second term break

This break has started out with some good energy.

Friday after sleeping for 6 hours after my last class, after pulling an all nighter that lasted 30 something odd hours, it was time to party. Jesse, Bianca, Joanne and I headed on over to Ed, Dante and John's house. Good time and good pics.


Jesse acting weird



After the party we made a run to La Estrella for some Mexican food.





On Saturday night I went over to Bianca's house and drank some wine with her and Joanne while watching Pulp Fiction. Bianca had never seen an unedited version so it was a must watch.

Sunday started off with going to Ikea. I needed to get a summer duvet cover. Yeah, yeah, yeah, summer is almost over but school prevented me from getting one sooner. Besides if Sept. is the hottest month down in SD I can imagine how hot it will get up here below the mountains. Pics of that to come later.

Then later on we went over to Parkwood House for Victoria's birthday.







Monday was a lazy day to recover from the term and the parties. Tuesday was cleaning day. The house is immaculate although it doesn't get that dirty. Everyone always says this place looks pretty clean for two guys living here. Since the house was clean I thought it was time to take a look at our place now that its pretty much settled.


front of our building in the back of the complex. We share no walls but do live under another apt.


after entering the front door




our workspace and my book shelves


our entertaining area


workspace view with our outside patio


our patio turned spray mount booth


inside the kitchen. our waiting room where we seat clients...nothing but the best



looking back the other way


from kitchen to our rooms


jesses room straight ahead


jesse's room to the left and hallway back to living room


bathroom


my room with new duvet cover'


and finally my desk

I am going down to SD for the weekend to see some friends. I Can't wait it's been too long. Now its time to end this blog and catch up on some Stern shows. I am a week behind.

week 14

one post. one post. thats it. this term has one big slackfest. this blog is proof of that. the term is almost over. five classes left, four days and four final projects that are due. I didn't think I would make it through this week, but I somehow made it.

here are some photos taken over the term to just give a taste of what I have been up to.

back in the swing of things: week two

School is back in session. Term two is already into it's second week. Bear with me because this post is going to be all over the place. It's Monday at about 3:30 and I didn't do any homework all weekend long at least nothing substantial. I just can't get into the swing of things. Hopefully updating this blog will get me on the right track.

My schedule is set. Things were up in the air until late in the week. I have the following classes


Monday : No School
Tuesday : Photoshop 1
Wednesday : GD 1/Comm D3
Thursday : Design Matters/TDS/AGS 2
Motion 1
Friday : Type 3
Saturday : No School

Photoshop 1
This course provides part 1 of 2 courses provided to teach students the basic functions, operations, and applications of Adobe Photoshop CS2. In this course, students will learn image manipulation, preparation, and processing for utilization in print and electronic output; Photoshop workspace, palate, and preferences; scanning and printing images; saving files in varied formats; use of removable media; color correction and monitor calibration; image size manipulation and basic filters.

Graphic Design 1
Armed with the basic design processes learned in Foundation courses, students gain increasing confidence with ideation and problem solving while being introduced to issues of essential thinking, format establishment, and maintenance, and sequential organization.

Design Matters/TDS/AGS 2
The overall intent and direction of each of the sections of this trio of courses is determined by the instructors who teach them. They, individually, bring different professional interests, experiences, and areas of expertise to each section. However, students can be assured that, as a group, all of these instructors are able to inform, direct, and mentor in a wide range of subject areas. While some instructors may take the traditional role of ?teacher?, others may prefer to act as design director, giving students a professional design office experience.

This is a generic description. Since the class is different every time because of the subject matter. Here is the real description.

Designmatters: Disarmament Trans-Discipliary Studio project – TH8-1 WHAT: Create public awareness and subsequently media attention through provocative and successful campaigns catered to the future generation of small gun owners. HOW: A public exercise that will prove to yourself, as well as the world you live in, that as a group of young, smart and creative communicators, you have the power to develop a poignant intervention with wide reach. Little funding can have a big impact, as we can learn from the past, and this will be your chance to create real-world impact that has the power to save lives. You will create a provocative campaign, that can take on any shape or form of media, may it be a public installation or a viral interactive campaign. The intervention will launch and/or take place in Mexico City during the 62nd Annual DPI/NGO Conference in September this year and should live on thereafter as a campaign, via media coverage and in the minds of 10-13 year olds that find themselves at a pre-puberty turning point where they are the most likely to put a gun in their hands for the first time. The concept and final form of the approaches of the 4 ACCD teams (3-4 students each) will be based on rigorous research between CENTRO and ACCD students on successful past campaigns and interventions as well as the subject matter at hand. As a Designmatters initiative, this TDS will feature many guest speakers and critiques, a research trip to Mexico City for 4 Team Members as well as frequent cross-cultural thought exchange between the Communication dept. of one of Mexico’s top design schools, CENTRO, who will also have a student/faculty team working out of the same brief in Mexico. The top projects will be selected for implementation throughout key public venues in Mexico City Sept. 9 to 11, during the global meeting of NGOs associated with the United Nations Dept. of Public Information.

