Not make-up related: news!

I'm really, really exited because I've found a new job! It's a small business with great products, I'm not taking a paycut and the hours are just as good, if not better because I'm a casual again (instead of being part-time). What has me personally relieved is that there is no uniform and the dress code is smart-casual. So I'll be able to wear coloured polish and eye makeup again! I can feel myself relaxing already! I'm giving my two weeks notice at my current job tomorrow, and by the time uni starts I will have finished there and be finishing my initial probation at the new job. You can expect to see a LOT more NotDs and EotDs from me now, and maybe even some more jewelry making (since I have to get my study ready for the semester, I might be able to set myself up a craft station as well).

It's sad how customers can ruin a job for you. I think if the company itself hadn't been so ridiculously strict on some things I could have handled that particular stress a little more easily... vice versa, maybe if we didn't have such a high percentage of rude/demanding customers, it might have left me with more head-space to shrug off management issues I had problems with. But things being what they were, I decided that having the mental capacity to concentrate on graduating at the end of the year was more important than trying to stick it out at a job that was increasingly stressing me out.

My boyfriend has been wonderfully supportive through my decision-making process. I have to stay I'm glad it happened now rather than 6-7 months ago when I was still at home, as my parents were really skeptical about me leaving such a "good" job (and I am still very much concerned with their approval :/). They are an extremely generous company to both staff and customers, don't get me wrong, but... No amount of training sessions or discounts or free product is enough for me to pander to customers being rude and demanding! You don't get to walk all over me because you 'contribute' to my paycheck. That is NOT how it works for me and since that seemed to be how my workplace did it, I felt it was time to find an employer who was a better fit for my personality and my beliefs. That it happened so quickly, and with a company who sells product I am actually passionate about is a huge blessing. When I say quickly, I mean I dropped my resume there on a Tuesday morning, received a phone call from them Tuesday afternoon, had the interview on Friday and am starting Monday (tomorrow!) It was amazing and ridiculous and I'm really nervous but also happy. I am going to miss the amazing co-workers from my old job, but if I put aside all my money worries and my anxiety about learning new things, I know I will be much better off with this new job.

Just so this isn't a wall of text, here's the Australis flaky over a taupe franken!

MORE FUN NAIL TIMES TO COME.

P.S. Check out my rant/essay on customer service at my other blog, where there will be more book and comic book reviews soon. /plugplug

Felicia-ah!

I am so very stoked right now!

Fact: I live in Perth, Australia. The big smoke of WA, we are really not a tourist capital. There's not an awful lot to see, or do. You either live here, or you're... not here. Holiday location, it ain't.

That is why firstly I was excited 2 years ago when Supanova, Australia's biggest science fiction and pop culture convention, annouced that they were coming to Perth! Previously you'd have had to truck all the way over to Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney to attend, which can cost a surprising amount. The first Perth Supanova was flooded with eager participants, and they didn't disappoint us with guests, either. Jewel Staite (best known from Firefly, Serenity and Stargate Atlantis! I got my Serenity comic signed) came! To everyone's great joy, Supanova announced that because of the great fan reception, they'd be returning every year. Last year I was away and much to my chagrin, didn't get to go. This year I was greatly saddened to hear that James Marsters (Buffy, Angel, Torchwood, Ghost of the Robot and solo artist) was only making an appearance at Brisbane and Melborne AND was holding a concert there as well! I'd just started complaining (on Facebook) that Perth never gets anything good, when I clicked on the Perth/Sydney guest list, and there she was.

FELICIA DAY!

If you don't know Felicia... well, I suppose that's understandable. She hasn't made too much of a splash on TV or in the movies. She guest-starred on Buffy, House, and Lie to Me and according to online rumours, she's just finished shooting a movie, Red (I say 'online rumours' because she's been posting about it on Facebook, but there isn't any info on IMDB right now). How I know of Felicia is from her internet-based creative endeavors.

Felicia not only wrote the supremely popular and critically acclaimed webseries The Guild, but she directs and stars in it as well! The initially very low-budget series gained attention rapidly, eventually partnering with Microsoft, and spawned t-shirts, DVD versions and a recent comic series, written of course by Felicia. I hope to get my hands on it soon, but I'm not sure if it's come over to Aus yet.

Fans of cult-hit director Joss Whedon will know Felicia from another internet hit: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, in which she play's the main character's love interest. Dr. Horrible also has a DVD version, a stand-alone comic, and a promised sequel (which is taking SO LONG to do... all of the main characters are busy with other shows, but C'MON Joss!)

I just think Felicia is amazing: brilliant writer, fantastic actress, great singing voice. All-around creative genius! She absolutely inspires me with the staggering range she has, the fact that what was basically a side-hobby spawned an entire career, and she's still so down-to-earth and likes normal things, like gaming and coffee and animals.

She's proof that talent and determination can still get you places in life, despite this "it's not what you know, but who you know" mantra that the media industry (and society, really) has going at the moment. I mean, yes, her connections with the guys in The Guild and with Joss Whedon from Buffy have helped her in the industry, but they are also really cool, professional people. Skills, work ethics and a desire to reach people still have meaning, and I find that really encouraging.

Off to figure out how to make a Captain Hammer-type groupie shirt with Felicia's face on it.
Until next we meet,
Jade.