Pivot & Turn Around

 Awesome week has been awesome.

1) Monday was my first Valentines day with a girlfriend. I bought her gourmet chocolates and a rose, and made her a card out of fine arts paper. She drew me a fantastic drawing. We went to the conservatory and looked at flowers. I also received a PS2 for free from one of my co-workers.

2) Tuesday I watched a bunch of Winsor McCay animated shorts in my class, and he's one of my favorite people ever. Then I got confirmation by mail that I was awarded a Senior RA position for next year. It's like being an RA for the other RA's, and instead of having a floor to take care of, I get office hours of work to do weekly. Which I get a paycheck for, in addition to the other RA benefits of free housing and a stipend.

3) Started an awesome animated short in class Wednesday and it's going to be way better than any of my peers.

4) Had an awesome class today (Friday), and I ran in to one of my old teachers, Stanford, who has confirmed for me that my paper submissions to him have been accepted. Which means nothing out of context, but in context, it means I'll be giving lectures at C2E2 (Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo) and Wondercon (San Francisco). Like... professional lectures. I'm officially a GUEST to these comic cons and my name will be on their websites and stuff, and I'll be given a lecture hall at both cons to give a presentation to a crowd.

5) Going to put out another issue of No. 6's Information (my comic anthology) this weekend. Also going to get $100 from Todd the weekend. Also will be getting $100 in the mail sometime this week because I participated in this SAIC training thing. 

And the weather doesn't suck this week.

Boosh. And or Ka-kow.

Sym-Bionic Titan seriously is a good show. And it's awesome because it LOL's at doing stuff like this.

 WHAT WAS YOUR:

1. Last Beverage: Water.

2. Last Phone Call: My parents, I think.

3. Last Text Message: Telling my sister that I've already bought our parents' christmas gifts.

4. Last song you listened to: "Like a Friend" - Pulp

5. Last time you cried: Today, a little bit, while watching Toy Story 3.

HAVE YOU EVER:

6. Dated someone twice? No.

7. Been Cheated On? I certainly hope not.

8. Kissed Someone and regretted it? No.

9. Lost Someone Special? Maybe. Depends.

10. Been depressed? Yeah. I'm prone to it, cyclically. 

11. Been drunk and threw up? No. Never been drunk. Consumed alcohol, some, but never more than a glass at a gallery opening or New Years party.

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS

12. Yellow

13. Burgundy

14. Warm, dark grey

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2010)

15. Made a new friend? Sure.

16. Fallen out of love? No.

17. Laughed until you cried? Probably.

18. Met someone who changed you? Had people change me, but I met them before this year.

19. Found out who your true friends were? Not in the sense that I also found out who fake friends were.

20. Found someone was talking about you? If you mean "behind my back" or something, no. 

21. Kissed anyone on your fb friend's list? wat

22. How many people on your fb friends list do you know in real life? 100%.

24. Do you have pets? No. Well, a basil plant now.

26. What did you do for your last birthday? RA training.

27. What time did you wake up today? 8AM-ish

28. What were you doing at midnight last night? In bed, watching cartoons, about to sleep.

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: Being done with what I have to do.

30. Last time you saw your mother? This past weekend.

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? That's too broad and too hypothetical to give any proper answer to.

32. What are you listening to right now? Nothing.

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? Probably.

34. Whats getting on your nerves right now? All the work I have to do, still. Ellis being clingy. 

35. Most visited websites: Top 5, says Google Chrome- Google Image Search, Wikipedia, Facebook, Youtube, my e-mail,

37. Nicknames: People have tried, but none latch on. 

38. Siblings? One older sister.

39. Zodiac sign: Leo.

40. Boys vs. girls? Girls.

41. Elementary: Loongoocre.

42. Middle School: Poower.

43. High School?: Foormingtoon.

44. Hair Color? Brown, light.

45. Long or short? Longer on top, shorter on the sides and back.

46. Height: 5'10"

47. Do you have a crush on someone? Not really a crush per se. 

48. What do you like about yourself? I don't want to get into this discussion.

49. Piercings? None, but I've thought about it.

50. Tattoos? None, but I'm thinking about it.

51. Righty or lefty? Righty.

52. First surgery? None. I am unbreakable.  

53. First piercing: ...you already asked this, kind of.

54. First best friend? Hard to say. There were a lot of "children of my mom's friends" who could fit the bill, but I'll always think of Alex Jones as my first best friend I think.

55. First Sport you joined? Well, the first I participated it was either tee-ball or soccer, not sure which precisely came first.

56. First pair of trainers? ...how the fuck should I remember that? Damn.

RIGHT NOW

59. Eating: Nothing immediately. I ate SO MUCH FOOD at the SAIC Thanksgiving Dinner today.

60. Drinking: Water.

61. I'm about to: Have dinner and start on one of the last dog drawings.

62. Listening to: Didn't you already ask this?

63. Waiting for: Godot and/or Guffman.

64. Want kids?: Eventually, I could see myself having kids.

65. Get married?: Maybe. Most people think "kids" means married, but I'm not sure if the ritual and social aspects of marriage really appeal to me. I could imagine myself with a partner, a woman I'd spend my life with, but not a wife.

66. Career?: Hopefully something in animation or comics, though, dualing one or both of those up with professorship would be awesome.

WHICH IS BETTER

67. lips or eyes: On me? On someone else?

68. hugs or kisses: I like both. I'm a big fan of hugs though... so I'll say hugs.

69. shorter or taller: In what context?

70. older or younger: In what context?

71. romantic or spontaneous: Me, or her?

72. nice stomach or nice arms: Me, or her?

73. sensitive or loud: Seriously, be more specific.

74. hook-up or relationship: Relationship.

75. trouble maker or hesitant: Me, or her?

HAVE YOU EVER:

76. Kissed a stranger: No.

77. Drank hard liquor: No, and I don't really care. $40 for a bottle of Jack? Fuck that. And people say I'm wasting money by owning a Mac.

