I don’t know that I’ve ever felt stronger and fitter overall than I do now, little over a month before I head to Sturgis, S.D. for the Black Hills 100. I’ve arguably been in better running-specific shape, with my legs tuned in to running fast; and I’ve certainly been in better shape strength-wise. But my combination of running shape, strength and endurance are at an all-time high, and I now work to do some final focused training before an effort I have been anticipating for a couple of years now.

My final weeks of “real” training for 100 miles are adapted from a plan outlined by Duncan Callahan, and don’t involve any single epically long runs, but make the focus on learning to run through fatigue. Yesterday I finished up the first of three big training groups; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week I logged 3-hour runs each day.

Monday morning I headed out with some definite pep in my step and was aided by beautifully spring conditions, including a slight drizzle that gave off that wonderful wet grass smell. Tuesday my quads were certainly feeling some effort from the prior day’s run as I headed out early in the morning, but the time clicked off pretty easily. I anticipated a lot of struggle on Wednesday, especially as I made my way through my opening shift at the coffee shop with a lot of stiffness, but as I began running I got into a groove quickly and was soon feeling strong. Good thing, too, because for the first time in the two months since I’ve been trying to track them down, the Hey PB&J food truck was nearby and I got to start my run off by tracking them down and picking up some dessert for Melissa and I (p.s. - the Thai and Blueberry Pie are both phenomenal).

This was the same plan which I began last May before a flag football SNAFU sidelined me for the summer, so the big thing between now and my next blocks of training as I see it is to resist the urge to join in on any intramural sports. 

I will put in two more of these focused “blocks” in the next two weeks, while aiming to log 1.5-2 hours of easy running on the other days and continuing to lift 3-4 days a week on my own. My next two weeks, as I’ve got them planned involve 4 hour runs on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (May 27-29), and then opening up the month of June with 3, 4 and 5 hour runs on the 3rd, 4th and 5th, and then finishing that week with 3 hours on both Thursday and Friday. Then finish up the month of June with 1.5-2 hours per day till the final week of the race where I’ll rest and try not to go bonkers with anxiousness. 

All-in-all, I’m feeling very good about where I’m at with a little over a month to go. These big training blocks will continue to be aimed at learning to deal with accumulated fatigue. My running pace on these is moderate and control, as well as dialing in nutrition (largely Honey Stinger gels, Nuun and H20 mixed or separately), are the major goals. I was unsure of how this first week would go as my time spent running and effort have been quite what I was hoping they’d be the last few months (my hip ailment was a part of that, certainly), but my status as a walking commuter and working two service jobs where I’m on my feet all day have served well as training for the time spent on my feet.

My excitement for Black Hills is building every day, and I can’t wait for June 28 to get here already.

So I really did mean to start posting again regularly at the turn of the year and got off to at least a fairly decent start. I was excited about this year at it got into swing and, in times like that, find that writing is a really fun, enjoyable and worthwhile activity for me to partake in. But then things got really busy with school and work, and then as things started to settle down I was injured and getting really pissed and nervous about some of the things that had made this year seem so exciting to begin with.

It’s not that I didn’t have anything I would have liked to share here during those months, but knowing the amount of time I like to put into writing just about anything down, I thought that would be time best aimed towards school work during a pretty heavy load of classes in the spring. Fortunately, I think that focused attention on schoolwork paid off and this spring was full of a great deal of gains in my abilities and knowledge of graphic design thanks to an awesome pair of professors for my on-campus work at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, Randy Fox and Martin Mendelsberg. The mindset and work ethic I took into class with me each week, combined with their knowledge, experience and criticisms have led me to a tremendous amount of growth in the last few months. Still a long way to go, so-to-speak, in the graphic design program, but I feel I am now on truly solid footing as a designer in terms of fundamental concerns and considerations for design.

While school was going well all spring, things at both places of work stayed consistent if not improving. The pizzeria still the pizzeria, for better or for worse, yadda yadda yadda. But my barista-ing has continued to be more and more fun/enjoyable, and my hours at the coffee shop have thankfully picked up. i’ve loved the atmosphere and community of working at ink! Coffee since starting in September, and the best way I can describe it is to say that the eclectic mix of co-workers and customers reminds of the movie Empire Records. So, yea, what’s not to love about that? 

