Friday, January 31, 2003 :::

So...I dropped Physical Basis of Music. I do feel kinda shitty...like I gave up without giving the class a fair chance...but overall, I think my reasons for dropping it are justified.
Initially, the idea of taking the class sounded great - one of my film classes didn't seem appealing, so I'd trade it for Physical Basis of Music, which not only involved music (my sustainance in life), but also fulfilled my need for 2 physical science gen-ed credits. Seemed ideal - but turned out to be a completely different story. I'm sure that I would be much happier and less stressed right now if I had stuck with the original film class. Way too much math here... - way too black and white... - way too unappealing. A huge reason that I love the Arts is that very little subject material is concrete - it consists primarily of theories and opinions - subject matter that has actual depth, not a simple, immobile answer. I mean, seriously...how much satisfaction can one attain from solving a math problem? I know that I achieve very little... - I don't grow in any way, shape or form after reaching such a goal. I don't gain a better grasp of what I consider to be life. Anyway, you see what I'm saying. Of course, the ultimate goal is to learn math skills so that they can later be applied in real-life situations...but I don't want to be a mechanic. I don't want to be an electrician. I want to expand my mind beyond the confines of the workings of materialistic objects...to be able to effectively and accurately analyze things that matter to me - things that make my heart soar and/or shatter...things that make the hairs on my arms rise time and time again. Sure, it'd be nice to understand how a speaker works...it's technicalities - but only because after acquiring such knowledge, I might be better equipped to identify the differences between different speakers and conclude which ones I should spend my money on. I don't lay in bed at night and get myself off by thinking about how my badass subwoofer sounds so great in my car - I just thank God for giving people minds that thrive off of knowing that sort of thing, so that I am able to reap the benefits of their labors. Shallow? I don't think so... - someday, I'll be creating either music, movies, or maybe even both, and these works of passion will entertain the very same makers of my camera, my guitar, etc. My heart belongs to the arts, and ultimately, I have to follow it. In conclusion, no more Physical Basis of Music. The class had way too much math and should have required the students to have a background in physics (a subject that I never touched in high school). In the long run, I'm sure that I would have been able to make a passing grade in the class... - maybe even a B - but that would have been a result of the teacher's passiveness and my adapting to the way the class works, as far as grading goes; in the end, I wouldn't retain even half of the material I forced myself to memorize for the tests. I feel like I'm droning on...

Having made this decision, I hope to be able to better focus my efforts on furthering my physical, hands-on experience with Film. Tuesday, I am going to discuss post-production with my Postmodernism professor, to see if he can't hook me up with some kind of job, or at least point me in the right direction. I am aware that eventual success in this field requires DOING, not just LEARNING; I need to put together something of a portfolio...a collection of works...and I need to work with kids who are more experienced in the field, so that I can have a better idea of what I'm up against. The field of post-production (digital editing is my specific passion, but the term post-production basically refers to anything that is done to the footage after all of the physical shooting with the camera is done) is a highly competitive field, and I feel that I have an eye for it...but I haven't seen much of the "competition" and have no real idea of the standards, so...I guess that's pretty pathetic, but I'm on my way out of this predicament. Starting Tuesday.

I plan to achieve some source of income, whether through school or from outside of it, and the extra time I'll have from dropping Physical Basis of Music will undoubtedly make this an easier task for me to take on. Plus (and what a big plus it is), I'll have 3 day weekends! Kick ass...but I'm willing to sacrifice them for work. Partially, anyway.

Bought a new XBOX game today: Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2. The game doesn't look outstanding, persay, but I was a huge fan of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and this one was only 20 bucks, so...I deemed it a worthwhile purchase. If any of you gamers are reading this and have heard anything about the game, lemme know...

The Recruit is released into theaters today (!!!), and I intend to see it Saturday, since I'm sure that the theater will be packed tonight. Al Pacino is motherfuckingbadassnumberone, no doubt...

Evanescence is an amazing band...great, great music. Amy Lee has a fabulous voice, and the songwriting is nothing short of exceptional. Awesome stuff... - can't wait until their major-label debut through Wind-Up Records on March 4th. I highly suggest that everyone reading this buys "Fallen" on the day it's released - there's no way in hell that you will regret it.
On a similar note, the music of Skunk Anansie has been filling my ears over the past few days. Again, another example of a outstanding band that never should have broken up. Up until I heard Evanescence, the Skunk was my favorite band led by a female vocalist. They still outdo Evanescence in certain areas...primarily due to Skin (the vocalist) and her absolutely amazing raw energy. Their last release, "Post Orgasmic Chill," is well worth the 15 bucks that you'd probably spend on it, but you might be able to find it in a used-cd shop for less. Either way, download a few tracks - I recommend "Charlie Big Potato," "We Don't Need Who You Think You Are," "Secretly," and "You'll Follow Me Down" - and if you dig it, make the trip out to Best Buy or your local record store.

Nicole and I started planning for the upcoming trip to Italy. I cannot convey to you how insanely excited I am about this... - it is absolutely mindblowing. I start flipping through travel books, and I have to stop, take a huge breath, and wait a few seconds to recover from the overwhelming beauty that is Italy. My God...it's unfathomable. I seriously feel like something is going to happen to prevent me from going on this trip - some unforeseen event has to happen to disrupt this possibility of traveling overseas to the home of over 75% of the world's masterpieces...doesn't it? It doesn't seem real at all. It's a dream...until the day I leave on that plane, it's a dream. One of the best dreams I've ever had.

Black Hole Productions is readying it's first musical. Hold on to your butts...

::: posted by AJBrotz at 3:36 AM

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