Like the post title says....Today is/was gorgeous outside. Clear and bright.
I spent most of my day 'dedicated' to researching online scholarships and applying for at least some of them. The short version is that while checking one of my email accounts early this morning I saw a posting from Fastweb.com and as I had not checked in there for some while I took the time to do so today. And then checking in there led me to check in at ScholarshipPoints.com and Cappex.com and......well, you see how things branched out. I still need to go back and work on some essays for a variety of online scholarships. Thankfully, most of them have June deadlines so......yep.
That's really all I have at the moment. However since I am attempting to be more dilligent about this blog than I had been I felt I should post something. After all, an entire semester without any updates? Sad and shameful. Really.
So......more later.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
A Bit Of Bitterness......Some Ramblings....Some Synchronicity.....And A Bit Of Panic.
It's Memorial Day weekend.
I have noticed that, for many years, I have gotten a bit weird mood-wise around this time of year. And I strongly suspect that it has to do with the whole 'would have been an anniversary' mindset that creeps up on me once in awhile. For any keeping track: 30 years as of 05/22. Would have been. Sigh. Plus this is also the time of year that the ex and I always (well, for at least a couple of years...) visited WDW. And I kind of miss WDW the last little while.....
That out of the way, there are other things that have me a bit rattled today. Mostly it has to do with the fact that I still can't seem to let go of some bitterness about the Palmer gig. And I blame myself, at least in part, for the situation. If I had been more.....selfish might be the word......then I would have just gone ahead and submitted resumes for gigs, even though I had a verbal agreement with the Palmer folks. But my conscience said "Hey....you already have agreed to do a job elsewhere...It would not be 'right' to still apply to other places, even if you don't have a paper contract or LOA in hand yet.....". So I didn't. Heavy sigh. And now I am scrambling for a Summer gig. Still hoping that the one place who has replied recently will continue considering me. Of course, with their build(s) starting on June 26th for a July 10th opening, they probably are not in a huge hurry and I probably will not hear anything back from them before the middle to end of this week (especially with the holiday weekend).
Another part of the 'rattled-ness" is concern about getting all my classes out of the way so that I can graduate in the Spring of 2013. I'm pretty nervous about the situation, since I really want to start grad school in the Fall of 2013. Of course it MIGHT be feasible, depending on the school, for me to start in January 2014.....BUT that might (probably would) impact TA possibilities and the resulting tuition issues.....So there is that concern. And there are some schools that only allow admission in the Fall. And some, like UI:U-C, only admit every other year. And 2013 is not a year they will be admitting for. But then UI:U-C, while on my list, is not the primary school I want. As of this moment, that school is still University of Kansas at Lawrence.
And speaking of KU (as the abbreviation apparently goes)....It's time to discuss some synchronicity. Going in, I fully understand the concept of 'post hoc ergo propter hoc.' However, the following occurrences recently are just too noteworthy to ignore. At least, they are noteworthy to me.....So here goes:
Starting awhile ago (maybe a few weeks(?)) I noticed that I was getting a tremendous amount of pop up ads showing up. And it was on all sorts of pages (YouTube videos, Imgur image pages, etc...). And the pop up ads in question were dealing with KU. Now admittedly, the web browser I use is a PortableApp version of Firefox and I carry it everywhere. And so the fact that I might have, at some point, done a web-search for something related to KU while using it is not just high but it is an absolute certainty. And I admittedly do not recall the last time I purged my search history from this particular browser. The fact that the ads show up on any computer I am using (the ones at the 23 Hour Lab, the ones at the Bunnel Computer Lab, or my own laptop) just seems like a little reminder of my goal. Even if it's just due to a prior search it's interesting since it serves as a 'goad' to keep me at least partly on track. And then there was a bit of strange dream realted-ness that happened today. I had a sort of sci-fi dream about a set of martial arts students and their encounter with an intelligent, human sized wasp type creature. I mentioned this dream on Facebook and someone piped up with a reference to the anime FLCL and the character of Haruko Haruhara. In the anime the character rides a Vespa and is referred to as 'The Wasp Woman'. Now here is the thing: in the English language dub the character is voiced by an actress named Kari Wahlgren, who has done a whole bunch of voice over work. Keep her in mind. Move forward to this afternoon, when I have gotten a bit of a 'wild hair' and am doing some further online research about KU. I end up, rather circuitously, looking at a page detailing various scholarships for the theatre department. And surprisingly one of those scholarships is named The Kari Wahlgren Theatre Scholarship. For which both undergrads and graduate students are eligible. And yes, it apparently is the same Kari Wahlgren. She is listed on her Wikipedia page as being a KU alumni........Something that, even though I have looked at her page previously (while looking up some anime related stuff) I don't recall having noticed. And I don't recall having noticed the mention of the scholarship on the KU website previously either. Of course, most of my focus there has, at least till recently, been specifically on the MFA - Scenography page(s). So I could have missed it or forgotten it. Like I said, 'post hoc ergo propter hoc'.....I know.
