A Time to Relax and Catch Up, or (Barely Any) Finals Week

So ... it's been a while since I did one of these "Hey, here's what's happening in my life," posts. I'd say that it's about time for one of those.

Since the last post, I finished classes and the play production I was in. That's essentially it. I'm currently in Finals Week (or Hell Week as some may call it). I consider myself lucky because I only have 1 test this week. And I say test because it's not a cumulative final. And it's on Thursday. So ... as it's the end of the semester, I thought that it'd be a good idea to do a semester-in-review type post.

Classes

Cinema: Overall, I enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the course, but I didn't really feel like I learned a lot. Sure, basic video editing is ... well ... basic. And Super 8 editing is tedious but worth it. And yes, the book we got for the class was interesting (The Filmmaker's Handbook), but the readings weren't always pertinent or applicable in the class. For example, one of the readings was on lighting. And we didn't really deal with lighting rigs and other such equipment. :P But I made some cool video and film projects. They can be viewed here, here, and here. (The last video has both film projects.) The prof did have experience in film and video, but this was his first year teaching here, so ... eh ... I mean, he was a nice guy, but ... I just felt that something was lacking.

Music: What can I say? I loved this class! Well, yes, the opening week or two or three were basic musical knowledge, stuff that you learn in band class in middle school. And the weeks leading up to swing and the music of the crooners were interesting, but not quite my cup of tea. I have nothing against jazz. Perhaps it was the prolonged discussion of it. But overall, I quite enjoyed the course. The prof was very into the course material and could probably talk for days on end about a genre!

English: This was overall a fun discussion course. We discussed a bunch of interesting things, like (recently) gay stereotyping and portrayal in movies and casting non-Asian actors in Asian roles (also known as yellowface). And we read some cool stuff, including a volume of The Sandman (*fanboy squee*), Y: The Last Man, and I Am Legend. And we had a cool video final project, which I had a ton of fun making. The prof was quite chill, down-to-earth, and open with us. And her dog was ADORABLE!

Journalism: This was a basic, yet good review-type course. I mean, it WAS an intro course. We went over such things as covering beats, writing survey articles, and good writing structures. The prof was a nice guy who had plenty of experience in the field, which was good. It's better to have a prof who has experience in the field as opposed to a prof who has little to no experience in the field.

Extracurriculars

Radio: I had a FANTASTIC semester with my radio show and I'm SOOO looking forward to continuing it next semester. This semester, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren O'Connell, Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn of Pomplamoose, Stephanie Anderson of Tonks and the Aurors, and Dylan Campbell. All of those interviews, along with the archived audio from the shows can be found on the radio show blog. And to stay up-to-date on when the show will be next semester, keep an eye on the show's Twitter.

Columns: This semester, I've written a total of 7 Op-Ed columns for the campus paper and a majority of them have been politically themed. It feels good to get my opinion out there. :)

Beyond Coal: The university has released deadlines to improve clean energy on campus. ... I think. I haven't been 100% up on the news about that. But I probably should be.

The play: Was "Noises Off!". And it went quite well, overall. It was a fun experience and a good community show. My cast mates were great and I had a great time playing an old, doddering, alcoholic actor.

****

And ... that's about it. Oh! Wait! Free stuff! I've raked in a good haul this semester, including Pirates of the Caribbean 3 on DVD (it was okay, compared to the first), a foam pirate sword, the Pirate Radio soundtrack, and a Star Trek communicator toy. (^_^) And yeah, I also got a few free books at the start of the semester. I'm still working on that Lewis Black book. Oh, and that iPod Nano I won? That went to my mom. She quite liked it. (^_^)

And as for gigs, I've been to a few good shows here on campus, including Gregory and the Hawk, Tonks and the Aurors, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Here is a song from the Tonks show and here are two songs from the SSLYBY show.

So, in conclusion, overall, I've had a fantastic and very fun semester. I even managed to keep up on my Youtube activities, posting a total of 23 videos, all of which are viewable on my channel, along with my 261 other videos. ... Don't ask.

Well ... I'll be home on Friday and someplace warm on or around Thanksgiving (Correction: Christmas Eve) through New Years or thereabouts. Allons-y, Alonso!