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Just finished my interview with the School Board. I heard from a bunch of friends from uni who were also in the running that interviews were ending with "so we have very few jobs to offer right now, but make sure to apply to..." but I didn't get that. I got "So, you want to work in Division 1? Great, your chances there are really good. Also, I see that you went to [high school X]. Were you in the gifted program? Y'know, very few working teachers actually have any idea what to do with gifted students. Given your insight, you should really apply to schools with that program as well. You'd do well." I'm taking this as a very good sign. This initial interview was to be employed by the Board of Education. If that happens, the next step is to get forwarded to specific principals for positions in their schools. This will likely be around July or August. Step one complete!

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Fucking A, Miffy :tup:

I just got over the hump with a difficult client, and have suddenly become a million times more productive and motivated. Even though it was a fairly small job, it was so many little bits of time spread over such a long period, I had no idea just how much it had been dragging me down. I don't think I'll take jobs like that at all in future.

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Nice one miffy. I'm reading the whole thing like you used to go to professor X's high school for gifted children, along with Scott Pilgrim.

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Meet new girl at coffee place, somehow hit it off on the first second, talking to her is really easy and she seems just as good with it.

 

A few minutes later some other guy is hitting on her, that clever bastard :angry:

 

Ohwell. Barely know anything about her, and the last girl I was actually really interested in was an astrophysics major that ran marathons, had her choice of full scholarships for a PHD at nice colleges, and like science fiction.

 

Thus this post is tagged #Stupid high standard problems I'm perfectly ok with having. But that I literally just met her and felt like that, which is stupid, still seems to be indicative of something perhaps. It's not like I even go looking for "someone" to be interested in really.

 

Also Miffy, I can't wait to see if a year from now, you suddenly realize you've entered a career where you are "in school" in one way or another for the rest of your life and realize "oh my god, what have I done??? :blink::o:P  Hope it works out and it ends up being what you actually want to do. What made you want to do such a thing to begin with?

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Miffy, I can't wait to see if a year from now, you suddenly realize you've entered a career where you are "in school" in one way or another for the rest of your life and realize "oh my god, what have I done??? :blink::o:P  Hope it works out and it ends up being what you actually want to do. What made you want to do such a thing to begin with?

 

Actually, that was totally part of it. Believe it or not, I love being in school. I'm excited about all kinds of subjects and like to be at least aware of new developments in everything, even if I don't really understand what the science/maths behind the thing are. Helping kids realize that the world is awesome and even the most boring subjects are only boring until you get through the early stuff and into the cool parts is a big deal for me. I want everyone to be as excited about everything as I am. I took a year off of school after finishing my Bachelor's degree and hated it. As soon as I went back for my post-grad, I felt home again. School is where I belong, at one level or another. Since I'm good at (and really enjoy) working with young kids, why not the grade 1 to 3 division? I think I summed this up best in a facebook update back in November during my last practicum: I've spent 7 years in university so that I now am able to get paid to pretend to be an astronaut with a room full of six year olds, and I'm pretty happy with that. Right now I'm with a grade 5/6 split class, so things are quite different, but the kids are still fantastic. I'm only getting about four hours of sleep a night right now, but I feel great from the second I enter that building until I go home. THEN I start to feel like shit, but I think the positive feelings while I'm in the school are a pretty good indicator that I'm in the right place.

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I just signed a million papers with lots of zeroes on them for that theoretical future apartment of mine. I wonder what will prove the most unfortunate signature I've put on paper in my lifetime – I bet it's one to do with money.

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We need to see pictures of you modelling the house before we can give you any advice.

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Good luck with the apartment! Oh hi toblix

On other news: a bit of a bummer. [N]Gamer died after a ten year run of being the only Nintendo only gaming mag in the Dutchlands. With that a big part of my journalism (and related income!) falls away, so that's really sad. Unfortunately, market realities (read: no one pays for journalism anymore) made it inevitable. I'm sad to see the mag go, it was a fun and eccentric little thing that developed a real culture of its own, lots of injokes, you know the drill.

What with my new job I don't even know if I'll have the time to work for a replacement publication, but I'm keeping the option open. I just... really like the idea of being affiliated with a mag. Ah well, at least I've got AniWay, though that's about Japanese culture (also games) and unpaid. Still, not dead in the water yet!

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And usually modelling as well. 'blix lives for the camera.

 

I know. How many photos do we need of him on here?? It seems he posts a photo of himself at every available opportunity.

