Smallville. Cooking. Brew. Incubus. The past six days of my life. Walk with me as I show you a whole new world – a new fantastic point of view – but when we’re way up here, it’s crystal clear.
Arrival
Shawty want a thug? SOMEBODY CALL 9-1-1!! SHAWTY FIYAH BURNIN ON THA DANCE FLO! I finished about 97% of The Bourne Identity on the plane rides in. Fantastic. As soon as I was picked up from the Airport, we went straight to Byrnes. Delicious pepperoni pizza and Guinness. Back to the apartment for some more brew and Look Alive. Getting pumped for Tuesday night! Brandon Boyd tears it up, and we catch up on whatever the hell guys catch up on.
Veg-time
We conquered FIFTY eps of Sville during the tenure of this extended veg-cation. FIFTY. We had to start somewhere. I love Matt’s apartment. It’s cheap, but it’s homey. He and John did a great job with the interior design.
He got the Dinosaur in the bathroom from DINOSAUR WORLD!! The place Clifford went! Ridiculous! He’s learning guitar, and he will be rocking out with Jack White soon. Sounds good to me.
What good’s a trip to Columbus without driving around? Giant Eagles and Krogers left and right. Old money, golf courses, it’s a beautiful town. The weather was lovely the entire time. Didn’t rain until the ride to the airport to leave. Loved it. Enjoy the photos.
Easily the best part of the trip. Matt wasn’t a huge Incubus fan in the past, but when he went to a Third Eye Blind concert, he saw the sign for the Monuments and Melodies tour, and he told me I should come up for it. What am I, a flake? Of course I came up for it! After the concert, Matt was in awe. Partly because Ashley was all over him, but mainly because Brandon Boyd, Mikey and crew are all a bunch of HOSSes. The concert was incredible. They played a bunch of stuff from Make Yourself and Science, and they were true to the originals. HARD. I was DRENCHED in sweat by the end of the concert. Both my arms were in the air the whole time, and my calves are still sore from jumping up and down. The Duke Spirit opened for Incubus, and aside from being a hot British girl, the lead singer was really into her music and made sure we were having a good time too. I enjoyed them, and I’ll be buying an album or two from them.
A much needed vacation, and a fantastic one at that. It was a great time, and I can’t wait to make more great memories with everything I do in the future. Enjoy the photos.
Well, I’m happy to say that it’s that magical time. I’ve gone through tons of tutorials, and believe me, I still have tons to go through; however, I’m ready for the show.
I’ve learned a few things in my prep work for being a designer. Thing 1: There will always be new ways to do things. Thing 2: Goals exist, whether I know the most efficient way to achieve them or not. Because of thing number 2, (I know you’re not supposed to start a sentence with because or use numerals for numbers lower than 100 – SUE ME) I realize that the best way to go about my business now is to do what I do best. Just do it. Sure, Nike stole my motto. Wait…were they around before I was born?… Dunno. However, the way I do things best is to tackle them before I read the instructions. Sure, I’ll see some sort of instructions at some point, but why bother with that now?
I feel my knowledge in Dw and Ps is elementary, yet broad enough to cover the basics for now. I will still learn every day, but today is the day I started just doing it. I’m going to attempt to achieve all of the goals I have for myself by mainly figuring things out for myself but of course by also getting a helping hint now and then. It’s okay to look for help when you’re having trouble with something. College was a lie – you will NEVER be expected to know EVERYTHING without any resources. Well…as long as you keep all variables under control by use of some sort of Taylor series expansion to achieve an equilibrium of Gaussian constants… (yes, that’s what you get for $40,000).
I’m going to do a ridiculous math post soon. Just got the itch, and if you’re a regular reader, you will absolutely love (hate) it. Ambivalence at its best.
cbte out
ps – I’m digging this new R-design XC-60. I don’t usually like SUV’s, but this one strikes me as … nice looking. Isn’t it a shame that the final product never looks as good as the mockup? (I could totally do that reflection/fade-out at the bottom of the photo. It is very nice, though…)
Sound off in the comments if you like this red beast.
