327 : new blinds

 When I moved into the new office, only the left side of the windows had blinds; mini blinds to be exact. So after complaining, they found a lovely old rusted and broken set (you couldn't open or close them) to put up on the right. Um... no. So more complaining later and I was promised new blinds. I was shocked... new? As in straight out of Home Depot? Yup. So I left the door unlocked and went to lunch while the guys worked. Arrived back at the office to this...

Yup, mini blinds on the left, venetian blinds on the right. They're seriously so ridiculous in thinking this is acceptable, that it's actually funny.

311 : moving forward

After a hectic past few weeks dmmh is moving forward with a bigger, better office. Freshly painted, and with some new furniture, the office is almost back up and running. This past weekend brought a huge step forward in getting things together and it makes me super happy to see it just about done.

Now to just finish cleaning the ash off of everything...who would have thought it would have gone into every little space. Like into a closed box containing my new scanner, and in EVERY single drawer. Good thing I have lots and lots of paper towels.

A huge thanks to my dad for painting my new digs and Jeff for bringing all my furniture up the stairs...by himself.

302 : paint swatches

Ever since I was a little kid I loved getting paint swatches from the hardware store. Now, getting swatches has a new meaning... I actually have to paint something. Having a more sensitive palette to color makes the task more complicated than for the average person. I love that the new swatches are so big, and single colored... it'll make it easier to see the color on the wall. But with over 20 swatches of gray, my color making decision is sure to be time consuming. Now I just have to go to the office with some tape and hope the process of elimination goes quickly... and that I actually do want gray walls.

299 : a new office

One week exactly after the fire and I already got a new office! Just one building over and a space twice as big, I'm one happy girl. Plus, some of my old office buddies will be my neighbors again. Can't wait to move in!

296 : the office

Originally I had planned to put the office as my happy post for today. And I guess given the circumstances, now is the perfect time to do it. Today marks what would have been my 3 year anniversary at the office. That little space thought me a lot, and meant more to me than I knew. My little office space was missed today, but it's on to bigger and better things.

293 : the office wasn't burned

Today was another hard day...not as traumatizing as yesterday, but still really difficult.

I woke up wondering why I set my alarm and then remembered that this was real. Ugh. That meant today I actually had to face what happened and see the results of the damage. Even as I type this it still doesn't feel real.

There was such a quiet and somber tone that filled the building and the parking lot this morning. Various people surveying their own damages and loss, while others just wanting to see the destruction of the fire. The hallway was worse then I imagined and when I saw the plastic dripping down the wall, the sign that until yesterday, held my business name and suite number, my heart hurt. Thankfully, when I opened my door, I had little damage done to my office. My dad and Jeff helped me put everything worth saving in trash bags and we hauled everything out of there. After walking down the hallway and seeing the other offices, I'm just so grateful to have anything to actually haul out.

The remnants of the sign outside my door

The ceiling outside my office door.

The Hallway. Sadly, the light comes from the fact that the ceiling/roof are completely gone.

My office door

To my fellow suitemates, I've enjoyed (well, mostly enjoyed) my 3 years in suite 211 getting to know you all. Saul, we used to call you our "office dad" since you'd look out for us so much when we first moved in. Thank you. Adam, my heart hurts for your loss and damages. Seeing/hearing you run up and down the stairs became part of my daily life at the office. Thanks for being such a good neighbor. To everyone else, the best of luck to you all.

To my dad and Jeff, you're both my rocks and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me through this. I couldn't have done it without you.

It's hard to fathom that I won't see gizmo looking out the window. Or hear the hum from the dry cleaners below anymore. 2010 has been all about change for me, and as heart heavy and numb as I am right now, I know that this terrible accident will lead to bigger and better things.

292 : no one was hurt

Today was a difficult day for me... just after I got back to the office from lunch with a friend, my office building caught fire. Smoke quickly filled the upstairs hall, and in panic mode I grabbed the Monster and ran down the hallway out the building. With glass breaking, flames coming out of office windows and enormous amounts of smoke, I was anything but calm...safe, yes. Calm, no.

When the smoke cleared, I was grateful for a few things: no one was hurt, my office wasn't burned (just smokey), and I got back to the office when I did (had I been half an hour later, Monster would probably not be here).

Damage, destruction and heartbreak was definitely at 670/672 Silver Spur Road today, but at the end of the day, almost everything lost can be replaced...and that is something to be happy about.

257 : this drawing

Weeks ago, on a pit stop to the office, a certain someone decided to get creative with the markers and my dry erase board and show off his... um... drawing skills. In case you're wondering, those are clouds, a smiling sun, the sky, a ball, gizmo (who somehow turned into a wiener dog), me (who was apparently having a bad hair day), and him (sleeping while standing, maybe?).

I can't bring myself to erase it, because it's just too funny...

256 : to-do lists

Generally, a "to-do" list keeps me organized and focused. It makes my brain feel some sort of relief seeing everything written out. Today, however, was not one of those days. After the list was written, instead of feeling like I was ready to tackle my day... I wanted to hyperventilate. When all was said and done, I had 15 client "to-do's" today. Proudly 10.5 of those tasks are done, but I'm guessing it's going to be another late night.

