Xenotra Studios Music and Film

Vampires Suck! ...and another mini-rant

2010-08-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

This movie is horrible. And I only saw the first minute before turning it off.

I am very happy to say that I did not spend any money on that single minute, as it would have made me epic-level depressed.

In short, the film, and its directors, believe that the reference, even if the reference is simply cut-and-pasted into a scene for the exact effect of someone pointing at the screen, uttering "hey, look! It's the guys from Jersey Shore!", and laughing out of sheer pointless recognition, is indeed a "joke." That isn't comedy, that's lazy writing. A reference needs to make sense in the context of the scene. I know flash animators that do it better (waaaaay better, actually, than most of Hollywood).

We've known this stuff from the beginning, though, so I have a much more important start to a rant, which will be planted by a question: "Why the hell are these guys still making money?"

What studio, in all of its groundbreaking wisdom, decided to hire these guys over, and over, and over, and over, and over again to film movies that not only aren't funny, but are downright INSULTING to the movie-going public. If there are people in the theaters laughing hysterically at this stuff, I may have just lost hope for a good chunk of humanity.
  Inserting characters from pop culture for no other purpose than to have them there is not wit, or timing. Also, lifting comedic scenes or jokes from OTHER MOVIES doesn't count, either. Heck, that's plagiarism anyway. These guys should be sued fifty times over for some of this stuff.
  The critics have all said this stuff before, so I really have to circle back to WHY?

  Who are the people that fund these things? How did this get past any semblance of an editor's crew? Who in their right mind above the age of 4 thought this crap was funny? And why in the crook of St. Christopher does it still exist?

Bah. Humbugh.

In other news, Avatar is coming out again. Huh.

Rock On,
- Adam

Full time job...sort of

2010-08-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

So everyone,

The summer job has drawn to a close. It was epic. It was entertaining. It was...low-paying.

However, it truly was quite awesome. A fantastic experience and a great showing that I have a firm handle on the content that I got my degrees in. Maybe I'll go back sometime soon.

But for now, the job hunt continues!

And boy, does it suck.

However, I'm not one to give up easily, so I have made arrangements to teach lessons full time. And I don't just teach tuba, no sir-ee. I teach ALL of the Brass instruments, as well as Voice, Percussion, and beginning Piano. My real specialty still lies in the Low Brass, but I am certified in everything. :)

Now, the next step is to accumulate students. So far I have... 1. Hmm.

But at least I've got some awesome business cards!

Spread the word in Tolland County! Lesson Instructor with affordable rates!

Rock On,

-Adam

Updates!!!

2010-07-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

Well, I am all gradgimucated, I have my certifications, diplomas, and all of that useful knowledge...and a job!

But this job is only for the summer, and I am steadily looking for a more long-term endeavor. If you know of any schools in need of a very driven music teacher, let me know! :)

In other news, the composing inspiration is on overdrive, and I have taken over a facebook page for "Xenotra Studios Music." It's easy enough to search the thing, but I'll include the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Xenotra-Studios-Music/117285138298722

On the page is a bunch of postings of my music, some new, some retranscribed from years ago. Check it out!

I hope to post some of the tracks here, too, and over time, turn this into my HQ of internet awesomeness. For now, I'll keep building that "loyal fan base" across the two sites. ;)

Stay frosty!

-Adam

ghosts, thoughts, and another sleepless night

2009-06-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yar, be writin' this at the wee crack a deh mornin'. ...Yar.

Here's a little emo gibberish for you all, and a peek inside my head at 2 a.m. this morning. :)

A million questions, a thousand inquiries, and not one brings comfort to the present state of circumstances.

Instead of tired, I’m wired, sitting stark awake with a throbbing head, while my girl sleeps soundly beside me, exhausted.

I feel stung, strung out over a canyon of impossibility.

Some days I feel that my Art has left me, while others it swells up inside me but is limited by life, bills, and assignments.

I feel like I’ve been sleeping my whole life, and now I am awake. What did I miss?

How many hours did I waste playing video games when I could have been studying, or refining my art? How many hours could I have spent learning the science of human motion and the art of the Martial Art, instead of having Mario make that jump? Why live in an artificial world community if no one wants to talk to you? Why pay to exist there?

Why don’t we wake up every day and pursue excellence in all that we do? Why is procrastination a popular sport, accepted, and cool? Do we actually expect everyone else to learn english if we refuse to learn Spanish?

A million inquiries and not one brings comfort to the present state of circumstances: I am not the man I want to be.

This is a broken record of broken promises made inside my head, my heart, my soul, and I am no DJ. It’s time for a remix. Mix master I am, scaling sound and size, down to fit my eyes, my hands, my time. Kiss childhood goodbye, burned by dollar signs and the Pull, strong and pure. PUll me away from the past, my present, toward the future, where my time is my own, my desire can be shared, and my Art can be found. Where I can express opwnly, artfully, and above all, with maturity. The boy is dead. At last, the boy is dead..

Rianomus wanders, a pale strip of moonlight dancing

try prancing

over hills and mountains

playing games with the gaijin

and taunting at the sleeping sun.

Rianomus wanders

cloak billowing, like a dead nation’s flag on on a hill of corpses..

Come silence. Be my guide, feed me the deafening year. Surround me, spill over my shadows, under my skin, rattle my bones, fill my lungs, and find my heart. Here, within my blood, tear down the walls of doubt, shame, and fear. Come my silence, be my sword and shield. Temper my skin to stone, so that I may stand against the fires of hell and change. Turn my muscles to fire, that I may blaze the way for others to only follow, yet wash it all away for a single woman’s touch. Build me, my silence, calme my mind, speak words and melodies to my sleepless imagination, let me rise your warrior, your instrument, your god. I am ready.

Stand and fight, for by the end, You Will Chant My Name.

Well, I’m spent again. Good therapy.

End log one. Goodnight.

Stage Fright TOO

2008-02-27T08:31:00.001-08:00

So I was reading Eric's stuff and the fact popped into my head about how I was recently on stage, and you should all check it out. I totally forgot about it until someone resposted the video on Facebook. Here's the link if you are curious:http://uconn.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=536167059841&subj=9006199

I'm sad that they only got the latter third, because the first sections worked amazingly well and were a lot of fun. The sketch is called "Bulbous Bouffant" by the Vestibules, introduced to me long ago by none other than my crazy eldest brother (yeah, you guessed it, Eric).

Enjoy!
Adam

Cold and warm chills = fever

2008-02-13T07:20:00.001-08:00

I don't think I have ever been this sick before in college. I can barely speak, my head is pounding, and I'm cold all the time. Well, I suppose that's better than last night. Last night I was BOILING. Either way, I am not healthy, and it makes it difficult to concentrate on papers right now. This may be the first time I ever have to miss Wind Ensemble, which, if you don't know, NEVER happens, out of fear of bursting into flames.

Dagnabbit, it even hurts to yawn.

In other news, I started a composition for real, now. The tentative title is "Skirmishes." It promises to be quite a project. The smaller project is a book of Etudes for Bass Tuba, some of which I hope to play for solo convocation credit.

Shaina's doing well except for a stomach bug (yeah, I know, we match), and we moved our Valentine's Day to the weekend so nothing can bother us. :)

Pledging classes are in full swing for the Fraternity and Sorority, and, in case you were wondering, I DO have a little one. :) Crazy, huh?

Hoping everyone is healthy,
Adam

Summer settling in and a new living space.

2007-05-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

So it didn't occur to me that I had summer vacation until after returning from Cape Cod with the Brotherhood and Sisterhood. Now that was a fun time. Imagine just three days of drinking (or not drinking), hot tubs, freezing pools, heart to hearts on the beach (and the jetty), and, in my case, serenading the water with a drum cadence on my new djembe. It was a spiritual, sometimes stressful, taking care of drunk people, meaningless cuddle fest-ful time. Strange thing was, I packed for six days of fun...when the trip was only three. I was told this on Day 2. Oh well, I had plenty of spare socks to make up for all the sand and water damage.

I've settled in to a futile attempt each morning to rise at 8AM, sometimes 7AM, but I always just end up going back to sleep. I blame going to bed at 12:30. I know it isn't smart, but I do it anyway. 10:00. Maybe 10:30. The few times I went to bed that early during the school term, I woke up rested, relaxed, and energized. I loved it. So why don't I just do it again?

The majority of my time right now is spent relaxing (hey, after this past semester, I think I've earned it), but my version of relaxing may not match the definition of the rest of America. It's more like procrastinating with a purpose. I'm playing through FF Tactics to the bitter end (like getting all the secrets), so I can put it away and not think What If. I'm also playing through Taiko Drum Master (thank you, brothers), to see if I can unlock anything else. I was very sad to learn that we had already unlocked all the songs. You'd think they'd have more than 31, especially when one of those is "Foster's Medley." :(
Business: I have been trying to accomplish a number of things so far in this break. I'll just run down the list: improving ear training (I barely passed with a D in Harmony IV = not spiffy), reread both Musical Theory books, read/listen ahead for the last semester of Music History, arrange "Hands" by Jewel and "White Shadows" by Coldplay, for the A Capella group, reorganize everything about Service for Tau Beta Sigma, write music for Dan's campaign (one song done!), order merchandise for next UCMB season, and successfully move to my new house in Coventry, CT.

Oh yeah, I've got a house for next school year. No basement, no upstairs, just one of those three-bedroom, huge kitchen, small living room with a giant fireplace permanently closed sitting in the middle of the wall kinda' places. It's very good rent, and I got the big room. :)
And a few words about Dan's campaign. We've been, as a DnD group, exploring my epic campaign, a few side mini-quests with Rob, as well as his epic story campaign, but Dan's is different. See, Rob and I were existing in a world still very much akin to Lord of the Rings. Dan and his imagination, is more toward futuristic western. And, he built it from scratch. It is, in a few words, a welcome shift. Plus, it's loads of fun. I've got guns. Big ones. More on that later, now that my internet is back.

