So it's 2:15 in the a.m. and I'm supposed to be working on my u.s. history homework right now, but I got distracted by a new comic idea.
Basically, I'm going to draw a very short, very crappy comic once, thrice, maybe even five times a week to define a word I may or may not have heard before.
I'm calling it "applied learning". If it goes well I'll give it a link off of my Shay-Town site. Until then, it will be hosted at another blog of mine called appliedlearningcomix.blogspot.com.
I made one tonight.
Go ahead.
Learn a word (or understand the joke right away, you dork).
PS this might be KSUA's new bumper sticker. If not, I'll show you the REAL new KSUA bumper sticker once I make another one.
My two little sisters and I weren't exposed to organized religion as much as my 3 older siblings were growing up. So when I heard that my 11 year old baby sister, Beryl Rae, was going to church camp, I was a bit surprised. I mean, my mom talks about how she loves Jesus Christ and all that jazz, but the three of us young'ns never really got any formal reliducation from our parents or church.
Everything I know about Christianity, or any other religion for that matter, I learned from t.v., books, and of course, that extremely popular Mel Gibson movie, which I can't remember the title of at this very moment. It's very ominous, maybe.
So today, after Beryl was dropped off at said church camp, I received a letter from my mom via myspace. This is what she wrote: Hi!
Beryl is off to camp.
There was a little ampitheater with 3 wooden crosses made from sticks as a background. As Beryl passed she goes," WHAT? THEY GOING TO CRUCIFY PEOPLE HERE?"
This past Monday I was offered the position of Program Director at KSUA. I didn't really want to talk about it publicly until I had the opportunity to tell all of my co-workers at the OIT Support Center, so I waited until today. I broke the news to them during our meeting.
I was surprised at how bummed all of my co-worker's were. They certainly are the best group of people I've ever worked with, so I'm really going to miss them all. It's not everyday you get to work in a drama free environment where talking about sweet things like video games, hilarious you-tube videos and cool ideas are all part of the job.
But alas, with my upcoming school schedule, and my desire for a change of pace, working at KSUA is by far the more appealing option. I've always loved KSUA. I've been a volunteer there since 2003, created their most recent logo, and spent many hours making sweet buttons for the station's booth at the fair.
And now, I'm going to get paid to work for the best station Fairbanks has to offer. I'm as giddy as Jess is when I give her delicious cheeses! (that's super giddy!)
I have finally uploaded something to shaynahawkins.com. Awesome improvements will be made soon. These changes will (hopefully) include:
1. A background that actually shows up. 2. The .swf file being dead center on the page, rather than top center. 3. A loader, so my viewers know they're waiting for something...to load. 4. A smaller file, so it doesn't take an entire minute to load. 5. Other good suggestions brought to me by my dear critics.
Hooray. Now I just need to work on shay-town.com so the universe can finally rest. It's absence has caused quite a disturbance as of late, apparently :c|
In the meantime, you can see the strips at shaynahawkins.com during the comic-harboring site's construction.
Thanks to all of you who miss/want more shay-town comics. You have filled my heart meats with the desire to persevere.
Okay, so remember 3 blogs ago, when I told you I only had 5 more bands that I wanted to talk about? Uhm, well I guess what I really meant to say was, I have 7 more bands that I would like to talk about. Hooray, hooray!
MATT COSTA: To be honest, all I remember from this show is Matt Costa telling me personally (as I stood within a sea of plebs) that he thinks the number 13 is a lucky number and that he once lived in a haunted house. The tequila monsters erased the rest of my memory regarding this set.
THE HIVES: They put on the most energetic and entertaining show the light of day has ever seen...well at least that I've ever seen in the light of day. Usually, at Sasquatch, all the best shows are at night because they can implement all of those "dazzling special effects" that only nightfall can accommodate. But the lead singer has so much energy, pizazz and charm, none of those things were necessary. I was sitting on the hillside and was still pumped during the entire set. I heartz zee hives.
BUILT TO SPILL: Holy crap I got to see Built to Spill! I even took a shitty video of "carry the zero", which you can enjoy (or not?) at the end of this blog! It is super awful, especially the beginning, since I couldn't stop dancing while recording the song. Eventually Jess backhanded me with her heavy, yet steady appendage, and held the camera for the rest of its duration. Thank you Jess. You make my heart meats glow.