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I need some advice from any Thumbs living in or near Seattle. I just found out that I've been accepted to UW's grad school, which will require me to move myself from DC to Seattle. Does anyone in the area have advice on apartments/jobs/anything? I've never had to move cross-country like this before, so it's all little overwhelming (but very exciting!).

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So, I was promised credits in this last game I worked on at my company that makes trashy mediocre F2P games. They never made it. So disrespectful. I absolutely hate it here and I am losing count of the lies my bosses continue to tell me about varying things in the office. I wish more people were hiring or companies I truly would fit in to in Austin. It seems like my professional career has always been art on one joke game after another and it's always so draining. Out of like whatever 7-8 games I've worked on (all some varying amounts of small), only one am I truly proud of how it turned out and my luck to work on the project. I guess this is how it'll always go when you're just the artist (not art director) and not the designer.

 

All I can hope is Stoic does well enough with Banner Saga that they start having the money to hire up and maybe just maybe, I can manage to get in there.

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That sucks, Syn (can I call you Syn?).  It seems like it's hard in small markets unless you're willing to sacrifice your ethics and do cheap/quick busywork.

 

(I'm still slammed with C and terrified that I'm rubbish with it, plus I got an interesting introduction to my new industry with a Controversial Violet Blue Talk Cancellation and associated drama caused by sperglords.)

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I think I can be Syn, I prefer that much more than "Gerb." In fact, I despise saying my screenname out loud in any fashion.

 

And programmers get paid the big bucks! I think you can do it! A programmer at work gets things done by quoting the wise words of Parappa the Rapper: "I gotta believe."

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Shammack was just watching a compilation of Parappa songs on YouTube, and now I think I know why.

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Yeah, it seems if you want any chance at earning decently in Vid Gams, programming is the way to go. Besides being super interesting of course and enabling you to MAKE STUFF. Games. I'd love to have like, a good year without anything else, to just learn programming. Where's my Groundhog Day?

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You can only learn piano during Groundhog Day! And to be a better person.

That's super lame syn. I recently acknowledged someone for some work they had helped out with in an email to the boss and the guy nearly fell over thanking me. Is it so rare that people get acknowledged for what they have done? People don't try to pull that shit on me.

Though recently I discovered that everyone I know has lives with someone who stole their food at some point. Never happened to me either. I guess I have an air about that says don't steal my food or disenfranchise me. Or else I'm the guy stealing everyone's food.

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(I'm still slammed with C and terrified that I'm rubbish with it, plus I got an interesting introduction to my new industry with a Controversial Violet Blue Talk Cancellation and associated drama caused by sperglords.)

 

Were you actually at BSidesSF when that went down? Seems like that caused a pretty big stir on the BSides mailing list.

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Yesterday, I was out at lunch with some coworkers (including my roommate and his girlfriend), and my roommate and I were badgering each other, as we often do. Inexplicably, she went all silent-stare-of-rage on me, and I didn't notice it at first. Someone pointed it out, and then all went quiet. She kept staring at me like I'd killed a puppy or some shit. I shrugged it off and apologized in a general manner, but man what happened. It was awkward. Fortunately we were at opposite sides of the table of 8, so I just turned away and talked to the other half of the table.

 

There's never been any problem between us prior to this. I have no idea what I did! PEOPLE ARE WEIRD.

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It was just so awkward and out of character - she's usually pretty quiet and meek. We went out for lunch again today and our interactions were as per normal! Maybe she was just fucking with me. X:

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So, I was promised credits in this last game I worked on at my company that makes trashy mediocre F2P games. They never made it. So disrespectful. I absolutely hate it here and I am losing count of the lies my bosses continue to tell me about varying things in the office. I wish more people were hiring or companies I truly would fit in to in Austin. It seems like my professional career has always been art on one joke game after another and it's always so draining. Out of like whatever 7-8 games I've worked on (all some varying amounts of small), only one am I truly proud of how it turned out and my luck to work on the project. I guess this is how it'll always go when you're just the artist (not art director) and not the designer.

 

All I can hope is Stoic does well enough with Banner Saga that they start having the money to hire up and maybe just maybe, I can manage to get in there.

 

Walk into Gearbox and yell "MY NAME IS SYNTHETICGERBIL AND I WANT TO MAKE BORDERLANDS!" At the top of your lungs. If that doesn't get you a job there nothing will. Also Crytek is making a stab at an Austin office, dude apply!

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