I need to go exercise. Have a nice day.
-Adam

PS: Watch Heroes. Holy cow. Watch. Heroes. Tonight at 9:00.

Sick as a Canis Minor

2007-01-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

I am sick. I dislike this thoroughly. I wish I had something more interesting to tell you at this point, but my head hurts, I have a bit of a cough, and a possible sore on my tongue; all of which not as condusive (sp) to playing tuba, or the horn for that matter.

I can say that I am maintaining at least 3.5 of my 4 New Year's Resolutions. The organizing of my room and life is becoming ridiculous, but it might just be necessary. My left hand's nails at least are clipped not by teeth. Flossing, firming up gums, mouthwash, and a sensodyne toothbrush keep the "take better care of teeth" category running full strength. And an ab workout everyday is helping, at least my ego anyway.

Resolutions aside, practicing has been lackluster this week. I didn't practice Monday, Tuesday's shortlived exercise was awful, Wednesday was short but had glimpses of the god-tuba player from last week, especially at the Basketball Game, and yesterday was the best of the week, but still not the level that the week previous was.

Can I just take a moment and rant about my Basketball Team? This is the UConn Men's Team. Now, granted that it is a team comprised of all Sophomores and Freshman, so they are young, I can see why they acted the way they did on Wednesday. But when every shot you make, no matter how cool it looks in your head, does NOT go in, it usually means that you need to return to fundamental basketball. Every shot, every single shot, did not go in, until maybe the second half. It was ugly. The majority of the game was comprised of foul shots, making it longer than any game I have ever attended. If anything, they'll learn from this game...I hope.

Back to practicing. Thanks for reading.
Adam

Let the dice roll.

2006-10-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

"Mercy? You wanted mercy!? I'm chaotic/neutral!" --some crazy guy on the internet.

So DnD is back in full swing. I must say, though, that it has a tendency to consume some people. Thankfully, not us. Schoolwork, shindigs, and other commitments (like concerts) take precedence. However, I have now performed a nerdism.

You see, I've noticed that almost everyone in our little group of "questers" owns a pair of their own Roleplaying Dice. In fact, so much that I found myself more often than not using their dice rather than the DM's. This became confusing, so we had to call out each of our throws, which only helped mildly. So:

Yeah. I got dice.

Goldish auburn dice. Only 4 dollars online, so no biggie. I just feel like an even larger nerd than before. BUT: I'm not any different than a gaming group that meets each week, especially when we punctuate dungeon crawls with games like Bang!, Fluxx, and Chrononauts. It's fun, and a welcome reprieve from the constant barrage of musicality.

Just finished with half of my midterms. Vocal tech had us sing and then get critiqued from the class, then sing again (A-). Linguistics was 35 multiple-choice questions in an hour on lecture material; no problem. The Beast this past week was Music History; 30 musical pieces memorized ("name that tune" essentially), and about 1500 years worth of historical facts. Woot. (I think I got about a B, and I hear there's a massive curve :) ).

Well, I have go eat dinner, then work on, what else, Music History, head to an interview, then practice my keister off.

Over and Out,
Adam

PS: Wind Ensemble concert on Thursday at 8:00 PM. And I have solos.

Who wants to be a geek?

2006-08-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Quote of the week:

"I salute you, you ferocious animals!" -- Major Victory

I have a new guilty pleasure. It consists of now 7 crazy people. I call them crazy because they want to be Superheroes. I call them crazy because I am crazy, and I wouldn't mind doing what they are doing.

The first two tasks were nothing special. One they had to change from street clothes to superhero garb inconspicuously, then "race to the finish." However, a crying little girl was positioned just before the finish. Very few of the heroes stopped to help her; she was the goal.

The second major task had the heroes try to traverse a back yard to the back door of a little old lady's house because she had forgotten her key. Thing was, that two very strong, very angry trained attack dogs laid between the fence and the door. So the heroes donned protective suits (with their colors and names on the back), and took on the ferocious animals. It was a satisfying play-by-play of events as the canines plowed over and dragged most of the heroes (all of the women, in fact). When I say 'satisfying', I am referring to my least favorite hero: Cell Phone Girl.

First of all, she runs like an idiot; similar to how some girls run across traffic at school, their hands making little windmills as they hop forward on alternating toes. She looks like she's half-assing high-stepping. Anyway, she took three "steps" before the dogs knocked her over. She gave up 4 seconds in. Yeah, Stan wasn't pleased with her.

I wonder what her Superpower was supposed to be, Unlimited Minutes?

The other element I am excited about is Stan Lee's control over the heroes. At the end of last Thursday's episode he grilled into one of the characters, the Iron Enforcer, who was by far the most egotistical, strong, and misread hero there. He doesn't wear a shirt, and carries a massive gun, with one 'robotic' arm to balance. He was booted on some strange terms, like "You're not very well liked around here" and "You've been on the chopping block every time so far; that's not good." I thought it was a strange basis to let someone go on, but...

With only a few minutes left in the show, we see the Enforcer carrying his stuff down the street. He passes a junk pile, with a strategically placed TV Set. Stan Lee's face appears on the monitor and he talks to the Enforcer. He tells him that he finally figured out what was bugging him about the Iron Enforcer's costume makeover.

Turns out that the Iron Enforcer makes a lousy superhero...
But he makes a great Supervillain.
He gets shoved into a van and emerges in a full cape and cowl.

Ha ha, I'm still geeking out about it.

Over and Out,
Adam

PS: Expect a few rants/editorials to pop up before school.

A non-ranting post

2006-07-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

I made brownies today.

Not that exciting, I bet, but these were brownies I had never seen before. Usually when one mixes brownies, after adding the eggs, oil, and water to the mix...the mixture becomes sort of goopy. Mine was a milkshake. I was confused. I still do not know the reason behind such a phenomena, but they're mighty tasty anyway.

Last night was annoying. Chest pains and mild discomfort served as the prologue to sleep. I went through 4 Pepcid and 3 bottles of water try to, I don't know, flush out the pain or something. All it took was a few belches. Ha ha.

Today was a full day. About 45 minutes on the mouthpiece this morning, followed by 20-30 minutes drumming, then exercise after breakfast, lunch, a lot email correspondence and I'm not done yet, a failed attempt at continuing to practice tuba, some startling news about placement auditions, and a successful sketching of some original comic characters; really just doodling, but I like some of the results.

Anyway. It is late. I need sleep. I will do landscaping in the morning.

Thanks for reading. Have a nice night.
Over and Out,
Adam

Splurge!

2006-06-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

I've been having password issues across the board: City of Heroes, Newgrounds, here, ...uh...UConn email (big oops there). Apparently I was off the grid long enough for nearly every service I am subscribed to, including Norton, to effectively squelch me. Oh well, all is righted again...kind of.

But first, lightning round!

May term came to a close without a hitch. I have a much greater appreciation for history now and it became rather obvious that I did way too much research on 1961 for my PowerPoint presentation. It was a good, well-rounded presentation, I just spoke very fast :).
During the two days between my real summer vacay and the end of the first summer term, I spent roughly a day at Dan's house playing DnD. Yes. You heard me.
I am a cleric. For some reason they made me team leader; apparently I'm cool under fire and I listen well. Go figure. Anywho, the game was executed well, that is, when we finally got underway. We were expecting a few late arrivals (I was first), so we planned to bring other games. Well, this burden was supposed to only fall upon myself to bring gang favorites like Bang! and Fluxx, but our DM also brought a plethora of computer games (Worms2 included). This soaked up too much time, even when we got underway, then took a break for dinner, then played Worms AND Bang!. Bad Idea.
With another team member dead, the party wounded, we worked out a truce with our enemies which could have a huge payoff later, all of which at around 1 AM. However, from my point of view, I feel pretty bad as a leader, especially because Armin's death could have been avoided. But that is the beauty of hindsight. The good coming out of this: we know not to bring as many games as to decrease the level of distraction and work on the quest when we have to; get a better webcam and mic so Andrea can actually quest with us effectively; and I leveled, which means I can actually heal people now instead of just shouting orders, which also means I can a more effective leader. Yay for me.
In other news, City of Heroes sucks. Tuba practicing is much better. Today was the last straw: lost connection to the map server 17 times, and the game tried to duplicate Pokemon's initial effect on half of Japan by suddenly and vociferously flickering the screen on top of freezing when I'm walking forward. Blah, books are much better.

Which is another thing. As part of a personal summer project, I am reading all of the books in my bookshelf and setting them aside, either to be donated, stored, or set back in the bookcase. I suppose I became sick of glancing at my bookshelf and realizing I haven't read most of the literature in the case. But I do say this: Harry Potter's stayin' put.

From July 7-15th I will be in Michigan visiting friends. Should be a raucous time. ;)

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, have a great day.
Adam

PS: Got to see A Prairie Home Companion. Funny, musical, great heart. Kevin Kline's character = disposable. Open-ended and strange plot. Meh. I love the middle.

