Full Sail University

I'm in my third class, Advanced Computer Graphics, and already feel like my head is going to explode from all that I learned last month. In the last class we used Adobe Illustrator & I learned more in those 4 weeks than I've learned in years of using Illustrator at work. This time of year is pretty hectic for me because I work at a retail store & have longer hours so finding some balance is proving to be quite a challenge for me.

Orderly Desk vs. Creativity

There's an old saying that seems to apply: Creative minds are rarely tidy. I've used that often to explain my desk/workspace.

A picture is worth a thousand words...........

A person's mind and his desk........... William F. Buckley Nat Hentoff Albert Einstein

School, Kids & Stuff

It's the beginning of Week 2 in Art History, my first class at Full Sail, and so far I'm impressed with the content we're covering and the overall online learning experience. I wasn't sure what to expect as far as workload but from what I can tell it's going to be just enough work to make me keep my game face on. I am LOVING the Mac so far...and wonder why we used a PC in the first place. And having classmates to share ideas with is tha bomb.

The kiddos seem to be doing well this school year...they've just gotten their first report cards & did really well. Colton is playing the trumpet in band this year & Tana is in Theater and taking some medical related classes. I'm proud of both of them! They've endured a lot in the past few years and still keep moving on.

Missing Cat LMFAO

Shannon (the secretary) has lost her cat and has asked David (the graphic designer) to help with a lost poster. This is their email correspondence... From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.15am To: David Thorne Subject: Poster Hi I opened the screen door yesterday and my cat got out and has been missing since then so I was wondering if you are not to busy you could make a poster for me. It has to be A4 and I will photocopy it and put it around my suburb this afternoon. This is the only photo of her I have she answers to the name Missy and is black and white and about 8 months old. missing on Harper street and my phone number. Thanks Shan.

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From:David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.26am To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon, That is shocking news. Luckily I was sitting down when I read your email and not half way up a ladder or tree. How are you holding up? I am surprised you managed to attend work at all what with thinking about Missy out there cold, frightened and alone... possibly lying on the side of the road, her back legs squashed by a vehicle, calling out "Shannon, where are you?" Although I have two clients expecting completed work this afternoon, I will, of course, drop everything and do whatever it takes to facilitate the speedy return of Missy. Regards, David. ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.37am To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Poster yeah ok thanks. I know you dont like cats but I am really worried about mine. I have to leave at 1pm today. ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.17am To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Re: Re: Poster Dear Shannon, I never said I don't like cats. Once, having been invited to a party, I went clothes shopping beforehand and bought a pair of expensive G-Star boots. They were two sizes too small but I wanted them so badly I figured I could just wear them without socks and cut my toenails very short. As the party was only a few blocks from my place, I decided to walk. After the first block, I lost all feeling in my feet. Arriving at the party, I stumbled into a guy named Steven, spilling Malibu & coke onto his white Wham 'Choose Life' t-shirt, and he punched me. An hour or so after the incident, Steven sat down in a chair already occupied by a cat. The surprised cat clawed and snarled causing Steven to leap out of the chair, slip on a rug and strike his forehead onto the corner of a speaker; resulting in a two inch open gash. In its shock, the cat also defecated, leaving Steven with a foul stain down the back of his beige cargo pants. I liked that cat. Attached poster as requested. Regards, David. ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.24am To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster yeah thats not what I was looking for at all. it looks like a movie and how come the photo of Missy is so small? ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.28am To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster Dear Shannon, It's a design thing. The cat is lost in the negative space. Regards, David. ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.33am To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster Thats just stupid. Can you do it properly please? I am extremely emotional over this and was up all night in tears. you seem to think it is funny. Can you make the photo bigger please and fix the text and do it in colour please. Thanks. ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.46am To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster Dear Shannon, Having worked with designers for a few years now, I would have assumed you understood, despite our vague suggestions otherwise, we do not welcome constructive criticism. I don't come downstairs and tell you how to send text messages, log onto Facebook and look out of the window. I am willing to overlook this faux pas due to you no doubt being preoccupied with thoughts of Missy attempting to make her way home across busy intersections or being trapped in a drain as it slowly fills with water. I spent three days down a well once but that was just for fun. I have amended and attached the poster as per your instructions. Regards, David. ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.59am To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster This is worse than the other one. can you make it so it shows the whole photo of Missy and delete the stupid text that says missing missy off it? I just want it to say Lost. ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.14am To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.21am To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster yeah can you do the poster or not? I just want a photo and the word lost and the telephone number and when and where she was lost and her name. Not like a movie poster or anything stupid. I have to leave early today. If it was your cat I would help you. Thanks. ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.32am To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Awww Dear Shannon, I don't have a cat. I once agreed to look after a friend's cat for a week but after he dropped it off at my apartment and explained the concept of kitty litter, I kept the cat in a closed cardboard box in the shed and forgot about it. If I wanted to feed something and clean faeces, I wouldn't have put my mother in that home after her stroke. A week later, when my friend came to collect his cat, I pretended that I was not home and mailed the box to him. Apparently I failed to put enough stamps on the package and he had to collect it from the post office and pay eighteen dollars. He still goes on about that sometimes, people need to learn to let go. I have attached the amended version of your poster as per your detailed instructions. Regards, David. ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.47am To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Awww Thats not my cat. where did you get that picture from? That cat is orange. I gave you a photo of my cat. ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.58am To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Re: Awww I know, but that one is cute. As Missy has quite possibly met any one of several violent ends, it is possible you might get a better cat out of this. If anybody calls and says "I haven't seen your orange cat but I did find a black and white one with its hind legs run over by a car, do you want it?" you can politely decline and save yourself a costly veterinarian bill. I knew someone who had a basset hound that had its hind legs removed after an accident and it had to walk around with one of those little buggies with wheels. If it had been my dog I would have asked for all its legs to be removed and replaced with wheels and had a remote control installed. I could charge neighbourhood kids for rides and enter it in races. If I did the same with a horse I could drive it to work. I would call it Steven. Regards, David. ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.07pm To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Re: Awww Please just use the photo I gave you. ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.22pm To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

