Saturday, September 27, 2008
everybody's working for the weekend.
Well, perhaps not everyone, but I'm stuck doing so.
Had to go into work this morning to set up some equipment for Admissions (because a department that shall remain nameless can't be trusted to not completely disregard a setup on a Friday evening by tossing everything all haphazardly into a corner, rendering it unusable) and I'll be heading out for a shoot today in about half an hour. The shoot will be approximately five hours, although I'll be there for closer to six-and-a-half hours (I always show up ridiculously early). This means no lunch for me and as I've eaten the sum total of a serving of bran flakes and a cup of coffee today, I plan on treating myself afterward with some ground sirloin nachos from Qdoba, which will effectively kill off all the calories I can eat today. But what a way to go.
Yeah, I'm still doing the calorie-counting thing. Having lost nearly 30 lbs in the past three months, however, means that I must be doing something right. Exercise helps too. I half-wish I had decided to jog this morning because I'm feeling a bit sluggish, but I rarely jog on the weekends anyway (my one break from it all, considering I've been jogging at least 3.5 miles every weekday morning for at least a month or so). I figure I'll get enough exercise today hoisting my camera above my head trying to get the best shots.
And one little thing I meant to blog about yesterday but got too caught up in the debate last night (OBAMA!) to actually remember to do it... Have you ever had what could best be termed as an "awkward day"? Here's what I mean: throughout the entire day yesterday, it seemed like most of my social interactions were awkward ones. Interacting with people after an event at work. Stuttering while asking the barista at Starbucks for my receipt. Nervous laugh when it's discovered that a woman at Starbucks ordered the same drink as me (Skinny Vanilla Latte, if anyone cares) and we both reach for it at the same time. Bumbling conversation with the owner of the comic shop I go to. It just seemed to me like most of my interactions portrayed me as an inept moron, while that probably wasn't the case (who wants to bet that the barista didn't even notice the stuttering?). The day just seemed filled with those moments that replay in your head, feeling more and more awkward with each replay, to the internal monologue of "Nice interaction, idiot." Admittedly, I'm not the...smoothest when it comes to social interactions in the first place, but yesterday was just one of those days that I kept wanting to pull the smack-to-the-side-of-the-head-"Idiot!" Napoleon Dynamite bit.
It doesn't seem like it's carried over into today just yet, but the most social interaction I've had thus far this morning was with the cashier at Walmart while picking up some more fat free half and half for my morning coffee. And that barely counts as social interaction in the first place. I guess I'll find out if I'm still completely out of the zone in a couple hours.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
you're an idiot.
This is what happens when I end up with too much time on my hands and a creative itch to scratch.
Slightly larger version available for download here.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
dropped like a brick.
Well, that's finally done and over with. Dropped my sole class for this semester and I feel slightly better with that task off my shoulders, but I'm still completely lost as to where I go from here. Logically, I don't see myself being able to finish my degree as intended because the curriculum is now solely centered on film-making instead of including corporate/industrial video (which is what I'm interested in) as it did when I began this path of study. It's another case of that program not catering whatsoever to the adult student who, surprisingly, doesn't carry the same kind of work/sleep/life schedule as a college student. So I'm left with some choices at this point...
I could wait until a point when I'm ready and actually have enough time outside of work and life in general to participate in the film classes I need. This option doesn't seem realistic, simply because at my age, life doesn't get less complicated - it gets more complicated, especially if I add a kid into the mix. It's not really going to work in a few years if I have to tell classmates, "Sorry, I can't shoot that evening, I have to get home and take care of my kid," or "I can't shoot during the day, I have a job that relies on my presence." Considering my propensity to have to work more and more weekends, those are out of the question as well, not to mention the fact that a lot of college kids aren't around weekends anyway. So, this option seems pointless.
