lost and found

Hey, hey, hey. I've been bad today. I skipped my animation class even though I have nothing done and need to get crackin' on it. I skipped so I could write my scholarship personal statement and then go to pottery and trim up some stuff for tomorrow. Fear not, I have sworn to myself that I will spend the same amount of class time that I skipped at home working diligently on my animation. Cross your fingers for me.

I found the breakroom finally at work today. It has all the standard amenities... a refrigerator, two microwaves, a sink and vending machines I will try my best to forget all about.

short and sweet

busy week

Sorry there haven't been more posts this week guys. I'd lie and say I'd step up my game, but school is getting busy as the quarter's end draws near. I have so much to do!

Ceramincs: I have to paint 15 bowls and throw 10-15 more. We've moved on to pots with lids. tuf.
Flash: I need to work on storyboards and begin drawing/animating the idea I'm not sure I want to run with anymore.
Communications: I need to study over notes from the two classes I missed. I need to get my focus back on this class. It's a lecture so it's easy to get lost in it.

The new job has been good. busy, but good. It feels nice to be designing again. I share a cubicles with two other student assisants. I have been working hard on my first assignment for them so I haven't really met all that many of the people there.

nerd heaven

You can stop searching people. I have found it. I have found Nerd Heaven, and now I work there. The supercomputer center I work at is a haven for overeducated dorks and nerds. My boss was showing me around this morning. I've been promised a closer tour of the virtual reality room some time in the future, and to learn more about the center, I need to spend some time sitting in front of an informational touch screen plasma tv. Awesome.

My job seems pretty cool. However, I have only been there for a few hours and I had to leave early because my passwords weren't all set up yet. So the tour and the paperwork, I guess, left a favorable impression. Pus the building is fairly new and filled with monster computers, huge plasma sized monitors and a lot of people a little too into Star Wars. Perfect.

I had to take two buses to get to the opposite end of campus for work this morning. I was maybe five minutes late, but my boss was almost a half hour late so he had no clue about my 5 measly minutes.

here it is

Okay. If you want to see my animation follow these instructions.

Go to http://homepage.mac.com/rabrn48/FileSharing6.html

Download the file called "5"

If you can't just open up the file directly, open it with your internet browser application.

*You do need Flash to see it*

Let me know you're thoughts...

what a great dilemma

Well my annimation is done. As soon as I figure out how to deliver it to my fans I will post it or link to it or something on this page.

I have a very strange dilemma. I have some free time coming up. Now sure I could use this time to get ahead of my school work, but that's just not the college student way. I am trying to figure out how to divide up some time between friends, family and of coarse Brian. I won't be able to see everyone, but I'd love to see some friends.

My whole goal today is to work in a nap. I am debating leaving my communications class early to go to the library to catch some zzz's before going to work. This is out of desperation to be sure. I've been up late night and been quite stressed about the before mentioned animation. Plus I'm hungry. Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day and sometimes there are too many....

failure

Well I waited 30 minutes for this stupid download only to be told I don't have privilege to intstall the demo of Flash. Breath easy Paul, the "man" is watching me.

simplification

Hey all,

I am having computer issues at the moment. I was working on my animation in class which was fine except I had to change all the fonts because the school doesn't not have Univers Ultra Condensed. fine. So then, I go to a computer lab to work on the animation. Keep in mind I'm skipping communications to work on this... Now the Flash is too low a version to work with my saved files. I am trying to download a trial version of the program version I need. (I know I should not be doing this, Paul. But I need to work on this!) I have 17 minutes waiting on my download. Oh, how frustrating. I'm worried when I get home tonight it won't work either. I don't want to be trapped in labs in order to get this thing done by Thursday.

