Farsong Blog-o-Matic

Someone got something wrong at EWU. Right hands doesn't know what the left is doing. Something like that.



Unfortunately, I don't think that I should apply or go to a school that gets my year wrong. Grad-u-ated class of aught-five. Haven't been a senior in four years. Yep ... definitely can't go to a school that makes such a grievous error.

As per the usual, I have signed up for more classes. This happens every quarter, and the tradition has been to note the classes in this format:

Summer Quarter 2008:

• Pre-Calc II — Math 106-01 — M-F, 8:30-9:35 Kingston Hall 330

Fall Quarter 2008:

• Programming Principles I — CSCD 210-01 — M-F, 9:00-9:50 Computer Science and Engineering Building 227
• CSCD 210-01 lab — W, 8:00-9:50 CEB 207 (and I’ll have to get up early)

• Calculus I — Math 161-04 — M-F, 12:00-12:50 TBA (though, I’m assuming Kingston

• Intercultural Communication — CMST 340-01 — M, W, F, 13:00-14:20 Communications Bldg 225 (this one fulfils an “intercultural understanding” GUR thinger; it's also all the way across campus from Kingston hall; however, this is not any worse than my Kingston–CEB trek; moreover, this is merely three times per week, not daily, as it is now. I walk quickly, too.)

The amusing thing is the bureaucracy involved in getting registered. I had to go and talk with my advisor because there was a hold on my account. Evidently, the school thought I was a “First–year student” (the PC term for “Freshman” now–a–days). Both my advisor and I thought that this was a load of bollocks, mostly because I have enough credits to be a senior, being a transfer student who is clearly not in his first year of college (also: being one who fairly clearly has the classes for the next couple years mapped out).


And that, as they say, is that, mattress man.


Edit: Note, the song title is not DIVE 12" (“twelve–inch”); if it were, I’d have used a foot mark, followed by a closing quote. As it is, there is only a closing-quote. Artists’ names have plain formatting, album titles are italicised, and song titles are set off in quotes. Proper typographer’s quotes I might add. Because I’m retentive about formatting like that. There’s not enough proper formatting on the interbutt.

In six parts; the idea was to do it simply. Even then it took a while, but it was a great exercise, too.



Parts are perhaps a little dark, but it's supposed to be cheesy (perhaps the cheesiest ending evar), but not edgy; edgy comics are annoying and usually somewhat pretentious. I also tried to show it, not tell it. That's kind of the point of comics.

( The rest of the story )

I didn't realise how long it would actually take to draw/ink/scan six-and-a-half-pages of comics.

This would have taken entirely less time if I had a faster scanner and faster hardware to render the pages. However, I like the way that my scanner works, and how it works with SANE. I do, however, need a new Wacom tablet.


It seems that my style has been influenced by:

Bryan Lee O'Malley
Ryan Estrada: ryanestrada
Mark Smith & Paul Maybury
Mitch Clem: rainofbastards
Calvin


I should probably also mention that this is my first all-nighter ever. Never made it all the way through before, and I can't stop now that it's after 5. That's <2 h sleep, and I can't do that.

Classnotes:

• Oh, hai. Now we’re talking about Euclid
o Also, Greatest Common Divisor (denominator?)
o I CAN HAS DENOMINATOR
• PROMPT "Enter two integers greater that zero: "
• remainder = 0
• GET num1, num2
• While num2 > 0
o remainder = num1 % num2
o num1 = num2
o num2 = remainder
• end while
• PUT "The GCF is " +num1
• I CAN HAS GCF


In my defence, I usually drink tea. I actually have no excuse for being angry about not having regular coffee.

Piping technoes into the brainpan to remain awake, scum. This is how work is done. Years ago, this would have been lots of disco and the morning would have been a filled ashtray and the sad tears of kittens. A paste of ash and kitten-tears would be made and used as a kind of eyeshadow-cum-tribal-marking as it is used to cover the face. The next thing to do would be to step out onto the local thoroughfare and shake one's moustache menacingly and glower at passing autos. This step may or may not require removing one's shirt.

I think we are all glad that it is no longer the 70s.



15-minute sketch instead of working on the paper I should be writing.


I have some more of these Molskine sketches that I should scan in, too.

It started snowing yesterday; we got about six inches or so. It looked cool so I took pictures with my giant telephoto. I love that massive lens.

