I am impressed. VERY impressed.
However, if I decided to make one of these, I would probably design the thing to size with Adobe InDesign and have a 2′ x 6′ print made on lacquer-safe poster paper. That way, if I screwed up in some way (which I probably would), I could easily have the thing reprinted and start over. Also: I wouldn’t have to spend 100 hours doing detailed paper cutting.
Though this was my fourth year as a festival volunteer, it was my first year as a full-time volunteer in Park City. I worked in theater operations at the Egyptian Theater in Park City my first year, then worked the box office at the Sundance Resort for the past two years because it was a much closer drive. I loved the remote venue and the tight-knit group of people, but I was ready for an immersive experience in the heart of the festival and was free enough to be able to do it this year. I have no idea where I’ll be at this point in my life next year, so I am delighted to have had the opportunity and über-grateful for my encouraging husband who enabled me to have this experience.
I was recruited for a new position called a Festival Insider Pro, which put me exactly where I wanted to be: roaming on Main Street, the heart of the festival. Though I could have done without the “ASK ME” hat (it kept riding up and making it look like I was a Conehead) and the 8-hour mostly outdoor shifts in below-freezing weather, I had a blast.
I qualified for free lodging, so I spent 12 nights in a decent little condo with three roommates (coincidentally all from the DC area) who are now my friends. I shared a room but got my own twin-size bed… I don’t even remember the last time I slept in a twin. The bed was okay, but I slept a lot better after I acquired earplugs to drown out the busy Park Ave. street noise. I’m used to sleeping in a quiet house in quiet suburbia where I’m usually only awakened by the sound of vomiting cats.
My check-in date and first training were on Tuesday, January 18—two days before the official start of the festival. I was exhausted from the week leading up to my travel, which was not the best way to start out the trip. But Park City was pretty quiet upon my arrival.
(Oh, and my arrival was aided by fancy schmancy Google Navigation on my Droid X! Good thing I got the little doohickey that suctions to my windshield to hold my phone at eye-level. Unfortunately, Google Navigation really only helps when you enter the correct address.)
I skipped the two available volunteer film screenings (Bengali Detective and Mad Bastards) that evening in favor of sleep. It was a good choice. Tuesday was full of meeting people, smashing a bunch of learning into my brain, receiving my wardrobe plus accessories, and participating in a trial-run tour of Main Street with the other Main Street Insider Pros. The day looked like this:
My wardrobe consisted of a Kenneth Cole-insignia’d royal blue down vest, which I knew about, and may have partially contributed to my choice of coordinating pink hair… whoops, I forgot to mention that I refreshed it a few days before the festival. It looked sort of this, and my apologies but I was tired and this is the only photo that even came out:
Anyway, all Sundance volunteers received the blue Kenneth Cole vest, a gray hat (sponsored by Chase Sapphire), and a scarf (sponsored by Acura). For my specialty position, I also received a bright pink (it matched my hair!) pin that said “ASK ME,” a dorky white “ASK ME” hat, and a black messenger bag that was printed with “ASK ME” in an orangey-red that was apparently supposed to be pink. Of course I also had a credentials pouch on a lanyard, where I stuck a few buttons over the course of the week. I accepted a special “Jeg Snakker Norsk” button to announce that I speak Norwegian… which came in handy twice during the festival. First time!
All outfitted, I looked something like this:
And you can’t really tell because all of my photos were taken with my Droid (whose 8MP camera is most certainly not as good as my 8MP Canon Powershot or my 8 million MP Canon Rebel that I did not take along) but in this photo I am wearing glamorous blue and silver eye shadow thanks to Isaac in the l’Oreal sponsor room. Well, you probably wouldn’t be able to see it even with a better camera because my eyelids are invisible thanks to genetics. But I’m wearing l’Oreal mascara, which in theory you should be able to see. And please just ignore the yellow shirt underneath because it doesn’t really match. After I saw this photo I made sure that my scarf (which was mine, not the blue-gray one that Acura provided because I actually didn’t get mine until later that week) was tucked into my vest and hiding whatever garishly-colored shirt I wore each day.
With all of these excuses, I wonder why I’m even posting this photo. I don’t know. Maybe because I went to the trouble of putting all the links in the right places, and you should appreciate the time and effort I’ve taken to write this lengthy and not really descriptive post?
Uh-oh, I’m starting to go all Meta and breaking that fourth wall. I think it’s time to wrap up this post and take a breather before starting up part 2.
