skullblog

August 2011
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spanish word a day

i've contemplated signing up for spanish classes starting in january but let's face it, running a podcast teaching a language takes a lot of work and i'm just not disciplined enough to teach one language while learning another at the... [more]

Posted on December 4, 2008 @ 8:03 PM

yellow peril supports black power

today we went to the (caam) because it's one of the museums in los angeles county on my list to visit. i want to visit most of the museums in the county, both those that i haven't been to as... [more]

Posted on November 9, 2008 @ 10:10 PM

making my intellectual debut

tomorrow i am making my intellectual debut by being a speaker at a museum. no, i'm not the only one speaking, thank god! rather, there will be 3 groups of people speaking at the japanese american national museum and i... [more]

Posted on September 5, 2008 @ 6:26 PM

latino nikkeis in internment camps

today we went to a film screening and talk at the japanese american national museum. it was about latino nikkeis in internment camps in america during world war 2. a great topic but sadly it was not advertised on the... [more]

Posted on September 22, 2007 @ 11:39 PM

a painful decision

after going back on forth on the school thing, which classes to take and at which community college, and should twiddle thumbs join me in some classes or take japanese while i take spanish, etc, i discussed it long and... [more]

Posted on August 9, 2007 @ 11:01 PM

going back to school but dropping myself off

i applied to go take classes at a local community college awhile back (anyone can get in) and i was supposed to get an email with details on when and how to register for the classes. classes start this month... [more]

Posted on August 2, 2007 @ 11:54 PM | Comments (1)

japanese language proficiency test

i've decided to take the japanese language proficiency test this year so i have to start studying for it. i printed out some materials online and started taking sample quizes to see what it's like and to prepare myself for... [more]

Posted on July 11, 2007 @ 4:46 PM

las partes del cuerpo

tonight twiddle thumbs and i exchanged language lessons. we went over basic body parts and numbers. it was pretty fun. i started it off by having each of us write as many words as we knew of the other language... [more]

Posted on June 11, 2007 @ 10:18 PM

photography practice at the getty

we went to the getty today. i wanted to practice using my new camera. i chose to visit the getty today because it was the last day of a japanese post-war art exhibit. that exhibit was very disappointing because it... [more]

Posted on June 3, 2007 @ 8:34 PM

museums in the summer and classes in the fall

i've decided to take classes in the fall. i'm finally going to enroll in a spanish class. every since i was a kid i said i was going to learn how to speak spanish but never became serious about it.... [more]

Posted on May 31, 2007 @ 7:33 PM

lettergo

i finally finished writing back to my japanese cousin's wife. (i only have 1 japanese cousin with a wife.) an actual handwritten letter. the last one i wrote was done on the computer. i get very excited when her letter... [more]

Posted on May 16, 2007 @ 7:59 PM

all about japanese language

today i'm all about japanese language! i've heard about games in japan for nintendo ds that help with learning kanji. i was looking at them on amazon japan and found a couple that seemed good so i added them to... [more]

Posted on May 2, 2007 @ 10:28 PM

the resurrection of band practice

so today was the first band practice with the girls in a long while and my fingers are still tingling. i presented the folder of tabs we are to work on for the next year so that we can learn... [more]

Posted on September 17, 2006 @ 10:22 PM

miss maestro

this morning i printed out a bunch of tab to teach the girls songs starting this weekend. attending last night's rehearsal really got me pumped to get into music again. i'm thinking that with the band twiddle thumbs is doing... [more]

Posted on September 12, 2006 @ 11:59 PM

very little shamisen progression

i got really sick in may and missed class 3 times so as not get my classmates/teacher sick. then there was the holiday so i didn't go to the last class remaining in may so that I wouldn't pay for... [more]

Posted on August 22, 2006 @ 5:06 PM

ink from the red pen runneth over

twiddle thumbs and i helped out nopalita today by grading papers. damn, what a pain it is. i really don't understand how people can be come teachers. i have no patience for it and spending my friday night grading papers... [more]

