If I Had Wings...

I have been researching the blogging world quite a bit lately. Reason being: I have become very discouraged with finding a job. And not just a job, but something that I might actually enjoy doing. You see, I graduated with a degree in art emphasizing in graphic design. But, the graphic design world that I've been introduced to gave me gross tastes in my mouth. So I've been trying to "figure out" what I want to do in my life. I'll spare all the boring details, but know that I've thought of many things, (including joining the Navy, but I don't think someone who fell asleep on watch during an attack would make it out of boot camp) but to no avail.

One such depressing afternoon led me to talk to my mother. She then had this brilliant and ingenious idea that I should become a professional blogger for businesses. This way, I'd be able to write, design and take pictures-three things which I love to do, but just didn't know how to combine them together. Now the hard part: finding businesses that will pay me to do all that. I probably wouldn't blog for the city's waste disposal center or an inspiring aspirin engraver. I was thinking business more along the creative side; i.e.: photographers, quilt shops, florists, painters of felines, etc. We figured if I had around 5 businesses sign onto my plan, I could actually start paying off my student loans, and perhaps save for a future pet alligator.

What I have found: wow. There is a lot more to blogging than I ever knew. It's intimidating and endless. It's creative and technical. It's not a plane or Superman. I don't know if I'm cut out of construction paper for this move. But I have the motivating factor that I don't want to become a substitute teacher for the rest of my life, even with a pet alligator. 

Design wise, here is a site that makes me gulp in awe and trepidation. The "Blog Fairy" designs blogs, and has an impressive portfolio to show for it.

I decided that to help my own pursuits, I need to blog more on my own blog. And probably do a complete design revamp. This means you may be subject to past pieces of creative writing I've done. There is the possibility that I may loose one of my fewer than 10 followers. But that's a risk I'm willing to take. Wish me luck, fellow bloggers, and any ideas are welcome; including how big an alligator pond for a residential neighborhood needs to be.

Eggo my Logo

A dear old friend from Georgia asked if I could help make a logo for her photography business. Of course I said "Heck Yes!" After much time of font browsing and logo brainstorming, I came up with this little baby (actually, I came up with a lot more, but this is the one she chose). Check out her new site with new logo! Weller Image Specialist

Thai Chimichangas

I was in a "let's mix up cultures for dinner" mode and decided to mix some of my two favorite: Chinese and Mexican. After all is said and done, I know this basically isn't mind-blowing original, but it sure was yummy!

And yes, I know my food photography is right up there with Martha Stewart Magazine and Adrian Parkinson, so don't be jealous (my secret: a cell phone camera. Amazing).

Thai Chimichangas With Peanut Sauce
Makes 7 (so figure out your own proportions)
2 breasts boneless chicken, cubed and cooked
1 zucchini shredded
2 carrots shredded or sliced
1 bell pepper sliced
Green Onions or Half a yellow onion
1/2 c. cilantro (I didn't have cilantro tonight, but I'm sure it would taste fabulous)
Flour Tortillas

Peanut Sauce (this I can't take credit for, I found it on Food Network)
1/4 cup Peanut butter
2 Tbp. Soy Sauce
2 Tbp. Oil
1 Tbp. Rice Vinegar
1 Tbp. Sesame Seeds
Sprinkle of Basil and Curry and whatever else fancies you

Sauté veggies (except cilantro). You can either mix the chicken with the veggies, or if you're anal, you can separate them, just make sure the peanut sauce gets on everything. Including your lips. Place in flour tortilla, fold like a chimichanga, and either deep fry or do what I did and place a thin layer of oil on your pan and just brown the chimichanga. Serve with rice and fortune cookies.

Some other thai flavors that would be good in it: shredded coconut, lemon grass, dog.

Paint the Room Red

My younger sister has never had her room decorated just for her. She moved into my brother's room which looks like this:

(That's her by the way, my sister). She decided to paint her room red. Farmhouse Red to be exact (that was the name of the color swatch from Home Depot). But she also wanted a design of vines of some sorts on one of the walls. We looked at vinyl decals until she found the one she wanted, then I proceeded to paint it on the wall.

