Showing posts with label Career. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Career. Show all posts

Friday, September 4, 2026

It's been an eventful week.

It's been an eventful week.

To go from resting and doing housework and teaching part-time and working on my app when I feel like it, to having expectations of being a place, looking decent, and doing things 5-days a week, plus still teaching is a big change.  I've been EXHAUSTED.

On top of that, I got myself stranded on Wednesday.  My little EV ran out of energy.  I don't know if I was just goofy and didn't shut the door all the way or it didn't charge fully then night before or what, but by lunch time I thought I was probably in trouble.  I did make it to a charging station, but one that didn't work with my car.  I had to get towed.  But, I made a friend!  The super nice guy who towed me home let me ride home in the truck with him.  He was really chill and we just chatted the whole way.  It was nice.  Probably one of the best "I'm stranded" experiences I've ever had, and that's saying something because I've had A LOT.  🫠

Last night, the kids packed the freezer too full and it couldn't circulate air, so a bunch of the food melted and had to be tossed.  It was an accident and I don't think they'll do it again.  The freezer needed a good cleaning out, anyway, but it sucks that they lost some food they had just bought.

Also, our modem or something died last night, so I have a hotspot on so I can be on my laptop momentarily.  I don't really know what's going on, but I'm too tired to care.  😅  I am REALLY grateful for the long weekend because I need it.  Gotta catch up on my rest to be ready for another week.  Plus, I need to try out the ADHD meds and see if they help me or make me weird or what.

Goodnight, y'all.  I am D.O.N.E.

Monday, August 31, 2026

The first day of the internship went well!

The first day of the internship went well!

I met so many people today. I walked more than I expected to and got some heel blisters. I had on sunblock and still got some sun. But I made it through the day! I came home, had a nap, then held office hours for class. Then I had dinner and now I'm getting ready for bed.

Everyone was super welcoming to us, and the people I interacted with communicated very straightforwardly, so I feel like this is going to be a great 12 weeks for me. I don't know if I'm cut out for corporate work or not, but I do know I felt very comfortable discussing ideas and asking questions right away. In general, I say what I need to say and try to be as polite as possible, but sometimes I feel that I'm too straightforward for professional environments, and I didn't feel that way today. 

We got a good understanding of what our goal/project is for these 12 weeks. We're working in ServiceNow, and I'm so glad to be getting back into some dev work. We don't have access to our laptops yet, but I'm ready to dive in!

I'm very excited to see how our project is going to turn out. I feel like it's going to be hard for me not to hyperfocus on it, but at least I am interested. That should keep me going for a while. I still have my ADHD results appointment (at least I hope that's what it is) on Thursday, so if I need to try meds or anything like that, then at least I will have my interest as backup. 😂

I am still really hoping that there is medication that can help me function in a more level way, without relying on hyperfocus, novelty, or cortisol. But until we get that worked out, I think I'll be ok.

Anyway, I'm heading to bed. I'm exhausted and have a decently long commute, so I have to get up early. Thank you all for the well-wishes today!

💙💙💙

Friday, August 28, 2026

It's 2-something in the morning...

It's 2-something in the morning, so probably no one will see this.  That's ok.  I'm just having a little ramble.

It's confirmed:  I start my Internship on Monday the 31st.  I'll be doing dev work in ServiceNow, and it'll be nice to be hands-on again.  I will be full-time, in person, until November.  Hopefully, it will lead to employment after that.  I am excited.  Also, I have some really nice professional clothing that I likely won't have a chance to wear outside of working, so I'm excited to be able to wear it.

I won't have my ADHD evaluation results until after the Internship starts, but I can survive on the novelty of something new and the adrenaline of being in-person for a bit.  I would like for things to be easier while functioning in a "normal" sort of way... like, a way that won't burn me out, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

I do have some anxiety; I tend to have imposter syndrome big time.  Also, I was like "UGH, I hope I don't work with anyone that skeets their feet."  If you don't know what that means, just be glad that sounds don't hurt you and you don't have to worry about things like that.  As much as I'd like to talk about it, I learned growing up that if you showed a weakness it would be used against you, so I'm not giving more details than that.