Grades are out, spring break is over, I’m home alone, and my credits have transferred to EWU. I did better this quarter than I’ve ever done in the past four semesters, which actually speaks very poorly for the last two years*. What is startling is the fact that I have ended up with more than twice the credits transferred than I anticipated. I had to deal with a fair bit of aggravation (it’s backstory* that doesn’t need to be told here, and I’m fairly certain this backentry links to more backentries) to get my transcript sent off, and I would have been happy with 44 credits transferred directly. I needed 40 to transfer outright.

This is why I was surprised that I ended up with 120.00 credits. I’m not fucking kidding. More than twice what I expected — and more than I actually had at PLU. Elated doesn’t begin to describe it, even if the credits do nothing other than re-establish my status at the upper end of Junior (I had freshman standing this last quarter, which was irksome at best — especially for registration purposes), when technically I had just barely made junior with my credits at PLU. Now I’m almost a senior. However, none of these credits count towards my major.

I am excited to get back to class. I anticipate all my classes this quarter will be stimulating (at worst), and even just going in with this attitude is a leap forward over the moral of spring of last year. Moreover, I have the math instructor that my advisor preferred for my pre-calc class.

( Spring Quarter schedule follows: )

Classes do start for me at 9:00, which means I need to get myself back on a decent sleep schedule once more. I’m not sure how I got so far off at the very beginning of the week.


Yesterday, I also closed the book on the layout project I’ve been working on (that is an obtuse, obfuscated pun). I’m pleased with it. It’s the biggest reason I say that my default job/employment is trending toward both self-employ and the visual media creative fields.


Yesterday evening I went to see a movie with friends. Ended up having a wonderful D’Lish’s cheeseburger and watching 10,000 BC. Not a bad movie, and with some cool photography at times. It told a cohesive story and was fun to watch, despite many of its cultural inconsistencies. Overall, it was a generic hero’s quest movie, but while generic, still fun.


So, now I’m at home by myself for the next week; everyone else is in Florida while I’m here and taking classes. My dad found some vegan tofurky sausages somewhere and bought them, telling me „When I saw these I thought of you.“ I find that somewhat amusing.


--
*These two years being from Fall 2005 to spring 2007, having taken off the past fall 2007 semester from classes. A worthwhile semester spent re-examining the path I was taking.
** It’s interesting to refer to one’s own history and journal entries as „Backstory,“ but more fun than anything. I do find it amusing when these entries become self-referential — it’s not a thing I try to be in the habit of, as I don’t care for the overly-self-refferential nature.

I've noticed a lot of different things since transferring to a state school, but the most interesting thing might be the change from a semester system to a quarter system. Normally, with the semester system, by about the second month everything reaches a tired lull that remains until about two or three weeks before finals. This lull is even longer in spring semester.

However, with the semester quarter system just as class starts — midsemester starts. Shortly after that, as one is getting used to classes and figuring out how to slack off, finals pop up on the horizon not two weeks out. Projects, finals, finishing up work. It all comes up quickly. The cool thing about quarters is that they are over before (or just as) they can become boring. The class leaves off on a high note, instead of the hopelessly-oppressive feeling of the end of the semester and its huge rush; instead of lagging and then ramping up the workload, the workload is fairly stable throughout the semester (or perhaps simply the focus on classwork remains constant and stable).

Finals week starts for me this Tuesday. My one and only final is from 16:00-18:00 that day. Math. The final in my only other class is short, and is on Monday. The only big project I had was completed this week: a group presentation. The weirdest thing is that I have no papers due for finals, for the first time in years. It's weird. There are just tests, and more math homework.

I think it's more a sign of the transition from English to Computer Science major, that I do not have any papers due, but still, it's interesting. It makes the semester feel like I haven't actually done any work. It's been easy. Yes, there was a small classload, but perhaps this is the way classes are supposed to be. Easy and fun. I do like math.


After Tuesday, I'm done with school and on spring break until the 31^st of March. I haven't really decided what to do, but I'll be staying in-town through the 25^th at least (plans are not nailed down, but I might be heading over to the west side for a few days). I'm also planning to hang out with friends Friday evening.

Classes start again the 31^st with the next level math class, Pre Calc I, Economics 100, and Intro to Programming. And for the first week, I'll be home alone. I live at home with my parents because it's cheap. But that week, the week after my spring break, my brother's starts. He and my parents are headed down to Florida and to Disney World. I get to stay in Spokane for spring break, then start classes and stay at home. Hooray.