But at least let me leave you on a positive note from Wednesday before the festival officially started: I attended a volunteer screening of the documentary Being Elmo, which is about Kevin Clash and the puppeteering journey that led him to become Elmo’s alter-ego and a major player on Sesame Street. As a lifelong Muppet fan, I knew I’d love it, but even so I was still impressed and loved it more than I thought I would. When it comes out, you should definitely see it. My favorite part was learning about how, as a teenager, Clash was ridiculed by his peers because he was obsessed with puppets. But he set his skills to use entertaining kids around the neighborhood and started working on a local children’s TV show while still in high school, turning his reputation around. Like most of us geeks, he never forgot what it was like to be labeled different, and that had an effect on how he and his characters developed.
Being Elmo hasn’t been picked up for distribution yet to my knowledge, but when it comes out, trust me that this is a documentary you have to see. I dare you to not get teary-eyed.
If I’d been thinking in advance, I could have ordered these classy salt and pepper shakers in honor of the Chinese New Year. It’s hard to think of a better way to kick off the Year of the Rabbit than with these encouraging little porcelain bunnies! Available from Plasticland.
I just signed up as an affiliate with Plasticland, [edit: Whoops, I'm not activated yet, so these are just plain old links.] so if you follow the link and buy these love bunnies or something else equally kitschy and sweet, then I may receive a tiny kickback that will go toward domain hosting.
Alternately, if you would prefer to outright buy me these bunnies when they come back in stock, I hereby promise to use them to create an original storyline and post it here. With photos, of course. You know you want to.
Mrs. Claus finally convinced Santa to get me that smartphone, even though it was mid-January! Thanks, Mrs. C!
Yes, I am now the proud owner of a Droid X. After a little more in-person tactile research, I decided that the X’s larger screen was worth more to me than the slide-down physical keypad on the Droid 2 Global. And if/when I travel to Europe in the next couple years, I’ll just get a pre-paid phone while I’m there.
I did goof in getting a fancy new phone just a few days before leaving town for the Sundance Film Festival, though. I had grand visions of being able to blog from my new smartphone… which were soon thwarted by a somewhat poor experience with the WordPress app and the logistics of writing a blog entry on a small touchpad keyboard. THWARTED, I say! Also, I didn’t take my laptop because I didn’t know what sort of housing situation I would have, and didn’t want to risk losing my baby. The withdrawal was tough.
Top 4 things I missed while away from home for 13 days (in no particular order):
Getting to know my Droid X before I left basically didn’t happen because of the (how am I still caught off-guard by this?) crazy busy couple days pre-travel. Some things were easy, but the interface introduced a lot of quirks that made me feel like an ID10T when it came to things like, you know, needing to dial a number. Durrrr. I was also overwhelmed by the number of apps available to download. I haven’t yet shelled out money for the birding app I want, but I did download a slew of essential free apps like these:
…and then I promptly lost all practical usage of my phone whenever Ben wanted to play Angry Birds. [Note: he is adamantly against getting a smartphone himself, but the fact that Angry Birds is not available for a PC is kind of crushing his soul.] He squished my high scores from the four levels I’d initially played and underwent his own withdrawal period when I left for the festival. Poor baby. He’s happy I’m home and that I haven’t yet broken or lost my Angry Birds console.
And the Sundance Film Festival? I have lots to say about it, so look forward to that (unless you have more exciting things going on in your life, which I really hope you do). I was able to use my Droid X as a camera and documented a crap-ton of moments for which I have anecdotes and probable lies to share. I uploaded a lot of those photos to facebook, and would have also to Twitter for my stalker-friends, but the default uploader application was being a bitch and so I gave up. Lame, I know. Hence the ID-10T Error title for today.
It’s a new year, and I will not be attempting to blog every day. Obviously. It’s already the 4th…. whoops, after midnight. It’s the 5th. Hrm.
I had one helluva semester at school this past fall and was sooooo happy when it finished. Though I have caught up on some sleep, the intensity level of constant deadlines hasn’t really stopped. My year-long senior project provided many happy fun hours of work over the holidays, as did a new freelance project that I’m very excited to be working on. It’s prevented me from having a lot of free time, which has prevented me from doing as much video game playing, reading, and needlework as I would have liked. Not to mention catching up on blogging, innergeek site updates, and another side project that I’m not ready to advertise yet. But I’ve finished with the crappy classes that were sucking all the joy from my life and am feeling renewed and challenged by my current endeavors.
And very much looking forward to volunteering at the Sundance Film Festival again this year!
Santa didn’t bring me the Droid smartphone I wanted (see crayon plea below; apparently Santa didn’t want to pay for the data plan), but there’s a chance that I may still get one before I leave for Park City on January 18. If that happens, I hope that mobile internet access will help me blog more. At the very least, it will allow me to interact with Twitter and Facebook rather than just blindly post from my Little Dumbphone That Could.
My LG EnV2 has been a trooper, it’s just… time, you know?
