words are worlds I sailed upon: 5/1/07

Field Day: A Study in Chaos

Field day.

Ungh.

I shudder at the prospect. As if middle school wasn’t chaotic enough… But someone had to invent a day to uncage students from the classroom. It’s like a zoo without bars- literally!

I can’t even say that the field day schedule brings “organized” chaos. Four revisions later, and the principal still needs to make an all-call announcement for the teacher to check their email one last time for the latest draft… and just minutes before the festivities begin!

What!?!? An hour of basketball? The kids don’t want to play basketball! Yeah, they might whine and cry that they want to go outside, but 15-minutes of direct sunlight and they are whining and crying to be let back into school. Let them back in, and fifteen minutes later they want back out. They aren’t happy inside; they aren’t happy outside. They just want to be somewhere other than where they are at that particular moment- end of story.

Then there are the teachers. Did you know that some teacher plan to call in sick for the day just so they don’t have to bother with field day supervision? They don’t proactively protest and schedule a personal day; rather, they wait for the last minute to make their sick day call. “Mental health”, eh? Well that means madness for the rest of us. Thanks a lot! Talk about contracting June burnout (yeah, and it’s only May).

The real clincher? They took any element of competition out of field day. Years ago (well, ever year up through last year) “black” team competed against “silver” team in various mental and physical activities. The admin tallied the points from the day’s activities and a winner was declared. That was the motivation to participate. This year everyone is a “winner”. No, change that- they eliminated any semblance of sport. The kids played a game of basketball, watched a talent show, ate burgers, played on inflatable carnival rides, and then watched movies for the last two hours of the day.

Sigh.

Alright- so teachers will always begrudge the heat and hellish chaos of field day, but don’t take out the games. Some kids thrive on this day. Bring back the sport for them… or do away with the day altogether.

My First Screencast!

Right now screencasts, or a video capture of the computer screen, are all the rage with tech bloggers... so therefore I also needed to get in on the action. Apparently most of the software falls to the PC-side; many tech bloggers reported a general frustration with software offerings on the Mac. Google after Google, and traceback after traceback, I came across several recommendations.

Ambrosia's Snap Pro ranks as the best utility of the lot. The $70 price tag, although relatively cheap in terms of software, was $69 more than I was willing to pay-- especially in light of freeware options. Other names came to the top of the pile, but I didn't want to bother with trial-versions or $20 shareware donations.

It didn't take me long to come across a favorable review for Danicsoft's Copernicus. This program is streamlined and easy-to-use. In a matter of minutes I was creating both screen captures and screencasts without ever consulting an instruction manual. Only drawback is Copernicus records video without an audio track. Ah well.. Actually, more like not a problem. This project only required a voice over, which was easy to add during post-production.

I dropped the screencast movie over to Mac's iMovie HD 6 to dub the audio track. iMovie has the promise of a fairly powerful video edit program for amateurs; within minutes I was able to record and sync audio using a Samson C01U condenser mic without ever having read a manual or one of those "Blah Blah Blah for Dummies" books. This program has a user-friendly interface, yet has enough options to appease someone who is willing to take the time to learn all the various features.

One hour and sixty audio takes later, I produced my two-minute web tutorial. Alright, so this movie won't be nominated for any web equivalent of the Grammy Awards. In fact, I'll be lucky if the intended audience even give it a peep. Alright, perhaps this does earn me another merit badge for the techie scout sash. I see this as another step towards accomplishing more audio/video home recording. It appeals to my indie DIY calling...

Andrew Bird Live in Review

Ever play a CD for the first time, and it becomes an instant classic? Case in point—Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs. Thanks to my little brother, last night I had the opportunity to see Andrew Bird play a sold-out show at the TLA, South Street, Philly.

Street side parking is very tight for a Friday night. I squeezed my VW Gulf into a spot along Front Street, and managed to avoid a parking ticket despite having parked three hours in a two-hour parking zone. Sometimes you have to wage the odds, especially when circling the block with 15 minutes until show time.

With only minutes to spare, I dated down the back alleys and side streets of Queens Village, arriving at the venue with only minutes to spare. My brother was waiting at the door with ticket in hand. We were good to go!

What a great venue. Back in the day, the TLA was a concrete box with a small stage at the far end. What a change! The “new” venue had all the renovation of a While You Were Out episode. The walls were finished with a crimson-colored velour was hung; faux crystal chandeliers topped the room off. It had all the charm of a vintage, thrift-store rendition of Radio City Music Hall—charming.

And then there was the live music...

The violin produces one of the most shrill, piercing tones in all the musical families. It is a deadly weapon in the hands of an amateur—producing sonic waves that can cut through the eardrum like a power saw. Elsewhere it is the bland backdrop that wallpapers contemporary music. We’ve all heard midi-emulated, orchestral arrangements added post-production. Lifeless.

It takes either a virtuoso or a madman to make the violin sing.

Andrew Bird was a little of both... He could play the violin like a banshee, wailing over a loved one, long since passed. I was simply blown away by his musical ability-- whether singing, whistling, or playing the violin, guitar, or glockenspiel. Bird has an amazing knack for playing legato, or with a great amount of fluidity. He would contrast legato segments with quirky, off-rhythm or off-key phrasing.

Quirky is a good word to describe the experience.

As a solo artist he used two DL4's, a looping device that records a musical phrase, then plays back that passage to infinity. This allows the solo artist to lay a drum track, and then overdub a chord progression or harmony. playing/singing the melody on top of it all. Not only does the musician have to focus on melody-making, but (s)he also has to manipulate the looping devices. The end result? A full-band sound with only one or two band members.

For example, Bird might pluck out a staccato bass line, using an octave divider to make the violin sound like an upright bass. Next, a shallow layer of harmony is produced by strumming or bowing the chord changes, and then another layer of electric guitar. Bird creates the melody by alternating singing, whistling, and playing the violin. Like a quick draw in a spaghetti western, he slings from violin to guitar and back with accuracy and agility. In the end, you have to see the act for yourself.

The show far exceeded my every expectation.

Graduation

Graduate School of Education

4th Commencement Ceremony

The 11th Hour

the eleventh hour
Originally uploaded by olivelife.

Uh... I finally received the official word from Rutgers U.

I PASSED MY COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS!

*whew*

Now I'm all set to walk in graduation this Thursday.

Failure is a Moth

Moth on a lantern
Originally uploaded by ZekaG.

Failure
is a moth
seduced by
the kitchen light
enmeshed between
the bulb and screen door.

Not to be confused with giving up-- that is the loser’s luxury of choice. Giving up is the decision not to run another mile, study another chapter, or stay at work another hour. It is the excuse to circumvent ever having to face failure.

Real failure is being up against the wall, pushing ahead, knowing success is not an option. It’s all in the not giving up. Like a boxer, beaten down by the punch, clinging to the ropes for another round.

That’s how I feel right about now, beaten down and clinging to the ropes for dear life.

Commencement for the graduate school of education is scheduled for next Thursday. I’ve already purchased my cap and gown, called out for work, and invited my family to attend the ceremony, which will take place with, or without me.

Right now my comprehensive exam in under final review. I’ve worked to the exclusion of friends and family over the last four months. Forget that. Count four years and thousands of dollars invested into this education. And it all comes down to two blind reviewers with their pass/fail stamps.

So, I wait with seven days until commencement, considering the possibility of the red-inked stamp of failure.