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From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.34pm To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww I didnt say there was a reward. I dont have $2000 dollars. What did you even put that there for? Apart from that it is perfect can you please remove the reward bit. Thanks Shan. ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.42pm To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.51pm To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww Can you just please take the reward bit off altogether? I have to leave in ten minutes and I still have to make photocopies of it. ____________________________________________________

From: David Thorne Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.56pm To: Shannon Walkley Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww ____________________________________________________

From: Shannon Walkley Date: Monday 21 June 2010 1.03pm To: David Thorne Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww Fine. That will have to do.

Social Networking

I'm working on combining several accounts so that I can post all my random stuff in one spot & it reach everyone from Facebook friends to blog readers....hang with me while I nerd it up a little...and BTW, I'm looking at getting a DROID. Anybody got one & wanna gimme a heads up on what you love/hate about it???

Posted via email from Live. Laugh. Love.

Time for Change

It's been two months since my last post & there isn't really much on the 'outside' that has changed - but there's been a whole lot of 'inside stuff' happening for me. I'm not sure I have the right words to explain where I am, but I'll do my best. :)

I'm 35 & finally reaching a point in life where I can be patient with others, and most importantly - myself. Maybe I finally wore myself out enough that I'm starting to grow up at little? I don't know. But I do know this...for almost a year now I've taken a look at me & the things I've done to people (intentional or not), the choices I've made, and the way all this has made me feel. What the hell does someone do with all of that? Well, for me, I just do my best to work on what's right in front of me at any given moment. One of the hardest parts of this whole recovery thing has been to be patient with myself & accept the fact that I'm going to screw up. No matter what.

