| SO |
[May. 27th, 2008|10:21 pm] |
things have been busy and yet not. I'm going to keep this as brief as I can because I'm tired, it's kinda late, and I have to get ready for bed still. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but I haven't been to work since Friday 3:30p and I'm not all that excited about going back. Nothing all that exciting about being an assistant.
SO - ( Memorial Day weekend fun times ) |
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| bed time |
[May. 3rd, 2008|04:37 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  but done | ] |
At 4:45am I am done.
I had to recalibrate the damn printer (put in new cartridge) before I could print, which turned out to be a good thing since I accidentally selected the wrong paper to print...but then I realized that my Reference list was too long, so I had to fix that. Oy.
It's done though. No more paper writing for about a month.
My next semester starts (technically) on May 27th, so I have a bit of a break. For now - 2.5hr nap. and I can hear birdies....this will be fun.
Pray I don't wake Crystal. |
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| why am I still up? |
[May. 3rd, 2008|03:21 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  & mushy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Remix.NIN.com | ] |
My research paper for MP3 Culture is due tomorrow morning at 10am in Baltimore. Due to unforseen circumstances and a change of topic, I'm finishing it now...still.
Before I started tonight at 8pm, I had completed everything but the Intro, Lit Review and Discussion. My Intro needed only to be adapted from my professor's notes.
It is near 3:30am and I have just completed the Literature Review. ::sigh::
My brain is slowly turning to mush and I want to sleep, but I just need to do the Discussion and it'll be bedtime.
At this rate, with the alarm set for 7:30a to ensure promptness at 10am to turn in my paper, I may get about 3hrs.
Yeah...good thing I did a lot of prep work before today or I'd be PISSED.
At least after getting back, I got nothing to do but rest until the show tomorrow(today)(whatever)
Off I go! |
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| Wanna be on the radio?? (right now) |
[Apr. 28th, 2008|08:58 pm] |
Tomblin and I would like to invite our audience to participate in a round table discussion on New Media Music Distribution. This program is about discussing all things media, including but not limited too, how technology impacts our lives and helps us to tell stories.
If you have Skype, and want to play along, call either myself (Sprzzatura) or Tomblin (micahtomblin) and join in.
Hope to hear from you soon....otherwise, egg on our face.
~~
Please keep in mind that we will be using your voice, thoughts, and ideas for our own personal gain and you relinquish all rights to your identity(face), uniqueness, and by extension, soul, by participating.
Actual soul removal not included. |
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| less than a week to go |
[Apr. 27th, 2008|06:36 pm] |
and then a month long, well deserved, break.
I have to write the intro & lit review of my research paper by midnight to send to my prof to read over. The final version is due next Saturday. I was originally writing about Collection habits and why late 1890s/early 1900s consumers had to be coerced to create a music library where late 20th century/21st century consumers do not....I decided around noonish today to instead write about the insurgence of authenticity in music thanks to the consumer as producer shift(thanks to NIN, Radiohead, Fort Minor for this..among others). I'll be taking the words of two cultural theorists as my basis for why their theories are correct up to a point. Kinda hoping my paper comes out pretty well. Like I said, it's not due until next Saturday, but the more i get done now, the easier the week will be.
I have 1 more podcast to record, edit, and publish before Tuesday, but my sparing partner & I keep having communication issues. Worst case, I record something crappy after work tomorrow and upload it. I have to get it up by Tuesday before class, so something will go up, rest assured.
So yeah, busy week. Not to mention that Crystal and I are going to see Eddie Izzard on Thursday(courtesy of work connections) and then Kids In The Hall Saturday night(Crystal's 25th b-day present). And oh yeah, Iron Man comes out between them.
Busy week.
Wish me luck. |
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| Podcasting fun! |
[Apr. 6th, 2008|03:29 pm] |
Afternoon all -
So I'm in my 4th full semester in my graduate program and for my final project I'm adding a podcast to my blog, with the help of the one & only Micah Tomblin. For those of you from our UNCA days, you know what that means - the Jew & the Fatman are back - this time under the moniker Elements of Madness. We've got the first podcast up and the second should be up by the end of the day.
