Color Combos

I was thinking about our Magic card color combos the other night and I thought, "Hmm, what if I'm not a red/blue, maybe I'm more this/that. Is Tony a blue/black? I don't think Brady's a black/red."

I thought of this again when I looked over some of my journal yesterday. What do you write about in a journal mostly? The past, present, or future? A lot of my entries are pretty boring day to day stuff, just a log of what happened. Which is fine in a historical sense I guess. I'll have a good laugh reading about staying up till 6 playing Magic. The journal's mostly just a lot of Past that I always imagine will keep me grounded in the future and impart wisdom to the masses. It started intriguing me when I made predictions of what I'm looking forward to or things that I want to accomplish. I've had my fair share of letdowns forever scratched in ink, but I also have a pretty good idea of what keeps me motivated. (as far as the present goes, I started writing what time I write the entry--because a 4AM one is very different than a 12 noon one.)

When I went to the Brazil Cafe a few weeks ago, I picked up a wishing string--where you tie it to something, make a wish, and it'll come true when it falls off. I never used it. I mean, a penny piece of string and a wish for anything in the world, even a sandwich, could the bar for use be any lower? But I never used it. I even had a place picked out on my handlebars for it (why else would I grab a red one?). For me, that string is more real than my journal. It was a (sort of) gift, from another culture (imbuing it with a sort of mysticism for me), and I would be tying it to one of my top 10 worldly possessions. I felt the same way when I went to the cathedral Duomo Milan and lit a candle with a wish--and that one actually came true.

There was a painting thing for New Years at the Japanese Cultural Center. I grabbed a blank canvas and painted that pixel tiger for the "year of the tiger" theme. There was a half sheet of paper that came with it: name, occupation. I thought that was weird. Occupation? I mean we're all painters in that moment, what is the significance of occupation? (so philosophical, right?) Is it a way of padding our self esteem--that it's ok to suck at painting because "By day I'm actually an accountant at Goldman Sachs--please excuse the poor dry brush technique." But maybe that's the negative edge, it's probably more for the "Everyone Paints" aspect. Long story short, I put Game Designer.

I was a little hesitant to write that. First I thought it was because I might have to hear about it later from people who'd tell me to the contrary (and with fairly good reason). Maybe it's because I wasn't doing it from 9 to 5 and getting paid for it. Eventually, reality won out and I realized the mental commitment that writing Game Designer represented to me. And it's those hard decisions that make little moments important. I haven't forgotten about writing those two words and the fact that they're coming true more and more.

All this is my long way of saying that it is my experience that knowing exactly what you want is far more important than your current ability to achieve it.

In the end, I do think I'm pretty red/blue. And I do want to be red/blue. And so that's what I'll be. I like the idea of being Doc Brown, of being Indiana Jones. Overlapping with people doesn't bother me (but, of course, when I take a look at peoples' possible combinations I immediately rule out red/blue because "pssh, no one's red/blue like me"). It's a little case of the self-fulfilling prophecy. A little of the chicken and egg. Is there a best color combo? Well duh, it's the one you pick.

I'm gonna sign off now--I have a red piece of string to figure out.

they're just RESOLUTIONS

1. Finish Equatia demo by Feb
-register website
-aesthetic
-redesign w/new build

2. Finish off imdb top 250 list

3. Make HappyShirts website
-organize items for sale

4. Write Marberg screenplay
-outline
-characters
-research disease: doctors, patients, govt, chem weapons, bio weapons

5. Write Sugar Mafia screenplay
-outline
-characters

6. Make PS3 stick
-finish wiring
-do programming
-contact box maker

7. Go somewhere new x3
-plan spring break

8. Find a job/internship that matters

9. Make Hour of Power 360
-contact Davy
-build camera rig--camera weight, rotation consistency, noise

This Weeks Episode: "1 RPM" or "The Twelve"

So Davy and I have been pushing around an idea for a filmed Hour of Power (drink 1 shot of beer every minute for an hour) between 12 people for a long time. The main idea is to lift the Hollywood veil of going from sober to drunk. Gone is the standard "I guess I'll have a little" to cut of shirt off/lampshade on head. I'm pushing for a rotating camera in the center a la That 70's Show so that people take a shot when the camera points to them. Oh and for leaving one of the 12 seats empty, implying that YOU, the viewer, are actually a "part of the (drinking) action!"

Anyway, I finally got around to making the rig to spin the camera around at 1 rpm, but the little part that connects to the motor's rod broke. Gotta work on making a more solid connection there.


hmm..what am i watching in the background?



abayo

Inauguration Day

Just got through watching the inauguration and realizing how bad old people are at chanting 3 syllables in time. Obama's speech was pretty good, it wasn't awe inspiring or anything but a solid way to establish what he wants to do (make change) and have people still feel confident (not emigrate).

Finished a camcorder mount that rotates at 1 rpm, but now I've gotta test it out to make sure the motor's strong enough. Played basketball and hockey, pretty happy about both. Went ice skating after in Pershing Square. I just don't expect downtown LA to have anything remotely interesting in it so it was a cool surprise. Started reading the original I Am Legend book, really good stuff. Talked with Screen Depot about getting a silkscreen made so I should probably spend this week getting a design together. Tried to figure out what kind of camera (camcorder camera) I'm gonna pick up.


Dove into a bunch of media this weekend:

Hancock - 8/10 (Entertaining as hell, tackles the revisionist superhero story more efficiently than comics like Wanted. It's funny, it's serious, and a punk French kid gets punked. This is going to be an interesting segue into The Watchmen for people who haven't read the comic and have the snobbery behind it.)

The Mummy 3 - 6.5/10 (Hah, I never thought I'd see a Matt Damon ripoff. It commented on itself a little too much. When you don't take your own film/storyline seriously, you better have some damn good CG and creativity to make up for it.)

Sukiyaki Western - 7.5/10 (Awesome fight scenes and always interesting [shots/colors] to look at in that typical Miike fashion. I guess the fact that it was a heavy handed amalgam of spaghetti westerns and samurai flicks gets a little too strange after awhile. Tons of style, where's the substance?)

abayo

New in 2009:

Hey everyone, Happy 09'. All hail easy to write 9!

Break was intense and I was sick for half of it, but there's really none of that regret that usually hits me the Monday after a vacation.

The writing's tiny and mostly nonsensical but this is the way I remember it...


I still need to figure out how to make my screen wide enough to show pics. (does anyone know how to do this?) nm, got it

As far as being productive, I swapped out my TC's dash leds, made a tutorial for it on Youtube, worked at the LA foodbank, played hockey, read Ender's Shadow, and am about an hour away from finishing the DS Castlevania. As far as being unproductive, I leave it up to you to decipher.


Abayo