I can’t say any more. It’s giving me a vacant power-save mode LCD screen stare from my desk. The silvery paint is mostly chipped off the front and its corners are dented and scraped from multiple drops onto pavement. I love you, little phone with a QWERTY keyboard that made it possible for me to send a text message without wanting to kill myself. Shhhh. I’ll go plug you in now. Say good-night to the internet, now. Aw, what a good wittle phone!
I just wanted to share some of the crafty things I’ve been working on this past year in an effort to feel better about myself for procrastinating. Cross-stitching while watching TV or talking with friends makes me feel more productive! I find that I’m usually working on two patterns at a time, so if I get stuck or bored with one, there’s a back-up to prevent my hands from idling.
After I finish a pattern, the addiction makes itself clear. I can’t wait to start another.
It’s to the point, though, that I have about a dozen finished or nearly finished patterns laying around unframed. It’s really sad, and my friends are mad at me for not having any hanging on the walls yet. Well, that leads me to this first design.
Decisions are hard, yo!
My husband and I are both Libras. This is pretty much our mantra. In fact, I had the idea to use a strand of gold for one column in the uppercase D, but I still haven’t decided if I’m going to keep it that way… so the needle with a bit of gold thread is still there as a reminder to make a damn decision already.
The Libra pattern is from “Cross Stitch Borders and Motifs” by Jana Hauschild LIndberg, as are the letters. I just put the sentiment together.
This next “Irony is Not Dead” piece is actually the first cross stitch I ever attempted. The pattern is from Julie Jackson’s Subversive Cross Stitch
Instead of using the recommended 14-count Aida fabric, which I’ve used for almost everything since then, I used a 28-count linen that I’d purchased before I read the book. Along with a very pointy needle, that made for an interesting first cross stitch experience.
(I still prick myself with the blunt embroidery needle I use now, but it’s not as gory or painful. Impossible and unintentional self-injury is just a fact of life for me.)
Okay, that’s all I’m going to share today… next time I’ll have some geekier needlecraft works of art to share with you. Because if I can’t put the real ones up on a wall, at least I should share them online. Way more people will enjoy them that way!
While we’re on the topic of geeky needlecraft, I challenge you to find something of greater awesomeness than this: tech specs for a standard LEGO figure, hand-embroidered onto fabric.
The only thing that could make it better is if it were stitched from hobbit hairs that had been gently caressed by Wil Wheaton.
I award 1 point for LEGO, 1 point for clever tech specs, and 1 point for geek craft. 3 points of awesomeness for Cross-stitch ninja, who gets a bonus kajillion points because of the other cool stuff that she has on her Flickr photostream. True, it’s not all cross-stitch. But the fact that she stitched the entire second world map from Super Mario Bros 3 (finished size is 59 x 18 cm, which I think is about the size of a football field! Okay, not really, but it’s still HUGE for a cross-stitch) gives her kudos of the highest regard in my book.
Cross-stitch ninja, if you’re out there, will you be my friend? Because I kind of have a giant crafter crush on you. I’ll do my best to not make it awkward.
I am fortunate to have friends who understand (or at least accept) my passion for a) Geeky Things, and especially b) Geeky Things in Cross Stitch Form. It’s been less than two years since I first picked up Julie Jackson’s Subversive Cross Stitch book, but I fell hard and fast in love. The repetitive motion and pattern-following of the craft itself are right up my alley, but what really snagged me (CRAFT PUN) was the realization that this new hobby could speak to me in ways that others cannot.
Exhibit A, from Steotch (rhymes with Beyotch):
I’m not a church-y person, but neither was my grandfather who introduced me to this wise proverb. So double the traditional wisdom with nostalgia, then add the awesome juxtaposition* of Jabba the Hut and slave Leia.
POW!
This framed cross stitch is available through Steotch’s Etsy store. It’s easy to balk at the $299.00 price tag, but I know how much work goes into a piece like this. If cross-stitchers could charge what auto mechanics charge for hourly labor, this piece would easily be over $1,000. And apparently the artist has been using cross stitch as a distraction from her battle with cancer. So, if you can afford it, I think this would make a lovely addition to your home.
I don’t see that the pattern itself is for sale, which would be a more affordable option for the poor yet ambitious, so maybe I’ll contact the artist about that.
This is my second favorite from Steotch’s selection:
(Thanks to my old high school friend, Mike Fisher, for tipping me off to the Slave to Serenity cross stitch piece.)
*A degree in English provides a person with the lifelong ability to use words like “juxtaposition” in a non-academic setting. Also, a nice piece of paper to display on the window of the old van in which the graduate likely lives.
What is it about the inherent social-spatial lesson that I (and what seems like most people) understand that some people just don’t get?