We've got at least 2 more on the way before we take a break for me to finish my finals and then we'll be back on a as close to weekly basis as possible. Or at least until Tomblin gets sick of working with me.
We'll be mostly focusing on issues in the media, or at least on how issues are covered. We've talked about the photo portrayal of Barack Obama in magazines and the implied message in Hillary's 3AM ad. Nothing is sacred, so if you have ideas, come on over to elementsofmadness.com and check us out and let us know what you think. |
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[Feb. 21st, 2008|01:15 pm] |
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I AM SIGNIFICANT.....screamed the tiny dust speck. |
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| and done! |
[Dec. 13th, 2007|09:35 pm] |
I turned in my script for the single episode of the radio serial drama I've been designing all year and then took my final exam for my Behavior Changes In Education Through Entertainment class. Due to a funny turn of events, my teacher revised my script this morning, so having already read it, I got it back, graded, when I finished the exam - I got an "A". :-) I was also the first one to finish the exam, and except for forgetting two of the 7 C's, I think I nailed it. When I told my professor that I'd forgotten 2 of them, she gave me a funny look and then told me not to email her at 1am when I remember them. I just emailed her with C #6 because I remembered(I'm so silly).
Anyway, it's time for me to go shave, take a shower and get some sleep. I'd shave in the morning, but I haven't in a month and I'm pretty hairy.
Oh, and if anyone of you want, I had to create a blog for my Digital Age course, so feel free to peruse it now and again for fun articles. I'm probably going to update more there and here, so at least now ya'll know.
www.elementsofmadness.com
Later! |
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| 1st and goal |
[Dec. 11th, 2007|10:05 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | sleepy | ] |
I am officially done with my Intro to Digital Age course. I emailed my professor the paper about 30-45min ago and even completed my end of course eval. So I'm going to go play a little John Woo's Stranglehold and call it a night.
Tomorrow I finish my Serial Drama. :-)
Night kiddies. |
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| 2nd and 50 |
[Dec. 11th, 2007|02:57 pm] |
Quick update:
I have no completed my Abstract, Intro, Lit Review(Interview summaries), and my method. (WHEEW)
So I'm gonna go take a 30min break and get back to it. Rest my eyes, lay down, play a game - anything but work on this damn thing. If anything, I should be done long before deadline.
I have a 90% in my class right now, so to get the B I need, I really only have to show up, but I don't want to push it. So just in case, anyone who reads this, keep your fingers crossed. |
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| 4th and 100 |
[Dec. 11th, 2007|10:38 am] |
So my finally paper for Intro to Digital Age is due tonight at midnight. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the paper will be crap. Not just because I finally am able to work on it today, but for well...reasons. I've gotten the Abstract and Intro done and I've started the Lit Review, which is really just a summation of my 4 (pathetic) interviews.
From there it's just the Method, Discussion and Conclusion, plus Reference List.
With any luck, I'll be finished before Crystal comes home and then I can finish my Radio Episode for Thursday's class.
I hate this crap....I'd almost rather take a test. |
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| and why didn't we think of this? |
[Nov. 19th, 2007|10:24 pm] |
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| is this what we have wrought? |
[Nov. 19th, 2007|10:23 pm] |
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| so damn tired |
[Sep. 29th, 2007|06:27 am] |
This is the 2nd morning in a row I've woken at 5:30am and can't get back to sleep. I have to keep yelling at myself to relax which, of course, doesn't work. I'm hoping if I do something else for a while that maybe I can rest some.
So let's see...what's new....I have a new car. I have leased a 07 Nissan Sentra. I had my other car since Spring '99 and I needed a new one. The coolant system has been giving me problems since April/May and it has over 138,000 miles on it. Did I mention I bought it with over 28,000 already on it?