Oh....One last synchronicity thing: I came across a video about the MFA program on the KU Scenography page. And I didn't recall watching it previously. So I did. And one of the MFA students that was interviewed was an non-traditional, older, been in the world sort of guy. Kind of like me. I have to say that it struck a bit of a chord. Here is the vid in question.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nKpk28HZsU
So....Yeah.
The panic mentioned in the subject line? Oh. THAT. Well, in the main I have addressed a big part of that above when I talked about classes and getting my graduation accomplished by the deadline I wanted. And another part of the panic is just my worry about my portfolio and having enough stuff in it to get admitted. I know that I'll have four realized scenic designs (Honest Abe! - The Cavern Of Crete - The Messenger - The Veldt) and several lighting designs (various from my UI:U-C era (Bleacher Bums - Getting Right Behind Something Like That) as well as some later ones (Winnie The Pooh - Picasso At The Lapin Agile - Winter Shorts 2011 - Leading Ladies) and potentially The Diary Of Anne Frank, all though IF I get to design that one it does not open until after I have to have submitted things to KU for a Fall 2013 admission so......shrug). And I'll have some class related costume renderings and other paper/conceptual projects included as well...But I still worry about both quantity and quality. I really want this. Just as I really wanted to come back to school for my Bachelors degree. That's part of why I want so badly to get one of the scenic design gigs I've applied for.....Especially the one in NH. Where I would be the resident designer for a full season of 4 musicals. It would be a potentially awesome portfolio opportunity.......And, again, heavy sigh.
Wow.
That was a bit of a ramble again wasn't it?
Time to put your tray tables back into their upright and locked positions. This wild ride is done. More later.
I have noticed that, for many years, I have gotten a bit weird mood-wise around this time of year. And I strongly suspect that it has to do with the whole 'would have been an anniversary' mindset that creeps up on me once in awhile. For any keeping track: 30 years as of 05/22. Would have been. Sigh. Plus this is also the time of year that the ex and I always (well, for at least a couple of years...) visited WDW. And I kind of miss WDW the last little while.....
That out of the way, there are other things that have me a bit rattled today. Mostly it has to do with the fact that I still can't seem to let go of some bitterness about the Palmer gig. And I blame myself, at least in part, for the situation. If I had been more.....selfish might be the word......then I would have just gone ahead and submitted resumes for gigs, even though I had a verbal agreement with the Palmer folks. But my conscience said "Hey....you already have agreed to do a job elsewhere...It would not be 'right' to still apply to other places, even if you don't have a paper contract or LOA in hand yet.....". So I didn't. Heavy sigh. And now I am scrambling for a Summer gig. Still hoping that the one place who has replied recently will continue considering me. Of course, with their build(s) starting on June 26th for a July 10th opening, they probably are not in a huge hurry and I probably will not hear anything back from them before the middle to end of this week (especially with the holiday weekend).
Another part of the 'rattled-ness" is concern about getting all my classes out of the way so that I can graduate in the Spring of 2013. I'm pretty nervous about the situation, since I really want to start grad school in the Fall of 2013. Of course it MIGHT be feasible, depending on the school, for me to start in January 2014.....BUT that might (probably would) impact TA possibilities and the resulting tuition issues.....So there is that concern. And there are some schools that only allow admission in the Fall. And some, like UI:U-C, only admit every other year. And 2013 is not a year they will be admitting for. But then UI:U-C, while on my list, is not the primary school I want. As of this moment, that school is still University of Kansas at Lawrence.
