Started vacation not going to the Maker meetup. It was raining, I was drained. The next day, I wasn’t able to go to SBG in the morning because I was awaiting my IKEA delivery which funny enough came towards the end of my workout time. I went to SBG after anyway to get it in. I started Saturday super-cleaning up my place, especially my bathroom, and my closet putting things together in my closet Marie Kondo style (into one big box), and started on putting the over-the-toilet shelving together and re-arranging my craft area (to free up my dining table), streamlining my boxes and merging them. I ended Saturday hanging out HM, putting Omar shelves together, catching up. Sunday: I got my mom connected to Find My on the iPhone, and hung out with the comic shop boys (new deliveries, talking about coding for kids, DJ Qbert, other guy talks about I’m the only other person he knows that has a playdate). Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday was spent looking up Nintendo Switch/Playstation sales, yay Cyberpunk pricing error ($17!), vibing out to the Marias, Marie Kondo-ing my clothes, my entire closet, watching videos about collectors, and also, trying to rid of my junk. I spend too much time thinking about NOT double-dipping, and thinking of the best platform to buy respective video games (should I buy Street Fighter 6 for my Switch 2, should I get Virtua Fighter 5 for the Steam deck so I can bring it around). I spend too much time on Reddit. I spent some time looking up LED tea lights (I learned from the Adam Savage channel, love adding touches to my space). I discovered there is a Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) Program, in addition to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness plan. I installed my bicycle lights on my bicycle wheel spokes, but dropped the U-Lock straight onto my big toe, also spilled a cup of coffee. I created two persistent problems by moving too fast, and not thinking about troubles or consequences, spending a lot of time dealing with the pain, maintaining them, scrubbing them out the floor. I haven’t spend as much time playing video games, which I feel is a good thing considering I didn’t finish the important tasks I need to get my life cleaned up before the year starts. I spent time deciding on what course I should take in the Spring and I have decided Figure Drawing first, then Storyboarding for Animation (I was hyped to find that Character Creation class by the guy that teaches the Game Scripting class, I should ask him about when he will run that again, Chris Platz is his name I believe). I really got into watching Ryan Benjamin drawing/inking videos - a lot of content about how to draw and I want to get back into how to ACTUALLY draw (it’s a multi-step process). I don’t want to master it...or maybe I do. Ryan Benjamin’s journey to get into WildStorm is awesome: weeks of all-day marathons to get better (“This is great...send me more...”). Silvestri likes hiring young artists because they are trainable, not stuck in “bad habits.”
Thursday, my mom and I Amtrak’ed to Sacramento. Playing Kirby Air Riders, while riding the train, while listening to the Marias is BLISS. First stop: Tina’s Pho Xe Lua restaurant. At my aunt’s, I played a lot of Cosmic Invasion, and read the Captain America omnibus from Brubaker until the morning, learning about the Steranko Captain America run. The hunt is on.
Friday, I hang with Michael and he always teaches me many things: Warriors talk, not being afraid to fix and maintain my bicycle, selling items Ala carte on eBay to maximize value - also great watching him parent (constant reminders of what his children should and shouldn’t be doing). At night, I get to sorting my papers further (first is to sort what is trash and what is keepable, the steps I take the following day is sort the keepable into categories: financial, scrapbooking memories, work). The key to cleaning up is chipping away at it day by day and not in one go.
Saturday: After SBG, I head to my bike shop and buy the back brake stopper ($20), and some nuts and bolts for the wheel shield ($1.50), which is why my Brompton hasn’t been able to stay one unit when carried. I am done with $200 tune-ups. I opt to put it altogether myself, using the guides (the lovely thing about staying clean and organized - fuck this whole “OCD” thing, it’s all about staying clean and organized). I come home to my fallen Skadis pegboard (the video game one), so I opt to use drilling holes. I bike to IKEA, and with my newly repaired one-stay-in-one-piece Brompton, I wheel it around (and now I can use it as a shopping cart). The best thing is knowing I can bike to IKEA and wheel around freely and window shop. Customer service doesn’t have my parts for my Finnala ottoman (which I’ve been trying to fix forever). The lady scolds me a bit, “why didn’t you come earlier [I bought the sofa in 2023], my reply: “life.” The customer service in sofas are real cool: show me on their computer that they can’t get that part for me, I would have to call a special number. I then get an idea after eating at the IKEA cafe (I mean I’m there): scour through their spare parts for the correct screw. I cobble up as many variations, not sure which one would work. The biggest four screws work for my ottoman!!! Komari, as Alan says. This break has been all about Komari, repair and looking towards the spring.