The Art of Discipline, Zero Packing, having only one Class to worry about

2006-05-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

The first two days of summer session are progressing nicely. I had a short panic attack that I was taking the wrong class, which was immediately alleviated upon finding my old schedule plan for music majors. I am precisely on track. :)

May 9th, 1:00 AM (sort of) Tuesday, technically Day 1

My roommate appears an intriguing character. He has ample capacity for immense things of little worth or substance, not to mention three computer monitors, a TV, one tower, four gargantuan speakers, two fridges, and more toilet paper than I can count. He is like a pack-rat. A tall, muscular, could-pummel-me pack rat. He complains upon every entrance (he's still moving stuff from his room upstairs as I write this) into the room yet continues to accrue every electronic device in existence, as well as hurl bag upon bag of random crap that he just doesn't want to deal with into the closet. There is no longer a floor in there. I am glad I have so few clothes that I can take up the corner and fish my stuff out from there.
Based upon our conversations, which come very easily, a fact I am thankful for, it has become clear that we have made very different choices that have brought us here. So far, so good, but I fear I have thrown myself in with a partier, but no matter, that is not why I am here.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in one dining hall: North, which is directly behind Charter Oak, if you count behind as being under the river, through the woods, and down the hill (mighty scary to walk up at night). It feels like camp. Sure, the campus may be dead, but that doesn't stop the minimal personnel from mounting giant neon signs that read: "Welcome to summer classes! Yay!"

But the overrall feeling outside is that of a focused, peaceful, and beautiful setting. Every now and then I will pass another student, but most of the time I walk alone. I sort of like it that way. Without knowing anyone, more time can be left for me (like this blog), and I am rather enjoying that. Now it is just working my Musical Maintenance around the afternoon History class.
I've been passing a lot of cleaner construction sites. The SU food court is operational but not open (we're getting a Wendy's). However, the grounds outside look gorgeous. Good times are one the horizon. I am excited, can you tell?

Day 2

Zebra Cakes do not taste as good as I remember them to be. Perhaps they changed the ingredients or my body no longer accepts junk food as readily as it used to. But I continue to buy them every now and again in the hope that maybe this time tehy will allow me to revisit my childhood. Maybe this time they'll satisfy my longing for something that doesn't taste like guilt. Or not.

I love my History class. The instructor is a Grad Student hell-bent on making sure we get involved in the class. It's not a lecture, but a discussion. He has a certain amount of material he wants to cover in the 3-hour period, but our participation is constantly encouraged with questions and commentary. I have always loved that form of teaching; those usually turn out to be the classes I learn the most in, because I can make the education my own. That's what counts.

Today was a day of research mostly. I have discovered that walking from one end of the campus to the other only to practice for an hour or two is not worth getting scared out of my wits, so I have to practice earlier in the day, and then just work into the evening. That should be fine for me.
But the research was for a slew of different things. Here's the rundown, see if some of these words make sense: Helleberg, Altieri, Schilke, Canadian Brass, Gastroesophaegal Reflux Disorder, Eccentric Inventions of 1972. Well, the Canadian Brass should alert some people. Yes, I was looking at mouthpieces, as well as a Tuba backpack. Why? The Helleberg II - Schilke and CB Arnold Jacobs mouthpieces are ones I borrowed from my instructor to try out for Jury. Their thinner rims and deeper cups allowed a sudden ability to articulate my music that I had never experienced before...then I had to give them back. Also, immediately following commencement, my case had its last hurrah, as one wheel got crunched sideways and the other jammed, so I proceeded to haul the behemoth from Gampel pavilion all the way back to the music building (good arm workout I guess). On top of this, I found another amazing reference site: MedicineNet. So I looked up Acid Reflux...
Well, I can't eat much chocolate anymore. And my right as a 21-year-old has been perpectually squelched. As of now, that's fine with me. My funds should stay where they are.

Thanks for reading, have a good night,
--Adam

PS: This, I hope, will be the first of many for the summer. You want recaps of my day? Anecdotes of eventful eccentrics? Fine! You'll get it buddy!

Best in Show

2006-03-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

Pepperidge Farm Soft Baked Chocolate Chunk, Dark Chocolate Brownie cookies.

“Frome your first bite, you’ll see why Pepperidge Farm Soft Baked Chocolate Chunk Cookies are The BEST Chocolate Chunk Cookies in the World!
Baked with an abundance of big chunks of rich chocolate and crunchy macadamia nuts or chewy caramel. Also enjoy our Soft Baked Oatmeal Raisin cookies. So satisfying, so delightful, so scrumptious.”

Intrigued, I snagged the bag after a rigorous workout at the Fieldhouse. “Best Chocolate Chunk Cookies in the World” huh? Well that’s pretty presumptuous. They must be right to make that kind of claim.
The cookies are the darkish brown or light black and smell of Hershey’s distinct dark chocolate aroma. Well, at least they’re accurate. I took a bite.

Meh. I am sorry I just implemented one of the most overused words of my generation to describe something that was neither correct or wrong, good or bad. It was just…meh.
Which got me thinking: How does one make the greatest cookies in the world? Or better yet, how do you rate them? By what standard that exists are we rating these cookies?

I suppose the standard of opinion, but that’s not much of a standard. These cookies obviously aren’t the best cookies in the world to me, so how does one advertise and attempt to skew my opinion which will be whatever it is upon tasting the morsel. I keep expecting a Pepperidge Farm Jedi to show up at my door, wave his hand and say, “These are the cookies you’re looking for.” Oh well, they didn’t quite hit the spot, in fact they were off by about 60 yards, but who’s counting?

Anyway, what I hope may become the JFS band (the Brass Sextet, really) had their/our first performance Thursday and more or less rocked the house. True, our intonation and dynamic balance was off, and I’d like to kill our first trumpet for tuning backstage while slouching and then sitting up straight for the performance and playing sharp. BUT, for a premiere performance, it was well executed. Most of us have long-term plans for the ensemble, and we learned a lot from that concert.

Speaking of concerts, the Wind Ensemble is really funny drunk.

Wait, let’s backtrack. We performed Mirror, Mirror by Stacy Garrop (wicked-cool lady) for the second time on Monday. The Sackler competition founders, Mr. and Mrs. Sackler, were there to witness the performance too, along with the Dean and Music Head. Though I spied Mrs. Sackler clutching her ears, her face all screwed up, during some of the more dissonant sections in the second and third movements, she later said it was just her “old ears.” From my seat, it was a joy to play something with a contemporary style, but a programmatic approach. Too much of the “harder stuff” we play has mucho dissonance just for the sake of sounding strange; the dissonance builds a lot of tension, but never resolves into a distinct melody. Mirror, Mirror felt like a film score, and comparable to James Horner’s ability. I’ve been humming this tune (Mirror, Mirror) for the past week, it’s that good.

But after the performance, they gave us White and Red Wine, amazing triangular brownies, and cheese. I stuck with water, which was actually club soda…which I drank a third of before “accidentally” leaving it on a resting tray and forgetting about it. No one was tipsy after the wine, but after we got back on the bus for the 2 and a half-hour ride back, the trombone section broke out the Captain Morgan. Nuff said, I fell asleep and woke up just in time to see the tank scene from the Last Crusade. Golly I love that movie.

Well, time to go practice before Sisterhood stuff (which is going quite well), and then I’ll travel to Bridgeport for the Basketball Tournament (I hope we win).

Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Over and Out,
Adam

PS: There wasn't a lick of Caramel or Nuts in those cookies, lying possums.

Saint Pat's Weekend

2006-03-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

Well, Friday was chock full of drunk people. Drunk people in the halls, drunkards in the lounge, not to mention a few guys who decided it'd be a good idea to decant into the window well into the basement, where the pungent stench of urine emanated into the room as we played the next four games of Bang!. We closed the window soon after.

That being said, we avoided the inebriated masses with adroit and proceeded on our merry way. I was quite pleased to play Bang! again and not be held resposible for reminding everyone of the rules. Andrea knows the game well enough now that she outspeaks me when we catch someone misusing a green card. Four fast rounds, but one was absolutely wonderful: Robin got Elena Fuente, whose power is that "any card can be used as a missed card," upon which Robin gave a cry of "I can't die!" Oh yeah?

So I Cat Baloued three times in a row, depleting his early arsenal and proceeded to Panic another card from him. This method - and I was darn lucky to get and be able to use what I did - deprived him of cards for at least the next three turns. As Robin's ire continued to rise, though, Andrea kept everyone else at bay by sticking us all in Jail. I eventually was killed off by her...but Cat Balouing an entire line of defense in one turn was priceless enough for it. :)

Saturday yielded interesting results. I had a late start, intending to wake at closer to 8, rather than 10:00, but I still had a substantial amount of work done before Dan showed up in the lounge and began cooking breakfast. No, not just breakfast. FRENCH. TOAST. Real, homemade (if you can count the dorm as "Home"), French Toast, as made by a Quarter-French-Canadian. We brought our own silverware, as Dan only owned two forks, a knife, and one plastic spoon. It was like a starving artist's...no, a Peasant's feast. Two slices each, with various - as Dan calls them, Real Maple Products - to help slather and lather all over the Toast, their gooey substances consumed atop 2 plates, 1 towel, and 8 scraps of paper towel dredges. Now THAT's a meal.
Dan promises to try again soon.

Then proceeding to practice all day, I made my way over to Battle of the Bands at the South Dining Hall, Rome Ballroom. In summation, the final two acts made sitting, standing, and sleeping through the last four worth it. True, the lead singer to Bare Necessities (Band #5) is a music major, I cringe to think that he could ever sing. However, their last song was a Nintendo music medley, and especially for a new band on the block, they handled it skillfully. It's fun to be a Nerd.
But Tap Out (Band #6), one of the first Ska bands I have ever seen - 2 Trumpets, 1 Sax, 1 Trombone, 2 kickass guitarists, 1 drummer, and a very enthusiastic, on-key vocalist - took the show from the first song. By the third, Spence, the Pianist from Bare Necessities, turned to his drummer and said simultaneously: "They won."
That they did, and I wanted more. I left the ballroom on a mental high. Ska rules...my ears are bleeding, but Ska rules. Where metal makes you want to kill someone, Ska makes you just plain happy. Go forth and have fun, my friend, have fun.

Instead of sleeping, though, we ended up watching the Ringer.
If only I could type something other than "Shudder" to tell you how much I shuddered with this movie. It could have been so much better than it was...and it wasn't much. It hurts too much, let's not talk about it.