78. Lost glasses/contacts: Lost some sunglasses.

79. Sex on first date: No.

80. Broken someone's heart: Possibly.

81. Had you own heart broken: No.

83. Turned someone down: Sort of?

84. Cried when someone died: Yep.

85. Fallen for a friend: Nope, thankfully.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. yourself: Cyclically. 

87. miracles: In the sense that miraculous things can happen, not in the sense that those things happen BECAUSE of a miracle.

88. love at first sight: No. I believe that there can be a spark of connection though. Je ne sais quoi... A psychic twinge of common minds connecting.

89. heaven: Metaphorically.

90. santa clause: that Tim Allen movie?

91. Kiss on the first date: Do I believe in it? As in "Do I believe it exists"?

92. angels: Metaphorically.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

93. Had more than one bf/gf: No.

94. Is there one person you want to be with right now? Yeah.

95. Did you sing today: I always sing.

96. Ever cheated on somebody: No. Never will. 

97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go, and why? I would re-do a lot of high-school, and in turn, college if I could. Do more AP classes. Work more on art, less time on video-games, eat better, etc.

98. If you could pick a day from last year and relieve it, what would it be? From 2009? I don't remember.

99. Are you afraid of falling in love: No.

100. Posting this as 100 Truths: Done.

Also...

Mari and Kat! Help me remember popular songs that you really tie to middle school and high school. I'm making a mix just for myself. So far I have Pain (Jimmy Eats World), Girls Not Grey (AFI), Somebody Told Me and Mr. Brightside (The Killers), Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand), and some others I can't remember right now (and am too lazy to open iTunes for).

 I apologize for the lack of updates. 

Things have been crazy busy, and I don't often have time to spend online anymore other than just a few seconds here and there to post on Facebook or whatever. Crazy busy is a good way to describe how I've been, I guess. My week goes something like this...

Monday I have class from 9-4, 415-545, and 6-9. So in 12 hours from 9-9, I have only two fifteen minute breaks between classes. I get home around 930 usually, make dinner, read a little, and then go to bed without having done anything else. Tuesday I have class 9-4 at the Field Museum, meaning I have to get up extra early and I get back later than usual. After class, I usually have about 4 hours until a staff meeting at 930; I use this time to have dinner, prep for the staff meeting, and get work done that will be due the following day. Not much free time otherwise, because the staff meeting takes me to my bedtime. Wednesday I don't have morning classes, but I get up early anyway to prep for meetings. I meet with my hall director for a 1-on-1 every Wednesday at 11AM, and then with Todd Pavlisko (for whom I'm doing an unofficial internship) at 12. After that, I have about 3 hours before class begins- 415-545 and 6-9. I use most of those three hours to finish homework for the former, and get material prep for the latter. By the time I get home (930 again), I can only have dinner, read a little, and then sleep. Thursday I have class only from 1-4, so I have some free time, however, Thursday through Sunday is sort of amorphous work time. These hours of have to be divided between-

- Reading/writing for my VCS class (Thursday afternoon)
- Animation homework (for Monday)
- Math homework (for Monday)
- My internship (usually a 2-hour meeting in his studio Saturday or Sunday, plus a half-hour commute each way)
- My artist collective projects (short films, etc.)
- My comic anthology (No. 6's Information, with Carlos Enriquez & Andrew Shen, and now getting submissions from others such as Isabella Rotman)
- Designing and Printing flyers/posters for RA stuff
- Being on call as an RA (every Friday, 930PM-230AM usually)
- Doing RA programs and community-building programs
- Working on committee obligations (organizing the Halloween ball, etc.)
- Trying to finish my dog-drawing commission that's taking FOREVER because my commissioner isn't good at getting back to me
- Grocery shopping
- Laundry

In addition, the social obligations of now having a girlfriend, plus trying to get some time in with other friends who I just want to spend time with for the hell of it. Relaxing every once in a while is nice too.

I don't want to complain. I've made my own bed, and I have a lot on my plate, or whatever metaphors you want. I'm tired. Anyway, I'm tired of complaining of my schedule. It's sometimes overwhelming, but I'm never bored, and I feel like most of it will be worth it in the end. I'm almost done with my obligations to the special events committee (being that the Halloween ball is near), and as soon as Cindy gets her ass in gear and sends me more source images, I can finish the commission. Hopefully sooner than later.




//months later…

So I started writing this thing months ago, but it kept deleting what I wrote and it only autosaved up to the point before that “months later” bit right above this.

Anyway, things are going well now. Better. Halloween Ball is over with, so that’s one less thing to do. ¾ of my programs are done, so I only have one left to plan for. I only have a very small number of drawings to go, so long as Cindy doesn’t lead me on with dozens of minor edits. I finally feel like- while still busy- I’m working on a functional schedule with an appropriate and manageable amount of work. I still have classes, RAing, internship, comic anthology, artist collective, girlfriend and friends to juggle, but it’s getting more in line. Next big challenge is going to be prepping for the future. I’ve got to apply to be a Senior RA in the next month or so, and I’ve got to take a hard look at internship possibilities for the coming summer, and apply to such places- Pixar, Williams Street, Fantagraphics, Dark Horse, Calabash, Chicago-based comic artists (Lucy Knisley, Geoff Darrow, Chris Ware, etc.)… Gotta figure something out, and gotta make sure I get some school credit for it.

Things are going well with Corinna. Being in this relationship has been really rewarding, and it’s changing me in ways I can very actively feel. Friendships will often slowly change me, but I can feel myself becoming a different person because of Corinna, and for the better. Not massively different, a lot is shifting. Also, something I’ve wanted to say for a while, but I’ve had no one to say it to in Chicago and I know I can confide in you all, even if you don’t want to hear it, but I need to see it to someone and I can keep it brief enough- sex is great, and while I never thought the physical relationship would matter much, I genuinely feel that it deepens my emotional bond to Corinna.

