good things come in huge waves.

my original plan for my last semester was to work, work, work so that i could save enough money for my trip beginning in january 2009. i started looking for jobs way before summer even ended, mostly in the restaurant sector because i thought i could rack up in tips. unfortunately, a lot of places in the claremont village want somebody more long-term (than just a couple of months) and somebody with more fine dining experience (i have about a total of 4 of the 24 months under my belt). at one point, i accepted my defeat and promised myself that i would only focus on school for the rest of this semester and not let the whole no job thing get to me.

and then...in the span of two weeks, i went from jobless (except for DOS activities, but it hardly counts as a job because it's so fun and the hours are very sparse) to more opportunities thrown at me than i can handle. 

1. i ran into prof. benjamin who mentioned that he wants me to do more media-related stuff for him after fall break (i had worked on his press kits during the end of last semester and some over the summer).
2. kevin mapp (the school photographer) said that he's looking into letting me edit together the study abroad video.
3. the girl who i'll be collaborating with for a documentary about east african arts said she found funding for me (so i'll be paid, yes!)
   
4. i had a two-hour interview/chat session with a local filmmaker and her friends tonight about projects i can work on for this semester. some of them sounded really interesting, and hopefully i'll get decent pay, but i'm not very experienced. if i were hired, she's going to let me get my feet wet in all areas, but i will probably edit under this guy. i actually worked for her step-daughter in texas this past summer. it's crazy how small the world is! you really get help from connections.
5. i have an interview next tuesday for cloud 9, which is a paper shoppe in the village. this is the least relevant job to my field, but i love paper! it might sound crazy, but i actually design cards and other goodies so i have a stock of cute paper supplies for my crafts. i'm not that great, but i like to dabble in things. i really believe that now is the time for me to have odd jobs so that i can see how things are done.

i should not forget that i still have school going on though. i still have a thesis to finish. i still have my independent study project, which remains untouched. and i only have a little over two months left in claremont. i can't believe how fast time is whizzing by!