Geek Perspective

I’ve been living up here in San Francisco for a little over a week now, but yesterday was my first day in the classroom. It went pretty well, in spite of my roommate foiling Operation Sleep In Every Day by picking early classes and waking me with his alarm. I might very well ask to switch to earlier classes (but not too early) since that was pretty much the whole reason why I opted for the later classes.

Anyway, my first class was Photography for Graphic Designers. To be honest, photography never really grabbed my interest too much. I realize that most art that us silly humans make, regardless of the type, is boring, dumb, or overrated. That’s why it’s hard to be a good artist. However, I’ve always felt like the ratio of good work to bad work is worse in the field of photography than most other art forms. It’s not that super awesome photography doesn’t exist though. The professor seemed pretty cool though, so I’m hoping that I’ll be exposed more to the kind of stuff that I like instead of the dull kind of work that I’ve seen in almost every gallery I’ve been to.

Of course, the first class was more of an introduction. For most of the first hour, she just told us a bit about herself and about how having a solid understanding of photography would benefit us as graphic designers. The rest of the class, she taught us about the various things to look for in a camera since obviously we’d be needing to buy a good camera.

It went well. After class, I came back and took a nap since I’d gotten myself all worked up about my first class. After that, I grabbed dinner, met up with Katie and her friends, and watched Saw III.

Not a bad first day. Now I just need to start looking at cameras and printers.

Hope all of your first days at school went well!

Tonight is my last night in Coronado, and then I head off to San Francisco. I figured I should probably write something before I go, but I didn’t want to just write yet another generic entry about “an exciting new chapter in my life,” my “bright future full of opportunities,” or “setting sail for new horizons.” The world’s seen enough of that.

Instead, how about I make fun of the questions people keep asking me? If you’re already off to college, you’ve probably already had to face them.

People don’t aim to be unoriginal. They’re just trying to be pleasant and break the ice. It’s innocent, and they mean well. Higher on the list though are questions that aren’t annoying because of obvious answers or repetitiveness, but instead, are a little bit insulting or tasteless one way or another. Probably unintentional, but certainly fair game for making fun of and coughing at.

Every question on here has been asked by at least three people, so don’t be embarrassed if you’ve asked me any of them.
This list is should be taken playfully. Enjoy.

10. “What do you want to do after you graduate in four years?”
If I’m anything like most college graduates, I’ll probably be desperate to get any job at all when I graduate, but I think you wanted to hear about how I’d like to work for Google and change the world with my newly acquired artistic skills, so that’s what we can talk about.

9. “Are you excited?”
Oh come on. What do you think? Of course I’m excited. I’m nervous, too. In fact, I’m everything else that everybody else is right before they go off. Duh.

8. “Do you think you’ll have fun in San Francisco?”
Yes.

7. “August 27th? Isn’t that early/late?”
No.

6. “So, are you going to do anything wild?”
Gee, what could you possibly be looking for with this question? Yes, I’m going to learn to ride a unicycle while juggling live eels, injecting myself with bizarre drugs while wearing a beer hat, and having unprotected group sex while blindfolded. At the same time. And putting it on YouTube. Seriously. What do you expect me to say here?

5. “Did you get all your shopping done?”
Yes.

4. “Do you think you’re ready for college?”
Yes.

3. “Aren’t you grateful for this opportunity?”
Am I the only person that doesn’t like when people ask others if they feel grateful about something? There’s something simultaneously self-righteous and condescending about it, and summons the same awkward feelings as when people try to talk to you about your personal finances. Yes, I’m thankful for my blessings, but I’m also proud of having overcome obstacles.

2. “Aren’t you going to miss your dog though?”
Considering that I’m closer to Sparky than I am to pretty much anything, yes, of course I am. You already knew the answer, so there was no need to ask, but thanks for bringing forth enormous waves of absolute heartbreak by reminding me.

1. “So, are you actually, like, getting a four-year degree? For art? Graphic design, was it?”
With one question, you’ve managed to put down the field I’ve chosen to pursue, question the value of a bachelor’s degree in my field compared to a bachelor’s degree in another field, belittle the amount of time and effort needed to get such a degree, and patronize my scholarly pursuits. Thanks, jerk! Now watch me help design the control interfaces and concept art for the mass-producible robots that take your job and do it better and safer, the advertisements to help sell the robots more quickly to your employer, the cute stationary for your pink slip, and if you’re nice, the web site for you to desperately try to find a new job.

As the footage below demonstrates, everything is going according to plan. My fully operational battle station is in position, and the reconnaissance fleet has begun deployment operations. All too easy.

My dorm’s check-in is on August 27th, but we’re heading up a day early. So that’s actually just ten days away.

I’m going to miss my family, friends, and my amazing dog Sparky, but I’ve been waiting to go to college for my whole life and already had to delay it a year because of my health.

It’s almost time. I can hardly wait.

Unless you’re new to my blog, you know by now that one of the careers I dreamed about as a kid and very nearly decided to pursue was that of a judge. I don’t really watch television courts because often the judges there are more interested in drama than jurisprudence, but I came across this video of one judge putting some arrogant prick in his place after he tried to belittle her opinion in her own courtroom.

Granted, there’s a certain expectation of sass from the people who go on television court that would never be allowed at all in more traditional courtroom settings, but as you’ll see, this fellow was an exceptional moron. And don’t forget that he apparently went to law school for two years, too. If I were a judge and somebody did to me what this guy did to her, I’d shut him up and warn him that he risked being held in contempt. Then I’d give him basically the same scathing lecture that Judge Millian did. And feel awesome.

Enough blabber! The video speaks for itself anyway. Enjoy.

Hell. Yes. So basically, Judge Millian is my hero for the day.

As a real quick unrelated note just to get it out of the way, Krystal and I have split up. We talked about things and agreed that it would be best if we were just friends again. Since we still like each other as friends and all and feel pretty much the same way about it, we’re just going to be cool and skip the whole “awkward avoidance phase.” There’s still anime to watch and cookies to eat, after all. So there you go. No drama; just friendship. We will now resume our regularly scheduled internet.

In about forty days, I’ll be checking in to my dormitory at the Academy of Art University way up in foggy San Francisco. A week after that is orientation, and then classes begin. So here’s how I’ve prepared.

1. Social: I’ve updated the About Me page here on my blog, cleaned up my Facebook, and joined a few niche communities like Last.fm and Plurk, so I should be “connectible” without having to spend much effort.
2. Physical: I’ve started a workout regimen that I’m hoping will be good for anybody starting at zero, like me. On Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, I’m doing the Couch-to-5k-in-6-Weeks plan. On Thursdays, Saturdays, and Mondays, I’m doing the Hundred Pushups plan. And just because that left Tuesdays free and I want to go swimming, guess what days I’m going to try to hit the pool.
3. Monetary: I’ve saved up a few hundred dollars, so I’ll be able to afford the cheap flight back to San Diego every once in a while, and that’s in addition to the regular school breaks that my family will pay for. I should also be able to afford the occasional movie and restaurant.
4. Scheduling: All of my classes are spread out from Monday through Thursday, which means that I’ll have long weekends without having a “dread day.” My classes are later in the day so I can sleep in. It’s pretty ideal.

Everything is going according to plan. If any of you that are already out at college have any tips though, please leave a comment.