I think it is time to either close it for good or keep it within my grasp for something else. Not 100% sure at the moment, but I do know that I will no longer be posting on this website. Thank you to all those who have visited, linked, commented, and followed this blog up until this point.

For those I’m a currently hosting…no worries, I will not be giving up the urbanroxy.com name!

I will definitely be opening another blog, more suited to where my life is going at the moment. I’ll be sure to update this post with the new link once everything is up and running, so stayed tuned for that.

Once again, thank you!

Well for starters I’m typing this out on my new iPad, that I’m totally in love with, with the word press app I just downloaded. Super easy to use and I have a lot of ideas to utilize this little invention. For one thing, I finally bought one of the many cameras I’ve been dying to have, that being the Nikon D90. So I’m really getting into the photography world and actually have a few
Photo shoots lined up, including a wedding! I think with the iPad it would very useful and sleek looking to show potential clients my work through here quickly, rather then your everyday laptop. I have the same idea for my web design clients too.

In life related news I was hired as a graphic designer for a nursing clothing line called Motherwear. I really love it and it’s a refreshing change from all of my past web design related jobs. There I create their seasonal catalog, edit their garment images for both print and web, help with marketing, and in a few weeks, will be assisting with the photo shoot for the summer line. It’s a very fun job indeed!

Well, I would write more but I’m being beckoned, so this is what I will leave you with until next time. Have a Happy Easter everyone!

I’ve been pretty busy this past month to be honest, packing and throwing away things have taken a major part of my time, but I’ve also been designing and coding like crazy. Yea, where are the fruits of that labor for this poor site, huh? Ah well, at some point I’ll redesign this site with my own design, but just not right now.

Like I mentioned a few posts back, I’m creating a multimedia company. That’s basically what I have been working on this whole time. I wanted to build my portfolio and have been taking a few clients here and there. So far, I have a really good thing going on with it and am actually happy that it’s all going in the right direction. If you’re wondering, the website is RoxehMedia.com, but it’s of course under construction. I’m looking to have the grand opening around the middle or end of January 2010, so wish me luck.

Another website taking up some of my time has been Twitter believe it or not. Micro-blogging is so much easier! If you guys have a Twitter account, be sure to follow me. I’ll follow back! =)

Well, its back to designing and coding for me. Thanks for all the comments and good luck wishes, very much appreciated! I’ll be sure to comment back as soon as I can.

I cannot wait! Although I hate the cold and it might take a long while before I get used it again (not that I ever was…brrr), but I can’t wait! I have it planned to stay there for a few more months, figured it would be the smarter route to take for the time being. I know for a fact it won’t play out like it did here in FL where we said we would leave and ended up here for 6 years, MA isn’t all that great…lol.

I’ve also been looking over LA (Los Angeles) for a while as well. At first, I thought it might have been a better choice, but in NY I got some family and its only about 1:45 – 2:00 hours from my hometown in MA. So, I would be closer to family…just for a little bit. Probably get my feet wet in NY and then take it to the big-time in LA. How’s that sound?

Well it’s late and I’m tired…so goodnight world!

1. Update my portfolio: Yep, I definitely need to finish this, I’ve been putting it on hold for far too long and I know that when I move, I will need it more then ever and I just can’t have it looking a hot mess as it does now.
2. Come up with a set structure for my new productions company: I already have the name(s) and domains. I just want to create a set logo and foundation for my company before getting too heavy into legal issues and what not. I’m always coming up with new plans for it and I just need to sit down and put what comes first, first!
3. Start music project: I have this music project that I’ve talked over with two close friends that I would like to get going here in Orlando before I go. I feel like it would be very beneficial to musicians locally in the Central Florida area. If things go as planned, I’m thinking of expanding it nation-wide, of course I’m getting ahead of myself here, but sometimes you gotta look at it in the long run.
4. Keep up with contacts here: Oddly enough, I’ve been bumping into a lot of people here who have the same passion or are already in the film making business that I know in the future would be a wonderful contact to have. Its a shame that I had to meet them a month before I was going to leave! Ah well, that’s what Facebook and Twitter are good for.
5. Lastly, new design for Urbanroxy.com: God knows I have been trying to get this done for quite some time now and one day I will accomplish this one simple goal…I just don’t know when exactly. ٩(×̯×)۶

I know with a level headed mind and some good ole patience, I can and will do it!

Oh, before I forget…I’ve been addicted to this free gaming site I found on an online buddy’s website. Its called OMGPOP! and is hella fun! Not only are the games free (and free to sign up), but you get to play with people from all over the world. It makes playing the games that much better! Check it out today!

I was just thinking to myself that I really need to update this site more. It’s looking a hot mess right now. Every time I do make a new layout, I get sick of it right away and trash before it even becomes live. Its becoming a bad habit. I’m just not satisfied with my designs for this site. Anyways, hopefully in the future, I’ll have a design that’s worth putting up instead of these crappy themes I keep stumbling upon.

In other news, I bought another domain and will be creating a “network” of sorts with it. I’m thinking design & hosting, that will be a part of this network. Sounds exciting in my head! I’ve already made a logo (that I can’t wait to see on a business card!) and am currently creating layouts for both projects. When I have a more solid foundation of the two projects, I’ll let you all know more about it.

