Productive Days

More updates after this busy weekend.

I encourage you to do the fullscreen thing and also read the brief captions.

As seen from a prospective trick-or-treater.

Walking up the steps.

A representation of the pathway through the graveyard.

A curious cat.

A whole section of walls are missing, but that curtain is meant to stay.

The dolls (as seen in the floor plan) are to go here. Not the cat.

Clown!

Ghost!

I will be standing in the nook, where a future curtain will hide me.

Spinning thingies!

Lights. The grey unit is only temporarily there, with the air canon on it.

The exit. There will also be a curtain here. And a chair and lady sitting in it with candy. Candy!

My Thoughts

I finally had the day I needed. Not necessarily wanted, but needed.
I sent her a text.
I thought about her constantly, much more than I normally do.
I waited for her reply. I wanted to hear from her. To know she's okay.
To see whether she's in a good mood or bad.

But today I learned nothing. No mood. No reply. Not a word.
Today was the first time in a very, very long time I didn't hear from her.
I now feel like I know what she has felt like.
Neglected. Forgotten. Dismissed, in favor of something else.

It was weird, what I felt today. Her being on my mind, wondering what she's up to, how's she getting along. The concern was always there, but much more today.

I hope she got what she wanted. I was uncomfortable. I hope she wanted this. I made my day, with a little bug in the back of my head. I hope she made her point. I got it. I hope she forgives me.

Some Pics

This was difficult to paint.

As it currently stands. Not much going on.

Thar be the coffin.

This behemoth was dragged over on carpets!

The structure of the tent.

My pop-out ghost!

Real life vs. this photo differ.

Lesson Outline

In front of me, I have 14 topics on Post-its. I arranged them as follows:
Mystery
Entertainment
Creativity
Influencing Public Opinion
Big Brother and Power
Traveling
Public Health, Mental Health
Child Development
Being There for Someone
What the Eyes Say
Presentation
Organization
Time
Favorite Movies

I feel like I named Jeopardy categories in the voice of Will Ferrell. (Anyone? SNL fans?)

At the moment, I have bits and pieces of ideas I want to communicate to my new class. I don't know how much I actually have to say about each thing, nor how long any of them will go for (as I am limited by the 50 minute classtime), but these topics stand out to me. I came up with them by browsing content I have written here and elsewhere, so I'm not pulling these things out of my butt. I have things to say, but the things I've said on paper and the things and my capabilities of saying these things verbally are two completely different things.
     I also need to acknowledge that these high school students have attention spans of between 30 seconds and 20 minutes. I need to keep the pace moving, change things up a bit, and most importantly, engage in some interaction. Learning should be, in most cases, a hands-on experience. Hey, there's another topic.

Movies get away with holding your attention by using plot twists and changes in pace. Even Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, one of the longest, most dragged out, slowest movies I have ever sat through, still kept my interest. Despite the man snoring in the theater, I came out, glad I had seen it. It itself was a change of pace for me.

But I'm not my audience. Whiny teenagers are. Mumbling snarky comments to neighbors around them and interrupting.

     Maybe that should be among the first things for me to take control of. The class. Their behavior. Specifically their behavior around me. I've seen teachers try to wait out the noise and claim "you're only wasting your own time" sort of thing, and others quickly grab their attention by means of a loud voice and entertainment. I prefer the latter.

But enough of that, I'm boring myself.

      Here's a quick breakdown of my 14 topics:

     Mystery. I previously wrote a blog post on that. My thoughts haven't changed. As it focuses on curiosity, I plan to plant myself in the back of the class and fall asleep. I'm curious to see how they react; I hope they're curious enough to ask what I've done and am doing. I will follow with...

     Entertainment. Again, a previous post contains my thoughts. It too is driven by curiosity. You'll notice a trend here.

     Creativity. This will compliment the simplicity of Entertainment with the means of achieving it. Originality will be a key here.

     Influencing Public Opinion. This class is essentially a visual media hub, both for news and creative projects. Both are very powerful tools when used correctly. I want them to know the importance of harnessing this power.

