my poster

Check the website www.thinkwater.ca. My poster was chosen to be on the site, along with a few others. There were 26 posters competing for a spot. I was quite thrilled with that!

Rights and respect

I cannot stand much more of giles. I'm so close to being finished, and applied viscom is necessary, but he has become unbearable. Today, we were supposed to have mastheads for the school newspaper and a layout plan to show for critique. When we came back after lunch, Giles asked us to put our work on the board. He looked around the room, and then said, "what have you done all week? This is not worthy of critique. You have a responsibility to commit to the work and get it done, and I don't understand what's going on." Up to that point, I was willing to take full responsibility for my lack of work, but what he said next is what put me over the edge. He said, "you are all wimpy and pathetic. all the instructors are saying that this year's class is whiny, and lazy, and there's no motivation to get anything done. How can you be proud of this kind of work, when it's so awful?"
I spoke up. I said, "Giles, I appreciate your comments about the work. But keep it to that. The name-calling is unwarranted and inappropriate." He slammed a book down, and yelled, "Corrina, this isn't personal. You had a job to do, and you've got to do what you f@#king need to do to get it done!I've just said what needed to said." I was stunned. I couldn't believe that he was yelling and swearing at me. He totally ignored the fact that name-calling is personal, and yelling at me is disrespectful. I can't believe I let him yell at me like I was a child. I got so angry that all I could do was leave the room, and cry in the washroom. When i got back, 45 minutes later, I began drawing, and he completely ignored me. Which was fine. I knew if he'd said something to me, I'd have gone postal. Maybe it wasn't personal when he talked about the work, but it has become so now. I am not motivated to work for someone who treats me like that. And then later, during break, the other students started talking about it. They said things like, "I totally know where you're coming from. But you just have to learn not to take it personally." Keith blathered on about how we had to listen to the truth, and that's what Giles was intending to tell us. At that point, I shut down the conversation by saying, "The issue is not about the work. And I will deal with this issue my way." I felt so alone, at that moment. He'd yelled at me and called us names, and they're defending him! As for them understanding what I'm going through...I highly doubt that. It's obvious that they have no comprehension of what respect is all about, and since they are not a middle-aged woman with 2 learning disabilities, I doubt they understand fully what I've experienced and why I feel this way. Giles yelled at me like I was in high school, and he is neither my father, or mother, and it is not his job to correct me. Tell me what I'm doing wrong in design, but keep the personal attacks out of it. They're all so afraid of him, and what he could do to their grade, that they'll allow him to insult them and treat them like children, all the while they feel miserable everytime they leave that classroom. I am concerned about my marks, too, but I'm not going to let anyone talk to me that way. Especially when I've endured more years and more obstacles than he can imagine. Live in my world for a while, Giles, and see how easy it is. But don't tell me that I need to do whatever I have to, to get the job done. My ability to suffer adversity is not in question here.

love at dim sight!

Interesting episode of Survivor. Thought at first that Aitu were making a huge mistake by throwing the challenge so early in the game (actually, never a good idea at any time in the game!). But then Billy opened his mouth and went on about his love, Candace, and how she was motivating him to continue playing. And I thought his biggest problem was his laziness! He's delusional, too. He didn't get that when Candace said, "we love you" she meant it in a kind way, to encourage him. He didn't hear the word we, or understand what she meant. So add dumb to that list of problems. Though Ozzy annoys me, he's a better player than Billy. At least he's rational (immature and headstrong, certainly, but not delusional). I smirked when I saw that both women changed their votes to boot Billy. They realized how necessary it was to jettison the crazy heavy-metal musician. Alas, the downside to this is that I'll never get to see what would have happened when Billy met Sekou (another crazy musician). And Yul rocks! The clues to the idol were pretty simple, but considering how dim some of the other players are, Yul was the one who had the best chance of finding the idol. Let's just hope that he doesn't decide to reveal his possession of the idol, and turn other players against him. I think he's smart enough to know when the right moment to use the idol will be. I love how Survivor has turned Exile Island around, and given the losing team the choice. Quite delightful to see the reactions of the winners, when Jeff told them how it was going to work.

Survivor

I shall endeavor to update this blog with comments on my favourite show, Survivor. I have been asked by several people what I think of the racial tribes this season. What do I think? I think Mark Burnett is a brilliant spin doctor and marketing genius. In one swoop, he has managed to answer all previous criticisms about race on Survivor, and create a ratings buzz that rivals Richard Hatch winning the first season! What he has done is say to the critics, "the people will prove whether Survivor is racist," and compelled many people to tune in, just to see how this plays out. I agree with some reviewers, who've said that, in the end, Survivor is all about singular greed. Starting off with racial tribes does nothing but guarantee interesting water-cooler chat. The participants may start off thinking about representing, but will have to emerge as individual combatants, to gain Ultimate Survivor status. I find it more interesting that the tribes seem to be dividing more along gender lines, even with the awareness that they are "representing." Despite the common race, the tribes are splitting along the familiar men/women dynamic that Survivor has seen many times before. I do find it annoying that critics seem more upset by racial division than gender division. There's no real difference - both segregate a portion of society and consider them less. And so far, my favourites are women (as it usually is when I watch Survivor, with the exception of Tom from Season 5); Stephanie, the two Latino women (can't remember their names!), and one man, Yul. The person I find most interesting to watch, yet I wouldn't want him to win, is Cao Boi. I doubt he'll even get to the final four, but he is fascinating to watch. The only skill, though, that he really has is his survival through Vietnam. But I don't really think he can stand up to Sundra or Stephanie or Yul, when it comes to strategy (or people skills!).

