OCD - Speech Video 2

Well, this is my second speech for my class. I was able to read a lot less this time, so that was some improvement. We were supposed to focus on movement and gestures this time, so that explains the awkward hand flailing! *grin* I took a million shots before this one. I would do one part perfect, and then something would go wrong, so I'd start over. Then, I'd mess up what I usually got right because I'd gone over it too many times. I finally decided to just get through it, no matter what.

THIS is the result, so pardon my little goof ups there at the end. :o}



I must admit, after watching the videos of my classmates - I felt MUCH better about mine. (I know, sounds terrible, but it's true!) I got on this morning and a classmate said it was the best he'd seen so far, so that was a little boost.

I needed it too, I was literally in knots with muscle spasms the entire way home when I finished this. It's weird - I didn't realize how stressed it was making me, until I actually finished.

I'll be SO glad when this class is BEHIND me!

Self Introductory Speech

Well, I tried to stop time completely, but my speech class has begun anyway!

I also tried to convince MANY friend and family members to log in as Sara Bequette and complete my speeches for me, but no one would play along. I think they hate me! LOL

It appears no one likes giving speeches...

At least I'm not alone!

This is my "Self Introductory Speech." I had just posted my autobiography about my family and what-not, so I decided to talk more about work this time. It has nothing to do with having a boring (I mean wonderful) life!

[Edit: My cousin Rachel asked for the autobiography that I mentioned above... I'm posting it below.]

To begin, I turned thirty last January, am a wife, mother of three boys, work full time, and take classes online. (In short... I am tired! hehe) Here are the details:

I began taking online courses at AiO in November of 2007. I am working toward earning a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design. The degree is pivotal in my career growth. I work in the Business Development department in the home office of Western Construction Group. I create the advertisements and project profile layouts for each of our 36 offices nationwide. I also keep our internal intranet and external website up to date. I have worked for Western for over ten years. I hope to create a position such as "Art Director" with my own team of layout designers once I have obtained my degree. We currently pay tens of thousands of dollars each month for an ad agency to do the heavy lifting stuff, so I could definitely save our company money.

I married my husband Matt nearly a year ago on 08-08-2008. We had been together for more than ten long years, so it was about time! Ha! I could not put in the time necessary for my courses without his support. Not to mention all of the money we forked over for a new laptop, software, printer/scanner, and my new pride and joy - a Wacom tablet. We now live in a box on the corner, but at least I'm in school! (Ha... just kidding of course.) We own a house in Warrenton, Missouri - about an hour west of Saint Louis.

The online classroom appealed to me because I am the mother of three boys while working a full-time job. Our boys are ten, five, and three so they certainly keep us on our toes. My commute to work in Saint Louis is one-hour each way, so my time with our boys is already limited. I attempted going to a community college at night when my oldest son was little, but as my family grew - that was out of the question.

My company reimburses us 100% for school as long as the degree applies to your current position. I began researching online art colleges in the fall of 2007. I was thrilled as soon as I found AiO and knew this was the place for me. I had to write up a business proposal and pitch the idea to my boss to cover the cost, but he immediately jumped on board. So, here I am... ready to learn!

PLEASE - Any advise you can offer to make these better or less painful to show to the world, is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Pysanky Puzzle

A Puzzling Drawing

Below is a puzzle I created using PuzzleBee. The image is a still life drawing I did in 2008. If you enjoy this one, please check out my recent entry: Painted Puzzle.

Create your own puzzles at PuzzleBee.com!

Painted Puzzle:

I created a puzzle using an illustration that I recently painted in acrylics. If you like puzzles... Check this out!

Create your own puzzles at PuzzleBee.com!

Cherry-Licious

Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN!

Follow: http://twitter.com/aplusk Ashton Kutcher is trying to beat CNN to 1,000,000 followers! He's Live NOW with Demi here: http://www.ustream.tv/ashton

Lake of Fire

Do you see those letters, uh, floating there?

Yes, if you stand in this spot in the parking garage shown in the photo, the word "DOWN" is just floating there. The sign was designed by an artist who won an award for it, because there are apparently awards for making innovative signage in parking garages.

He created the effect of continuous letters by adjusting the angles for appropriate perspective as they reached walls, just like in those incredible chalk sidewalk drawings that are all over the web.

