craptastic

So here I am at work, excersizing several of my multiple bad habits at the same time....(That would be: chewing on anything within my reach; slouching so low in my chair that I have to sit up to see the keyboard; and mindlessly browsing the internet at work.)

When suddenly i get the feeling that something bad just happened. And indeed it did. I slowly removed the bottle cap from my mouth, but theres was still something small and light resting on my tongue. My jaw remained open as I removed the object and took a good look at it. Imiedetly I recognized it since its something I see every day. My head sank as my jaw closed and my tongue began to examine the damage. A good quarter of my top front left tooth was knocked loose due to my excesive gnawing.

I look freakin rediculous! You can fit a nickle in between my 2 front teeth. I don't have the funds to get it fixed right now so I guess I will just have to deal with it. I suppose its not the worse thing that could happen.

At least noone here in Alabama will ever notice, hehe.

Proof I am a Zombie

or at least a semi-zombie who was only licked instead of bitten and the zombie virus only did partial damage to my brain functions.

So anyway... yesterday I went the entire day, from waking up to going to bed, with my undershirt on backwards. That would explain why it was choking me all day and the sleeves where a bit aquward.

Obviously I have nothing better to blog about.

college essay #2

List three of your strengths. Choose two and explain how those strengths have contributed to your success in school, in art or in your life.

I would have to say that three of my personal strengths would be that I am extremely dedicated, I work well with other people, and I am a quick learner.

I have always been dedicated. In my youth I was a Boy Scout and I went to every meeting, and every excursion. I was determined to be the best I could be and throughout my 6 years I held every officer position possible from Scribe to Senior Patrol Leader. Even after I had already moved to Alabama, I came back briefly to finish what I started and eventually earned the top rank of Eagle Scout. My dedication to the BSA continued even after I passed its age requirement. In Alabama I moved on to join an Explorer program for the local Fire Department. There I learned even more about what it means to be dedicated and eventually became the Post Captain of the group. I also used the skills I learned in school to make and maintain a website for the group with no cost to them.

Once I figured out what I wanted to do with my life I steered my dedication towards college. I made sure to attend every class and be on time every day. Also if I needed to I would stay after class to work on my projects. I strove to be the best student I could and got awarded in almost every art related class. In the end I graduated with 7 awards and was on the Honor List.

After school I became dedicated to putting my skills to use. I joined a local 3D Users Group as well as the Birmingham IGDA and attended every meeting that was held. From there I met the CEO of (removed) who came to lecture at a meeting and persistently contacted him through emails and classes he was teaching. Eventually after sending him some work and going to the classes he instructed at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, he hired me onto his team. I am quite proud of each of these accomplishments. Mainly because I did the best I could and never gave up.

Another strength that helped me through each of these challenges would have to be the ability to work well with other people. I owe most of this to the BSA and the Explorer post. There I learned how to be a good leader and also how important it is to work as a team. Even the kids that no one else seemed to like where able to trust me as a leader because I treated them fairly and listened to them.

In school group projects I eagerly accepted the responsibilities of a team leader and delegated an equal share of work based on each persons strengths. I let everyone contribute to the design and flow of the project with their own ideas. In the end I became good friends with the lead 3D art instructor and we still keep in contact through the 3D Users Group to this day. These skills in working with others helped develop my ability to networking which ultimately lead to my job at (removed). I can also say that just about everyone in the 3D art field in Northern Alabama has met me or knows of me because of this.

In conclusion I must say that I wouldn’t be doing this next big step if I didn’t have confidence that my determination and ability to work with other people will drive me towards success.

college essay #1

What do you expect from a college education? How will it help you reach your life and career goals?

Personally I do not expect the continuance of my college education to be easy. In fact I hope that the instructors and subject material will bring new challenges every day so that I will constantly be learning and doing creative things that I couldn’t do before. I would expect a complete hands-on experience where I would be able to visit the lab to work on my projects even after classes are over. I would also expect the instructors to be competent and experienced in their field of education so that they can answer the constant barrage of questions that I tend to come up with. Ultimately, in the end, I want to be able to walk away from this college with tuned skills and a greater understanding of the game development industry.

