No, lovelies, it's not you. It's definitely me. But I am happy to announce that my semester is now over and I once again have time to write.
Which is not to say that the past few months have been completely unproductive. I've done so many projects over the past few weeks that I can barely keep them straight. Let's start with my new portfolio site. This was an assignment for my Advanced Online Media class this semester. I designed it (and coded it) in Adobe Edge Animate, which turned out to be one of the most entertaining programs I've ever used once I got the hang of it. It still has a few kinks to work out — the huge photos make the pages ridiculously slow to load and I still need to design the photo and blogs portfolio pages — but all are issues that should be resolved by the start of the new semester.
And yes, it's hosted on my very own domain! I'm now the proud new owner of chloerbrooks.com.
Next up: I've solidified a proposal for my honors thesis. The topic? "Caffeineix: Community from the Grounds Up." Which translates to Chloe is examining the role that locally owned coffee shops play in community growth and development. I'm taking this blog that was a group project for a class last spring and completely revamping it in Edge. The home page will include this video and an introduction to the project. Other pages will include a bit about me and why I'm interested in the project, a map of locally owned coffee houses in central Phoenix, feature stories on coffee houses and their owners, reviews of each coffee house, and the written paper itself. I start formal research for the project in January.
I would like to point out that with the exception of the last shot, this entire video was shot by yours truly on my DSLR. I shoot with a Canon T2i and the 18-55mm kit lens it came with. (The last shot is courtesy of Jayson Chesler, who is also featured in the video as eating a Jobot burrito. This was also the first video I have ever shot...and also the first one I have edited and exported. Not bad for a first piece, right?
I may also have put up a Christmas tree in my cozy little house. I made the trek home for Thanksgiving this year, but am choosing to stay in Phoenix for Christmas and New Years. That stems partly from my financial situation (let's not forget that I'm still in college and that holiday flights add up quickly) and partly because I'd like to save my days off work for when/if my mom has surgery. So instead, my friend Nick and I are planning our own Christmas Eve celebration.
I think that pretty much brings you up to speed. What have I missed with you?