     Big Brother and Power. It's complicated, this one. I have something in my head but don't know how to word it. I'm also afraid of even saying it.
     Traveling. Not to be confused with Running Away. Winston. But really, I do want to focus on traveling. The city, the country, the world. Experience new things. It's nothing BUT good for you (unless you die).
     Public Health, Mental Health. This is also a blog post, literally the previous one. It's a good transition from traveling the world to these student's development as human beings.
     Child Development. I will say minimal about teenage development, for I do want to cover pre-teen growth. I wrote about this in depth elsewhere, don't worry.
     Being There for Someone. This is unbelievably important. People are social creatures and need to work together. Being there to help film, act, fetch something, console someone, tell a joke, anything. It's a life lesson that filmmakers greatly benefit from and should practice every single second.
     What the Eyes Say. This is more in regards to acting, but remains true to real life. If you are going to bullshit someone who is looking you right in the eye, at least have the balls to look them right back and mean it. Sorry, it's the best example I can think of. But really, acting is ALWAYS done with the eyes.
     Presentation. Another blog post. This reflects how my presentation was me acting, not teaching. It might not go as well as I hope.
     Organization. This reflects how important it is to be organized. I couldn't have made the presentation if I hadn't given it prior thought. I have actually taught completely disorganized, and it was crap. Students constantly go out of the classroom with a camera and have no clue what they're doing, or what they're supposed to get, or how to get it (the story, the shots, etc.). I hate that. It produces shitty new segments.
     Time. This is my reflection of how little effin' time there is. There's so many goddamn things to do and so little effin' time. I have to deal with this. They have to deal with this. Deadlines. Quality content. It can be achieved. Set your goddamn priorities straight. Organize your time.
     Favorite Movies. This is my backup topic, in case I rush through everything or purposely skip stuff because I wasn't prepared. I will ask and talk with them about each of their favorite movies. This is important to me because their answers say a lot more about them to me than simply knowing their names and how they dress.

But now I have to incorporate interactive content. I need questions for them. I might need things to show them. I will need to answer their questions. I need to change pace from time to time to keep things interesting. I don't want to be sitting, lectured for an hour when I could be talking nonsense to my neighbor or texting or sleeping. I need them to move around. Dead Poets Society is an inspirational piece for me to take cues from. I think I'll watch that soon.
     As you can see, my first lesson for teaching a tv/film class has nothing directly related to skillbuilding in video production. No, it's more. It's life skills. Words of inspiration. Motivation. If, that is, I can sell it.

How Public Recreation Benefits Public Health

Parks make life better.
     I saw this on a building on my way to school. It was in colorful letters, playfully placed against the building.
     This building was in a newly updated park. I haven't been to it, but from the road I've seen a skate park, a pool, awesome shelters, and there's probably new play equipment too.
     I haven't taken a good look, either. But the most activity I've seen there is at the skate park. Lots of kids in helmets with boards and wheels under their feet, all rolling around the curves of the concrete playground. Probably for their first time, probably there to impress the others watching, probably because the parents wanted to see their kid become active. Probably, I wouldn't know.
     But most importantly, these kids are there to have fun. They are enjoying themselves, and the atmosphere, and the skill building, and the exercise, and the excitement. It's natural, all of us want to experience these feelings in a comfortable place.
     And of course, there are benches for the parents to sit at. Watching their kids have fun. Talking. Conversing, sharing. Laughing. Reading. Listening.
     There's other places to be too. The Strand; a favorite of my mom's. It's a strip of concrete stretching from Hermosa Beach to El Porto, separating the sandy beaches from oceanfront properties. It's basically a sidewalk to the ocean.
     Thousands of people walk, bike, run, skate, and otherwise move through here. People come here to enjoy themselves and the sun while moving about. North or South, either way. To look at the houses, or to look at the muscles, or to look at the babes. Walk with someone, or run alone. Bring the dog if you want. It's free, it's public, it's fun.
     It's a place where people enjoy being alive. You'd almost never find a sourpuss there. It's busy, but it's relaxing. It's sometimes hot, but has a cool coastal breeze. There's an old fart from time to time, but mostly you'll find bikinis and dresses bouncin' around. It's a place of near bliss.
     Whether or not it's a park, whether or not it is an intended recreational area, people will find their way there. Build it and they will come. They seek pleasure. They seek a place of comfort, to be in their zone, to get away, to return to a state of self fulfillment.
     People seek happiness. Give people a place to be happy, because happy people make other people happy. Happiness is what moves us forward. Happy people... are happy.

