__remember me

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday. I am starting to feel[andsometimesact] like an old man it seems like. Yesterday was probably my most uneventful birthday in my university career; neither good nor bad, just different. I woke up fairly early and came in to studio to do a lot of the work that I procrastinated over the weekend, skipped lunch[timeconstraints] and then was in studio until 5:20 when I went home and ate leftover pizza and went to my wine tasting class until 9. Then, after not feeling any resembelance of the elevation that traditionally comes with consuming wine for 2+ hours, I went up to studio and studied for a geography of natural resources test that I had this morning. I did get to Belly's for a couple of Old Style's at around midnight, and went to bed around 1. Ironically, this was what I would have rather been doing than compared to what I did on my previous birthdays; you only have to live through your 21st once, and I didn't intend on repeating that. Am I getting old, or am I getting wise? Or are those two words inexplicably intertwined, which would mean that I am getting both at the same time? I think/hope so, anyways.

Oh yeah, I watched part of Requiem For A Dream yesterday evening, and it has given me an idea for my 5 second film that is due on Friday in studio. Basically, I think that the reason Matt is having us do these films is for us to learn how to use editing and cuts to tell the story instead of using dialogue and actors. I got a lot of ideas from several of the drug usage scenes, and I think that I've got a good idea about GHB/frats that will work nicely. We'll see how it comes out, and hopefully I can get it posted here.

Beauty in Kansas [x2]

Well, I just returned from a trip to Wichita to visit a [friend] of mine and had a very good weekend. That's two in a row. On the way to and from I went down Highway 177 both ways all the way to I-35 and I realized how beautiful Kansas actually is. The scenery is quite breathtaking right now, and although these pics aren't the best [I was trying to drive, gimme a break], hopefully you can get the idea. I also took a pic of some tower outside of El Dorado that was on fire, I don't know if it was purposeful or not.

Bellys

Last night I met up with some mates at the ol' watering hole, Rock-A-Belly Deli. Hung out and had a few brews, enjoying some good times. I was fortunate enough to have my camera with me, and I snapped a few pics of my home-away-from-home.

n e x [t]

Well, I got my film done this morning, and I am mildly pleased with the outcome. There is a lot more that I could've done better [re-shooting my green screen for one], but overall for the amount of work I put in I was pleased. We've got a script due Friday, but I can get that done tomorrow when I do laundry. I wish that I could somehow post my films online here, but alas they are too large and would kill all of my current online storage space. I was surprised during our films today, because I always think that Matt is going to yell at us and tell us how much we suck, but somehow he always says that we are doing good work? I have always thought that he was going to be a professor who would tell us our work is crap, but so far he seems to be real cool about everything and always points out good stuff in our projects.

So, I think that I am going to be going to Wichita [far from this opera for evermore} this weekend to visit my [friend]. I will be leaving Sat morning and coming back Sunday, I hope to have a good time, I know the company will be top notch. Well, time to hit Belly's.

.Process

Took some pics of my desk today, here's to show how quickly I can accumulate crap:



Here's a pic of a watercolor I did for my rendering class tomm...I call it, 'smack.'

Lacking

Well, I had a really good weekend. I got to hang out with a friend for most of it and we both learned a lot about each other. It kinda sucks because she's going to be moving away to NYC at the beginning of October, so we won't really get to hang out for much longer. Now that Monday rolls around, things are inevitably less exciting, so I am feeling kind of bummed today. I've also got so much stuff to do, I have to have a digital film involving a Mies courtyard house that is due tomorrow, and I am currently waiting to shoot my footage. As usual, the people in front of me are running an hour late, so I have a feeling that I am going to be up in S110 for a while tonight...oh well, I've got lots of music to keep me busy. Of course everyone has waited until tonight to shoot their film [meincludedofcourse], so we're all up here together. I've also got an abstract watercolor due on Wed for my Rendering.Presentation class, and I've got to transfer an image of a John Hejduk Wall House 2 onto watercolor paper so that it will be ready for class.

