Dave

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 04:49:03 GMT

What news, what news!

Andrew has landed a job at Sigil Games designing for their upcoming MMO Vanguard, and is headed to California in a matter of days to look for a place to live. Well done Andrew!

And I have been accepted to the Savannah College of Art & Design's MFA program in Interactive Design and Game Development, with a combined academic/artistic fellowship, and will be enrolling this fall. Well done me!

So, life is taking off again! After these tempestuous summer months it is exhilirating to have my life headed towards a career goal again. But, at the moment of my exultation, I am deeply saddened to have to spent so much time apart from Sarah. We've had a rough go of it this past June, and things were really looking up when she came for the wedding. I am so excited about this girl, so very much in love. It will be hell. It already is. But I must go. To miss this opportunity would be a mortal blow to my soul. We will persevere. We always do :)

But! For those of you in Georgia and Florida (kittikins, kicue, Tiffany in Atlanta), this means I'll be a short day's drive from you! (200 mi to Gainesville, for example) I'm excited to be able to drop in and visit, and vice versa. Friends from Trinity are always welcome :)

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 14:08:06 GMT

On the same day: New York strikes down gay marriage in what is surely the most insulting and narrow-minded ruling in recent history, and Georgia overturns a lower court decision protecting gay marriage, again claiming lack of adherence to the state constitution. It is a sad, sad day. What might have been accomplished in merely a decade, following the landmark Massachusettes decision may now take twenty years or more. Woe to gays, lesbians, and bis everywhere!

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 22:02:17 GMT

Here is an excellent article for all fans of gaming - "The Playa Rating: The 10 Most Influential Gamers." It's the first article I've seen that recognizes the players themselves--the oft-forgotten center of the gaming universe--for their dedication to the medium and their effect on its growth and development.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1534641/20060620/index.jhtml?headlines=true

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:52:35 GMT

Everyone: Go and see An Inconvenient Truth. You must do this. It is imperative. Ever see the documentary film "The Corporation?" This is just as good, and just as important. If you haven't, kick yourself. Then go see both of them.

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_classics/aninconvenienttruth/

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:43:29 GMT

Click here.
Take the quiz.
Post your results.
1) Does kicue have a dog? No, though I think she might want one eventually. A dog or a cat...
2) What would you do if txleprechaun died? Hold an Irish wake.
3) What is kittikins allergic to? Grace.
4) If mineforfish had a superpower, what would it be? Indieman! Lol, I dunno.. conjuring tasty snacks.
5) Do you think marchpane is hot? Absolutely.
6) Does kicue have a big secret? Undoubtedly.
7) What would kittikins give nachos1215 for his/her birthday? n/a
8) Where did you first meet marchpane? In a movie theater.
9) What would you do if you found out balletinochi has a crush on you? Ask Andrew.
10) Is littlepasht 1337? In many ways.
11) Would nachos1215 and littlepasht look good together? No. She's much taller than he is.
12) Have you ever dated and_start_a_war? Nope.
13) If balletinochi were hanging off a cliff, what would txleprechaun do? Rescue her! Unless she was there on purpose. Then she'd probably hang off with her.
14) If balletinochi and littlepasht were spliced together, what would be its name? Now that's a thought...LittleSquidli?
15) How would balletinochi kill nachos1215? Poison.
16) What is littlepasht's shoe size? No clue.
17) Would nachos1215 and kittikins make a good couple? Nope. To be honest, I'm not sure if there's anyone I know who kittikins would date.
18) Has littlepasht been to your house/dorm? For a long time, my house was her house :)
19) Is marchpane a nerd? Unquestionably.
20) Does mineforfish travel a lot? Not much, though he may be doing more soon.
21) Is txleprechaun related to you? Only through the Old Country.
22) What is balletinochi's favorite band/artist? Beats me. It might be some JPop group.
23) Is marchpane a college student? For now.
24) What rank would nachos1215 have in a giant robot army? Supreme Commander. He'd be the Optimus Prime.
25) Are nachos1215 and kicue married? HAhahahahahahaha!
26) Does balletinochi know kittikins? Sure.
27) What is txleprechaun's favorite color? Green, I am confident.
28) What comic book character would and_start_a_war be? Hmm... Yelena from Transmet?
29) What planet should kittikins be from? Planet Awkward. She'd be the ambassador.
30) If kicue and balletinochi were spliced together, what would it be like? It would kill itself, like a failed transmute from FMA or something.