Running-wise, things were going very well to start off the year, but a major scare that seemed all too familiar to me from the last two years crept into the picture around late February/early May. A fairly large week of running mixed with a Saturday at Melissa’s new outlet, CrossFit DeCO, resulted in a very tight back and - a few days later - a terribly painful hip. I didn’t think much of it stretched it just a bit for a while until it got to the point of affecting not only my running but everything else as well. Immediately, thoughts of taking months off running entered my mind, and happy was not the mental state in which I resided at that time. 

Okay, I tried to calmly rationalize, you’ll take a week off from running and things will be okay, you just need to rest this thing. So, I did just that. I took a week off and rested my hip. I tried running again a week later, and it felt JUST AS AWFUL. Now I was really getting near full-on panic mode. I embarked on a further worry-inducing trip through piles of YouTube video and on-line forum chatter regarding the causes of treatments of any pain that sounded anything like what i was going through. If you ever want to feel really hopeless about any situation regarding an injury or some sort of pain, go do the same thing. Type in something as simple as “hip pain” into a search engine and you’re likely to find hundreds of people warning you that you’ll never be able to walk without pain ever again and that your best bet is to give up all hopes of ever living normally or enjoying the athletic pursuits you love ever again… EVER! Well, I fretted for a few moments after seeing very little constructive material on-line related to my searches and then remembered having read just a few weeks earlier about Duncan Callahan’s own issues with some hip pain that he experienced at the start of 2013. As a successful runner and coach, I thought maybe I could benefit from the things he did to return to running after his injury. So I left a comment on a blog post he put up during the initial stages of his return to running and was unbelievably grateful to receive great feedback from Duncan himself. So, even though the idea of taking a month like Duncan had done did not seem like anything I wanted to get into at the time, I tempered myself and focused on the mid-term and long-term and took the time off while working on the rehab moves and exercises he suggested. 

During the time I was off from running I continued the partake in my recently renewed joy of lifting weights and doing core work, and was able to adjust my eating habits to the point that I did not feel gross and disgusting after taking an extended period of time away from running. Really, the attention I managed to pay to my eating, and the changes I was able to make during a period of rest/recovery, were the biggest gains I think I’ve ever made in the area of nutrition; gains that I’m continuing to benefit from as I am now back in full-on training mode.

Yes, that’s correct. Following Duncan’s advice to the best of my ability and prioritizing my rehab for a full month (and then a little bit more) resulted in me returning to running regularly in about late March. I started off slow (another big step for me that I’ve failed to make in the past), and am back up to levels that I truly enjoy and feel that I am benefitting from as focused training. But training for what? Well, I am once again on the entrant’s list for the Black Hills 100, coming up in less than two months (June 28-30, 2013). This is what I identified as my mid-term outlook when I came to terms with taking a month off from running, and I’m very happy to feel like I’m working towards that goal right now while still paying attention to doing the rehab and strengthening needed to stay healthy as I continue working towards it. I’m also incredibly happy that race directors Ryan and Chris allowed me to roll over my entry from last summer into this summer’s race. I think I’ll give them a great big hug when I get to Sturgis in June as a thank you.

Yea, so that’s sort of where of I’m at right now, in a much happier state than I was a few months ago. 

I’ve been listening to a lot of Bone Thugs ‘n’ Harmony lately. That has absolutely nothing to do with anything else I’m going to write about here, but I just wanted to broadcast that and - hopefully - raise my street cred.

On the running front, things have been fairly steady of late, even if far short from spectacular. Nothing “great” or “awesome” to report, but have largely managed to get out for a good 1-2 hours per day, a little short of my desired 1.5-2 hour per day preference, but considering my schedule these days (two jobs, classes) I’ll take it. 

One area of my training that I can say has been going very well as of late is my continued interest in lifting. For the past 18 months or so I’ve been trying (often with little or no luck) to get back into the habit of lifting weights again. I’ve always enjoyed the initial process of “getting back into it,” but it would peeter out very quickly and I’d return to a schedule of maybe squeezing in some core work once or twice a week. However, in December I picked up the kettle bells and dusted off the BOSU ball once again but have managed to stick with it very well for three months now. I an feel that my core strength is better than it’s been in quite a while, and although 15# kettle bells isn’t going to do much for me in the way of making big strength gains and bulking up - not my goal anyway - I can tell that my arms are not getting as fatigued as normal on any of the longer runs I’ve managed to get in. Two very good things, me thinks, eh?