[hejduk]


And here's a pic of the current state my desk is in:

Finally Friday!

Ok, so maybe this week wasn't that strenuous, but it's still nice to have the weekend ahead of me. I've been working on a various assortment of things this week in studio, ranging from the rendering that you see in the previous post, to storyboarding a short digital film that I am going to be filming and editing, to getting a feeling for a new program that we are working with, Combustion.

This morning I went on a nice 20 mile biek ride, as the weather today is quite beautiful. It's just one of those days where all you want to do is sit outside with your mates and just shoot the shit, not sit in front of a computer working on mundane renderings. One thing I did have to do today was go to the UPS store and try to deny shipment of a package that I already recieved. A few weeks ago I ordered a 1gig stick of RAM from Newegg.com, but when I tried to put it in, I realized that my motherboard only will accept pairs of RAM. So, I returned the RAM to Newegg, and in my application I stated that I ordered the wrong item. A few days later, I get an email from Newegg stating that they had recieved my shipment and were sending me a new stick of RAM, but the problem is that it was STILL A 1GIG STICK!!! So, I called them the next day and told them the deal and the operator told me that she would cancel the shipment and everything would be cool. Well, when I got home last night, I opened the screened door and out falls a package from UPS, and you guessed it, it's the 1gig stick of RAM from Newegg. I wasn't there to refuse the shipment, so they just left it. After my ride this morning, I went to the UPS Store and told the guy my situation, and he told me that I had to go to the UPS distribution center because at the UPS Store they don't deal with refused shipments. Bollocks. So, I head over to the distribution center and when I pull into the parking lot [first time I've driven my car in two weeks, btw] I notice that the place looks pretty dark. I walk up to the door and low and behold, it's locked. Upon glancing at the hours sheet on the window I see that they are open from 3-6pm M-F. WTF?!?!?! Who is open for 3 freakin hours a day!!!!! Ridiculous!!! So, now I have to go there after studio, what a pain in the ass.

.render

Well, I've been pretty busy w/studio and other random stuff recently, so I haven't gotten to post for a bit. The Interpol show was alright, the band was tight and sounded and looked good, but the show was short and the crowd wasn't really into it like they should've been. It was all ages and a bunch of feeble high schoolers were there, which explains the tameness. I am currently downloading the newest Broken Social Scene album from my bro, which upon intial listening isn't as good as their last masterpiece, You Forgot It In People. Below is a rendering for studio that I have been working on and am going to be turning in tomorrow. I am pretty pleased with it, I think that the tree could've turned out a bit better though.

Betty

I went to the library the other day to get some books on my now favourite artist, Gerhard Richter, and was browsing through one of them when I came upon the most beautiful painting that I have ever seen:



I am getting ready to leave Manhattan this weekend and head to Lawrence tonight and then on to KC on Saturday. My best friend is in the Air Force and he is in town for the weekend and I haven't seen him in 9 months, so we're gonna party and have some fun. I will try to take some good pics and get them posted up here.

A Jagged Knife to the Heart

Saw this today while browsing for new music, it seems that Alanis has run out of new material...heh

Up and Running!!!

I am finally on the network at studio! Hooray for iTunes!!!

Assemblageof Sorts

Well, I haven't really posted in a week, and I just loaded all of my pictures from my camera onto my Powerbook, so this is going to be a cumulative posting of photographs and thoughts.

I am starting to get settled in here at my new place, and I am close to being completely moved in. As you can see, my 'living room' is good:


It's my sleeping room that needs some work:


I need to get some metal shelving from my parents house in KC so that I can put all of that crap onto something instead of just throwing it in a pile on the floor.

I've been in classes for a week now, but outside of a 48 hour studio project, I haven't really done anything productive. I feel like I need to be doing more [besides going out at night], and I think that once I get into a routine things will improve.

