But the real purpose of this post is to share the news that my Etsy shop is now open and I’ve sold 9 buttons to 4 different people. Whee!

I’m still in the process of uploading more and more buttons (I have hundreds, and the Etsy listing process is quite a chore). So keep checking back to see what gets added. Plus, my prices will go up once I figure out how much to charge, so take advantage of my cluelessness while it lasts.

Oh! And check out the new look of my blog. This may change from time to time as I try out different looks, or when I get sick of a particular look.

I’m also looking into migrating to a new host (Doodlekit), which seems very friendly to me and has all the features I’ll be wanting (shopping cart, etc.). I’m not sure if that means my Wordpress blog (which you see right now) will go away or not. I’m still an idiot about all this stuff and don’t know if I can just move Wordpress over or what, but that’ll get sorted out in time. I’d like to keep the functionality of Wordpress where my blog is concerned, but I’m not sure about all the technical stuff it would entail.

I wonder why I resist writing blog entries so much. Once I’m here, I just can’t seem to shut myself up. It’s just the idea of logging in and finding something worthwhile to write about that’s daunting. I’m still hung up on the idea that every post has to be a work of art with a theme, motif, plot, and fascinating characterization. But it’s not like I’m getting paid to do this, so I can write whatever I feel like writing.

I guess I should get back to work. It’s crushing me, along with my Zonta responsibilities, because I don’t want to do either of those. All I want to do is work on my Empire, but there’s so little time, and when I do have time, I don’t have the tools I need (Photoshop, etc.).

Only 118 days until I get my laptop, and then there’ll be no stopping me. Until then, I’ll have to focus on doing the things I can do now and stop dwelling on what I wish I could be doing now.

• Our Artwalk isn’t happening tonight. Well, it’s happening, but not at my store. The artist was in a car accident. I’m glad I won’t have to stay here until 9 tonight, but it’s too bad about his accident.
• My ex is “seeing someone” and I’m very happy for him. Really!
• I have to write press releases, and I don’t wanna. I don’t know  how and I just want a formula to use, but there isn’t one. Ack.
• There is a radio station that has played the theme song to Welcome Back Kotter two days in a row. There should be laws against that.
• I have four million things to do at work, but my brain doesn’t want to focus on any of them. I need brainless work today. Searching the internet and gathering crap that I’ll look at later kind of work. Not writing press releases and designing postcards work.
• I love my puppies, and I’m going to do some heavy-duty grieving when the time comes that I don’t get to see them every week.
• I had a very nice lunch with Ms Monkey today. I love my friends. This divorce has really made me realize who my true friends are, and I cherish them even more than I did before. There aren’t very many, but they make up for it in awesomeness.
• I must get revised button pics uploaded, so I can start Etsying them at some point. Too much to do!

The problem is, I only have two friends on there who I really interact with, so they’re getting bombarded with all the little thingies I get to send to people.

I need more friends so I can spread the love a little more broadly. So sign up and be my Facebook friend. It’s funner than it has any right to be.

Oh, and if you have any idea how to get a business Facebook page to work, clue me in. I’m having mental difficulties with that aspect.

And I’m super-excited about Chapel Bar on Monday! I’m going to walk the 4000 blocks from work to there, so I can stumble back and be sober before I find my car again. Well, it’s probably not 4000 blocks. Maybe 14. I hope it doesn’t rain. And I’m glad the walking back uphill part will be after I’m drunk, because my muscles feel no pain with vodka.

I’m actually at work right now, so I can’t write much, but I wanted to check in and let y’all know that I’m surviving.

I am The Marketing Department. I guess I need to learn about marketing now. Right now my priorities are to create a marketing plan, to get hooked up in various social networking avenues, (re)design a promotional postcard, and find ways to tap into the LGBT market.

So, basically, I’m getting paid to surf the web and learn about marketing. And figure out Facebook and MySpace. Hopefully, I’ll actually be able to implement stuff soon. Having a company email account will help. As will reading the 32 books I have checked out from the library.

At some point, I’ll be helping to design the new e-commerce site, and write item descriptions, and figure out cross-promotional stuff and participate in the ArtWalk, but for now, I’m just soaking up knowledge. It’s definitely overwhelming, but it’s good. I’m using my brain for the first time in a long time (at least related to work), and it feels good.

In other news, I have a billion buttons ready to be photographed and listed on Etsy. I have a handle on shipping costs, and how I’ll list the buttons. I just have to get a chance to do it.

Oh, and I have to start working on the Zonta newsletter, which I’m the new boss of. The June issue will be my first, and I’m redesigning the whole thing to suit my whims, so I have to start thinking about that soon.

Now, if only my house would sell, my life would be right on track.

So, to sum up, I’m quite busy right now. Lots of things swirling around in my brain, making me slightly nutty. Whee!

Sadly, the only thing I’m going to miss is my laptop. I’ve grown very attached to my sweet little laptop, with its wireless internet and Adobe Creative Suite and all my favorite setting just right.

But it’s a small price to pay to be out of here and moving on to something that might actually be fun and stimulating and challenging and interesting and not requiring a logo-embroidered polo shirt and name-tag.

Wheeeee!

This is a crochet pattern for sale on an eBay listing, which may or may not still be there by the time you read this.

Thank you to Beebs for bringing this to my attention. =)

So, the saga.

I had the interview, and I thought it went really well, and it seemed like she was impressed by me. After meeting the owner, seeing the store, getting sniffed by her puppies, and hearing more about the job, I fearfully bantered about the term “dream job.” So much variety, and a store filled with goodies that I’d actually like to own if I could afford it, and a boss who seems friendly and laid back.