Motion Design 1
There wasn't a description listed for the class. For my non GD people. The easiest way to describe this class it movie titles, the movement of type or graphic images. Think James Bond opening montage are things I will learn in this class.

Typography 3
Type 3 asks students to apply what they have learned in Type 2 to particular contexts, allowing the individual nature of the project content and audience to start influencing and determining their typographic choices.


I am really stoked about all my classes. The Design Matters/TDS/AGS 2 I had to apply for. I was kinda on the fence about it but I applied anyways. I was worried I might not be ready for it but I am Art Center to be challenged. Anyways I found out I got in a couple days before school started up and that kinda messed up my schedule. I wasn't able to take Type 2 like I wanted to and had to "settle" for Type 3. Even that class I wasn't able to get into until the day before it started. I was glad I was able to get in because I didn't want to be in third term without having taken a single type class.

This post has gone far enough without some pics.Oh I can talk about my glasses.




The ones I got are in the middle. Spent a pretty penny but they are totally worth it. The are made by IC Berlin. Really cool design and construction. IC Berlin is a German Co.Most of their frames are metal but these are plastic with metal arms. After my last pair I had to raise the bar and that was hard to do. I had seen them before but didn't know anything about them until a friend at school put me on to them. I ordered them last week and they should be ready any day now. These are getting a dark tint on them. Eventually I will get new regular glasses since I now have a new prescription. I have had my old glasses for about 4-5 years now.

The last week of break I went back down to sd to hang for a couple days. I got to see most of my friends which was nice. Went to Cj and Di's place to watch the Pacquiao v Hatton fight. I of course took lots of pics of Caiden. I really want the 5D after looking at these pics of Caiden. Hmmm maybe I can make that happen soon.



I had to make a stop at the ocean. It bugs me living so far away from the water. I think its like a 30-45 min drive from Pasadena to the ocean. Anyways I hung out at Sunset Cliffs for a little while one night.




Then I went to a lil kickback at the parkwood boys place.



I have to say that I really am loving the Blue Moon seasonal beer Honey Moon. It's so good. Go get some if you haven't already.



until next time...

spring break

My last class was Thursday April 16th. I took the weekend to relax and do a lot of nothing. Then on Monday the 20th I headed down to San Diego. I was down there until Wednesday before I headed back to Pasadena. The trip was short but I intended it to be long enough to spend some time with my family. Then on Thursday the 23rd I drove up to the the Bay Area.




I love taking pics of the sky and clouds

I spent the night at my friend Dianica's parents house in Danville which is about 45 mins South East of San Francisco. Then on Friday with CJ, his wife Dianica, Geoff and his wife Amanda we headed up to Napa for some wine tasting.


geoff, amanda and cj

We went via limo to Duckhorn, Frog's Leap, Cakebread and Sequoia Grove because who wants to be a dd in Napa? Each place was different and we had lots of fun was had as you can imagine.




cakebread








geoff, cj and me


After dinner some friends joined us that are in the Coast Gaurd and stationed up in the Bay. Jason and Resse who happen to be brothers came to our hotel and hung out. On Saturday we drove back down to Danville. Di's parents held a bbq for Di's sister and Dad's birthday. Then Around 9:30 Jason, Reese and I went into the city to spend the rest of the weekend. I had found a cheep hotel on Powell St in SF. It was clean but not the best hotel. It was decent but I wouldn't stay there again. The room was small and the beds were even smaller. We didn't do too much in SF to mention but we had a good time. We did go to MOMA which I didn't get to do last time I was in SF. Lots of cool stuff like jackson pollock, duchamp, dali, kahlo, rivera, aicher and albers. I also spent way too much on books but they were totally worth it.










these pics are at angles because the glare of the cheap glass. oh and they had videos of people wearing these masks playing. they looked pretty creepy and I couldn't resist taking pics.


me and caiden (dianica and cj's son) chillin


Lombard St at night and no tourists!




entrance to chinatown?

On Monday I headed out of the City taking the 101 down to Gilroy which is just South of San Jose. That is where Jesse, my roommate, is from. He went home and I decided to stop by. I spent the night there and on Tuesday continued down the coast. If I had more time I would have liked to take the 1 down from San Jose but I wanted to get back to Pasadena by Tuesday early evening. I did however cut over to the 1 so that I could drive down the coast for a little while. The coast was beautiful and I definitely need to do this drive again.


this rock reminded me of the rock in the goonies