These sorts of illusions are great when they appear on sidewalks, and probably much less entertaining when you ram straight into the wall of this Wile E. Coyote-inspired parking garage after swerving to avoid the giant DOWN sign that materialized in midair in front of your car.

Dog Tired

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard.

I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head;
he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the
hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep..

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour.

This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is

and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar:

'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep.

Can I come with him tomorrow?'

Polar Bear Plunge

One of the branch managers at our Saint Louis branch, Bill Hohmeier, is taking the Polar Bear Plunge! To raise money for the Special Olympics a bunch of crazy guys are getting together to jump in a local lake in the freezing cold winter weather on February 7th. I have added the widget just to the left if any of you can spare a few dollars for a wonderful cause. Unfortunately times are tough and I can't afford even that right now, so I'm trying to help out by doing the next best thing - Spreading the word!

Here is a personal message from Bill Hohmeier:

"Hi family and friends, hope you can help out. I am part of a small group that will take a plunge into Lake St. Louis on February 7th (rain, snow, ice or sun - I am hoping for sun).

Be a fan of excitement, chills and goodwill: Support my Polar Bear Plunge!

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to donate to me, so please donate now! Many thanks for your support. About the Polar Bear Plunge:
This "unbearable" event is a unique opportunity for individuals, businesses and organizations to support local Special Olympics athletes by jumping, diving or crawling into the sparkling, frigid waters of Missouri. Since its inception 14 years ago, 8,527 Missourians have taken the plunge in lakes across the state, raising $1,853,751. If you're too chicken to make the splash yourself, please be a fan by making a pledge to me!

Thank you for being a fan.

Bill Hohmeier"

He's gonna lose it

Ashton Kutcher took this video with his phone at 7:30 am this morning. He's gonna lose it! haha

Beware: Ashton uses foul language in this video, so don't watch with little one's around!

Pause for Paws

Or, rather "Give Pause for Paws"...

I took my ten thumbnails (See post here.) from my Typography class and began anew. You see, our assignment description actually asked that we design a poster for a cause. I spent a few hours browsing the internet hoping something would jump out and me and get my creative juices flowing. However, I couldn't think of anything. So, I then began focusing on letters that would be interesting bleeding off the page as the assignment required. I decided "G" was a fun one. Then, I ran across my art supply catalog and jumped in designing with the phrase "Gallery of Art." I knew full well that I would have to change it later. Later being today.

I spent another hour or two trying to find causes that began with a "G." I asked suggestions from my parents who thought of Government, Greenhouse Effect, and Matt and I came up with a few others. However, none of them seemed to fit with the fonts and layout designs that I already had set up. I didn't want to have to start completely from scratch. Then, I began looking for causes starting with giving and gold. At some point I came across a link referring to their pet. I immediately thought of Sugar, my adopted dog as a young girl. We adopted Sugar from a shelter called "Pause for Paws." I have always loved that name and decided to tweak it a bit to begin with a "G."

Here's the result of my poster design and thought process (I know, scary stuff... huh?):

This is merely my first draft. I still have a chance to make corrections. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

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Typography

I have just finished my second week in my Typography class. It's going well and I'm enjoying the work so far. These classes always gets more fun as the weeks progress. I have three assignments due each week; first are ten thumbnails coinciding with the particular project speculations, then we have a rough draft of one and a final draft.

Here is my final draft from the first week. It is a couple of words including any serif and sans serif font and labels the anatomy of type.

Instructor Feedback: Carol Clemente-Ferrazzano 23 Jan 09 7:59 PM MST

Sara's design is a class act that works solely and successfully with type. She utilizes black ink to enhance the style of the serif and sans serif typefaces. The diagram labels are informative and clear.

For next week we had to submit ten thumbnails for a poster type design and enlarge the first letter to bleed off of the page. We were also only allowed to use one color. The negative space is supposed to cause visual confusion in some cases. Below are my ten thumbnails for next week's projects. There are a few that I do not like at all, but it was tough to come up with ten different designs, so a few are just thrown together. (Hey, ideas count as ideas - good or not! :o} )

Please help me by letting me know which one or two are your favorite and maybe even why you think it is that it appeals to you.