And speaking of KU (as the abbreviation apparently goes)....It's time to discuss some synchronicity. Going in, I fully understand the concept of 'post hoc ergo propter hoc.' However, the following occurrences recently are just too noteworthy to ignore. At least, they are noteworthy to me.....So here goes:
Starting awhile ago (maybe a few weeks(?)) I noticed that I was getting a tremendous amount of pop up ads showing up. And it was on all sorts of pages (YouTube videos, Imgur image pages, etc...). And the pop up ads in question were dealing with KU. Now admittedly, the web browser I use is a PortableApp version of Firefox and I carry it everywhere. And so the fact that I might have, at some point, done a web-search for something related to KU while using it is not just high but it is an absolute certainty. And I admittedly do not recall the last time I purged my search history from this particular browser. The fact that the ads show up on any computer I am using (the ones at the 23 Hour Lab, the ones at the Bunnel Computer Lab, or my own laptop) just seems like a little reminder of my goal. Even if it's just due to a prior search it's interesting since it serves as a 'goad' to keep me at least partly on track. And then there was a bit of strange dream realted-ness that happened today. I had a sort of sci-fi dream about a set of martial arts students and their encounter with an intelligent, human sized wasp type creature. I mentioned this dream on Facebook and someone piped up with a reference to the anime FLCL and the character of Haruko Haruhara. In the anime the character rides a Vespa and is referred to as 'The Wasp Woman'. Now here is the thing: in the English language dub the character is voiced by an actress named Kari Wahlgren, who has done a whole bunch of voice over work. Keep her in mind. Move forward to this afternoon, when I have gotten a bit of a 'wild hair' and am doing some further online research about KU. I end up, rather circuitously, looking at a page detailing various scholarships for the theatre department. And surprisingly one of those scholarships is named The Kari Wahlgren Theatre Scholarship. For which both undergrads and graduate students are eligible. And yes, it apparently is the same Kari Wahlgren. She is listed on her Wikipedia page as being a KU alumni........Something that, even though I have looked at her page previously (while looking up some anime related stuff) I don't recall having noticed. And I don't recall having noticed the mention of the scholarship on the KU website previously either. Of course, most of my focus there has, at least till recently, been specifically on the MFA - Scenography page(s). So I could have missed it or forgotten it. Like I said, 'post hoc ergo propter hoc'.....I know.
Oh....One last synchronicity thing: I came across a video about the MFA program on the KU Scenography page. And I didn't recall watching it previously. So I did. And one of the MFA students that was interviewed was an non-traditional, older, been in the world sort of guy. Kind of like me. I have to say that it struck a bit of a chord. Here is the vid in question.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nKpk28HZsU
So....Yeah.
The panic mentioned in the subject line? Oh. THAT. Well, in the main I have addressed a big part of that above when I talked about classes and getting my graduation accomplished by the deadline I wanted. And another part of the panic is just my worry about my portfolio and having enough stuff in it to get admitted. I know that I'll have four realized scenic designs (Honest Abe! - The Cavern Of Crete - The Messenger - The Veldt) and several lighting designs (various from my UI:U-C era (Bleacher Bums - Getting Right Behind Something Like That) as well as some later ones (Winnie The Pooh - Picasso At The Lapin Agile - Winter Shorts 2011 - Leading Ladies) and potentially The Diary Of Anne Frank, all though IF I get to design that one it does not open until after I have to have submitted things to KU for a Fall 2013 admission so......shrug). And I'll have some class related costume renderings and other paper/conceptual projects included as well...But I still worry about both quantity and quality. I really want this. Just as I really wanted to come back to school for my Bachelors degree. That's part of why I want so badly to get one of the scenic design gigs I've applied for.....Especially the one in NH. Where I would be the resident designer for a full season of 4 musicals. It would be a potentially awesome portfolio opportunity.......And, again, heavy sigh.
Wow.
That was a bit of a ramble again wasn't it?