Sunday was a visit to the Gym, another late lunch, Homework, and then a Premiere performance of Mirror, Mirror by a new composer named Stacy Garrop. This lady is freakin' awesome. A joy to work with, and one heck of a songwriter. We perform again in Stamford tomorrow (technically, heh, today), so I'll post again after that so you can get the whole scoop.

Hope everyone's weekend was a blast. Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Adam

PS: I'm getting more sleep, can you tell? :)

The Magic is Gone

2006-01-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

I watched Mulan a few days ago, and Aladdin about six minutes ago. Now, one would think I would grow out of Disney movies the same way that I grew out of Ninja Turtles...but they would be wrong.

I remember seeing the trailer for Disney's next masterpiece (Mulan), how I would rewind the VHS to the last movie over and over again just to see the preview. And this wasn't just a preview, it had everything. You knew who the composer was, you saw shots of cel-animation, storyboards, saw the lyricist at work, how the concept was started, what the animators did to find inspiration for their art...the works. It was an event, and I looked forward to it with all my heart.

Sadly, though, after Tarzan (which I still adore), characters no longer sang, we no longer wanted the soundtrack, no storyboards presented themselves, we didn't care about the lyricist anymore...and then the sequels happened. True, sequels always happen, but never like this. I understand how the money machine works, but this is ridiculous. Bambi II!? What are they thinking?
Actually, that's pretty obvious: let's make more money. This has been happening for awhile, I know, but this is a yearly rant it seems. What happened to the magic? I'm sure the little kids don't care, hell that's where the money is (well, in their parents really), but what will they think when they grow up and look back on their movies? Will they find a renewed love for them, as I have, or discard them with the next shipment of trash? I fear the latter will occur more often than the former. Sequel plots and dialogue are thin, and the overruse of the 'cute' characters proves that Disney has lost its edge. Where the company would take risks and win, it is only playing it safe. ...Plus, Cel-Animation felt it's last hurrah not with Brother Bear, but with Sinbad (because no one cares about Brother Bear...cuz it was horrible). Now, animated movies have been infected with CGI, and the art is gone.
Pixar on the other hand, has the right idea. The line between them and Disney is beginning to blur I hear, but the facts and fans speak for themselves: Finding Nemo rocked. As did every other Pixar presentation in existence. So there.

In other news, the discovery of the Youngblood Brass Band is fine fuel for homework or screenwriting.

The UCMB recital has been pushed back until mid-April. Hey, maybe I'll have it on my birthday! So I have a bit more time to get my act squared away. Yay.

Wind Ensemble is proving to be quite a daunting mixed blessing. As much as I want to strangle the snickering trumpets, I am thankful for the challenge. If I could improve as much as I did last semester I can double the progress with the work ethic required for Wind Ensemble. Yeehaw.
Orchestra doesn't have parts for me yet, but Collegium and Chorus require tenors...so I have been recruited. It'll be good training for the ear. Piano is going well, I will be composing something for my brass sextet, arranging music for the pep band as soon as possible, and I'm finally in Brass Tech (learning Trumpet legitimately).

I'm busy as heck, so don't get too annoyed if I don't update for awhile. I'm in six ensembles, and I'm a music major, and I'm in a service organization, and I've got an acappella group to get off the ground. Deal.

Thanks for reading. Have a great night.
Adam

Happy New Year

2005-12-31T20:47:00.000-08:00

As I sit here, my little labbook turned journal strangely misplaced, I toast to Firefly and wonder about the past.

It has been an intriguing year. I've been through a lot, I think, and soon, it seems, recovery may be on the horizon. Plenty of bruises, lots of yelling, many many concerts, more yelling, a few cold stares filled with sorrow and disappointment, at least two broken hearts and not enough band-aids for any of them, a challenged friendship, a short-lived romance, a straying faith, a light at the end of the tunnel, a separation from family, and then a big embrace back into the folds. (no, I'm not done) Perhaps it's the way that alchohol can so readily mitigate my weary mind, but even a glass and a half fools my brain into thinking I am mildly intoxicated (though I am certain, "It's all in my head"). Anyway, I am sounding a tad morose in my list.

I have had joy, and a real, almost giddy, sense of belonging, followed by the heavy sigh of barely scraping by through the year, and then a resounding yell of triumph over an A- in Geograpy, that used to be a D+. A lack of poetry at this closing, and not nearly enough writing, far too many video games, a dash of insanity here and there, worry with every stare, understanding in every glare (poetry, ha!). I made some promises I didn't keep, got drunk once and felt it, and got kicked in the head about three times...but I'm still up, and I know there is someone that still loves me.

So happy new year. Resolutions:

Fight the old habits (nail-biting, I will defeat you yet!)
Work harder on getting a six-pack
Become a respectable tuba-player and a balanced musician and composer
Keep my word
And give out more hugs than anyone can count.

Thanks for the read. Have a great night, and don't get too drunk. Hahaha.
Over and Out,
Adam

Time Wasters of the Millennia (sp...oh screw it)

2005-12-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

1) The Internet. Hell, you're wasting time right now reading this stuff. True, if you're family, you're reading it to see what's up, how I'm doing, and whether or not I've gone insane. If you are not family or friends, you are wasting time. Flash films, trailer sites, online gaming...heck, porn...all these things just waste time. True, a lot of them can fill us with valuable information, but what is valuable? Knowing when the next Harry Potter book's coming out, that's what!

2) Video-games. This one can be tough sometimes. Mainly because I love We Love Katamari. And I am not denouncing video games. Heck, for a long time, I wanted to make them...I kinda' still do. However, video-games are definitely, or at least can be, one of the most anti-social forms of time-wasting (at least the internet has AIM). What am I saying? Hello! MMORPGs have made the internet and video-games unusually eutectic with each other (Battle Net was first, mind you, but...). Any online gaming makes us feel that much more connected with the rest of the world. I mean, who doesn't love punching the lights out of giant magma monsters with dudes and dudettes from Australia and Japan. Now that's fun. That is, until you realize that it's 4 in the morning. Hmm, sleep much?

3) Television. Hmm. Where to begin? The evolution of television has been a double-edged sword. In many ways, I am thankful that I do not have a TV in my room. It allows me to devote my full attention to my studies or my friends. However, at the same time, I am nearly oblivious to the happenings around me. I don't know when movies come out, I never know what's going on on Lost, and I miss out on just about every season of the Amazing Race. BUT I must say, I don't miss sitcoms. Why? Because sitcoms today suck. I mean that. They are the biggest waste of time in the television industry because no one can write a script anymore.
But television has been the nation's biggest time waster since its inception. We, as a people, love to watch events. The tube can also be a great way to share history, though, and I commend its usefulness, and it's possible to find a happy medium in your viewing pleasure. It ties our culture together. I just dislike couch couscouses.

There aren't any hunter-gatherers left. No wandering samurai. No more need for young warriors with expressionless faces who speak with their noble actions and little spoken word. Maybe that's why they're so popular in fiction... I just can't shake the feeling that there is so much more I could be doing with my time.

Thus I return to one of my points from the beginning: there is something else. When you strip away all the shadows of success, and what it means to really live; when you think about human experience, learning from your mistakes, and picking yourself up when you fall. "It" is there. There is something else we, I should with my life. Something simpler. Life's too short to beat around it. You want something, work for it, work until you bleed battery acid, then work some more. Never take no for an answer. Don't forget your dreams, and always dream too high for reality.

There will always be a time to waste, but I won't waste my life. Not anymore. I have it in me to be something wonderful. So, "Be that man, (insert hot name here), be that man." And not until you finish your work, should you play.

I've had a tough semester, but I'm far from done. So here I go, dukes up, heart on fire, mind on ice. I'm off to study, thanks for reading my rant.
Over and Out,
Adam

"Let's get Adam drunk!" (part 2)

2005-12-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

I find it interesting how many people in college find it absolutely acceptable to simply 'pass' a course. Maybe college is just their right of passage, so they don't have to strive above and beyond their best. Or maybe they're just innate geniouses who aren't being challenged (yeah, right). Whatever the cause, there are still too many people on this campus who don't have their priorities straight, and are wasting their parents' money (or their own).

I observed this the other night when I attended a get-together with some friends (in a completely controlled atmosphere) and had a little to drink. Now, I've been drunk before. I don't want to be again. I'm sure it was funny, but for me it was hell. I couldn't stand up straight. I became Sir Floppy Legs, and for someone whose vocabulary actually increases with inebriation, my speech had begun to slur. When your brain notices these things as they are occuring, it is a surreal experience, and a frustrating one at that. Imagine trying to help someone stand when you yourself can barely balance. Also imagine, if you will, simply trying to think straight without falling asleep. This was a time when sitting became the most attractive thing to do to my body. Only at the end of the night did I become nauseous, and I made sure to drink lots of water to flush out my system, so I thankfully had only a small headache the next morning.

My point here is that I had a lot of things planned for the weekend, and the majority of it was studious. I was going to finish projects, be uber-prepared for performance class, and memorize my a cappella parts. Thing was, I was going to accomplish these things by waking up early and working hard.
I didn't wake up until noon. I had a game at 3:30. We got back at 1:00 AM. There goes Saturday. I sleep in, again, due to sheer exhaustion, go to the gym, practice tutorial a smidgen, go to sisterhood stuff, then head back for more homework. I still didn't get much done.

So what did I learn out of all of this? There are multiple potentials in every human being. There are paths we can choose that will lead us down to excellence, but there are often sacrifices on the way. Do you sacrifice social status for excellence? That's my current question, but there are others. Such as: How does one achieve balance when your major requires you to be one-sided?
My major is such that I must practice every day, and do so on multiple instruments, if I hope to succeed. Ergo, I have no time to waste being drunk, and I have little respect for those that will waste valuable time getting wasted instead of bettering themselves. Partying is all well and good, but not when failure looms on the horizon.

