Curiouser and Curiouser...

I walked around the next day and a half with my eyes wide open... I saw the wonders of the cool Indiana day pass me by, or me pass by it.

My first idea hit me on my way home, well almost. I was almost in a car wreck on my way home from class. Like most true blue Americans, I immediately went into "Road Rage Ryan" mode. Sure, he's always there, but when some asshole cuts me off because he is to lazy to make the proper lane changes in advance to get off on a specific lane... that'd be great. But no, this asshole decided to evoke a  rage in me from the cockles of my soul.

That's where my idea came from. I wanted to research the statistics on idiot drivers and the problems they cause to the sanctuary that is, The Great American Highway System. I pictured in my head a traffic cone with the statistics of lives affected by these moronic, half-whit, jag-offs. Not how Portland, Oregon, Cleveland, Baltimore, Sacramento, and Pittsburgh were the five least road-rageful cities. But how New York, Dallas, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Miami, Houston, Cincinnati and San Diego, were the top ten worst road-rageful cities.

I think this would have been a great project to start... but instead, I walked into my kitchen to grab myself a glass of water and I feel a warmth under my feet, right in front of the kitchen sink. I step to the left two feet, and the laminate flooring is cool. Back to the sink and it's warmer. I suddenly think to myself, "maybe the dog(s) laid here for a couple of hours. But no, our lazy ass dogs have been laying the the bedroom for the last 3-4 hours!

So what is the next logical step? GOOGLE!!! And what does the all mighty GOOGLE tell me... That I probably have a broken pipe, leaking warm water into my foundation. Well fuck me running! As if my life wasn't hard enough going to school two days a week for 9 credit hours and working 32-40 hours a week... Lets throw on my crappy car, that I'd rather ram into someone in a fit of road rage, that needs to have the two front shock/spring assemblies replaced, breaks changed, rotated tires... ughhhh, the list goes on. Not to mention the fact that this is probably in my future:

So instead of creating this masterful piece of art that could be displayed in the MET or the Louvre, but no... I'm gonna have to borrow a couple thousand dollars from my parents to have a professional come to my home, rip out my cabinets, counter-tops, sink, dishwasher, reverse osmosis water system, and cut into the foundation of my house, jackhammer his way to a broken pipe, and replace it... for a couple thousand dollars...

I hope you're curious now... cause I just wanna fucking puke and cry!!!

Class Take Away 5

I was amazed at the projects that came out of the change a book into something you like. Of course some of us, myself included, took it more physical than literal, but great projects none the less.

I really liked the physical interpretation and manifestation of the "Field Guide." The rough textured outside gave me a feeling that the book was traveling the globe, continent to continent, adventures and happiness for all. The butterfly page markers made me think about a meadow of flowers with butterfly's everywhere.

I can't wait to see the final version of the Robocop Head, if we get to see it in a finished state. I was a big fan of the movies and am looking forward to the next one as well!

I think the best executed project, had to be the mounted Deer head. It was amazing how much detail that figure had. With the antlers in almost perfect condition, I was amazed at the amount of detail she was able to attain with the paper, without there really having glue seepage or marks to the visible eye. Fantastic job!!!

I am constantly amazed at the amount of craftsmanship that this class is putting out. Of course some of us are confined and restricted with busy lives, but people keep churning out great work. I know that there is a creative side stuck deep down inside me somewhere and I hope that by the time this class is over with, it will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes!

From Crappy to Happy!

I wasn't expecting this project to throw me for a loop, but it did. As I perused the different artistic interpretations of books on the internet, I was unaware of how hard it would be to make something amazing, especially since I figured I would only be able to do something mediocre. Even with that, I still wanted to create something that reflected the creative person within. But when it was all said and done, I left myself barely enough time to do the project. But growing up, there have always been something that I wanted to have. That is a book, with a secret storage chamber inside. 

At first I started out with a book, All-In-One CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide by self proclaimed "Alphageek" author Mike Myers, a Xacto Knife, and a Fiskars Rotary Cutter. 

I flipped through the book to find the prefect chapter in which I should start my cutting. What better chapter than Chapter 11 - Removable Media. So I flipped to page 415 and grabbed my Fiskars Rotary Cutter, and dug in to make my square. 

After about 2 hours of cut, trim, cut, trim, cut, trim... repeat 1500 times. 284 pages later, I had my "square." I was totally blown away by how hard it really was, to just cut a square into some of the crisp pages. Knowing that now, I would have gotten some Mod Podge Sealer, rubber cement or something that would make the book ridged and easier to cut. I could have also used some C-clamps to hold the book in place. Of course all of that would have had to have been thought out ahead of time. I now didn't have the time or forethought to complete such tasks. Even though Beth told us we might need to use something like that. 

