Matte Painting

It's amazing how good of ideas the film industry came up with and pulled off 50+ years ago. http://www.shadowlocked.com/201205272603/lists/the-fifty-greatest-matte-paintings-of-all-time.html

Documentary on the School I go to!

Words Cannot Describe...

Munchin Munchin Outta Function

A couple of us shop-mates took our lunch leave yesterday and went to a Chinese Buffet. I had three full plates and drank a full pot of tea. It was well worth the money. Also I've been learning bit by bit more about music theory. Most of my learning comes from a book called "Jazz Piano" (I think?) that someone let me borrow. As far as my understanding goes Jazz is the pinnacle of music theory. So I learn it not because I necessarily like Jazz but moreso because I know it will solidly cover the ground that I want to.

No surprise

Does it surprise anyone that Hanz Zimmer wrote the music for the new Sherlock Holmes movies!?

 

Dorian

I've been studying some different music modes and scales, here is a great example of the "dorian" mode and how it sounds. Forgive the lousy audio but the playing is amazing.

Music Inspiration

Ever since I joined the Jazz band at school in September, I've decided to go further in my knowledge of music. On the side I've been studying a bit through a book someone let me borrow. On the more inspirational side, pandora has been a good friend. I have a few stations that I listen through to aquire different musical tastes and techniques. I've a got a station that plays soundtrack music from all the favorite movies, another for classical music (starting with the ride of the valkyrie) and a few spanish mix match tunes. One song that has especially encouraged me to study and compose more is this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR-iHRiAEIE&feature=fvsr
I'm not sure how to upload this as a movie. Any tips would be appreciated.

Chips!

These are what the burnt metal chips look like from the lathe we use.

Rings, Flames, and Paintball

This past week a few of my friends in my shop and I have been going up at night and making some awesome stuff. The machine we use is called a lathe, and it looks like this: It's a pretty amazing machine. Basically what it does is rotate round a piece of metal, (steel, aluminum, copper, brass, etc.) and then using a sharp tool the operator can cut into it creating a smaller diameter, step, groove, threads...and lots more. It's a lot of fun! Anyway, a guy in our shop who has a lot of cool and crazy ideas decided to make a ring. Now it's a pandemic. Everyone is making rings. Pretty awesome. He decided to use titanium to make his first ring. It's stronger than steel and almost half the weight. He's a bit of a daredevil and slightly crazy, but we like him for it. While working with the metal it gets hot, sometimes it burns the surface black from the heat and you have to stop working and wait for it to cool down. But some of us have very little patience. I was working next to him on a school project and all of the sudden I hear him scream an unrepeatable phrase. I looked over and all I see is white light eminating from the bottom of his machine. Metal on fire. That's a first. He had gotten it so hot that the chips being cut off actually burst into a blinding flame. That was funny.
Anyway, today I just came up with an awesome amazing sweet idea. Yes, all of those. Now that I'm learning how and have material, I really want to make a paintball gun, or any other sort of airgun. More on that later.

Future Announcements

After trying to post an audio file I discovered that Blogger doesn't do this, I have a neat soundtrack Chris and I made up years ago. I'll post it once I can find a third party site to do so on.

Goodbye, and Hello

It's over. Facebook is gone. It's begun. I'm finally happy. Not quite, but close. After much thought I've decided Facebook is not for me. You can all hope to see frequent and consistent updates on this blog which will include:
-Pictures

-Recently composed music (movie or audio file)

-Biblical Thoughts

-Philosophical Thoughts (hopefully not contradicting the previous item, haha)

-Biographical Posts

-Etc. etc. all that nonsense.

I'll keep you posted. Literally.

Lame. Pun. Literally.

The Late Winter and Such

So we've started our next semester, classes are going to be good. I'm liking things so far though I think our shop work isn't going to be too easy. It's all good though, I'm off mandatory study hall so it's a lot easier to do stuff. We had jazz band monday night which was really cool, our instructor brought in a keytar and was just KILLING it, the guy knows quite a lot and has been helping me extend my knowledge of theory..though I would really like to learn how to play by ear better.
Anyway, about recent events, winter with no snow...I'm liking it....we did have one snowfall, which was beautiful from inside.

Back to School

So I'm heading back to school tonight, and I must say I'm ready for it. I finished working on Friday so yesterday and today were more or less free days in which I finished packing.

Yesterday, (monday) Dad and I helped out some of our friends cut firewood, and I'm a little embarrassed to say that it's the first time I've ever operated a chainsaw. It felt great to work outside though, and thankfully it was just cloudy, not wet. Monday night I went to the mall to get some stuff for school one of which was sneakers, I found a really nice pair on sale for $40, the only kind, and it was my size. Thank God!

We also found the entire Pink Panther Cartoons on hulu which made my day! We've been watching...well..quite a few of those. Oh and by the way on my way home from the mall last night a guy in the neighborhood with a rifle slung over his shoulder was walking across the road...neither odd nor frightening around here.

Over the weekend David and I went and saw Sherlock Holmes which turned out to be a great movie and even sparked me into reading some of the books again. Some great lines:
Watson - "What are we doing?!"
Holmes - "We, are waiting. I, am smoking"

And another which you'd have to see the context to understand:
Holmes - "It's so overt, it's covert"

And finally:
Watson - "Get that gun out of my face!"
Holmes - "It's not in your face, it's in my hand."

And finally, a Christmas photo: (I'm opening my sisters' gift, but I'm meaning to steal it)

Winter Break

Fast. I was able to work three weeks, which was gave me something to do...nothing worse than being bored in limited free time. It's kind of like getting a really bad stomach cramp at a gourmet meal...or not having any teeth the day your girlfriend says she loves you for the first time....maybe a little more down to earth would be dropping the camera to it's death as you near the moon just to realize now on one is going to believe you were there.

Back on track, a lot has happened this new year even so early. Ahh, where to begin? First(ly), I'm glad that there hasn't been much snow this winter so far...I've decided to give more attention to my musical pursuits at the cost of gaming, haha, yes, video games, aren't I a little old for that really? In the case we resort to a "TRON" like existence I will resume, however. I have felt much more useful in the time without though, I've been trying to pick up playing the harmonica.

I'm very satisfied with the first semester, especially because I got a 4.o...but to be honest the classes are fairly easy, honestly.

Christmas was a lot of fun, I got my usual pajama pants, as has become tradition from my little sisters, this year, the pac-man theme.

Work went well, I have one night left, but apart from making a good sum of money to provide for gas to get to and back from school on the weekends, I participated in some decent food...and botched quite a few of my own attempts. I try to make tortillas and it usually ends up in one of a few ways, dry, super-baking-soda-flavored, or pancakes. At any rate, no matter how bad they are it still earns my the right to the buffet table with the mexicans. Although the distance between their food and mine is still yet to be determined, no light at the end of the tunnel yet is what I'm saying. Thankfully they've taught me a few new words, and I was a little scared to see how quickly I rusted over in my spanish in only a few months.

At any rate I've got some stuff to do so I'll catch you all in my next post, until then