However, cause unknown at this point, I’ve been experiencing some hip pain for the last two weeks. Serious, I don’t think it is, but supremely nagging is a fair term for it at this point. I’ve approached it as piriformis syndrome, a malady I’ve dealt with before when I was very new to the whole distance running thing, and I only wish I could remember a bit better the way in which I handled it then so that I’d have more confidence in the way I was treating this. Pain hasn’t been too bad with this issue, but it has been annoying, and in an attempt to head off anything real problematic, it has done enough to convince me to take a few days completely off running and see if rest will help it out.

I’ve decided that as I begin to seriously approach this spring and summer and prepare for races and other adventures I have planned, I don’t want to get into any sort of focused training without feeling highly confident in my well-being and physical health. This serious look at the near future has also been leading me to reconsider a few other aspects of my training and health. One, as I mentioned earlier, was the weight lifting and core work, which has gone very well for me and I’m beginning to actually research other exercises I could be doing to continue to make strides in this department. The other reconsideration here - one that I’ve looked at, discussed, dwelled on like a broken record many times before - is my approach to nutrition. It feels to me to have gotten a touch out of hand again, and I continue to lose my battle with controlling myself around my “vice” foods. This last week in particular saw me get pummeled by both peanut butter and Girl Scout Thin Mints. Thin Mints, fortunately, only come around once a year… peanut butter, however, is constantly available. I think I operate too much under the writ of “If the furnace is burning hot enough anything will serve as fuel for the fire.” That needs to stop, and I need to figure something out, because my eating habits currently leave me feeling like a self-loathing, bloated monster anytime I take so much as consecutive days off from running. So perhaps this short break to recover and my attempt at re-tooling some eating habits simultaneously will serve to help each other, or I’ll fail miserably and feel sloth-like for the next week or so. We’ll just have to see, I suppose.

With any luck, I’ll continue to lift and get in my daily grind that way for the next few days and I’ll be feeling good on the roads and trails come Monday.

And remember, crank up some “1st of the Month” tomorrow.

I’ve always aimed to make sure that no one expects more from me than I expect from myself. I dream big, but I also know that big dreams mean nothing unless you’re ready to put in the work that the dreams necessitate. And that’s okay, because if there’s anything I like as much as dreaming big, it’s putting in the work to make those dreams realities.

Admittedly, I sometimes don’t know when to hold back and exercise what some may call “better judgement.” That inability may well be the root or partial cause of me being sidelined with injury the last two summers, seeing the races I dreamed of pass by with me not a part of them.

This past fall, as I began to once again work my way back from injury, my expectations of myself as a runner/ultra-runner were on my mind quite a bit…

On the one hand… I get an enormous amount of joy out of simply running every day, or nearly every day. In the five or so years that I’ve considered myself a “runner”, I’ve never once lost the pure pleasure I get from the motive ability of my own two legs. I feel this most when I am running, and it is an act I always look forward to performing and do with glee. 

On the other hand… I gain a similarly intense amount of pleasure from the act of asking my mind and body to perform at a higher level, to continue to improve, and for the internal and external competitive aspects of running. 

It’s hard - to say the least - for me to separate these two joys, intertwined as they are. So during much of my fall running I questioned whether or not simply being back into running was good enough for me and I could look into future endeavors (i.e. races) as just celebratory events at which I could co-mingle with other like-minded folks, or if I needed to continue to compete and keep goals high. 

My conclusion: The competitive fire is still very much alive in me, and I yearn set and aim for my own high expectations. 

That leads me into my expectations for this year, which look very much like the goals I had at this time last year. Whether it be planned races or races that I hope to be able to get to, I’m not just aiming to finish, but I’m aiming to win.

The only race I’m currently on the entrants list for is the one that was my goal race last summer, the Black Hills 100 in Sturgis, S.D. RD Chris has been kind enough to roll my entry fee over into this year’s edition, so right now my mind is set on being present on the final weekend of June and nailing the race that I’ve been dreaming about for far too long. 

Nothing else has been penciled in yet, but with some good fortune there are a few other events before then I hope to have the chance to test/push myself at: the C.U.R.E. 50-mile or 100k in Littleton, CO in April, or any of a handful of half or full marathons in March.

I don’t feel like that a great number of races is necessary for me to be happy pushing myself, I get enough joy out of pushing myself as often as I do to stay same, but I still crave BIG goals Black HIlls to bring the best out of me and allow to push/test myself against others.

