Subject : Oh, the pain of it all!
Posted Date: : Jun 10, 2008 7:44 PM
It appears that, this morning, I went through the unenviable task of having my wisdom teeth removed. In preparing for it, I was not allowed to eat nor drink after midnight before. Such processes gave me a headache, and made me feel dizzy.
In being prepared for the real deal, I was hooked up to wires, oxygen, and an IV tube. the result made me look like a tool. At the moment of truth, I tried valiantly to stay awake, like some insane challenge. But, like anyone would, I saw everything go black, rendering my mind useless.
Ever since, the left side of my jaw hurts like hell, more so than the right. I am reduced to non-solid foods, yet I felt wide awake mere minutes after the surgery. However, they insisted that I be moved out in a wheel chair, yet I could have conquered the world. My speech was inarticulate for a while, given that my tongue was numb. So, I lisped. And finally, I was brought to coughing up blood due to the paper towels jammed in the back of my mouth, preventing blood from leaving for a matter of time.
I feel full-well right now, so I see no reason to skip out on work for two days. Here's to recovery.
Subject : Fostering
Posted Date: : Jun 20, 2008 8:36 PM
First off is some belated news: I've been working at my Panera for a whole year as of this past Wednesday. That's a far cry from the simple four months I spent happily at Walt Disney World Resort.
Too, it's a bittersweet anniversary. See, one of our good friends, Dan, has recently been given the pink slip. It appears that his temper got the best of him. And his loss is a deep one. We'll miss 'im, if we (and I) don't see 'im again.
Then, in business news, I've reserved a $1068 hotel in Los Angeles for my SIGGRAPH week. I am going to rope me father into helping me pay for my flight. Damn prices.
Currently, I have a funny thing going down. Our cat, Buddy, has been fostering a homeless kitten (male at that.) So, until I hook him up with a home, I've taken him in for safe keeping. Cats are the craziest peoples.
Subject : You are the ONE!
Posted Date: : Jul 2, 2008 10:04 PM
So, at last, I get to hear the full version of a J-Pop song I've been waiting for since March: 'ONE' by Crystal Kay. It's an exhilerating number, and I haven't had this kind of fever for a song since Tommy february's 'L*O*V*E*L*Y* yumeri lovely boy', which I heard first in 2005. The actual single for 'ONE' will be released in Japan on the 16'th, and I'm recieving a copy by mail!
In other news, the hours at Panera have been slashed from 30-some to the 'teens. This is not my fault: business has been slow, for some reason. But I'm gonna get 'em back somehow.
This Fourth, I'm going to a party hosted by one of my Panera managers, Lauren. I went clothes shopping for it today (cost only $37), so I should look good for the party.
Speaking of shopping, I also have put down a deposit for a brand-new bike. It is $150 altogether, a much better deal than the bikes I saw for $1000 to $2000(?!) It's obviously a response to the dreadful economy.
Too, the new Pixar picture, Andrew Stanton's 'Wall*E' is indescribably good, like nothing else you've ever seen before. I went to it on opening day, like I've done with all Pixar films from 'Nemo' onward. If anything, I think the Congress should see it to get inspired about reshaping some environment-related policies.
Subject : Make it Quick
Posted Date: : Jul 31, 2008 8:43 AM
This particular week has been jammed. Not only because my sister came crawling back into town this past Sunday. I have worked every day since last Saturday thru this Sunday, and almost all those days have me occupied after work. On Monday, it was 'Wall-E' and a family dinner. On Tuesday, I got to enjoy a 19'th-birthday dinner for our good friend Mohammed. Yesterday, it was a larger-scale family dinner. Today, I am to get a haircut. And on Saturday, I am attending a party compliments of Lauren.
Oh, and next week, I'll be getting ready to head west for L.A. The virtual fun never ends in this place.
Subject : Small Thing
Posted Date: : Aug 4, 2008 5:24 PM
Little Buddy left today: he's gone...forever. He has found someone to take him in. I'm disappointed that he's gone, but I'll have to take my medicine.
Too, I've read a horrible vision in the papers a few days ago. They say that 'The Dark Knight' may overthrow 'Titanic' from the top of the box office heap. I hope that doesn't happen: 'Titanic' deserves it more because it's an original picture with emotions and historic relevance. 'The Dark Knight', on the other hand, is grossly overrated just because of the death of one of its key actors. People should go see 'Wall-E', instead.
This past Saturday, I attended a Wii party, hosted by Lauren. It featured her cookings of Japanese dishes as the entree. And watching my girl-friends playing a marathon session of a certain party board game was pretty amusing. I also saw Ashley again, but she left us all too soon.
I'm out to LA this Saturday, so that'll be fun.
Subject : SIGGRAPH 2008
Posted Date: : Aug 13, 2008 10:31 PM
Well, I've been at SIGGRAPH 2008, as was intended. Arrived to Los Angeles on Sat. night, having rode first class all the way. Made it to my hotel, paying up $17 for a cab(?!) Sunday had me arriving to the Los Angeles Convention Center. I was curmudgeonly and grumpy that day, as everyone seemed to know each other, and no one wanted to know me. It was my face, I'll bet.
By Monday, I got to work. Being out on my shifts, standing tall for three hours, is a drag. But stuff that happens outside of work has made up for those crappy shifts.
I have seen, in person, such famous big shots as Jim Blinn, Ed Catmull, John Stevenson, Bill Frake, John Lasseter, Frederik Back, Leslie Iwerks, Don Hahn, Randy Cartwright, and Andreas Deja!Have also bore witness to such entertainment as 3-D Screenings, submitted animated shorts, 'The Man Who Planted Trees', 'The Pixar Story', 'A Tribute to Frank and Ollie', a presentation from the studio OLM, and an actual Disney animator animate before me!
The Disney and Pixar booths are easily my favorites. Not many big-shot events are left here.
Will report back, and hopefully with less sentence fragments.
