Zhaf and the Cellar

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Grueling 

Today was a rather grueling day. I spent about ten hours at school working on projects and assignments. I am still not done with them, but I managed to finish at least three and start on a fourth. I pretty much stayed in the computer lab until they closed it at 9:00 p.m.

The biggest challenge of the day was trying to reproduce a Rolex ad from a high-end magazine; this assignment involved my photographing a watch, adjusting it in photoshop, laying out all the graphic elements, choosing the right type to get it to match EXACTLY, and laying out the text correctly. I never knew that adjusting all of the various minutiae of type was so onerous, but it overwhelmingly is. Even though the only physical exertion invloved moving a computer mouse around, I felt like I had been pulled through a knothole backwards when I was done. People who enjoy this kind of adjustment of type are odd people indeed.

I took an hour dinner break around 5:00 p.m. I figured I could best relax browsing books at Borders. I couldn't afford to buy anything, even a measly cup of coffee, but I did enjoy looking. I'd rather buy used books anyway seeing as how all the worthwhile books can be had for much, much cheaper elsewhere. Speaking of worthwhile books, I did see a book of contemporary poetry that I thought I would enjoy. And as I was in the poetry section, I looked through a couple of Emily Dickinson poems. Her portrait on one of the bookcovers was striking because of her extreme skinniness and slightly odd appearance. However, as I was standing there reading, I was struck how most successful poets seem to be reaching for something beyond themselves and more substantial than the various superficial masks that their contemporary culture can offer them. I also briefly read a few poems by Lorca, Neruda, and Elizabeth Bishop.

The drive back home was uneventful. A few bites of some leftover Chinese food and a couple of mindless television programs capped off the day. Now, it is time for bed. I'm not going to work quite as hard tomorrow, but I still have a lot on my proverbial plate.

:: z. 10:59 PM [+] Permalink ::

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Checking in Again 

It is an hour past midnight, and I should be asleep already, but I felt I needed to post something. It looks like I am averaging about two or three posts a months, and in that regard, it looks like I am a little behind for the month of November. There hasn't been much of note lately that is worth a blog entry, but maybe that's a good thing seeing as the last few posts have been me focusing on what has been lost. The lack of things to talk about might force a little creativity.

I suppose I could mention some of the things that I have been working on lately. For example, in school, I am developing my skills in Adobe Illustrator, especially how to use the pen tool. The instructor says that the pen tool is the most powerful tool in the program and that he never uses the pencil tool. It's admittedly tricky to figure out, but I think I am getting the hang of it. Of course, this has necessitated my spending more and more time in the computer lab. Tonight, there was a bit of wind and rain storm (minor one), and the lights were off in half of the town. This meant that some of the street lights were also off. It made for slow going when I was driving home. It's always odd to see familiar places which are normally lighted in total darkness.

Frankly, that's most of what has been the focus of my attention for the last three weeks: doing well at school. One thing today that has consumed some thought is the dream I had the night before. I was searching through a series of elaborately furnished rooms for Emily Dickinson. Even when it had been pointed out to me by some faceless presence that she had been dead for a very long time, I continued to look for her ignoring the obvious. The fact that she had been dead made it seem more important that I find her. And, I actually did find her. I turned around and she was just there. She didn't say anything, but as I felt so relieved at finding her, I gave her a hug. I know dreams usually have some kind of an emotional logic, an unconscious reason of sorts, but this one has me completely stumped. It was something I occasionally thought about in between classes, eating lunch, or while driving home.

In any event, I will try to post something a bit more frequently than twice a month. That is still my goal. Whether or not I manage to achieve that goal is another thing entirely, but it is a goal nonetheless. Until then.

:: z. 1:44 AM [+] Permalink ::

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