Posted on August 11, 2006 @ 11:59 PM

nihongo no sensei

tonight was the first of my japanese lessons with twiddle thumbs and her sister in preparation for our trip in october. i asked them what are the things they want to know how to say (i feel this is the... [more]

Posted on August 9, 2006 @ 11:04 PM

ghetto tennis

twiddle thumbs is concerned about her niece who needs to exercise more and regularly. we were supposed to start a weekly program where we take her out to do something every tuesday but tonight was the first time that we... [more]

Posted on August 1, 2006 @ 10:57 PM

doing things at my own pace

tonight i continued to study spanish out of the little book. i finished it actually, it's that short. it's really geared towards little kids who can barely write in any language. you can tell because of the dotted lined spaces... [more]

Posted on July 31, 2006 @ 10:16 PM

clean, yosc, clean, teashaker, clean

this was my day... 1. clean. i was tired of the mess that had accumulated in the room. the mess only accumulated because there is no place to put this stuff. it's been so freaking hot that on the floor... [more]

Posted on July 30, 2006 @ 11:23 PM

grunion greeters

tonight twiddle thumbs and i went to a grunion greeting workshop at the aquarium of the pacific in long beach. the phrase 'grunion greeter' seems so damn weird to me. should i bring a lei and hold up a sign,... [more]

Posted on April 11, 2006 @ 8:12 PM

circle of fifths

we had the first band practice in awhile. it was pretty good; we're finally getting around to teaching song structure and playing long enough with the same beats for it to be considered a song. i just wanted the girls... [more]

Posted on April 8, 2006 @ 11:51 PM

goals for shamisen

i really didn't feel like going to shamisen class tonight because of the rain and feeling tired after work in general but i've slacked off for the past 2 weeks so i can't do that anymore. even though i haven't... [more]

Posted on February 27, 2006 @ 11:32 PM

another band practice

hearing someone learn a new instrument can be painful. teaching someone to play a new instrument can be even worse. lucky for me that it hasn't been so bad. today was only our second practice and already i can hear... [more]

Posted on February 11, 2006 @ 11:45 PM

the return of shamisen class

tonight was the first shamisen class in a couple months, since my teacher had surgery. in the absence of classes i've been really bad and hardly practiced at all. i didn't even organize all the sheet music. ok, i got... [more]

Posted on February 6, 2006 @ 11:05 PM

band practice, old friends, and vegan paradise

band practice: today was the first day. laugh if you want. ok, it wasn't really practice. it was more like me giving lessons. i'm not a musician but i understand the very basics, especially the basics of rock music. on... [more]

Posted on February 4, 2006 @ 9:30 PM

bassass international

i bought a bass! oh yeah oh yeah. washburn's cheap lyon brand gear has been available at target for awhile and i've been eyeing that bass everytime i walk by. bass is the one thing that really perplexes me musically.... [more]

Posted on January 24, 2006 @ 11:22 PM | Comments (2)

a typical day at shamisen class

although today wasn't a typical day at shamisen class, (we had visitors), i wanted to write about what a typical day at shamisen class is like. it starts off with me usually driving my mom's boyfriend with me to the... [more]

Posted on October 10, 2005 @ 10:59 PM

the gods don't want me to learn shamisen

2 weeks ago there was no shamisen class because it was a holiday. 1 week ago i did not go to shamisen class because i was sick. today i did not go to shamisen class because i burned my fingers... [more]

Posted on September 19, 2005 @ 9:13 PM

second class of shamisen

tonight was my second shamisen class. the only thing that sucks about the class is that it ends at 10pm. kinda late for me, especially since i really don't get a chance to eat dinner after getting off work. sounds... [more]

Posted on August 8, 2005 @ 10:42 PM

everyone shamisen!

what a day! i was almost at work but still on the freeway when i got a call from twiddle thumbs telling me that she just got in a car accident. at night i went to my first shamisen class.... [more]

Posted on August 1, 2005 @ 10:51 PM | Comments (1)

mfa

i've been thinking about what to do with my life after about 3 years i will spend reaching my travel goals. i think i would like to get a mfa in new media or digital media, something along those lines.... [more]

Posted on July 9, 2004 @ 4:03 PM

the day has finally arrived...