Classes signed up for next semester. This semester has had my best class line-up ever, and next semester will be better, and if all works out, semester after next will be even better. For the Spring, I’ve lined up the following-

Tuesday – History of Film Animation, 1-4
Wednesday – Animation II (Sound to Image), 9-4
Thursday – Intro to 2D Computer Animation, 9-4
Friday – Lady Drawers: Women & Comics, 9-12
Saturday – Indie Comics, 9-4

It’s a solid, concentrated schedule. Well spaced. Gives me at least a little free time every day, which is good. Looking back at previous semesters, I REALLY wish I had gotten into these sorts of classes earlier. I meandered too much, too just “whatever,” seemed okay at the time. I’m not going to regret anything of my freshman year any more, but my digital print class, watercolor class, and “how to steal,” painting class last year were complete wastes of time, and I should have switched out of them all when I got that “Should I stay or should I go?” doubt in the first weeks. This semester I haven’t wasted a class yet, nor next I hope, nor next after that. I’m already thinking about what to take next Fall, should it be available. Advanced Animation is an obvious one, but there’s also apparently a Poster Illustration class that sounds AWESOME to me. C:

I’ll try to update Scribbld more. I really need to, for my own sake.

Also:



I've listened to the soundtrack for this movie, like, 10 time in the past 2-3 weeks. Haven't seen the movie, but the music is SO good. My figure drawing teacher introduced me to some of the songs, and I really liked them, so I picked up the CD at Borders super cheap with a coupon. Great stuff. Marieke, Jackie, Alone (Seul), My Death (La Mort), Madeleine, Mathilde, Marathon, Amsterdam, The Funeral Tango... large number of great songs. Well, what I bought is actually a recording of the play the the movie is based on, and the play's recordings are WAY better than the movie's, but I digress.

 I've been meaning to update this for a while, but that's what I always say, isn't it?

Training has been crazy busy. There's been a lot of fun to it too, but it's been crazy busy. Mentally and emotionally straining, plus physical labor in the past couple of days. My first residents- new international students and move-in crew- moved in on Sunday the 22nd. Hard to gauge how well I'm doing as an RA, I guess. Nothing much has happened yet, and nobody has come to me for help. Still more work and training to do before the big move-in on the 28th & 29th, Freshmen and Upper-Classmen respectively. The amount of work I'm doing will decrease once the year's actually begun. No room-prep to do, no training sessions, and so forth. Just weekly duties of being available to my floor, going on rounds Friday nights, doing a program once a month.

Entertainment wise, I've been reading a lot of listening to a lot of music. Movies take too much time and concentration, so I've only watched two since getting here- a crazy but awesome Japanese film called Tanpopo (Dandelion) and Romero's classic infection tale, The Crazies. I love the Crazies as a sort of spiritual brother to Dawn of the Dead, and Tanpopo (which I had never heard of) was just awesome. I think it's from the early 80's. It's sort of a kung-fu movie, sort of a western... stylistically, at least. Really, the movie is about the quest to make the perfect ramen. But it's shot and told like a story about a young amateur taken in by an old master passing through town. The whole movie is also largely about the love of food... it cuts away from the main story on a regular basis to tell the stories of other people and how food impacts their lives. 

Reading wise, mostly comics. Finished a novel (Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank) and it was good. Since then, comics. I've had my eye on Rutu Modan's Exit Wounds for a while; it was okay. Bad art, decent storytelling. Billy Budd, KGB (Charyn/Boucq) was awesome- exactly the sort of story I'd think of when thinking of Franco-Belgium spy comics. Sounds like an obscure genre, but there's a lot of it out there. Great comic, though. Of the same genre, Ranks of the Black Order (Bilal & someone I don't remember) was hard to get in to. I may borrow that again to read the rest. Just started reading Gemma Bovery (Posy Simmons) and it's really good so far, but I can tell it's going to be really depressing. Read Love & Rockets book 2 (The Girl from HOPPERS, by Jaime Hernandez)- I loved book 1 (which I read over the summer), but Book 2 really depressed me. Great art still, and there's a few AMAZING stories ("The Death of Speedy Ortiz" is unbelievable), but the main plot surrounding Maggie & Hopey completely falls apart. Bought that one, along with all four volumes of Seven Soldiers of Victory (Grant Morrison, various artists), which is totally fantastic. I've read it before, and re-reading it is awesome. And I had to face-palm myself because I never made the connection that it's loosely based on Snow White. Also bought Batwoman: Elegy, which is completely awesome. Just borrowed Akira vol. 1 - 3 from the Harold Washington. I've wanted to read it forever, but never have been able to find volume 1. Also borrowed Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise (vol. 1 & 2, out of 6), which Carlos likes, so I thought I'd try it. Plus there's a ton more at both the Harold Washington and the Flaxman that I want to borrow.

Music wise, some of the same, some new. Finally got into the Cramps, and they're a lot of fun. Despite having looked to buy it for years, I finally gave in and just downloaded Christian Death's Catastrophe Ballet, and it's completely amazing. Found the Bombadil CD for a dollar at Reckless Records, and despite a weak first half, it's a really good album. The last... 5 or so tracks are all great stuff. Bought a Miranda Sex Garden album I have yet to listen to for $2, and a Voodoo Church album for $3 that's really quite good. Also bought another 16 Horsepower album for $4, and it's as fantastic as I'd expect. Also been listening to the new Reverend Glasseye cuts, and they're just SO good. I'm getting so jittery waiting for the new album. When, Reverend? WHEN!?

I miss Corinna. I'm not a person who misses other people quickly- I don't mean that as an insult to you guys, but it takes me at least a couple weeks to really feel the absence. I missed Corinna within a week. It's a new feeling for me... I guess I miss her more "completely" than anyone I've missed before? That is to say, there's not an aspect that I don't miss about spending time with her. She'll be here soon though, thankfully.