Subject : Together we will be
Posted Date: : Sep 12, 2008 4:21 AM
Today is not only a day of national mourning: it also happens to be the 2'nd anniversary of my frab-tabulous Orlando journey. The one where I worked at Walt Disney World Resort for four months, met many new people, and lived on my own terms. Good times and bad, it's an experiance that I wouldn't trade for any other.
That's great, because the school semester is a nightmare before Christmas.
This semester, I have to go to Piedmont five days a week. As opposed to the previous two and four. To combat gas price fatigue, I stay overnight on Thursdays, for a class at 8 AM on Friday.
The classes are getting a wee bit technical, involving insane deadlines for compsiting, 3-D animation, and more After Effects. As if that's not enough, I'm working on a 30-second animation (large-scale ambition) all by myself!
At least work keeps me alive. One manager, Jason, had quit in the last month. This let a far-better replacement take his place: by name of Melody. The work seems to be getting more hardcore, though.
Forever friends, them and me. And same with my Orlando crew: we can change the world if we try. I go where you go, forever friends, you and I.
Subject : Super Hyper Mega Work
Posted Date: : Sep 28, 2008 5:07 AM
While the economy is going to crap, I've been working hardcore on my 30-second animation.
The piece I'm doing is a public-service promo. Mine revolves around the group GAIA, who specialize in recycling used clothes to fund their various projects. I'm producing it in hand-drawn animation, digitally-painted backgrounds, and After Effects, all by myself.
The principle animation was completed this past Thursday, and it involved the rough keyframes, inbetweens, clean-up, and color (Prisma markers.) It was a labor-intensive process, you see; took a lot of time. And the final piece is due this coming Friday. Means that I've entered crunch time.
Can't wait to have it finished, so I can post it here, there, and everywhere. It'll show how times have changed since the days when 'Smart Moon Takes One' was produced on tracing paper, no color, and rather crudely by today's standards of living. Stay tuned to see it's posting, kiddos.
Speaking english again, I've heard through the grapevine that the Adenturer's Club in WDW Resort is closing forever. As is the whole of WDW's Pleasure Island. It's very saf; I have experiences there, shopping, dancing, and being entertained. Hell, does this mean that the shops just past PI (such as the AMC theatre and Virgin Megastore) are closing too? That'd be bad.
Stay tuned.
Subject : First off, gritty old news
Posted Date: : Oct 15, 2008 3:13 PM
I should have mentioned this on Friday, but I was delayed.
I've got a new, major animation ready for production. And just like before, I'm working solo (though I did try to work with others, they have no sense of direction.)
It's a CGI bit, involving a highway sign, with human persona, wanting to entertain. Won't say anymore about the plot details. But I'll mention that after I gave my initial pitch (the rough outline), I was told to rewrite the last half. This is besides having to clarify what was going on. Hell, even I knew what the story was visually. With that rewrite, the pitch went over better.
I've got storyboards and an animatic due in the coming weeks.
Subject : Isn’t dat nice?
Posted Date: : Oct 16, 2008 10:34 PM
I thought I'd hit you up with some stories about my recent trip to the burrough of Manhattan. This is the long and short of it.
It took place across four days, dammit. Got there at around 7:30-ish in the morning: gave me enough time to explore the city solo mio. It was swell to stay at the Algonquian Hotel, off of 44'th and 6'th Ave. That's just a stone's throw away from Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Those happen to be my favorite places in NYC.
During the first day, I spent $230 on goods at a Japanese book store (music!), took lunch at Bryant Park, and went to a specific Broadway show (cough-Mermaid-cough). Bah...
The next few days were more eventful, once my sister (living in Brooklyn) came along for the ride. To be exact, that Sunday morning had us take on a boat toar around the island. For three hours, you see NYC transistion from upclass refinery to seediness, to rustic peace and back again to urbane. Pretty good for photo ops.
That afternoon, we tried going to the Museum of the Moving Image. But it was closed for Sunday, those bastards. So, we went to the Top of the Rock, instead. The Rockefeller Tower, that is. Another great place for photos, but my camera died while up there. So I failed to get some awesom-o panarama shots. We dined in Brooklyn that evening, nearby me sister's pad.
Monday entailed the touring of downtown NYC. That meant poking around China Town (lot's of cheap jewlery for sale), Ground Zero (the Winter Garden kills), and Wall Street (the historic 900-plus point rise on the Dow.) That evening, I got to don a slendid, purple suit (made me look like a gangster for the Joker) for a high-class pre-birthday dinner "Italiano". I wanted a shot of me in the suit, and it took too many times to get good ones (it was the damn photographer's problemo.)
And oh god, Tuesday was the day I became an adult. God no! In other events, we spent a day touring Central Park, including the Bethesda fountain, the local zoo. Followed closely by discovering the NYC Apple store (iPhones are fruity) and lunching at a Japanese tea house.
And there is a brief summary of the journey man's fourt total trip to NYC. What a magical city.
Subject : I’m positive 2 say
Posted Date: : Oct 23, 2008 11:31 PM
I just wanna say that this was a really crappy week.
Since Monday, that is. I've been bombarded with school projects that a baroque and foreign to me. Yet they're not to others. The worst part is that these projects are of the DIY category. That'd be acceptable, were it not for the fact that we have barely trained in anything we are working on. And teacher isn't any help at all. This could only lead down the road of failure.
By the way, the projects involve turning a crankshaft (3-D), and texturing and lighting an alleyway. Bah.
Otherwise, the week has comprised of broken promises, lagging internets, and failures in communication. Even at work (on Monday nite), we were working more hardcore than usual. Pretty abrubt, if you ask me.
Well, here's good news. With the downturn of the economy comes the return of sensible gas prices. I mean, this is the first time since Feb-freaking-bruary that the price for regular has been below $3. It's been awhile.
Subject : All Hallow’s Eve Recitations
Posted Date: : Oct 31, 2008 1:39 PM
Hello, welcome to my dark side. Why don't you have a picnic there? I'll bring beautiful things in my basket. My scary things I'm gonna hide into a pink grave in my head.
Juicy, sweet light shining over me, I sleep like dead in bed. In my nightmare, there's a reverse of me.
