So today was my last day working at Paper Source on Fillmore. It's been a long, awesome ride in which I've made tons of friends, some great connections, and figured out about my passion for customer service and wedding invitations.
I'm not 100% done, as I might still come back to run some of the workshops for Fillmore (especially the wedding invitation one!) but I'll no longer be a regular employee. It's a bit sad, as it's been a major constant for the past two years of my life. Granted, I've recently only been there one day a week, but the customer interaction and such awesome frickin' coworkers-turned friends kept me coming back even though I've been doing 30+ hours a week at Minted.
I will be stopping by on occasion to hang out at the Source, buy my microns there, and keep updated on all the work gossip. I'm glad I'm still friends with Sourcers, both present and past, and that makes me happy, so I'm not too torn up about leaving.
Anyway, my last weekday at Minted will be this Friday (I'll be on Saturdays through December, and might stay on as a contractor for kicks) so it's really starting to hit me that I have to get my shit together for Little Yeti. And finish my finals for school. And deal with the distraction of Wrath of the Litch King. But now my livelihood (and Eve's, in a way) depends on Little Yeti. A special thanks goes out to my partner of my life who is ever encouraging and supporting of my huge leap of faith. Aishteruyo, bu-chan, and honto ni arigatou.
Well, time to get back to work and the beginning of a new chapter in my life.
Gotta do it with a "DON!"
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Lazy blog
Apparently, due to the typealyzer (credits to Mitchbo), this blog belongs to a Myers-Brigg type:
ISTP - The Mechanics
The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.
The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.
Sounds pretty close huh?Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Biggest Adventure EVER
So I'm about to undertake one of the largest adventures of my life. Ever.
I'm not traversing through the jungle, or climbing Everest. Instead, I'm quitting my jobs and starting up a business.
So I have no money saved up. I'll get a little from my art school loans, but that's pretty much almost enough to pay my bills each month. I have $300 in start-up funds, and that's going to have to go the distance.
My website isn't up yet (I haven't even settled on a domain name), I have maybe 27% of the products done, and I've decided that come December, I will be solely employed by myself (although I will be at Minted one day a week for three weeks to help train my replacement).
However, I have faith in myself and my product...well, mainly in a way, that product is me and my expertise. Nothing is super finalized yet, but I've given both Minted.com and Paper Source my notice, and am on my way out the door.
Shitty economy? Check. No savings? Check. Deciding to risk my livelihood on my wit, skills, and fearlessness? Check. Complete confidence in myself? Check. No one ever accused me of having a small ego.
Many thanks to everyone at both jobs - I'm still going to stay in touch, and an especially large thanks to everyone who is currently on my advisory committee, and a huge ass giant fucking thank you to Eve for supporting my "reckless abandon" and even encouraging me to do so, which is especially gutsy as we share rent payments and a bank account.
And so you heard it here first: The first month my website is up, I'll do 10 orders easily. Here we go!
I'm not traversing through the jungle, or climbing Everest. Instead, I'm quitting my jobs and starting up a business.
So I have no money saved up. I'll get a little from my art school loans, but that's pretty much almost enough to pay my bills each month. I have $300 in start-up funds, and that's going to have to go the distance.
My website isn't up yet (I haven't even settled on a domain name), I have maybe 27% of the products done, and I've decided that come December, I will be solely employed by myself (although I will be at Minted one day a week for three weeks to help train my replacement).
However, I have faith in myself and my product...well, mainly in a way, that product is me and my expertise. Nothing is super finalized yet, but I've given both Minted.com and Paper Source my notice, and am on my way out the door.
Shitty economy? Check. No savings? Check. Deciding to risk my livelihood on my wit, skills, and fearlessness? Check. Complete confidence in myself? Check. No one ever accused me of having a small ego.
Many thanks to everyone at both jobs - I'm still going to stay in touch, and an especially large thanks to everyone who is currently on my advisory committee, and a huge ass giant fucking thank you to Eve for supporting my "reckless abandon" and even encouraging me to do so, which is especially gutsy as we share rent payments and a bank account.
And so you heard it here first: The first month my website is up, I'll do 10 orders easily. Here we go!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Logo design sketches
Which ones do you like? Which ones do you dislike? Any feedback either way helps, even if it's "they all look like crap." Which ones catch your eye first? Which ones would you remember?
Friday, November 7, 2008
Post-November 4th
I am amazed and filled with conflicting emotions. In a country that can get over their institutionalized racism and elect a half-black man to the greatest position in the country, anti-queer legislature was passed all around.
And California, I am so disappointed in you. While you did the right thing by livestock and animals raised for food, you went and stole the rights from a group of people. I've gotten over my anger and frustration and now just feel sad for those that voted yes on 8. You must be so scared of something - your own insecurity, sexuality, the idea of something different - that you would go as far as to outlaw something that made you uncomfortable.