Plus, I realized that I need to simplify my animation idea. I was going to have a guy get really useless superpowers, BUT that will be too long an animation. I'm going to have him imagine he has powers instead. It's faster. My little movie is already almost the length it needs to be and I'm only half way through the story. I enjoyed all the suggestions. It was truly helpful to get me to this point in the project. I'm going to give a shout-out to my favorite. Quiltbug suggested he have Ultrasonic powers so that he can tell you the sex of your unborn baby and clean jewelry in liquids. HA! I love the jewelry cleaning as a super power. Awesome. 13 minutes left. So much for skipping communications for this. All and all it's only going to get me an extra half hour of work time in. whoooppeee.....

useless super powers

Well, let me give you a run down on the weekend. Friday was an amazingly productive day. (I include Friday in the weekend because I don’t have any classes that day, and usually only work for a few hours.) I worked for over 5 hours in the pottery lab. Whew! I trimmed a bunch of bowls and created 7 more. I’ve never spent so much time in the lab, usually it’s only a few hours that I’m there. I was just on a roll I guess. Then I had to run to Target to pick up some curtain clips for my second curtain panel which I finished early on Saturday. Other than finishing the last two seams on the second panel, I was a total slug on Saturday. I had so many things I should have been doing, but I didn’t even get dressed until 4pm. That’s what I call “Amy Lazy.” (She knows what I’m talkin’bout.) I had to pick up my game again on Sunday. I did laundry and headed back to the pottery lab. I went to the lab to trim up the stuff I did on Friday, but it wasn’t dry enough yet. So instead I made 4 more things. It wasn’t my best night in the lab. My stuff was lumpy and uneven. All this bowl making over the weekend means I have tons to trim later in class today.

Now there was still one thing I really should have done this weekend that I didn’t do at all. I have to come up with a 20 second flash animation by Thursday. It has to be a STORY. If it didn’t have to be a story, I could animate a guy walking and call it a day, but no, it needs to be a story. I’ve been racking my brains for days trying to come up with some sort of an idea for a story. Well last night I thought of something while driving home from the lab. I’m going to make an animation up about a superhero with really useless powers. 20 seconds is a long time, and I only have 3 days to complete it. If anyone has suggestions for a useless super power, please feel free to leave it in my comments box.

catch up

I didn't do my laundry yesterday. I left work with a raging headache. I went home, took some medicine and took a nap. By the time I got up, it was dark and I didn't want to trapse over to the next building to do it. So my clothes remain in the giant heap located ironically right next to my clothes basket. I'd lie to you and say I'd do it tonight, but it's back to pottery lab tonight. I am trimming some bowls. If I can trim them well, I think they will look good. Finally, something that looks just like it was supposed to. Well, I should wait until I trim and glaze before I get too excited.

I must say the internet is so great at helping me keep in touch with my friends. I'm bad at making calls, I'll own that, but with my time so constrained I know that without email I would have alienated everyone by now. So thank you internet gods.

I had a really good morning at work today too by the way. I worked in the school's computer lab on a web site for a graduate club associated with the school I work for. I don't know why I love it so much, but I walked out of there with a buzz and feeling excited. I didn't even do that much; I built the bones for the site. I can't wait to get back to making stuff for a living again! I so hope college gets me the job I'm dreaming of...

two weeks it is...

Bummer. My new job is fine with me staring a week later. I'm stuck here for an extra week. yeah...

School pressure has lightened a little today. My test is over - I have no idea how I did. It's easy to screw up a test you don't think is too hard. Tonight I intend to spend a little free time catching up on laundry and straightening up the apartment. It's beginning to look like apes live there instead of humans. Mostly though it's laundry I need to focus on though. Brian's been doing some straightening up and that really helps. He works such crazy hours, I know it's tough for him to find the motivation to wash a dish.

I know I haven't been calling anyone lately. I'm sorry about that everyone. Last night I finally had a bit of time to myself where I considered making some calls, but I realized it was after 11pm, and I needed to get ready for bed. I'm hoping the next 7 days will be a little lighter so I can catch up with you all. If it makes you feel any better, I need to catch up with Brian too. We live together, and we haven't had much time to talk things over either. Someday my life will be back to normal, but not for a few years at least.

test day

I know the general concensus is to have more loyalty to my new job than my old one. I agree, but when your boss is staring at you saying "we're really going to need two weeks notice." It's hard to be firm - at least for me. I wrote my new boss and told him to let me know if it was a problem. If for any reason it is, then I'll leave the old job without feeling badly about it. I really will. I haven't yet heard from the new boss yet though. I should call and see if he got my email...