Here is an example of what I have been doing [technically it's Fish and Tom, but you get the point]:


And here's a proper British fry-up that I cooked Fish and I the following morning [he didn't have a place to live for a few weeks, so I had a temporary roommate]:


And finally, I have some pics from my vacation in Michigan. The first one is a killer fishing trip that landed us many pounds of delicious Salmon meat, and the second one is a view of Lake Michigan from our condo. Lovely weather.




Now I've got all my pics up to date, so enjoy.

Studio time

Well, today I found out that I got Matt Knox for studio. It will be very digitally oriented, but I think that the projects themselves will be interesting, so I am not too disappointed. Afterall, he was my second choice. Sometimes I wonder how much say the students actually have in the selection process. I know that we get to preference and everything, but I wonder if the professors get together and put the students in the studios that will be [b]best[/b] for them, or just arrange them so that there will be parity in every studio. I find it interesting that all of my friends are mainly always in two studios, not spread out through all 5 studios. It will be a different experience to be in a studio that is a year-long, because up until now I have only been in semester-long studios.

Wankered

Well, I have been back in Manhattan[ks] for two days now, and the above title pretty much describes it all. Every day someone else gets into town, so we have to go out and celebrate. Strange thing is, some of these guys I haven't seen for 9 months, and it doesn't really seem like we've been apart. And, even more surprising, we haven't really fallen into the cliche of talking about Europe. A few references here and there, but we haven't gotten all pretentious about it yet. I'm just waiting for it though, because it's bound to happen soon. I imagine when we all begin to realize how shitty this town is and how there is nothing to do here that we will then relapse into talking of 'the good old days' in Europe. Ah, only one more year before I can get out of this town.

I think that I am going to refer from here on out to this week as, 'the calm before the storm.' It is the one week during the year in which we can truly relax and hang out and not have any responsibility. This is probably why we end up drinking all day long. Classes start on Monday, and we should know tomorrow who we have for studio. None of the choices for this year were all that enticing to me, so I don't really care all that much which studio I am in. My top two choices were all year-long studios, so if I get either of those let's just hope that things go well or it's going to be a long ride.

I am anxious to get back into classes and start to get my life on a routine, as I feel that I haven't really been on a routine all summer long.

The Classics

Well, the past two nights I have watched two classic films, Rebel Without a Cause and The Hustler. Ironically, both movies have the two most badass actors ever to grace the big screen. James Dean is the epitome of an outlaw biker, and Paul Newman is as cool as the other side of the pillow. Actors aside, I love the messages that both movies give; while differing in details, both place empahsis on sticking to your guns and following your beliefs and staying true to yourself, no matter what the cost. I would have to say that I like The Hustler better, but I could just be saying that now because I just finished watching it; however, it does seem to have a more fluid plotline (the characters do not fall in love in less than 24 hours), and the death in it seems to be more tragic than in RWOC, thereby more firmly solidifiying the final triumph. The victory is never as sweet without the pain.

Kansas City City, it's where I really wanna be...

Not really, but just thought I'd throw out some Tech N9ne references.

I got back into KC last night after 14 hours of driving. It was a rather boring drive, we didn't get to see the wonderful Effingham Cross that we saw on the way out:



'Bow down before the one you serve
you're going to get what you deserve.'
-Trent Reznor, NIN

Ok, no more music quotes for the rest of the blog, I promise.

I was going to go to Manhattan today and unpack and set up my apartment, but I have an interview at Radinas on Wednesday, so I'm going down tomorrow instead. I need to get a job for next year, as I haven't made much money this summer considering how much I spent in London, so I figured that I might as well put my Starbucks experience to use. Hopefully I will get the job.

I've got a few pics from Michigan, but I haven't uploaded them on to my computer yet, so I will get that done soon.

Michigan

Right now I am chillin at the Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company, using and abusing their wi-fi connection in the heart of Leelanau County in Northern Michigan. I have been up here since Sunday afternoon, and tomorrow at the break of dawn we start our 13 hour journey back to Kansas City, hopefully arriving around 9 pm. It has been a rather interesting week, we met up with some old friends that used to vacation with us up here at a resort that is now destroyed so that a multi-millionaire can build a summer home. Such is capitalism.