251 : a clean office

Those of you that have been to the office know, it's not a huge space. And between, books, samples, furniture, papers and dog toys, it can quickly become an unruly place. Since the split, I've tried to spend every Friday afternoon cleaning up the office. Vacuuming, dusting, filing papers, all the not-so-fun-but-need-to-do-it-anyway stuff. It's not something that I look forward to, but I do absolutely love the way everything looks when it's clean and tidy. Makes Monday mornings a little more cheery when I know I'm walking in to organization, instead of (somewhat organized) chaos.

250 : super cold water

 

I love drinking water (or any drink for that matter) when it's super cold. The office fridge is always set to really low...sometimes too low, and everything inside starts to freeze. But with the weather being so hot lately, there's nothing better than coming back to super cold water after walking the Monster (he even likes it too).

237 : scrabble

The bf and I used to love to play scrabble. Oddly enough, in all the times we've played he hasn't won once. We picked up a game tonight to keep at my place and once again his losing streak continues. With words like "for" and "fun" it's no wonder he's getting his butt kicked.

228 : successful projects

I love when I finish a project knowing it's "portfolio worthy". I love it even more when it's not only portfolio worthy, but a successful piece for my client. Last week, the new Williams Homes email marketing campaign was both. Not only did the email blast look great, but both the open rate and click rate were well above average. They even sold the advertised home from someone who received the blast! It's a win-win. Gotta love that.

226 : my "new vase"

When I was super little and I'd go to my great grandma's house, I'd spend most of my time in her tiny little enclosed patio. There were potted plants galore, and even a grape vine growing in the corner. To water her massive plant collection, she had a bucket she'd fill with water, and then dip this little metal pitcher in to fill it and proceed to water the plants. Naturally, whenever I was over there, I'd do this as well.

Maybe about 10 years ago, my great grandma fell and broke her hip, and went to live with my grandma (She lived alone until she was 90!). Shortly after, while the family cleaned out her house and prepped for an estate sale, my mom asked if I wanted anything. My answer...that little metal watering pitcher. She laughed and told me that when she was little that was their milk pitcher. Boy had that thing been around a long time even then.

So, what to many would be a piece of junk, to me is a little piece of treasure. And after sitting for years in my mom's garage, that little metal milk pitcher/watering can now adorns my office as my not-so-new vase.

223 : twig pencils

Finally broke away from my computer to check the mail and saw a package on top of the mailboxes. As always, whenever I see a box up there I hope it's for me (who doesn't like getting stuff in the mail? yeah, that's what I thought!). This time was no exception. As I neared closer, I saw that it was for me! The all caps lettering...unmistakably my dad. In true Jen fashion, I tried to rip it open before I even got back to the office.

Inside? A card that made my heart happy and these cool twig colored pencils. Such a lucky girl to have such an a amazing dad.

Thanks Dad & Betsy! I love you guys.

(And since I'm told you sometimes read this, a hi to Grant. Hopefully we'll meet one of these days)

217 : sketching in the shower

There usually aren't too many minutes of my day that aren't spent thinking about work, projects, clients, etc. Truth be told, I can be a bit of a workaholic. But since this isn't a 9 to 5, I can't just turn my brain off when my work day is over, on the weekend, and on holidays. It's always going. And I mean always.

I know I'm particularly excited about a certain project when I "sketch" in the shower. My finger is my pen and the condensation on the walls and door is my canvas. Then as I draw my funky shapes and mock text, I laugh a little because for some reason, I very very rarely will ever sketch on paper.

This morning was one of my shower sketching days and I seriously can't wait until the project gets underway. It has the makings to be great...submission for design competitions great. And it makes my heart happy to see how much I've accomplished and how far I've come.

211 : sneak zucchini on your neighbors porch day

Today has to be one of the weirdest named days ever...It's not a national holiday or anything, but someone did decide that today was officially (made official by who, I'm not sure) "Sneak Zucchini on Your Neighbors Porch" day. Told you it was strange. Although after the wrinkled brow and look of confusion, I did smile.

I think the neighbor who brought me a cucumber may be getting a zucchini or two today :)

208 : being organized

There's such a huge part of me that loves to have everything in its place. But contrary to that, I know I have to work to keep this organization going. If I start out organized, chances are, I'll stay that way. Otherwise, I'll have a drawer full of uncategorized receipts, a file cabinet full of folded bank statements, etc. But since the split, I've made it a priority to keep on top of organizing myself and the office. It's amazing that one little file folder, and a few 3-ring binders can make me feel so accomplished.

194 : random emails

Today I got an email from someone who was browsing on a site I designed, and followed the link at the bottom to get to my site. It turns out she's a fellow designer, and just wanted to take the time to let me know how much she liked my work. It meant so much, and really made my day. So, if on the off chance you're reading this, Christina, I thank you.

193 : repeat

Ever since I could remember, when I'd fall in love with a song, I'd play it over and over...and over. In the past at the office, I'd try to keep my desire to click the repeat button to a minimum. Because while I understand that at the moment I can't get enough of a song, others in earshot may not feel the same way. During these past two months, one thing I've loved about being in the office solo is that I can do it without hesitation...sometimes it's good to be the boss :)