Under the Cherry Moon, the shadow of you is coming like a princess to hold me up.
Subject : The Broken Neck Blues: play on.
Posted Date: : Nov 4, 2008 11:54 PM
Let me tell you my little Election Day story. It's only a skip away to the nearest polling grounds. Woke up at 5:30 AM for this historic election, too. Twas the third in line, after two dudes in front. The polls didn't open for an hour, though. And finally, it took me about ten minutes to get in and out of the voting process. And of course, I advocated change (wink wink, nudge nudge.)
Meanwhile, I'm sinking in a stew of projects this week, including fluff for After Effects and Maya. They happen to make my head hurt. The bad part is that one of the assignments is due tomorrow, and the tutor didn't show today. Cripes.
Well sir, that is the long and short of it. Because I'm in the middle of class.
Subject : Yippee, we won!
Posted Date: : Nov 5, 2008 7:01 PM
What a thrill, huh? Barack Obama is the 44'th President of the USA.
Course, I kept tabs on the results through the evening (after N.C.'s polls closed.) Tried to follow them off of the local NBC station, but all they really covered was the local elections. That was useless, so it's evil. ABC was vastly more useful in keeping tabs on the electoral vote (I once caught that Obama had 200 to McCain's 130!)
Would you believe I saw the monumental announcement by way of CNN...in a "restaurauntour" later that night...and it was karaoke night?! I heard some redneck dude absolutely butcher the song, "I Will Survive". Anyways, it was great news for the nation. I got to watch McCain's concession speech...and Barack's acceptance speech. And all the nation celebrated...deep into the night. That was totally wicked!
Subject : Get a load of dis, folks...
Posted Date: : Nov 10, 2008 7:03 PM
Remember my new 3-D piece? The one that I'm doing for my next implimentation project? The one for whose animatic can currently be seen with my videos?! Now, I've got another one to do!
But get this: my conception is to mix a 3-D character with 2-D ones (wowsers!) It involves two 2-D guys and a 3-D reel-to-reel projector. I'm hyped to get to work on it, but I don't know which characters I should use for the 2-D bits. Should I use old veterans like Smart Moon and Baby Moon? Or should I strive to create original characters, suitable for the situation? I think we all know what I should do.
Can't say anything about the story yet (loose lips sink ships, after all.) Too, if I was working on this for a real studio, loose lips result in termination. That's particularly true of locations like Pixar and Disney.
Hope the work load doesn't kill me. Rather, it makes me stronger. I'm also currently working on more college apps, so I have little time for farce.
Subject : Where have you gone?
Posted Date: : Nov 14, 2008 2:49 AM
Here's a sucker.
I'd been pushing for my household to get high-speed internet for years now. When I (spontaneously) obtained a DSL and wireless router the other Veteran's Day, that was the final stroke in making it happen. Today, a brand-new DSL connection was supposed to be activated at the household. But, the online order didn't go through, so I had to go to AT&T by phone to order it. They did reduce the rate from $42 to $34, so there's a plus.
But meanwhile, I'm here at school, dying over the multitude of projects in my lap. There's no one else here now (gee, that's suspect), so there's no one to give very good advice (that I very seldom follow from nerds.) And the trouble is: my 3-D work is crap next to theirs.
But hey, the long-delayed (birthday) dinner featuring Corey and myself is taking place this 15'th. It had been planned back in Sept(!), was on around Oct. 25'th, then unceremoniously canceled and rescheduled.
Subject : I’m a hell of a guy! And t’night, we honor you!
Posted Date: : Nov 17, 2008 4:51 AM
Well, that long-planned, ballyhooed dinner turned out to largely be a bust!
At the last minute (natch), most everyone seemed to change their mind, was not able to make it, were stuck in traffic in High Point, was working elsewhere, doing anthrapomology homework, was unaware, or had to save money for Christmas. Only Corey, his mistress, and myself were present. But we had dinner anyway. Pretty good food at Bravo, I'll say. I also used the dining 'oppro to drink chardonnay. Too bad the whole deal didn't work out, though.
An accomplice of mine has it in the cards that we'll have another dinner...for real this time. My idea is to have one during Winter Break, before Christmas. A time where everyone can attend. No particular occasion, but just for the hell of it.
By the way, today at work was hellish. Not the people I work with, mind you (but there are some kinks in the gears.) It's just that we reached our capacity limit more than once during the lunch rush, and it wouldn't stop. This wasn't the first time we've been dealt a bad hand of crowds, and it won't be the last.
Subject : Kid, I don’t got much time...
Posted Date: : Nov 21, 2008 2:26 AM
Now hear this.. I've got a DSL connection today. This is after many years of searching, and three hours of technical fixes.
There's a glitch in the hitch, however: I got this DSL from AT&T. Problem is, my traditional online carrier is AOL. And getting AT&T to replace the long-lasting AOL material I got was not what I signed up for. Now I have to sign off from an AOL contract, lest I have to pay for two services at once. By the way, the fact that AOL mostly comes in dial-up flavors is 100% bull plop.
This will be brief, as I'm frustrated and in class.
Subject : Where've you been with those eyes?
Posted Date: : Dec 10, 2008 10:40 AM
This is a scribe that comes in during a hard-core work load.
To refresh, I have no less than four animated shorts in production right now. One of them is close to completion, two are half-way there, and another is desperate. Hope to put them into my video list soon.
I also have the opportunity to finish them in time for a film festival this coming Saturday. To finish some of the things in time, that means I need a whole lotta notebook cards, erasers, and patience for late-night workage.
Meanwhile, at Panera, some interesting developments have taken place. The big news is that the one named Nancy is here no more. She was canned last week for gross incompetence and managerial impotence. The usurper has become the usurped! The tower of terror has crumbled! She's been replaced by a dude named Chris. He's a bit better off, but currently lacks empathy.
We've had a Christmas party this past Sunday, full 'o good food, friends, and humor. A raffle took place, upon which persons received prizes such as candy, gift cards, and tampons (ya heard me!)
I gotta go.