Since I'm not in my "retail therapy" era (anymore), I'm over here feeling a bit more calm and like I'm making progress on my really long list of things that, IF accomplished, would make me feel like I have my shit together.  So that is something.

I deep cleaned two bathrooms recently.  The third one belongs to Shadow and Kira and they can handle that.  Shaun's usually the scrubber and I'm usually the de-clutter-er, but with him working as much as he is, I stepped up because it was bothering me.

I know it's not the most elegant solution, but the downstairs bathroom is small, so I got an over-the-toilet shelf to hold towels and extra toilet paper, etc.  The under-sink cabinet in there was stuffed, and I really hate running out of tissue.  The issue with the shelf is that a towel bar was mounted above the toilet because it's next to the shower.  But also, the area in front of the toilet is next to the shower, as well.  But that is where the hand towel loops are, so you have to turn around from the sink to dry your hands.

Anyway, I took the towel bar down so I could put up my shelf.  Maybe tomorrow I will take the hand towel loops down and put them to the right of the sink and move the towel bar to where the loops were.  I know this is not interesting to read, but that was not the best use of space and it really started to bother me once I noticed it.  I am also now bothered because the toilet and shower/tub are white, but the sink is beige marble.  I never noticed that before.  We're not planning on doing any renovations anytime soon, but when we do, that is now on my radar.

Still on bathrooms, I also cleaned the one in our bedroom.  Part of that consisted of repotting my Monstera in there into a semi-hydro setup because I was tired of dirt coming out of the pots every time I watered them, and they are thirsty AF.  So that is much better.  Also, do y'all close your toilets before you flush?  You absolutely should.  Look up "toilet spray."

Anyway, I've done some errands, done some plant stuff, decluttered a bit, and did my nails.  I haven't painted them yet, but I plan to before Monday.

In general, I felt that we were pretty organized, but I discovered a box of cotton swabs after I'd already bought another box.  I find that to be really annoying.  So I think now I'm entering my "less is more" era.  We ordered pizza again the other day.  We've had one dinner date (me and Shaun), and we'll probably go out to eat on Sunday because Shaun's birthday is Saturday, but he works until 6 on Saturday and now I'll be working starting Monday, so that will be our only chance.  But what I'm trying to say is that we've been very good about not spending money on stuff or going out, and I'm proud of us.

Since starting work, Shaun has lost weight.  He never looked too big to me because he's muscular and tall, but he's 215 lbs, down from 240ish.  It's just because he's up moving and not sitting around snacking, I guess.  I hate that that doesn't work for me.  🫠  I'm basically microdosing compounded Semaglutide to maintain at 125, which is still a little heavier than I want to be, but oh well.  Maybe me working full time will help, but I don't see it happening.  Not to be negative; it's just never been simple for me or made sense to me before, so I don't see why it would change now.

The only other thing I plan to do before starting the internship is push some app updates.  I have some good feedback from the live Beta tests.  So that, and nail polish.  Oh, and a hair trim.  I'm a mess.

I've also been thinking pretty heavy about doing some press-ons for Halloween.  If I'm gonna do that, I should start my designs soon.  I feel pretty ok to do that now; before, I was too overwhelmed.  We'll see.

Anyway, if you read this:  WHY?!  😆😆😆

I kind of hate when I post long updates with too many subjects, but pretty often I just don't have the energy to write something (so I don't do it frequently), and I'm not always in a thoughtful mood, and social media can be a chore/demand on my time, and I don't know.  I'm just trying to live.

But I hope y'all are doing well.  I love you and I miss you.  Write back soon.  💙

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

My app is live in the stores!

My app is live in the stores!

Android:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bluprintdesign.polishallthethings

Apple:  https://testflight.apple.com/join/NayUU2fN

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Well, ok, actually...

Well, ok, actually...

Google has it up.

Test link only works if I have your email (for now):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bluprintdesign.polishallthethings


Yesterday must have been too good.

Yesterday must have been too good.  I woke up at 5 am with a letdown migraine.  🫠

Last night before I went to bed, my iPhone testers were having trouble with installing the app, so I ended up putting it on the app store with TestFlight.  The app is in review by Apple for *OFFICIAL* Beta.