True to my form, I couldn't follow the design exactly (same thing happens when following recipes, I just can't do it. I'm a rebel), and free spirited my way across her wall. Twelve hours later:

Obviously, this is not the whole wall, but most of it. I'm too lazy to take more pics. And if you're thinking, wow, I wish Elissa would come paint something on my wall, yes I will. Right now, I will paint for money. Or bake. Or dance. Okay, maybe not dance for money, but I would do the hokey poky for money. Creepers.

Recession is NOT like Recess

Hello my fellow cyber buddies. I know, it's been awhile. That would be called going on a 10 day vacation (to Missouri and Nauvoo), coming home and looking for a job and catching a nasty cold (actually, I think it caught me). Through all of this I have decided that even though the word recess is in the word recession, there are hardly any similarities.

My head is congested and I'm so hopeless on the job hunt that I can't even think of witty things to say about the subject. So instead I'll just post pictures from our trip.

Look, I'm the Sting song "Among the fields of Gold" or is it fields of Barley?...

Fathers with little hair on the top of their head make for great places to put frogs. Without them knowing, of course.

Forget the fact that my brother isn't a real farmer, this is a real old tractor.

Yes, that is me driving a tractor. No, that is not a 9 year old teaching me how to drive it. Er, okay, maybe it is.

No, I will not get on that wagon. Especially with all those happy people. Boo to them.

This picture does make me happy. Too bad it can't also find me a job.

Tanner ate some weird stuff that made him look freakish. I think it was frog legs.

Of course we can't forget the Nauvoo temple. I know, the angel Moroni got cut off. Don't judge me.

And finally, my rainbow family. We really didn't even try to coordinate, that is what makes it even funnier. Then there's the black rain cloud, Trenton. Just glad we don't have to live in a log cabin, or I'd be crazier than I already am.

In other news, somebody fell in love with me via my blog and started leaving comments like passionate romance letters. But it was written in some sort of code, the words Cialis and Viagra coming up often. So to make this mysterious lover work harder, I changed my settings so that if you want to comment, you'll have to type the word you see. Let me know if it doesn't work, and I see what face I can punch in to make it work.

Happy Tuesday.

If You Stayed With LOST Until the End

If you actually watched LOST up until the very bitter end like I did (although I wanted to quit multiple times, but felt like I had put so much time and energy into my television relationship that I had to see it to the death), this article helps lightbulbs go off in the head after watching the season finale. Of course you have to take some things into consideration, and some of the explanations may not be the perfect truth, but it sure helps it all make sense. It's okay to admit you're pathetic like me. It's not okay to be me. Because that would be considered identity theft.
Lost Finale Explained

I Don't Know What I'm Doing

It's been awhile. Maybe because I hate my blog look, and just haven't found it inside of me to design my own from scratch. To update everyone: I am jobless but not homeless. I will use pictures I have taken on multiple excursions to tell you my story.

I almost got a job working with a crazy company. I will not name their ethnicity, but they like fish, like the picture above. They were going to pay me $10 an hour to be their graphic designer.

I felt like Pacman. Running around in this maze we call life, sometimes eating the bad guys, other times getting eaten by the ghosts.

When will the light get turned on? Will someone ever brush away the cobwebs of my mind? I hate it when spiders are in my dwelling space.

I had some other interviews. But to no avail. I'm like the little guy on Horton Hears a Who. Or am I like the elephant? Let's be honest, I'm the weird creature who said when they created their own world it would have ponies that pooped rainbows.

It's not quite as bad as The Grapes of Wrath. If anyone has read the end of that book, they'll especially understand.

But I am up in a tree. What is my dream job? I don't even know. If you know, you should let me know, then I can get down from the tree.

I think we should have a contest, the name being The Perfect Job for Elissa. Submit your ideas, and then maybe my ship will finally be able to sail.

I'm looking for a fountain of ideas here people.

Or a man that can whisk me away to a house like this one and I wouldn't have to worry about dumb interviews and what the perfect job would be. I'd only have to manage all the servants. Good thing I went to college.

But at the end of the day, I'm still me and still obsessed with alligators. So perhaps I should become an alligator handler and they would bring me pretty flowers like this one.

I hope all of you were bored to tears. What can I say; I'm a high achiever.