Time to put your tray tables back into their upright and locked positions. This wild ride is done. More later.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Why Am I In The Mood I Am In? (WARNING: Long-ish And Rambling)
First just some housekeeping:
It is now after the end of the Spring 2012 semester here at UAF. The calendar date is May 23, 2012. It has been roughly an entire semester since my last major post. Sigh.
That said, here is some update/news:
First, let's start at the end - grade-wise the Spring semester has turned out pretty okay. The current tally is as follows:
ART 262 - History Of World Art (~1300 to contemporary) : A-
(I blew the last test....and screwed my average)
CUMULATIVE: 3.064 (current, before HIST 100x grade included)
It is now after the end of the Spring 2012 semester here at UAF. The calendar date is May 23, 2012. It has been roughly an entire semester since my last major post. Sigh.
That said, here is some update/news:
First, let's start at the end - grade-wise the Spring semester has turned out pretty okay. The current tally is as follows:
ART 262 - History Of World Art (~1300 to contemporary) : A-
(I blew the last test....and screwed my average)
FLM 427 Studies in Film: Film Noir And Neo-Noir
PHIL 322x Ethics
THR 235 The Collaborative Process
THR 291 Audition or Portfolio Review Participation P (it's pass/fail)
PHIL 322x Ethics
THR 235 The Collaborative Process
THR 291 Audition or Portfolio Review Participation P (it's pass/fail)
and
HIST 100x Modern World History
HIST 100x Modern World History
The reason behind the grade in HIST 100x is (short version) that I blew the last test and my prof has offered me a chance to submit a paper and punch up my average back towards the B+ level it was prior to the exam. He has even implied that, should I do well enough on the paper that I might pull something better than a B+ out of the class.....maybe.
As for prior grades, I missed a deadline and screwed myself on another course from last Spring so that is now one of the two F grades I have received since returning to school. But even with that and with the current Incomplete in HIST I still have a 3.06 cumulative GPA (not Deans List but.....) and a 3.92 GPA for the current semester which (once the Incomplete is dealt with) MIGHT just get me on the Deans List, if only for the Spring 2012 semester.
So the GPA's per semester have been:
Fall 2010 (1st semester back): 3.42
Spring 2011: 2.14 (adjusted for the 'uncompleted incomplete' - OUCH!!)
Fall 2011: 3.00
Spring 2012: 3.92 (current, before HIST 100x grade included)
CUMULATIVE: 3.064 (current, before HIST 100x grade included)
So I am still in the running to have a 3.0 (or better.....hopefully better) GPA for when I apply to grad schools. Since most (all?) of the schools I am looking at have a cumulative GPA requirement of 3.0 (minimum). There have been some I have seen that say that you have to have a 3.0 for each semester for (at least) the four semesters leading up to admission. If that is the case I might be screwed for applying to those schools due to the Spring 2011 debacle. BUT the school that is my current "primary"(University of Kansas at Lawrence) only has the cumulative 3.0 standard for admission to their MFA scenography program. At least, that's the departments standard. I still need to make sure that the Graduate School itself doesn't have something different......but I doubt it.
On the subject of grad schools: I had a list of about 6-8 that I was really focused on. Sadly, that list and it's affiliated research seems to have up and vanished. It's probably on my old laptop, which suffered a variety of issues (including the loss of several papers) during the last semester or two necessitating my replacing it (or at least adding in a better, newer one to my mixture of technology). So I don't have ALL the info to post here BUT here is the list as I can currently recall it:
"Primary":
University of Kansas at Lawrence
"Secondaries":
University of Iowa
University of IL: Urbana-Champaign
"Tertiaries":
City University of New York: Brooklyn
University of Texas at Austin
University of Florida: Gainsville
Yale
Temple
The breakdown between "primaries", "secondaries", and "tertiaries" is not based on the quality of the programs but rather my feeling (as of this moment) as to my ability to "fit" at the school in question.What I am looking for is a school that will work with my aspirations as a scenographer. Which is why UK: L is at the top of the list. Because that is the only type of design MFA they offer - an MFA in Scenography. And, I have to admit that as far as some of the schools go there is a component of location involved with some (eg: CUNY: Brooklyn....etc), as well as some faculty connections with others (eg: the UT: A scenic design contact for portfolio submissions is listed as Richard Isackes, who was one of my professors when I was at UI:U-C in the 1980's....etc). It's important to me to admit these reasons upfront, so that when/if I do go and tour the school(s) I'll be able to (hopefully) see things clearly.
