ganked from forever_dreams.

mood: Mmm, I do love me a tasty money burrito
music: Ambient Noise

Remember the choir who covered "Africa"? They've struck again.

mood: Mmm, I do love me a tasty money burrito
music: Ambient Noise

Rescheduled for tomorrow as I wound up being late because I misrembered the light rail schedule.

I'm very upset with myself over this and while I'm grateful the guy saw fit to give me another oppurtunity, it means I have to work doubly hard to wow him.

Also, recalling that the dress code mandates mustaches or clean shaven, I went clean shaven and pressed to hard to cut through some of the facial hair as it was really thick. I now have shaving nicks all over my face.

I'm so screwed.

mood: Mmm, I do love me a tasty money burrito
music: Ambient Noise

Last Thursday, there was a monkey sitting against the garage door when I got home. The eyes are at half-mast, and it just kind of slouches. Mom's walking buddy found it next to a trash can and picked it up to leave there as a joke. At the moment, its sitting atop some old paint cans in the garage. I sure as hell don't want it, and it would need some CDC levels of cleaning and disinfection before I would give it to a child or even to Goodwill.

Spent Halloween at Grandma's. Boring as fuck, that was.

Finals are over. Except for animation class. I came up with something simple and straightforward that I could animate by myself and was short. This, unfortunutly, tanked. The class and the teacher labled it as flat, with no conflict to make it interesting. I was thinking something along the lines of the old Goofy How To films, which, by the way, is an example of Master Animators at their craft. But apparently, there wasn't enough to pull it off. I know I can't even come close to matching that level, but I was trying.

I scrapped the storyboards I had done, and went back to the script. Which then got tabled under pressure from English Writing and Math and money woes. Oh hai there practically empty bank account!

My final was to write up a list of what I had presented in the class. I thought it was a statement and the teacher replied with this:

Hi, Steve.

Each student is supposed to turn in a list of what s/he did, not a statement what s/he learned, although that can be a supplement.  So, please send me a list of what you presented to the class during the quarter.  This will help both of us assess work patterns.

It seems that your story development hit an impasse.  Think of the other animation students as a test marketing audience and float your ideas past them the same way major film studios test their ideas before moving forward.  I would be happy to help you develop a short film concept to storyboard and create.  You have talent; however, that particular film idea may not be the right vehicle to showcase that talent.

Part of the problem is this. I hate animating. I don't take any pleasure in it, and more to the point, I find it mind-numbing. My interests lie in Storyboarding, Character Design, Scripting, and world-building in general. This is what I'm good at. But in order to get the degree, I must complete a short animated film and I seriously question my ability to complete it.

Yes, the fact that I'm in the wrong major has crossed my mind more then once.

So how do I convey this concern and dislike without sounding like a tool?

I came up for the NASA internship again. They dropped it on me out of nowhere and I scrambled to get what was needed, but dropped the ball and never even got the interview. I'm back in the queue again. Damnit! Next time around is in January, so I plan to spemd Christmas Vacation getting my shit together and being ready for the next one.

January also marks my three year anniversery with the catering staffing agency and I'm seriously considering jumping ship. Problem. Any company that hires me, provided I was with them on a gig within the last six months must pay a finder's fee** if they hire me and I'm not going to delude myself that I'm worth the fee.

That, and I'm tired of it. Its fun, and corporate parties are always hilarious*, but between the pay and the fact that I never get any bartender jobs, I'm fustrated. Maybe its because I was hired by the predacessor or there's a black mark I don't know about, or simply that the manager plays favorites or some combination, but it drives me crazy. I don't mind being a server. It's part of the job. But my title specifically says "Bartender/Server" and the only bartending I've done has been when a client needs someone and I've been quick enough to volunteer.

Finally, WHERE THE HELL DID THIS WEATHER*** COME FROM? This is a temperate zone and we're hitting freezing temps at night and 50's in the daytime. I think I've caught something as I have a really bad cough, the sniffles and my nose is running. Never should have been out of doors without covering nose and mouth monday night.


*Seriously. When the attendees get a few drinks in them and hit the dance floor, its just a bonus. I get a paycheck, dinner, and a show, I love it. Hilarity, I tell you, HILARITY!

**This is supposed to prevent other companies from poaching employees, despite the fact that they're always hiring due to the turnover rate. Gee, wonder why there's a high turnover rate?

***purpleparadox has already given me shit on facebook for "whining" about the cold when this would be nothing compared to her neck of the woods. Yeah, well upstate New York in the mountains. Completly different kettle of fish compared to California. Although this makes me once more question my idea of moving to Boston. New England Winters are legendary for their cold. If I can't hack a cold snap here in California, how would I fare in Boston?

mood: Mmm, I do love me a tasty money burrito
music: Ievan's Polkka - Techno club mix (Live)-Loituma

Today, Mom discovered a leak in the pipes under the sink. The leak is even bigger when the dishwasher is draining.

Her solution? Call her walking buddy over to disconnect the dishwasher.

I urged her to call a plumber, or at least the guy from her church who's a professional handyman. She needs to call him over anyway as the ballast in the kitchen light is going.

I doubt she'll do it though.

mood: Mmm, I do love me a tasty money burrito
music: Ambient Noise

mood: Mmm, I do love me a tasty money burrito
music: Ambient Noise

So there is 2 feet of snow outside. And the drifts are taller than me. It's critical. I stepped outside and there was ZERO forward motion.

I'm gonna be one of those ice mummies they find 50 years from now and dissect to find out more about "how they lived." I'll miss you all!

T

I finally got Ashes Grammar today. My new canadian friend found it for me in about two seconds (after I've just spent the last month searching). I am seriously impressed. There is a nice kind of comfort in listening to something for the first time, letting the music just wash over you and sink in. That is a really nice thing. But there is something profoundly thrilling about getting to know an album. Nothing ever sounds the same as the first time you listen to it, and it's interesting to see how that changes as you connect with that album, and to note how the album becomes a part of you the more you connect to it.

I can't wait to get to know Ashes Grammar. I know we just met, but I'm already dreaming of our wedding day.


I know this music stuff is boring to most people, but that's why I'm posting it here. No one reads this anymore, and I have no where else to vent my excitement. I need nerdier friends.

I have only one thing to say right now.

I am completely in love with Why?'s Eskimo Snow. I was first introduced to this band from the song "Canada" which is themselves and why? and which is a really great song, but not as good as Eskimo Snow. I haven't listened to their older stuff yet, and I don't know if I want to. They said of this album "This record is really the least hip-hop out of anything I've ever been involved with." That scares me away a little bit. I've never been a fan of hip hop, save Dead Prez. I didn't even like Subtle which was so raved about on the internet.

But Eskimo Snow is not even tangentially hip hop. Eskimo Snow is the perfect indie record. There is a balance between pretty, slow songs with flowery words and songs that I could dance to with little difficulty. There's funny lyrics like in Against Me, "Will I gain weight in later life? And when will someone swing a scythe against me?" Who but Why? could sing about their deepest, darkest fears so lightheartedly?

Anyway, I'm not trying to write a review about this album, I just wanted to share with the whole nobody reading this.

Also, a kid I barely know asked me if I like black dice today. I told him that they were like the worst hang over experienced aurally and that my ears wanted to puke when I listened to it.

Tags: eskimo snow, why?