52 Days Remain

Yesterday morning I woke up at 5:50 am to register for GSU classes. These are the times when the time zone difference is rather irritating. I am now signed up for oil painting, history of motion pictures, american art history, and intro psychology class. I was sorely disappointed in the available studio classes; the only required studios that I have left before I get into the directed study/portfolio classes are drawing and composition (which I think I can get out of), water-based media, oil-based media, and intro to printmaking. There was only one water painting class, which was full long before my sign-up day, and two tiny printmaking classes, which were also full, and there weren't any d & c classes offered this semester. This happens every damn time, you think they would add more classes. I'm not sure if I can afford to take any more studios outside of the drawing and painting concentration, since I probably used up all of my "extras" here at PNCA, if they even transfer. I'm going to try to get my illustration class to count for drawing and composition, because everything we do in there is about 1) drawing and 2) composition. Hmmmm.... The only thing that makes staying at PNCA more convenient is that I'm closer to graduating. I think. Not to mention that the staff is remarkably helpful. Oh well, I can pretty much stay at GSU as long as it takes without racking up astronomical debt, so that's what it's gonna be. I would like to stay on track, though, so I can graduate in a timely fashion and move on, hopefully to the portfolio center. Spend two years there, busting my ass, then on to the "real" world. Sometimes I think I would really just like to stay in school forever. I like learning...

Today I have to haul my behind off to school and try to finish this soundtrack project that I've been putting off. I've recorded a bunch of sounds that I have to use to make a new soundtrack for the first 5 minutes or so of Alien. They want us to use the program Soundtrack, which is really expensive so I either have to do it at school (which I don't like doing so I've been waiting til the last second), or try to do it in Garageband. The whole thing, along with the video project that we did three weeks ago, really bugs me. At least with the video the software was free, but I really dislike being forced into projects that 1) we have received little or no instruction in the media 2) we have to spend substantial amounts of money to do. We have to buy headphones for the soundtrack program so that the computer lab won't be absurdly loud (understandable, but why doesn't our well-endowed school have headphones to lend us?). I don't really know anything about making videos or "sound collages" or whatevs, because we haven't actually learned. I know you learn by doing, but it's frustrating when your very first effort with a medium is presented as your graded, critiqued project (which you have only had a week to make).

I don't know; I'm generally more interested in "traditional" media. I love computers, especially now that we're getting into illustrator in digital tools, and I'm even pretty good with them, but I would really rather sit around with some ink and gouache.
Hey, for example,


So, ah, there are currently 52 days remaining before I return home. I've been trying not to pay attention to the numbers and just focus on enjoying myself here, but I've just been feeling super mopey and listless. There isn't a whole lot to look forward to. I guess there's PNCA's weird prom-thing in April, and Portland is supposed to be amazing once it actually warms up (if that ever happens...). Ghostland Observatory is playing next week; I'm going to try and go. The Black Keys are playing next friday, but they had already sold out when I tried to buy tickets. Poop. Naturally Beirut and M.I.A. are coming right after I leave. You know what I wish I had? DDR. If I had DDR here, I would 1) be getting more exercise 2) have something to do when it's raining outside 3) be annoying my neighbors. Ugh, I feel like a slug. I'm going to go shower and force myself into action. Good day.