Since I put it on Apple late last night, I thought "Why not put it on the Google Play store for their Beta, too?  So I did that today.

I guess I am taking baby steps into this release.  I'm ok with it.  That is pretty exciting.

I hope I don't wake up with another migraine.  😆😭

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

I've still been slowly but surely working towards my goal...

Despite my burnout, I've still been slowly but surely working towards my goal of getting app.polishallthethings.com put on the app stores this month/beginning of July. It's officially in Beta on Android, and will hopefully be for Apple within the next few days. I ended up ordering a cheap iPhone from ebay because of all of Apple's restrictions. It was literally $72, and as a developer, I should probably just own one for testing purposes, if nothing else.

I'm really excited to see it live. If you'd told me at any point in my life before the end of last year that I'd be making an app I've been dreaming of for years, I wouldn't have believed you. I'd have never thought it was possible. I already have a little over 300 users on the website and people listing on the Marketplace, which blows my mind. Life is crazy sometimes.

The top of the profile page. Pretty standard.

Stats on the profile page. The number of polishes/plates/transfers, etc., with info about my most used.

A view of your collection. I like to see it by maker, but you can order it by collection, by date, by event, etc.

One of my favorite pages: Discover. Look for new brands, search polish/polish-related events (like releases), search by color, search for dupes of your favorites, search by color-swatching a photo. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! And the more people who digitally swatch their photos, the better it gets!

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

UI/UX graduation was today.

UI/UX graduation was today. Our presentation went well.

If anyone is interested, here is the app prototype we made. You can click through; even the sign up has dummy info ready to go.

It's crazy how my teacher is neurodivergent and I got my Autism diagnosis during this project; I strongly feel that both things contributed majorly to making this into something special. My teacher had to reframe things for me so many times so I could grasp what I was supposed to be doing. Both she and my partner were so flexible with me.

Now I'm gonna go have a let-down migraine, because of course I am. 🫠 

But let me know what y'all think!

Friday, April 3, 2026

Hey friends! Happy Friday!

Hey friends!  Happy Friday!

Life Update:

I'm still sleeping a lot.  Like, 12-14 hours a day during the week.  I am so grateful that Shaun doesn't hate shopping/going to stores/doing the errands because I certainly do and they are such a drain.  Thankfully, it's not as big of a deal for him and he is handling all of that for us.  He's like "Since you're working..." and I'm like "Bruh, I am part-time at best at my official job, and barely even taking baby steps on getting my web design business off the ground or Polish ALL the Things! converted to a Native app."

Regardless, he says that I'm doing enough and I'm glad that he feels that way.  I've been a lot easier on myself since finding out that I have Autism, and I am grateful that Shaun understands and doesn't put any extra stress on me while I try to continue to recover from burnout.  He's never been anything but gentle and supportive of me, even before my diagnosis.  When I was pretty well incapacitated in 2014 he basically body-doubled my entire life to keep me going until I got help.  Part of that was depression, but looking back, it was probably partially due to a burnout phase, too.

I don't really have any idea what life will look like after May, when the UI/UX class I'm taking and the ServiceNow CSA class I'm teaching both end.  But I'm hoping that I will be more functional as a person and able to hold down more steady work, should I be so lucky to have it.

I do have a lot of items on my To Do list that I feel like have been holding me back from things I really want to do.  I feel like I've been stuck in "Waiting Mode", as in, "Waiting for things to be done before I can enjoy myself or take on more projects" for a few years, so that is unfortunate, especially since I was "shoulding" myself and putting pressure on myself to finish them, but since I've stopped with the pressure and just worked on things at a sustainable pace, they're finally (slowly but surely) getting done.  Nothing is checked off of my list yet, but there is progress, which is better than no progress, so I'm taking the win.

It's really not as satisfying to not binge and finish things super fast, but I've learned that that is dopamine seeking and I'm trying not to do that anymore (at least not in ways that end up being detrimental to my health).  So we'll see how that goes.  Maybe THIS will be the year that I finally get my shit together.  😂😂😂  (If you don't know:  I say this every year after I binge a project and make progress, only to burn out and accomplish nothing else.)

