Here I am in the office, mini fan on,computer screens with 100 windows open, phone ringing, wrapping up these small fires before they burn out of control. It was a rough morning today. In the process of reorganizing my guest room, I misplaced my car key, and could not find my wallet. I rushed out of the house with my comb in hand, late to work, but it didn't bug me, since the majority of the time I am 30 minutes early. Thankfully, It's like a small family here in the IT dept., With all the comp time I put in for these guys and never claim, I would be rich. I am what you call a "category five" procrastinator in my personal life, it's biggest flaw that I have, although Im not like that when I'm working. If you evaluated my work on a daily basis, you would think otherwise.
I have always had two passions in life since I was a kid. Technology and Art. I loved train sets and Legos. They were my favorite toys as a young child. I would always bug my mom to buy me more train tracks for my Brio wooden trains so that I could make my setup bigger and badder each time. As far as Legos go,I was pretty creative when making things up. I was the kid that broke things purposely in order to figure out how it worked. Art branched off this creativity I had. I would draw so often that my dad would get angry at me for using up so much paper. Crayons, markers, pencils, were always near me at that time. I would draw characters that were on kid shows that I liked at the time and pretty much anything my teachers wanted me to do.
Later in high school I was introduced to electronics when I took a magnet engineering course. I was instantly addicted to to concept of routing current through a circuit board, using Ohm's law to find values like power, resistance and voltage then verifying my findings. After high school I went to community college for a year then joined the Navy for 9 years as a telecom technician. Three years ago I jumped into civilian life and am thankful and fortunate that I was hired here in San Diego soon after .Working in the IT field, usually demands experience on the systems worked on and certifications and work takes care of that. a college degree doesn't mean crap now a days in the IT field. I was 28 years old and figured to go to school for Art to do freelance work, I've always wanted to own my own business and this was an opportunity to make money doing something I enjoy on the side of my Career. School in general, I tend to procrastinate on lots of the work handed to me. I have never been big on trying to get the best grades in class or prove myself to anyone. as long as I pass the class, I'm good. You put something in front of me I enjoy, and It usually brings out the best in me. Coming to Platt for webdesign has been great for me so far. When I am focused on a project, I tend to block out everything around me and finish the task to completion. This is how I am at work, and at home.
This class should be interesting. I have never been in a class so small in my life, but I am looking forward to the experience.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Announcements 6/26: Play, Blog Comments, etc.
Hi all--
Here is the link for the play that we're going to on Wednesday, June 27.
Just show up at the theater a little before 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, with five bucks in hand to pay the deeply discounted admission price.
Also, please remember to comment on at least two (2) of your classmates' posts on our blog by Wednesday.
This has been a bit of an odd week, what with the curriculum consisting only of watching movies and plays. For next week, be prepared to read, talk, and write!
See you in class tonight--
Andy
Here is the link for the play that we're going to on Wednesday, June 27.
Just show up at the theater a little before 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, with five bucks in hand to pay the deeply discounted admission price.
Also, please remember to comment on at least two (2) of your classmates' posts on our blog by Wednesday.
This has been a bit of an odd week, what with the curriculum consisting only of watching movies and plays. For next week, be prepared to read, talk, and write!
See you in class tonight--
Andy
Monday, June 25, 2012
Re: labor standards
Weekends are too short. My revolutionary chant rang exceptionally clear this morning as I ran down my pre-flight checklist to become societally acceptable; all while in an ethanol-induced haze. Beginning the workday at the usual 45 minutes late, only further irritated my angst. I fully understand the old 9 to 5, was closer to 5 to 9, just a generation ago, but we’re in the 21st century now, by all some accounts Skynet was supposed to make life easier by now.
Sure we can (and should) thank Upton Sinclair for authoring The Jungle, which is often attributed for catalyzing early 20th century labor reforms, but it seems we’re regressing back upon all our leaps and bounds in troop welfare. We have factories which can almost stamp out a nearly ready-for-the-sales-floor automobile with minimal human interaction. Yet still, an overwhelming majority of us first world-ers are forced to maneuver our physical forms, from our personal, on the grid building many miles, over a terribly dangerous asphalt and concrete battlefield at a raged pace, to sit in another on the grid building, while wearing silly clothes and sharing air with folks you likely have nothing in common with, other than a common disdain for one another.