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 01:53:22 GMT

Weird. Best I could do, but still... unsettling. Mine was not a face or figure intended for manga-zation. And if that isn't creepy and goofy enough, check this out: http://www.comicalert.com/comics/130-acts-of-dog/

Who dug that up? Much more importantly-- why?

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 19:59:28 GMT

For some reason, I am compelled not to relate my present circumstances. I don't know why. I am simply not ready to talk about it. But I can say this: job hunting blows. At this point, I'm not certain whether to simply wait and see if any of the twenty of so applications I have out pay off, continue searching for and applying to mindless automaton jobs in the hopes that I find someone desperate, or tap my family's connections and take whatever I can get, no matter how unsavory. The one positive aspect of the experience? I am now irrevocably determined to return to graduate school and acquire qualifications to do game art. I'm not staying locked into this pathetic existence for a day longer than I absolutely have to. But of course.. that's just the job part of my life. There are other parts, with contrary motivations that befuddle the situation awesomely...

It's funny: most of the people whose posts show up on my Friends page aren't recent graduates, yet the tone of upheaval, adversity, and strife is all-pervasive. Strange.

1. Do you like anyone? Yes.
2. Do they know it? Yes.
3. Simple or complicated? Nothing I have yet encountered has been more complicated.

IN - T H E - L A S T - M O N T H - H A V E - Y O U

4. Had sex? Yes.
5. Bought something? Yes.
6. Gotten sick? No.
7. Been hugged? Yes.
8. Felt stupid? Not exactly.
9. Talked to an ex? No, though I did receive an LJ comment from one.
10. Missed someone? Very much.
11. Failed a test? No.
12. Danced? Yes.
13. Snuck out? No. There has been no need.
14. Sat and looked at the stars? No...

M A N N E R S

15. Do you swear/curse? Rarely.
16. Do you ever spit? No.
17. You cook your own food? Yes, though not lately.
18. You do your own chores? Some. I live with people who tend to beat me to it.
19. You like beef jerky? No.
20. You like pepsi or coke? Pepsi.
21. You're happy with your hair? Yes.
22. You own a dog? Not me personally, but there is one in the house.
23. You spend your money wisely? Not really, but only because I have so much of it.
24. Do you like to swim? I used to. It's been almost a year.
25. When you first see your bf/gf do you get all happy? Usually.

D O - Y O U - P R E F E R?

26. Flowers or angels? Flowers. Angels are trite, and have theological overlays.
27. Gray or black? Black. What good technician could say otherwise?
28. Color or black and white photos? I could go either way.
29. Staying up late or waking up early? Waking up early has become my way this past year.
30. Being hot or cold? Hot. Cold is too miserable. Hot just makes me sleepy.
31. Winter or Fall? Fall.
32. Left or right? Right.
33. Having 10 acquaintances or 2 best friends? I believe I satisfy both those conditions.
34. Sunshine or rain? I'm partial to thunderstoms. Sunlight tends to be too bright.
35. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla.
36. Boys or girls? I love these open-ended questions.

H A V E - Y OU - E V E R ' S

37. Made out for more than 5 minutes? Oh, for hours.
38. Slept in a bed with the opposite sex? Yes.
39. Hooked up in the woods? What does that mean? Like, on a bed of pine needles?
40. Drank a bottle of alcohol by yourself? Of course, though I daresay this question means to refer to large bottles of hard liquor, in which case No.
41. Stolen money from a friend? Not intentionally. I do tend to forget about small debts, though, to my chagrin.
42. Slept naked? Rarely. I find bedclothes more comfortable.
43. Been in a fist fight? Yes.
44. Snuck out of your house? Yes.
45. Had a crush on a teacher? No.
46. Seen someone die? No.
47. Been on an airplane? Yes.
48. Slept all day? Yes.
49. Missed someone so much it hurt? Yes.
50. Fallen asleep during school? Constantly.
51. Been lonely? Crushingly.
52. Cheated in a game? Many, many times.
53. Been to the ER? Yes.
54. Been in a car accident? Once.
55. Had detention? Yes.
56. Cried yourself to sleep? No.
57. Done something you regret? Yes.
59. Hooked up with more than 2 people in 1 weekend? No.
60. Kissed a complete stranger? No.
61. Laughed so hard you cried? No.
62. Not been able to remember your night? No.
63. Cheated on a bf/gf?: No.
64. Regretted hurting someone? Forever.
65. Regretted loving someone? No.
66. Been SUPER happy? Yes.