Anyway, Happy Weekend, friends!  ❤

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Apple has officially accepted me as a developer.

Apple has officially accepted me as a developer. I guess it's time to go (moderately so I don't burn out) hard on converting my app. 😂😂😂

I am really not enjoying this whole "pacing myself" thing, but being able to do even small things every day rather than being immobilized mentally and physically by burn out is better. I'm gonna try my hardest to stick to it.

Thursday, March 26, 2026

Officially, I'm on the Google Developer program.

Officially, I'm on the Google Developer program. Woohoo!

It took hours, even with a borrowed iPad, but I finally got an Apple account and am waiting to hear back if I'm approved as a developer. 😂

But yay for the progress!

Haha.

Haha.  Since I got my DUNS, I am trying to sign up for the Google and Apple developer accounts.

Google has a one-time $25 fee.

Apple has a yearly $100 fee.

I have exactly $124.04 in my business account.  😆

(This is not a complaint; I am stoked that anyone at all is subscribing to my app.)

Of course, I can loan myself $0.96, but like, damn.  SO CLOSE!

I got my DUNS number!

I got my DUNS number! Signing up on the app stores as a developer today! 😄

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

I think this is going to be my final writing about AI.

I think this is going to be my final writing about AI.

I want you all to know that I understand that AI usage is not good for the environment.  I also want you all to understand that whether I use it or not, it's not going anywhere.  That cat is out of the bag and it's not going back in.  We're far past that.  What needs to happen now is finding ways to reduce harm and clean the environment.  This is not the first time that an "advancement" has made a mess of things, and I highly doubt that it will be the last.

Whether you agree with me or not is irrelevant.  I work in tech.  I worked hard to break into a career in tech.  I can tell you firmly that more and more jobs are requiring knowledge of how to train/work with/use AI.  Whether you PERSONALLY use AI or not, I can guarantee you that any number of services, stores, hospitals, doctors, phones, computers, apps, etc., use it on your behalf.  If you REALLY want to stop AI usage, target your complaints to the businesses and companies that are doing that.  Boycott them.  Put your money where you mouth is.  Their impact to the environment is much larger than an average user, I guarantee it.

There are many things that I am against; for example, factory farming.  Yet I cannot claim the label vegan or even vegetarian because I will sometimes eat meat.  Do I try to minimize my impact?  Yes.  But am I 100% never going to eat meat again?  Probably not.

This is also how I use AI.  I don't use it for fun.  I don't use it for entertainment.  I use it sparingly and in ways that directly help me.

I don't know if I'm just wiser in my old age, or lazier.  Maybe both.  But I can tell you that while you are free to not use AI, fighting against individuals and their usage is not what is going to make the biggest impact and it's likely not going to stop them.  It's an uphill battle, and I learned the hard way in Alabama with animal welfare/animal rights that it's possible to make an impact, but you won't win the war.  You will burn yourself out trying to change things in a system that doesn't want to change.

I don't mean to sound hopeless, because I'm not.  I'm just saying that I am choosing myself these days.  I'm choosing my health and my sanity.  I'm 43 years old and I've always put everything and everyone else first, and I'm done.  So I'm not against using AI.  I'm in the acceptance phase.  I'm pro "let's optimize it and clean this shit up."

Not that it makes a difference to anyone who is already opposing me on this, but we have solar panels on our home.  I drive an electric car.  We don't cook or clean with electric appliances between the hours of 5-8 to prevent brownouts and stress on the power grid.  I've been recycling since I was a kid.  I also try to reduce and reuse things, and most of my wardrobe is thrifted at this point because fuck fast fashion and the mess it creates.  I've BEEN doing my part to help the environment and that is not going to change because I DO care.  But I'm not going to sacrifice any well-being I get OR my career to stop the small drop in the ocean that my AI usage equates.  It's not worth it, and I think if you were directly benefitting by it in any meaningful way, you would feel the same.