It’s a silly set of motions we force upon ourselves. Silly enough, I’ve grown to really appreciate Timothy Ferriss’ work, most notably The 4-Hour Workweek. Even with Ferriss’ acute case of self-obsessed narcissism and a cabal of dubious friends, I like to imagine his books may hold a life altering tip or two. I enjoy holding out for hope. Maybe one day I’ll find the time to actually read them, but I always find myself back at square one: weekends are too short.
Sure we can (and should) thank Upton Sinclair for authoring The Jungle, which is often attributed for catalyzing early 20th century labor reforms, but it seems we’re regressing back upon all our leaps and bounds in troop welfare. We have factories which can almost stamp out a nearly ready-for-the-sales-floor automobile with minimal human interaction. Yet still, an overwhelming majority of us first world-ers are forced to maneuver our physical forms, from our personal, on the grid building many miles, over a terribly dangerous asphalt and concrete battlefield at a raged pace, to sit in another on the grid building, while wearing silly clothes and sharing air with folks you likely have nothing in common with, other than a common disdain for one another.
It’s a silly set of motions we force upon ourselves. Silly enough, I’ve grown to really appreciate Timothy Ferriss’ work, most notably The 4-Hour Workweek. Even with Ferriss’ acute case of self-obsessed narcissism and a cabal of dubious friends, I like to imagine his books may hold a life altering tip or two. I enjoy holding out for hope. Maybe one day I’ll find the time to actually read them, but I always find myself back at square one: weekends are too short.
I've got the moxie!
Ever since class on Wednesday I've done nothing but recall parts of the interview that we watched of Ray Bradbury! In particular, his theory on doing what you love and loving what you do really spoke to me. It's actually the reason I am where I am now. I can't say I LIKE where I am right now, but I where I'm headed and I know that this too shall pass.
Back in North Carolina, I didn't know where I was going. I was 18 and felt as though everyone was leaving for college with life goals set, plans for the future, and all the strength in the world needed in order to get through it. I was weak and alone, and I was going to a college, but I didn't know what I was going to do when I go there. School was never easy for me, so the last thing I wanted to do was spend ANOTHER 4 endless years, NOT paying attention to something I didn't care about. I went to Appalachian State University because my boyfriend at the time was going there. That was just about the worst decision of my life! However, I came away from that situation with a new found understanding and respect for myself. I knew that I had to do something I loved. I had to have a career, not a job. I wanted it for myself.
I deserved it! My brother is in jail right now for 1st degree murder, and 1st degree kidnapping. This all happened my first year of college at App, and it was one of the reasons I dropped out. The healing process that should have happened, didn't, and I went back to Chapel Hill to get a job, but soon I realized that the further I was away from my hometown, the better. So I moved. I was dating a guy I had known for almost 3 years on (yeah laugh it up!) World of Warcraft, which is created by Blizzard Entertainment; my dream job! He lived in California, and that's just about as far away from North Carolina as I could get without leaving the country. We've been living together for 3 years now (and are still madly in love), and the growth I've seen in myself since leaving home is astounding. I'll be 23 in October, and I can't believe that I was 19 when I moved out here! It feels like yesterday I was driving across the country with everything from my bedroom in the trunk!
So, after taking the same road twice, but for a different reason, I found out about Platt from current boyfriend, who is an Alumni of PSD. Like I said in class, I want video games to be a part of my daily life. There was something I loved, that I could do, right underneath my nose.
It's funny; something I used to turn to in order to escape the world has actually opened up the world to me in return.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I'M ACTUALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE I'M GOING!!!!
Back in North Carolina, I didn't know where I was going. I was 18 and felt as though everyone was leaving for college with life goals set, plans for the future, and all the strength in the world needed in order to get through it. I was weak and alone, and I was going to a college, but I didn't know what I was going to do when I go there. School was never easy for me, so the last thing I wanted to do was spend ANOTHER 4 endless years, NOT paying attention to something I didn't care about. I went to Appalachian State University because my boyfriend at the time was going there. That was just about the worst decision of my life! However, I came away from that situation with a new found understanding and respect for myself. I knew that I had to do something I loved. I had to have a career, not a job. I wanted it for myself.
I deserved it! My brother is in jail right now for 1st degree murder, and 1st degree kidnapping. This all happened my first year of college at App, and it was one of the reasons I dropped out. The healing process that should have happened, didn't, and I went back to Chapel Hill to get a job, but soon I realized that the further I was away from my hometown, the better. So I moved. I was dating a guy I had known for almost 3 years on (yeah laugh it up!) World of Warcraft, which is created by Blizzard Entertainment; my dream job! He lived in California, and that's just about as far away from North Carolina as I could get without leaving the country. We've been living together for 3 years now (and are still madly in love), and the growth I've seen in myself since leaving home is astounding. I'll be 23 in October, and I can't believe that I was 19 when I moved out here! It feels like yesterday I was driving across the country with everything from my bedroom in the trunk!