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 02:10:19 GMT

Bad news, I'm afraid. Stardock isn't going to be hiring me. They cited 2007 as the earliest they would be adding to the art team, but it hardly matters. Either way, I need a new plan. Looks like I'm back to considering graduate school, which means I need to consider where in the country I want to spend the next two years and what I want to have to show for it at the end. I also need a job for the interim. I vowed never to do anything for which I am overqualified, but the economy being what it is, and with my art skillset generally unpolished and unsuitable for just about anything, I'm forced to examine the truly mundane in the feeble hope it'll help me just pay the bills for a few months. I've scarecely been so depressed, despite the warm presence of my family and my childhood home.

At least I had an idyllic visit to Michigan and Sarah's waiting arms. I've only been back for twenty-four hours, and I'm ready to turn right around and head straight out again. More and more I find my unwillingness to live without her becomes an inability to do so. I fear I have taken to bleeding inwardly, washed ashore two hundres miles to the west...

Thu, 18 May 2006 14:57:26 GMT

May 14th was the series finale for the West Wing, an eerie coincidental parallel to our own finale--graduation. I started watching the show freshman year, when I downloaded the first two seasons in the triple on Winn 3rd. I can remember watching it at Bard during the cold lonely winter months, and re-watching old episodes during the summers while I wait for the new season to premiere in the fall. I've gotten dozens of people hooked on the show, and at one time or another was the campus-wide "server" for eager fans to copy episodes from my computer. And now, there will be no more. Seven seasons, one hundred fifty-five episodes, now just names and numbers in an archive.

So many things ending, changing, moving on to the "what's next?"... how sad, how unendurably tragic. And yet how wonderful, amazing, inspiring! What will be next, for all of us? How will we rise to meet it? I look ahead with baited breath!

Tue, 16 May 2006 20:11:06 GMT

The paranoia meme, in which you say things about 10 people on your friends list but don't say who you mean:

(1) Hehehehe... very like a sister, though I daresay she could stand to relax a bit, be a tad less self-centered.
(2) A strange relationship, only because it seems so improbable. Or maybe not...? Glad to know him.
(3) Though we never got chummy, I've gained respect for him this semester.
(4) She's fiesty. I wonder what she really thinks of me now.
(5) I never know what he's really thinking... unless, you know, he tells me. And I never know what he'll do next.
(6) Truly one-of-a-kind. She's better than any of us deserve.
(7) Cute and friendly, but her life only barely intersects mine. Sometimes I wonder why.
(8) Witty, charming, ruthlessly sarcastic... too bad we didn't have more time.
(9) Faithful and energetic, but a wee bit socially clumsy. I wonder if she ever really hears what I'm saying.
(10) She is everything. Sorry to be so obvious ;)

Your turn. Enjoy!

Tue, 16 May 2006 04:23:33 GMT

Back home, safe and sound, with no loss of money or property.

The nostalgia has not hit yet, but I can see it coming.

Sat, 13 May 2006 05:17:34 GMT

05/13/06 Trinity University Page 1
Academic Evaluation
-------------------
Student............: David I. McDonough
Program............: Bachelor of Arts in Art (BA.ART)
Catalog............: 2003
Ant Completion Date: 05/06
E-Mail Address.....: David.Mcdonough@trinity.edu

=====================================================================
Primary Advisor..: Elizabeth D. Ward

=====================================================================
Program Status: Complete

Combined GPA....: 3.777

Magna Cum Laude!

Thu, 11 May 2006 16:27:20 GMT

May the Eleventh. I graduate in a day and a half. Funny.. it seems just yesterday I was wearing a red gown and tassel, for graduation from Shorewood High School. As the past weeks have unfolded with their farewell parties and last handshakes, I look back at my college career, thinking of the strange places it has taken me. Just at Trinity, my studies have been a "Tour of Academia," spanning a wide variety of subjects and disciplines. See for yourself:

Pre-college: AP Art, credited as 2-D Design and Composition.

Fall 2002:
HUMA! Humanities 1600, the joint Freshman Seminar/Writing Workshop course and learning community--the origin of the friendship of Dave and Andrew from that filthy triple room on Winn 3rd.
Principles of Algorithm Design I (PAD I) - Dr. Lewis!
Intro to Acting
Stellar & Extragalactic Astronomy - I got 110% on the quizzes because he kept curving them up :P
KRTU - DJ Apprenticeship

Spring 2003:
American Politics - Dr. Crockett!
PAD II - Dr. Lewis again! He almost convinced me to double major in CSCI, but alas: his loss is my gain :)
Political Communication - a 4000-level Speech class that the brand-new Dr. Hansen agreed to allow me to take. I pulled a B, and earned his everlasting respect and friendship :)
Intermediate Drawing - my first art class at Trinity! Origin of my contact with Liz.
3-D Design and Composition - second art class... total BS, except for the cool sculpture I made with 424 computer keyboard keys.