So yeah, new car. It has weird toys in it. All I wanted was something with cruise control, good gas mileage, auto transmission (my left leg still gives me problems from the accident, so no more manual for me for a long while), and an auxiliary port for my mp3 player since cars don't have tape decks anymore. Well, this one has Bluetooth for my phone, controls for the radio on my wheel and great gas mileage. It's a nifty little car. Here's hoping that this was my last sleepless night because really, I can't do this much longer. Particularly with my second procedure coming up.
Which if I haven't mentioned, on the 23rd of August I was given a steroid epidural straight into my back to help the discs that are bulging. It provided me with a lot more mobility and less discomfort, yet didn't get rid of my daily pain. My doc decided to send me for another one, so I get to do that Tues. It's less fun than it sounds, but I could end up with 2 days off from work and I won't have to use days because I'll have a doctor's note. :-)
School is going ok. I have completed 4 weeks with 10 more to go. I think everything is going to be ok. It's more interesting, so it feels easier even though I'm taking 2 classes instead of 1. I did find out that the courses I applied to JHU to take aren't offered anymore, but if the former professors are willing to take me on, I was told I can do an independent study with each course, so I can stay here and it won't have been a waste of time and money - YEA!
That's pretty much everything, so I'm gonna go finish watching the season premiere of Bones, make a new cd for the car, and try to go back to sleep for a bit before I go take a check to the dealer....and switch over my insurance....and...and....and...ugh.... |
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| School post |
[Sep. 1st, 2007|03:12 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  blah | ] |
Crystal and I are in Asheville right now visiting Chris over labor day weekend. The two of them are out running errands while I'm sitting in his very nice condo that the poor guy is getting evicted from. Nothing he did, they sold it out from under him - go fig.
Anyway, I'm sitting here because I have school to get ready for. I figured I would at least get this weekend to relax since my summer session only ended 1.5 weeks ago, but no - before I start my online course Wed and my in-class course this Thurs, I had to complete an online orientation. If I didn't finish it by Wed morning at 8am, I would be out of the class. Blah. Well, it was a waste of time. Most of the stuff we "went over" was crap I already knew how to do from 2 other "courses." So I finished it a bit ago and it's done - I get to stay in the online course.
After finishing the orientation I noticed that my online course was "available" for viewing, so I strolled over and read the opening note from the prof and glanced through the syllabus. Yeah, I will be purchasing and running my own blog for class, in addition to a sh*t ton of readings(including Essential Blogging), regular discussions online, and - oh yeah - a research paper at the end. I think I'm going to enjoy the readings, but the course work makes me feel like I'm going to drown.
The bright side? I was able to finally order all my books for both classes. Just under $300 spent makes sure that I have everything by next weekend...sure it's after class starts, but I'm hoping I won't need them just yet. If I could get them sooner, I'd start reading since I already have the syllabus. My books for my Behavior course are on Television & Film writing as well as Radio dramas. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
The semi-sucky thing is that I went to place the order for my books through the JHU bookstore, I hit order, and I'm told my cart was empty and it didn't work. Just to be safe, I didn't try it again for fear of being charged twice and lo-and-behold, I got an email saying it went through - keep your fingers crossed kids. Please. My into to digital age books are all coming from Amazon, which means I can't try to write them off, and it also means that with free shipping, I won't get them until the 20th of Sept. So I had to shell out even more cash to get them by next weekend so I can attempt to do my homework before the next class.
blargh again.
So, my "faithful" readers, if I have to do this blog thing for the semester, we'll see how much posting I do here. Considering that I so rarely post anymore anyway, who knows. If I'm allowed for class, I'll try to link these up so anything I do there, ya'll can see and maybe participate in.
Since twiddle dee and twiddle dum are still out, I'm going to read more of I Am Legend and then either watch a movie or play a game. Either way, quiet time for the Dougie.
