How often is too often?

I began this whole blogging endeavor with somewhat of a pessimistic attitude. I won't lie, I figured I would blog once, maybe a couple more times and get bored. So far I have posted four...well now five times and I think that maybe I'm blogging too often. I posted on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Is this bad? Unhealthy? Just a way to feed my thirst for a bigger and bigger number on that view counter? ...Maybe.

Don't judge. I greatly appreciate the 100+ views after only four posts. This blog is what's going to get me through the week without hurting someone. And I guess that maybe I'm enjoying it a little, the blogging that is. Just a little though.

Alrighty, I understand its only halfway through the day but I have quite a few things to say. Then its off to debate my first Lincoln-Douglas debate. Ever. Thank goodness its just practice, otherwise I might cry. Maybe not cry, but panic definitely. I have a reasonably decent case. I think. Anywho, I'm getting sidetracked.

First off. I need to rant for just a second. About people. People that I put up with 4 sometimes 5 days out of the week. These aren't specific people necessarily. Just those people....you know? The ones who talk about movies, "oh man Bill and Ted, that movie is sooooo  old." Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? It was made in the 80's. Is that old these days? Or think that its appropriate to publicly converse about the "bangover" you incurred this weekend....Hmmmm I wonder how one acquires such a thing. These are the same type of people whom you see in a different class. They seem to find it necessary to loudly analyze the Jabberwok poem from Alice in Wonderland competitively, speaking over one another as if its some sort of attention getting pissing contest. For the people like that, I have this to say to you: Go away. You bother me.

Next on the list of things to furiously type before class are the nice, new little additions to the page. You may have even noticed them already. On the left hand side I have added and intriguing little poll for you to take part in if you like. For those of you reading from Facebook, I hope you can partake...if not, I'm sorry. Over on the right hand side I have added something that I'm going to be switching up once and a while, and that's an image of some of my typography work! Bam! I'm kind of excited about this little bit if you couldn't tell. This may evolve into works from different areas, but for now it shall be typography. Comment on it, appreciate it, you know those sort of things.

So as I finish up, typing not so furiously (I never really was just so you know) I'm hoping that my week gets better from here, that your week is going well, and that you guys keep this whole reading thing up. It's awesome!

Feeding the fish

So it's bedtime, but I don't want to go to bed.  Not yet.  I don't have anything that I'm working on, or really a reason as to why I don't want to go to bed, even though I'm pooped.  In all of this I find myself just aimlessly killing time, feeding my fish.

Because I know you find yourself pondering what kind of fish this may be, or where does she keep this fish. Well there's about 8 of them I think...maybe 10.  I'm not exactly sure right this second.  The point is, you can feed them, and they follow your mouse.  Silly little fishes.  Just click your mouse to drop them food and I imagine they'll love you forever.

Whoa.

So I was sitting here in my sad little chair, gazing at my pitiful little blog and I noticed...HOLY SHIT!! My blog has 62 views! This was the high point of my day. I say that rather begrudgingly, but it made me smile for a second. It also made me realize that I needed to compose another blog.

Today has been, well, a Monday. Really though, it was Monday. All together it hasn't been a bad  day necessarily, just not the best day I've had in a while. It happens, I know. I would like to say that it could have been those around me that ruined my day. I could lay blame on that annoying person in class, or that so and so who cut me off (no one really cut me off, I'm just using general examples) and say that my piss poor mood and possibly piss poor attitude was due to them, but I won't.

I'll admit it, I probably have a lot to do with this poor attitude and disposition. I just hope that it's adjusted itself magically by morning, I don't find too much enjoyment in being grumpy.

Thank you for the 62 views.

Typography, debate, and music for the soul

Nothing gets my brain going at 9 o'clock in the morning, sometimes earlier, than some typography.  Now I say typography and you think...letters...wow....cool.  But this  is about so much more than letters. This is about letterform.  There's just something about those ascenders, descenders, eyes, crotches, loops, and links that I can't get over.  Letter form presents such a challenge.  Especially in the typographical realm.  A challenge?  You may find yourself pondering that this very second.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  The challenge is in problem solving.  Its in taking letterform and abstracting it, or organizing it, or presenting it in a manner that speaks to the viewer.  Whether as a font specimen, an event poster, or simply a work of art its a challenge to take a predetermined form or several of them and create a strong, interesting composition.