So the final product is complete. The square is just big enough to hide a cell phone, USB chips, drugs, a flask, money, pictures, etc...

I wish I would have had enough time to do it the right way, but what I got, wasn't half bad. Plus I didn't lop off any fingers or get so much as a paper cut. So that was a success in my eyes. There were plenty of times that I thought, "Ummm... cut away from yourself you dumb ass!" I guess I got lucky, but hey, even the sun shines on a dogs ass from time to time. 

I got what I wanted, a seemingly boring book, with a secret hiding spot inside, and without doing damage to myself. 

Class Take Away 4

I'm not really sure what I took away from our last day of class. I drove up there for about 35 minutes of class. Not much was discussed in this class but the progress of our Creative Book Assignment. Up till that point, I hadn't really done anything with my book yet. I was tossing around a couple of ideas after looking through the resources.

Hopefully it will turn out the way I want it to!

Class Time

The last class time went a little slower than expected. With this being said, I was glad that we got out a little early.

It was cool to see what people had done for their "Break the Rules" assignment. I spent a while looking at some blog posts. There were some pretty creative ideas. 

Looking through some of those Book Transformation Ideas Beth gave us, gave me some good ideas. I want to transform something I hate into something that I like. Who knows how that will turn out. I have a couple of ideas. I am glad that Beth gave us two weeks to work on this one, because the one I really want to do, will take some time to get done.

Wrong Post... What an idiot!

First off... I have already messed this post up! I screwed up by posting my "What I learned in class today" blog post, in the "Rules" assignment tab, and this under the "Class Take Away 2" tab. I guess in it's own subliminal way, I probably messed it up on purpose. So what do I do now...

I realized that it might not have been such a bad thing to do. Because this whole assignment was to: "Take whatever software (or other media) you are most familiar with and examine the "rules" that you have learned about working with this media. Which rules could be pushed? Which rules are necessary to preserve functional integrity? Experiment with breaking some of the rules (or just one) and create something using your new interpretation of the "rules." Document your experiment on your blog and post the URL to that blog entry here to receive your points. If you are able, bring the results to class in 2 weeks (next week is Labor Day and there is no class) and be prepared to discuss your results of experimenting with the rules."

So I starting thinking... When I searched my computer to find a "software (or other media)" that I was comfortable, or at least used often, and exploit it in some manner, I couldn't. I realized that I don't use one or more programs in any way shape or form. So I started thinking about what I could exploit from my work, and still came up empty handed. If I tried to take something from work, I would either get myself fired, or kill someone, so I couldn't really do that.

What at home could I do to make this assignment happen. And then it clicks!

I'm not gonna do this assignment! I'm sure I could do one of the ideas that Beth suggested, like make a story out of two newspaper/magazine articles. Or Photoshop some random picture until it's unrecognizable. But it would all be bullshit in any form. I don't doubt that there will be some very great posts from the group, showing how imaginative the rest of the class is, but I'm too much of a realest. I have lived in the real world for far to long. With my later start on the college life than the rest of the class, I've had some of my hopes and dreams ripped from the clutches of my dry, weathered hands. My creativity stifled because you have to pay the bills.

So what I did instead, was to take the two weeks I had to do the assignment and drink, work, see Mumford & Sons (Fantastic show by the way!!!), work, go to other classes (really didn't want to, but I paid for them already), hang with friends, work, drink, work... You know, the vicious circle of life.

So now it comes down to you... to whether or not you're going to give me full credit for this post, or not.

 But then again, caring would probably be in the "rules" somewhere!

"Rules of the Road"

When I heard "Rules of the Road," this is what I thought of.

 And then Beth mentioned George Carlin, and I knew it was meant to be. 

There was lots of discussion about how we interrupt  rules and why we abide by them. Since the beginning of time, there have been rules that we abide by. Here is fire, keep it in under control. So they burnt down forests and cities. Here is the amazing machine called a car, keep it under 55mph and don't run it into other cars or walls. We all know how what happened after that! 

According to some random website, here are 9 of the most commonly broken laws:

(http://www.criminaljusticedegreesguide.com/uncategorized/9-most-frequently-broken-laws.html)

1. Speeding (SHOCKER!!!!)
2. Underage Drinking (WHAT???)
3. Smoking Weed (What's that smell and why am I so hungry?)
4. Pirating Music (Is this just a college list?)
5. Jaywalking (Is this really still a law?)
6. Littering (Should be punishable by death!)
7. Copyright Law (Apparently not the same as Pirating?!?!)
8. Cheating On Your Taxes (As does every good politician!)
9. Gravity... (I told you that this was a random ass website!)

I know that I have broken a couple of laws on that list... And the ones I haven't... I still might have!!!

One thing is for sure, no matter what the law is, someone, somewhere, will break it!