We are in Glen Arbor:


I have been doing a lot of beach chilling, reading (finished Devil in the White City and started Anna Karenina), and bike riding. I have done a loop twice now with is about 30 miles long, and goes through this very hilly National Park called Pierce Stocking. There are some insane climbs, and I have climbed them all successfully.

Tom, get ready because when we get back to Manhattan, I'm coming for you.

However, I am officially sick of being with my family and I cannot wait to get back to school. When you think about it, I haven't really had things 'back to normal' since December, and I am longing for my freedom back and the chance to get back into a routine.

Kerouac: Conservative, Lawyer style

Yesterday I embarked on a 'road trip' of sorts with my family to a destination of northern Michigan. I am currently staying at a Holiday Inn in Holland, Michigan. Just down the street is a fantastic outlet mall, fashioned after the American stereotype of Dutch architecture; ie bright orange roofs made of plastic, but 'designed' to look like tiles, and walls made to look like post and lintel construction using timber with white plaster infill; sort of a Dutch meets German fusion, but hell, people in Michigan don't know much difference. I'll try and get pics of it tomorrow.

Today we drove from my grandpa's house in Columbia, Missouri and went out to dinner at a restaurant with good food, but a style of early 90's decadence. You know, fake grapes and vineyard branches, sponge painted walls, bright colors, etc. Funny enough, the customers were dressed with a similar style of tackiness. That's what you get when you let Marty pick the restaurant.

On the road today I tried to get my family to stop for lunch at a trucker diner, to experience the life of being on the road constantly, but no, we had to stop at Wendy's, of all places. I had a Spicy Chicken Sandwich with a Coke. Also, I tried to get my brother, who was driving at the time, to put the car on cruise, and then we could switch seats mid-road, but he would have none of it. My family isn't very adventurous; hopefully this week will be a bit more exciting.

The South will rise again!!!

...well, some people think so anyways.



Yesterday I went to a band concert in Roanoke, Missouri, the town that my grandpa and grandma grew up in. My grandma is no longer with us, and since is was the 99th year that the concert was taking place, I figured that I should go. I had a good time, it was good to spend some time with my grandpa. Below are some pics.

My grandpa attempting to eat a delicious burnt sugar cake:


Roanoke used to have over 100 residents; now it has about 10 and most houses that are still standing look like this:


My sister looking at my grandma's gravestone:


And here's a pic of my 'new' apartment in Manhattan:

Workin man

Today was my second day in a row off, the first time that this has happened since I've been back. For once it actually felt like a weekend[irony b/c it's midweek]; yesterday I was in Manhattan moving all of my stuff. My sister and mom came down, and it was quite interesting to move with them. We got into town around noon and hit up Belly's from some delicious grub. We sat at the front table right by the door which gave me a more than adequate seat with which to reabsorb my second[studio=1] home in Manhattan. Then we went and picked up a 14' truck from U-Haul, which I proceeded to drive to my place out by the golf course; of course this was down with a backwards cap, windows down, and hard rock blasting on the radio. When we reached my place, we all went inside to start packing, with one little problem: I forgot to bring any boxes. What we did to accomodate was to find any box, container and bag, and shoved it full of all of my stuff, and this is when I came to a very important realization that I have too much shit. So, after I get around to unpacking the big pile of stuff on the floor of my new place, I will be lightening my load[s] substantially. We got everything moved without much of a hassle, and then headed home.

Between now and next Thursday, I only have one day off, and that is Saturday. I was going to have to work then too, but I got it off as there is a band supper at my grandpa's home town of Roanoke, Missouri. It has been an ongoing tradition for many, many years, and now that the town is basically all but gone, I feel that I should go there with my grandpa because it has always meant so much to him. He is the person in my life that I respect the most, I know that our time together is growing short since he is almost 86 years old. I am looking forward to the supper and hopefully can snap some pics.