Beeelaaateeed post....

SO. My second term of college began on Monday, October 1. I have - get this - a THREE-DAY week this term. I have Color Theory on Mondays; Intermediate Drawing and Intro to Computer Graphics on Tuesdays; and 2D Animation and English Composition 1 on Wednesdays. I drove myself to school on Monday, and I told Uncle Larry I could probably drive myself each Monday. Carpooling with him on Tuesdays and Wednesdays works well: because I have two classes on each of those days, I no longer have to wait a whopping five hours for him to get off work. That wait has been reduced to a half hour on Tuesdays and an hour and a half on Wednesdays. Win!

My final first term grades are as follows:

Language of Animation & Film: A-
Design Inquiry (Freshman Seminar): A-
Digital Principles: B
Drawing: A
Principles of Visual Communication: B+

Brenna and Kat both commented that those are "[my] best grades ever!", but this honestly is not true. I tended to grade well the first quarter of each year of high school and started dropping when I lost interest in doing well. (Losing interest isn't good; junior year, Mr. Doering called Dad and asked if I was being abused. Eek.) I was an honor student almost every year in middle school. BUT ENOUGH REMINISCING.

I'm smart. I just didn't apply myself as I should have during high school. ...Because high school, as you all well know, sucks ass. I love the feel of college.

And because I have four-day weekends this term, I want to use them efficiently for completing my work, while allotting time for reading, drawing, and writing - and, most importantly, spending some time with my family and Draco. I do not want to screw myself academically, and I aim not to get any Cs for my final class grades (and I am not going to turn in late work again).

My Intro to Computer Graphics class takes place in one of AIPD's Mac labs: the computers are Mac OS X models. Lord knows how much I dislike Macs, but I keep hearing that they're preferred over PCs for nearly all graphics applications. We will be using Illustrator CS3, Photoshop CS3, and InDesign CS3 for our projects, which are due every couple of weeks. I could drive to Gateway and take the MAX into Portland on days I don't have class in order to work on those Macs, but I decided that investing in those programs would be helpful as well.

Hallelujah, I discovered Software Surplus. The Adobe Creative Suite 3 - Design Standard package retails for around $1,000 or more (a staggering $1,800 at Best Buy). Check out Softare Surplus's price! Beat THAT, retail!

I placed my order earlier this morning and chose 2nd Day Air shipping for an extra $21. That's trivial when you consider that any one of those programs by itself (except maybe Acrobat; I'm not sure) typically costs $600. I can't wait for my package to arrive. I'll be using these programs for the rest of my artsy life!

My tablet is going to love these programs. *grin*

On a random note, the Sneaker Pimps' cover of Duran Duran's "The Chauffeur" is spectacular. The video is here if you're interested. (It's the original Duran Duran video with the cover playing over it. There is a bare-breasted member of the 'itty-bitty committee' involved, so beware. :| The video is quite striking, though.... Oh, Duran Duran. You bleedin' horndogs.)

ANYWAY, I like my teachers this term. Kathleen (ICG) seems kind of blah, but that might have been her first-week attitude. I really, really like Nathan, my English Comp 1 teacher. His personality is almost like a giddy teenager's, and he seems rather metro. ("I was in a Catholic school when I was younger, and they tried to make me write with my right hand. I don't know if I'm damned, but....") :D

KAT! - I've still got to send you some more Sneaker Pimps songs. I downloaded two more recently: "The Grazes" and "Half Life". They're amazing. <3

Debit card block lifted!

Dad called a half hour or so ago saying he got a call from WaMu for suspected fraud. This came from my Software Surplus order this morning: WaMu just needed to check that it was me ordering and not someone who got a hold of my card. The guy I talked with asked for the last four digits of my SSN, and I had to try to recite the whole number in order to remember it, which I did. With as many times as I had to type the darn thing for my college papers and loan papers, I'm surprised I'd almost forgotten it. Sudden loss of SSN, oh no! Heh.

So... hurray, learning experience!

Oh, I forgot to mention that my flight back to Oregon was amazing. Flying back to California, I was in Boarding Group C and couldn't get a window seat. Flying from Sacramento to Portland, however, I was in Boarding Group A and got a window seat this time. During the last forty minutes of the trip, the clouds were so thick in places that I couldn't see the ground. It was fantastic! And I saw some gorgeous snow-capped mountains, a magnificent dam.... From that high up, everything makes you feel so small. Anyway, awesome flight.