If that infuriates you, then I hope you will stop and examine every system in your life to make sure you're not getting any benefit from the use of AI, whether it's directly or indirectly.  If you look hard enough, you'll find it in something you use or a store you shop in or built into (or helped build) an app or website you rely on.  It's everywhere.  It does have uses.  It can be helpful.  Yes, just like any other tool, people can use it to make themselves or the lives of others worse.  Does that sound familiar to you?  It does to me.

Anyway, you are free to voice your opinions on my posts.  I won't stop you.  But I will just reiterate the stance that I'm writing here.  I don't have the time, energy, or mental bandwidth to do more.  This is where I stand on this particular issue.  If my opinion changes for any reason, I'll let y'all know.

Be best!

Monday, March 16, 2026

I've done some things today.

I've done some things today.

I went and paid for/picked up my business license, so I'm officially and legally in business now!

I started the application process to be a developer on ios and Android. Turns out, you need a DUNS number to do either of those things, so...

I applied for a DUNS number

And started on developing Polish ALL The Things! Into an APP app, and not just a progressive web application.

I have so many robust features that it's going to take some time to have it the way I want it, but I'm off to a good start! And I don't have to have every feature ready on mobile just to have it in the stores. It can be a work in progress.

I'm off to eat and have a break so that I'm ready for UI/UX class in a bit!


Monday, March 2, 2026

I met with the Small Business Development Center...

I met with the Small Business Development Center again this morning. I have more action steps to complete. I'm ThisClose to being officially in business. I'm just waiting for my business license to be approved, which will likely happen this week. While I wait for that, I will be completing my final action steps so I can hit the ground running.

I've never been a "business" person, nor have I ever been good at selling myself, but I'm learning a lot and I think things are going well. How exciting!

Sunday, March 1, 2026

I got my business plan finished. That's a relief!

I got my business plan finished. That's a relief!

The only other thing on my agenda today is watering my plants. I'm gonna start that shortly.
I was talking to Shaun earlier about his Executive Dysfunction and why he never said anything before. He said he's here to support me, not burden me.

Bruh. Love. Motherfucker. That is not how this works. 😂

He's got a list of things (in his head) that he wants/needs to do and that he is not always able to work on. (Relatable). And having this list prevents him from relaxing and doing other things he needs or wants to do. (Also relatable).

Sometimes I need a "Jumpstart", like "Help me do this", but really all I need is for him to be right there while I start and then I'm good. Sometimes I need a body double. But in either case, I've been expressing my needs for years and he's always showed up.

I was like "Let me do that for you." Because really, it's not a problem for me to to help anyone... Except myself. 😂😂😂 Need me to walk you to the yard to trim the bushes? Got you. Need me to direct you because you're overwhelmed and don't know where to start? I can do it. (This is not the same as him not carrying his share of the mental load around here, btw. He definitely does that.)

He says he doesn't forget his tasks and that's why he doesn't write them down, but he's going to try it and see if it does anything. It always makes me feel less anxious to clear my head.

Meanwhile, we have made it sort of a goal to boost each other's productivity and see how we can shrink our to-do lists by the end of May. Not at an overwhelming, burn-out pace, but by steadily boosting each other with Jumpstarts or whatever is needed.
I hope it works like we think it will.

Thursday, February 26, 2026

It's late, but class update:

It's late, but class update:

It was a 2 hour class. Zoom cut us off every 40 minutes. I had trouble bringing up my ServiceNow window even though I could see it minimized in my taskbar, so I feel like I looked really incompetent. No matter how much I prepared before, I still felt fumbly and like I had no idea what I was doing.

HOWEVER, the previous teacher was there with me and backed me up and helped out and answered questions that I couldn't. He told me I did great. The class was patient with me. And overall, it definitely could have been worse.

I don't know if we have an exceptionally talky group of students or what, but I felt really happy that everyone replied to me and asked questions and participated. I hate it when I'm a student and I'm the only one who speaks. So I'm really excited to see how this semester goes.

❤️❤️❤️

I teach my first class tonight...

I teach my first class tonight. I have NERVES. Wish me luck!

Also, I have just shy of 250 users on my app, and I got another subscriber recently.

I'm planning to get back to work on it next week.