Additionally, Prop K failed in SF, once again proving that sex workers are seen as less than human and undeserving of protection. Prop V passed, once again allowing military recruiters into our public school systems. Prop H failed, a resounding defeat for the environment.
Sigh. But, there is much to be grateful for. Prop 4 went down, safeguarding teen mother's right to choose. Prop 1A passed, which will help unify the state and create tons of jobs as well as get some cars off the road. Prop 7 and 10 failed - poorly written energy bills that deserved to fail. And of course, the Democratic victories in both the Senate and the House. And we can't forget Obama's victory - a turning point in history. As Eve and I watched his victory speech, I couldn't help but feel inspired and hopeful for our country.
But this joyful exhuberance of Obama mania is tempered by the fact that I don't agree with all of his policies. He does compromise, and whether or not it helps him get more things done, I still mourn the sacrifices that he makes. But his leadership is something remarkable - he is a man that can inspire hope in a broken country, that can make people question the status quo and to push people to give more of themselves to help others who aren't as fortunate. Even if this is not the revolution I've dreamt of - with the government toppling and a community raising up - this is definitely a revolution.
But with that, we cannot become complacent. Racism still exists. Sexism still exists. Homophobia, lookism, ableism, hatred, and violence all still exist and are alive and well in America. Yes, this is a victory to be celebrated, but for all those that want to protect everyone regardless of their place in society, our work is not yet over. And so we can look forward to continuing on the work that we do, the struggles that we face- but this time we can do knowing that we have a leader who is willing to listen and wants the same thing that we want: change.
And California, I am so disappointed in you. While you did the right thing by livestock and animals raised for food, you went and stole the rights from a group of people. I've gotten over my anger and frustration and now just feel sad for those that voted yes on 8. You must be so scared of something - your own insecurity, sexuality, the idea of something different - that you would go as far as to outlaw something that made you uncomfortable.
Additionally, Prop K failed in SF, once again proving that sex workers are seen as less than human and undeserving of protection. Prop V passed, once again allowing military recruiters into our public school systems. Prop H failed, a resounding defeat for the environment.
Sigh. But, there is much to be grateful for. Prop 4 went down, safeguarding teen mother's right to choose. Prop 1A passed, which will help unify the state and create tons of jobs as well as get some cars off the road. Prop 7 and 10 failed - poorly written energy bills that deserved to fail. And of course, the Democratic victories in both the Senate and the House. And we can't forget Obama's victory - a turning point in history. As Eve and I watched his victory speech, I couldn't help but feel inspired and hopeful for our country.
But this joyful exhuberance of Obama mania is tempered by the fact that I don't agree with all of his policies. He does compromise, and whether or not it helps him get more things done, I still mourn the sacrifices that he makes. But his leadership is something remarkable - he is a man that can inspire hope in a broken country, that can make people question the status quo and to push people to give more of themselves to help others who aren't as fortunate. Even if this is not the revolution I've dreamt of - with the government toppling and a community raising up - this is definitely a revolution.
But with that, we cannot become complacent. Racism still exists. Sexism still exists. Homophobia, lookism, ableism, hatred, and violence all still exist and are alive and well in America. Yes, this is a victory to be celebrated, but for all those that want to protect everyone regardless of their place in society, our work is not yet over. And so we can look forward to continuing on the work that we do, the struggles that we face- but this time we can do knowing that we have a leader who is willing to listen and wants the same thing that we want: change.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
The Rick Kitagawa Voter Guide
So I'm not going to go into all the bazillion different propositions and crap, but I'll outline my stance on the most important ones. And if you're asking, I do read the legal text of most of the propositions, so yeah.
Summary:
SF locals:
B - YES
H - YES
K - YES
T - YES
V - NO
State:
1A - YES
2 - YES
4 - NO
5 - YES
6-NO
7 -NO
8 - NO
So for those San Franciscans reading this - the local propositions:
Prop B - Yes. Raise money for more affordable housing? Hells yes.
Prop H - YES! Despite all the stuff I get from other Asian American groups, I say vote yes. I'm a bit wary about the lack of voter approval of bond issuance, but the proposition doesn't necessarily call for bond issuance. The proposition basically calls for an independent evaluation of the best way to make sure SF is running on renewable energy, as much as fast as possible at THE LOWEST COST. It protects the jobs of PG&E workers if it's cheaper to buy out PG&E, and I don't think the current board of supervisors would be stupid enough to quadruple everyone's energy bills.
Prop K - YES! Protect the sex workers! It still allows for full prosecution of pimps, human traffickers, etc. but allows the sex workers to testify and such without fear of legal repercussions. In a really bad analogy, don't hate the players, hate the game (and those that create it).
