What is Happening?
Nov 1, 03:24 PM
So, I haven’t been blahrging too much lately, and for that you have my deepest heart-felt apologies. You know when people apologize like that on a blog it just means they want to feel better about themselves. Its not meant for the readers, its a special, selfish kind of apology. Ah it worked. Now I can continue guilt-free!
I wanted to jot down some thoughts and random whatnots. It will be like that nutty old overall-wearing yokel that sits right next to you in an empty restaurant and starts rambling about this antique rifle he’s trying to sell and is completely incapable of talking about anything else. (that actually happened at Harm’s cafe)
Wait, huh?
Teaching
Anyway, Im teaching a class called Computer Graphics this fall at good old JBU. Its going okay, I guess. Its the kind of class nobody really cares about though, and that makes it hard. You’ve gotta start somewhere with that stuff if you want to make it a serious pursuit though, and those programs dont exactly hold your hand. They’re called pro apps for a reason. But yeah, Im realizing Im not incredibly gifted at making the bare-bones basics of graphics software interesting. Im more interested in teaching specialized stuff to people who really want to learn it. I go home fairly frustrated in my ability to teach every night… I think this might be the last time, we’ll see.
Strangely, the program I know the best, Flash, turned out to be the most difficult to teach this time around! That really caught me off guard. I thought I had some really helpful things planned and man, the looks of utter confusion I was getting – wow! Sorry class! (If any of you happen to be reading this) It makes me wonder if the more you know about something and the longer youve used it, the harder it is to teach the very basics of how it works. You take so much for granted after 7 years of working with anything on an intensive daily basis I suppose.
Other Work Thoughts
So I’ve been working on this secret film for over a year now. That grinding sound you hear is my teeth. I am very ready to have it done and show it to people and watch their faces melt off, but its still going to be a while. (March?) The frustration isn’t in the creation process, Im dying to let people see it!
Its my first attempt at full vocals and “realistic” dramatic acting. Well, not realistic… non-cartoon-y. Im trying to make it as simple and natural-feeling and hand-crafted as possible. No broad, sweeping, Vaudevillian acting like the big American animation studios love to do. The exaggeration gets kind of absurd in a lot of the stuff done today and Im trying to counter that I guess. Ah, who am I kidding, its easier in some ways to keep it simple, heh. I do genuinely like simple acting that feels true and real though. Read: Miyazaki.
Life
Well, what else…? Harm and I are still going strong. Its so great – shes the best! Were both workaholics though, so we need to keep each other from working ourselves silly.
I would really like to find a small group of some sort to get together and pray/share whats up etc. Im really needing that in my life now and I think it would be a good step for Harm and I too. Church is the “easy” route I guess, but Id much rather be a part of something smaller and more intimate. Im annoyed with myself because Ive been saying this for literally years now and havent made strides towards making it happen. Its time to get serious though.
Well, I guess thats a decent summary of whats up. Nothing earth-shattering or anything, just the daily struggles and joys. Peace.