Thank you for the suggestions and offers, but alas, I cannot use a tape deck adapter. Why? Cuz my car doesn't have a tape deck. I suppose I coulda gotten one when I bought it, but I think it might've cost extra, and would've required time to install it, so no, it just has a radio and CD player. It might be possible to take it apart and put a connection cable in the back or something, but it seems a little too complex at the moment.

Now, if there's a CD adapter, then we're talking. But I don't think that's possible....

================================================================

On to my rant for the day:

I'm sure you all were raised by decent mothers that taught you not to litter. Or at least not to leave trash lying around the house. Now, I wonder, what is wrong with people that think that it's wrong to leave trash lying around your house, but it's perfectly fine to leave it around a store? I mean, it's a pseudo-restaurant, but I'm sure people realize that we don't have bus-boys, waitresses, or hostesses. We have trash cans all over, why is it so hard to bus your own table?

Buuuuuuuut...

That's not even my main rant. I mean, okay, being a psuedo-restaurant setting, I can understand being confused about whether or not to bus your own table. But at the Frappuccino counter, after you take your straw out of the wrapper, I'm sure there's no confusion as to, if you drop that wrapper on the floor, you are littering. Period. No ifs ands or buts about it. There's no messed-up logic that says that just because there's no trashcan within two-inches of the straw container (but usually within five feet of one), that you can just leave the wrapper on the counter, like it's a flat, open trash can. Not even, hey, can you guys throw this away for me, but just plain leaving it there, like, once it stops suiting your purpose, it's no longer your concern.

And tossing it on the floor? Hello? What store out there wants you to do that? Where is there a store that says, "Please throw your trash away anywhere, we'll eventually get to it"? I don't even leave empty soda and popcorn containers at movie theaters because I know that it would only create more work for the poor theater slaves, and it would take me very little effort to hold on to it and toss it in the trash cans on my way out!

I mean, we were busy today, what with the ice cream social and all, but I finally got a chance to sweep at 3:30 in the afternoon, and there were a dozen straw wrappers on the floor in front of the Frappuccino counter. Now, one or two, I can understand... you accidentally dropped it, you missed the trash can, you forgot as you were dealing with screaming kids, etc... but a dozen!!! At what point did they think, oh, I don't know what to do with this wrapper, well looks like there are some on the floor, I guess that's where I gotta put them. It irks me to no end, when all they have to do is turn around and there's a trash can right there, or even one just a few steps away. It's trash. Trash goes in trash cans. How hard can that be?!? *sigh. Sooooo annoying!

A quick entry to answer some questions and explain a few things:

I got an iPod shuffle as a present about a month ago. The problem is, the only time I really get to listen to it is in the car, and I think that's illegal. I don't want to listen to it in ten minute increments while I walk to and from my car, and during my breaks... well, it's hard enough just cramming in some food. I can't really listen to it during class cuz I'll miss the lectures, and besides, I like talking to other students while working on stuff. And if I'm at my computer, then it makes sense to listen to music on the computer instead.

I guess since I don't go to the gym, I don't commute via public transportation, and I don't have a lot of activities that require me to walk around by myself, there aren't many ready opportunities to listen to my shuffle. In fact, I have yet to go through an entire playlist.

Anyway, on a different note, if you guys have noticed the glaring ad at the top of this page, that's a Google AdSense ad. It's always been there, but it hasn't been visible much. Anyway, I get paid by the click, so if you see something interesting (or not) if you can give it a click or two, that'd be nice.

And finally, my bee-yoo-tee-ful car has... [GASP!] 3500 miles on it. I'm taking her in for her first oil change. Aww... my baby's growing up. I hope she'll be okay on my trip to Vegas next month. Poor baby....

Oh, and has anybody besides Whateley seen Batman Begins and want to comment on it? I realize that you have to be a Batman fan to love the movie the way I do, but I'm just wondering about the range of emotions about that movie out there.