Today (yesterday) was most assuredly not as productive as yesterday (two days ago). Alas, there was work accomplished. My problem was scheduling. Not the lack of, but the absence of adherence to said schedule.
I wrote out my schedule very tediously but decided to work on one thing all day long. I already knew but have now cemented the fact that I cannot do a single task for long periods of time. I need variation. Even if I think I can get away with something else, I need variation. I’m actually kind of glad the day went the way it did, so I won’t make that mistake again.
Harry Potter was good. I wasn’t as enthralled as I was during the last film, but it was beautifully done. The production as a whole shows a lot of maturity from the first film. Anyhow, I enjoyed it overall.
That’s it for now. More tomorrow, when I succeed like crazy.
Current Music (listening) – Bourne Identity Soundtrack
Today was my first ‘work day’ as a designer. It was fantastic for a few reasons, and I’ll share them with you now.
This is exactly what I’ve been wanting to do. To describe exactly what I want my day job to be would be an arduous task, so I’ll narrow it down a bit. I’m a big fan of the Bourne Trilogy. As a matter of fact, I’ll be watching The Bourne Identity tonight at 7pm. There are many things about the Treadstone lifestyle that I find appealing. First of all, everything is based on simplicity. If everything weren’t simple, the Treadstone agents would be discovered in no time. Everything has to work, and it has to work the first time. Another area of interest is the technology used. No matter what computer system, cell phone SIM card cloner, or security system is being used, Jason Bourne can hack it. It’s almost uncanny. That’s what I love about CS4. There are a lot of menus and popup dialogs that make it appear to be a complex program, but once you get the hang of it, you are breezing through the dialogs like a pro. It looks like you’re hacking into a Top Secret network. It’s awesome.
The good thing about doing Design work, rather than strict application programming, is that design work has visual results (and it’s easier). With application programming, you can debug your code, but you can’t get an immediate visual of what you’re trying to achieve. With design, you can see the changes as you mold your masterpiece to perfection. It’s instant gratification and a burst of motivation to make it even better.
Lessons learned so far
Thus far, I’ve become adept at implementing id, class, and tag selectors. I can effectively use floats to position divs where I want them. I understand padding, margins, and font sizing. I’m also becoming very fond of CSS. I’ve never known it before starting this venture, and it’s a shame. Well, not really I guess, since I haven’t had a career in design before. CSS is really powerful. Not using CSS on a website is something like not using a GPS in a city you’ve never been in before. You can get where you want to go, but if you have the GPS, it’s a straight shot the first time – light years more efficient. There may be a better metaphor, but you get the point.
I also delved into Photoshop for the first time, and I love it. It’s a freaking magical program. You can make things happen in Photoshop that don’t happen in real life. RIDICULOUS. I think the coolest thing I’ve discovered so far is the ‘cloning’ tool. Once I mess around in Ps, I’ll post some screenshots of my progress to explain what the heck I’m talking about here.
Notes of interest
Screen real estate matters. Switching from a 13″ laptop screen to a 20″ Cinema Display makes a HUGE difference. I thought I’d want to do all my work on my laptop, but I was totally wrong. The more data you can get on the screen, the better. It gives you a sense of control over your projects. I’m totally in the market for a Dell 24″ monitor now. More screen = better.
Final Thoughts
I’m going to be REALLY good at this. I don’t see that as cocky; I see it as the only way to think. There’s no other way to win. But seriously, I’m in love with the software, and I’m in love with the process. It’s exactly what I want to do. I’m fueled by continuing to learn about this stuff. The awesome part? This was only day one.
I love this song. Having studied music for a long time, I assign emotions/values to chords. For instance, I assign a desire for resolution to a dominant-7 chord. Diminished chords, depending on their context, sometimes equate to upset confusion – a place of unrest.