I'm on fire this week. No, not drawing things, but getting other things done: getting registered, getting college matters sorted out with PLU and EWU, and

I've registered for classes. It was actually very involved and far too complicated.
( It involved a lot of phone calls, but the story is here )

As for my schedule, I registered yesterday. It is thusly:

Monday - Friday
MATH 105 - Pre Calc I - 9.00-10.00
CSCD 110 - Intro to Programming - 10.00-11.00
Econ 100 - 12.00-13.00

Tuesday/Thursday
(tentative) Concert Band - 14.00-15.30

Because I miss playing music terribly.



I've also, apparently, been busy with video; this surprised me because I just went and did it; I lept in before considering. I helped a couple friends shoot and edit a segment for a commercial for their communications class. I helped a couple friends by shooting and editing with their direction. The result was a 3-minute video for class, put together in no more than an hour. It follows.


MARY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJl-FCnQeYo


( It wasn't my project, but I helped anyway )

( This is all a long-winded way of saying that my mind keeps me up at night ) Like last night, as I was getting to sleep, my mind started thinking about how I was merely attending EWU, and not a part of it. I was a part of PLU. There was a sense of community there. EWU is much larger. Yes, it's been three weeks, and I am still meeting people, but the communities of people are more made by students, whereas, at PLU they were spontaneous and just happened. In many ways, I defined myself by my communities at PLU. Frankly, I still [define myself by the groups I am a part of, for good or for ill; that's just the way that human society works].

At the beginning of the quarter, I made a point of not saying anything about PLU, but I'm beginning to speak about the differences--mostly saying "Oh, well, we did such-and-such," and since people are rather educated enough, they understand that I'm not saying "We should be doing it like such-and-such, because that way is better, and this way is different and therefore not good." Nope, that's just senseless. It's the same as noting the differences in culture between the US and Germany--the first time, you see everything as new and different, and the second time, you see analogues of everything and realise the reason for why these certain things are different. They're different in form, but the same in function--lightswitches and power outlets are a prime example).

I'm struggling to articulate the difference between being a part of a school and its respective community, and merely taking classes there. It's more than just taking classes there, but my who life no longer centres on the University and the community in the direct vicinity. It makes me feel like an interloper--coming to attend classes for part of the day, utilising the on-campus resources, and leaving before the day is through for most people.

Then again, I need to recognise that it's still early in the quarter, and I'm still meeting people. It took me several months to originally meet my best friends at PLU, and that was when I was living on-campus. Then again, I was still figuring everything out, being a freshman and all--and you're only ever a freshman once.

Going to bed earlier last night was actually a good idea. Surprisingly, I was actually able to function to-day.

I didn't realise that I don't have class Monday until this afternoon. Still I got all the math done for Tuesday. I'll also finally hang out with friends this weekend. Something about the Blue Door comedy theatre.

Apparently, I've still been drawing these crappy, illegible little pen sketches in my molskine again. I think they're getting worse. Also: it's a journal comic.
( Decide for yourself FOR GREAT JUSTICE )

Also, I think both mssrs jakepaikai and fenmere will like this cheeky cup.

Another interesting thing about transferring to a new school is that it gives one the ability to reinvent one's self. I know no one at EWU, save for Alex who is taking completely different courses than I. I probably know people, but if I do I haven't seen them for years. I can make friends with new people and, while not being someone different from who I really am, still be someone new.

Then again, I'll probably also hang out with other computer geek sorts, too. That's my major.


I was initially afraid of going to Eastern, because the majority of people who graduate there remain in Spokane. Then again, the enrolment has increased greatly since the 90s. Nowdays, the undergraduate class is some 10k students--about the same size as Western.

I think I neglected to finish this thought. What I mean is that I do have a plan, and that plan is not to stay in Spokane forever. We're looking at maybe another five years at maximum, and then we'll be someplace else. However, Spokane is actually a fairly decent place, compared to what I thought in High School.


edit: I forgot that dilandauonfire is there. I haven't seen that recluse in years. My major is probably different than hers, too--so chances are that I won't run into her. It's a big enough campus that I won't know as great a percentage of people as at PLU/will interact with far more people I don't know. So, I still don't know people there, as the percentage of people I know is effectively zero, after factoring in significance.

I've realised two new things about transferring to a larger school:

1) Almost all the classes are offered every quarter!