Subject : You wouldn’t get this from any other guy
Posted Date: : Dec 12, 2008 3:49 AM
As I write this, I've gone through 94 animation drawings.
Tonight, the epic struggle has been on. And not just the much-needed downpour, either. I'm going to animate, clean-up, scan, color, and (hopefully) composite two project's bits of hand-drawn animation.
Tomorrow, I've got to present a near-final version of the big CGI piece. There's a bunch of subtle-acting shots left to pull out. We know the game, and we're gonna play it.
Subject : Will this never end?
Posted Date: : Dec 17, 2008 7:46 PM
This will be super-brief...I'm currently in class, folks.
The screening of my 3-D final is going horribly; I did'nt have enough time to put sound effects in, so that blows. The visual effects need polishing, it really needs a rescue. They commented that...my work really blows. I'll upload it, and you'll see. But, I'll try to correct the various missteps with my compositing final.
The 3-D piece - it's certainly not 'F' fodder, but to me, it's not my finest work. Imaginative, but not the best.
Too, I have to pay a lousy sum for new tires, my motorcar needs transmission repair, and it costs $120 for an oil change...which I paid for.
My Christmas shopping budget is about to shrink tenfold. But...I'm not broke, folks. Don't worry.
Subject : People who need people
Posted Date: : Dec 18, 2008 10:17 PM
The good news is, I've officially polished and turned in three of my final pieces.
The bad news is...
First, I've got a night of completing my epic final final project, including rendering and post production. And there's one shot that's often crashing. Geeze.
Second, a good friend, Justin, will not be present at >shudder< Piedmont next semester. For all of you who don't know, he was my art instructor and mentor for the past two and four semesters respectively. It was swellow to have someone who pushed my recent work to a higher plain, and give excellent feedback. He will be exclusively at another campus next semester on. Sure, I can email him in future, but this place just got a whole lot lonelier. Sounds like someone has died, don't it? Back to 'vork! Subject : Nobody Goes Home! Posted Date: : Dec 19, 2008 3:48 PM Tis a good time to be the end of the school semester. I have been at the campus since yesterday at 3! I was to work all through the night until 4:30 AM. That's because I kept running into woes where my rendering regards. Do I render in mental ray, or maya software? I was getting nowhere fast. What happened in the end was I mostly rendered in maya software. Continued to render the misery until 11 AM today. That's when a sound mix was performed, and I turned in what I had just before the due point: 1 PM. Good thing too; every shot was fully rendered and complete. Most of what everyone else turned in was utter crap. You should have seen it: one group turned in a sub-par six seconds of footage (the min. was 30, max. was 50!) Bastards tried to render in HD. How dumb do we think they are?! Thankfully, mine was conceded as the best work overall. And I was worried that their's would be way better, and I'd be ripped apart. But I only got a few notes of fixes, and I'm still here at school performing the surgery right now. When all of that's done, I'll have the video uploaded by Monday. I'm not really thinking about any holiday right now: I don't deserve a holiday. Subject : Good and Bad news on the ’Night Before Christmas’ Posted Date: : Dec 24, 2008 11:00 PM Only today did I complete my big-shot Christmas shopping, for family and beyond. Even got myself new pairs of clothes. Went to a Christmas party this evening, courtesy of Lauren. Enjoyed friends, conversation, and strong caramel whiskey. Got to and from Thomasville (Lauren's residence) without trouble, except for some torrential rain and darkness. Pretty uncharacteristic for Christmas Eve. Santa's gonna need rain gear. But, not all is well in Greens-bro Town. Our good friend Moe is making us frown. Sadly, he's the latest in the diminishing pool of Panera veterans leaving us. Suddenly, he found new work across the street at La Fiesta, or what-ever the name was. Apparantly, Lauren believes this will help Moe to grow up. But, to me, it's just like when Bobby left us (read the blog post from exactly one year ago): it's as though somebody near and dear has died. Tomorrow is Christmas: it's practically here. Subject : Nobody don’t like Christmas Posted Date: : Dec 27, 2008 2:36 AM Well, did you get what was coming to ya this Christmas? Religion, Presento, and family, that is. I received a very Disney-heavy parcel o' packages this time, including the final collection of Donald Duck shorts, The Art of Alchemy, and best of all, The Illusion of Life. That's the acclaimed 1981 tome from Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, their comprehensive tome on the Disney philosophy for animation. This has plenty of useful tips for persons training in the medium (don't copy their rules, but learn from and adapt.) Oh, and besides those, I've got a subscription to Animation Magazine (finally!), two covetous Blu-Ray titles, and a genuine straw hat. A straw hat, 12-ish years after I first begged to get one. It was all inspired from that Annie Award-winning 1997 film, Cat's Don't Dance. In other Xmas stories, me mum stupidly lost her cars keys early in the morning, in our own house. It caused us to be two hours late to our cousin's house for our Xmas constitutional. Like I said, embarrassing. The good to come out of this was her cleaning up the place a bit to weed them out. Tonight, I was able to find them in the one place she did'na scour enough: the trunk of her car. And would yeh believe this was the first year that 1.) we took turns opening gifts. And 2.) that this was the first year that I didn't get any Xmas gifts from my cousins or grandparents! To be fair, my sister didn't either. The stupid economy made this sudden change-up possible. In other news, I'm heading to Mobile this coming New Years Eve. There, I have my pop, step mom, and grandparents (from me dad's side), the former who are visiting and the latter who live there. The grandmother, sadly, is bed-bound with serious, life-or-death illness. Could it be the byproduct of smoking more than 10 years ago? Mmm, maybe. Too, I'm sorry to hear that Eartha Kitt has just died, at 81. She will be missed by all us entertainment lovers. We've lost another icon, one for that particular Oscar montage.
Posted Date: : Jun 10, 2008 7:44 PM
It appears that, this morning, I went through the unenviable task of having my wisdom teeth removed. In preparing for it, I was not allowed to eat nor drink after midnight before. Such processes gave me a headache, and made me feel dizzy.