X-men: the Last Stand; good or bad?

Saw the new X-Men movie last night. I was excited and disappointed. I expected more, but I also knew that it is, after all, a summer movie blockbuster that has no pretensions to change your thinking or worldview. If you watch the movie with that realization, it is a fun, action-packed piece that lives up to the name "blockbuster". It is purely enjoyable, despite the few plot and character glitches. Those don't detract too much from the fun of the movie, and as always, Hugh Jackman carries the movie with style and charisma. I was bothered by a few problems (spoiler alert!) with plot and character lines that seemed to drop off into nowhere. Other plot problems that plagued me were the lack of backstory for Juggernaut, Mystique's reasons for saving Magneto, then turning on him (I understood why, as a comics fan, but it was left vague in the movie), and the Phoenix storyline that was not given its full potential. I was left pondering a few questions that I'm sure others might consider, too. Such as Why didn't anyone think of using Rogue against Leech? And if their powers would have cancelled each other out, why wasn't that explained? Because if I thought of it, someone else probably has, too. Why was Kitty Pryde, a child, the only one who was smart enough to figure out how to use Leech's power effectively? Isn't Charles the genious? He didn't think of any of that. Probably because he was having too many issues with costume malfunctions. The biggest problem for me (I can overlook plot issues in a fun movie like this, if Im being entertained) were the awful production values and multiple costume/makeup issues. Xavier's pants riding up so high it looked like he was wearing a diaper, a horrible hair dye job on Phoenix, Juggernaut's poorly fitted appliances and strange body hair, Beast's ridiculous blue fur, and Halle Berry's visible lines on her costume as she levitates were all very distracting. They spent 210 million bucks on this movie, and couldn't hire a good colourist for Famke Janssen? And why Halle ever won an Oscar, I'll never know. She is dreadful. There are painful moments (such as the scene where Wolverine and Storm discover what's happened to Charles) where you can see her obviously watching the other actor and waiting for her cue to emote. Ugh.Perhaps they should develop the Xavier School for Ungifted Mutant Actors. Then Rogue and Storm could take lessons, and become more than throwaway female characters who do little else other than bounce energetically and whine about ignorant men.

the brangelina baby

Michael Chiklis of The Shield

Bruno the Babe

jenny craig ads

Check out the new commercial for jenny craig, with kirstie alley. I am going to rant here a bit about it! It totally drives me crazy...when I first saw it, the bikini woman just seemed odd...I couldn't figure out why. So, I went to the site and watched it a few more times. Now I know what bugs me. Either the bikini woman is the stiffest, most awful actress I've ever seen, or they've done some computer morphing. Her head looks too small for her body, for one thing, and the outside shape of her head doesn't move at all, while her facial features do (at least her mouth does...her eyes and eyebrows don't). I have a huge problem looking at her, because it is just so odd. Which leads me to wonder how I'm supposed to believe what they say in the ad, when I'm not even sure how authentic the image is. If they have done morphing, or some kind of adjustment, then how am I supposed to trust what else I see? I know that magazines regularly do touch-ups, as does most media, but this is so obvious and so strange, that it damages any credibility jenny craig might have had with me. I just don't get what the purpose of any computer adjustment would be for this commercial. Either make it so obvious that it becomes ludicrous (which it is to me already) and then I'm in on the joke, or make it seamless so that I don't realize it's happened at all. As a computer designer, I am well aware of how to use certain programs to enhance an image: but I wouldn't do it without a purpose. This just seems ridiculous, somehow. And as long as Jenny Craig is trying to convince me that their program will improve my image, they won't be successful using bad computer morphing or stiff actresses without a sense of humour. This commercial causes me to doubt the truth of what I'm seeing, which for a diet company is probably contradictory to what they want me to think!

Update on school!

