job hunt

I have found some very interesting jobs online. I'll post a few. Let me know if you want the links to any of them. Someone really should jump all over these.

Cartoonist to create a Chicken Nugget Man

Subcategory: Digital Illustration Project Phase: Bidding Bidding Ends: 13 days, 20 hours, 40 minutes Bids Received: 39 Budget: Not sure / Determined by bids

Description: We need a cartoonist/digital artist to create a Chicken Nugget Man that we can use as a character in our children's books. We have had two other designers create this character but we aren't fully satisfied with the images yet. We'd prefer two images, one with him looking worried/scared and another with him leaning with his back against a wall in a school. He is the main character...

Art Nouveau Tattoo Design

Subcategory: Other Graphic Design Project Phase: Bidding Bidding Ends: 22 days, 4 hours, 18 minutes Bids Received: 20 Budget: Not sure / Determined by bids

Description: I am looking for an art Nouveau inspired tattoo for my lower back about 7 inches wide and 4 inches high approximately. I truly love the organic look of art nouveau design and the line weights that are used in art Nouveau graphics. I would like to incorporate a heather sprig in the design, and a fairy, and something to represent loved ones who have passed away (perhaps a star or tre.

Ashley Mackay for Freelancer 2008

I have recently relocated to Utah and am available to do freelance graphic design (or work full-time) if anyone is looking to hire someone. I'll post some images of type I worked on for good ol' Martha:
































































On a different note, I was looking on a calligraphy site and clicked on the link that said "how to make $$$$" and it had these great tips. If this doesn't convince you to start doing "art", I'm not sure what will:

1. There is a huge market for art. Art is something that is always in demand.
2. Successful artists get paid substantial amounts for their art.
3. You can sell your art on the Internet.

American Girl

Back when I was like, 11, I subscribed to American Girl Magazine. In one issue they said if you wanted to have a pen pal, send in a 3x5 card with our address, etc. and they would match us with someone else. I had a pen pal named Amie Senland from then until we graduated from high school. She was from Connecticut. I had never met her, and lost contact, but found her on Facebook! She is in New York at graduate school and a few weeks ago I went to visit her in Bronxville and we finally met! Hooray for Facebook.

Ah, Shucks.

The past week in Idaho I've:
Helped my mom pick, shuck, cook, cut, bag, and freeze approx. 85 bags of corn.
Bottled 100+ bottles of peaches (with my mom. She did most of the work).
Visited my grandma in the hospital (multiple times. She's out now, thanks.)
Cut our alfalfa in Sugar City.
Been able to inhale all the way because I'm not afraid of filling my lungs with stinky hot garbage air from NYC.
Drove a car.
Ate food out of our garden.
Used a washing machine IN the same house I live in.
Walked in bare feet outside.
Ate fresh eggs from our fresh chickens.
Took our poor cat with leukemia of the nose to the vet.
That's all I can think of now.

Umm...

So what if my mom and I sat up watching Taylor Swift music videos on youtube. I used to try really hard to be "cool." I've decided to quit trying and just do whatever I want. Who cares if I listen to music I am embarrassed that I listen to. Please join me:




and, p.s., if you don't think that hoodie tear off and the rhinestone guitar are cool, well...

No longer a fantasy

This year my brother invited me to be in his Fantasy Football League. This of course turned into a challenge when I said that if I was in his league I would beat him and he responded that if I beat him he would never play fantasy football again. I must win! I've never played before and am an underdog anyway because I have no experience and very little NFL knowledge. I did pretty good in the draft and my one hope was that Tom Brady, who is the #1 quarterback in the NFL was my guy. But what happened yesterday? Hurt in the first quarter of the first game!!! "a torn ACL that almost certainly will end Brady’s season."!!!!!!! WHAT!!!!

last day of work in NYC

Today was my last day of work! I am done living in this city and am moving to Utah on Tuesday. I'll be living with my aunt Char in Lehi and trying to get a job in Salt Lake. I'm really really happy about it.

This is the card my work made for me. Thanks guys! I did really like my job and I like hanging out in NYC, but I just don't like living here one bit.

Everything a four day weekend should be...plus some.

I had a great Labor Day Weekend and I'm going to write all about it here on my blog. Warning: there will be a lot of words. I don't usually read blog posts that have a lot of words, so I don't expect anyone to read this one, except that there are some great stories contained therein. It started out being wonderful when my work sent a surprise email that we got Friday AND Monday off! So I spent Friday packing for our camping trip and visiting the MOMA with a friend from work. Becca had to work late and bikes are only allowed on the train at certain times on holiday weekends. We actually missed the first train for two reasons: 1) When I was trying to get through the subway turnstile, I forgot that to get my bike through I needed to put it by the emergency exit door, go through the turnstile myself, then open the door and grab it so I swiped and messed it up and couldn't get through. So I waited and waited for someone to come let me in and when someone finally DID come, she spent so long digging in her purse for her subway card that the subway train came and went before we got through. So I had to wait forever for the next one and 2) Becca told me the wrong time. So anyway, after an eventful train ride with our bikes we got off at Port Jefferson and rode our bikes 14 miles to the campsite in Wildwood State Park. Holly and Georgina had driven there in Georgina's car and had Holly's gigantic tent all set up for us. With the rain fly. Which was great, since it rained all morning. It was on backwards, and everyone else got dripped on but I was dry and happy. Georgina, Becca and I spent Saturday on a trip to Montauk. We drove the car to Southhampton (passing the historic Giant Duck on the way) then rode our bikes 28 miles to Montauk.