In being prepared for the real deal, I was hooked up to wires, oxygen, and an IV tube. the result made me look like a tool. At the moment of truth, I tried valiantly to stay awake, like some insane challenge. But, like anyone would, I saw everything go black, rendering my mind useless.
Ever since, the left side of my jaw hurts like hell, more so than the right. I am reduced to non-solid foods, yet I felt wide awake mere minutes after the surgery. However, they insisted that I be moved out in a wheel chair, yet I could have conquered the world. My speech was inarticulate for a while, given that my tongue was numb. So, I lisped. And finally, I was brought to coughing up blood due to the paper towels jammed in the back of my mouth, preventing blood from leaving for a matter of time.
I feel full-well right now, so I see no reason to skip out on work for two days. Here's to recovery.
Subject : Fostering
Posted Date: : Jun 20, 2008 8:36 PM
First off is some belated news: I've been working at my Panera for a whole year as of this past Wednesday. That's a far cry from the simple four months I spent happily at Walt Disney World Resort.
Too, it's a bittersweet anniversary. See, one of our good friends, Dan, has recently been given the pink slip. It appears that his temper got the best of him. And his loss is a deep one. We'll miss 'im, if we (and I) don't see 'im again.
Then, in business news, I've reserved a $1068 hotel in Los Angeles for my SIGGRAPH week. I am going to rope me father into helping me pay for my flight. Damn prices.
Currently, I have a funny thing going down. Our cat, Buddy, has been fostering a homeless kitten (male at that.) So, until I hook him up with a home, I've taken him in for safe keeping. Cats are the craziest peoples.
Subject : You are the ONE!
Posted Date: : Jul 2, 2008 10:04 PM
So, at last, I get to hear the full version of a J-Pop song I've been waiting for since March: 'ONE' by Crystal Kay. It's an exhilerating number, and I haven't had this kind of fever for a song since Tommy february's 'L*O*V*E*L*Y* yumeri lovely boy', which I heard first in 2005. The actual single for 'ONE' will be released in Japan on the 16'th, and I'm recieving a copy by mail!
In other news, the hours at Panera have been slashed from 30-some to the 'teens. This is not my fault: business has been slow, for some reason. But I'm gonna get 'em back somehow.
This Fourth, I'm going to a party hosted by one of my Panera managers, Lauren. I went clothes shopping for it today (cost only $37), so I should look good for the party.
Speaking of shopping, I also have put down a deposit for a brand-new bike. It is $150 altogether, a much better deal than the bikes I saw for $1000 to $2000(?!) It's obviously a response to the dreadful economy.
Too, the new Pixar picture, Andrew Stanton's 'Wall*E' is indescribably good, like nothing else you've ever seen before. I went to it on opening day, like I've done with all Pixar films from 'Nemo' onward. If anything, I think the Congress should see it to get inspired about reshaping some environment-related policies.
Subject : Make it Quick
Posted Date: : Jul 31, 2008 8:43 AM
This particular week has been jammed. Not only because my sister came crawling back into town this past Sunday. I have worked every day since last Saturday thru this Sunday, and almost all those days have me occupied after work. On Monday, it was 'Wall-E' and a family dinner. On Tuesday, I got to enjoy a 19'th-birthday dinner for our good friend Mohammed. Yesterday, it was a larger-scale family dinner. Today, I am to get a haircut. And on Saturday, I am attending a party compliments of Lauren.
Oh, and next week, I'll be getting ready to head west for L.A. The virtual fun never ends in this place.
Subject : Small Thing
Posted Date: : Aug 4, 2008 5:24 PM
Little Buddy left today: he's gone...forever. He has found someone to take him in. I'm disappointed that he's gone, but I'll have to take my medicine.
Too, I've read a horrible vision in the papers a few days ago. They say that 'The Dark Knight' may overthrow 'Titanic' from the top of the box office heap. I hope that doesn't happen: 'Titanic' deserves it more because it's an original picture with emotions and historic relevance. 'The Dark Knight', on the other hand, is grossly overrated just because of the death of one of its key actors. People should go see 'Wall-E', instead.
This past Saturday, I attended a Wii party, hosted by Lauren. It featured her cookings of Japanese dishes as the entree. And watching my girl-friends playing a marathon session of a certain party board game was pretty amusing. I also saw Ashley again, but she left us all too soon.
I'm out to LA this Saturday, so that'll be fun.
Subject : SIGGRAPH 2008
Posted Date: : Aug 13, 2008 10:31 PM
Well, I've been at SIGGRAPH 2008, as was intended. Arrived to Los Angeles on Sat. night, having rode first class all the way. Made it to my hotel, paying up $17 for a cab(?!) Sunday had me arriving to the Los Angeles Convention Center. I was curmudgeonly and grumpy that day, as everyone seemed to know each other, and no one wanted to know me. It was my face, I'll bet.
By Monday, I got to work. Being out on my shifts, standing tall for three hours, is a drag. But stuff that happens outside of work has made up for those crappy shifts.
I have seen, in person, such famous big shots as Jim Blinn, Ed Catmull, John Stevenson, Bill Frake, John Lasseter, Frederik Back, Leslie Iwerks, Don Hahn, Randy Cartwright, and Andreas Deja!Have also bore witness to such entertainment as 3-D Screenings, submitted animated shorts, 'The Man Who Planted Trees', 'The Pixar Story', 'A Tribute to Frank and Ollie', a presentation from the studio OLM, and an actual Disney animator animate before me!
The Disney and Pixar booths are easily my favorites. Not many big-shot events are left here.
Will report back, and hopefully with less sentence fragments.
Subject : Together we will be
Posted Date: : Sep 12, 2008 4:21 AM
Today is not only a day of national mourning: it also happens to be the 2'nd anniversary of my frab-tabulous Orlando journey. The one where I worked at Walt Disney World Resort for four months, met many new people, and lived on my own terms. Good times and bad, it's an experiance that I wouldn't trade for any other.
That's great, because the school semester is a nightmare before Christmas.
This semester, I have to go to Piedmont five days a week. As opposed to the previous two and four. To combat gas price fatigue, I stay overnight on Thursdays, for a class at 8 AM on Friday.
