Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europe vincendarum

My day started off on a very positive note.  I received an email from my type instructor this morning regarding my application to the Design Program in Rome, it went a little something like this:

Dear Roman,

Over the past two weeks I've reviewed the applications

from more students applying to the 'Design Program in

Rome 2008' than I can accept. Each and every student 

deserves to take this journey and I wish I could accept everyone.  

I am pleased to say that you will be going to Rome this summer.

Fun With Type....

Some of you may be wondering what exactly I do in Art School.  Well, I just finished a quick little project for my typography class that was so much fun I had to share it with you.  The main benefit I drew from this exercise was learning more about how to use some of my cool software to manipulate type.  Enjoy.....

Tuesday Funny

I have recently discovered the magic that is podcasting.  I initially went on to find some really cool episodes of NOVA(PBS) and NPR's Science Friday.  I am eagerly awaiting the completion of the Large Hadron Collider and have taken a recent interest in understanding String Theory because of some discussions in my philosophy class.  So, NOVA and Science Friday have multiple interesting episodes covering these topics, and they make good background noise while I'm drawing.  I signed up for several others as well, all for free!  I love finding free content, that I don't have to break any laws to enjoy.  This is the list of my first round of podcast subscriptions:

1.  Adobe Creative Suite Video Podcast:

Tips and Tricks for the software delivered in easily digested 5-15 minute nuggets.

2.  A Prairie Home Companion:

The News from Lake Wobegon

3.  Best of Youtube:

Couldn't help it, a weekly delivery of fun, user-generated content(SEE BELOW)

4.  Hidden Universe HD:

HD images of distant worlds from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, all set to music.

5.  Kabbalah & Physics:

Rabbi Ginsburgh demonstrates how relativity, quantum mechanics and string theory use the language of science to describe the presence of G0d in the world.  Haven't listened to it yet, but ya gotta admit it sounds intriguing.....

6.  NOVA | PBS

Short audio stories from the world of science.  Examples include, advances in solar power technology, Judging Intelligent Design, Science behind running and 9/11 conspiracy theories.

7.  Science Friday | NPR

A weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health and the environment.

So, if you happen to have any spare time between working, eating, sleeping, checking your blackberry, checking your email, checking your voicemail, checking your snail mail, checking your myspace(or any other social networking flavor), checking your text messages, checking your skype inbox and checking my blog I recommend you sign up for a few of these great little distractions.....here's this week's Best of Youtube video, pretty funny......

I Hate Mice.....

I just finished a (long) brainstorming exercise in which I had to devise and illustrate 30 ways to catch a mouse.....wow.  Between studying alternate dimensions and String Theory in Philosophy and thinking of all these mouse catching ideas today my brain is on full meltdown.  I feel like this blog post should have been titled "I tired......How you?"  I made it to #24 and then reached a sort of neurological doldrums.  My sails were filled again though with a fresh breeze of Jameson.  I feel sometimes a drink (or two) can alter your perception just enough to push you through the task at hand.  

I remembered a funny story that I wanted to blog about last week but got too distracted to ever actually do.  My daily commute to UW involves a drive to Gasworks Park and then I pull the "popemobile" off my bike rack and pedal to the campus.  I used to curse cyclists because they always seemed so angry at pedestrians, motorists and the world in general.  Well, I officially had my first biker temper tantrum last week.  I was on my way to the campus, cruising down the bike trail when suddenly, out of nowhere, comes a (parked) Subaru wagon.  I swerved at the last moment and barely escaped a (surely) fatal collision with an inanimate object.  I pull around the vehicle and the tiny angry biker within me begins to kick my brain right where it counts (in the thalamus, I think).  The problem here is that the vehicle is parked perpendicular to and directly across my precious bike trail.  

Now being a sensible man, I wish to discuss with the owner of the vehicle the error he has made, you know, just to make this world a little bit better for all of us (for cyclists).  Problem is, the owner is nowhere near.  The tiny angry biker sprouts devil horns and says "Hey, don't you keep a pen and notepad with you at all times, let's communicate with our mastery of the written word."  So, I pull out my pen and paper and with my most mature, grown-up face on, I scribble out the words "nice parking a$$hole."  Then I drew a little cartoon hand with the middle finger extended and slapped my advice onto the windshield of the car.  I turned my cycle in the direction of the campus and tore off.  At this point my temper tantrum was over.  Now I was having difficulty pedaling the bike because of my uncontrollable giggling.  I was thinking of the person's face, "Did he really draw a cartoon middle finger?  Ouch."

What?

What do you do when you simply cannot understand a professor in one of your classes?  I am taking a course on human-centered design and the instructor is from Korea, recently moved here in the last year.  It is not a big deal because all of the assignments are written clearly on the course website so I know what is expected of me, but it makes sitting through the lectures a bit difficult.  He speaks very quickly in a muffled tone and mumbles under his breath before concluding each sentence with a loud "what?"  It is some of the oddest behavior I've ever witnessed.  A typical part of his lecture might go like this:

"The mice going into mouse-uh-mouse-uh-mouse-uh TRAP, and the mice hibtymibblyjibberjabber folbeltyrufflefluff WHAT?  The mice, he is liking the cheese and when he grab flippityflimflamhubbler mumblerumblebumble WHAT?  O.K.? Good!

He did mention something the other day about the Korean government naming him the top designer in the country a couple years ago, so he's got that going for him.  The class will be very cool anyway.  My first mission, as described above, is to invent 30 ways to catch a mouse and draw diagrams explaining the details of each method.  It should be fun, I had to clarify whether or not the methods had to be non-lethal.  The Professor simply grinned wildly and said "Ahhh.....Creative.....you are creativity....scary and crazy and mmbuzzbzzlippleminbmle WHAT?

Thanks to Everybody

For being a part of my life in 2007.  I've had an incredible year up here in Seattle, thanks mostly to my wonderful friends and family.  We just returned from Christmas in Omaha with my family, it was fantastic.  I miss those guys so much but we crammed a whole year's worth of laughter, games, love and fun into five short days thanks to Rachel making sure we could get there to see them....

Happy New Year!!!!!

Subway Sandwich Gives Local Man Hiccups

Or hiccoughs if that's how your roll.  I was studying for my art history final at the campus cafeteria today and stopped for a lunch break.  I bit into my footlong turkey on wheat Subway sandwich  and swallowed.  I was immediately afflicted with a crazy case of hiccups.  I realized at that moment that though I rarely get the hiccups, I do get them EVERY SINGLE TIME I eat a Subway Sandwich, strange huh?  I was so confident that this was a testable, repeatable hypothesis that I briefly scoured the net to see if I was alone.  It turns out I am not, though I am the first one to make the connection

From a chatroom thread titled "What did you have for lunch today?":

"A subway sandwich and a sprite (It gave me the hiccups)"

From a thread discussing a video of a girl with terrible hiccups:

i remember a teacher told me along time ago that you couldnt have hiccups for a very long period of time like years and $hit. and then i saw some story on some dude who still has hiccups after eating a large subway sandwich

And finally, I staged a google fight between subway sandwich and hiccups and guess who won?  You guessed it......Subway sandwich, proving I am right beyond the shadow of a doubt.......it's "science."