Learning to Draw
I’m better than I was, but it’s always nice to get instruction from a pro.
Hello Adam,
This message confirms that you’ve registered for the following LifeLong Learning class offered by Washtenaw Community College:
Title: Portraiture: An Introduction Section 1
Date: Feb 16, 2008 to Apr 5, 2008
Day and time: Sat 1:30pm to 3:25pm
Location: WCC Main Campus Crane Liberal Arts & Sciences Building Room 159
These are two of my best face drawings, which didn’t scan too well but I’m too lazy to re-scan them so they’ll have to make do. Maybe after April 5th I’ll have better examples to scan.
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I Kaint Sleep On This.
It really is a dark and stormy night… on January 9th, when it should be icy and snowy and, hmm, I don’t know… not tornado season.
This’ll be quick, because there are other things I need to do before I get to bed, but HOLY CRAP I just had an experience I wanted to share.
(Like any good photo blog, click on them to make bigger).
I walked to turn the light off in the living room as I went into the bedroom to get on the computer. As I passed the door wall leading to our porch something caught my eye.
You see it, don’t you?
I initially walked right past it and continued into the hallway, where I stopped dead in my tracks as a chill went completely through me. Did I just see someone looking at me? I’m on the second floor. Had to get a second look.
The whole time I was photographing I felt like someone was looking at me.
What is it?
Near as I can tell, some leaves with some snow on it. But it’s still in the sixties outside.
I swear to God I just heard a baby cry.
It was either Sophia in the next room or my stomach. I had a burrito earlier that still isn’t sitting well so it very well could be my stomach. Er, it should be.
Probably is.
Wander, My Friends …
I want the song I have on my MySpace page to be played at my funeral.
English Translation:
Wander my friends, wander with me
Like the mist on the green mountain, moving eternally
Despite our weariness, we’ll follow the road
Over hills and valleys, to the end of the journey
Come on my friends and sing with me
Fill the night with joy and sport
Here’s to health and the friends who have gone from us
Like the mist of the green mountain, gone forever
Yeah, it’s from Battlestar Galactica, but shut up. Shit’s emotional. You have no idea (well maybe Tom, Logan, and Jeff do).
Speaking of emotional, I read The Notebook. I’ve been wanting to read it for a while but haven’t really felt the desire to spend money on it. I was more just curious as to what was so great about it, and I’ve never really read a “love novel” before so I figgerd what the hey. Coincidentally, I was at Logan & Rachel’s apartment and Rachel has all of Nicholas Sparks’ books so I took advantage of the opportunity.
I was surprised to find that I actually liked it–well, actually I really liked it. Given the amount of stuff that I cry about, it should come as no surprise that I cried at the end. The bad thing about this (besides you all making fun of me) is that it was at work. I was outside in the courtyard for lunch and had my sunglasses on, and I finished the book, sat there for a minute, and then got up to go across the street to get something to eat. I knew my eyes were red but because of my sunglasses I knew nobody would see.
My grandmother died with Alzheimer’s disease and I saw how hard it was on my mom (imagine someone you love just forgetting about you piece by piece, right in front of you) so that part got to me. Also, the idea of two people who have spent their entire lives together now living in separate rooms in a nursing facility being taken care of by people half their age kind of struck me as a sad way to go–especially when Noah struggles to walk to her room (after his stroke) and is almost stopped by the receptionist because “you can’t make visits after hours.” And then, when the “miracle” happens and you believe that love actually beat the disease… well, there you have it. Good writing.
In the beginning of the book he says “romantics will see this as a love story, and cynics will see this as a tragedy.” As much of a love story as it was, I felt that it was way more of a tragedy. So I guess I’m a cynic, but I already knew that, I guess. (Side note: at the heritage festival parade, the “Optimist Club” was marching. I said, “hey, the Optimist Club! It’s good to see them.” I still think that’s funny.)
Well g’night.
I see your true colors shining through, and that’s why I love you…
Cool, man.
I went to the comic store today at lunch because I have nothing better to do with my life, and in the window there was a poster saying that Javier Grillo-Marxuach is going to be there doing a signing this Saturday!
You may recognize his name, and if you do, it’s probably because you’ve subliminally absorbed it while watching the first ten minutes of any episode of Lost as the credits flash on the bottom of the screen. He is the Supervising Producer and has written quite a few episodes.
He wrote “Orientation” in season 2, which was the one that got me hooked with a great “holy crap this show is deeper than I thought” moment when they viewed the first Orientation film.
Anyway, I can’t go because I’ll be out of town. But you should! It’ll be cool! Tell him Adam says hi to JJ Abrams, and give him this note I wrote that asks him if he likes me and to circle yes or no (but you can have him write ’sorta’ if he wants).
This blog is about my addictive personality and Grand Theft Auto.