One eventful part of the bike ride was when we stopped for lunch at a nice deli. Georgina had a lock for the bikes, but I was like, no one is going to steal them, and we propped them up by the picnic table while we ordered lunch. We didn't end up sitting out by them because the tables were too wet, but we could see the bikes through the door crack. I am totally paranoid about people stealing bikes because Georgina had hers stolen not long ago. So anyway, we were eating calmly until I look out the door and see some kid getting on a yellow bike (my bike is yellow and I really love it a lot more than I should) so without a second thought I jet out the door, Georgina and Becca close on my heels. And we would have caught that guy. If he had really been stealing my bike.
When we got back to the restaurant we were laughing really hard at ourselves, and so were all the people who had filled the rest of the tables that watched us jet out the door. We were the only girls in the deli. I'm sure it was quite a sight watching us throw our chairs out of the way and sprint out the door. We were all shaking afterward because of the huge adrenaline rush that had no where to go. Wow.
The last 10 or so miles to Montauk were pretty boring and we stopped at some random beach.
















We had taken our swimsuits all the way there, so it seemed like it would be a waste not to get in. So Georgina and I ran down to the part of the beach that we could swim in and the first wave was fine, then the second Georgina said, "dive into this one!" but I didn't hear correctly and ended up getting smashed on the bottom of the ocean. I forgot how to swim in the ocean and the waves were REAL big. I had a vision of myself hitting the sand which I drew in my journal:
















I like swimming in the ocean though and kept playing even though it did make my shoulder bleed. I got right back on that horse...


























When we had our fill of the beach we started heading home. I love riding my bike. I was riding next to Becca for a while and decided I wanted to eat the Clif Bar that was in the pack under my seat, but it was blocked by my wet swim suit so I had to stop and get it out. I told Becca not to wait and I stopped for the snack. Somehow just as I started biking again, my tire was completely flat. I had an extra tube, but I had been counting on using Becca's pump and I had just told her not to wait for me. So I called and left messages on Becca and Georgina's phones and changed my tube. I managed to get a flat tire in some gross swamp where there were five mosquitoes on my leg at once all the time. I was just hanging out on the side of the road waiting for Georgina and Becca to notice I was gone for a while. Finally a really nice family stopped and gave me a ride. I felt bad because they were such a nice clean white upper class family having a nice weekend in the Hamptons and they shoved my filthy bike over the seats in the back of their vehicle and shoved one of their sons against the wall while I put my dirty self in one of the middle seats. They were only going to Easthampton and said they could drop me off there. Conveniently, my cell phone quit working at this time. The screen was only showing white. So while I was taking the battery out and trying to make it work I hear their son say, "look, a tick!" and I look, and yes, walking along the spoke of my bike was a gigantic tick. That was really nice of me to bring into their car while they were being so nice to me. The mom said they were used to ticks, but I took no time in smashing it. I figured out that just the screen of my phone was broken and Becca called and said she was in Easthampton by the windmill. The mom in the car said the windmill was in Bridgehampton and so Becca should ride her bike more to get where I was. Which I told Becca to do. Then we got to Easthampton and there was the windmill (of course Becca Shim was right!) and she had to pedal back to where she had already been to meet me. Thanks for doing that Becca. I used her pump, filled up my tire, and started heading for Southhampton where the car was. Georgina went ahead for the car. Less than a mile later my back tire (same one) was bumping, so I stopped to check it out. One part of the tube was bulging really huge and as I watched it got bigger and exploded in my face. I must have pinched it since I didn't have a pump when I was putting it in the first time. So, again, Ashley had a flat tire. Becca lent me another tube, which I put in correctly, but by this time it was really dark and we just waited for Georgina. The best thing that came out of this was we got to see the longest firework show ever in Easthampton. It was really good and really long. We did eventually make it back to the campsite where Becca made really delicious tinfoil dinners.

Sunday was the perfect Sunday. We went to church, took a really long nap, went on a nice hike in the woods by the ocean, and ate for like four hours straight. We fried potatoes in the dutch oven and Georgina made chicken and cobbler.
















Monday was also practically perfect. Holly had found a really great farm stand where we bought the BEST roasted corn I have EVER EVER had. I loved it so much I couldn't stop eating it for the pictures. My cob was as big as my forearm. I seriously loved it. We also picked peaches in their orchard for $1/pound. I love that place. Love it.
















































We then drove to Fire Island with the windows down and singing Beatles and Abba songs at the top of our lungs. We went to the beach for the rest of the day. Besides millions of biting flies, it was really fun and really beautiful. (Don't mind my double chin face.)


We drove home next to the ocean so we could see the sunset. The only problem we encountered was when we were driving on the Island around a circle and suddenly Becca's bike had tipped from the roof down to the window. That was a big surprise. Fortunately the bike rack had just come unbolted and Georgina fixed it up in no time. We ate at a little deli in some random town and made it back to the city. It really was one of the best weekends ever. Thanks to Holly, Becca, and Georgina for making it really really wonderful.