i'm really enjoying the new job. it's been 9 weeks or so now, and while i DO miss hanging out with the family every day, i enjoy more having actual responsibility and being able to prove my skills and even learn something new on a daily basis. there is always a sense of accomplishment when i print a final piece of art for production (whether created by me or by someone else and adjusted by me to fit our pre-print specifications). this was the perfect move for me, especially at this time with so much happening with Damien's printing company, GLPD (2nd year has been phenominal and we're expecting the 3rd to be even better). i get to do something i enjoy, with even some side projects at work that will eventually allow me to put my web design and coding skills to work as well. i feel like the job is a weigh-station between where i didnt want to be (dad's) and where i do want to be (GLPD), but i can be happy there in the meantime, doing what i like and being good at it. something else is that this job has shown me that i AM good at it, and not just floundering to stay afloat to get through whatever art and/or order crisis is at hand. and i have learned a lot about pre-press in general, and now Damien and i "talk shop" a lot, usually him giving me ideas how to fix some problem i'm having, since i didnt know much of the pre-press/offset side of printing before i started the new job. it's definitely a challenge sometimes, and can be stressful at times, too, but always in a good way, and never without a sense of satisfaction when the day is done. my one and only complaint is that country music plays all day long, whether in the office or in the shop. i spend my lunch breaks in my car, blaring whatever rock/alt rock music i happen to have in my cd player.