Uhh... Other than all that, I don't have much to report. Planning RA programs that all seems like they'll be very fun. Talking with my Tetrad friends online and planning some projects for the fall. Waiting for the school year to start, because it's going to be awesome (animation I, scientific illustration, figure drawing, geometry of nature, and VCS: comics and the silver screen). Hoping and praying that the RA thing works out, because losing this gig would completely suck- lose my free housing, lose my stipend, lose the big addition to my resume. Finally beat Half-Life 2 and it was completely amazing; started and completed Half-Life 2 Episode 1 and it was good, and have now just started Half-Life 2 Episode 2. I've logged a STUPID number of hours in Team Fortress 2 since moving here. Besides being totally addictive, it was one of the only things I could do while I was kicked out of my room due to bed-bugs. Oh yeah, that happened. It sucked. I was out of my room for a week, and I couldn't take ANYTHING with me other than my laptop and a week of clothes (which I had to wash like 3 times before I was allowed to wear them). 

But yeah... Busy and sometimes tough month, but it's near over, and the good stuff is on the way.

Things are going fairly well for me this summer. Time is slipping away really fast though... I got home more than 5 weeks ago, and I have a little less than that left before I have to return to Chicago for RA training. My shortest summer break ever, I suppose, but then again, once I hit the working world, I won't have a summer break at all, so I shouldn't complain. And I sort of have more free time this summer than last, given that I'm not working in Ann Arbor 12-40 hours a week plus transit time.

The dog drawings I'm doing on commission are sort of walking a line between an annoyance and not. They're sort of very easy to do, but problematically, I feel like I lack guidance to execute what she wants and simultaneously lack full freedom to do what I want. But I'm past the half-way point as far as I know, so I just have to power through to the end.

Everything is going very well with Corinna, I think- since this is my first relationship, I don't really know how fast or slow or whatever things are supposed to be in any regard. How much is too much time together, or too little? Questions like these. I'm sure even more experience people have similar balancing acts, but it's totally new waters for me to tread through... Regardless, I think I'm slipping into it somewhat naturally. There's a sort of strange surreal retrospect on it all, because it's all very clear in my mind and at the same time utterly unbelievable. It's making me re-evaluate a lot of aspects of my own self-image, in the sense of how I imagine myself, who I am consider myself to be, what kind of person I think I am. You know, a little more than a month ago I considered myself completely undesirable and so thoroughly alienated from any concept of romance that even the idea of kissing a girl was a distant impossibility... now not so long later, and several days a week, I find myself lazing about for hours on end with her, and I can hardly believe that I have this beautiful girl right next to me, and it simply is what it is and it became this way so smoothly and easily.

I'm actually really excited to go back to Chicago. I'm not crazy about ending my summer early to go back for RA training, but I'm very excited for the autumn. My class schedule looks awesome (RA's get first pick of classes), my Tetrad Initiative friends and I have more plans than ever, I'll have my own room for free, I'll have a big juicy RA stipend that I can spend at Utrecht or Barnes & Noble and a handful of other places, and I'll have my under-the-table internship with Todd Pavlisko, and I'll get to be enjoying my classes and room and stipend and time with friends and all that with Corinna there too. I think things are going my way.

Uhhh... I'll try to post up a list of stuff I've recently been listening to, reading, watching, etc. sometime soon. I'll probably also make one of those super long posts with a list of all the shit I want to buy with my stipend in the fall or with my eBay money this summer and see what you guys think about what I should or shouldn't get, and in what order.

Man, looking back on it, I bought way more DVD's than I thought I did. On the positive side, I payed basically nothing to obtain them. 

 Superjail! Season 1

What can be said about Superjail! that hasn't been said before? It's a technicolor mindfuck of compromised morality and absurd violence that puts even Looney Toons to shame. Superjail is the most expensive thing I've bought all semester (entertainment wise, at least) at a wallet-destroying $16.99 on sale, there comes a question of whether or not it was worth the money- Superjail is 10 episodes long, plus the pilot, with each episode holding a 10-or-so minute run time. The entirety of the DVD- all the episodes, the pilot, and the special features- can be watched in a little over 2 hours, so value wise, I'm not quite sure how much it was worth it. But then again... Superjail! is just so damn entertaining. Even though I had already seen all the episodes twice before buying the DVD, I've watched them all twice again and enjoyed them immensely. How often I'll be rewatching the series will come in to question in the future (mind you, at only a 2 hour run time, it'll grow quickly monotonous since only one season is out), but it's nice to own and have available to me. One we should definitely watch as a group this summer.

Æon Flux - Complete Collection

Possibly the best value I've gotten all semester, Aeon Flux typically runs about $35-$40 in stores, but I was able to pick up the complete series collection for $6 at a C2E2 vendor. Definitely the real deal, too- not a bootleg, and not damaged at all. Which is a big improvement over, like, everything else I've ever bought on DVD at a con. Three discs long, the series runs with 10 half-hour episodes on the first two discs, while the third disc contains the pilot, 6 shorts, and some special features. While the AEon Flux film was really quite terrible (and completely forgettable), I was fairly excited to finally get into the source material- and I wasn't wrong to do so. AEon Flux, as a series, is often grotesque and utterly incomprehensible, however, I say these without them being insults whatsoever. Aeon Flux is a messy series but utterly engrossing- I couldn't stop watching it, and I want to watch it all again soon. The world is fascinating, the sci-fi is totally unconventional, and the characters are completely ambiguous. It's not even a series so much as it is a collection of unrelated, unresolved short-stories that all sort of star two of the same characters- and I love it for that. Really good stuff. Another one we should watch together, though, admittedly, the animation takes a while to get used to.