While it’s been a terribly long time (4+ months?) since I’ve posted here. No particular reason why, I guess… I’ve been running plenty and haven’t had any further setbacks other than kicking an uneven slab of sidewalk REALLY hard, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary for me. I’ve been having a blast studying graphic design at RMCAD and as a full-fledged barrista at ink! Coffee.

So, I guess the best reasoning I can give for my absence from posting anything here over since October is that writing just hasn’t been something that’s beckoned me a whole bunch. I’ve certainly missed it and wanted to write, as running always gives me ample time to explore and ponder topics in my head, but every time I’ve taken a seat in front of a keyboard with intent to write the thought of squeezing coherent thoughts and ideas about myself out of my head has seemed overwhelming - a rather new experience for me.

However, as this here proves, the overwhelm-nosity of this act has faded, and here I am. I’m again excited about a lot of things taking place in my world (like the fact that I’m getting married in less than 6 months :0), and formulating goals and plans for running this spring and summer. But I’ll devote some specific thinking to some things in the very near future, and for now, I’ll just enjoy being able to coherently do this sort of thing again, ‘cuz it’s pretty refreshing.

1. a systematic series of actions directed to some end; to devise a process for homogenizing milk

2. a continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner; the process of decay (from dictionary.com)

As a football and baseball player in high school and college, I enjoyed the pre-season and off-season workouts as much as, if not more than, the season itself. Even during the season, I got as giddy about the thought of heading to practice and workouts every day as I did about taking the field in uniform, in front of a crowd, on game day. 

I loved being a student-athlete at Augustana College and spending time working with the student newspaper (the Observer), tirelessly - and sometimes tiredly - spending hours working on projects and assignments as deadlines loomed, neared and passed. 

Since college, while pursuing a passion for endurance athletics, it is the hours and miles of training that take up my time and that I love most. Even on the rare occasions that I do get to race, it is not the end-point, the finish line, that I most enjoy, but the miles and minutes that are covered and experienced between the start and finish. 

In short, while I enjoy having these deadlines, these finish lines to look forward to, I get the most joy out of putting in the effort that is required to reach them. It is this mentality that I have permanently embedded on my right thigh in the words “Somewhere in the Between” on surrounding a footprint with a running figure inside. The line is from a Streetlight Manifesto song of the same name: “So you were born/And that was a good day/Someday you’ll die/And that is a shame/But somewhere in the between/Was a life of which we all dream/And nothing and no one will ever take that away.”

While training, or while working on big projects and tackling heavy workloads, I’ve often taken a moment in solitude - sometimes in the middle of a long run, sometimes while beating my head against a desk because I can’t get a sentence I’m writing to sound just right - and wonder what the point of spending so much time and effort on these end-points is? And I always come back to the same thing: It’s the process of working towards something, while the work is still in progress and we are trying to figure out how to best reach the end-point, that we learn the most about ourselves.

It’s in the process that we have these A-HA MOMENTS that teach us a valuable lesson and make that end-point possible and so much more satisfying. I realize and appreciate the value in reaching the final destination; it motivates us, allows us to reach for something. Once we reach it, we can look back, evaluate what we did to get there, and adjust accordingly for the future. However, perhaps it’s better to look at each of these finish lines as waypoints. Unless we are going to use what we have learned in the process of reaching that point and apply it to future endeavors, there is not much to be gained from each end-point, and they are just that - AN END.

I’ve been thinking a lot about process during first six weeks as a graphic design student at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) in Denver. For a better part of the four years I spent working in sports information offices, the idea that I might go back to get some sort of degree or certificate in graphic design has been on my mind. While working on various projects at Central College of Iowa with our graphic and web designers, the artistic side of things began to truly appeal to me.

By the time I started by second year in sports info at Adams State, the design side of the job was about all that was left that really appealed to me, so I started seriously looking into a return to school. At first I thought an on-line program might be a good fit. I’ve had some decent skills in PhotoShop and InDesign, and just felt that honing those skills would serve me well. But as the appeal of design continued to build for me, and I saw the rise of a former high school classmate Kenny “OneVibe” Vidinich, it dawned on me that I didn’t need to just learn more about how to use graphic design software and how to put together shapes on a page and coordinate colors. What I needed was to learn the process that artists and designers go through in completing projects. During my years as student-athlete I learned the process of writing and the process of preparing for games. I applied what I learned in those processes to my post-collegiate endurance sports endeavors and in my work in sports information, so why would working in art + design require any less need to learn about the process related to those projects?