You probably know what I’m talking about: when you enter a space that you must share with other members of the public, such as a doctor’s office, you don’t sit down close to a stranger if there is a spot available at a “safe” distance, or one that is equidistant from other strangers. In a small room or on public transportation, it’s more acceptable to be in close proximity because there isn’t much space to begin with. But in a large room, it’s customary to allow for plenty of personal space and not crowd someone for no reason.
Right?
This afternoon, I was sitting alone in a 4-seat sitting area on the perimeter of a large atrium (4th floor Losee Center) on UVU’s campus. It’s typically quiet and somewhat out of the way except for some doors to offices nestled around the perimeter. It’s a comfortable and well-lit waiting/reading area with about 50 lounge chairs scattered about. There were a handful of other people sharing the lounge area, all appropriately scattered in their own personal spaces and keeping to themselves.
I saw a girl walk briskly out of an office in my line of sight, then turn left and step up onto the platform of my little sitting area. She proceeded to sit down directly across from me—not in the seat closest to the office door, but in what I considered to be Directly In My Zone given the ample number of unoccupied seats otherwise available. Without saying a word to me or looking directly at me, she started reading the textbook in her hand.
And chomping her gum. Open-mouthed and all.
Dude. Really?
She might as well have sat directly on my lap and farted.
I initially gave her the benefit of the doubt—maybe she was just waiting for a minute until being called back into the office. But the chomping. Oh. My. God. And after a minute, it was clear that she was getting comfortable and would not be going anywhere.
My laptop was open, my feet were resting on the coffee table between us, and I was trying to do homework. I considered reaching into my bag for headphones so I wouldn’t have to listen to the chomping, but no. Why should I have to expend effort to accommodate my needs when she was the one violating the social norms of personal space and being rude by chomping gum in a quiet area?
Instead, I returned the gesture of hostility by playing a CNN video at a reasonable volume through my laptop speakers. It was an interview with a couple whose home had recently been broken into by a facebook friend and had been caught on film—there were some parts I just didn’t quite catch so I had to rewind a bit and adjust the volume. Nobody else was within earshot, I’m sure. I watched the girl shift in my peripheral vision, slightly distracted from her reading by my shared audio.
After a couple minutes, she stood up. She walked toward the center of the atrium and took a spot that was, in my opinion, an acceptable distance from others.
Pleased with my passive aggressive territory defense, I shut off the video and went back to homework.
Anybody else remember a cartoon called Maya the Bee that aired on (the brand new) Nick Jr. in the late 80s? I remember thinking that I was too old to watch it when it was on, but since my little sister wanted to, I guess I had to… As a result, hearing/reading the name “Maya” has always caused the theme song of that cartoon to pop into my head.
Myyyyyyyy-uh-ai-a, Maya the Bee.
And that song is also connected to the basement of my (one summer only, I think?) babysitter’s house and my fascination with the popping letter dice of Boggle. And David the Gnome, the cartoon that followed or preceded Maya the Bee.
Snapping back to present day: This semester I have been learning basic animation and 3D modeling using a pretty intense software program called Maya. The cartoon theme song has been a constantly droning, yet chipper, mental audio track as I curse and snarl and otherwise express my frustration for this complex software. Combine that with what I feel has been less than sufficient training from a young and monotone-y soft spoken instructor and perhaps I’m painting a picture for you to interpret as lackluster excitement for my class and Maya in general.
I have enjoyed most of the graphic and web design courses I’ve taken at UVU, but this one’s been tough. It’s a required course for the Digital Media major that I was initially excited about but have come to dread. I appreciate the art form of 3D modeling and animation, don’t get me wrong. I know how important it is as a consumer of that type of thing. It’s just… a lot of time-consuming work. And because Maya is something in which I’m not pursuing a career (or even a hobby), finding the motivation to invest a lot of time in it just isn’t easy. At least I was able to download a free 6-month trial as a student (via the parent company’s site, students.autodesk.com) so I’m not dependent on a computer lab.
Still, I’m getting to the point where I’ve done some neat things even if I want to give that 3D grid view a little what-fer to the face. I definitely prefer 3D modeling to the 2D animation we were doing in Maya at the beginning of the semester. (You say the software is powerful, I say the software is too effing complicated.) Anyway, here’s a pre-fab model that I posed (excluding the facial features) in a way to convey strength. And/or constipation.
This one’s a work in progress. I started from a single cube and have transformed it into a larger and disfigured cube that will hopefully be a cartoony toucan bird with wings extended by Wednesday night. I have a tutorial to follow, but it’s not great. I might end up turning this lump of pixels into Lou Ferrigno ca. Hulk Angry Time instead. Actually, that would be quite bitchin’.