That is my current state of mind.

In other news, I got to see The Island last night. Here is my summary: "Run!" The entire movie, with a few short-lived breaks in-between, was one gargantuan chase scene. Good music though.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
Over and Out,
Adam

Recession (Take 2)

2005-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

People need to chill out, especially during band practice. I severely dislike bad attitudes, especially from sections that shouldn't be critiquing others before they critique themselves. Just calm down, take a step back, and figure it out, before shooting your mouth off; then we can bypass the whole dirt war thing.

So I thought I would clear up any confusion and explain the title to my last post. I had meant it to be much longer, and thus less...how shall we say, strange? So here's take two:

My pledging process is at an end. I am now a member of the Co-ed Band Sorority Tau Beta Sigma. Yes, that's right, I am a sister. Now, I have time to practice and become proficient once again at my major. I recieved word a few weeks ago that next semester I will take over for the Tuba players leaving the Wind Ensemble and the Orchestra. As you can probably guess, that is quite an honor...I'd better practice a lot ;).

Despite overloading myself with a myriad of knowledgeable hobbies, I still have little outlet for the martial arts while attending school. I was thinking about scheduling a Karate class, but I need that time to practice and/or study my keister off. So I am in a state of Martial Arts recession. I feel like my body has been disaligned. I can't throw a back kick anymore, and my flexibility is horrendous.

However, Thanksgiving break is fast approaching, and I hear a Game Day is on the horizon. Good. Because I have a new game that I hope my brother thoroughly enjoys (as well as the rest of the family). I haven't been home yet since Band Camp...I wonder what they did to my room?

Well, I'll see all of you soon, and sorry for the eccentric post earlier, I'm sure I confused a lot of people.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Over and Out,
Adam

Recession

2005-11-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

In the final week of my process, with only a few more left until finals, I am embracing a state of reflection. I've had a good semester, stressful as it was, and all in all, I've changed dramatically. The discoveries that one makes inside of themselves during college are astounding; that people have ten times the capacity to get things done if they truly set their mind to doing it, and plan ahead just a tad.

They also have the ability to step out of their bounds countless times, further widening their circle of separation until nothing is left out. For example, in the past week alone, I have worn two skirts, one dress, various women's tops, two pairs of guard pants, a hawaian flower, and two to three very tight pairs of jeans (one only reached up to my thighs). This was all in good fun, mind you, and I have no intention of having a sex change, but I doubt if I would have had the confidence or the guts to do that last year.

I apologize that this is so brief, for I still have little time to update, but I cannot wait until Thanksgiving break. A time to practice, sleep, and best of all, see family and eat lots of turkey with them.

I'm off to Symphonic Band, and a performance test. Thank you for reading, and have a great day.

Over and Out,
Adam

On a more traitorous note

2005-10-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

The second official college exposure game of Betrayal at House on the Hill went surprisingly well. I think I played with the right assortment of D&D veterans and Bang enthusiasts. We were so into the gameplay that all six of us were standing up around the table, surveying the situation. But it was my magnifiscent power-play in the end using my Speed stats to attack the Zombie Lord with the Revolver and win the game for the good guys! Too bad we lost two allies already to the Zombies... If that made no sense to you, I apologize.

Also, on top of the sudden enthusiasm toward my 'tweaked' version of the game, I took out my package of Chrononauts and explained the premise to my fellow gamers. They were quite excited, but vociferously tired, so we turned in for the night. However, my gaming group may at last be making the transition from one-game group to a versatile, fun venue for new, old, and interesting games. Huzzah!

Over and Out,
Adam

Loneliness

2005-10-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

What is the definition of human attraction? Why do we gravitate and swell toward each other, just so we can know that another person holds us in their hearts, if only for a brief glimpse of tomorrow?
As I take another gulp of cereal in Buckley Dining Hall at 7:30 in the morning, I notice things. I notice people consciously deny the company of others, but still hope, like a revenant traveler returning home, that someone will notice them and sit down beside them. I notice this, because I notice it within myself.

We are such a lonely race. The way we sway, meandering along a broken path as we walk, careful not to bump into each other. But still we bump. We look for excuses to just touch each other; to simply graze a sweater’s shoulder for the acumen sensation human contact. Has anyone wordlessly grasped your shoulder, especially someone of the opposite sex, and then quickly retreated their hand to their hooded pockets? That is only a shadow of what I am talking about.

Maybe we’ve analyzed it too much. Maybe we just want to be touched.

I’ve been compulsively searching, sifting through the hordes of people on the Facebook to discover, or rediscover rather, all of the people I knew in Middle School, or maybe even earlier than that. However, these new entities are no longer the people I knew; no longer the ones I traded words and laughs and songs with. The only resemblance they bear, like snide epitaph on the tomb of their past, is the echo of childish looks etched into their faces. Their smiles, their glares, their faces, and stares; all of it…is the same. These are the people of my past, and I of theirs, simply passing through time as we age…but we are still connected, no matter how thin the string wears or how far it stretches. It is still there. And my memories have never been clearer.

People say to stop and smell the roses. Rather, why not stop and just look at each other. Then we’ll see what it’s all about. Why we must be together. We are connected by our race, by our spirits, by our very existence. Our coexistence with each other.

So maybe, in our own instinct, we have seen the future. We must stick together. In order to survive, we cannot stand alone…as I have done.

I am rediscovering a family; a very large family. And just like any family, sometimes we lose track of each other, of our spitlines, of our bloodlines, and of our friends. The point is that we never forget the glimpses. We never forget the glares. We are still here.

We are all. Still. Here.

Well, I’m feeling sentimental and tired. I think I need a girlfriend. Goodnight. Thank you for reading.

Over and Out,
Adam

World Solution #1

2005-10-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

In our world today, there are many conflicts. Also in our world today, there are many solutions to these problems. It is too bad NONE of them are being implemented. So I will start a revolution...one solution at a time.

Here at college, people have many arguments. Some arguments are good, they have a purpose; a goal, if you will. Other arguments are, well, asinine. Pointless. And these are the ones that can often flare up into altercations so massive one forgets what they were arguing about in the first place. So, before reaching that point, just remember a very simple solution to an argument:

A chipper game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Simple. Best 2 out of 3. No exceptions. No immature "bulldozer" or "pacman" crap. Just Rock. Paper. Scissors. Shoot. Then, the argument is done, resolved; you can move on with your life.

Anywho, I have three interviews tomorrow and a full day of band. Goodnight. Thanks for reading.

Over and Out,
Adam

"Let's get Adam drunk tonight!"

2005-09-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of attending my Aunt Karen's wedding in Albany, NY this past weekend. I was hoisted from my dorm space literally the day of the wedding, we practiced our song in the car and before the ceremony, and then, well, sang. The singing went very well in my opinion. I missed a few notes but I think I covered well ;) . The ceremony itself was absolutely lovely. Shorter than I had expected, but still beautiful.

At this time I must interject that there is no one in the known universe that is cuter than my cousin Megan. She was the best flower girl ever.

And why is it that when it came time for the reception, I had accumulated another 4 glasses of champagne, from family members no doubt, to consume throughout the evening. The night mostly consisted of lots of eating (and I do mean lots - four courses of food! We actually used all of our forks!), dancing, and then, of course, my inebriation. However, I think I handled myself very well. I was never tipsy, though at the encouragement of Eric, my eldest brother, I chugged my last two glasses. Me with a little bit of alchohol only serves to obliterate my inhibitions. In other words, I become a dancing fool. And I enjoy that :) . My brother's site, the FunZone, offers a much better summary of the evening; I had a pseudo-drunken blast. (severely pseudo)

However, I returned to campus to enter my 1st official meeting of the Band Sorority, Tau Beta Sigma...and that is all I will say about that. I had an exam today, and another playing test in piano. Phew. I'm learning what it means to become flexible, manage time effectively, and be a well-rounded musician. This is looking to be a long haul; I just hope my opponents are ready for me, I've been working out.

Over and Out,
Adam

Conversations at the Urinal

2005-09-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

So I was standing at the urinal with this guy on my way to see Crash at the Student Union theater, and my cell phone started buzzing in midstream. I thought to myself, “This is the most inopportune moment to have your cell phone go off.” Then I thought how fun it would be if the guy next to me thought the same. So I said it…out loud.

I think he grinned, but that was all, for dare he laugh, snort, or utter any sound and acknowledge that the conversation is occurring, he would shatter his own illusion of solitude. So I joked to the defaced wall in front of me.

And I thought, then, that there are only two moments in time when we are absolutely helpless: When taking a piss, and taking a crap. In terms of cell phone, peeing is the worst, because both hands are occupied. When sitting on the throne, one can still (hopefully) reach his/her pants and fetch the vibrating nuisance. However, the latter brings me to the point of the day.

The only time that those mysterious Ninja Monkeys that were dispatched to kill you (I am certain everyone has come across them)…could, is when you are sitting prostrated while pushing out your daily-inner-demons within your rectangle of relief. Food for thought…or indigestion.

On a more bloggish note, life is good. Piano has served as a positive alternative to biting my nails and my right hand at least is looking sexy (if one's fingers could be sexy). And upon being rejected by all four a cappella groups at the university, I have taken to scheduling most of my extra time to go toward the rehearsal of everything else I have to do. So at least it wasn't that I didn't try, and by practicing everything else, well, it just feels good to be skilled at your major for once.
My middle-range spot had already been taken. Everyone seems to be looking for either a Tenor I or a Bass 3. Good luck with that one guys. ;)

Hope all things are peachy. Thank you for reading.

