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.

heard

Well I heard from the design school. Not the news I was hoping for either, I might add. I was put on the wait list. So they accepted 18 students and put two on an alternative wait list. I don't know if I'm #19 or #20. So much like the runner up of a beauty pageant, I am hoping the winner breaks a hip or is caught sleeping with the judges. Don't let my humor mislead you. I am devastated. I plan to drop off the radar for a few days. I'll return phone calls and emails later next week. I need to lick my wounds for a while. I was arrogant enough to think they'd let me in as a junior. How embarrassing... I don't know what went wrong. I was pleased I got the interview. I don't know if I said something wrong or included too much of advertising work in the entrance exam. I don't know. I truly am at a loss. I mean I have 5 years experience! I guess that wasn't worth as much as I'd thought. One of the professors in the interview said he'd talk more with me about why, but I can't meet with him until I'm sure I won't start crying or something embarrassing like that. I suck.

Please don't bother writing me a comment either. It'd interupt me from pulling out my hair while I huddle in the corner trying to put my ego and self-esteem back together. Seriously, no comments please - just leave me alone for a good while. I've got Brian so it's not like I'm all alone or anything.

going craAAAzzy!

Why haven't I heard from the design school yet? I'm going nutzo. Brian got an email yesterday telling him he got into the Industrial program! Why, oh why haven't I heard anything yet. Granted they are different programs, BUT it's the same design school. I can't concentrate! I have projects coming due and midterms next week! I need to focus on those things. But instead I check my email every 5 minutes hoping for word. I've even been rude enough to send a polite email to the advisor of the department. I asked her if she knew WHEN I'd hear. I figured it was less rude than asking IF I got in and putting her in an awkward position.

WHY HAVEN'T I HEARD!? [she pulls out a clump of her own hair.] I need to check my email again....

time flies

Here is my first curtain panel. It's not much and is rather simple, but most of the seams are fairly straight. I plan to get to work on the second one either this weekend or after mid-terms next week. I did a little bit more detail to the top. I added a 1/2 inch strip before the pocket for the rod begins. It wasn't such a dramatic change that I thought it deserved me re-taking the photo. Brian thinks it bunches too much, but that's too bad. It is what it is and I'm happy with it.

I'm nervous. I could hear tomorrow how my interviews went on Friday. At least I should hear about the job if not the school, but for some reason I've linked them in my mind so I keep checking my email.

Mid-terms have snuck up on me here. I was cruising along feeling pretty good and wham! assignments are coming due and I have an exam on Tuesday next week. I'm trying to focus tonight. I went to pottery lab and as soon as I catch up my email, I'm going to work on my Photoshop assignment.

As always, wish me luck.

screwed up

I am totally screwed up today. I keep thinking I have to follow my Tuesday/Thursday schedule. It started yesterday even. I did my homework for Tuesday last night. This isn't a bad thing at all, but it's thrown my clock all off. Plus for some unknown reason I was thinking I'd be able to spend two evenings in a row in pottery lab. Monday/Wednesday the pottery lab is totally booked with classes - even an evening course. Oh well. All my homework is done until Wednesday.

I had such a productive pottery class today. I finally, finally, finally managed to make one 6 inch cylinder. I've made many 4 inch ones and even a few 5 inchers. Today is the first (and only) 6 inch. I' am so pleased with it. Now I need to cross my fingers that it won't explode in the kiln when it's fired on Wednesday. I made a total of 5 things today and only destroyed 1. That's a net profit of 4 lumpy bowls/cylinders. Yes indeedie, a productive day.

I finished my first curtain panel over the weekend. I took a picture, but I'll have to post it tomorrow. Brian broke a window when he was running around trying to get ready this morning. (He slid the computer into it. Don't ask me how 'cause I don't really get it myself.) So that distracted me from remembering to copy the file to my jump drive.

Now with my homework all caught up and the burden of feeling like I needed to at least get the first curtain panel done, I can do my favors for my friends and family. Paul, I will fix that insignia for you and Amy, I'll look at that logo you sent me.

I am one sink full of dirty dishes away from not having a 'to do' list!

interviews

Well I had two interviews today. My feet are killing me from the high heeled boots I wore so that I’d look tall, thin and professional. Why, oh why, do women think footwear can create miracles?

So the first interview was for the school of design. They interview 20 people for 18 positions in the school with 2 alternate positions. So I probably got in. I, at least, have a probability of 90% that I will be accepted in at least a sophomore level. I want to try to get a junior level spot, but they told me to meet with someone later if I was accepted in the first place. I had a fifteen minute sit-down with three professors. For the sake of this blog I will refer to them as Good Cop, Bad Cop and the Quiet One. Good Cop I’d met before and is actually the professor I spoke with about trying for a junior position. Bad Cop earned his name in the interview before mine. So I’m sitting outside the conference room were the interrogations, er I mean interviews are being held. The kid before me was getting nailed by Bad Cop. He kept hammering him, and you could tell the kid was getting quite flustered. Bad Cop kept asking him questions like, “If you’re as good as you claim to be on your application, why do you need us?” “What do you feel will be your contribution to the design community?” Bad Cop seemed to have the goal of just shaking this kid up, and it made me nervous. Then it was my turn. It didn’t turn out that badly. I saw a lot of head nodding from Good Cop and the Quiet One. Bad Cop played his cards closer to the vest and tried to come up with questions to stump me. Ironically, I wasn’t stumped until the Quiet One asked me a question at the end. He asked my how I would approach a class that I felt I already knew a lot about. “Would I be open to learning?” sort of question. I was flustered mostly because at that point I thought the thing was over. Bad Cop had left the room, and I was ready to make my exit. I pulled it together though and answered the questions enough that I got a head nod from both Good Cop and the Quiet One. Keep all your fingers crossed for me though.

The second interview was for a part-time job as a Graphic Design assistant at the supercomputer center on campus. I think it went well, but they have a few other interviews next week. I feel rather disloyal to my current job. I mean, I hate my job, but I hate being disloyal.