Got a meetup with Noah and Marques Sunday. Chris Chen is in town Tuesday.
Procrastination will be the death of me. Eat my frogs in the morning. Get to grading!
P.S. Predator Badlands was great (Kojima knows). Maybe watch Marty Supreme.
Another: Saw this dope iPad accessory you can use to extend its dimensions like a big ass easel, but it was $129 so I was like eff that, I’m gonna make it myself in 40 minutes. Cardboard, a ruler, a pencil, three and a half sticks of hot glue, big scissors, a canary knife and some rubber bands (to hold the iPad in from falling when carrying). Boom: $129 saved. Even made design affordances for the power button and Apple Pencil. Woooo. #makersgonnamake #cardboardcreations
Thursday, my mom and I Amtrak’ed to Sacramento. Playing Kirby Air Riders, while riding the train, while listening to the Marias is BLISS. First stop: Tina’s Pho Xe Lua restaurant. At my aunt’s, I played a lot of Cosmic Invasion, and read the Captain America omnibus from Brubaker until the morning, learning about the Steranko Captain America run. The hunt is on.
Friday, I hang with Michael and he always teaches me many things: Warriors talk, not being afraid to fix and maintain my bicycle, selling items Ala carte on eBay to maximize value - also great watching him parent (constant reminders of what his children should and shouldn’t be doing). At night, I get to sorting my papers further (first is to sort what is trash and what is keepable, the steps I take the following day is sort the keepable into categories: financial, scrapbooking memories, work). The key to cleaning up is chipping away at it day by day and not in one go.
Saturday: After SBG, I head to my bike shop and buy the back brake stopper ($20), and some nuts and bolts for the wheel shield ($1.50), which is why my Brompton hasn’t been able to stay one unit when carried. I am done with $200 tune-ups. I opt to put it altogether myself, using the guides (the lovely thing about staying clean and organized - fuck this whole “OCD” thing, it’s all about staying clean and organized). I come home to my fallen Skadis pegboard (the video game one), so I opt to use drilling holes. I bike to IKEA, and with my newly repaired one-stay-in-one-piece Brompton, I wheel it around (and now I can use it as a shopping cart). The best thing is knowing I can bike to IKEA and wheel around freely and window shop. Customer service doesn’t have my parts for my Finnala ottoman (which I’ve been trying to fix forever). The lady scolds me a bit, “why didn’t you come earlier [I bought the sofa in 2023], my reply: “life.” The customer service in sofas are real cool: show me on their computer that they can’t get that part for me, I would have to call a special number. I then get an idea after eating at the IKEA cafe (I mean I’m there): scour through their spare parts for the correct screw. I cobble up as many variations, not sure which one would work. The biggest four screws work for my ottoman!!! Komari, as Alan says. This break has been all about Komari, repair and looking towards the spring.
Got a meetup with Noah and Marques Sunday. Chris Chen is in town Tuesday.
Procrastination will be the death of me. Eat my frogs in the morning. Get to grading!
P.S. Predator Badlands was great (Kojima knows). Maybe watch Marty Supreme.
Another: Saw this dope iPad accessory you can use to extend its dimensions like a big ass easel, but it was $129 so I was like eff that, I’m gonna make it myself in 40 minutes. Cardboard, a ruler, a pencil, three and a half sticks of hot glue, big scissors, a canary knife and some rubber bands (to hold the iPad in from falling when carrying). Boom: $129 saved. Even made design affordances for the power button and Apple Pencil. Woooo. #makersgonnamake #cardboardcreations