8/21/2012 - An awesome day at work: Orchard St.

I may have to cover this day in more than one post.

First of all, I'll start with the first thing I discovered that day. An orchard street. There were little trees all along the sidewalk, and not the kind you can barely reach up to, little ones about 5' tall! The fruit was incredible though, and they are obviously well cared for by the community. There were mostly apple trees, with one plum tree that arcs over the sidewalk. One tree had apples the size of my fist. And those plums - they were amazing. I tried two of them and had to stop myself from picking more. Even slightly green, they were quite juicy and sweet. Many of the apples were covered with Peds (pantyhose socks), as an organic way of keeping the worms and bugs off them. In my "areas I've covered" notes, I call this place "Fruit Street".

Small but mighty in flavor!

Fist shown for size comparison.

8/19/2012 - Let it be :)

While soliciting, I saw something I've never seen before.

That something was a dragonfly, sitting right on someone's door.

It sat there, nature's best home decor,

right above the lock.

I didn't want to hurt it or disturb it

so I didn't dare knock.

 Of course, I've seen dragonflies many times before, and photographed them too, but I've never beforeseen one on a door like this. It must appreciate the natural wood look :)

8/18/2012 - A light MAC makeover before work

     After taking the light rail to the very last station, I decided to check out the nearby Nordstrom upstairs. I mean, the only bus that takes me uptown wouldn't be around for at least 20 mins, so why not? Option A. wait around bored like I did on the first day when I was such a noob I didn't even realize that there WAS a shopping center just above me, or Option B. go upstairs and enjoy myself a little before work. Option B, of course!

     I headed for the makeup counter and began looking over the gemmy little samples of MAC eyeshadows. Then I tried something I don't usually do: I asked to try one of them on. For some reason I've never done this before, I think I used to be grossed out by the fact that they've usually been used at least once (when *do* they put out fresh new samples, anyway?). Also, I often felt like I'd be pressured into buying one, and then I'd be embarrassed if I didn't. 

"Sweet & Sour"

     I was pleasantly surprised to see that she didn't really pressure me at all, and not only did she put on the eyeshadow, she also complemented it with mascara, a little bit of black eyeliner, and a light coating of foundation. The results were very flattering without being over the top. The eyeshadow is $28, which unfortunately is out of my budget. I wish I could buy one, but right now I gotta save money for my family and maybe some small treat for myself. Maybe someday...you know, when I'm a famous writer/photographer/professor or something...unless someone would like to buy it for me? :)

     Anyway, it gave me that little extra bit of confidence that day when it came time for another round of door-knocking. It's almost silly, but it's amazing how much of a pick-me-up that was. The brushes she used were really high quality and soft, and somehow it feels different when someone else is putting on your makeup for you. (I couldn't help briefly thinking if men realized that trying on eyeshadow is a good way to have a decent looking lady pamper them for a few minutes, eyeshadow would really make a comeback for dudes.) There are plenty of days I go out with as much makeup as a 12 year old boy, but some days, a little war-paint can help with a mission, lol.

Oh, and one of the houses I knocked at had a young contractor working to refurbish it for the next owner/renter, and he actually crossed the street, (after I was finished with that side of the street), gave me his card and said "Normally I don't do this, but you're really cute, here's my card with my number if you ever want to call".

8/14/2012 Day 2 on the job - Hoarder House!

     In my second day on the job I did pretty well and got two leads, one for a guy who wanted some trim painted on his house, and another lady who wanted a wall repainted, as well as the bathroom ceiling. She even invited me in to take a look at it, and her dog was one of the few that didn't want to kill me! The wall she wanted redone was a sort of denim blue color, and she wondered why she'd ever painted it that color. Personally, I didn't think it looked so bad, but it could look kinda dull during the colder months I guess. She wanted it back to white.

However, I also found something else that day, something most of us don't see outside of a TV show. Yes, it was a Hoarder House! And boy could it ever use the services I was offering. So, hoping for yet another possible bonus, I knocked at the door. Nobody answered, but there was (and still is) a window open there. It wasn't til this week that I realized that that house is unoccupied, being kept there for hoarding purposes. The flyer I tucked in the door is STILL there, just as I left it! Sad thing is, it's a rather charming, large home. 

Note the milkcrate sticking out of the upstairs window.

Someone wrote "Love You" on the glass.

The flyer is STILL the same as I left it.

Those downstairs rooms are filled to the top with junk.

Buddhist prayer flag.

Interestingly, they still have a satellite dish

     So, last week, after being broke all summer, I was finally lucky enough to land a temp job from an ad on Craigslist.

It's a 2-3 hour bus-train-bus commute, but to me, the adventure (and the resulting cash) is worth it. And, at least it's respectable work, which is a pretty good thing considering the amount of scams/sleazy offers for females on Craiglist.

One of the neat things about this job is that it takes me to a rather interesting yet safe neighbourhood, so I've been thinking that maybe it's worth blogging about. I don't intend to just have it be about my current job though, eventually I'll post about my next job, school life, and just random hobbies and photography.

I wasn't really sure what to name this blog. My first thought was "Trail Mix" but that's been taken many times over. Then I thought of "The Crayon Box", "From Crayons to Perfume", but those are already taken as well. So, readers, if you have any other good ideas for blog names, feel free to post them in the comments. 

My first day on the job, I went to meet my new boss at a N. Seattle cafe. Perhaps the most difficult thing about this was finding the place! As usual, I relied on Google Maps, which before had never failed me, but this time it was a little confusing regarding the buses to take. It provided more of a rough guideline this time, so I ended up being nearly 2 hours late! 

Luckily, I was still able to get the interview, and now I go from door-to-door in the North Seattle suburbs with flyers from AV Painting. It's a small business started by a guy not much older than myself, and I pretty much get to choose which days I work, it's fairly flexible. I get a bonus from every lead that pans out. It's not always easy, and the commute is huge, but getting leads is rewarding and luckily I enjoy the sightseeing and panoramic views from the train :) 

My very first lead that day was from a lady who wanted her laundry room painted.

To give you an idea of the type of community I'm traveling to, they have cafes, but so far it seems there's not a BK, McD's, or Church's chicken/KFC in sight. The farthest they go with fast food is Subway. Pros: It's classy and encourages better eating. Cons: Lunch/snack costs really add up!

This is a pic from an actual street there. Yup, it's that kind of neighborhood...