Time

I wish I had more of it.
I wish I could write more, to reflect and share my thoughts.
I could sleep more.
I could make the short film for Film Riot's Halloween challenge. I think I could.
I could prepare my lesson plan for the TV class I will teach on Friday. I need to have something to share with the teacher before I go in. And I want it to be good!
I could draw more thumbnails for my art class.
I could illustrate Alandria and her surrounding environment for my digital art class.
I could start that report on Stanley Kubrick.
I could study more architecture and figure out what that teacher is talking about.
I could read the books for the Lit & Film class. I don't like reading. (Ironically I love writing.) But I want to read Fight Club, even though I've seen the movie. I want to lay down and do nothing else besides read a book.
I could build things for Halloween. There's already a long list that's constantly being added to.
I could play more with my cats. I love cats. They're just... such enjoyable creatures. I can't describe. It's a love, and I have 5 to love, and I would love to have more.
I could spend time with, not just talk to, but be with my girlfriend. I could hold her. I could love her. I could taste and smell her (kissing and such... and she smells nice). I could see her, and enjoy watching her. We could do so many wonderful things together, if we had the time.
I could clean up my room. I would like that.
I could finish many of the animations I've started on my computer.
I could edit photo albums I've pushed aside.
I could go out and take more photos.
I could drive more! I love driving... I love moving that car around, being inside of it, hearing the engine roar, shifting ever so often, taking tight turns...
I could talk to more people that I want(ed) to have been friends with. Well, still, yes, I don't particularly enjoy being alone, or having only my girlfriend to talk to. I like going out to places, and sometimes things are better shared with someone(s). Friends, ya know? People to do things with. I don't have (m)any.
I could get a job. I could commit myself to showing up somewhere and repeating a simple task with/for other people, and earning spending cash.
I could buy stuff. Ohhh, what stuff there is to buy. Gas, food, Lego's, wood, film equipment, theme park tickets, plane tickets, train tickets, sporting events, computer upgrades...and that's just scratching the surface (as I would imagine with most other people).
I could read more Cracked articles. I could watch more Vimeo videos. I could go though more Memes. I could listen to more music I've never heard.
I could finish watching all of Top Gear. I'm on series 10 at the moment, 8 to 9 more to go, I love this show! It's educational and entertaining.
I could watch oh SO many movies. SO many movies have been made that I'm interested in seeing.
I could take more classes. I could further educate myself. Cars, in particular. Explosives and rocket science wouldn't be a bad idea either. Hell, I'm a bit interested in politics. I want to learn how to "play" the stock market. I want to learn how this and that works. Robotics.
I could draw in general more. Life drawing, mostly. I favor pencil art, but colored and paint would be of an interest to me. Ceramics/sculpture too.
I could go places. Far away places. I like abandoned places, vast empty places, teaming wildlife places, lakes and forests, waterfalls, I haven't ever been in snow... Different countries. I could even try to learn a language. Different cultures. Foods. Ways of life. Art and architecture.
I could go to the beach more. I mean, I could go to the beach. I really need to tan. And babes... mmm... babes.
I could exercise. God I need to exercise. I'm so weak and tire easily. I can't hold my breath long. I can't run or do anything long, which I used to be able to do. I was on the track team before. I was fit, I did sports when I was a kid. Then computers came along...
I could volunteer at the animal shelter again. It was ho-hum, but getting to pet the kittens and working with my girlfriend made the experience.
But most of all, I could sit, lay back, enjoy a day of nice weather, and do... nothing. All the time in the world, to do nothing.

If I had the time.

ps. I wrote this in the dark, so errors may be present. I don't know yet. Also, I'm sure there's other things, lesser things, but still realistic things I could add. But I'm tired. Goodnight.

Food For Thought: Entertainment

The punchline. The season finale. After the break. True love? Behind the third door. Will there be cake?
     The final score. The countdown. The strategy. The plot; the execution. The creativity.
     The end result.

     Curiosity.
The drive in all humanity. The eventual satisfaction.

Food For Thought: Presentation

Self appearance is priority number one to the confident person. Only when all fulfillments have been met inside, then can one project a positive image.
     Create an act. Live up to someone you're not. Falsify yourself. Set higher standards. Be an imaginary superpower.
     Lead people t believe there's something greater to be said at every moment. Lead them on. Trick them. Your act is a lie, but your presentation is power. Show them confidence you don't have. Speak with  ferocity. Bite your tongue. Hold out on words. Don't kid yourself, you wouldn't listen to your boring old self. Hold a secret in your hand, and don't let it go. Show everyone you have this secret. Make them want it. You want them to have it. But you have it, you hold it, you treasure it.
     This isn't teaching. This is acting. There's not much more else to it, coming from me. Give them your best show.