Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

The freshman boys across the hall play their girly music all day, all night, and with the door open (quite annoying). It’s funny: when I turn up some Metal at room-shaking levels, their door magically closes and all is quiet again. Huh. They’re an odd bunch, very independent and surprisingly happy not making new friends during their first year of college.

Classes are good. There’s always the inevitable schedule conflicts and mad dash for supplies, but all is ironed out after a couple weeks. Photography is awesome so far and Visuals and Publications give me my dose of computer use. Modern Art History is one I could do without, but my BFA requirements say otherwise. Here’s a glimpse at a project I Photoshopped for Visuals. Burn, Dodge, and Smudge tools own.

I keep finding myself saying, “Yeah, that’s something I’d like to do next year at school.” Graduating hasn’t totally sunk in yet, I think because of the fact that finalizing sixteen consecutive years of schooling will be a major break in routine. One thing I won’t miss is setting up the room knowing it all comes back out in a matter of months. Working for money instead of grades, that too is a day I cannot wait for. Other than that, it’s good to be back with the computer set up and fast net. A lot happens in a year; I’ll do my best to keep this blog updated.

With the continuing momentum of Shifting Creations workflow and doing my best during this summer’s internship, I recently found myself working on the computer 7 days a week. The result was depressing; it seemed like the more work I took on, the less happy I became. BURNOUT! And not the good kind that comes from two squeeling tires. I’m not a 9-5 guy who shuts off after 8 hours of work so if I wasn’t pointing and clicking, I was thinking about design in my sleep (or lack thereof).

On the weekends that I did take a break, I found great bursts of energy and creativity the following Monday. It was obvious: I needed to find the right balance. For awhile, I thought a good solution might be working full days and limiting evening computer use to personal projects or perusing the internet. Not entirely satisfied with the results, I decided to also not go on the computer at all on weekends. During the week I work my butt off to erase any guilt for some well deserved rest. At the moment, this seems to be working well, but everyone has different tolerances and hobbies. For me a rejuvenating weekend means hiking, playing with The Bleep (part Blazer, part Jeep), or visiting family and friends.

Further solutions:

1. Make a list of life goals. Use the big fat Sharpie for this one, something permanent and bold that won’t allow you to forget what you’re striving for. This seems obvious at first but I’ll be honest, I’ve never actually written down all the things I would like to accomplish before. Having an objective and seeing purpose in what you do is one of the greatest motivators.
2. Create or use a calendar system (iCal on the MacBook works nicely) and allot an appropriate amount of time for each task that week (important things like writing a proposal, not “buy milk, open cereal, stuff face…”). This will help manage projects and ensure each job is getting the time it deserves. With no set timeframe, it’s easy to dilly-dally on one project and detract valuable time from another. Efficiency determines productivity.

“Get busy living, or get busy dying.” – Andy Dufresne

7/25/06 edit: Rereading this post, I hope it does not hang a dark shadow over “work” as that was not the intent. No one is making me do freelance work, nor try hard at my internship; these are personal choices. Despite being tough at times, there are few things I enjoy more than a well completed job. It’s satisfying getting work done and I love being busy. As I’m finding this summer, many problems are fueled by how we handle the situation and not the actual source, whether it be relationship woes, work deadlines, or any other stressors.

Friends at school can attest to watching me invent the original “palm pilot,” jotting essay length messages on the back of my hand each day. Eventually, stained skin and tempting an ink poisoned death got old. The trend for years now has been to pocket a blank sheet of paper and pen wherever I go. It’s not that I have a bad memory, but more like the cache has been disabled. I’m so focused on thinking and planning for tomorrow that yesterday never really gets cataloged.

Often, a good ride home or trip away from the ordinary is what generates some of the best thoughts for me. Catch is, the gears are turning 24 hours a day so for ideas to keep rolling, they have to be recorded to allow for less memorizing and more brainstorming. Much like an assembly line, if there is a back up at any stage of production, the whole process gets put on hold. A snippet of the Island Test essay by Paul Graham says it best:

The notebook and pen are professional equipment, as it were. Though actually there is something druglike about them, in the sense that their main purpose is to make me feel better. I hardly ever go back and read stuff I write down in notebooks. It’s just that if I can’t write things down, worrying about remembering one idea gets in the way of having the next. Pen and paper wick ideas.

A preference of mine for writing on the computer is to wear headphones and play music just loud enough to cover the sound of clacking keys. I’m particular about the lyrics, the best being in foreign languages or having no vocals at all (anything that doesn’t make me think). Also, something I’ve toyed with this past semester is putting one or two songs on continuous loop. Ultimately, I get accustomed to the repetitious sounds and use the music to create an external barrier. Seems odd, using sound to eliminate sound, but I favor the consistency that becomes a comfortable expectation with no surprises. It’s not that I’m very interested in the book that just fell off the shelf or that woman screaming on tv, but these are the audible items that are likely to grab my attention away from work. A good pair of headphones, even with no music at all, can aid in reducing an innate curiosity to investigate distractions.