...graduation! the moment i've grown up seeing on commercials is upon me. i can raise up my hands and say, "finished!" ucsc is divided into 10 colleges. i have never attended my college's graduation before so i wasn't sure how... [more]

Posted on June 13, 2004 @ 11:58 PM

i never pictured myself doing this...

...but the invitations to my graduation have arrived. i folded and stuff them into envelopes. the came with little white tissue paper type stuff to put inside. i felt like i was preparing for my wedding. it was so bizarre.... [more]

Posted on April 28, 2004 @ 10:51 PM

this day has finally come

woo hoo! it's finally over. i just took the final exam for the american film class, my last requirement as a film major. there's still a few administrative things i have to take care of, but i am done with... [more]

Posted on March 18, 2004 @ 6:51 PM

tough decision

i've been grappling with this for a long time and it's been a very tough decision to make but even though i have only one class left for the electronic music minor, i've decided to let it go. to take... [more]

Posted on March 16, 2004 @ 1:17 PM

vertigo

i finally finished my paper on "vertigo". i'm so happy! it's due today. what i'm not so happy about are some of the details of the paper. naturally it could have been better. i didn't feel enthusiastic about writing it--too... [more]

Posted on March 11, 2004 @ 3:12 PM

bad habits die hard

i am soooo tired. i hardly got any sleep. i wouldn't call going to bed after 5am sleeping. i stayed up working on stuff for my class. i can't do this anymore. i'm too old for this shit. my initials... [more]

Posted on February 19, 2004 @ 11:07 PM

80s babies are stupid

can you believe what some kid asked at class today? the teacher was going over the requirements for the paper we have to write and was taking questions from students. this is what the dumb kid asked: "do we have... [more]

Posted on January 20, 2004 @ 8:47 PM

state of the schooling

after dropping by the music theory and american film history courses, i've decided to take american film history this quarter. i will study music theory in my spare time and take the course in spring. i'm simply too rusty to... [more]

Posted on January 7, 2004 @ 11:52 AM

it's official...

i am now a film and digital media major with an electronic music minor! i just had the film dept sign the paperwork and they are going to turn it in. this is it folks; no turning back. music theory... [more]

Posted on December 18, 2003 @ 1:33 PM

film revision

since i didn't get to screen my film in class, i thought about possible critiques of my piece and decided the intro needed to be reworked. i was never happy about what i slapped together for the intro because i... [more]

Posted on December 10, 2003 @ 11:53 PM

end of fall quarter

today was the last day of my film class. we had an incredible amount of technical difficulties. you could tell the professor was already having a rough day, which seemed out of character and was strange enough, but with the... [more]

Posted on December 8, 2003 @ 3:56 PM

the premiere of fatima mansion

i had a screening party tonight of my class film "fatima mansion". not all of the cast members showed up, which is a shame, but overall i think it went pretty well. i had hoped to have a lot more... [more]

Posted on December 7, 2003 @ 9:40 PM

$2 shows

i started the paperwork in january to declare my minor as electronic music. i finally did phase 2 today. i got the music department to sign the paperwork. i still have to do steps 3 and 4: have my the... [more]

Posted on December 5, 2003 @ 4:16 PM

what a relief it is

instead of jetting off early to see kmfdm tonight, i have been editing my film. i added the intro and outro credits last night. last night i also special effected the surveillance footage onto the video monitor. today i recorded... [more]

Posted on November 22, 2003 @ 4:02 PM

things are starting to gel

i got a late start today because i really needed to sleep a little bit more than i have been. then i started prepping some footage that i thought i would use in a shot i would film today. for... [more]

Posted on November 15, 2003 @ 10:43 PM

sleep is a foreign concept

after the in class review of our film on wednesday, i have begun to see the project in a new light. i was thinking of making a short film. that was the wrong approach. this film is only 3-5 minutes.... [more]