The beginning of “What You Feel” uses chord progression and instrumentation to perfectly convey the emotion of the song. This song was featured on an episode of Smallville recently. Unfortunately, Smallville has done a 180 on me – it has pretty much gone down the drain, in terms of quality. It surprises me that it can go nine seasons, and Life can only go two… Perhaps individual networks suck at making decisions about what television shows have future efficacy and which don’t. I don’t know. However, if Smallville has one thing going for it, it’s the music. I think it was in Season 7 when Clark was hiding Kara’s crystal from her. (I’m perfectly okay with you not having a clue what I’m talking about.) The episode was mediocre at best, until the end. The camera does a slow pan to the door, where Clark is walking in slow motion to a corner of the barn. What’s the current musical track? Apologize, by One Republic. NOT the Timba version, thank God. One Republic was even featured about three times at a concert in the episode. Anyway, it totally turned the episode around. From crappy to amazing, all in a matter of seconds once they got the cinematography and music in sync with each other.
If they can achieve this for two minutes at the end, why can’t they do it throughout the whole episode? Michael Giacchino got it right on the pilot episode of Lost – why isn’t everyone running to hire him for their soundtracks? It just doesn’t make sense to me. Why would these TV execs make decisions that are less than perfect for their products (TV shows)? Why would they do a crap episode with a saving final scene? Why not have the whole thing be amazing?
There’s no answer to that, but it strengthens my next point. If I’m a successful designer, making five thousand dollars a month, why would I not spend most of that on a credit card, mortgage, and car payment? I’m making the money, right? So I should borrow as much money as possible – so that I can still make the monthly payment.
In the past, I haven’t had a problem with this approach. I didn’t plan to do it, but I saw no problem with it. It’s much clearer now, though. I don’t want to have anything that I don’t own. It’s a complex problem for a few reasons. Part of the mentality is pride. This not only makes me want to own everything; it makes it hard to accept gifts from others. I feel like I haven’t worked enough for something when it’s given to me. I wouldn’t be good at welfare…
Anyhow, I choose to be debt-free for the following reasons. I don’t want to ever have to take anything from anyone. Simple as that. Next, there’s dignity in ownership. Whether it’s a car or a stereo, it’s better to own it. That’s my opinion – feel free to have your own opinion. Lastly, it helps the damn economy. If I have to hear one more word about how “I can’t do this because of the economy” or “Times are tough because of the economy” I’m going to punch someone in the uterus. Let’s try this on for size – how about people only spend the money they have, so they have enough money to pay for their house, so they don’t go through foreclosure, and banks don’t fail? Hmmm…sounds simple enough to me, but what do I know, I’m just a kid?
We need more perfectionists in society. If only I could shoot an OCD toxin across America, causing everyone to give a damn, this problem would irrefragably be gone. It’s too bad they don’t sell dignity on the shelves of stores, eh?
This is best listened to on headphones with good bass response.
Here’s the deal. As I’ve talked about previously, people spend their whole lives searching for purpose, for meaning, for happiness. Where does it come from? From where does all this success and happiness emanate? I’m sure there are a few different ideas floating around out there, but I have my answer. Love.
I’m not talking about this commercialized, sugar-coated, warm-and-fuzzy love you see on TV and films. I’m not talking about the pretty, apparent, infatuation you see in public. I’m talking about the most basic, raw form of love. True love. Some people may never know it.
I decide what music to listen to in my car based off of what mood I feel like being in. I’m not an extremely emotional person, so I often like to listen to music which personifies extreme emotions – to put myself in the place of the artist, who is creating a musical canvas with words. Being surrounded by music is an ethereal experience, if the music is done right. It should always be this way. How are musicians so successful? They take people out of their normal lives and throw them into something completely different and separate from everything they know. Perhaps the reason I love listening to Keane so much is because their music is filled with so much heartbreak. Putting myself into the music shows me how far away that place is from where I am. It makes me appreciate what I have. It defines what I have. Well, what I want to have, and what I’ve had for a little over a year now.
