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August 28, 2006
Where Have I Been All Your Life?
Once again, I am feeling neglectful of this blog. You might be saying to yourselves, "Why yes, that is true. You are one neglectful sonuvagun." So I'm tippedy-tapping away to ease my conscience. Classes have officially started at W.C., where I will be teaching digital imaging on wednesday nights. They are still setting up the lab and are trying to comfort me every step of the way by saying "You're breaking new ground here - there will be lots of things that go wrong, but that's because you're entering into unknown territory." I find it not comforting in the least. However, I'm not actually terribly worried (except for the minor problem that my students are going to have to draw straws for computers - we are three short at the moment) - I think the IT folks are pretty capable and so far have been very helpful and accomodating. I've certainly met much worse IT folks.
So, I've put together my syllabus, and figured out what the projects are going to be about, but haven't planned too far beyond my first class. I have to sort of see where people are, too. I find that in putting together my class plan, I am forced to take an ungodly number of screen shots. Perhaps I should have just taught from Classroom in a Book.
Anyway. The most drawing I've done recently was this:
...which I put as a header on my syllabus and various handouts. And, I mostly only drew it because my brain was going all woggly from trying to think about what kinds of projects I would be assigning, and I decided to kill some time playing with illustrator. It doesn't particularly make my handouts any more exciting.
We went to the all-campus picnic yesterday and hung out with the other folks in the department. It was nice. It's actually sort of funny and gratifying to realize that professors are just people. They get nervous before their first classes, they feel bad for not remembering people's names, they don't always know what they're doing, they have to go to the bathroom sometimes, etc. I remember once being in high school and seeing a teacher come out of a stall in the bathroom, and being like, "What are you doing here?" It hadn't occurred to me that they sometimes can't make it all the way down to the faculty lounge because they've really gotta go. So, that'll be me. If you see me coming out of the bathroom, yep, I did it. I'm not superhuman after all.
Posted by ribbu at 01:36 PM | Comments (1)
August 22, 2006
Since You Asked...
Well, now that the Times article has faded and dried and been forgotten in the minds of my great fandom, I have decided that it is okay to post the illustration here, since it no longer belongs to the Times, and now belongs to me again. I think. Correct me, please, if I am wrong.
Originally there was neither exit row sign nor window to the left - without them it was apparently not enough information to recognize it as "plane interior" though with them it is confusing as to what kind of pencil plane they are on, that only has three seats across (this Matthew, the stickler for detail, pointed out). It's all about the essence, I say. The woods for the trees and all that.
I am particularly fond of crabby crabcake to the right, who looks like she could burn down a house with that glare. I think she once was after me for not having exact change. But hey - it's not my problem if I want to save my quarters for the Garden State Parkway.
Posted by ribbu at 12:30 AM | Comments (1)
August 21, 2006
Baby Steps (by Matthew)
Robbi has been encouraging me to chime in here, as I've grown reticent in the face of her budding stardom. Remembering that this site was launched to promote both her illustration and my writing, I am considering a return to the fold.
I've never written a story about commercial airline travel, which seems to be the prevailing theme. Perhaps in reviving the furloughed muse I should set myself the challenge of writing about the airline industry?
I was sitting in a meeting the other day, not paying much attention, and was struck with an idea that I think might have some traction. The idea is little more than a title right now, but the title appeals to me and seems to hold potential grist. Before the idea molders and fades, as such ideas often do, I am stating my intention to develop the story called Theories of Ted. Can you see it?
This, in addition to my stagnant opus about one man's love of Laura Ingalls Wilder, will be in the hopper some two weeks from now when I am once again a free man. Will stepping away from the 9 to 5 deliver the literary bliss I imagine? Time will tell. But you heard it here first: Theories of Ted. Can you see it?
Posted by bogenamp at 07:27 PM | Comments (1)
August 17, 2006
Miz Tracy
Today I went to the doctor. I hadn't been in a while, but my real-world health insurance is running out, so I thought I'd better make the most of it before the joys of freelancing and skimping on health care. The nurse who tended to me was named Miz Tracy. In the course of our whirlwind 5-minutes-at-most interaction, she called me all of the following: Miz Robbi, sweetie, sweetheart, lovebug, darlin', baby, baby girl, sugar, and - best of all - littlebutt.
I love Miz Tracy.
Posted by ribbu at 08:25 PM
August 09, 2006
Me Linky!
Oh, btw, I don't know if you need a loging, but the NYT article is here. If you don't feel like reading the article, the basic upshot of it all is that money buys everything.
Posted by ribbu at 01:13 PM
It's been too long...
See, the problem with blogs is that if you don't stay on top of things, you start feeling guilty.
That's me, right now.
Guilty as sin.
So, I thought I'd check in with everyone and let you know that the NYT deal went off without a hitch, was printed in dazzling newsprint color, and was generally pleasing to my eye. Those of you who aren't just weird spying people, but who actually know me will know that this is the closest I will come to actually saying, "I liked it, and damn, it looked fine!" (Ok, it wasn't that great, but I am content.) Of course I forgot to let everyone know that the thing was being printed - I was so excited about actually getting the job that I forgot that it doesn't all end once it's approved and out of my hands. So, sorry about that.
I don't have any drawings for you at the moment because I have been suckered back into going back to work to help out for the week. So, I'm only doing boring align left, align right, rerag, soft return, all small caps, space before, space after, tab tab tab, track 10, kern 18 (not really), etc etc etc. I think someone should make a song out of that, that I could sing to my baby, if I had one.
Okay, okay. So I do have a drawing. I am currently in a work lull (no thanks to matthew, who has been throwing projects at me all day long), so I thought it would only be appropriate to do another right-handed drawing (that's what I do at work, you see). Since I was just talking about singing to my baby, if I had one, I thought of a little poem that used to be read to us as kids that used to scare the bejeesus out of us: Wee Willie Winkie. I only actually remember the first part of the poem, but even that was scary, because our parents convinced us that Wee Willie Winkie lived in our cellar. If they wanted us to get in bed, they would just act like they were getting ready to open the cellar door, and we would run screaming. This Wee Willie ended up looking a bit like Gargamel, but don't all the bad guys really look alike?
Posted by ribbu at 10:37 AM | Comments (2)