Over and Out,
Adam

Counter Rant II - Fear and Loathing in Life

2005-09-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

A commentary on Risk and A piece of a Convoluted Mess – Part 2

Some people are born without fear; without inhibitions and devoid of judgments. They usually speak softly and the ones I know carry big guitars.

I saw a concert this evening…in a café. So it wasn’t a concert, it was an act. Anyway, my new friend Jeff, and a man I know from last semester’S sister, Beth, performed a veritable cornucopia of original songs (written by Beth) and a few covers.
Simply put, I adore the sound of a guitar, but even more than that, I worship the sound of two. Jeff’s harmony of voice and strings ebbed and evanesced between melodies seamlessly and Beth’s style was mesmerizing. Both are outstanding musicians, and Beth is a fantastic lyricist, so the mix was euphoric.

But Jeff has no fear.

He approaches everything with a smile or a grin that hides nothing. His actions are random, spontaneous, and sincere; merely actions, with no ulterior motives, mischievous planning, or malicious self-service…unlike the rest of us.
This allows him the ability to take risks, without the declaration that he is taking them. His actions are simple in execution, and could easily backfire, but I doubt he is even thinking about that. He becomes supple to his surroundings and never dwells on the past. In a way, he just exists, living and experiencing every day to the best of his ability.

Are we…Am I afraid to live? But, “what are you talking about? I’m living.” I mean, hey, no one wants to be improvident and end up making a decision that you regret, right? We want to be safe, we want to be secure; why risk failure?

Because then we become robots. We continue on the same path with the same routine, until the day we break down. We don’t change. Without risk, nothing changes.

…Maybe this is all part of God’s creative juices. Create one human who is entirely impavid and impervious to any affronts we can muster, then, to compensate, God disperses the mass excess of fear and self-doubt among the rest of us. Perhaps this is why our bodies and minds are so imbalanced (screwed up).

Speaking of change and offering a segway into a non-existent conclusion, I have diagnosed myself with Onychophagia (the compulsion to bite one’s nails) and since its symptoms match mine perfectly, I have hatched a plan to fight it (about bloody time). Two days and counting that I have not bitten or picked my nails (or I have stopped myself in time). Ergo, on some small level, I understand how some Smokers must feel, because this is HARD. I’ve had this habit for years and it has only worsened with age. They said braces would cure me, but it only offered itself as a challenge to the aspiring nail biter! I found ways around my impediment to achieve a higher level of Nail Biting!
It made me feel like I had accomplished something, somehow, like I had beat the system or some such nonsense. Also, as the description of Onychophagia suggests, nail biting serves as a type of energy release (it makes me feel good), so as one can imagine, the event of me depriving myself of such a sensation can be difficult.
So I am converting my overload of self-destructive desires into more positive forms of application…such as forcing myself to pay real attention in Geography (I learned a lot of nifty stuff, too!).

I am not afraid to change. Though my current impetus for this change is a girl, she is well worth the effort.
Old habits die hard, but I’ll die harder.

Over and Out,
Adam

Counter-Rant I: Anger

2005-08-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

Life is good.

Life is very good. It is as simple as that. I know there will be challenges, but the difference between myself last year and this year is that I will gladly face them.

I am learning piano at long last, and loving it. I'm learning about the Physics of Sound and Music, with Keyboard training, and Harmony EVERY DAY. I just auditioned for the highest instrument ensemble in the school (I hope I impressed somebody), and I have never felt so alive.

But not that crazy, shaking sort of alive. I feel...knowledgeable, determined, and powerful beyond measure. And this feeling offers no detriment to any other person, as if I were better than them or something. This feeling is entirely internal. I am content, and excited.

And this feeling...I am suddenly beset by my previous posts, how my last mess of wrath and words was only a prelude of things to come, as I spiral deeper and deeper into my temper.

So in that light, my quest for equanimity has hit a snag, to which I have turned from this path of anger, and instead have picked up the search for the source. I do not enjoy being grumpy, but for a time it had seemed one of the few things people could relate to...which makes me very sad.

But tomorrow is a new day, and I'll face it, sword drawn and grinning.

Over and Out,
Adam

PS: Due to my rigorous studying schedule, you'll hear from me every week or so. Take care and thank you for reading. ;)

The Internet, Masks, Necessary Evils, and Personal Truth

2005-08-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

In other words, A Convoluted Mess – Part I

Does how we conduct ourselves on the internet transcend how we do in the outside world?

I have been studying etymology in the hopes to extend my vocabulary. Heck, at least it’ll make me sound smarter, if nothing else (but I hope it is something else). And in truth, I have achieved my first goal (to eliminate “like” from my vocabulary of filler words; now I must extricate all of the fillers with simple silent pauses). But in acting intelligent, does one become intelligent? Or is it all a fabrication – a mask over the mind? Someone once told me “People don’t change, they just get really good at faking it.” However, if one fakes long enough…if a man fakes monster for long enough, does he become that monster? Are our fabrications and realities eutectic to each other?

If you act like an asshole, and continue to for a time, sooner or later, you will become that asshole. I’m sure there is a catchy adage in existence that I’m missing here, but oh well.

I just hope I am not sacrificing bits of personality in a quest to better myself. I am proud of being able to articulate more accurately what I am thinking or feeling, but I worry that I may come off as sounding a little like a pedant (basically: a prick. “One who shows off their knowledge,” as I am doing right now). And apparently my epiphany in the last year and a half when this quest was still incipient that I had come to refuse to be ignorant and limited has not rung true to many of my friends…so I will say it again.

I refuse to be unable to articulate what I mean and feel, and I will do whatever it takes to become the person I want to become.

If that involves studying vocabulary for the rest of my life, so be it, at least I’ll be knowledgeable; hell, I love it anyway. And I am becoming this person, donning this Mask and calling it my own. But it is not a Mask, it never was, and I want my online face to match my real one. Though my disposition here is one much more irascible than around campus, one could easily tell that this is my venue for releasing my frustrations with the world (please see title of Weblog) and hopefully answering a few questions while raising a few more.

But I digress:

If all the world is a stage, then the internet is simply extending that stage; it elongates into the Orchestra and invites audience guests by the dozen at every dance number (which is every second). But the scenery and spectacle have become much more deceptive. The fourth wall is broken, along with the fifth and sixth, and the Masks are still present. They stick and graft to our faces, filling in every nook, every niche, form-fitting in every trait.
And as the line between truth and fiction blurs, the liars become prophets and the sincere are ostracized without question.

I use this metaphor because good people, who conduct themselves courteously, have been harassed on the Net. And assholes (pardon me), who conduct themselves as much worse, are praised for it. Then there are those people who would become lost in the Internet. AIM Junkies, Compulsive Away Message Checkers, Bloggers (heh, go figure); people that become so absorbed in the World Wide Web that they are no longer a physical person. They have donned the robes of another being, a digital entity.
In my own defense, though I am technically a Blogger, I have an AIM account, and I certainly check away messages, everything that one can do can be done in moderation. But my point lies in the attrition of our tangible selves.

Do our original selves become desiccated, vapid from the attrition they suffer with every blow we deal to save face even when that face wasn’t ours? This brings me to the core of my ire in this rant. It is the people that would completely and utterly deceive others over the internet to take whatever they please from whoever they wish who get my blood boiling. These people, no matter how you put it, are evil. But, as much as I hate to admit it, they could be necessary in their own right. Without the insincere, real sincerity would lose its power.

Without Lies, there would be no Truth.
For one to exist, the other must also exist.
So if our Masks exist, our hiding place, our sanctuary, then we have more of an admirable reason to embrace life, embrace ourselves, and discard our masks forever. But it isn’t that simple. It can’t be that simple. Why?
People. Because the vast diversity of people, there is dissention among certain people, and some of those people are, for lack of a better word, nutso. Masks today are not so much an act of power than an act of protection. With a Mask, no one can find you. Some can come close, but we always keep those most valuable details hidden; and for good reason. Too many tragic events have occurred due to a false sense of security on the internet. Too many deaths, too many rapes, and too many mistaken identities.

It is strange how the use of text and code can influence some of the worst and best behaviors in people. It is also scary. None of us are impavid and none are impervious to the affronts we receive on the World Wide Web. I suppose the art, if there was one, would lie with the balance between Armor and Attitude. Armor – Masks – to protect yourself from those that mean you harm. Attitude to choose when to be yourself and when to play a role, because both will be necessary.

So instead, the way we conduct ourselves on the internet reveals only a shadow of our real self. I say shadow because so much about us cannot be described with justice by words, so only an echo of our personalities and attitudes are expressed (albeit more and more articulately thanks to upgraded forums and weblogs) through the webspace. But it is certainly a part of us. Unless you have no life, each Mask we wear has been extracted from a part of us; made from our own flesh and blood. In this generation, we hold organic masks, ever-changing and molding, ripped from our flesh – our imaginations – our very souls, to rest beside us and come to arms when we need to hide, when we need to fight, and when we need to stand tall against the invidious flood on the horizon.

There is a point to this. I just haven’t reached it yet.

Over and Out,
Adam

Broken Sword

2005-08-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

My Katana broke today. Well, maybe not broke persay, but let's just say it will never draw the same again.

This is what I get for fooling myself, for a sliver of a moment, that a sword replica could do anything remotely like its replicant. For that split-second when common sense goes out the window to be replaced by a meaner, leaner, impavidly unsensical sense that dictates my killing blow to a piece of rotting wood, I had decieved myself. Actually, it was a guitar frame.
Strange how a music major would give in to lancinating a musical instrument. However, this guitar was moribund. Or rather, it was already dead. With two strings left, the frame and spine separating from its joints; one could say I was putting it out of its misery...at the expense of my own enjoyment.