Fall 2003:
Beginning Voice - the beginning of my return to music, despite Dr. McNeil's instruction.
Advanced Drawing I
Art History I: Prehistoric to Medieval - The Egyptians! The Greeks! The Romans! I almost picked up an art history minor.
Theatrical Scene Painting - easy as pie, and Steve fights valiantly to steal me from the steel shop to be a scene painter. But Tim prevails! I remain Metals Foreman.
Intermediate Painting - I get waived into the class after showing off my AP Art porftolio, and Jessica (the visiting artist for the year) becomes on of my most valued professors.
Digital Art - likewise, total BS, but much fun.

Spring 2004:
BARD COLLEGE! I transfer for one semester, to the eyeball rolls of everyone I know. While there, I take only twelve credits:
Art History: American Art 1865-1945
Intro to Microeconomics
Voice II
I sing lots of good songs, including one by Debussy and the female part of a German love duet, and I become so fascinated with economics I resolve to develop it into at least a minor.

Fall 2004:
The Triumphant Return! Everyone is glad to see me, I am certain of it.
Thinking About Politics
Review of Elementary Spanish - Profesora Heil! She's a delight :)
Art History II: Rennaissance to Modern
Beginning Photography
Advanced Drawing II
University Chorus - my first semester in choir! I am inspired by Melanie and the chorus' performance of "O Magnum Mysterium" the preceding Christmas.
Ballroom Dance I - Katie! Bwaa ha ha ha ha... fourteen-inch difference in height, and the origin of the nickname "Tiptoe." And Tom and Heather, displaying the first glimmers of future developments...

Spring 2005:
Issues in Contemporary Art
Intermediate Spanish - Poor Garrett! This is our second semester of Spanish together. I help him study; he needs it.
Advanced Study in Studio Art - I draw "The Wish" series!
Mass Media
The African Experience
University Chorus
I also produce the "Slicks" series--my deck of cards featuring fourteen friends, to the approval of all.

Fall 2005:
STUDY ABROAD! I go to Scotland and have a terrible time at the Glasgow School of Art, but I redeem myself by discovering a latent talent for and love of teaching, when I get to administer a 5-day program for Drochduil, the tiny little Scottish Primary school in Dunragit, and my five charming 10-year-old students.

Spring 2006:
Senior Studio
Intro to Asian Religions
Intro to Philosophy - I love it!
Ballroom Dance II - Katie again!
University Chorus
Trinity Choir - Smac brings me up from UC; I am deeply honored :)

Which brings us up to date.
So.... now what?

Sat, 06 May 2006 01:05:30 GMT

If anyone knows how to get ahold of Elissa, please tell me. I need to talk to her, but she's stopped using her Trinity email account.

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:07:17 GMT

"What, that's it? You solved it. You just brought me out here to rant because faith annoys you?"
"Mm-hmm!"

"You know I get it if people are just looking for ways to fill the holes. But they want the holes. They want to live in the holes! And they go nuts when someone else pours dirt in their holes! CLIMB OUT OF YOUR HOLES, PEOPLE!"

"Isn't it interesting that religious behavior is so close to being crazy, we can't tell them apart."

-House

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 15:02:12 GMT

It's April 19! I am twenty-two years old today. Happy Birthday to Me!

:)

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 19:33:16 GMT

The service this morning at University Pres wasn't bad. Still uncomfortable... that's not changing for a while, I predict. But the pastor gave a somewhat original sermon, a thought-provoking homily. Not the best delivery or writing, but an original theme.

Otherwise, a few verses for Christians to remember, on this the day of their Lord's rebirth:

James 1:19-20
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Ephesians 4:32
"This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.'"

Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil.

And if you don't believe them, take it from John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 02:28:27 GMT

Go to Wikipedia and look up your birth day (excluding the year).List a few interesting facts, two births, and one death in your journal, including the year.

1909 - Joan of Arc receives beatification.
1928 - The 125th and final fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
1971 - Charles Manson is sentenced to life in prison for the Sharon Tate murders.
1993 - The 50-day siege of the Branch Davidian building outside Waco, Texas, USA, ends when a fire breaks out. Eighty-one people die.
1995 - Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, is bombed, killing 168.