The classes are getting a wee bit technical, involving insane deadlines for compsiting, 3-D animation, and more After Effects. As if that's not enough, I'm working on a 30-second animation (large-scale ambition) all by myself!
At least work keeps me alive. One manager, Jason, had quit in the last month. This let a far-better replacement take his place: by name of Melody. The work seems to be getting more hardcore, though.
Forever friends, them and me. And same with my Orlando crew: we can change the world if we try. I go where you go, forever friends, you and I.
Subject : Super Hyper Mega Work
Posted Date: : Sep 28, 2008 5:07 AM
While the economy is going to crap, I've been working hardcore on my 30-second animation.
The piece I'm doing is a public-service promo. Mine revolves around the group GAIA, who specialize in recycling used clothes to fund their various projects. I'm producing it in hand-drawn animation, digitally-painted backgrounds, and After Effects, all by myself.
The principle animation was completed this past Thursday, and it involved the rough keyframes, inbetweens, clean-up, and color (Prisma markers.) It was a labor-intensive process, you see; took a lot of time. And the final piece is due this coming Friday. Means that I've entered crunch time.
Can't wait to have it finished, so I can post it here, there, and everywhere. It'll show how times have changed since the days when 'Smart Moon Takes One' was produced on tracing paper, no color, and rather crudely by today's standards of living. Stay tuned to see it's posting, kiddos.
Speaking english again, I've heard through the grapevine that the Adenturer's Club in WDW Resort is closing forever. As is the whole of WDW's Pleasure Island. It's very saf; I have experiences there, shopping, dancing, and being entertained. Hell, does this mean that the shops just past PI (such as the AMC theatre and Virgin Megastore) are closing too? That'd be bad.
Stay tuned.
Subject : First off, gritty old news
Posted Date: : Oct 15, 2008 3:13 PM
I should have mentioned this on Friday, but I was delayed.
I've got a new, major animation ready for production. And just like before, I'm working solo (though I did try to work with others, they have no sense of direction.)
It's a CGI bit, involving a highway sign, with human persona, wanting to entertain. Won't say anymore about the plot details. But I'll mention that after I gave my initial pitch (the rough outline), I was told to rewrite the last half. This is besides having to clarify what was going on. Hell, even I knew what the story was visually. With that rewrite, the pitch went over better.
I've got storyboards and an animatic due in the coming weeks.
Subject : Isn’t dat nice?
Posted Date: : Oct 16, 2008 10:34 PM
I thought I'd hit you up with some stories about my recent trip to the burrough of Manhattan. This is the long and short of it.
It took place across four days, dammit. Got there at around 7:30-ish in the morning: gave me enough time to explore the city solo mio. It was swell to stay at the Algonquian Hotel, off of 44'th and 6'th Ave. That's just a stone's throw away from Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Those happen to be my favorite places in NYC.
During the first day, I spent $230 on goods at a Japanese book store (music!), took lunch at Bryant Park, and went to a specific Broadway show (cough-Mermaid-cough). Bah...
The next few days were more eventful, once my sister (living in Brooklyn) came along for the ride. To be exact, that Sunday morning had us take on a boat toar around the island. For three hours, you see NYC transistion from upclass refinery to seediness, to rustic peace and back again to urbane. Pretty good for photo ops.
That afternoon, we tried going to the Museum of the Moving Image. But it was closed for Sunday, those bastards. So, we went to the Top of the Rock, instead. The Rockefeller Tower, that is. Another great place for photos, but my camera died while up there. So I failed to get some awesom-o panarama shots. We dined in Brooklyn that evening, nearby me sister's pad.
Monday entailed the touring of downtown NYC. That meant poking around China Town (lot's of cheap jewlery for sale), Ground Zero (the Winter Garden kills), and Wall Street (the historic 900-plus point rise on the Dow.) That evening, I got to don a slendid, purple suit (made me look like a gangster for the Joker) for a high-class pre-birthday dinner "Italiano". I wanted a shot of me in the suit, and it took too many times to get good ones (it was the damn photographer's problemo.)
And oh god, Tuesday was the day I became an adult. God no! In other events, we spent a day touring Central Park, including the Bethesda fountain, the local zoo. Followed closely by discovering the NYC Apple store (iPhones are fruity) and lunching at a Japanese tea house.
And there is a brief summary of the journey man's fourt total trip to NYC. What a magical city.
Subject : I’m positive 2 say
Posted Date: : Oct 23, 2008 11:31 PM
I just wanna say that this was a really crappy week.
Since Monday, that is. I've been bombarded with school projects that a baroque and foreign to me. Yet they're not to others. The worst part is that these projects are of the DIY category. That'd be acceptable, were it not for the fact that we have barely trained in anything we are working on. And teacher isn't any help at all. This could only lead down the road of failure.
By the way, the projects involve turning a crankshaft (3-D), and texturing and lighting an alleyway. Bah.
Otherwise, the week has comprised of broken promises, lagging internets, and failures in communication. Even at work (on Monday nite), we were working more hardcore than usual. Pretty abrubt, if you ask me.
Well, here's good news. With the downturn of the economy comes the return of sensible gas prices. I mean, this is the first time since Feb-freaking-bruary that the price for regular has been below $3. It's been awhile.
Subject : All Hallow’s Eve Recitations
Posted Date: : Oct 31, 2008 1:39 PM
Hello, welcome to my dark side. Why don't you have a picnic there? I'll bring beautiful things in my basket. My scary things I'm gonna hide into a pink grave in my head.
Juicy, sweet light shining over me, I sleep like dead in bed. In my nightmare, there's a reverse of me.
Under the Cherry Moon, the shadow of you is coming like a princess to hold me up.
Subject : The Broken Neck Blues: play on.
Posted Date: : Nov 4, 2008 11:54 PM
Let me tell you my little Election Day story. It's only a skip away to the nearest polling grounds. Woke up at 5:30 AM for this historic election, too. Twas the third in line, after two dudes in front. The polls didn't open for an hour, though. And finally, it took me about ten minutes to get in and out of the voting process. And of course, I advocated change (wink wink, nudge nudge.)