The two pieces above were completed for my typography class.  The goal of the assignment was to first take a singular letterform (bottom) and a letter and a number (top) and abstract them or arrange them in such a manner that you created an artistic composition.  The one on the bottom is on of my favorites.  The second I saw the leg on that k, I had to have it.  And the top one, it reminds me of the Bauhaus which happens to be one of my favorite artistic movements/schools.  I feel as though I was rather successful in solving the problem, as were a number of my classmates.  Its great to see so many succeeding and developing as artists.  Its the best part of wakin up.

So I know that I'm long winded in the blogs, but I like to talk and I have a lot to say. Deal.  On that note, let's make a transition into debate.  So currently I'm preparing for some hardcore Lincoln-Douglas debate at the national meet in a week and a half.  Connecticut here I come, hope I'm ready.  The topic deals with provisions the USFG provides for the chronically mentally ill.  Let me tell you something about this, it makes me want to break things sometimes.  Not really, it just frustrates me.  Today, however, after a great run through and series of revelations with my POI, Jessica Hurless and I dove into some intense discussion on the topic and a case I've begun work on.  Notice intense is bold......that's because it got heated, almost.  Not like angry heated, but our voices were definitely above what one would normally expect to hear during a meeting between an instructor and student.  This has been some of the most helpful discussion I've had, and after getting over being slightly agitated about it.  The revelations kept coming.  I'll take a good argument any day, thank you for that Jessica.

I know I don't have to tell you this, but damn can life get stressful or what?  Sheesh, some days I can just feel like I may fall apart into tears for no reason and others I bite everyones head off.  (This is not PMS, it is stress.  I promise.)  It those days that I have addict like cravings.  But not for any sort of drug.  For music.  Ahhhhhhhhh music.  I've always found something calming about music.  Not just calming though.  Music can be motivating, soothing, comforting, empowering and so many other things.  I suppose its unfair to say that I only crave music on certain days.  It really is every day.  I truly is my belief that music and medicine are indeed one and the same.

With that I would just like to clarify one thing.  Its not just music that's for the soul, at least not for me.  This is easy to see through these passages.  Typography, debate, and music are all food for my soul.

Setting up the stage.

Alright so as you can obviously see this is thee first of many blogs.  Well at least I hope it will be the first of many.  Anyhow, it is because of this that I feel as though its appropriate to simply begin to set the stage if you will.  This is a time to get the readers....reader....myself ready for what it is that will be viewed in this blog.  So to start off lets set some ground rules shall we.

1. Some of the content may offend you. I am not sorry if it does, it happens.
2. What is said is open for arguement. All of it. I love to argue.
3. If you must argue, don't be silly, make good arguement.
4. What you say in comment is also open for arguement by anyone.
5. Don't take my opinions and view points personally, please.

I think thats enough for now. I may add some, seeing as how I sometimes like to make things up as I go (I got that from my mom) hahaha I love you mom. I will do my best to edit out, hold back, or whatever on the curse words.  Honestly, though, I don't have a problem with them and from what I've gathered neither do my peers.  So you may have to live with my foul mouth just as they do.

So let's actually do some for real bloggin here...what to talk about what to talk about? Hmmmmmmmmmmm...........
Oh!!!!! Alright I got this.

So while I was home for spring break I worked at Target (where I work every time I come home) and one particular afternoon an elderly woman came in and ordered a snack.  She was then joined by her daughter and her young son.  It happened to be Saint Patrick's Day and I overheard a tiny bit of their conversation.  This is how it went:
Mom: See this green on my sweater? What your father doesn't know is that even if I take this off I'm still wearing green. (leans in and says quietly) It's on my undershorts. hahahaha.
I had to go to the back so I could laugh.  I simply could not hold it in.  As I made for the back room I could hear the younger woman, "Gross mom!"  It was classic.  And mind you her mother was well into her 60s.  Just picture that for a second.  The first thing I thought after I got over the laughs was that I cannot wait until I can embarrass MY kids like that.  Now, I don't currently have children, nor do I plan on having any for a while.  My mother, however, it seems does this on a regular basis.  Whether we're out in public or just at home having dinner she can ALWAYS find something to try to embarrass me about.  Notice I said try.  I try to be quick and either play the embarrassment way way down, change the subject, or do something else witty to sidestep the embarrassment.  Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.  Either way it does put a smile to my face, and I can definitely tell that my mom gets a kick out of embarrassing us kids.  When I have my own it'll just be so........exciting knowing that I have the power to, at any given moment, turn one of my adolescent children into blushing embarrasment with just a few words.  Now, you may be thinking "wow she's sick,"  but no, I am not.  Your parents have to clean up your poop, puke, boogers, blood, toys, clothes, etc. I feel like after all of that they've earned the right to be embarrassing or cause it.