Officially bad news...

Well, it finally happened, the CEO of the company sent out a mass e-mail declaring there will be voluntary 'separation from the company' (read layoffs) and voluntary early retirements starting now and then involuntary 'separation' starting next year. Happy Halloween!

I don't think my job is in danger, but I'm not going to take a chance. Starting today my main priority is finding a new job and everything else has to be put on hold. However, since I'll be putting my portfolio on a website soon I'll probably work the stuff I'm doing into the site, which means I'll probably still be working on a few things as I go along (mainly the Drifter model since it's close to being finished).... I just hope my parents haven't turned my old room into a storage closet...

Wave

Mad!

Do nothing...

Doing nothing is really nice! This is the first day since Friday since I've used my laptop... granted I was out of town over the weekend, but last night I chose not to use my computer and it was nice to finally do nothing. Of course, my best friend would remind me that doing nothing is a luxury and that I shouldn't pat myself on the back. I appreciate where she's coming from because I know working for yourself and being a good parent leaves alone time in the dust... you never really get down time because you always have to be prepared for your kids' needs as all good parents know. I'm not a parent, so I'm just guessing.

Anyway, I don't think people realize the effort necessary for me to do creative/artistic things when I've been forehead deep in science and mathematics all day. It's equivalent to driving in one direction all day, then half way through the day you have to turn completely around and try to get past where you began before it's time to stop for the day. I make a 180 degree turn every day to try and work on projects and it can get stressful at times. My mind just isn't in creative mode when I leave work. It happens every day and I get tired, so doing nothing was nice for a change. It would be really nice if my profession and hobbies were in the same realm. I'm not complaining, I like being able to handle the technical and artistic, I just wish everyone was aware that it's not like flipping a switch on command, it's more like Sisyphus rolling a boulder up hill all day just to have it roll to the bottom again and again, I may make a little progress but I'm actually always starting over.

Job Search

Crap, things aren't looking too rosy at work. There may or may not be alot of work to cover all the employees for 2008. Nothing is certain, good or bad, but I'm getting the impression that if I found a new job tomorrow that it would probably be a good idea to take it. I'm sure I could find enough projects to work on at my job to make it through next yea, but I'm going to step up my search for new employment and see what I find within a 3 hour radius. If you know of any jobs that will pay me lots of money to draw and create stuff, let me know :D

Stuff Added

I added three counters and a calendar on the right side. I added counters for the next three major Holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why? Well, when October hits I literally make a calendar and countdown the days until Christmas. It's probably a remnant of my childhood but also I really enjoy the Christmas season, I even plan a trip for my family to a huge Christmas store in northeast Michigan... I almost never buy anything there, I just like to go! Maybe I'll write more on my Christmas-itis later.

Where are my keys?

Have you ever seen an action movie where at some point in the story two people need to turn two keys simultaneously in order to activate something, launch a missile or some other plot device? I have and I can see how that applies to everything in life. Everything you want to do or want to accomplish in life usually takes one other person willing to turn the key with you in order to move ahead.

Hmmm... strange analogies seem to be one of my strengths.

This could apply to a job, even if you're self-employed, someone needs to purchase your ideas or pay for your time which means they have the second key. If I want to get a new job then I have to find someone willing to employ my skills. This can apply to relationships too, if one person turns the key and the other one does too then all is well... however if only one person turns the key then it can lead to disappointment and pain... another option is to make the other person turn the key, but I'm pretty sure that's a felony anywhere you go.

Granted, in a military sense two keys are required so that someone doesn't accidentally freak out and start nuking places, but I guess the analogy still applies. Who do you trust to turn the key in most (or all) situations with you? Can you rely on them to acknowledge their share of the responsibility if things go bad or share in the accolades when things go well?

Anyway, the point is almost everything in life needs two keys to be turned willingly otherwise you'll probably need a lawyer. I'm fairly law abiding and thus don't necessarily need a lawyer, but I really want one (based on personal experience).