Christopher Nolan on KCRW's "The Treatment"

I like to listen to this podcast, and this one is Christopher Nolan talking about Batman Begins.

Whateley and I established that Batman appeals to different people for different reasons, and he doesn't appeal to everybody for those reasons. Anyway, Batman's appeal for me, we established, is that he is a strong male character, very smart, and always two steps ahead of his enemies. Perhaps my innermost desire to be rescued by him?

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.

In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved.

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you can get or discard anytime. You're feeling self centered.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Interesting... and eerily truthful....

Batman Begins... awesome.

Go see it. Right now. Yeah, right now. Go on, get up out of your chair, grab your guy/gal, go to the nearest movie theater, and plunk down some cash for tickets for this movie.

Right now.

If you're even the smallest Batman fan, you will enjoy it immensely.

Funny enough, I haven't been listening to podcasts on my shuffle, but more on my computer. Well, what can I say, I've been lazy about transferring it to my shuffle. Heck, I dumped out my clean, folded laundry on my bed to put away... and it's still there... and it's from two weeks ago.... Doh!

If you're new to this blog, then you might get shocked by what I will discuss next, but hey, I've got no shame. Anyway, I thought I was going to get my period recently, but other than a little mucus, the well is dry. Funny, too, cuz one day there I felt achy all over like I do during Aunt Flo's visit. It's definitely sucky, my odd cycle. I realize that I've been menstruating for fifteen years, and so far, the only thing regular about it is its irregularity. I got my first pap smear last year (when I got a doctor of my own and didn't just go to the same one as my parents -- old Korean doctors -- he doesn't even do prostate exams on my dad, which is scary considering his age and risk factors), but even then, my gyno exam wasn't a full one (according to WebMD, at least). And when I mentioned my irregular cycle, she gave me a referral for an ultrasound... which I would've ended up paying 30% for.

Anyway, it's time I should go see a real gynocologist, get a real exam, and perhaps even figure out if there's anything weird with me right then and there. That, and perhaps they wouldn't charge me a lab bill for a pap smear.

I'm not too worried cuz my mom had a similar problem at my age, but then it went away after she got married. I was thinking, what, somehow that marriage certificate forced her uterus to behave? But then I realized, my mom was pregnant with my sister not too long after she got married. Of course, she was already married by the time she's my current age. So... I don't know. Just gotta sit tight and wait for my ovarian dams to burst forth.

Good nighty folks.

BMB, midnight show, tomorrow night! Can't wait!

My teacher liked my painting, but it was "on the verge" of being very good because the orange I used was a bit hotter than what was given in the color sample. Erg, so fig.

It's been awhile since I've painted, and I forgot how much I enjoy it. I think I'll try to do more of it in the future, though I'm not sure how. But I've still got that watercolor block with about 10 sheets left. Gotta use it. Perhaps everyone I know will end up getting a Jeanna original for a Christmas present. And yes, that is a threat.

I've been making up for lost sleep, so my sleeping pattern hasn't normalized yet. I'm guessing it never will. My room's a mess, but oh, tonight, tonight, I played City of Heroes! How I've missed you! Meanwhile, my drawing of the Falcon Duo is still to come!

Okay, gotta sleep.

Oh, and check out Whateley's blog. Why? Beats me. He just keeps wanting to advertise his blog on my blog.

Up at 3 am, just finishing up my watercolor painting for Color Theory. Last class of the semester in less than six hours!

I had an interesting "argument" with one of my housemates today. He was complaining because he didn't think it was necessary to use watercolors to learn color theory. I was arguing that it's not necessary, but it's so much easier to learn color theory with watercolor than Photoshop, which was what he wanted to use. I mean, perhaps, but then you'd end up spending the first month just figuring out how to use the dang program, and then it'll take you much longer to do each assignment because you have to deal with the cumbersome aspect of digital painting. I mean, if you need your orange to be redder, you add a drop of red paint. But in Photoshop, you have to use a slider which has too huge of a range, not to mention it's harder to choose a warm red versus a cool red, etc, and then there are all those layers....