For years I've worked toward having the 'things' that I saw other people with & assumed they found happiness with. Now I am getting the opportunity to teach my kids while I remind myself that it isn't about the 'things' in life. We have had a decent amount of 'things' in the past & over the past two years we have had to learn to make choices about how we'd spend the money we had to work with for those things. Along the way, I shared some real world stuff with the kids about how much money things cost & what we had to work with personally. At times those two kiddos were the best reminder in the world for me to be grateful for what we had; and to look around at others doing without.

Now that we have our heads above water, life isn't easy but it is good. My daughter is fifteen and my son is twelve, and those two have taught me more than I ever imagined possible. Most of the time they don't even know it. Every now & then I let them know, but for the most part I am already dumb enough to them so I let it rest.

As far as 'outside stuff': I'm going back to school this Fall!!! It's been a hot minute since I have been in school and although I have some fear about going, I am extremely excited! It's one of the top 10 new media schools in the country and I can't wait to get to know other students & have a network of people to share thoughts & ideas with.

Enough rambling for now...

Catching up

Things have been busy at work & home here lately so I haven't taken the time to write much. Work has been interesting the past few weeks - to say the LEAST. Two people have left the company in the two months - one of them that had been here for quite some time, so that has left me with more responsibilities. The other one had been here about a year, but took care of quite a few things that I now get the privilege of doing. ;-P Long story short, I have a lot on my plate.

Some of the things I'm working on...print stuff: full page magazine ads using Adobe Photoshop & trying to learn some InDesign chops along the way; web stuff: can you say social networking? yep, blogging, facebook, and tweeting for the man LOL; seo stuff: neverending battle...; side gigs: been creating some HTML-based emails for folks & about to start a site for a friend - should be interesting. ;-P

On the flip side of life, I've been working in the yard & contemplating going back to school online this fall to finally get started finishing up a degree I started about 400 years ago.

Life is good...

Sh*t My Dad Says

I haven't really posted anything in a minute so I had to share this... Sh*t My Dad Says A 29 year old guy lives with his 74 year old dad so you can imagine the kind of humor. It's good stuff but I've been known to have a somewhat sarcastic sense of humor. LOL

Lady Gaga

IDK...I'm just really diggin' some Lady Gaga today...

Hope

So I'm a nerd & a friend of mine emailed over some info to help me out with the challenge of being a parent of a child with ADHD. If you have ADHD, or have a child that battles with it, you probably understand my willingness to share any & all resources.

The article is: Hope is More Valuable Than Money

And just the way it begins reading sheds a little light on a sometimes gloomy looking world...

I Think Everybody is Really Good at Something

Okay, so a guy named Michael Burry spots an opportunity in the mortgage bond market and turns an obsession into a huge profit. Vanity Fair wrote an article about him called Betting on the Blind Side...check it out...

Google's Matt Cutts LIVE

Tech Support

Hello, technical support, how can I help you?

LADY: 'Last night my computer started making a lot of hissing noise

at me so I shut it down. This morning when I turned it on

the computer started hissing and cracking,

then started smoking and a bad smell, then nothing'.

SUPPORT: 'I will have a technician come over first thing this

Morning, and leave the computer just like it is, so they can find

the problem and fix it, or change it out with another computer.

Give me your address; phone number and the technician will be

there just as soon as he can'.

When the technician got there, the lady showed the technician

where the computer was, said what happened to it, this is what

the technician found wrong. Take a look at the pictures...you

won't believe your eyes!!!!!

And you thought you had computer problems!

The technician told her: 'It must have been after the mouse!'

The woman didn't think it was very funny at all!

For Perri...

Noah the Dove

How we treat the weakest among us, is how we will be judged. ~ Mehmet Oz, M.D.