I'll probably post more on just grad school stuff later in another entry.....eventually. BUT until then I would be VERY grateful for any suggestions, comments, etc from those who have them regarding schools, my planning, etc......Really. I could use insights from those who have gone through the process. Thanks!
Getting back to the "here and now"......
Did two lighting designs for Fairbanks Drama Association this Spring. I think I previously mentioned Picasso At The Lapin Agile. And then, most recently, Leading Ladies. And during Leading Ladies I was approached by one of the directors for next season who said she wanted to 'pencil me in' as her lighting designer for The Diary Of Anne Frank. Which will go up next February-ish.....
I'm directing a show for Winter Shorts in the Fall. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. And I'm also designing the set for it. AND that set will also be used as the base for the other show which will be being produced for Winter Shorts. So it's interesting.....And, as a consequence, I will not be doing any mainstage design work in the Fall. Plus, with the class schedule I have I will be scaling back my work schedule in the scene shop as well.....sigh.
I need to tweak my class schedule for the next couple of semesters if I want to graduate in the Spring of 2013 and then start grad school that Fall......I suspect that that will be yet another, longer and specific to that subject post....As opposed to this long rambling update.
We've sort of segued into dealing with this posts title....about my mood.
The whole 'needing certain classes and not having time' issue is part of it. But that is really a 'cart and horse' situation, compared to another issue: Summer Gig(s)
Here is a VERY abbreviated version of events (do I EVER write those?) ---
I got a lead on a gig working as a TD at a Summer theatre 'camp' down in Palmer AK. I applied and was hired, with the idea that the gig would last 8 weeks and that we would end the 'camp' with two shows, which I would design (scenically and lighting). A win/win if you would have asked me. A job where I would get some 'teaching experience' under my belt. Plus two more design packages for my portfolio. Sweet. However.......The interest level for the project was much less than the planners had hoped. So first they decided to scale things back from 8 weeks to just 4. And they were potentially only going to do shows like Quilters or The Fantastiks due to the limited interest. And they were even considering doing The Fantastiks with mothers rather than fathers, since virtually all the interest (such as it was) had been from female students. Sigh yet again. They finally had another audition session last week Saturday. And only one person showed up. So they cancelled the whole thing. And now, since I thought I had a gig and so didn't put out that many resumes/applications I am stuck scrambling for a gig. Pheh. I submitted a couple of carp resumes and a TD resume or two and had at least an initial email back from a scenic design resume I submitted....But I'm still waiting to hear any more. The scenic design gig would not start till nearly the end of June (6/26/12) and would run till the end of August. But I think I could potentially tweak an earlier out date on a contract there, since as a designer I'd be done on opening night......
So yeah. Money. And work. That's basically the major part of my mood.
Plus I've been fighting yet another cluster of migraines and some hypertension. And being sick makes me worry about my reputation and such. Sigh yet again.
Well. That's been a long involved spiel hasn't it? I think that I shall close now and get this posted. Then off to eat something and maybe accomplish a few tasks from my to do list for the day.....
More.......eventually.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Wow.....A Whole Semester?
Jeepers.....Has it been an entire semester since my last blog entry?
Yeah....It really has.
And this entry will only be long enough to confirm that fact...And that I am still alive (mostly....though dealing with a migraine the last 48 hours or so makes me wonder about that.....bleh).
I'll add more later. I do promise. Really. Lots to share.....Or at least, I feel like there is a lot. Shrug.
Okay. Time for more headache meds now.
Bigger entry to come.......Later.
Yeah....It really has.
And this entry will only be long enough to confirm that fact...And that I am still alive (mostly....though dealing with a migraine the last 48 hours or so makes me wonder about that.....bleh).
I'll add more later. I do promise. Really. Lots to share.....Or at least, I feel like there is a lot. Shrug.
Okay. Time for more headache meds now.
Bigger entry to come.......Later.
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