Vampire's Kiss

Nicholas Cage in a vampire movie? Count me in. Picked up for something like $2 at Reckless Records, I had never even heard of this film before buying it. I'm totally glad that I did buy it, though. Nicholas Cage is hilarious, and possibly has more funny moments in this than he did in Wicker Man. It's just... absurd. 

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Sky Captain was a big flop in theaters due to audiences not totally getting what the movie was going for- building itself around classic sci-fi cinema, the film's themes and stylized storytelling didn't sit well with the average movie-goer who'd rather seen something more sleek and modern, like the I, Robot film. Ironically, Sky Captain was perhaps the most technically advanced (in terms of production) of it's peers when it was originally released- made almost entirely in front of green-screens. In the grand scheme of things, I'll admit, it's not a great movie, but it is a hell of a lot of fun. Great characters, great backdrops, and some really good design elements in all aspects of the film's visuals. At about $3, it was a worthy buy, I think. The only big problem I have is the film's pacing- the beginning of the film is fairly slow and impermeable, which will turn a lot of people away. Unfortunate, because the climax is really fantastic.

The Proposition

Super super badass movie. All there is to say.

Mars Attacks!

I was really kind of terrified of Mars Attacks as a child. I never saw it, but I remember the commercials and trailers giving me nightmares. In high school, I rediscovered the film via basic cable and I sort of fell in love. A lot of people completely forget that Tim Burton made this, and it's not surprising that people forget- it's significant different from all of his other films. Huge cast of characters, a lot of pre-existing locations, a lot of subplots, and it's not whatsoever gawfic. But that's sort of what makes it so good- it's Burton just being a storyteller, not an art director who's spending all his time designing sets and costumes. And it shows through. Each subplot is really entertaining and engaging, and all of the characters are likable and watchable- if I have any one complaint, honestly, I feel like the movie is too short. I'm definitely glad to have picked this one up, and I think it's safe to say it's one of my favorite Burton films, especially since it's the only one I own. Also: only $4.

The Secret of Nimh

What can I say about Secret of NIMH that I haven't before? NIMH was the the very first feature film by Don Bluth, the same mastermind/moron behind classics and clunkers like The Land Before Time, An American Tale (Fivel), All Dogs Go to Heaven, Thumbelina, Anastasia, Titan AE, and a handful of others that probably shouldn't be mentioned (Rock-a-doodle, anyone?). Still alive today, Bluth hasn't made a film for 10 years, and that's probably for the best, but NIMH was a true masterpiece when he made it nearly 30 years ago. It's a simple tale of a mother mouse trying to protect her children from human farmers by enlisting the help of nearby rats, but it's extremely well executed on all fronts. The animation and backgrounds are beautiful, the voice acting is fantastic, and the characters are all really memorable- it's a great kids film without ever being sickly sweet, and by comparison, it's really more akin in terms of storytelling to Pixar film than to a 2D Disney animated film. I've been holding out on buying it for a while because I've wanted to find a widescreen DVD, but when I found out that no such widescreen version has ever been produced, I went out and bought the cheapest copy I could.

Paprika

I really dearly wanted to see Paprika when it originally came out. It's the first movie Satoshi Kon has done since completing Paranoia Agent, and damn, it's good. When the trailers first surfaced, I really wanted to see it, and I was super angry when I missed a chance to see it FOR FREE on the big screen (when I went back home for Thanksgiving freshman year) when Gene Siskel Theater hosted it to SAIC students. I finally got a chance to see it after borrowing it from the Flaxman library earlier this semester, and damn... yeah, like I said, it's really good. Influence from Paranoia Agent is pretty clear, and it covers some of the same territory, but it's extremely well made in all regards and safely stands as my favorite of his films. I also bought Perfect Blue last semester, and Perfect Blue is damn fantastic- however, it's too emotionally draining, and often too confusing to warrant frequent rewatching. I saw Millenium Actress for the first time last semester, but haven't bought it, and good as it is, it's likewise a little incoherent to rewatch. Tokyo Godfathers I saw years ago, and while I liked it when I originally saw it, it pales in comparison to all the others in retrospect. Paprika, however, stands above the rest of his films- it's smart, it's beautifully animated, and it's emotionally resonant without being emotionally draining.

Signs

To be totally honest, the more I look back on his work, the more I like M. Night Shyamalan. Even though there's a lot of punchlines to be made about him, and even though his last couple movies have been pretty terrible, he got a pretty good start to his career, and he remains to be a really talented director, even though he's going downhill as a writer. That said, Signs sits at an odd point in his career- he's had six movies, two which were really well reviews, two which had mixed reviews, and two which were terribly reviewed. Signs is the first of the mixed reviewed films, immediately after Unbreakable, which is one of my favorite movies ever. I remember liking Signs when I saw it via Family Video, so I decided to pick it up for the $3 it was available for at Reckless. It was worth it, I think. Gibson is an amazing actor regardless of the crazy (like Cruise, DDL, and a bunch of others), and Joaquin is in top form. The kids (including an adorable Abigail Breslin) give solid performances too. I think a lot of people aren't so hot on this film because they're disappointed by the sci-fi aspects, but it needs to be stressed that Signs isn't a science fiction film- it's a character study, like Unbreakable was. It's not a GREAT film, but it is very good if you keep an open mind to it. Well directed and well written throughout, I'd say it was Shyamalan's last film without any egregious flaws- let's hope The Last Airbender breaks the trend.

 A tentative schedule of my fall classes, which I've now signed up for-

Monday: 

9-4: Animation I
415 - 545: Geometry in Nature
6-9: Figure Drawing

Tuesday:

9-4: Scientific Illustration

Wednesday:

415-545: Geometry in Nature
6-9: Figure Drawing

Thursday: 

1-4: Visual Critical Studies: Comic Books to the Silver Screen

Friday through Saturday: Nothing

I'm happy with it, I'll admit. The only variable is whether or not I get a co-op next semester, in which case, I'd drop one of my studios.

