4 posts tagged “me”

Just wanted to show off the interview I did with Anne Zelenka (disclosure: she's on EBSQ's advisory board) for Web Work Daily:

http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/10/25/from-the-field-amie-gillingham/

Thanks, Anne!

Some of you may know that last week I took my first "vacation" in close to two years. It was a working vacation, to be sure, since a web worker's work is never done. The only problem was that it was darn near impossible to work because the advertised high speed wi-fi at the house we rented in Deep Creek, MD in a word, sucked. Most days I couldn't get a stable connection past 5pm to work remotely, and as the evening went on, I could barely snag any kind of connection at all. So. My computer time was spent trying to get some semblance of work done and my birthday (on Wednesday, September 19) came and went with me being unable to really comment on it beyond an odd "tweet" here and there.

So--I wrote my blog post that I would have written here that day on a piece of paper, and I am going to transcribe the thing now:

Rumour has it, I am now in my 36th year.  Now, instead of the usual bit of nostalgia one expects from birthday posts, I have decided to use my birthday as my own New Year's Day and have come up with a list of 36 things I'd like to accomplish in my 36th year. Some are work related, some are personal. Some are silly. Some are things to do around the house. But since I am a sucker for lists, I am documenting this for posterity, and I'll let you know how much of this stuff I actually manage to do when September 2008 rolls around.

1. talk like a pirate (this is a no brainer and already complete since my birthday falls on the strangely popular "talk like a pirate day" that just won't seem to go away)
2. buy a better camera--because flickr has inspired me to become a better photographer.
3. take my kids hiking (actually did this on the 18th at Swallow Falls State Park which means I still need to do this again before next year)
4. Find investors for EBSQ. Any interest? Drop me a line and let's talk!
5. do more yoga. because one can never do too much yoga. at least, I don't think so!
6. replace our storm doors before winter.
7. remove the heinous ivy wallpaper in the kitchen and re-paint the kitchen.
8. do a second EBSQ book project (our first one will be ready to pre-order soon! woot!)
9. use less energy.
10. go to SXSW (fingers crossed)
11. go to Gnomedex (again with fingers crossed)
12. take my kids to the beach--this was supposed to happen this year, but we ended up going to the mountains instead.
13. take my kids kayaking.
14. launch EBSQ 3.0 (because this goal is 2 years overdue)
15. eat more local food. we've made a start, but I know we can do better.
16. cook more often. I used to cook all the time, but we've fallen into the "we have kids now" rut. I know we can do better.
17. 10 new paintings. at least. I spend my days helping other people make a living with their art and here I am with no perceived time left to do my own. I miss my easel. And my paints. This needs to be rectified!
18. pay off at least 50% of our debt.
19. get a new bike. I haven't had my own bike since college, and I sold that one to pay off a credit card bill. I miss having a bike, damnit.
20. save more money. hopefully this is doable since I both want to pay off debt and make home improvements this year!
21. read 52 books. yup, that's one a week for the next year. I'll do my best to blog my reading.
22. get more organized.
23. spend more time with my kids. Yeah, I work at home. Yeah, they're in the next room. But I am a bit of a work-a-holic and don't give them as much quality time as they deserve.
24. go on a date with Bill. Bill and I haven't been out alone since Liam was in the NICU last year. And grabbing dinner on the way home from the hospital en route to pick up Abbey at my mom's house doesn't exactly count as a "date." Surely we'll be able to manage one in the next year, lol.
25. learn to knit. this has been on my list for a while. I think this needs to happen ASAP.
26. get better at my job because my customers deserve better.
27. take my kids on a train ride (this one is already done and I'll blog it in a separate post)
28. make a few dolls (because Gwen really inspired me)
29. go to the zoo (because I love the Pittsburgh Zoo in the fall)
30. take the kids to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. We've had a family membership for 2 years and in that time we've been there once.
31. drink more water. Because hey, this is always a worthy goal :) 
32. shop less. (easier said than done. damn you internet shopping making this too easy!)
33. go for more walks. I used to walk so much more when I was living in Pittsburgh proper. I miss it.
34. new curtains/blinds for the house. because I am SO over the ones that came with the house. They're hideous and need to go!
35. make my mother watch Casablanca. Or Sunset Blvd. Or both. How can she have not seen either of these??
36. get more sleep. Easier said than done with two small children, but I will do what I can to make this happen!

Wish me luck, eh? And if you see me slacking on any of these, give me a nudge in the right direction!

Quality Control and Shipping
Originally uploaded by spreadshirt_usa

I was lucky to get a second tour of the new Spreadshirt production facility here in Greensburg, this time for the offical "Grand Opening." It was neat to be included in the list of invitees which included a very giddy Congressman Tim Murphy who confided that he used to play in a rock band that was a little folksy, a little bluegrassy, and definitely influenced by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young when asked if he was "a t-shirt guy." My first visit was, I believe, literally the first week they had moved to this location, so things were a little threadbare (no pun intended!) so it was great seeing the place alive today and full of fantastic tshirts. I hadn't really thought about it in this way before, but it was brought up that the internet has actually revolutionized manufacturing, and innovative companies like Spreadshirt are bringing jobs back to traditional manufacturing areas like Pittsburgh. Considering Pittsburgh is also a great mecca for tech and art, this is such a match made in heaven. Given the kind of operation Spreadshirt is, they could have literally been located anywhere globally (and I do believe they also have production facilities in both Germany & Poland) so we are definitely lucky to have them here.

(Can you find me in this picture? I'm standing between Spreadshirt Global CEO Janna Eggers and US Congressman Tim Murphy with the blue cardigan hoodie and the disproportionally large bag that I will never admit is actually a diaper bag. Nope.)

39+ weeks

When did you first realize that you were ___________? Was it a positive or negative experience?

Question submitted by George.

When did I first realize I was pregnant? November 9, when looking in the mirror getting ready for an evening yoga class. I just knew. Was it a positive or negative experience? I'll let you all know in a day or so since that part of my life is shortly coming to an end and we get on with learning to be parents of two.

::boggles::