Damien Rice. Damien Rice is one of the best musicians I’ve ever heard. This doesn’t mean that he sings better, writes better music, or has better intonation than the rest – but it could be a combination of these. What it really means is that he conveys the message of his song with every ounce of his being. I don’t know a single artist who can portray music the way Damien does. I’ve only heard one song come close (Jason Mraz – If it Kills Me (acoustic)).
What does it mean? When I listen to Damien Rice – regardless of which song – I can see exactly what he wants me to see. He portrays the most raw form of love there is. Pure love. No happy phone calls – not even a smile is necessary. There are no flowers, there are no jewels. It’s as if there is an unstoppable force attracting two people together. Each partner defines what the other strives for in life. Yes, he sings of heartbreak, but the heartbreak he sings cannot be achieved unless this unabashed love comes first.
It’s hard for me to translate his songs to my own interpretation, and unfortunately, it’s probably not possible to see how I interpret it just by listening to it. The reason is this – I interpret it the way I do because I know the love he sings of. The love that leaves me speechless and thoughtless. The love that resonates through my being in a way I don’t even understand – but I feel. I feel it and I know what it is. I don’t need to understand it. It’s the culmination of everything I want in life. It causes all other things to become minuscule and unnecessary.
I am thankful for Damien Rice, Keane, Jason Mraz, Incubus, Teitur and the rest for displaying through song what I experience in my heart. Life is a wonderful mystery, but it’s just a little better when you can clear a bit of fog from the glass.
I’m going to do it. I could say I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but I really do. Confused yet? Here we go.
I’ve been having mixed feelings about my upcoming employment. One of the places I applied for (and was offered a job) pays very low, and I’m almost sure that I would suffer high levels of stress from the work environment. Another place I’m waiting on – I might be waiting for the wrong reasons. Maybe not, but that’s the exciting part. You never really know how something’s going to work out until you do it.
The point is, because nothing is defined until it’s a fact, I can omit all error from decision-making (or some of it at least) by simply not creating the facts. Why worry if you should have done something? If you didn’t do it, you don’t know how it would have worked out, therefore it doesn’t matter.
Enough of this pointless babble. Here’s my logic on life. I was born. I’m living. I’m going to die. Why the hell would I not do everything in my power to make my time on earth as enjoyable, productive, and successful as possible? Why would I willingly put myself in a situation that would bring unhappiness and stress? People talk all the time about wanting to break free from their jobs, their bosses, and everything else that ‘owns’ them in life. Why don’t I do it now? I’m young, I’m creative, I’m entrepreneurial. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that I should not attempt to be my own boss right now.
I think the biggest challenge people face is opposition from others. “Really? You’re going to do that? That doesn’t sound like such a good idea.” Thanks, Debbie Downer, a lot of help you are. The awesome thing about my position is, everyone I’ve told about this is extremely supportive of me. What more could I ask for? Umm…a new car? Too literal – even with myself.
I am going to pursue what I see as a fun, exciting, and rewarding career path – but that’s not all. In between doing fun things to support myself, I’m going to work on all the other skills I need to succeed at all of the things that interest me. By doing the things I love and doing them well, I will become so marketable that I’ll never be out of a job. I know it’s going to take a lot of work, and I’m ready for it. I’m ready for the ups and the downs. I’m ready for success. I’m also ready for failure. The failures are what bring on new ideas and greater successes. So when I fail, don’t assume that I’m down and out. That’s the moment right before I come back stronger than ever. I will pursue my dreams, and I will achieve them.
As I’ve said before, today, I’m the best at everything I do. Guess what, self? Future cbte is going to dominate your skills. Feel free to sit along for the ride, and become either extremely encouraged, or extremely frightened. As for me? I’m hoping for a little of both.