Noah the Dove These little bunnies, about 6 days old, were attacked by a dog and orphaned. Two out of the litter of five did not survive, and these three were not doing very well. Noah is a non-releasable, one-legged homing pigeon/rock dove that is in the rehab centre. Noah kept going over to the bunny cage and looking in -- even sleeping in front of the door to the cage. Then, suddenly, there were only two bunnies in the cage. But when Noah moved a bit from the front of the cage to everyone's surprise...there was the tiny bunny...under Noah's wing...sound asleep! That little bunny rabbit had crawled through the cage, preferring a featherbed, no doubt to snuggling up with its littermates! Now, they are all together and the bunnies are doing GREAT. When the bunnies scoot underneath Noah's feathers, he carefully extends his wings out to surround them and then they snuggle. When one of them moves and they start sticking out here and there, he gently pushes them back under him with his beak! It is beautiful and amazing to see... This is what God does with us when we need the warmth and love He offers. He gathers us under His loving wings to a warm cradle of protection. All we need do in return is give Him the thanks and praise for being with us.

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Update on Noah the pigeon: We are Bob and Georganne Lenham of Wild Rose Rescue Ranch in Texas , home of Noah the Pigeon. After finding many posts online featuring Noah and the bunnies and reading about the many lives he has touched (his story has been forwarded around the world) we thought we'd post a follow-up and a few new photos. We knew there was something special about Noah the moment we saw him. Although the bunnies seem to be his favorite, Noah helps out with many rescue babies here at the Wild Rose Rescue Ranch...

Noah's first litter of bunnies, almost raised and ready for release. Photo © Bob Lenham Now, Noah helps out with many rescue babies here at the ranch...

How wonderful it is to have a full-time soft-feathered nurturer here at the rescue ranch! He cuddles with all the babies as they snuggle under his warm feathers...and he "coos" as if singing them to sleep with a lullaby.

Noah is truly, truly a God-send. He will cover you with His feathers And under His wings you will find refuge. Psalm 91:4

Hand Art

Cruisin...

Got finished with the last of the ongoing car deal last night so here's a pic... That's my friend, Lisa, in the pic. Thank God for my friends that encourage me to keep doing what I'm doing - no matter what. The kids love it, and I actually got to drop both of them off in front of the school this morning. LOL

Buying a new ride

After a few weeks of looking around for a new ride for me & the kiddos, I think I've finally found something we can live with. I wanted us to have plenty of room for trips, and cargo space (and decent gas mileage). Getting a ride to work, the grocery store, meetings, etc. hasn't been fun - but we've made it thru it. And truth be known, we'll probably appreciate having some wheels again even more.

So I've decided on a Ford Freestyle. It's a crossover, meaning it's a combination of a SUV, station wagon & mini-van - all rolled into one. It has 3rd row seating that folds down for cargo space, a sun roof, and gets 25 mpg.

Here's a pic I found online & I'll post pics of the real deal after it's finalized & I'm driving!

Google Liquid Galaxy (Live Demo)

Google Busts Out (Once Again...)

Just a quick post to show a little Google love! ;-)

They never cease to amaze me with their timing & technology.

Check out Google Buzz
From what I can tell so far, it's a twitter/facebook/blog offspring. I'm very curious to see how this goes over & see how it gets utilized. I must admit, a central location to check email & see what my peeps are up to is rather groovy. Especially when I'm still using an old school cell.

On another note...

Google Fiber for Communities
That's right folks! Google is going to play around with kick-ass speed internet access in homes around the country. Sign me up! ;-P

ISO New Ferrari

I always seem to have more trouble trying to figure out what to title a post than actually figuring out something to ramble about...

First things first: I need a vehicle! My car died about 3 weeks ago so I've been bumming rides to work, meetings, the grocery store...all those places I didn't think anything about jumping in the Ferrari to make the world go around each day. It's been an adventure to say the least, but a little humility goes a LONG way. God has a sense of humor & that's a fact!!! As soon as I save a little more cash I'll get a new set of wheels & post another update.

On the work front, it seems that things are about to get interesting (more so). I'll be doing an equal amount of graphic design/print from now on, and it's been a while since I've had to do much in that area. It should keep me on my toes since I'll have to reach way back & hopefully find some brain cells to work with in that area. And I'll get the opportunity to learn some new skills, as well as interact with people instead of hiding in my cave day in & day out.

Who knows? Change might REALLY be good. (WTF) ;-)