Meanwhile, I'm sinking in a stew of projects this week, including fluff for After Effects and Maya. They happen to make my head hurt. The bad part is that one of the assignments is due tomorrow, and the tutor didn't show today. Cripes.
Well sir, that is the long and short of it. Because I'm in the middle of class.
Subject : Yippee, we won!
Posted Date: : Nov 5, 2008 7:01 PM
What a thrill, huh? Barack Obama is the 44'th President of the USA.
Course, I kept tabs on the results through the evening (after N.C.'s polls closed.) Tried to follow them off of the local NBC station, but all they really covered was the local elections. That was useless, so it's evil. ABC was vastly more useful in keeping tabs on the electoral vote (I once caught that Obama had 200 to McCain's 130!)
Would you believe I saw the monumental announcement by way of CNN...in a "restaurauntour" later that night...and it was karaoke night?! I heard some redneck dude absolutely butcher the song, "I Will Survive". Anyways, it was great news for the nation. I got to watch McCain's concession speech...and Barack's acceptance speech. And all the nation celebrated...deep into the night. That was totally wicked!
Subject : Get a load of dis, folks...
Posted Date: : Nov 10, 2008 7:03 PM
Remember my new 3-D piece? The one that I'm doing for my next implimentation project? The one for whose animatic can currently be seen with my videos?! Now, I've got another one to do!
But get this: my conception is to mix a 3-D character with 2-D ones (wowsers!) It involves two 2-D guys and a 3-D reel-to-reel projector. I'm hyped to get to work on it, but I don't know which characters I should use for the 2-D bits. Should I use old veterans like Smart Moon and Baby Moon? Or should I strive to create original characters, suitable for the situation? I think we all know what I should do.
Can't say anything about the story yet (loose lips sink ships, after all.) Too, if I was working on this for a real studio, loose lips result in termination. That's particularly true of locations like Pixar and Disney.
Hope the work load doesn't kill me. Rather, it makes me stronger. I'm also currently working on more college apps, so I have little time for farce.
Subject : Where have you gone?
Posted Date: : Nov 14, 2008 2:49 AM
Here's a sucker.
I'd been pushing for my household to get high-speed internet for years now. When I (spontaneously) obtained a DSL and wireless router the other Veteran's Day, that was the final stroke in making it happen. Today, a brand-new DSL connection was supposed to be activated at the household. But, the online order didn't go through, so I had to go to AT&T by phone to order it. They did reduce the rate from $42 to $34, so there's a plus.
But meanwhile, I'm here at school, dying over the multitude of projects in my lap. There's no one else here now (gee, that's suspect), so there's no one to give very good advice (that I very seldom follow from nerds.) And the trouble is: my 3-D work is crap next to theirs.
But hey, the long-delayed (birthday) dinner featuring Corey and myself is taking place this 15'th. It had been planned back in Sept(!), was on around Oct. 25'th, then unceremoniously canceled and rescheduled.
Subject : I’m a hell of a guy! And t’night, we honor you!
Posted Date: : Nov 17, 2008 4:51 AM
Well, that long-planned, ballyhooed dinner turned out to largely be a bust!
At the last minute (natch), most everyone seemed to change their mind, was not able to make it, were stuck in traffic in High Point, was working elsewhere, doing anthrapomology homework, was unaware, or had to save money for Christmas. Only Corey, his mistress, and myself were present. But we had dinner anyway. Pretty good food at Bravo, I'll say. I also used the dining 'oppro to drink chardonnay. Too bad the whole deal didn't work out, though.
An accomplice of mine has it in the cards that we'll have another dinner...for real this time. My idea is to have one during Winter Break, before Christmas. A time where everyone can attend. No particular occasion, but just for the hell of it.
By the way, today at work was hellish. Not the people I work with, mind you (but there are some kinks in the gears.) It's just that we reached our capacity limit more than once during the lunch rush, and it wouldn't stop. This wasn't the first time we've been dealt a bad hand of crowds, and it won't be the last.
Subject : Kid, I don’t got much time...
Posted Date: : Nov 21, 2008 2:26 AM
Now hear this.. I've got a DSL connection today. This is after many years of searching, and three hours of technical fixes.
There's a glitch in the hitch, however: I got this DSL from AT&T. Problem is, my traditional online carrier is AOL. And getting AT&T to replace the long-lasting AOL material I got was not what I signed up for. Now I have to sign off from an AOL contract, lest I have to pay for two services at once. By the way, the fact that AOL mostly comes in dial-up flavors is 100% bull plop.
This will be brief, as I'm frustrated and in class.
Subject : Where've you been with those eyes?
Posted Date: : Dec 10, 2008 10:40 AM
This is a scribe that comes in during a hard-core work load.
To refresh, I have no less than four animated shorts in production right now. One of them is close to completion, two are half-way there, and another is desperate. Hope to put them into my video list soon.
I also have the opportunity to finish them in time for a film festival this coming Saturday. To finish some of the things in time, that means I need a whole lotta notebook cards, erasers, and patience for late-night workage.
Meanwhile, at Panera, some interesting developments have taken place. The big news is that the one named Nancy is here no more. She was canned last week for gross incompetence and managerial impotence. The usurper has become the usurped! The tower of terror has crumbled! She's been replaced by a dude named Chris. He's a bit better off, but currently lacks empathy.
We've had a Christmas party this past Sunday, full 'o good food, friends, and humor. A raffle took place, upon which persons received prizes such as candy, gift cards, and tampons (ya heard me!)
I gotta go.
Subject : You wouldn’t get this from any other guy
Posted Date: : Dec 12, 2008 3:49 AM
As I write this, I've gone through 94 animation drawings.
Tonight, the epic struggle has been on. And not just the much-needed downpour, either. I'm going to animate, clean-up, scan, color, and (hopefully) composite two project's bits of hand-drawn animation.
Tomorrow, I've got to present a near-final version of the big CGI piece. There's a bunch of subtle-acting shots left to pull out. We know the game, and we're gonna play it.