Posted on November 14, 2003 @ 9:17 PM

time flies quickly when you're having fun

i haven't really slept in days. as soon as i come home from work (at the earliest, 6:30pm) i spend all night working on my project. it's a very time consuming process. i have to transfer hours of footage into... [more]

Posted on November 13, 2003 @ 4:27 PM

the crying of lot 49

there is a lot of down time when using final cut pro. there are moments when the software is busy and the user is waiting. those moments are a great time to read. i can see how a small-time filmmaker... [more]

Posted on November 12, 2003 @ 6:52 PM

weekend shoot

today i filmed another cast member at my house then at my work. i think we got some great shots but i'm still not sure about the lighting. there's something missing. i want to emphasize certain shots as being surveillance... [more]

Posted on November 9, 2003 @ 9:19 PM

lighting is vital

i filmed in one location in the late morning. then moved the cast member to another location to film through late afternoon. then i went to another location to shoot a different cast member until early evening. of course, by... [more]

Posted on November 8, 2003 @ 8:10 PM

photo magic

i need to create props for my film. one of the characters is a video game designer who used to be quite successful. i want pictures of this character in their prime scattered about the living room. i scoured the... [more]

Posted on November 3, 2003 @ 11:23 PM

how do they do it?

i don't know how a film crew can hold up doing long shoots for days. i am really tired today after doing a miniscule shoot. the crew was me and a friend. i did camera work and direction, my friend... [more]

Posted on November 1, 2003 @ 10:01 PM

i am not a filmmaker

for the narrative workshop class i am taking, i have to create a 3-5 minute film and also make a computer/web version of the project. i had an idea for a short film inspired by some things/places at work that... [more]

Posted on October 27, 2003 @ 12:33 PM

chemicals smell

40 minutes after the official start time of the astrophotography class last night, class "began". that is typically how it is. this time, i got to print. i didn't know what to expect for a darkroom but since it is... [more]

Posted on October 16, 2003 @ 1:23 PM

pla-ka-tu-ka

the west african drumming class is really starting to come along. i think it is because this is the second time i have taken it. the first time, i was disappointed. maybe it was hard on my ear to hear... [more]

Posted on October 11, 2003 @ 2:39 PM

stargazing

i went to astrophotography and i think it was the first time the class has developed! it didn't seem like they had done any developing the past two times that i have missed class. that is a relief! i don't... [more]

Posted on October 8, 2003 @ 11:41 PM

dark skies

i decided not to go to my astrophotography class tonight. i don't feel too bad about it. the teacher is a jerk. he is not a teacher. so far we have not received one bit of instruction. that might be... [more]

Posted on September 24, 2003 @ 10:04 PM

hold still for the camera

today was the second day of the astrophotography course. my manual camera was lonely and collecting too much dust. so about 2 years ago i used it on a trip to see if i could still use it to take... [more]

Posted on September 10, 2003 @ 11:42 PM

anyone can play guitar

i've let my nails grow out. it's the last signifier of "i don't play guitar anymore" (did i ever?) i want my body to forget everything it knew about music so it can start from scratch. in the past year... [more]

Posted on September 9, 2003 @ 10:12 AM

afrika drumarama

today was the first day of african drumming class, ewe people of ghana style. it's a novice class and i have taken this once before. the rhythms are in essence simple, but layered together it is quite complex. it is... [more]

Posted on September 6, 2003 @ 3:23 PM

everything costs money

tuition prices are going up. this upsets my wallet. i pay a flat price whether i take 1 or 3 classes and i always take 1. i thought of taking 2 just so i would get my money's worth but... [more]

Posted on August 29, 2003 @ 2:57 PM

the dishes are done!

today was the last day of the film/video class i am taking this summer. overall, i would say this was a good class and that most, if not all, film majors should take it. the strange thing about that class... [more]

Posted on August 25, 2003 @ 9:39 PM

the more i watch experimental films..

..the more i think that maybe i don't like them. perhaps it is not my thing. with music, i don't mind listening to all sort of things that is new or experimental to my ears. but for my eyes, i... [more]

Posted on August 2, 2003 @ 11:45 PM