Why, oh why can’t life be drama free? Just when you think things are going pretty smoothly, here comes the proverbial curve ball through the living room window. So, what does one do? I’ll tell you what. You clean up the class, replace the window and prepare for the next pitch.
Okay, that was kind of random, but I guess that’s the kind of mood I’m in.
So, I was reading Davezilla today and came across this hilarious post about really lame super powers. I think my lame super power is the ability to always take a joke too far to the point where it’s not funny anymore. Or, the power to stay in my condo doing school work while effectively missing everything cool that’s going on outside of my four walls. What’s yours?
I kinda dug it because it felt like a remix. Of course Beyonce is awesome even to a country twang.
So, I know it’s probably sacrilege to talk about obesity so soon after a holiday known for binging, but I blame Yahoo for posting a story on America’s fattest cities of which Atlanta is #16. The story blames the usual suspect: a sprawling suburban population increasing the need for more residents to commute thereby increasing the consumption of convenient, yet fatty, fast food.
It’s funny, but I kind of had a conversation about this one day with my friend Adrian. He was talking about how Austin, Texas is on the opposite end of the spectrum: health conscious and in love with exercise. He said he missed that, because he believed that he had move to a fat city. I guess since I’ve been considered obese for most of my life, I kind of just nodded and then left quickly to satiate my appetite with a greasy burger. Imagine my surprise, when I found support for his viewpoint.
But seriously, for the first time in my life, I’ve actually made an effort to shift my eating and exercise habits. Granted the effort has been small, but I am at least trying. I’d like to live a long, heathly life if possible and if that means eating more leafy green things and getting out of my condo once in awhile, (the sun! It burns us!) so be it! And now, I have a new incentive: getting my new home off America’s Most Fat List.
So, I haven’t ranted about my institution of learning in awhile which is weird since it’s just ripe for the picking. This quarter has had it’s share of challenges and this blog is about one of them.
Have you ever been taught by someone who doesn’t really enjoy teaching? Usually, it’s someone who knows something and is unwilling to part with the knowledge for the education of others (usually out of fear the student will surpass the teacher), or it’s someone who just doesn’t have the patience required to help students up the learning curve. In my academic career I’ve encounter both.
Now, I’m not the most technologically inclined person and it takes me awhile to learn and master a new ”advance.” Since enrollment in PC, I’ve done pretty well so far getting comfortable with Apple, seeing as I was raised on PC, but I’ve always been leary of computer classes; afraid that I would get a teacher with one of the attributes above (because, face it, technology is a breeding ground for these types).
Anyhoo, last quarter I took an excellent, Adobe Indesign class. I learned so much, that I’m mad that I didn’t take it sooner. Coming off this euphoric success, I expected that my next foray in computer learning would be just as rewarding and smooth. Boy, was I wrong.
Enter Adobe AfterEffects: possibly one of the most complicated programs I’ve been introduced to thus far. It’s main use is to animate stuff for broadcast television. So, I’m thinking, animation that’s cool. Yeah, it doesn’t look super easy, but I mean with a good teacher I can get through it.
Long story, short (because I’m sure you can gather where this is going), I’ve spent almost eight weeks in class, haven’t learned a damn thing, and am now trying to produce a 10 second animation for my critique which is in two weeks. My advice: Never assume that computer classes are created equal. Make sure you understand from day one if you’re going to be taught or if you going to have to learn the shit on your own. Do this and you won’t end up like me and about 25% of the my class.