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA: I can't believe I was even considering skipping out on these two. The moment they began playing their guitars I could barely move, and I became completely petrified when Gabriela got into her groove. I was enchanted by both of their talents, but especially hers. I don't know what it is about women who can play the guitar really well, but if I catch a glimpse of one doing so, I'm hooked. Jess, who had been lying on her back with her eyes closed during the beginning of their set, said she was surprised to find that all of the "percussion" she had heard was actually Gabriela and Rodrigo slapping their guitars as they played. They strummed and slapped at mind boggling speeds. If you ever have the opportunity to see these guys live, I suggest you jump at the chance.
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS If you have ever taken the time out to listen to my radio show, you'd know I absolutely love Flight of the Conchords (I always play at least one of their songs every time I host my weekly show). So when I finally got to see them perform live, I was ecstatic. I loved that Jermaine was wearing a tuxedo shirt and Brett was wearing one of his signature animal sweaters, even though it was swelteringly hot outside. They actually received their first bra ever from someone hidden within the crowd, which seemed to be the highlight of their night :) "There ain't no party like my nanna's tea partay...heyyy...ho!"
THE MARS VOLTA I like a lot of TMV's work, but I must admit, seeing them live was a little hard to enjoy at first. I think the souring of the show (for me) began when the lead singer Cedric tried to rip a very large, very expensive camera out one of the cameramen's hands (this was after Cedric had already thrown a stool and other large objects into the crowd). After that all I could think about was whether or not he realized how expensive that piece of equipment was. I've been conditioned by my best friend/personal photographer (through the use of tazers and large angry bees) to always handle camera's with care, so seeing that was unsettling. Other than the camera abuse, I found the show somewhat amusing. However, I would be lying if I said I liked watching them live more than listening to their recorded work.
THE FLAMING LIIIIIIIIIIPSSSSSSS! I.Love.The Flaming Lips. I always have. Well, I have since the day I was exposed to them at age 12 by my older sister, Andy. I used to sing "Vaseline" at the top of my lungs every single day as I marched to my bus stop in the early morn'. And now, 13 years later, they are still one of my most cherished bands. I even have a cat named Yoshimi, which seems to be an extremely popular pet name for those of us who truly love The Flaming Lips ♥ Their UFO show was amazing, and by far the better of the two live TFL shows I've seen. This year there was a space ship, dozens of telly tubbies, naked girls dancing around on stage, and of course, Wayne's magical-crowd-surfing bubble. They ended the show with "Do You Realize?" and covered the entire crowd (even those on the hillside) with pink and white confetti. I had a reaction to this moment that I can only compare to Kim's when Edward Scissorhands created snow by carving a sculpture in her backyard. It was beautiful, it was surreal, and it made me spin around and smile with happiness.
Okee dokee friends! That is all I have from the Sasquatch Music Festival 2008. Hopefully I'll get to see you there next year :D
Enjoy the Built to Spill video :) (Try to guess when Jess finally takes the camera away from my overly excited self)
Every day, when I walk to work, I see a pretty girl sitting in the courtyard. She sits there for hours, strumming away at her guitar, singing along with her acoustic instrument. I find myself staring at her and am mezmorized as I watch her play outside my window.
I daydream about locking up my office and lying next to her on the grass as I create sketches of random thoughts. I need to work outside of boxes, rather than inside them. Not just metaphorically, but literally in tandem. I need the fresh air.
I have to admit that I'm disappointed in myself for not doing this sooner.
I had plans, my beloved reader, to dazzle and please your senses with colorful tales of all the magic and all the glory that the gorge has to offer.
However, due to the time lapse, and the fact that I had imbibed more grainy beverages than usual while I was there, my memory of the fabulous Sasquatch Music Festival isn't as fresh in mi cabeza as it had been 2 months ago.
I know...shame on me. But I'll make it up to you, I promise. The first thing I'm going to do tomorrow morning is punish myself by flogging my mouth with a ball made out of bacon and cheeses.
That'll show me >8(
But for now, I will finish this post by touching on a few of the bands I do remember, and closing it with a fantasmagoric slide show!
It's slidyriffic!
FLEET FOXES: These guys were amazing, and played twice for us because National was lazy and decided not to show (dramatization).
BEIRUT: No music can make my heart feel as though it has been blown up by several bombs containing rainbow-ingesting kittens like Beirut can. His music is just as beautiful live as it is recorded, if not better.