So, after taking the same road twice, but for a different reason, I found out about Platt from current boyfriend, who is an Alumni of PSD. Like I said in class, I want video games to be a part of my daily life. There was something I loved, that I could do, right underneath my nose.
It's funny; something I used to turn to in order to escape the world has actually opened up the world to me in return.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I'M ACTUALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE I'M GOING!!!!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Artistic Computer Nerd
I used to sketch a lot when I was younger. I'd spend class time illustrating when I should have been paying attention. The range of things I could draw was not wide, though. Mushrooms, skulls, and comic book characters were my bread and butter. Over the years I've lost touch with that part of me. As it turns out, being an adult is time consuming. Who knew? Because of my time in the Army, I get paid to go to school and what better way is there to regain touch with my artistic side than to attend a graphic design school?
Despite my lack of artistic range, I had gone pretty much my entire life believing I had a strong level of creativity. That is, until I attended Platt College. What I have learned in the past year at this school is that my level of artistic skill is intermediate, at best. I haven't allowed the direct exposure to numerous artists who are infinitely more skilled than I to discourage, though. I'm as determined to finish with my degree and continue to hone my skills now as I was on day one. Possibly more so. Although my funding for school will end in November, I feel I've gained a solid foundation upon which I can continue to build after I've received my degree. I'm not sure where these skills will lead me but I already feel as though my career in graphic arts will be much more interesting and fulfilling than anything I've done in IT. I'm a tech nerd for life, but supporting people who know nothing about the machines they use all day long is a frustrating way to spend your day and I need an outlet. Here's to hoping that the graphic arts will show me the way.
Despite my lack of artistic range, I had gone pretty much my entire life believing I had a strong level of creativity. That is, until I attended Platt College. What I have learned in the past year at this school is that my level of artistic skill is intermediate, at best. I haven't allowed the direct exposure to numerous artists who are infinitely more skilled than I to discourage, though. I'm as determined to finish with my degree and continue to hone my skills now as I was on day one. Possibly more so. Although my funding for school will end in November, I feel I've gained a solid foundation upon which I can continue to build after I've received my degree. I'm not sure where these skills will lead me but I already feel as though my career in graphic arts will be much more interesting and fulfilling than anything I've done in IT. I'm a tech nerd for life, but supporting people who know nothing about the machines they use all day long is a frustrating way to spend your day and I need an outlet. Here's to hoping that the graphic arts will show me the way.
Assignment for Monday, June 25
Hi, all--
I hope you have figured out how to get yourself logged in as an author on our group blog, and how to write a post. (It's pretty simple: click "New Post," write in the box, and click "Publish"--or "Save" if you're not quite ready to publish.) "Teacher Man" is my (Andy's) user name, if that wasn't obvious enough. If you are having any problems logging in or posting, please email me at andylhinds@yahoo.com.
Your first assignment is basically a test run to make sure everyone has figured out how to use the blog, and a bit of a writing sample for my edification. Please write a couple paragraphs either a) recapping what we talked about in class regarding who you are and what your relationship to reading and writing is like; or, b) anything else you feel like writing about: an ode to your hamster, a rant about traffic, a fictional account of a home-surgery disaster, a lyrical poem about yeast, whatever.
Please make this first post at least 200 words long, and include whatever visual, audio, or other elements you want. Just don't break the internet, please.
Mystery link
I hope you have figured out how to get yourself logged in as an author on our group blog, and how to write a post. (It's pretty simple: click "New Post," write in the box, and click "Publish"--or "Save" if you're not quite ready to publish.) "Teacher Man" is my (Andy's) user name, if that wasn't obvious enough. If you are having any problems logging in or posting, please email me at andylhinds@yahoo.com.
Your first assignment is basically a test run to make sure everyone has figured out how to use the blog, and a bit of a writing sample for my edification. Please write a couple paragraphs either a) recapping what we talked about in class regarding who you are and what your relationship to reading and writing is like; or, b) anything else you feel like writing about: an ode to your hamster, a rant about traffic, a fictional account of a home-surgery disaster, a lyrical poem about yeast, whatever.
Please make this first post at least 200 words long, and include whatever visual, audio, or other elements you want. Just don't break the internet, please.
Mystery link
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