Subject : Will this never end?
Posted Date: : Dec 17, 2008 7:46 PM
This will be super-brief...I'm currently in class, folks.
The screening of my 3-D final is going horribly; I did'nt have enough time to put sound effects in, so that blows. The visual effects need polishing, it really needs a rescue. They commented that...my work really blows. I'll upload it, and you'll see. But, I'll try to correct the various missteps with my compositing final.
The 3-D piece - it's certainly not 'F' fodder, but to me, it's not my finest work. Imaginative, but not the best.
Too, I have to pay a lousy sum for new tires, my motorcar needs transmission repair, and it costs $120 for an oil change...which I paid for.
My Christmas shopping budget is about to shrink tenfold. But...I'm not broke, folks. Don't worry.
Subject : People who need people
Posted Date: : Dec 18, 2008 10:17 PM
The good news is, I've officially polished and turned in three of my final pieces.
The bad news is...
First, I've got a night of completing my epic final final project, including rendering and post production. And there's one shot that's often crashing. Geeze.
Second, a good friend, Justin, will not be present at >shudder< Piedmont next semester. For all of you who don't know, he was my art instructor and mentor for the past two and four semesters respectively. It was swellow to have someone who pushed my recent work to a higher plain, and give excellent feedback. He will be exclusively at another campus next semester on. Sure, I can email him in future, but this place just got a whole lot lonelier. Sounds like someone has died, don't it? Back to 'vork! Subject : Nobody Goes Home! Posted Date: : Dec 19, 2008 3:48 PM Tis a good time to be the end of the school semester. I have been at the campus since yesterday at 3! I was to work all through the night until 4:30 AM. That's because I kept running into woes where my rendering regards. Do I render in mental ray, or maya software? I was getting nowhere fast. What happened in the end was I mostly rendered in maya software. Continued to render the misery until 11 AM today. That's when a sound mix was performed, and I turned in what I had just before the due point: 1 PM. Good thing too; every shot was fully rendered and complete. Most of what everyone else turned in was utter crap. You should have seen it: one group turned in a sub-par six seconds of footage (the min. was 30, max. was 50!) Bastards tried to render in HD. How dumb do we think they are?! Thankfully, mine was conceded as the best work overall. And I was worried that their's would be way better, and I'd be ripped apart. But I only got a few notes of fixes, and I'm still here at school performing the surgery right now. When all of that's done, I'll have the video uploaded by Monday. I'm not really thinking about any holiday right now: I don't deserve a holiday. Subject : Good and Bad news on the ’Night Before Christmas’ Posted Date: : Dec 24, 2008 11:00 PM Only today did I complete my big-shot Christmas shopping, for family and beyond. Even got myself new pairs of clothes. Went to a Christmas party this evening, courtesy of Lauren. Enjoyed friends, conversation, and strong caramel whiskey. Got to and from Thomasville (Lauren's residence) without trouble, except for some torrential rain and darkness. Pretty uncharacteristic for Christmas Eve. Santa's gonna need rain gear. But, not all is well in Greens-bro Town. Our good friend Moe is making us frown. Sadly, he's the latest in the diminishing pool of Panera veterans leaving us. Suddenly, he found new work across the street at La Fiesta, or what-ever the name was. Apparantly, Lauren believes this will help Moe to grow up. But, to me, it's just like when Bobby left us (read the blog post from exactly one year ago): it's as though somebody near and dear has died. Tomorrow is Christmas: it's practically here. Subject : Nobody don’t like Christmas Posted Date: : Dec 27, 2008 2:36 AM Well, did you get what was coming to ya this Christmas? Religion, Presento, and family, that is. I received a very Disney-heavy parcel o' packages this time, including the final collection of Donald Duck shorts, The Art of Alchemy, and best of all, The Illusion of Life. That's the acclaimed 1981 tome from Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, their comprehensive tome on the Disney philosophy for animation. This has plenty of useful tips for persons training in the medium (don't copy their rules, but learn from and adapt.) Oh, and besides those, I've got a subscription to Animation Magazine (finally!), two covetous Blu-Ray titles, and a genuine straw hat. A straw hat, 12-ish years after I first begged to get one. It was all inspired from that Annie Award-winning 1997 film, Cat's Don't Dance. In other Xmas stories, me mum stupidly lost her cars keys early in the morning, in our own house. It caused us to be two hours late to our cousin's house for our Xmas constitutional. Like I said, embarrassing. The good to come out of this was her cleaning up the place a bit to weed them out. Tonight, I was able to find them in the one place she did'na scour enough: the trunk of her car. And would yeh believe this was the first year that 1.) we took turns opening gifts. And 2.) that this was the first year that I didn't get any Xmas gifts from my cousins or grandparents! To be fair, my sister didn't either. The stupid economy made this sudden change-up possible. In other news, I'm heading to Mobile this coming New Years Eve. There, I have my pop, step mom, and grandparents (from me dad's side), the former who are visiting and the latter who live there. The grandmother, sadly, is bed-bound with serious, life-or-death illness. Could it be the byproduct of smoking more than 10 years ago? Mmm, maybe. Too, I'm sorry to hear that Eartha Kitt has just died, at 81. She will be missed by all us entertainment lovers. We've lost another icon, one for that particular Oscar montage.
And now you'll know the whole story of 2008. I adopted a refugee kitten, went to SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles, made more money at Panera than I have this year, went to New York for my 21'st birthday, spent a lot, and pick bones at Piedmont. The fall semester was memorable if only for how I camped out there every Thursday night.
Hey, that was the single hardest semester at that school I ever had! That's how it is when your ambitions leave you to work by yourself. I accomplished some big cartoons on my own. And I haven't had that opprotunity at Edinboro, since the competition is rightfully stiffer. I should also mention this was when the old team at Panera was starting to fall apart. New management crept in as well, including the best of them: our prior GM, Melody. And now, three years in, she's gone and replaced by another returnee manager. How awesome is that?
2008 was a helluva year, and I wish I were still in it.
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