M.I.A.: I was worried she'd get stuck in customs again this year, so when she finally took center stage I almost peed...twice. I know, it's ridiculous, but I love her and she put on a very fun, very energetic show. Near the end she convinced a very large portion of the crowd to join her on stage. I literally stood there for about a minute or two weighing the pros and cons of getting the shit beat out of me as I attempted to jump up there with her. I decided against it, finally, but only because by the time I made my executive decision to go, they were no longer admitting people on the stage...bastards.
MODEST MOUSE: They didn't have flashy lights, or a gimmick of any sort, but I love their music, so who cares? Not this lady. Just the fact that I got to see them perform filled my belly with warm and fuzzy-drunk butterflies.
REM: They put on a really good show, but we had to leave early due to the evil, freezing rain penetrating our fragile flesh.
TEGAN AND SARA: What can I say? Those girls are so adorable I just want to grandma clamp their cheeks with my fingers. RAWR! GRAMMA CLAMP! My favorite part of their show was their banter, especially when they thanked all the girls who decided to wear bikini tops to the festival.
THE PRESIDENTS: I stayed for about 20 minutes, but ditched them to see Mates of State. Those guys have great stage presence, and normally I would have stayed, but I was too curious about MOS's performance.
MATES OF STATE: So, these guys weren't showmen like The Presidents, but they were definitely worth the trouble of walking up a hill with a freakishly steep incline to see. I ended up leaving their show early though on account of loneliness. I was doing fine until my phone died and I could no longer gloat to my boyfriend via text about how awesome they were. With no one left to share my MOS moments with, I decided to venture back to the main stage to see what everyone else was listening to.
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: I have got to hand it to these guys. They performed way better than they did at Sasquatch 2006. Ben Gibbard seemed full of piss and vinegar, chatting up a storm between songs. He even told a cute story about meeting Tegan and Sara's mom.
THE CURE: Watching the Cure makes me giggle. I don't know why, but I think it may have something to do with the fact that they dress like some sort of Goth/Industrial band, but sing songs such as their very popular "It's Friday, I'm In Love." Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the show, I just felt like I was in Bizarro World throughout their entire set.
Oh man...this is the longest blog ever and I still have five bands to go. Better save them for tomorrow.
It has been far too long since I've actually written anything that resembles a blog entry. I'd say it's due to the fact that I've been really busy, but because I work a job where I'm sitting in front of a computer 100% of the time, I really have no excuse.
The honest truth is this: I've been so overwhelmed with ideas, poverty, school and visitors this summer, I haven't really been able to organize any thoughts or projects (hence, no bloggery).
I'm still in the process of getting my act together, so I guess I'm just going to make this particular blog an update of things to come in the near/distant future. It may seem unnecessary, and quite possibly very boring, but I have to do it since it's a cyber faux pas to leave a blog untouched for longer than a month (at least that's what the frightening INterWebGnomes told me at shiv-point).
***OBLIGATORY BLOGGER UPDATE***
I. Animations
I currently have two animations in the works. One is a stop motion animation that involves nesting dolls and a nursery rhyme about an old lady with an eating disorder (I'm actually getting credits for this). The other is going to be a flash animation involving emoticons. Hoorah.
II. Websites
Oh man. It's been a long time coming, but I am almost finished designing what I hope will soon become www.shaynahawkins.com; a website to showcase my most recent artwork. I will also be creating www.shay-town.com to harbor my beloved comics.
I figure that if I actually have a good site to display my art, maybe I'll finally start being productive again. I also hope the shay-town site will light a fire under my cushy tooshy and get me to produce at least one comic a week.
III. Tom Bloggery
Okay. So I know only a select few actually read my blog (Jess...and my dog Assiqtaq [I read it to her to help her fall asleep]), but I will be updating more frequently nonetheless.
Future blogs to look forward to:
-The long awaited "Sasquatch Music Festival" blog. -The "OMFG! My Boyfriend Visited for TWO WEEKS" blog. -The "Megan's Return" blog. and finally -The "Why Everyone Should Shower Me With Food: An Artist's Search for Work" blog.
Titles are tentative and subject to change to bacon related headlines.
*This is what a happy Shay looks like* - photo by Jess
I like to spin in circles to make myself dizzy, and sometimes, when I shut my eyes REALLY hard, I can see vibrant colors and stars. These are just a few of the reasons why my mom always thought I was on drugs growing up.
Posts