Dad told me to "let out my aggression" on the poor thing, then dump it in a pile and we'd put it in the garbage. So with Naginata and Katana in hand, I set to work both honing my weapon skills and completing a meager chore at the same time. And not to say I didn't have fun. The Naginata, it too being a replica, did its job well. It is basically a short sword on the end of a stick (the blade is much longer than a spear's), and my version disconnects in the middle to work as a club and a Wakisashi sword. This feature proved quite effective in destroying the innards of the frame.
Not to say the Katana didn't do well. Save for the finishing move, I was impressed with the performance of the unfolded stainless steel blade. I cut the back frame clean in too! At least my sword arm is getting better. But it was that final cut; that as I swung, all doubt, all restraint, and all fear...fled from my muscles, that it was too much for the sword. And as the front of the frame - spine, strings, frets and all - were severed from each other, the blade continued through, and I was left with pause.
A stream of air exited my nose and my relaxed muscles returned to their tension as a horrid thought breezed through my mind. I checked my blade...

It is now crooked. Looking at it, I realize it was never perfect, but now anyone can see my bent blade with utter ease. That irks me. That irks me a lot.
I am certain the thing can be repaired, but finding a Bladesmith in Northern Massachusetts might be a bit of a chore.

But it will never Draw the same again. This I am certain of, so I will savor and store the memory of its first Draw, fresh from its saya, and how something had coarsed through my veins, my muscles, my bones, my spirit, and for a moment the Tug said: "You can do anything."

That feeling, that something - it's gotta' be better than sex. ;)

Over and Out,
Adam

PS: Due to the state of my Finishing Move, I now, that I think about it, have no doubt that if that sword were not a 30 dollar replica, I could have easily and deftly cut through the tree behind the frame as well. :)

City of Heroes: Game for the Working Man...and Only the Working Man

2005-08-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

My introduction to MMORPG (yes, that does refer to an actual gaming genre) world was one bereft of logic. After shelling out 60 bucks for the game itself, paying a meager fee of 15 (or less) dollars a month seemed downright asinine. But, when you think about any MMO game left to its own instruments, its only purpose is to provide an online battleground/society for its users. And with the amount of upgrades and patches, as well as Events online, they have to make more money somehow.

However, for a jobless student like myself, getting sucked into such a world and paying month to month would most certainly eat steadily away at my hard-earned savings, and who needs the thought of wasting both time AND money on a video game to get lines of code that make your other lines of code cooler?

But…

City of Heroes, along with a short list of well-made MMORPGs, is addicting as hell. There is something to be said about constructing your own superhero down to facial expression and trapping thugs in cases of solid earth while your teammates pummel the crap out of his helpless body. Going solo for the first couple of levels can make you feel invincible…or downright idiotic, which is why team-based combat rules in City of Heroes.

With so many possible costumes and abilities, you can find almost any combination you need. And good teams are still rare, which is why it is such a rush when you get on one.
And good Leaders are hard to come by. Some are decisive, but way too gung-ho, so pals get left behind to be slaughtered. Others are immensely impatient, but sometimes that pays off when teammates take forever to pee ;). But I like the ones that are humble enough that you don’t want to kill them after being led into an ambush and watching your pals be slaughtered like cattle.

Scrappers (melee heroes) do not make good Leaders. I don’t care if you recruit well. When the things get dicey, Scrappers cannot give orders, we’re too busy fighting. Controllers, Defenders, or Blasters make exquisite Leaders. Why? Because they are a fucking distance away. They can easily survey the situation and make educated decisions on what to do about it. It is great fun to watch a Scrapper take on a Boss all alone, and then freeze that Boss solid, so that lone Scrapper really can beat him.
Now, take these comments with a grain of salt. I have seen my share of jerks, no matter what their archetype, and a fair number of Scrappers and Tanks that led very well and it was an honor to kick butt with them, but for the most part, the melee fighters…are absolutely infantile and seemingly inebriated when it comes to leading.

Now, I would not have done such a tangent if I were not fully absorbed by this game. A lot of people would say something along the lines of, “Why are you wasting brain power lecturing nerds on Leading capabilities?” give or take a few terms. And a large side of me would say, “Exactly.”

Because, although I consider myself a Gamer, as I grow older I have come to realize the art of procrastination. In America especially, we are very, very good at procrastinating. And though you could argue that MMORPGs are just another way to interact with other people, and in some sad way you would be correct, it is still effectively keeping us from doing what we are supposed to be doing. It is synonymous with the Everquest-complex: that one is so consumed by this online society, that reality seems less and less appealing. Relationships

So perhaps I should change the title to this Rant to: City of Heroes: Game for the Single Working Man. Someone who is financially covered and who won’t hate himself, at least initially, when the only place he feels at home is in the Pink spandex suit with dangerous shoulder pads at 1:00 in the morning fighting Igneous rock beasts.

Since I feel at home in reality, I can only escape for so long. I have responsibilities and a future to secure, so I only play for a month at a time. The major flaw to such a technique is Personal. I make good friends, who watch my back and I theirs, in this massive world full of different heroes, but then, by leaving for certain amounts of time, they grow up (or just level up a lot) without me. I miss their growth. And when I return, their levels are so much higher than my own that I cannot join them in their current missions.

So for friends, I just start over. And over. And over again.

But for the time being, I am much happier embracing life…
And Unemployment.

Over and Out,
Adam

How Cel-Animation May Survive: A Review of "Sinbad: the Legend of the Seven Seas"

2005-08-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Dreamworks has taken over for Disney in my idea of what an animated film should be. True, Dreamworks is responsible for a number of strictly CGI films, their Cel-animated movies are actually quite impressive. My favorite has to be Sinbad, so far.

Now before I get slammed for the amount of CGI in this film, let me say this:

I once saw this movie receive a meager 2 stars. I’d like to sucker-slap that guy. This movie has slick dialogue, even slicker animation, wonderful voice acting by Pitt and Jones, and good, rounded storytelling. Dreamworks’ animation crew packs a nice punch with this film, and their synthesis of CGI and Cel animation proves it. A lot of studios use CGI as a band-aid for choppier animation, but this melds the two smooth as glass. The CG is textured to fit the surrounding Cel, so although audiences’ eyes are well-trained to pick out CG from Cel, they work well enough together that we don’t care.

True, many of the sequences are computer-generated, but the CG is cel-shaded, which is a technique more animation studios should implement (or have been), and allows an echo of cel artistry to the smoother textures (which also provides some nice eye-candy).

But enough about the animation (as awesome as it is), and on to the story. Sinbad, a pirate and all-around scoundrel, must retrieve the mystic Book of Peace from Aris (goddess of chaos and discord – don’t care if I didn’t spell it right) in Tartarus in order to save his life-long friend Proteus from doom in his own kingdom in Syracuse. Still with me? To complicate matters, Proteus’ promised wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Marina, stows away on Sinbad’s vessel to make sure he does the job. Aris, recognizing that Sinbad will actually follow through with his heroics, sends a slew of enchantments and creatures to stop him.

To all parties, the ensuing antics make sense, and each character, no matter how small, has their own quirks. You have two Asian brothers constantly betting on various outcomes in almost every event. Their words are in the background, but are imbued with genuine wit and timing. Dialogue between Sinbad, Marina, and Cale, Sinbad’s sort of skipper, are also teeming with realistic qualities. Sinbad and Marina argue like a married couple, Cale and Sinbad speak like old friends who have been through a lot and know what the other is always thinking. I flesh that out because I easily felt those impressions from the dialogue. It isn’t that it was complex or simple, it just was real. The dialogue made sense in every situation. Too many cartoons (hell, too many movies) have dialogue spackled with flatness (uh…Star Wars) and little depth that you could read between the lines with. To really get what I mean, just watch the movie.

And finally, a few words about the music. Harry Gregson-Williams goes solo here, and offers up a fine orchestral score that has well-placed character themes and over-archs. Though the only stand-alone pieces are the main titles and Aris’ theme, Williams sets the mood nicely. I was never distracted by the music from the action on screen, and that is a good thing. Too often, bad movies use good composers as Elmer’s glue, trying desperately to hold their movie together. Sinbad is not one of those movies. The composer and the animation go hand in hand seamlessly, and the end result is wonderful.

Lastly, this movie is FUN. It’s great even if you hate cartoons. The action is well-choreographed, has surreal physics, and is just plain enjoyable, not to mention pleasing to the eye. And above all, the story's pacing and execution is top-notch. You will never be bored with this movie (unless you're a prick).

I’m buying the DVD.

Over and Out,
Adam

The Art of the Curse Word

2005-08-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

(This is a tweaked version, with a bit less rant and more support, of my LiveJournal post)

I remember when I would not swear for the life of me. Probably because my mother would abuse me if ever she heard even the mildest of curses. "Crap" was a swear, Dang It. I even remember when Dork was a sufficient insult. It was only fifteen years ago, I'm not THAT old. But then came the day in sixth grade...when I lost it. All caution, all resolve, my equanimity was shattered as flicked off every person I knew. A torrent of curses, hexes, and swears tore from my lips, composed on the fly, to assault, accost, and affront all those around me. And I did this in an almost giddy manner, as if suddenly I was free to express whatever had been held inside. These horrible things that came from the bowels of my existence, unloaded like a juvenile Eminem pissed off at all things living.

And at the end of the day (yes, this lasted but a day), such a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, as if I had taken a long-awaited step into the "I ain't takin' shit from nobody" attitude... Yet I was still dutifully flagellated for the rest of my Middle School career by a few choice people (more on that later).

The reason I mention this experience is because also at the end of the day, my lips felt stale, as if I had exhausted my entire vocabulary associated with ire. It was like I would/could never be irascible again, because I would have no comeback. I had lost my power, my words had lost their power, and that is a painful realization.

Which is why there is an art to cussing.