I could always change my major into something that would at least partially relate to my overall career interest (and Gary, if you're reading this, I may be calling on you for some advice sooner or later). I've considered something like Communication Studies, although from what I can see, that requires a communication internship in senior year and frankly, something like that doesn't sound terribly feasible - 40+ hours a week working plus an unpaid internship (not to mention it would probably be a beast trying to find evening/weekend hours for an internship), plus any other life commitments I may have at the time? I'll drive myself to an early grave doing that. Something English-related? I've always prided myself on my writing, so perhaps that's a direction I could take and it relates slightly to my video work. Very slightly. Newswriting? I don't know, perhaps that's a bit of a reach. In either case, though, I'm going to have to go through a good deal more classes, which is disheartening considering I'm 12 credits (and three classes) away from a degree with my current study path - a study path which seems inexorably dead-ended to me.
I've been taking classes here for 8 years now and it's beginning to feel like I haven't accomplished a thing academically except racking up useless credits with no degree to show for it. I fear becoming a university-styled jack of all trades, but truly master of none.
Monday, September 22, 2008
i'm not okay (i promise).
Just wanted to mention that it was strangely fitting that song came up while my Zune was on shuffle this morning at work. That's the kind of morning it was. Happy Monday, indeed.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
no rest for the jogging.
I just got finished jogging five miles about 15 minutes ago. Oddly enough, I also don't have to be into work until about 2pm today. Yet I still got up early to jog. Is that dedication or insanity? Is there really that much of a difference between the two?
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
obligatory staff party today.
I'm not a big fan of social gatherings, so it should come as no surprise that I'm equally not a terribly big fan of monthly staff parties either. Today's is "obligatory" for me, simply because I wasn't here for last month's and therefore, the "celebration" of my birthday has been pushed to this month's. Have I also mentioned I'm not a big fan of birthday celebrations either? So this is doubly problematic for me. I feel a bit like Dexter, just faking through it for everyone else's benefit. It's only once a month, so I suppose I should be thankful for that. Personally, I'd rather just keep doing work in my office. Much more of a comfort zone for me.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
d'oh, the pain of it all!
My body was absolutely killing me this weekend. My back pain was all over the place, even radiating from my right shoulder blade at one point, which is a first. My left ankle was intermittently sore. Even my left hip seemed to feel residual pain from both my back and my ankle. Today, my body feels a hell of a lot better, my back especially. Now, I was doing a lot of walking over the weekend (NYC, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, etc.), so that may play a part, but I do a lot of walking at work and my back never reacts the way it did. However, I hadn't done my morning jog since Friday morning, as my parents came into town (thus, all the touristy walking). I wasn't able to do my morning jog again until this morning, my parents having left yesterday afternoon. Coincidence? Does the jogging really help keep my body from falling back into those aches and pains? It might, since I haven't been having issues today. My back is still a little stiff and I can feel minor tightness in my right shoulder blade, but no back spasms like I was having this weekend. My ankle's golden again, for now at least. So maybe the exercise isn't just helping me to lose weight (26 lbs. since July 17th!), but it's also keeping my wonky back in check. That said, I still wish it would just shift itself back to normal or something, as unrealistic as that desire may be. There's only so much Excedrin or Mineral Ice I can use before it just loses its effect and I'm left constantly having to remind myself to sit up perfectly straight, lest I begin to slouch and get stuck in that slouch. When that happens, I literally walk hunched over like an old man for at least 5 minutes or so before I can get straightened back up. It's not pleasant for that to be happening when I'm only 29.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
ready for WWIII?
Monday, September 08, 2008
neca's ninja turtles set...
...is unbelievably incredible. One of the best toy/collectible purchases I've made in years.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
best daily show segment ever.
gabe = technology killer?
If I didn't know better, I'd think they were writing about me...
I'm so stealing that quote: "Yeah, but...in a dystopian future where, like, machines rule? I would be the savior of the human race. Think about that shit."
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
in a world...
Don LaFontaine has died at the age of 68. And even if you don't know who he is, trust me, you do know his voice.
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