Go back to school: A personal goal I set for myself and so far have 95% completed. I have already paid the application fee and just need to send send proof of my residence! After that, I need to take the CPT (college placement test) and register for classes for the fall! If you’re wondering, I will be attending Valencia Community College. It’s cheap, an excellent school, and exactly what I need to raise my GPA!

Get a job: I’ve been applying EVERYWHERE like crazy! For now, I’m not too worried where I work, but I have been avoiding anything that has to do with food. Since I’ll be starting school in the fall, I’m not to hell bent on getting a full-time position. Of course, if the opportunity presents itself and is well worth it, I’ll go for it.

Start a business: For a while now I have been trying to start my own web design business. It’s a little dream of mine to actually have one huge multimedia company, but I need to start somewhere. Web design of course was the first thing in mind. Currently I have a few friends who I know I can trust to help me and have some excellent skills in their own respected fields, I just need to know where to start. I’m actually starting to research of all this now and hope to maybe have something going by the end of the year. Wish me luck!

Move out: This has been a great topic for posts on my blog for a while now. I always say I’m going to move out, but something always ends up happening that hinders that idea. I NEED to move out and asap! I just need the finical stability to do so…and possibly a roommate or two. Hopefully when I get a new job, I can work towards this goal.

For now, these are my major goals for 2009 and I really hope that I will be able to fulfill them before the year ends. I just need patients, smarts, and a whole lot of luck!

PS: I was tagged by LingLingfor the “What’s in My Bag?” game. I currently don’t use a purse/bag and just happily have a Chanel wallet with everything I need inside. My cellphone has a pocket case that fits on the side of my belt buckle or pant pocket and I usually hold my keys or attach them to my belt loop. So, not much need for a purse, unless of course it’s that time of the month or I’m going somewhere fancy.

I totally fail at this game!

I’m pretty sure the number is still high up there, but I feel the fad of instant messaging is dying out as the wave of blogging, Twittering, and sites like Skype are all the rage now.

Maybe it’s just me (and please tell me if it is), but AIM and MSN just aren’t the same as they were before. I remember when I used to have about 5 different screen names for AIM. I had over 200+ contacts that I didn’t really know, nor needed to ever talk to, but had them nevertheless. My MSN account wasn’t too far behind either, but at least with this account I could actually set my setting to “offline” and still be able to talk with people.

Now-a-days, I rarely use AIM or MSN! When I do, it’s because a friend of mine asks me to or I’m just hella bored and wanna see if anyone who I used to talk to on a daily basis is on, which they rarely are.
Also if my current job uses it, well I have to jump on that band wagon!

So tell me, do you still instant message? If so, who are you talking to (ie: online friends, family…etc.) why do you like it, and which client are you using?

So for the past month and a half…a lot has happened! I lost my job, am struggling to pay my bills, signed up for college, am helping my aunt in Tallahassee with this business “project” she has, got offered a teaching position at the old tech school I went, and my sister and her family are coming down to our house for summer break! I’ll break each one of those down below:

Lost My Job: Yup, it’s true! The one thing that just needed to screw me over…my job! As some of you know, I was working as a web designer for a small Internet marketing and “web design” firm.

I was really excited when I got a call for an interview (or was it an email?). When in the interview though, one of the many questions that the boss asked me should have had me running for the hills!

“Can you design websites like this?” Basically he showed me a nice SIMPLE design created by their EX-web designer. Me being in need of a job BADLY, said yes of course! Not realizing the underlining question he was really asking, which was:

“Can you be a clone of our LAST designer?” If I had known then that was the real question, I probably would have answered with a “No sir, no designer is always the same.”

Through out my whole 4 or 5 months there, a day could not pass without them talking about the ex-designer. Of course I played it off saying it didn’t bother me, but it did. How would you feel if that happened to you on a daily basis?

Anyways, I created the layouts to how THEY wanted it. I had no creative freedom, although once or twice, the boss scolded me telling me that “he’s not the designer, that’s what I’m here for”. Then why the crap are you asking to see the design and go over it and make changes to how YOU see fit? Don’t get me wrong, I know a second opinion or eye to make sure everything fits the bill is fine, but in the end they always ended up designing it themselves and believe me, it wasn’t anything special. VERY simple…usually two colors max and usually the same “layout” as other designs they have made.

I’m not trying to complain, but it was very frustrating at times to work for them and then at the end of the December…they “laid me off”. They didn’t “fire” me (that’s what they said). They said I was doing great and fine during the beginning, but slowly was going down hill. That comment was probably because of the two or three clients who weren’t statisfied with anything, but that was all my fault! They even started to give side work to their EX-designer who they loved and worshiped. Saying “he just gets it”, gets what?!

For one thing, the guy codes in nothing but tables, his coding was horribly messy (I could never find ANYTHING and would always just re-do it from scratch, which took more time). Even his Photoshop layers were in a complete mess. I ALWAYS had to re-do the layout and copy it to the best of my ability, but did the job see that? Of course not!

I created more on spot designs then ones who needed 5 -6 samples and never chose one (even though 4 out those samples would be practically designed by the boss and team), but hey who’s counting?

As people, they’re not horrible, they gave me an extra check that I didn’t work for, because they felt bad, and were sometimes good listeners to problems I had (not that I said much), but overall as a company, I was a little disappointed.

I will talk about the other topics I mentioned above in another blog post. Gives me more to blog about!

Ahh…good times I say! XD