Busy Saturday

This last Saturday was a really busy day for me. Among other things, I spent 10-12 hours on a flash animation for a friend of mine, it turned out ok although it could be better. The basis for the animation is a game called 'Puzzle Pirates', my friend's group is called 'Morgan's Marauders' or 'MM' hence the visual reference to m&m's in the animation, they wanted an animation for a planned attack on a Brigand King and his island and I agreed to do it for free. The end shows the main officers of the group conquering the Brigand King Take a look, if you wish.

Cleaning house

Adjusted the look of the blog and got rid of a bunch of stuff.

drawring

Concept sketch

This is why it takes so long...

This is an image of the Drifter mesh. I need to straighten out all the lines. It's going to take forever.

This is what I had to start with:

In case you were wondering...

Sketch o' the Day - 4

Sketch o' the Day - 3

Sketch o' the Day - 2

Sketch o' the Day - 1

Plastic Humans

If you have a weak stomach and have eaten recently or plan to in the near future, you may not want to look at this post!

Monday I took the opportunity to go to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry with my brother and sister to go see the Body Worlds 2 Exhibit.



This is not for the squeamish as the entire exhibit is dedicated to the work of Dr. Gunther von Hagens who invented the technique of plastination in order to replace the water and fat in tissue for preservation of anatomical specimens. They show EVERYTHING, if it's a part of the human body it's in the exhibit... from lungs and brains (both healthy and diseased) to genitalia and fingernails. Entire bodies are shown (minus the skin, of course) in various positions of standing or motion, men and women (even a pregnant one), there are even whole bodies which have been sliced both vertically and horizontally. Here is a picture of the veins in a human hand (stolen from the MSI website):

They had a full vein version of a chicken (only slightly disturbing) and there is even a full grown camel, with it's head sliced into three parts, along with it's offspring which had been given the plastination treatement.

Separated at... acting school?

Why are people so afraid to state the obvious or even ask questions about subjects most would consider taboo? Sometimes it only takes one person with the guts to broach the subject... and I am that person. I am, of course, speaking of the uncanny similarities between William Shatner and Adam West. As you can see from the image below, they are not too pleased with this inquiry.

At times, I would make the joke that Adam West is a poor man's William Shatner, their mannerisms are the same, they both have W's in their names and their career paths are eerily similar... they starred as pop icons on TV in the late 60's and have survived on the kindness of strangers and friends with couches ever since. However, Mr. West has yet to reach the pinnacle of popularity or afforded the superstar status of one Mr. Shatner. Why? One word: Subterfuge.

I recently realized that I had never seen the two together! EVER! I started to wonder if they were, in fact, the same person using special effects and mind control to appear as if they were two individuals. Through some very superficial investigative research I found the following excerpt of an interview with Mr. Shatner (from ugo.com):
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Interviewer: I just read about an Alexander the Great pilot you did for television with Adam West.

Mr. Shatner: Was Adam West in it?

Interviewer: Yes.

Mr. Shatner: [very thoughtfully] Huh.

Interviewer: Do you remember it very well?

Mr. Shatner: I remember doing the pilot. It was basically a pilot on Alexander the Great, a great subject matter. We rode fast horses without a saddle, which is a skill in itself. Had some wonderful moments making that picture.

Interviewer: So you don't remember Adam West?

Mr. Shatner: I don't remember Adam being in the series, but if you say so, he was.
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The very elusive William Shatner, ladies and gentlemen.

Did you notice how he cleverly parried the damaging assertion that they were actually separate people? He let the interviewer believe that he was acknowledging the existance of footage containing himself and Mr. West. However, I wondered about that supposed television pilot and found this evidence:



Is this the 'smoking gun'? If this one small image does indeed reflect reality, then I have saved humankind from an uncertainty that I'm sure would have plagued the planet for millennia to come. However... can we ever truly be sure... Adam West has a Batcave and William Shatner has traveled through time in a spaceship... their natural charm, resources and powerful form of 'delayed acting' may be too much for the truth to overcome.