 As an RA, I get to choose classes before everyone else, so I'm in the process of selection right now. I'm going to be selecting 3 studios and 2 academics as usual, but I'm not quite sure which, so here's a run down of some of the ones I've got going-

Studios

Animation I: I'm pretty definitely going to take this one, because I'd really like to be able to take at least one animation class per remaining semester, if possible. Animation I seems like the obvious place to begin, after which I may take classes specified around 3D animation, or possibly just continue down the linear path and take "advanced animation studio/animation II". Animation I think will be good for me in a number of ways- I love my comic class this semester because I love comics and I'm now able to engage it on an academic level. I hope to do the same with animation. The other advantage of animation as a class is that I can get a lot more experience drawing- it's tedious work, but every frame I draw is more experience drawing.

Offset Productions: Offset is built around small-edition book making, which ties in part to my interest both in print (as it's own medium) and comics as objects of printed productions. My major hesitance regarding the class is that it's a little self-serving. Not in the good way, but in the self-indulgent way. It's not enormously important to my career at large, and I feel like I'd only be taking it to support a recent indulgence and interest in self-publishing comics. On the one hand, it means my self-published comics would look a lot more professional- on the other hand, the class certainly wouldn't focus on comics, and most of the techniques would have little to no application once I get out of school.

Figure Drawing: I'm not going to lie, I fucking loved drawing nudes in my last figure drawing class. I think I saw more growth in my drawing skills over the course of that class than over any one class I've ever taken- which is why it's not a bad idea to take one again. On the one hand, I'm afraid I'll feel like I've wasted a class by taking another figure drawing class- especially since I'm considering taking it again with the same teacher, and I haven't heard anything good enough about the other FD teachers to want to try them. On the other hand... it's just so useful to me in improving my drawing skills. There's just no other way for me to draw naked people for the time being (unless I suddenly become a magnet for the willingly nude), so I'm between a rock and a hard place with this one.

Indie Comics: This is a class with a guy named Jeremy Tinder who I've heard is pretty good. I'm a little hesitant that the class may overly emphasize the value of independent (or worse, "Indie" as the title says) comics and (unfortunately) disregard the tons of great mainstream comics. I'm also a little worried with how much it may overlap with my current comic class. Then again, I do really love my current comic class a lot, and to be challenged with comics again on an academic level would be great.

So of these four, I have to select three. Though, more specifically, I'm pretty set on Animation I as one of my choices, so I have to select 2 of the latter 3. There's also the possibility, however, that I might be dropping one of my studios in order to get a co-op in the fall. The co-op system is kind of stupid (you can't register for fall co-ops until, like, August), so I just have to pick what classes seem best now and then drop one if necessary. Regarding the academics...

Academics:

Visual Critical Studies: Comics to the Silver Screen: I've never yet taken a VCS class, but it seems right up my alley. VCS classes are like art history classes, but they emphasize group discussion over lecturing, and are more about the "Why" then they are about the "How" or "When". This class seems to have a pretty interesting subject, talking about the parallels between comics and film, as well as how comics have been adapted to the big screen. Comics and movies are both hugely influential to me, so it's really right up my alley.

Visual Critical Studies: The Comic Object: Another VCS class, this one seems to be more about comic theory in general. On the one hand, that would award me greater selection of subjects. On the other hand, it would also make everything a little more generic- this is problematic because I've found that when I take classes about things I already like, I tend to know more than everyone else in the class, and worse, I already know everything that is going to be taught in the class. Hopefully, as a VCS class, I'd find people who are more on my level of information, and as a group discussion class, the whole class would be at that level.

Art History: The History of Dress: Stuff White People Like dot com points out that white people, in general, tend to vaguely like "architecture". This is very true, for myself included, but I'm also sort of interested in fashion as well. I've never much discussed it, but I can't imagine how many hours I spent in high-school perusing goth fashion websites, and tangentially, how much I enjoy the beautifully designed costumes of film, theater, and television. The history of dress would give me a better background for a general understanding of fashion, and on an illustrative level, would possibly give me a more critical eye towards the wardrobe choices of my characters. It's in part ironic that above (in the figure drawing paragraph) I go on and on about how much I love drawing nudes but at the same time am interested about studying clothing- but then again, maybe it's not ironic. Studying them separate, but at the same time, could allow me to understand them both and combine them- understanding how the body exists beneath the clothes, as well as what sort of clothes to draw on a body.

Art History: The Road in American Storytelling: This one is more of an indulgence, so I doubt I'll take it, but I'm considering it anyway. Like a lot of Americans, there's something very romantic about "the road", and it seems like an interesting subject to study. Maybe not next year, but it's one I'd like to keep in mind.

Science: Geometry in Nature: My current science class (Anatomy & Physiology) kind of sucks, but I need to get another science class one way or another. This is the science class I most have wanted to take at SAIC because it sounds fucking awesome- Golden Ratio, Fibonacci Sequence, fractals, and all that awesome stuff. I don't know if it's a good class or not, but the subject matter sounds awesome. 

So I'm pretty set on Geometry in nature just so I can get my science requirement out of the way, but it's at an awkward time (Mondays and Wednesdays 4:15 - 5:45). Then again, it fills up quickly, so I may as well use my RA position to get into the class before anybody else. So if I d go with that, I've got only 1 other slot to fill with 4 other classes to choose from. What to do...?