People tend to forget that the computer is a tool, the same as ink and paint. Too many people think that learning to use a program will make them artists, and it's funny because every single (and I mean EVERY SINGLE) career day thing I went to said that the most important thing that studios look for (because it's something that can't be trained or taught by a studio, at least not in a few weeks) is the artistic eye. And I was saying that you don't need to use watercolors to learn color theory, but don't think you can use Photoshop effectively without knowing color theory. And it's just far easier, for the teacher and the student, to learn color theory with paint than with software. I mean, this guy was totally against taking the 2D character animation class cuz he thought he would get much more out of the 3D character animation class to come (which is an elective, so it wouldn't have been an option anyway). But having taken it, he sees how much his 3D animation has improved by taking the 2D character animation class. That class is a b*tch. More work than you can shake a stick at. But oh boy, you come out of it with a great piece of animation and a lot of skillz. So I'm surprised he hasn't caught on that all this stuff on the computer didn't just come out of nowhere. It came out of a tradition that dates back to the caveman days. Well, at least the Renaissance, if not earlier.

I think what he likes the best is the "undo" command, actually. And yes, it's saved my butt a few times. But no amount of undo is going to teach you why your work sucks and what you can do to fix it. I say that 90% of learning art is making mistakes and fixing it (or starting over). It's funny, I've been watercolor painting since elementary school, but it wasn't until now that I really learned what to do. Cuz until now, it has always just been about filling in the colors. But now I can use colors to tell a story, evoke a mood, focus your eye on the most important things.... My housemate thinks that just cuz I've painted before that's why my paintings look great. But I tell you, the only advantage I have over him in terms of experience is that I learned to let the paint dry in between layers. That and not to be afraid of glazing, though I didn't really learn how to glaze until this color theory class.

Anyway, I guess I shouldn't complain. Cuz the more people refuse to study traditional art techniques, the more their art will suck and less competition for jobs for me.

Meanwhile, I should study more acting if I'm to become a good animator. After all, it's just a puppet until I bring it to life. I just wish there was an Acting for Animators class over here. The acting class over the summer gave me a good start, but it was designed for beginning theater actors, and it's not quite the same.

Sorry, I really got too deep into being an art geek here. Umm... go Starbucks?

More wacked out sleeping patterns abound!

Meanwhile, I tweaked with the comments layout a bit, and who knew that putting in blockquotes would italicize everything? Tell me if it's annoying, and I'll try to figure out how to get rid of it. I changed it cuz it was driving me nuts how the comments and the info about the people all just kinda ran into each other.

I will upload pictures of Bob (the CG character that we all modeled and animated and are now texturing... though I didn't model this version since my model just sucked). Since he's such a simple character, his texture will take on a more painterly quality a la The Incredibles, as opposed to Shrek.

But that's all for another time.

Please leave comments and make me feel loved! Well... y'know what I mean....

One more note, you'd think that with having to listen to Antigone Rising every day at work for a month that I would be sick of them. Huh. Anyway, if anybody's heard their latest album From the Ground Up, tell me what you think. If you want a copy (purely for evaluations sake, of course, since if you like the CD you will buy it... and make Starbucks richer), then give me notice. Otherwise... I was able to listen to it over and over all night, then some at work, and amazingly, I haven't gotten sick of it yet. Well, perhaps I will in a coupla months.

Alright, this whole comments thing is driving me nuts! Maybe I'm just petting my own ego here, but you, my faithful readers, haven't been able to post comments for weeks!

I've been fiddling with the code, but I don't think I can turn comments on for old posts (and I think the code's a bit funky for new ones, too) so if you will, please, if you have had any comments for my previous posts, please post them for this entry. Meanwhile... BLOGGER!!! Why hast thou screwed with me so?

Anyway, been busy with school, work, general malaise, but I'm alive... barely, and I will post more as the time avails itself (or more like, when I feel like procrastinating). Hope this works!