I’ve always wondered if other people think about things and experience things the same way I do. I think I have a very addictive personality so that, when I get into something, I really get into it for a week or two, sometimes more, and then forget about it for months until I get *really* into it again.
Reading, for example. I’ll pick up a book, read it in a week, and pick up two more. I’ll read during my lunch hour, get home and read, read before bed on Sundays. Then I’ll set them down, half finished, until months later, when I pick up another book and remember all of the 30 books I bought on my last reading binge even as I go out and get more.
Recently the same had been happening with video games, or, one video game in particular. I have been playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas almost every day for the past two weeks. And it’s *hours* of playing, too, it’s not like I go at it for 20 minutes and move on to something else.
I’m not saying that’s wrong, I’m just saying it’s weird that I binge on things like that. I’ve had it since Christmas when Katy got it for me but recently really got into it as I discovered there is SO MUCH to do inside the game. The designers intended it to be played over a number of months, as opposed to a few hours or so.
For example: in the game, you can look at your stats. I’ve logged a total of 20 hours and am only at 19% completion of all the missions and side tasks. Half of the time I get distracted and just have fun running around the city causing trouble, but even that counts to the overall game because you can defend your ‘hood from opposing gangs, wage territory wars with other gangs, and increase your criminal rating (you get one point when you kill someone, with the highest score being 1,000,000 points - I think.)
Anyway, I’ve played it so much and have not yet gotten sick of it that I’ve decided to NOT play it the next few days. In fact, I will play no video game until the end of the week. It’s not that I’m neglecting anything or failing to do anything else that needs to get done, but still, I’ve been occupied with it for the past two weeks, then get on here to make a blog or talk to a friend and then realize…
…I got nothing to say.
I should spend my time doing other things that actually give me something to talk about. Or, say, work on certain business so I can get out of this nine to five routine? My obsessiveness even goes into that — I’ll spend hours all excited about working on a new web site for the business and then the next two weeks saying, “man, I gotta finish that up.”
Unless you want to talk about how yesterday I flew over a skyscraper, jumped out of the plane and watched it crash into the streets below, and then sky dove off the building while shooting at a SWAT helicopter…
…or how I had to kill a valet worker and steal his clothes in order to pose as a valet, steal the D.A.’s car, drive it to a secure location and plant drugs in the trunk…
…or kidnap a music executive who wouldn’t listen to a friend’s demo and drive his car off a pier…
…yeah, nothing to say.
Anyway, does anyone else have an addictive personality? Do you realize how much you love a TV show and then spend the next 36 hours doing nothing but watching the DVDs, not even sleep? Or is that just me? It’s probably just me. I suck at life.
I wish I could get back into my addiction to fitness, because, man, I’ve gained some weight.
15 pounds since Christmas! Some of that is muscle weight (hell yea it is), but a lot of it is GUT FAT, because my pants no longer fit the way they used to, and a lot of my shirts are tight right around my bitch-tittie area.
Back when I lost weight, I got rid of all my old clothes so that I wouldn’t have to go and buy new ones incase I ever started to get fat again. Yesterday I was walking down the hall at work and caught myself thinking, “I should use some of my birthday money to go and get some new clothes, these don’t really fit anymore.”
::shakes head::
But now that warmer weather is here (?) maybe I can take up running again and do it err’yday.
You know what I’ve always wanted to do? I’ve always wanted to end a story with the words ‘End of Story.’
Or, period.
That’s it. End of Story.
Period.
Gross.
Blow the Wind.
Check out this email I got from the “folks” at the NorthWind, NMU’s student newspaper.
Hey Adam,
I just wanted to tell you that I got your last email and your story. However, after the “higher ups” aka…T***** and C**** read your article, they made the decision that it shouldn’t run because we’ve been covering the laptop too much lately. I’m sorry that you had to do all that work and not get the story to actually run, but it was a good story on its last revision. Good luck with the rest of the semester.
Y*****
I “x”ed out the names, because I didn’t think it would be cool if I just posted this and put everyone’s name up there, but, anyway, the reason I did put it up for you to read is because I’m a little “p.o.”ed about it, as my mom would say. The story they’re talking about was the one I wrote about what exactly people are doing with the laptops around campus. So, the first draft I did they didn’t like. They sent it back and basically told me to redo the whole thing, making it more funnier and “meatier,” whatever the hell that meant. I did so, but when I sent the reply I told them, basically, “this is the last story I’m writing. I’m no longer happy writing for the NorthWind.” I wait three days for a reply, and this is what I get.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that they’re wrong or bad. I’m just saying it was a little unfair and a little irresponsible for them to tell me to do all these revisions when they know how many stories they “run” about the laptops, anyway. They could have told me this before I even started writing it. I seriously think it’s just for spite. I swear, if I see another laptop story come out, I’m going to have some words with the NorthWind folk.