Peace out! |
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| Sun Nov 25th, 7pm 930 Club |
[Aug. 29th, 2007|05:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bouncy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Mother May I | ] |
I'M GOING TO SEE COHEED & CAMBRIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Oh, and my refund check for school has been cut. :-) Now if I could just find out if I got a "B" or not in Research & Writing so I'll know if I have class to attend or not next week.
But for now - C&C!!!! (without the music factory...) |
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| Year in Review (briefly) |
[Aug. 25th, 2007|03:41 pm] |
So after being here for nearly a year, this is what I have to say concerning the following:
1) School is really tough
I knew it would be, but I didn't expect it to take my life over like it is. I also didn't think that it would be so hard on Crystal either.
2) I miss going to the movies
Maybe it's because we know so few people or maybe it's because prices keep going up, but we don't go to the movies alot anymore.
3) I don't spend as much anymore
Now that I have all these bills to pay and school to take care of, I've gotten pretty good about not buying every single thing I want. It also has allowed me to get the big things that I have always wanted. i.e - HD television and now an HD movie player. The quality is AMAZING!!! :-)
4) Without Crystal, I couldn't do ANY of this.
5) I miss my friends and family
Nothing bad on the DC area, I just miss the familial support. My brother Micah was just nominated for the "Best Promoter" award by the Charlotte Music Awards and I can't be there to celebrate with him win or lose. Hell, I'm just proud of him. I wish I could be there, but it's the first night of my next class....if I get to keep going.
So having said all that, I'm glad that I came up here. I'm learning how to do things on my own and while I knew that life was hard, you learn really how hard it can be when you finally move out of the house and into a new state/city/lifestyle. I think I'm doing ok, though, and if I pass my summer class, I think I'll finally be able to knuckle down and get this school thing done. 2 classes a semester until spring session 2009 - then thesis and I'll be finished come May 09. Anyone who wants to go to the San Diego ComicCon with us to celebrate, just less us know by Winter 08 - we'll be reserving a hotel room then.
So for now, having gained more mobility and less pain since my epidural shot Thursday, I'm going to head to the couch and get my butt kicked in MLB 2K7 before Crystal and I fire up my new HD DVD player and watch some pretty movies for the rest of the weekend.
I hope you all are good out there. Things are starting to look pretty good over here. For now, I'll take it.
Oh, and before I forget -
6) All drivers found drunk should have their driver's licenses removed for life. Period. And they should only be allowed to ride in the backseat of a car....or the trunk. Either one.
Fuckers. |
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| I broke the wall |
[Aug. 21st, 2007|02:50 pm] |
Not A wall, but THE wall - I finally was able to put my thoughts down on my lit review section. Sure, I only have tonight to write it now, but at least I could finally break through the writer's block. The has been the only section that needed to be completed and finally I did it!
Sure it was while I was at lunch so I couldn't do TO much, but man do I feel better.
Now I just need to fill in gaps with actually article driven information, finish the reference list, and get it proof-read before I turn it in 27-ish hours from now.
The good news, in 2 days, I'll be almost done with my back procedure and the class will be over. :-)
Oh yeah, if you didn't know, I'm being injected with steroids on Thursday to try to help with the back pain. here's hoping I'll be ok after that. I'm getting REAL tired of this cr*p.
Back to work! |
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| Blue October & Yellowcard |
[Aug. 20th, 2007|10:06 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | sleepy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Sopranos Soundtrack | ] |
If anyone wants to go, or knows someone who'd be interested in going, Crystal and I have decent seats for the Blue October concert coming to town next month. We don't think we can make it, so we're selling.
Here's the skinny and feel free to pass along to any interested parties.
Blue October & Yellowcard
DAR Constitution Hall
Sept, 22nd 7pm
Seats: Orch, row GG, 102 & 104.
$35 bucks each. I would prefer to sell the pair, but if need be, I'll sell them as singles.
Spread the word and let me know.
Back to my paper!
Later kiddies. |
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sprzzatura's journal
& Tired