[m.olson]

I'm Melissa. This is where I write things down and share new things. Sometimes I even post cute pictures of cats...

if you're looking for my portfolio,
it can be found here, or by clicking any of the links across the top of this page.

I just moved back to Ohio after living in the central valley of California for almost three years. People still mention that I'm all grown up and keep asking how being an adult is going, but I really don't know what they're referring to.

I'm officially a (self-proclaimed) curator -- OF GIFS. GIF CONNOISSEUR. Check it out. My GIF blog even made it to buzzfeed once.
ONE MORE CHECK OFF MY LIFELONG INTERNET TO-DO LIST.

Albums of note UPCOMING/2011/2010/2009
A list of albums from the year that had staying power. Not a top album list, because I haven't heard every album, so that just seems a bit silly to me -- the whole "of the year" thing... although I suppose in my own mind that's what they are...

THE ARCHIVES

Nostalgia
a place where I keep things that are already memories and store things that are currently in my life that will inevitably become memories. Vague enough?

Vestiges of a Life Soon Forgotten
A photographic series devoted to images taken in and around my apartment where I lived for 3 years in college. I moved out for good in December 2009.

Photobooth Sketches
photobooth documentation of sketches i have done and/or found.

Monthly Self Portrait Series
This was a short-lived project that sometimes shows up without warning again on my feed, but definately cannot be considered an "on-going" thing.

My New California Life
What started as an essay series about my experiences living on the left coast turned into a general account of my life here -- through words, photos and other ephemera.

jef etters tips of the day
Jef Etters was a colleague of mine who gave me life tips on a daily basis via a telephone call from a rotary phone. I would then transcribe the tips and post them here for the benefit of all mankind. He didn't know what tumblr was (nor does he now), but he did want to share all his wisdom with the world. enjoy.
PLEASE NOTE: Jef did finally get free long-distance after 7pm EST and will occasionally call to give me tips to transcribe. Be on the look out, it'll change your life.

ScreenCaptureSeries
Funny and or poignant things I feel the need to share with the world via screen capture. This project carries on with the luck that the internet will continue to bring the lulz. I think the odds are in our favor.

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January 2, 2013 on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson).

It’s a new year and I’m still changing and still won’t stop moving.

A lot of things are different than they were a year ago, but many things are the same. 2012 taught me a lot about who I am, what I want and where I want to go. I further proved my love of traveling and seeing new places, meeting new people and finding adventure every chance I get.

I don’t think I would have guessed that 2012 would be one of the best years of my life last January. I hardly understood how wonderful last year was until just a few weeks ago. It was a rough year for a lot of us, but to me that is beautiful; to me that is just what I needed. If this year wouldn’t have been filled with so much heartache and grieving I wouldn’t have learned so much. I owe it to the friends I lost last year to carry on in happiness and joy, that’s what they would have done and I’m here to carry on their memory.

Things aren’t going to get any easier, but I know that all I can do is laugh and love. This is my life and I want every moment to matter, even if it’s just to myself. That’s really the only standard I can be concerned with: my own. This year is just another year that’s mine, like all the others, and I’m so glad to be here. I’m so glad to be alive.

# new girl in my hometown

Josh & Fernando on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson)

These guys are some amazing people. I feel so lucky to have gotten to know them and to call them my friends. It’s not every day that you meet people who understand you so well and care about their friends so intensely. They’ve been there for me and I’ve been there for them, and I know for certain that moving away doesn’t mean the end of my friendship with Josh & Fernando. I can’t wait to come back to visit them and for them to tour in their new boy band to the east coast and for me to be their merch girl. That’ll be awesome. It’s people like this that make me love my life. It’s friends like these that make me believe there’s real good in the world. Y’all are amazing, ya hear?

# photographers on tumblr