(no subject)
My PhD research has come to a screeching halt, due to circumstances that I don't think are totally my fault. I'm working on it, and there's actually the exciting posibility that this error will take my project in a new and interesting direction, but until we confirm what happened, nothing moves forward. It sucks, but it happens, and there's no way that I'll let this stop me from getting that degree! It might just take a little longer. Man, maybe I *will* be here as long as Mitul has! But on to more happy things:
Another Iowa City Jazz Fest has come and gone. We had great weather all weekend - sunny, and not too hot. And they had female-friendly t-shirts for the first time this year, so I bought two different ones, and I think I'll actually wear them instead of putting them in that ever-growing patchwork quilt of mine! Colleen and I got together to watch and listen on Saturday evening. Today I decided it would be fun to volunteer; first I worked the drink sale table for 4 hours. It was pretty hot in the afternoon, so lots of people came looking for water. Some of them were annoyed that we were charging 2 dollars for a bottle of water. I cheerfully explained that proceeds from the sales go to next year's jazz fest, but what I *really* wanted to say was "hey, volunteers work for months raising money and getting sponsers so we can provide you with 3 full days of great music for FREE, and you think $2 for a bottle of water is too much to ask?" Starting at 6, they had me working security backstage, which was pretty cool - I got to see the last two concerts from behind the scenes, and they provided free drinks! I hope I can volunteer again on a more formal basis next year - I'm sure I'll still be here ^_^
Since it's gonna be so close, I figured I might as well make an appearance at Anime Iowa for the first time this year! Of course, tracking down a pre-reg form was something of a quest because something went wrong with the website domain name and instead of getting to the website, the web address sent you to one of those "click here for free porn" sites (not that I have anything against free porn, but I think kids go to this convention). I've never been to a con this small, so it will be a new experience, and hopefully a good one! And it will be cheap, since it's right in Coralville. I still have to decide whether to get a new AMV together - their deadline is really late.
I did get an AMV Hell submission in - it's a 15-second Cardcaptor Sakura AMV to ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man." Who knows if it will make the cut, but I think it's cute. You'd be amazed how much time it takes to make a 15-second video, though! I'm not real good with funny videos, so I don't really have any plans to submit more, but if I get a sudden burst of inspiration, I'll go for it. The final deadline for submissions isn't for another month.
Piano Squall released his first official CD, called GAME (which is an acronym for "Game and Anime Music Emotions"). It is a WONDERFUL CD, and everyone who loves anime or video game or even just piano music should go to www.pianosquall.com and buy a copy! Highlights include The Althletic Rag from Super Mario World, Frog's Theme from Chrono Trigger, Bratja from Fullmetal Alchemist, and a medley of battle themes from the various Final Fantasy games. I LOVE it! I was kind of hoping that Aeris's Theme would be on it, but maybe he'll put that on his next CD! It's great to know that I'm not the only one who loves to play anime and game music on his or her musical instrument of choice (mine being the flute, but I'm not nearly as good at it as Michael is on the piano!)
Another Iowa City Jazz Fest has come and gone. We had great weather all weekend - sunny, and not too hot. And they had female-friendly t-shirts for the first time this year, so I bought two different ones, and I think I'll actually wear them instead of putting them in that ever-growing patchwork quilt of mine! Colleen and I got together to watch and listen on Saturday evening. Today I decided it would be fun to volunteer; first I worked the drink sale table for 4 hours. It was pretty hot in the afternoon, so lots of people came looking for water. Some of them were annoyed that we were charging 2 dollars for a bottle of water. I cheerfully explained that proceeds from the sales go to next year's jazz fest, but what I *really* wanted to say was "hey, volunteers work for months raising money and getting sponsers so we can provide you with 3 full days of great music for FREE, and you think $2 for a bottle of water is too much to ask?" Starting at 6, they had me working security backstage, which was pretty cool - I got to see the last two concerts from behind the scenes, and they provided free drinks! I hope I can volunteer again on a more formal basis next year - I'm sure I'll still be here ^_^
Since it's gonna be so close, I figured I might as well make an appearance at Anime Iowa for the first time this year! Of course, tracking down a pre-reg form was something of a quest because something went wrong with the website domain name and instead of getting to the website, the web address sent you to one of those "click here for free porn" sites (not that I have anything against free porn, but I think kids go to this convention). I've never been to a con this small, so it will be a new experience, and hopefully a good one! And it will be cheap, since it's right in Coralville. I still have to decide whether to get a new AMV together - their deadline is really late.
I did get an AMV Hell submission in - it's a 15-second Cardcaptor Sakura AMV to ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man." Who knows if it will make the cut, but I think it's cute. You'd be amazed how much time it takes to make a 15-second video, though! I'm not real good with funny videos, so I don't really have any plans to submit more, but if I get a sudden burst of inspiration, I'll go for it. The final deadline for submissions isn't for another month.
Piano Squall released his first official CD, called GAME (which is an acronym for "Game and Anime Music Emotions"). It is a WONDERFUL CD, and everyone who loves anime or video game or even just piano music should go to www.pianosquall.com and buy a copy! Highlights include The Althletic Rag from Super Mario World, Frog's Theme from Chrono Trigger, Bratja from Fullmetal Alchemist, and a medley of battle themes from the various Final Fantasy games. I LOVE it! I was kind of hoping that Aeris's Theme would be on it, but maybe he'll put that on his next CD! It's great to know that I'm not the only one who loves to play anime and game music on his or her musical instrument of choice (mine being the flute, but I'm not nearly as good at it as Michael is on the piano!)