Bloodninja:Wanna cyber?
DirtyKate:OK, but don't tell anybody ;-)
DirtyKate:Who are you?
Bloodninja: I've got blond hair, blue eyes, I work out a lot
Bloodninja:And I have a part time job delivering for Papa John's in my Geo Storm.
DirtyKate:You sound sexy.. I bet you want me in the back of your car..
Bloodninja:Maybe some other time. You should call up Papa John's and make an order
DirtyKate: Haha! OK
DirtyKate:Hello! I'd like an extra-EXTRA large pizza just dripping with sauce.
Bloodninja:Well, first they would say, "Hello, this is Papa John's, how may I help you", then they tell you the specials, and then you would make your order. So that's an X-Large. What toppings do you want?
DirtyKate:I want everything, baby!
Bloodninja:Is this a delivery?
DirtyKate:Umm...Yes
DirtyKate:So you're bringing the pizza to my house now? Cause I'm home alone... and I think I'll take a shower...
Bloodninja:Good. It will take about fifteen minutes to cook, and then I'll drive to your house.
**pause**
DirtyKate:I'm almost finished with my shower... Hurry up!
Bloodninja:You can't hurry good pizza.
Bloodninja:I'm on my way now though
**pause**
DirtyKate:So you're at my front door now.
Bloodninja:How did you know?
Bloodninja:I knock but you can't hear me cause you're in the shower. So I let myself in, and walk inside. I put the pizza down on your coffee table.
Bloodninja:Are you ready to get nasty, baby? I'm as hot as a pizza oven
DirtyKate:Oooohh yeah. I step out of the shower and I'm all wet and cold. Warm me up baby
Bloodninja:So you're still in the bathroom?
DirtyKate:Yeah, I'm wrapping a towel around myself.
Bloodninja:I can no longer resist the pizza. I open the box and unzip my pants with my other hand. As I penetrate the gooey cheese, I moan in ecstacy. The mushrooms and Italian sausage are rough, but the sauce is deliciously soothing. I blow my load in seconds. As you leave the bathroom, I exit through the front door....
DirtyKate:What the f**k?
DirtyKate:You perverted piece of s**t
DirtyKate:F**k

Courses Spring 2010

I've now had all of my classes once each, so here's a run down of each, and my week at large:

Monday:
9-4: Digital & Traditional Routes: Painting into Printmaking
6-9: Multi-Level Drawing Studio: How to Steal

Tuesday:
Nothing

Wednesday:
6-9: Multi-Level Drawing Studio: How to Steal

Thursday:
6-9: History of Comics: Silver Age through the Graphic Novel

Friday:
9-4: Multi-Level Drawing Studio: Comic Studio

Saturday:
1-4: Anatomy & Physiology

The classes, in the order which I first had them-

History of Comics: Silver Age through the Graphic Novel

Basic Idea: A history course chronicling the course of comic book development from the beginning of the Silver Age until the earliest examples of the graphic novel. The Silver Age began in 1956, after the Kefauver trials over the link between juvenile delinquency and comics, but really came into it's own in the early 60's with the birth of Marvel comics; the course then moves into the Bronze Age, defined from the early 70's to the mid 80's, characterized by a break from the CCA (Comic Code Authority) and an emphasis on more mature storytelling. From there, the class chronicles early graphic novels, up to and including the monumentous year of 1985 (Moore's Watchmen, Miller's Dark Knight Returns, Spiegelman's Maus). The class will also examine the goings-on of underground comics during these eras, including the "comix" scene of 1960's San Francisco, zines of the 70's and 80's, and influential works from independent artists globally.

How is the course itself... Seems like it will be a good course. The reading load actually seems kind of light, which is disappointing, but the professor seems really knowledgable, and he actually assembled his own coursebook of selected readings for us to work from. He seems like a smart guy, and reasonably entertaining. The class is a little too large, regrettably, though- because of financial struggles, SAIC is increasing class sizes to help with the budget. What would've been a 20-student class is now 30, which makes the classroom pretty packed. At least the subject-matter is interesting enough that I'll want to stay in the classroom. Alas, a girl met and liked last year (and considered asking out), Mercedes, walked into the class to see if there was an open spot, but was denied entry because it was too full already... too bad, I've never had a class with her.

Multi-Level Drawing Studio: Comic Studio

Basic Idea: I don't think it's actually called "Comic Studio," but I think it might be "Narrative Ink," but either way, it's a studio about comics. More specifically, about the formal techniques of how comics are a unique medium for storytelling. As a studio class, we will be focusing on the production of work- however, we'll also be having a lot of discussions, lectures, and critiques to explore the exclusive attributes to comics, as well as the attributes it shares with other mediums, and how these can be utilized to most effectively tell a story.

How is the course itself... Friday morning, still sad that Mercedes wasn't able to stay in my comic history class... but lo! Who walks into class a few minutes late? Mercedes, who had also walked into this class hoping there might be an open spot, and this time, there was. Not only an open spot on the roster, but one open seat left, next to me.

:D

But on the class itself, I'm really excited for this one. The instructor, Christa Donner, has been recommended to me by several people, and she seems to be pretty knowledgeable on the whole. Unlike most studio courses, we actually have required reading (just one book, Scott McCloud's famous Understanding Comics), as well as a pretty long list of recommended reading both on comics formally as well as famous comics themselves. We'll be working with professional materials and getting demos on pro-techniques that I've never had a chance to learn before, but more than anything, the class will emphasis formal qualities (pacing, composition, etc.) over raw technical skill, which I think is a quality that will lead to greater improvement for the class at large.

Anatomy & Physiology

Basic Idea: Anatomy & Physiology... of humans.

How is the course itself... Ehh. I'm getting a lot of flashbacks to Bio 2 from high school, both in the class's content and in the room itself. SAIC has only one science lab, and I've never been to it until now, but it's very reminiscent of those from Farmington HIgh School. I was hoping the class would be a little more pointed towards anatomy for the artist, but apparently not. It won't be a bad class, but I just wish it was more... art school. I've been spoiled by SAIC (mostly) not forcing us to take non-artsy classes.