I couldn’t work with the sound of a sitcom coming through the wall, or a car in the street playing thump-thump music. And of course there’s another kind of thinking, when you’re starting something new, that requires complete quiet. You never know when this will strike. It’s just as well to carry plugs.

The family of one of my best friends used to own a New Hampshire ski resort called Highlands Mountain Ski Area. By the time my brother and I were darting on the slopes as kamikaze beginners, ownership had passed a couple different hands and would again in later years.

Highlands was known for its cheap skiing and little regulations. There wasn’t a snowy weekend that kids wouldn’t bring shovels to build a terrain park or even cut new paths. “The Goat’s Trail” comes to mind, a windy crosscut with secret entrance through the half-pipe, into the woods, between branches, and off a 4 foot porch of an abandoned shack.

For awhile, around my high school years, the mountain was closed to skiing and laid dormant due to owner financial difficulties. Knowing each trail by heart, friends and I spent more than a few studyhalls hiking, biking, and four-wheeling what had become our personal playground.

Within the last few years, the current owners of Highlands have transformed the mountain into a downhill bike park. With added trails, obstacles, and revamped facilities, it’s great to see such a beautiful area come to life again. Check out the footage of what Highlands offers today and be sure to visit the website. See you on the trails!

Entering the O’Hare airport was like walking into another country with so many people that you could visibly see the different territories; a group of pilots in aviator attire briskly walking to their next flight; the gang of janitors with wheelbarrows of garbage bags; squads of security guards. A “travel triathlon” later (rolling suitcase dodging, NFL crowd weaving, and track runner walking pace), Wyndham’s 24/7 shuttle services carried me and a few other tourists to the hotel. Finally, I made it.

The room is pretty sweet, more than one person needs. Out my window hums a highway about a stone’s throw away with commercial airliners buzzing a few hundred feet above. I can see a plaza, a good place to stock up on snacks and necessities. I also set up wireless internet in my room through Wayport. After a few hours of up and down service and 4 phone calls later, I have both wireless and Ethernet access for one fee (originally separate), along 3 free days of access ($40) useable in the next 6 months. If you ever use Wayport during your travels, their all day and night call support is absolutely excellent.

Tomorrow is Guidebook, a pre-conference setup to get Rails installed and a gist of what is going on. Stay tuned.

edit: How could I forget? Amidst all the Wayport calls and hotel phone procedures, I somehow dialed 9-1-1 in the process. Security called the room within 5 minutes.

“Sir, do you need 911 assistance?”
“Mmm, no, not that I know of.”

Like the weekend my brother and I got a call from Brandon and his “Mighty Dodge.” How that kid thought his red Ram could ford a crater of mud, I haven’t a clue. We followed the power lines for at least a few miles, which when on an off-road trail at creeping pace, seems like forever. Through afternoon drizzle and fog, we found Brandon at the foot of a steep climb, his rig less four tires as the mud had made light snack of the stock rubber. And did I say steep? Dolly stalled a couple times making the traverse downward, the angle too great for the carburetor to easily drink from such tilted fuel bowls. Add to that, the drop wasn’t consistent but the sort of grade littered with undulating potholes and protruding boulders the size of an engine block.

Of course, much like the digital camera, a winch would have been invaluable but was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, Dolly’s fresh set of 35inch shoes were doing quite well on their inaugural mud bath. Half a tank o’ gas later, one snapped tow strap, and yards of airborne mud, the Dodge remained immobile and we gathered the survivors. The trek back was no easier than the entrance, that same steep climb only wetter than before. After a few hairy attempts, we throttled our way up the bank and back to civilization.

One of a thousand stories, it’s fun to look back on all our four-wheeling days. Still I wonder, where was that camera when we needed it?!

The portfolio end of this site is also undergoing a large transformation by, moi. The new layout boasts a liquid layout versus the current fixed edition, with some groovy new javascript including an implementation of the recently popular light box by Lokesh Dhakar. Also, expect much cleaner code, a beatiful thing all on its own.

As for the blog (picture a “you are here” sign), future plans include altering the appearance, of course, to match the soon-to-be new layout. Even more incredible, I’m going to get back to some good writing and (hopefully) consistent entries! Most will be updates to an upcoming internship and freelance work.

Speaking of which, I’ll be living on campus this summer, interning for XeniumGroup, focusing mainly on Colby-Sawyer College related projects and Ruby on Rails development. Word has it that if I do well, there could be a trip to the first Rails conference ever, hosted in Chicago, IL. (Rails Conference). Crossing my fingers.

Also, briefly mentioned before, I plan to maintain contact with all current clients and will be actively looking for more freelance work during the summer months. Campus living allows me high speed internet and the time to really work on a lot of things at once.

That’s all for now, it’s back to the grind and chiseling away at a handful of final projects.