She told me she’d wait until she returned from a week-long trip to make her decision, so I hunkered down for the long haul. The waiting was killing me. The more I thought about it, the more I desperately wanted this job. I couldn’t stop bouncing and twitching. I threw myself into button-making in a futile attempt to stop obsessing.

Then, on Monday night, I had a girls’ night scheduled with Savannah and Ms. Monkey. I was looking forward to the distraction, or the chance to ramble on and on about the job until my fellow girls’ nighters slapped me silly.

I was to pick up Ms. Monkey at her work. I was running a little early, so I called her when I exited to tell her I’d be there in about 10 minutes. Ten minutes later, I picked her up. In the interval, I got the call, was offered the job, and very nearly peed my pants in glee.

Before the drinking began, after we were back at my house, I had to email the store owner to get some more details, because in my glee I’d neglected to nail down certain vital details, like medical insurance and whether this was actually a full-time job. I knew I couldn’t really accept the job if it didn’t include benefits, so I was once again on edge, waiting to hear from her.

That night, we played the Electronic Drinking Game of Life until the wee hours of the morning. Then, on four hours of sleep, I returned to work to fret and await the email that would seal my fate.  

I finally got the reply about mid-day, telling me that there were indeed benefits, and that it was a full-time job (although she hadn’t initially planned for it to be, but I’d convinced her I had enough varied abilities to fill my time - yay me!).

Shortly thereafter, hardly able to stifle my ridiculous clown smile, I went into my supervisor’s office, closed the door, and told her I found a new job. It went very well, with her advising me how to submit my letter of resignation and wishing me luck.

So, my last day is the 18th, and I start the new job on the 23rd.

Wheeeee!

For those of you who remember my previous post about the three jobs coming along all at once, this is the third one. I think I’ll be Employee #4 or 5, behind the owner, a bookkeeper, and someone who works at the store part-time. Another person’s getting hired at about the same time as me - someone with more retail experience and knowledge, but interested in learning marketing with me. Apparently, I am now in Marketing.

I don’t know what my job title will be yet. The job listing that I responded to called it a Marketing and Events Coordinator. The job will involve a wide variety of tasks, such as:

• Design an e-commerce website with the help of a coder
• Write ad copy, website copy, and item descriptions
• Possibly create and maintain an e-newsletter
• Seek out free and low-cost publicity/advertising opportunities
• Set up a blog or two, and maybe even write one
• Find and implement social networking opportunities, like Facebook
• Oversee entries into places like CitySearch and Yelp
• Coordinate events, such as participation in the Capitol Hill Artwalk and in-store fundraisers for local charities
• Research information on how to start up a nonprofit foundation
• Help out working in the store

I’m so excited, I can hardly stand it. These are all things I’ve been interested in learning and trying out, and now someone’s giving me the chance to actually do it, and get paid for it.

I go a little crazy when something new comes up that I want to brush up on (or learn entirely). So, of course, when I got the word that I officially had this job, I immediately went to the library website. I put books on hold for marketing, web writing, search engine optimization, web design, and just about everything else I could think of related to this job. I know it’s a little crazy, but gathering knowledge makes me feel good, especially when I have a concrete purpose for having that knowledge.

So now I have to get as much use out of the Adobe Creative Suite as I can before my time here is up. There may be Adobe at the new job, but I doubt it’ll be on a laptop I can take home with me for my extracurricular button project.

Once my commute is half as long, and if my house ever sells, I can save up money to buy myself a new laptop (tablet PC - woohoo!) and put Adobe on it myself.

Maybe I’ll pay for it with button empire income. You never know.

I’m too excited and flibbertijibbety right now to really say anything worthwhile or coherent about it, except YAY!!!

This has been a very buttony weekend.

Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day designing new buttons, and then using my brand new circle punch (which is awesome) to cut out the designs that already got printed. Then I used my lovely little button making machine (which is also awesome) to make a bunch of buttons. Then I set up my photo-studio-in-a-box (again, awesome) and took pictures of all the buttons I’ve made so far.

I used little plastic dinosaurs to prop up the buttons. I stumbled on this idea when One-T needed me to take pictures of plastic dinosaurs for him, and I like it. Plus, the dinosaurs enjoy helping out and getting their faces out there. It’s a win-win.

Today, I uploaded the pictures to my photo gallery, then added captions. The captions basically just say what the button says, in case you can’t tell from the thumbnail and you don’t want to click on the link to find out.

Check ‘em out!

I’d love to get feedback on which buttons you like the best, and also if you have suggestions for improvements. Or if you have requests for new buttons. I’ve already gotten quite a few super ideas from Feazle, and they’ll appear in future batches o’buttons.

And some of the buttons are by the Amazing Mr. One-T. I think, if you click on the picture, it should say somewhere in the caption if it’s by One-T. If it doesn’t say it’s by One-T, the default is by Me.

Have I mentioned how much fun this is?

Soon, I’ll post some buttons to Etsy, once I set the prices and write copy and have all the packaging ready to go. I did some mall scouting yesterday and found that significantly less interesting buttons are selling for $1.75-$2.00 in stores. I’m thinking of doing $1.50 each or 4 for $5 to start, and see how that goes. Oh, and I have to figure out how much postage will cost. So many little details!

I’m glad I have this distraction right now, because it’s keeping me from being too obsessive about the job search. The interview I had on Friday was fantastic (at least, it seemed that way to me), and I really REALLY want that job now. But she had another interview to do, and then she’ll be out of town for a week, so I have a long time to sit and fret about it. But I want to get the job NOW so I can start planning and thinking up ideas and getting excited about it.

But this post isn’t about the job search or my inability to stop thinking about that one job. Rather, it’s about buttons. My super neato buttons that are going to make me rich. Or at least entertain me until I run out of ideas. But as I have a list of ideas that’s currently 17 pages long, single spaced, 11-point font, I don’t think that’ll happen any time soon.