Digital & Traditional Routes: Painting into Printmaking

Basic Idea: Print is a medium of high precision because of the ability to recreate the same images over and over again with multiple runs of the same plate/screen/block. Painting as a medium is known for it's flexibility, and the extreme variety possible due to combinations of paint, surface variation, and brush technique. This class is meant to be a combination of the two, using print & painting in conjunction to create unique compositions and surface effects. A major emphasis in the class will be painting on top of prints, however, there will also be other techniques discussed.

How is the course itself... I think I'll like this one a lot, I just need to be sure to focus in on my own studio practice and use the material studies to accomplish my own goals. This sounds obvious, but what I mean to say is I need to avoid making pieces that are good but exist only for the sake of the material processes; I need to make pieces which are good, and utilize the materials, but moreover, they accomplish my goals as an artist and exist within my realms of interest- illustration, comic art, conceptual art for film, etc. It's a 2-instructor course, one of whom I've had before (George Liebert), whom I liked a lot, the other I haven't had, but have been recommended. Just bought my screen for screenprinting today, so here's to hoping it's money well spent.

Multi-Level Drawing Studio: How to Steal

Basic Idea: Appropriation, according to the dictionary, means "4. to take to or for oneself; take possession of.
5. to take without permission or consent; seize; expropriate," which is what this class is all about- not really stealing in a legal sense, but taking imagery from outside sources and incorporating it into your own work. Maybe it's design aspects, maybe it's composition, maybe it's just little visual cues that act as references to other works. Whatever the case may be, the class is a studio about producing work featuring appropriation as well as a discussion about how appropriation can be used most effectively and intelligently.

How is the course itself... Hard to say so far. The only class I've had so far was only, like, 30 minutes long, so I don't have a strong gauge on the course so far. The instructor seems really cool and very entertaining, which is cool, and several people in the class seem to be returning students of his- implying that he's a good enough teacher that people want him more than once. The subject is cool, and he seems to be into some interesting stuff. Very material oriented, too. My only fear comes from that he might emphasize fine-art practice over popular-art practice regarding appropriation; which is to say, appropriating from anywhere, but using it in fine art rather than popular art.

Keep an ear out for the guy who never rhymes.

http://niccageaseveryone.blogspot.com/

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS NICHOLAS CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE

( Unrelated... )

EDIT: I ended the post with a "If not, then no questions asked, issued dropped," but just so that I know this has been read at all, a simple post to indicate yes or no would be nice. It's only been like, 3 days since posting this, so it's possible neither of you have read it, but the sooner I get solid confirmation of a yes, maybe, or no, the sooner I can figure out how the rest of my break goes and if I should look into other options or not.

Conspiracy theorists claim that Jay Z's new video is the strongest evidence yet (implying that there is in fact other evidence already) that Jay Z is a devil-worshipper and a member of the Illuminati. I lol'd and then watched what is a very trippy video that likely has nothing to do with devil worship or the Illuminati.

Umm... Nothing important really, just little stuff.

* Saw Avatar in theaters. It was good. The CGI was amazing, and the 3D effects were really well done. It wasn't stuff just popping out of the screen, ir was more about depth of field. The 3D made the whole screen go back, rather than just having individual objects coming out. There wasn't quite as much action as I wanted, but I enjoyed it overall.

* Started application stuff to be an RA (Residence Advisor) at SAIC next year. Wish me luck. If I get one of the positions, I'd get to live in a single-room in the dorms for free, plus get to register for classes early, plus $2000 on my ARTICard that I can use in school stores and a few restaurants in the loop. I'd have to work as an advisor for people on my floor, and do some other menial jobs (guide people during fire drills, do health & safety checks of the dorm rooms twice per semester, etc.), but I think I could handle it. Wish me luck.

* Christmas was pretty low-key this year. The whole "going tens of thousands of dollars into debt" due to college has put a damper on gift buying, but I don't mind. I got some good stuff anyway. The only new thing I got was Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1, and some socks too, I suppose. My parents also found me some stuff really cheap at estate sales, which my mom loves going to on a weekly basis, and my dad has started to join her. I have a big portfolio already (42" x 34" I would guess), but it's inconvenient for most of my work; my parents found me a really nice used portfolio for $1 that's something like 20" x 14". They found a nice black fedora too for something to the effect of $5, and a 60" Tripod for like $10 or $15 (new in stores, it would be $40). So- AtLA Season 1, Socks, Fedora, Portfolio, Tripod. Good stuff. I also treated myself to a DVD- The Fall, the really really pretty movie by Tarsem.

* My silver Civic will soon be gone for good. The lease is up in less than a week. My sister has bought her own car (a silvery-gold manual-transmission used Mazda Protege) for $4000 but I have no intention to drive it. For the time being, at least. I will miss my car... Bye bye Civic.

* Met up with Kari a few days ago, which was really nice. Her hair has gotten long, and she seems to be doing well. I hope to meet up with her a couple times more over break. Corinna & I have been trying to set up and plan some art days, and Kari seems to be interested as well. The general plan would be that we all bring supplies and just work on what we wish while giving constructive criticism to each other; a more specific plan that we're trying to execute is a figure drawing day where we'd take turns doing poses. One person would stand while the others drew, then one person would switch out. Ariel seems interested too. We're hoping to get at least four or five people so we can get a greater variety of subjects and so that people don't get tired. It'll be a nice to get to spend more time with Corinna & Kari, neither of whom I get to see as much as I would like.

EDIT: Regarding the last point, I wasn't really inviting either of you, but then again, if either of you feel some burning desire to learn about figure drawing, you're welcome to come. I was only intending to post about it as a "This is something I'm doing," but you're welcome if you're interested. I didn't really think you would be, but would be time for hanging out and Kari would be there, and it would be rude to not at least extend the invitation.

* I hope we all can hang out together over break a few times at least. D: I'm afraid of time running out suddenly and then realizing that break is already over with...

Guess who's back?
Back Again!
David's back!
Tell a friend!

It won't let me go to HTML mode, so here's a link-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06CvUjLgK5g