Thoughts from April 30, 2001

April 30, 2001

Well, I animated this weekend. I fixed several things that needed fixing in Alien Concept. I got the Bees Humming! Several times, the program would shut down after every other thing I did in Animation Master. I wish I could have a program/system that just worked without glitches. On my budget, it’s not really possible. I also tried to load a sound card I got from the group home. It didn’t work either. It also screwed-up some other things that were working fine, so I took it off and gave up on it. Patti and I went over to Joni’s (a friend and co-worker of Patti’s) house so I could check on the “new” computer they got. I don’t want to be the computer nerd, but I guess that’s what I am. I like to be helpful to people. It’s a good thing.

I’m trying to think of something light to talk about, but I can’t think of anything. Here at work, where I am right now, we were talking about Vietnam and how the world has changed over the years and centuries. We’re in a cool time and scary time at the same time (if you catch my meaning at this time). If I didn’t grow up when I did, the computer animation technology I’m using would not have been available. On the other cheek, I wouldn’t have had to lock my car doors just driving down the street in the past. With good comes bad. With genetic testing comes the possibility of a cure for cancer, but also comes the responsibility of not trying to repeat Hitler’s mistakes in judgement (among other problems he had). I believe people will always squelch that which is morally wrong. And there will always be people more extreme than myself to stop certain moral questions from even getting to my voting table. I don’t think we are in too much trouble right now. Of course, this is only my theory.

I talked about something serious in the last paragraph. Now I have to talk about something gross. My cubical mate who sits next to me has some of the chunkiest coughs known to man. I believe, like a bird, she stores her food in her body somewhere and regurgitates it up for a snack. Sometimes she gets into such a coughing fit that I wonder if she’s still breathing. The only thing letting me know she’s breathing is the fact that she will talk in the middle of choking. And she does like to talk! If she and my dad were in a room together, the conversation vacuum created by their mouths would suck all conversations away in a 1-mile radius. She also doesn’t realize she’s doing it.

I implied the other day that she talked a great deal and she acted like she didn’t know of her excess talkativeness. I’m aware of every one of my flaws. Doing nothing about them is my usual response, but I’m painfully aware of them. She is in total denial. (An example, we need an example here. Oh, okay.) I’ll give an example of how my dad and cubical mate dominate a conversation. When most people are talking, they stop or pause when someone else talks. Not these two knuckleheads. They just keep on talking as if they didn’t hear the other person talk at all. When I’m talking and someone else tries to say something, I pause when I’ve made my point to give them a chance to interject a thought. Another noticeable trait of “talkers” is their “everything’s good as long as it continues the conversation” attitude. I could say, “Hitler had a lot of great ideas,” and they would agree if it continued the conversation. The whole point is to continue the conversation. It’s also not surprising they both smoke. Smokers are notorious for being “talkers.” I should know, I married one.

I think I’ve said enough about everyone else. What about me? Where am I going these days? What are my new goals for the future? What am I doing, why, and how much is it going to cost when I do it? One area I would like to get going is educating myself in animation. Not animation as I’ve been doing it, but traditional animation. The down and dirty frame-by-frame drawing animation. I would also like to do some life drawing. I’ve always been fascinated by anatomy, but I’ve only rarely studied it too deeply. It’s very much like going back to school, but I need that. Of course, one problem is the cost. At the Animation Academy in Burbank, the cost is about $300-$400 per class. I would need to take 2 classes per semester for a certificate down the road. This is a lot in extra cash to dole out. I need to do it, though.

I think that’s it. We’ll see. I’m going to check on the Animation Academy site to see if they have a date for the new semester yet. Okay, I just checked. It’s too late for the coming semester on May 29. I’ll keep checking.