2) Eastern doesn't have the annoying single out-going telephone number. It was always annoying to get a call, assuming that it was from my boss, only to find out that it was from a professor instead (or vice versa). The number came up in my phone as the same incoming call. Annoying.

Anyway, the new phone seems to have absolved some of those problems. It's an intelligent little bugger, and it has a wonderful set of industrial-grade fonts with slashes through the zeroes. Mmm … function! Also: font smoothing/antialiasing, on my phone. And a new-found bit: high-quality voice-recognition. For use with headset.

John Campbell nails it:



What the degree is doesn't matter at all. This is what I've learned in a couple months of job searching.

[John Campbell answers some questions about things]


Also, the whole "I'll draw answers to 50 questions" thing seems pretty cool. I might do that if people are interested … but you see, I'd need to be asked questions, and I generally think I'd get about thirteen of them [questions].

Because I've found I enjoy discussing design of things with people, here's a thing I just put together:



I think it's better than the last. I might tweak with it a little to-morrow, but this is pretty much it.

Also, Allen, I'll e-mail a higher-res file. Don't use the one here. It will look crappy.


Discuss!

*Well, that's why this one wasn't anywhere. I hadn't posted it yet. Languishing on my desktop since yesterday afternoon.*
--

It's come to my attention that, while I've planned things out and have been experiencing things in my own head, I have not fashioned a proper summary of plans. Specifically, plans have been laid out in my head, but nowhere else.

Then, from the top:

I have been at home, living with my parents and younger brother in Spokane since august 18^th, and will be at home through the end of this semester.

Though some of the reasons for staying at home are personal, I don't mind discussing them with people in real life--just not over the blogs on the interwubs. What I don't mind sharing is that this break has been to plot the course I'm headed in through and past school. I'm fortunate enough to have taken this break when it's still somewhat easy to change course.

Ergo: the path as it now stands is to transfer to Eastern Washington University, which I am in the process of, and to major in something involving computers that I can do as a career. This makes more sense than being an English major for finding a job. Also, Eastern is cheaper than PLU as well, and has a decent Computer Science program.

Certainly, I could make a go of doing things on my own, but I know how hard that is. I'd need something I can do to support myself while I work on writings and drawings and photography--and the best way to do that seems to involve having a job I like. Besides, I tinker with the hardware and software already--why not make a job of that?

Eventually, I'm going to move out of Spokane. I don't know where, but the top-five includes Bellingham, Portland, Berlin, and San Francisco. And maybe somewhere in English-speaking Europe.

Back to the present: I've been working on getting a job. For the first two weeks after camp, I did nothing. Then I went to Bellingham with a high school friend to see two other mutual high school friends. Then there was little done. Then I took a bus to PLU to see people I knew. Two weeks later, I wrote an article about going there and seeing the refurbished UC. Then I helped out with my church's Middle-schooler's Lock-in movie-fun-night and didn't sleep. The next day I realized that I had missed 24 hour comic day (not that I couldn't do a 24 hour comic any old day, if I had the proper motivation). I've also punched the job-search into second gear.

To-day I went down to my old High School to properly investigate getting transcripts sent to EWU (which was done for free)--this is because I know PLU didn't accept about half of my AP credits. While there I ran into Mr. Woodard, as well as Zach Wymore (little brother of Cody) and Mark Hay (with whom I had interesting chats on the city bus, my senior year), whom I haven't seen in years. Sarcastically, Mark said that “it'll be another three years until I see you again.” Zach apparently hat sein iPod verlassen, which is never good. Wir dachtet das, dass es verstolen wurdet, weil er es in Französich Unterich verlassen hatte.

It was bizarre going back there. It feels smallish to me, now. The highschoolers seem so naïve and superficial. While I was there, there was a photography class roaming the halls; I was sorely tempted to tell them to stop taking pictures through the leafless trees and take close-up shots of people's faces. Or at least to move around a little more. Tromp through the bushes. Climb on things. Take a picture from a new view. That's the only way good pictures happen. Ever.

This evening, I went to reclaim my hat. I left it in my friend Alex's car after our trip to Bellingham. We sat and had drinks and chatted about classes for a while. He's at Eastern, so it was rather relevant.

So here's the way I see it.

The facts:
• PLU spent several million to refurb. the University Commons (which also serves as the student union building, housing the offices of the Associated Student Body, Campus Ministries, and a few other functionaries).