Even having come to this realization it was terrifying to think about jumping back into being a full-time student and starting from square one as a freshman and working towards another Bachelor’s degree. Thankfully, Melissa and my family have been nothing but tremendously supportive as I take out loans and work a pair of part-time jobs while jumping back into student-hood.

After just six weeks I feel confident that this was the right decision for me. I am becoming engulfed in the process of art + design and loving every painstaking minute of it. Before, art + design projects frustrated me because I had this feeling that if you were any good at it, it should come to you without effort. Already I’ve learned my assumptions were way off. While it comes more naturally to some, it can be learned if you are willing and ready to jump outside of your comfort zone. Going out of my comfort zone is something I enjoy and look forward to, and I think it’s helped my transition into a world centered around art + design rather than one that just allows for some work in art + design as sports info did. 

I’ll illustrate this briefly. The first few weeks of my classwork I found  myself engulfed in the readings and class discussions much the same way that I was when I studied English and speech communications at Augustana. Completing a couple hundred  pages of reading and writing a paper or two every week still comes easy to me, and I still enjoy it. I know the process well. The first few weeks at RMCAD though, I found that I was putting off the drawing and designing portion of my work because I was intimidated by it; I couldn’t think of what to do and the ideas that came to me seemed pathetic and uninspired. I was so nervous that I was going to turn in would give away that I had no business being here and I was an impostor. But I’ve actively worked to change that, squeezing every bit of advice and knowledge I can out of an impressively talented and intelligent group of professors who are more than willing to provide feedback on the smallest of projects and help me develop ideas. I’m already getting to the point where it’s the drawing, painting and designing assignments that I want to devote my time to, but have to pull myself back a bit in order to make sure I get all the other work done to. I feel a great balance between my studying the history and elements of art + design and my practicing of art. I’m feeling a connection to the process that breeds ideas and allows me to develop the skills.

There is a lot about me that I know is leading me towards success at RMCAD. As a returning student I have a great sense of where I’ve been and where I now want to go as a person and as a professional. Funding my own education I have an incredible appreciation for the resources at my disposal and the opportunities for learning. Melissa and those close to me provide the best support group I could imagine having. And, of course, an appreciation for the process and the obstacles that need to be overcome and learned from along the way.

Well, things have certainly been busy lately, but all-in-all I feel as if things are on the up-and-up across the board. While the relocation to Denver still has a bit of uncertainty to it - primarily from a financial standpoint - all other things seem to be panning out nicely.

1. Work - Though I didn’t really anticipate that I’d ever be back working two part-time jobs, I feel fortunate that they’re both jobs I enjoy and the people I work with are a definite plus. I’m splitting my work time between Enzo’s End Pizzeria and the ink! Coffee Scoop Shop (though barista training is likely right around the corner). The benefits - free pizza and free coffee/ice cream - are pretty awesome, and like I said, I feel very comfortable with the people I work with. Though I’d like some more hours at each to help ease the income concerns, the tips are decent and picking up. And, if you have find yourself in Denver, I really do recommend hitting up Enzo’s for some thin crust pizza, and ink! for either some coffee (the black + white is excellent) or the Scoop Shop specifically for ice cream (we make some mean shakes w/ premium ice cream - A LOT of premium ice cream).

2. School - The largest source of concern for me as Melissa and I headed to the big city was whether or not returning to school was the right choice, and whether or not it was a feasible choice. The feasibility may not be something to draw a firm conclusion on for a while, but as for it being the right choice I’d give that a big YES. Now 5 weeks into being a graphic design major at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD), I’m loving the coursework and feeling like all the reasons that returning for a B.A. rather than just doing on-line courses for a certificate are paying off. One of the big things I wanted was to be able to study the entire artistic process, not just learn more of the ins and outs of Adobe products. So far, the only school related use of PhotoShop has been to re-size pictures of my on-line coursework for my drawing class. It seems odd that I won’t take a single class that deals with computer-based designing until next spring at the earliest, but I’m loving the process of re-shaping my mind to view art as a process, not just an occurrence. This is the first time since junior high that I’ve turned in drawings and collages for a grade - or done drawings or collages period - and I’m having a blast doing it. This type of work, though it doesn’t always seem like something that will help out with graphic design in the long run - is reaffirming my choice to head back to school in a program like this.