It is a careful, calculating section of the human language. If used too much, its entire existence could be jeopardized. If used too little (like my case most of the time), the reaction changes to that of surprise, and it is no longer powerful. The key, then, is in moderation; choice moderation. I believe one must choose a word, and use it upon choice occasions.

For my brother, it is the word "Damn", or more often, "Damn It". This he says barely under his breath, but my ears have been trained to hear it. You hear him and you know from that very utterance, that he is pissed. And the wrath is turned entirely inward, but you can FEEL it radiating from him. And these are words thrown around, especially in college, without a care in the world, but here, slipping just under a whisper, I get goosebumps.
My brother rarely swears, and when he does, it is quietly, but the sheer amount of times (which is very minute) he says it strengthens its effect dramatically.

I think one of the major issues is that we swear too much in casual conversation. Swears, instead of being expressions of anger, have become Filler Words, synominous with words like: Uh, um, (pause), LIKE, hmm, eh, mm-kay. This...is a tad bit dumb, if you ask me. An actual curse word is meant to have weight to it, so that when you say "God Damn It!" it MEANS something.
Text messaging confuddles the situation further. Phrases like OMG, LMAO, BRB, FU are just...weak. Usually I would use a longer word to describe this... but that is just weak, dude. I never use OMG, because it means, duh, Oh My God, which is a phrase I only use on extremely rare occasions...like when I mean it! But when people use it to show that they're surprised, they would sound so much more intelligent by typing, "I'm surprised (or better yet, flabbergasted!).” Language is a beautiful thing, use it!
Though I sometimes fall into uses of text messaging as much as the next guy, it doesn't stop me from feeling a little lazy. As if we just don't have enough time to simply communicate anymore. That if we don't save those precious half-seconds that would be consumed by typing three words instead of three letters, that we might not be able to Tivo our shows, or play our video games, or do whatever else we do...to procrastinate (aka Waste Time). Hmm, anybody see something strange about this logic?

But I digress, what I am at is that the overuse of these words has left them without depth. Add contractions to the mix, and a conversation can become nothing more than a slurred mess of meaningless palaver. Cusses, without strength or timing behind them, hold no more value than the next teenage abundance of “Like.” And in most cases, there is ample room in the conversation for intelligence. With swears being thrown around to mean so many different things, I am thankful for words that can actually serve their meanings and are available for my use to describe exactly what I am feeling.

It is different for each individual to discover when it is appropriate to swear and to communicate. There are some extremely striking words in the human language, and if you don't abuse some, we'll have a chance to delve into others. Forget the whales, save our curse words. If we can succeed in returning the strength to our curse words, maybe we can save the rest of our language.

Over and Out,
Adam

PS: I think Fuck is a lost cause. It is no longer a powerful word. Saying it multiple times in a sentence only seeks to degrade the speaker. "Can you not think of anything else to say? You indolent moron?" Fuck just means too many things. It's a multipurpose word. Did you ever like the Multipurpose Room in school? No, mine was covered in Geometric, neon-colored shapes, and it was always dusty. Or better yet, it is the slut word. It does everything. I don't like using something where I DO KNOW all the places its been, and I don't want to go there myself. That is one word that can never be sterilized.
Ever.

Anime: A definition

2005-08-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

How does one properly define the term "Anime?"

This question arises because yesterday I could have undoubtedly made an ass of myself or opened up a colossal can of flesh-eating worms just by referring to Avatar as NOT being an anime.
In the forums, this has caused a myriad of passionate results attempting to teach me what an anime really is. Pardon my ignorance, but I thought Anime was short for Japanimation, which is short for Japanese Animation, which then entails all animation animated and produced in Japan, in Japanese usually, and then when it is often purchased, dubbed, or subtitled (actually, it is almost always subtitled in the beginning) and brought to other countries, like the US, is it thrust into the term of an Anime by the populace. True, it is called Anime in Japan as well, but it seems that "Anime" is the only word we Americans use to describe this animation.
Now, the majority of what comes overseas, excluding shows like Hamtaro and similar bouts of entertainment, are action-oriented. What stems from this is an assumption that all things anime are action-oriented animation. With the Anime craze, more and more animators are drawing with Japanese-style influence. So now, American cartoons are looking like Anime. And to some people, they become Anime.
This vociferously irks me, because now the term has changed to encompass all animation, regardless of whether it's American, Japanese, British, or whatever. Now, not only action sometimes, but ALL animation is, in some areas, is being referred to as Anime. The main reason this incurs my wrath is that the definition is ineffable. We, as a people, have no idea what Anime is anymore. To some people, it is Japanese animation. To others, it is X-Men: Evolution (which is an American cartoon). To more, still, it is the entire block of shows that they consider horrible.
Because of the surplus of infantile and piqued Anime that Networks have purchased, dubbed, and flooded the airwaves with, it is becoming more and more difficult to find the shows that are original and artistic, and worth the time to view. The ones that attach to us, and we to them. These diamonds in the rough have become so elusive now that it is difficult to decipher quality out of quantity.
And it's when good shows like Avatar, Justice League, and Oh My Goddess, and Cowboy Bebop, get clumped together with the crap that has taken over FoxKids, and the WB, sometimes, even Cartoon Network (but only on extremely rare occasions...the YuGiOh movie...dear God). I feel like Nickelodeon is the only saving grace at this point, because I haven't seen an Anime yet on their Network. Everything they do, is theirs.

What is happening is a synthesis of animation styles. See, the Japanese have been animating under the clock, and know how do it fast and cheap, for years. That's why there are so many shows. And a lot...are there to sell toys. But also a lot are there to tell stories. They've been good at both. Also a fair number are dedicated to both sides of the spectrum: infants, and horny old men, but I won't get into that. My point is that the Japanese animation industry has been operating, more often than not, under low cost conditions, they are damn good at it.
Excellent, powerful, still images, where they only animate 3-4 frames of hair animation and speed up or slow down the frame rate to simulate wind currents. Painting a mural and panning the camera across it while adding plane audio for movement. Animating only the mouths of a character in a cycle of 2-3 frames, so that ANY voice actor could speak through that character. They know all the tricks of the trade. And some of the best anime in existence was made under those conditions.
However, I love smooth animation and I love the boldness of Japanese animation, which is why Miyazaki is my hero. His films are all about fluidity of movement, realism of characters, imaginative worlds, and telling a story through details, instead of an over-arching theme. Japanese films, with certain exceptions (Yugi), are often much more dedicated to animation quality, for they have a better budget to work with, thus more frames, smoother frame rate, less recycled frames.
American animation, cartoons, has had a long history of...Kidsie stuff. I grew up on Disney, but everything after Tarzan is a little disappointing (Pixar omitted obviously). Some of the best animators, lyricists, and composers in the world were a part of Disney, then, all of a sudden, the magic was gone. That's a movie example. For a long time, Disney was the forerunner in animated film (especially American). We also had our share of action cartoons, most based on comics (X-Men, Spiderman. GI Joe). But then, we grew up on Talespin, Darkwing Duck, Bobby's World, Ninja Turtles, even Gargoyles [more on that later]. True, they were predictable and juvenile (most of them), but there was/is a difference in the techniques and style.
Cartoons usually have a very fast pace. I watched an episode of Ninja Turtles (the old one) a few days ago, and noticed how quickly they move from scene to scene. There are less long pauses, more dialogue, a lot of times trying to be witty or comment on current events, more movement during dialogue, and sometimes sacrificing quality of still art for just an extra frame of movement. The characters were more, seemingly, alive. That they acted, instead of just being looked upon and watching their mouths move. In shows like Batman (the WB animation, before KidsWB took over the style) the episodes had marvelous pacing, theme, dialogue; they were exquisite, and showed a keen sense of what it meant to tell a story episode by episode, so that each episode could stand on its own.

Now, American artists are using the Japanese tricks of the trade, and implementing their own. Some make nods to famous styles of Japanimation while holding their own (Teen Titans), but others stray entirely to choppy movement throughout, glitchy frame rates, and they forget where they came from, trying to leap onto the bandwagon that has already left (in my opinion, Totally Spies). It is the ones that split the difference between Cartoon and Anime. Both styles I consider eutectic; they are easily fused. The animators that complete the fusion and keep their originality (Samurai Jack, for one) are the ones keeping up with the change of interests and will not be swept away in the wake of half-assed shows and money-grubbing producing (the purchase of Anime and the cost of dubbing is much cheaper than being original).

Avatar is one of these things. It maintains its heart, and it mixes multiple styles from multiple cultures, and thus it becomes something else. Something different. Something...simple.

An ANIMATION.

For other good examples, look up Danny Phantom, Justice League Unlimited, and the Batman.

PS: though I did not define Anime in any clear way, I intend to in the future. Thanks for reading, comments are always appreciated, especially if enlightening.

Avatar: the Last Airbender

2005-07-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

Nickelodeon seems to making a comeback. I saw previews for this show back in January, then I heard nothing...then I missed the premiere. The big deal is, I have seen two episodes, and I am hooked.
This show is fantastic. I say this because the animation is crisp, and smooth. The dialogue is clear and intelligent, and in many cases, genuinely humorous. Characters are imaginative, and though the plot can be predictable, it's just so much fun anyway. Also about the animation, this is NOT another anime, thank the heavens. Though I enjoy anime, the incursional flood of horrendous shows that have taken over most of the major networks to which I had once called home for my viewing pleasure is appalling.
This...is not one of those shows. Superbly drawn, American animation that could easily stand the test of time; not to mention some slick fight sequences, that pull few punches. These two episodes also mark some of the few instances that I have laughed out loud...alone...while viewing. That takes skill.
I can only hope this series lasts to its conclusion, and the network does not fall into Fox's wake of cancelling good shows (i.e. Freaks and Geeks).

Over and Out,
Adam