If you want the summarised "Steve's Notes" version of this: the refurbishment of this building has decentralised the hub of socialisation on campus, and I don't like it. I don't know why I used a bullet-point in that last paragraph when I'm clearly not inclined use any more. It's like an open-bracket in a piece of writing: unlike HTML or other code, it's not going to cause errors, but it's going to leave me wanting to close it up with another bracket; it's just hanging there, unfinished, like a sentence without a period

If you're anything like me (ad you probably are in one respect or another), however, you'll know that 1) it's not merely a phobia of change that causes me to dislike it, and, 2) It's not the conclusion that "something's missing" that is what's interesting — what's interesting is the why. What happened? Why does this change cause such a shift? Here's my reasoning for it:

( Wherein I describe the remodel and the new modified architecture )

Quite frankly, between the change and the new drama about meal plans, I'm rather glad that I'm not on campus this semester.

So, apparently, an extraneous $200 fee is being exacted upon me for canceling housing for the next semester. The fee period is from the 1^st of June to the 30^th of June. Final grades come out on the 4^th, after the fee has come into effect. On the 1^st of July, the fee increases 200%. Fortunately, I withdrew from classes for the fall semester before the 1^st so I should be happy I have only a $200 fee.

I'm not.

Actually, it leaves a rather bitter taste in my mouth as I am leaving.


In other, more-distracting news, apparently there is a small dragon living in my camera bag. More on this development later.

I found a nice little USB trackball for $2 at a yardsale. I haven't had one in ages, but I was rather fond of the last one I used. Seriously, the fact that the mouse is manufactured my Logitech and is wireless is only icing. Trackballs are a highly-under-appreciated form of cursor control, and are more ergonomic, operating in conditions with less desk space.


Additionally, things have been decided: I will be taking a break from school at PLU, due to various personal reasons. At the moment, the grades in classes are unrepresentative of my intelligence and work ethic; heading to University immediately after high school (without taking any real time off) might have been a bad decision; I might not have been ready. One must understand that it is with great difficulty that I have made this decision, as I greatly love the community that PLU has fostered. I'm still looking at what I'll be doing, but I'll probably end up getting a job and following after the tasks I love. Perhaps looking into becoming a proper IT Sys Admin. I love doing audio and poking around in computers; I also love drawing things and making movies, too; these things all seem to come naturally to me — moreover, they excite me with a passionate fire. Perhaps this means that I should, in fact, be pursuing these courses of action. We will see. Just because I'm taking a semester off doesn't mean I'm a failure in any sense. Perhaps it will even be better for writing.

It was interesting: in my chat with my mother, she brought up the fact that she lost her imagination and spark — her love of writing — by being an English Major; reading all the great works by all the great minds of the last millenia, she found herself saying "What is my writing compared to these, the great works which have endured? Who am I to write when all things have already been written?" It ranks among the saddest things that I have ever heard. It is truly the loss of imagination, spark, and the sparkle and sheen.

And it's half the reason that I'm obsessed with dragons and other magical things — this sparkle of magic and of imagination.

… I think I might be a romantic at heart.

Apparently, I am done with things.

I … did it. I finished the essay and the other things an I am apparently still alive. What's more, things are complete.

Now that's completed, I can look to cleaning up and packing. And actually spending time doing other things. Yeah.

Sounds good.

I'm only using lack of sleep as an excuse for my insanity.


And since I'm done with things, and I have time to do things of my own, I will spend my time making lists of things:

• New Headphones

• Three-piece suit. I have a tuxedo. I have nice shirts, ties, and slacks. I have no suit. I need to get a nice one.

• Bicycle. Actually, this one might be more of a priority than the suit. Also: must be a road bike.

• 802.11 Pre-n router. I should probably be able to access it from Ingram (at least, the print shop), with the router in Kridler. Two reasons: one, the router will be faster locally, so I can more easily stream audio and video from the desktop with less lag. Two, if the signal is strong enough, I can stream over the local network over a large part of campus without having to relegate myself to 10-base-t copper-wired bottlenecks that the campus uses to connect the buildings. Seriously, the stuff was installed in 1990. It's really sad when my wireless network is faster than that, especially since the wireless is 802.11b at 11 Mbps.

• iAudio X5. Unless something better than that comes along.

• Starcraft II, whenever it comes out.

• T-Mobile Dash (HTC Excalibur)

• 12" MacBook/ MacBook Pro (if it's ever released)

That's the list of the most important things, in order.