The Twilight Report

2005

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 20:23:00 GMT

2005 was supposed to be the year that Decepticon's attack Autobot City on earth (as chronicled in The Movie. I took this as a sign that it was time to quit my job at The Company and go back to school and study computer graphics and distributed computing and maybe one day get a job at Pixar. I still think even being a "lowly" system administrator at Pixar would be a fun job. Being a software developer for the rendering farm would be awesome.

Appropriately enough, last Thursday, the last Thursday of the year, I went to the MoMA with e and they had a special exhibit on the art of Pixar. Most of what they showed was models and sketches that were made before anything gets done on the computer. Seeing the artists' names and countries of origin clearly labeled by each piece, one is reminded that computer animation is not just a form of entertainment, but also an art form. It's fascinating to me, because I have always been passionately interested in the interaction of expression and technology.

Highlight had to be seeing the early sketches of the Edna "E" Mode character from The Incredibles, who has been my favorite Pixar character since I saw the movie because of her energy and humor. I had one of her quotations engraved on the back of my iPod to remind me that "I never look back; it distracts from the now." In the gallery e told me she was her favorite character, to which I responded, "really? Me too."

Anyway, 2005 is coming to and end, and Unicron never attacked Cybertron and as a result, the Decepticons were not driven off as was for told in The Movie, and I'm not going back to school, just yet, but I am on my way back to Australia. (many more words and things...)

Edith Keeler must die!

Mon, 26 Dec 2005 05:57:00 GMT

Merry Christmas everyone who celebrates thus, and for those of you who do not, Happy New Year. Happy Hanukkah; I see that it starts sundown on Christmas day this year.

I fly back to New York tomorrow. Nothing really happened while I was on vacation. I didn't even go skiing. This is in part because Don was feeling quite ill, although if I had been up to it myself I would have gone on my own.

I have one more week this year that I have to show up at work. I'd tell my boss that I am quitting, but since he won't be in next week it will have to wait until next year. Many people will be predictably absent. I get to be the sole developer on call for EinsTimer next week. Isn't that dandy.

Incidentally, how does one tell one's boss that one is quitting?

I don't know what I am doing for New Years Eve.

I looked at Sydney city maps and Australian rental sites to gage how much it will cost to live in Australia: So far I estimate more than Beacon, but not horribly so.

I am looking forward to going to the MoMA on Thursday with e.

I guess what I am saying is that I don't have anything to say.

I Cannot Be Hurt by Anything this Wicked World Has Done

Fri, 31 Dec 2004 13:13:00 GMT

What was 2004? It was a year of stolen and disputed elections in Georgia and the Ukraine, the rise and fall of Howard Dean and John Kerry, the first private space flight and the end of the "X-Prize," disaster in Darfur, prisoner abuse in Iraq, expansion of the European Union, the death of Ronald Regan and a month of flags at half mast, the return of Greek Olympics and a very smug presidential victory. In less political but tragic terms, the worst natural disaster in my memory has occurred in Asia as Tsunami death tolls top 135,000 according to CNN.com.

For me, the year started out as a bleak one in the coldest New York winter I have ever experienced. My mother came to visit me for her birthday. We stayed in Manhattan and it was bitterly cold.

Lowel and Johanna

I took a lighting class at Dutchess which was a blast. Some of my friends from Black and White II were taking the class and I met some other cool people. It was so much fun working with those people, including the teacher, Lowel Handler.

(Read more...)

In Short, 2004 was A Great Year and I have high hopes that 2005 will be even better.

Beware Pretty Farm Girls in Flying Houses

Mon, 29 Nov 2004 03:54:00 GMT

Robert Frank

I went into New York City today. Started out with the new Museum of Modern Art, now back in Manhattan after a short retreat in Queens. Excitedly went to the Photography gallery where they had all kinds of cool stuff, including many prints from Robert Frank's The Americans, and one of William Eggleston's prints from Guide. Overall, the museum was excellent. I will have to return when I have more time to visit it with greater scrutiny.

William Eggleston

We met mum's distant "relative" as defined by the fact that his mother has the same last name as my mother, had a very expensive lunch (thank goodness, The Company got us into the museum for free) and saw some of the paintings. They had a lot of Impressionists.

Idina Menzel

Then we went to see Wicked starring Idina Menzel and Jennifer Laura Thompson. This musical is The Wizard of Oz from the point of view of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, making her the heroine. Glinda's portal as a dumb blond is cliché, but forgivable, since the whole thing takes the story you know and turns it on its head. My mum left the theater saying it was very 1984, because she had recently read the book, though I corrected her by saying the term usually used is Orwellian.

The original story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Balm was overtly political. The movie adaptation The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland (of course) is not. It was kind of neat to see the producers of the musical inject some of the original themes of the story, although with very modern overtones.