I also have a test today - if you're interested. I studied but it's over a bunch of communication theories which have weird names that make it easy to get them mixed up. I understand each theory, but it's the names I keep getting confused. Cross your fingers for me. This test is 50% of my grade. That's a lot of pressure.

I also spoke with my advisor today. She's encouraging me to design my own major. It's called a personal study program. You can make up your own major, and even give it a name. However, I have to find at least two professors who will back me up and advise me through and I have to fill out paperwork and write an essay to justify it. Right now I'm thinking I'll take as many graphic design classes and communication/advertising classes. I need to look A LOT more into it, but that's the plan so far. It seems to change often for me though.

full credit

Just so everyone knows:

BRIAN SHOWED ME THE LISTING FOR MY NEW JOB. IT IS BECAUSE OF HIM THAT I WILL START A NEW JOB SOON. WITHOUT HIM, I AM NOTHING - AN EMPTY SHELL. THANK YOU, HONEY, FOR MAKING ME WHAT I AM.

hello, I quit

Why don't people get it?! I gave my current job a week's notice that I was going to a new position. Now I know you're thinking, "Isn't two weeks customary?" But this is a student job. It's not like they need to cancel my 401k and pay out vacation days. So I gave them my notice on Friday, and today my boss says that she's "really going to need me for two weeks." What part of "I quit" don't you get? I'm not ASKING to be let go; I am saying I won't be coming here anymore. Generally that means I should get to decide when I leave. I could stop typing right now, get up, walk out of the building and never return. What would they do? Call me and as me to come back for a few weeks?

So now I'm in this awkward position with my NEW boss. I had to email him and ask him if I could delay staring his job by another week. We'll see what he says. If he wants me there in a week and not two, I'll just have to figure something out I suppose.


My new job is working as a graphic design assistant to the graphic designer for the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC). For more information you can check out this link: www.osc.edu It sounds like a cool job in a cool place. The only downside is that the job is on the other side of campus. Other as in across the river. I'll need to take two campus buses to get there from my house. It'll be worth it to have a job I enjoy again.

just another day in the life

It's been a typical day for me today. I woke up late. I had to throw my flavored oatmeal in my bag so I could eat breakfast at work and walked to school because I missed the bus. I could have tried for the next one, but that bus is always too full to get on anyway. I worked this morning updating the website for work. You can see it at this address:
http://ppm.ohio-state.edu/resources/fulltime.htm

I typed all the junk in today. Well most of it. I don't mind doing web work so all in all it was a good morning.

Now I am sitting in my photoshop/flash course. We've moved onto the flash part of the course which I am very glad of. I made an animation of a bouncing ball. 1.7 seconds. I tried to make it show up on my blog, but I couldn't make it work. You are just going to have to trust that it is awesome.

I have a few minutes before I go to my communications class. It's hard to stay motivated for the class since it won't count towards anything. At this point I just don't want to "F" up my gpa. It's not a hard class and a minimum of effort will get me a good grade. I'm hoping to get out of the class early and head over to the student union for a little lunch. I'm debating chinese food and or a garden wrap - just in case you're interested.

I'm going to skip pottery lab tonight and go on Friday instead. That clears up my evening to begin my second curtain panel. I know you're as excited as I am about it.

shattered pieces

Sorry for the long absence. I usually post almost every (week) day, but when your ego has been as bruised as mine a little healing time is required. This will be short because I have to run to class in a few minutes. (I'm handing in tea cups for ceramics class today.)

I'm feeling a bit better. Let me tell you what I found out. I must have blown the interview. I wrote to "Good Cop" to see why I was wait listed. He said some vague thing about looking for an "openness" in the interview process. Maybe he wanted some 19 year old kid who'd kiss his butt? I don't know. They've made a mistake. That's how I'm looking at it. Perhaps, I was too mature and sure of myself. I think I may go egg his house. We'll see how I feel later on tonight.

Life goes on. I have a meeting with an advisor next week so I can explore some new options for myself. As always, wish me luck.