Killed a little time on the "training" stuff we have to do now and then on the computer and somehow find time for, which so often I do not.

A lot of this junk just seems to be repeated sometimes (whyyyyyyy), but there was a new one that was set up to look like some little medieval themed game related to work ethics (called "Quest of Honor" or something like that) that was so cute and worth doing....and killing a half hour by doing it. Someone did an awesome job making it, I wish more training was like that.

It would have been funner to pick the bad answers to some of the 'challenges' - like responding to the witch's bribe with a bribe of my own instead of choosing to tell her it's against the kingdom's rules - but I needed to pass. lol

[Utrommaniac]

Boyfriend and I tried out his new VR headset. It was awesome. I for sure want to play the full version of Wayward Sky? Got major Myst vibes AND I GOTTA SAVE MY DAD!!!

[DestronMirage22]

For the past week and a half or so I've been trying to improve my drawing skills. Looking back, I can see that I've actually made a lot of progress! I don't mean to toot my own horn or anything, but I can actually draw pretty decently now. I still have a lot of work to do in order to improve, but just seeing how far I've gotten makes me very happy. Maybe one day I'll be able to fulfill my dream of drawing my own independently owned comic book series! One can hope, one can only hope...