3. Running - Yes. I am running again… and with consistency too. After three months of no running I decided in mid-August that I needed to give it a shot and see how things were feeling in the heel area. Though there’s still an air of hesitancy every time I step out the door and some pain in the area at times, I’m feeling good while running and can feel a lot of fitness coming back to me. The main pain is still coming at me first thing in the morning, but loosening up quickly. Yesterday, I made it for my longest run since May (1h45m), and followed it up with some tempo running this morning that felt great from start to finish. I think that the nature of there still be some… discomfort? … at times is keeping me from getting too crazy too soon, which may very well be a good thing. I’m still very bummed though that after having signed up for the Chicago Marathon on Feb. 1 that I won’t be able to run; not because I don’t think I could physically do it now, but because the trip back would entail not only paying for airfare but also missing my most profitable days of work on a weekend. I am hopeful that I may be able to find some fun race or adventurous run to get out on before it gets too deep into winter, though.

4. Wedding Planning - Well, most of the planning has been more or less discussed and the big things were knocked out a couple months back, but some more progress has been made. Melissa has picked out a dress, STDs have been sent, and the wedding website has been finished. The big thing left: I need to figure out what the groomsmen are going to be wearing…hmmmmmmmm.

About the only thing I wish was going better was continuing to write on a regular basis. This is the first time I’ve really sat down to write - other than for my Art History class - and it’s something I’m now realizing how much I miss. So, that’s something I’ll have to get on top of a bit more here, me thinks…. especially with the beer blog since there are definite events that need to be caught up on over there.

Well, it’s a good thing that I have in fact heard that song, ‘cuz the times they are a-changin’… actually, Melissa and I are just shakin’ things up a bit and bringing about change in our own lives.

Here’s a very brief synopsis of how we got to where we’re at:

In April, Melissa found out she would not be employed for the upcoming school year in Alamosa. She started applying for jobs, as did I. In May, we got engaged. She interviewed for many jobs. At the beginning of July, she got a job in Denver. In mid July, I decided I’d be moving up to Denver with her whether or I had a job or not. At the end of July, we found an apartment in the Cap Hill area of Denver. We live in Denver now. It’s pretty awesome.

Noticeably absent from above summation of the last several month is the phrase “I got a job”, followed by a happy-faced emoticon. “Why?” you ask… Simple: I don’t yet have a job. During the Olympics is, however, a pretty decent time to not have a job; I can practically guarantee I’ve seen more synchronized swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and flatwater kayaking than you have. (Side note: I’ve decided to take up flatwater kayaking, ‘cuz the US didn’t have a single representative in the singles 1,000 meter semifinals, and I’m determined to find some sport that I can make the Olympics in. Thus, my push for Rio 2016 is on!!!)

Now, not having a job at first seemed to me like it would be a pretty terrifying thing. I’ve found it to be a pretty unique blend of exciting and stressful… strexciteful??? While clearly feeling pressure to start getting a paycheck that will cover the raised cost of living in Denver versus Alamosa, I know that I will end up exploring a different passion from what I’ve spent the last four years doing.

First of all, one way or another I will begin pursuing a degree in graphic design this fall at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. This tops the list of exciting changes as I see it. Since getting involved with journalism in high school I’ve been particularly interested in design and page layout. That interest intensified in college, and in the last couple of years has become the duty that I most enjoy about the work I’ve been doing. So, thanks in large part of Melissa’s urging and the support from everyone else around me, I’ll be seeking to get a formal education in the field and pursue that passion in full. 

I’d certainly prefer to take as much of the program as possible in person, but that may all depend on my employment status. Ideally, I’d find a well-paying part-time job with health insurance that allows me the flexibility to take classes in person. And while I’m still in the running for one such job, I’ve still got to look at working full-time and just taking classes on-line as a very real option. On-line is less desirable than in-person, but having gained some insight from RMCAD as to the way the on-line courses are conducted, I think they’ll still provide for a very thorough learning experience in the field.

Exciting as well is finding a job - full or part-time - right now that allows me to be involved with some I am very passionate about. I’ve had interviews lately with a running store in Boulder, for a PR job with an architecture firm in Denver and have some other feelers out there in all sorts of industries and roles. When deciding what jobs to apply for, I’ve had one criteria: it must excite me. I’m not looking at jobs that only involve the skills I’ve gained or that are in fields related to what I’ve spent the last fours years doing. If it’s seemed exciting after reading through the job description once, I’m finding a way to sell myself in that role. And I’ll tell you what, it’s led to having some of the most fun I’ve ever had while writing cover letters :)

So, yeah, the times are a-changin’, but I’m taking the reins of the clock’s hands.