Although knowledge and skill are two major components to getting work in the field, there is usually another important asset I would expect to gain from a college that has been in the heartland of the industry for a several years. Connections! I currently do not know anyone on the west coast that could help me find work. Hopefully with the job placement programs and the several clubs that are apart of the Art Institute’s I will have plenty of opportunities to network with all kinds of people.

With the combination of my current Associates Degree in Computer Aided Imaging and Visualization, the experience I gained from working with (removed) in Birmingham Alabama, and then finally a Bachelors Degree in Game Art and Design, I believe I will have the confidence to apply for work with any major game development company or possibly even begin my own production studio. Those would be my main career goals.

Most importantly, I am motivated to relocate to go school because I was born in California. The fact that it is the home to many of the top game development companies when I am so passionate about the industry confirms to me that it is where I belong. So, not only will going to this college help me with my career goals, but it will also be the beginning of my new journey in California.

Great Name!

I recently got an email titled that from a guy who happened to share the same first and last name as me. Sure thats not really a big deal, except that he was trying to pitch a video game design to me since he noticed that I have worked on video games before and he has always wanted to. Not only that, but he is an experienced programmer while I am an experienced artist. Combined we could be our own little game design team while sharing the same name. I would cover the creative/artistic left brain, and he be the smart/technical right brain. Combined we could be like a whole brain! hehe. The problem came up when he pitched his game concept. It was completely the opposite of what I would like to design.

I've also been getting several emails about people who are just interested in my mod design that I decided to put off. Some are saying to keep at it, and other want to help. I'd love to do this but do I really have the time?

So speaking about game art and design.... I have been communicating with the admissions associate for the game art and design school I would like to attend in California. I have filled out my application and now I have to write 2 essays which may determine wether I get accepted or not. It should be easy enough. I have until Wednesday.

I have also made plans to go to a tradeshow called Siggraph in LA mainly for the job fair they will be having. That means I have to prepare my portfolio so that I can impress the companies there. That really will be a lot of work... I have until July 30th.

Also I my friends Ed, and Rich are planning a trip to....err somewhere in Florida, I don't really know hehe.... but I am going. This will be mid July.

My brother lost his job and has 4 dollars to his name. We haven't payed all the bills for this month and next months is only a week away.... He may need to move out if he doesn't get a new job soon! That means I will need to deal with getting a roomate or moving out as well... damn that will suck. Especially right now.

One game I have been looking foward to comes out this week and the other game I play with my friends is demanding a lot my time as well recently.


Needless to say, I've got a lot of shit going on and here I am writting in my silly blog... oblivious of the stress and preasure that I should normally be feeling.

California- take 2

Lately it has been a bit of a roller coaster as far as my plans for the future. First I wanted to move to California and live with my friend there to look for a job in my field. A few local jobs came to my attention so I put that off. Then those fell through and now I am thinking about school. At first I just wanted to take some basic general education classes at the local community college but that's just not good enough. If I am going to go to school then I need to have a goal. What I need is a Bachelors degree to improve on my Associates. I know that the schools here are not worth the money and the job market is thin and not quite what I want. Its obvious that if I stay here I wont be going in the direction that I really want, and currently I am just going NOWHERE!

I need to do it. I need to make these hard decisions and make my move. I need to go to California, get a bachelors degree in my field, and use my skills to their full potential...

on a less serious note, I can't wait to get out of this office! The roof near my desk literally collapsed over the weekend from the AC that was clogged up and leaking like crazy. The tiles that fell to the floor were so nasty from the stagnant water and animal "leftovers". The smell still overpowers the lysol that is applied to the carpet by coworkers. The tiles that haven't fallen yet are spotted with large brown stains from where the water tried to cause more damage. In one of the fluorescent light fixtures there is a dark yellow pool that reminds me to drink lots of water. And of course the air conditioning unit is now offline until they fix it. WEEE!

BTW, the guy that runs this building is a total Ronald Mc'Asshole. (hehe stole that one from "The longest yard".. good stuff)