Hello, friends. I'm home, for a short while anyway. I had a tough second year, but I got through it! I was offered a summer workterm job in Regina, for a company called OfftheWall productions. They do murals for photography studios, theatre and film. Can you imagine a more perfect job for me? Okay, maybe drawing cartoons all day long....but this is close! Brian is thrilled I've got a summer job, but not so happy that I'm not going to be living in toontown. Oh well, there's always weekends. I hadn't realized how strange our marriage is, until I got home and saw what was happening in our house! I don't know of any other couple that can live separately for so long, and still be so much in love with each other....I do know of other couples that have had similar situations happen, but couldn't handle the stress of living apart, so they ended up divorcing. But then, anyone who knows Brian and I knows that we are definitely different from other people....neither of us fit the norm, which is just fine. And probably why we have stuck together for so long, and stay in love. I don't think anyone else could put up with such a weird person like me! Brian, of course, says it's all about the sex....sorry, kids, I had to say that. Just one of the things I love about the guy....he always makes me laugh, and he laughs at my jokes!
Brian is dealing with empty nest syndrome. Lindsay moved out in April, so he got very lonely while we were both gone. He asked me what he should do with himself to keep occupied, and I replied, "do what you always do....eat cereal for supper, and fall asleep watching tv." I've been dealing with "empty nest" since starting school, so it wasn't too weird coming home. I like the extra space, though....got a whole new closet for more shoes!
Brian is getting baptized on Sunday April 30th. He's absolutely terrified of water (nearly drowned twice when he was a kid) so he's really really anxious. Pray for him, and let him know that you're praying for him! I had one funny moment when he told me the date....I told him that as much as I love him, I am not standing near him when he's in the tank....there is no way that I could handle a 200 pound hysterical man....thankfully, a friend has offered to be with Brian in the tank as he gets dunked, and he is very strong, so I am thankful for that. Brian will be mentioning that in his testimony, as it occurred to both of us that we have a few nurses and a police officer in our congregation. Can you imagine their response if Brian seemed to be in trouble? We thought it wise to let people know that they shouldn't worry.
The baptism takes place at Living Hope Church, on Warman and Goertzen, at 5 pm on Sunday April 30th. I think I may be as nervous as Brian!

Hit and Run and me!

It's not safe to walk home anymore from school, I guess. Yesterday, I decided to take a different route home, because it was very slippery and I didn't think I could get up that steep hill on my usual route. At one street, as I was crossing (in the crosswalk), I looked to my right to make sure the van turning left saw me. I stopped for two seconds, and the bonehead making a right turn (on my left side) decided to pull ahead. His bumper thumped my left leg, and I was knocked back a couple of steps. I grabbed the car to steady myself, and ended up nearly in front of the passenger side door. I looked straight at the driver, he looked back at me, and then pulled ahead and made his right turn. Didn't even slow down! I turned around and quickly memorized his license plate...thanks to Brian and all his lessons about looking at the plates first!
I was quite shaken walking the rest of the way home. I kept repeating the license place to myself...so it must have been funny to drivers on the road seeing this crazy woman muttering to herself and her hands shaking violently. I had my pilot toque on, too, so I probably looked quite absurd! I called Brian first, then called the police. I've made out a report, and now they will decide whether it's a failure to yield to a pedestrian ($175) or a hit and run. Either way, I want the right thing to happen. If the driver had stopped to check and see if I was all right, and shown himself to be a decent human being who just made a mistake, then I probably wouldn't have done anything. But he was so indifferent to me...I'm sure that he'll deny he was at fault. I have a feeling he'll claim I darted out, or that I stopped to let him go, or something. Doesn't matter. I indicated my intent to cross, he has to stop for me.
I'm fine, btw. Just upset now that there are people out there who figure that respecting pedestrians doesn't apply to them. It could have been far worse...if I'd taken one more step, I would have been dead center of the car, and probably would have been injured quite badly. My guardian angel (who has multiple earrings and a tattoo, and green hair, I like to imagine)was taking care of me. I would like to know one thing, however - how could he think that it was okay to just keep going, like there was nothing wrong?

second in poster contest

Here are the top two entries in the poster competition at my school. I got third place. Not bad, but I don't get why the other two were considered better than mine. Not to diss anyone else's work, but there were some technical problems that happened, and I didn't think they were that original. But hey, I got third. So I get some recognition, and a prize. Definitely going in my portfolio.

Winner of poster contest

cartoons

I developed these characters for the poster competition, then changed my mind. I will use them for an illustration project, so they won't be wasted!

another character

my poster design for recruitment contest

Each year, MHC offers a competition to 2nd year students. It's also an assignment that gives us the opportunity to develop a professional poster, and learn the ins and outs of production. I based mine on Russian Constructivism, with a graffiti cartoon character to make it contemporary. Had fun doing this....I sketched the character and the brush, then placed in Illustrator for colour and type. Many long hours....gotta learn how to use the livetrace function on CS2 more efficiently!

supermodel

This is Tyson Beckford, male supermodel. Drew this for a contest on a message board I'm on...had fun drawing it!

I'm in love with a cop

This is my rendition of Brian, hubby-dearest, as Det.Vic Mackey (The Shield), played by Michael Chiklis. Such a yummy man...that bald head, the big arms, the broad chest...they drive me crazy! And Brian's not too bad, either!

LOL

Birthdays and elections

January 23 is an important day. It is the day all of Canada votes for a government, and the day I celebrate another birthday. I'll be alone on that day, but I plan to buy myself some cheesecake and rent a movie to celebrate my day. Then I'll watch CBC to get the results of the election, and argue with Derek over the merits or otherwise of the elected government. I'm fine with observing my birthday that way...I've always hated big celebrations anyway. I don't plan on telling anyone at school that it's my birthday, so no one will feel obligated to say anything, or buy me lunch, when that wouldn't happen otherwise. Just don't like that sudden sentimentality and familiarity.