Births:
1903 - Eliot Ness, American lawman
1946 - Tim Curry, British actor

Deaths:
1768 - Canaletto, Italian artist
1882 - Charles Darwin, English biologist

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 00:33:26 GMT

Friday was "Handshake Day:" The day all the core technicians stand around 'Magnificent-Seven'-style, admiring the completed set, hours before Opening Night. It is judged to be good, and Tim gives us each a handshake and a word of thanks for another job well done. And this job was a big one--many things to be done well. But for me, and the other seniors, it's also the last handshake. A "thank you"... and a "we'll miss you." In my case, Tim made extra clear how much I will be missed. And I'll miss him, too. Not the work, certainly not the work. But the camaraderie, the community, and above all Tim. It's been truly a pleasure to work under, and eventually with, Tim Francis, and I will miss being his employee. This the end of an era. I am the last soldier of the 'old guard,' a chain of dedicated and talented technicians beginning before my time and passed down through my friends, through George, and ending with me. None who remain are part of this chain. Some of them are good techs, some will be gone after a semester. Even Sam, our new welder, is graduating in January. Who will inherit the steel shop, I wonder? At least the next season is relatively light--nothing insane like a musical to produce. Tim will have a chance to cultivate a new line of welders and carpenters, to make their own imprint on the life of the scene shop. My time is done, and I am ready to go. With the close of this season comes the close of my career as a professional technician. Begun in 1999, as a sophomore in high school working on "The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe" at Shorewood High, it has taken me far. Stage Manager for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" as a senior, carpenter at Mount Washington Valley Theater Company in New Hampshire, A/V tech at Bard College for Summerscape, fighting the corporate paradigm at SeaWorld... and the only constant occupation of my college years. Even at Bard, I worked as an electrician. Only the semester in Scotland saw me unengaged with technical theater. I want to pause, now, and recap what I've done at Trinity:

Freshman Year:
Tango
School For Scandal
Big Love
Hedda Gabler

Secondary Welder under George Matthews, identical to me in every way except physical appearance. We are an excellent team, and I establish myself as a competent welder and reliable technician.

Sophomore Year:
At Trinity:
Our Town
Measure For Measure
At Bard:
In A Pig's Valise and assorted dance and musical concerts

Promoted to Foreman in succession to George, until I transfer to Bard (a great mistake). I also act in a small role in Our Town and various directing scenes, most notably Caleb's excerpt from Luther.

Junior Year:
Dancing At Lughnasa
Dracula
Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead
Mariette In Ecstasy

A simple, straightforward year, with the notable exception of the elevator project. I was tasked to design and build an eight-foot working elevator, to be installed in the pit and capable of silently raising Dracula and his coffin (a 300lb load) through a trapdoor onto stage level. I do so, and it is awesome.

Senior Year:
Fall Semester in Scotland
Triumph Of Love
Anything Goes

Return triumphant from Scotland to take the reins of the steel shop again, just in time for Anything Goes the most complex and difficult set of my undergraduate tenure.

Total shows at Trinity: twelve, with two from Bard, bringing the total number of shows worked in my entire career to more than fifty. An impressive resume, for a tweny-two-year-old, I think. And now, I am retired. I hang up my drillgun. Let the torch pass to the next in line, and good fortune to them!

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 15:10:30 GMT

She's away! The resume and portfolio are complete (and can be checked out at http://www.boogaloogames.net/david, if you're interested) and have been send to Stardock Co. Let the freaking out commence! :(

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 05:23:15 GMT

"I know you're in there! I can hear you caring!"

-House

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 16:07:39 GMT

Chase: "We take drugs to help us fall asleep, stay awake..."
Cameron: "Yeah, but we don't make careers about who can stay awake the longest."
Chase: "Really? Ever been to, ohhh.. I don't know.. med school?"

-House

Same can be said for any kind of higher education, judging from the sleep habits of everyone I know :)

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 05:44:01 GMT

"True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. Love is fire, but whether it will warm your heart or burn your house down, you can never tell."

All too true.

Spring break is gone. The dream fades, and yet I refuse to awaken. The fire is burning, and I do not yet know what it will consume. But I will not put it out, not yet.. not when I need its warmth so preciously.

************
The other night I played the quiz on Oscar.com, about which legendary character from the history of film I am channeling. Turns out I am Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird," which is about is as cool as anything can possibly be.

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:27:44 GMT

"You have women of many nations dancing in your brain."

-Kimi's professor

:)

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 16:40:57 GMT

"I thought we were wearing the wrong shoes for cancer!"

"Cheese is the Devil's plaything."

"We're going to cure death? MWWAA HA HA HA HAAA!"

-House M.D.