January 12, I finally got it in the mail. Yay for finality.

I was working on this submission for the “Other Heroes” show that’s coming up. I missed the deadline, though I still want to finish the pages. Monday is a weird deadline, anyway.

The story I’m illustrated is based on a short story I wrote a few years ago, called Cappuccino. It’s some romance/drama/coming-of-age stuff.

And finally. . .

Last Friday I went to see Stomp the Yard with some friends, and became enamoured of this charismatic young actor (heh, we’re the same age). He is soooooo cute. OMG. Columbus Short.

So, I go home and look him up on IMBD and see that he was in Save the Last Dance 2, a straight-to-dvd release I hadn’t seen because I figured it’d be lame. However, yesterday, I see that the movie is on MTV, so I decided to watch it. I was really surprised that it didn’t suck. I mean, it wasn’t a cinematic gem or anything, but it was definitely entertaining, and he and Izabella Miko had good chemistry. I remember seeing her in The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” music video.

*So I went to Movie Gallery and purchased the dvd, because I’m so lame.* ^_^

Fairhope, AL

Just felt like posting this photo here. I took it on Thursday, and I really like it. I’m really intrigued by the silhouetted landscapes created at sunrise and sunset. Beautiful stuff.

And, it’s now official. I’m a college graduate. I got my diploma in the mail yesterday. I didn’t think I’d be that phased, but I was really excited. All this time I’d been saying that I wouldn’t feel like I was really done with school until I had the diploma in my hand. When I got it, I ran around the house sqee-ing. No joke.

Now it’s time for Sharon to stop being lazy and get a steady job. I don’t think I’ll survive on this freelance thing for long.

Oh, and I’m working on some sequential art for this TOP SECRET (not really) art show. Hopefully I’ll get it done in time. I’ll post the work-in-progress later today.

It’s been an unusually warm winter this year. I mean, it’s friggin’ January and 72 degrees. That’s crazy.

Wednesday, I go up to my school to pay some outstanding parking tickets. A few weeks ago I got an email saying that my graduation ticket had expired, and that I needed to reapply for graduation. I was really confused by this since I already walked and everything. So, I assume the tickets are what’s holding things up. So I pay the tickets, and then go to the registrar to find that the college of Art & Sciences has declined my graduation because I hadn’t completed the requirements for my major.

What?!?

So, I go over to the advising office (across campus), and see what that’s about. I turns out that the class substitution form that I submitted over a year ago, hadn’t been completed. I don’t feel like going into all the details, but it was really frustrating finding this out. So, I went to the Visual Arts office, and it turns out my advisor signed the form about 2 weeks ago, the department chair signed it Tuesday. That was crazy.

So, I turned the form into the Advising office and they sent a memo to the registrar. So, I should be getting my diploma in a few weeks.

I’m doing this thing on flickr where I take a self portrait every day for a year. This will be good for me since I’ve been trying to be more comfortable in front of the camera. I’ll also help me be more creative (yay!).

I love my new boots. I just got them in the mail today, ordered from Journey’s. This is my first ever pair of nice leather boots. They were on sale.

I almost forgot I need to send off my portfolio and resume’. . . Yeah, getting a regular job is pretty important right now.

So, Saturday I graduated from college. Through an unforseen turn of events I ended up taking my camera with me during the ceremony. So, here’s the graduation in words and photos:

Notice my B.F.A is listed under “All Other Degrees.”

That’s my dad, taking pictures of me.

After I got outside, Kendall was the first person I saw.

I had to take this little girl because she was so cute.

Getting love from my daddy. :)

Grandfather Walter was really proud. He’s all about getting that degree.

The Samples Family: Crystal, Laura, Granfather Walter, Me, Dad, Grandmother Bessie Ruth, Nicole, and Mommy.

Funny that my cap & gown was manufactured in Jackson, MS, where Ken lives.

The Mitchell Center.

After Graduation we headed over to Romano’s Macaroni Grill to get out grub on. This is me and my maternal grandmother, Pauline. This photos is extra special because I hardly have any photos of me with my grandmother. She’s going to be 70 next year and still looks amazing (like, that’s her natural hair color, for example. Hardly any gray).

Nicole drew this awesome portrait of me.

Our handsome waiters for the night, Adam and Pierre. Pierre is from the Cote D’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast). Crystal conversed with him in French, because she’s cool like that.

In about 14 hours I’ll be 24-years-old.

In 8 days I’ll be attending the final critique in Alternative Photography. It will be my last undergrad critique ever.

In 10 days I’ll be graduating from the University of South Alabama with a BFA in Graphic Design (Photography minor).

I’m trying not to freak out at the thought of the whole new world that’ll be opening up. I’ve been a student practically all my life, probably about 22 years, including pre-school. (I went to an awesome pre-school.) I will be completely out of my comfort zone of an academic environment. Must. Not. Freak. Out.

*Sigh* I’m ok. It’s like getting a fresh start. I’m just most nervous about being in an unfamiliar environment. And I’m realizing that that’s ok, as long as I’m willing to learn and adapt.

I picked up my graduation announcements yesterday. My cap & gown will be in next week. College graduation is kind of a big deal in my family, but I guess I haven’t really considered the significance. All my life I’ve known I’d get to this point, or rather, it was understood in my family that that’s what me and my sister’s would eventually accomplish. That has a lot to do with my socio-cultural background, some generations feeling that a college degree is the only way to have an sort of status. I don’t agree with it, but college is good for me personally.

I feel a ramble coming on. . . Anyway. Lots of changes all at once for me. All I can do is smile and embrace the braces.