Prop T - YES - Don't want druggies sleeping outside your apartment? Help them clean up by providing some substance abuse treatment to help them get their lives on track.
Prop V - NO - Screw the JROTC. Granted, it has it's benefits as a leadership program, but it's a military recruiting program. There are many other better leadership programs in SF that will easily fill the gap.
State props:
1A - God YES! - Come on, a light rail from SF to LA? Why the hell wouldn't you want this? More jobs! Less pollution! Come on!
2 - YES!! - If you don't like those PETA ads cuz they gross you out, then vote for this so they can finally stop showing those things.
4 - NOOOOOO! - This basically will drive pregnant teens to do very dangerous things to try and abort their babies. I'd like to stop hearing stories of girls who have their boyfriends punch them in the stomach to try and abort the baby cuz they can't tell their parents about their pregnancy.
5 - YES! - Let's get nonviolent drug offenders rehabilitated rather than clogging up our prisons and using our tax dollars to put them in a place that won't rehabilitate them as good as a treatment program would.
6 - NO - I'm all for helping out our law enforcement people (unless they're corrupt, shady, abusive scum), but thre's a lot of other crap in here that will just send more people to jail instead of figuring out a way of preventing them from being criminals in the first place. More treatment and prevention, less jails.
7 - No. Total fakester environmental bill. Sounds good, doesn't quite work though.
8 - Vote NO ON HATE. Seriously, if you are my friend and you vote yes on this, I will seriously punch you. And then I won't be your friend anymore because your homophobia overcame your sense of justice.
And if you must know, I'm voting for OBAMA. I like the policy work of Cythia McKinney and Rosa Clemente (the Green candidates), but I've never been as inspired and as hopeful as I have been watching Obama speak. He is the great leader of our generation...you gotta go with Obama all the way.
Summary:
SF locals:
B - YES
H - YES
K - YES
T - YES
V - NO
State:
1A - YES
2 - YES
4 - NO
5 - YES
6-NO
7 -NO
8 - NO
So for those San Franciscans reading this - the local propositions:
Prop B - Yes. Raise money for more affordable housing? Hells yes.
Prop H - YES! Despite all the stuff I get from other Asian American groups, I say vote yes. I'm a bit wary about the lack of voter approval of bond issuance, but the proposition doesn't necessarily call for bond issuance. The proposition basically calls for an independent evaluation of the best way to make sure SF is running on renewable energy, as much as fast as possible at THE LOWEST COST. It protects the jobs of PG&E workers if it's cheaper to buy out PG&E, and I don't think the current board of supervisors would be stupid enough to quadruple everyone's energy bills.
Prop K - YES! Protect the sex workers! It still allows for full prosecution of pimps, human traffickers, etc. but allows the sex workers to testify and such without fear of legal repercussions. In a really bad analogy, don't hate the players, hate the game (and those that create it).
Prop T - YES - Don't want druggies sleeping outside your apartment? Help them clean up by providing some substance abuse treatment to help them get their lives on track.
Prop V - NO - Screw the JROTC. Granted, it has it's benefits as a leadership program, but it's a military recruiting program. There are many other better leadership programs in SF that will easily fill the gap.
State props:
1A - God YES! - Come on, a light rail from SF to LA? Why the hell wouldn't you want this? More jobs! Less pollution! Come on!
2 - YES!! - If you don't like those PETA ads cuz they gross you out, then vote for this so they can finally stop showing those things.
4 - NOOOOOO! - This basically will drive pregnant teens to do very dangerous things to try and abort their babies. I'd like to stop hearing stories of girls who have their boyfriends punch them in the stomach to try and abort the baby cuz they can't tell their parents about their pregnancy.
5 - YES! - Let's get nonviolent drug offenders rehabilitated rather than clogging up our prisons and using our tax dollars to put them in a place that won't rehabilitate them as good as a treatment program would.
6 - NO - I'm all for helping out our law enforcement people (unless they're corrupt, shady, abusive scum), but thre's a lot of other crap in here that will just send more people to jail instead of figuring out a way of preventing them from being criminals in the first place. More treatment and prevention, less jails.
7 - No. Total fakester environmental bill. Sounds good, doesn't quite work though.
8 - Vote NO ON HATE. Seriously, if you are my friend and you vote yes on this, I will seriously punch you. And then I won't be your friend anymore because your homophobia overcame your sense of justice.
And if you must know, I'm voting for OBAMA. I like the policy work of Cythia McKinney and Rosa Clemente (the Green candidates), but I've never been as inspired and as hopeful as I have been watching Obama speak. He is the great leader of our generation...you gotta go with Obama all the way.
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