A few weeks ago I had the privilege of seeing one of my favorite authors Frank McCourt speak at the Miami Book Fair International. I became a fan of his memoirs since I first read Angela’s Ashes 8 years ago while riding the school bus to Design & Architecture Senior High and back.
I knew if the opportunity arose to meet the man who overcame a miserable childhood, a miserable adolescence, and a miserable career as a teacher, I would go. So when I attended Mr. McCourt’s session at the book fair, which was co-hosted by the funny Dave Barry, I knew what I wanted to ask him. If you’re at all curious what I asked, watch the video below. The whole presentation is entertaining, but my few seconds of glory can be found at the 37:13 mark.
Afterward when McCourt was signing a copy of Angela’s Ashes for me he said, “Sorry I won’t be able to join you for that drink,” and we both laughed. Then we took the photograph above. Unfortunately, there were 2 volunteers taking the photos and I think he was looking at the wrong one. Oh well. It’s not a completely miserable photograph.
Whenever it gets cold down here in Miami I like to drive with the windows down while blasting this song. Well today is one of those days. It’s a neat little video, too. Enjoy!
Side note, I had the pleasure of voting today. The pleasing aspect, besides fulfilling my civic duty, was being able to sit and read a magazine whilst in line in the best weather of the year. Today I’m feeling good, my friends. I hope you do, too.
As of today I am completely debt-free. I’ve paid off my credit card. There are no loans to speak of either. The anxiety that loomed over me for the past months is gone. That’s one more item to cross off of my goals for the year.
Well I’m only a few hours away from heading out to The Sooner State. I can’t say I have any particular goals except to relax and eat some good American food. And maybe ride a horse. There is a possibility I’ll take a road trip to Dallas while I’m there, which sounds like an adventure.
I’m all about hitting up the local museums, so that’ll be fun for me too. If you can think of any suggestions on where to go or what to do, drop me a comment.
There are a few new developments for me to brag about (in no particular order):
I redesigned Sketchism. It was a long time coming, really. I’ve cleaned up the sidebar and even added a second one right next to the original. Also, the photo up top is new but consistent with my last one. I hope you like it.
I got an iPhone (1.0). Originally, a family member bought it refurbished in an attempt to resell on eBay, but said family member waited too long to sell it. By the time it went up, Steve Jobs had just announced the new iPhone G3, which would be much cheaper than what we were trying to sell it for. So I kept it and have loved every second of it.
I will be doing an exchange program sometime in July or August… to Oklahoma. From what I understand, the objective is to undergo a bit of culture shock and document it by way of a brand new sketchbook and, once the project is complete, creating a poster about the experience. It’s my dream to see the world, so this is giving me another opportunity to continue on that quest.
I’m getting fit. For the past month and a half I’ve been consistently working out and watching my diet. I’ve gained a few pounds in muscle and lost a few pounds of fat. It’s been a tough few weeks, but now that I’m in the habit of doing it daily it’s been getting easier.
So this is looking to be another one of those life-changing summers for me. I’m learning a lot, enjoying the company of friends and family, getting healthier, traveling, and enjoying a new gadget in the process.
It’s been really quiet here on Sketchism lately. But that’s only because I’ve been swamped with graduation stuff. And since we’re talking about graduation stuff…
I want to invite all of you to the my Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) show tonight. There will be plenty of goodies at the show. I hope to see you devout readers and friends there.
When: Tonight, Opening Reception: 6PM – 9PM
Where:
Freedom Tower
600 N. Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
Being a Fine Arts major has its perks. We’ve officially hit the middle of the semester and there are no essays to write or special quizzes to take. Essentially all we’ve got working for us (or against us) is our attendance, class participation, and our completed projects. A few other relieving bits of news:
I know what I will be presenting for my Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) show coming up in April . I’m excited and anxious to do it.
I leave to New York next week with my graduating class. The beauty of the trip is that it will be completely free. Two prominent art collectors donated $10,000 apiece to make this trip possible. What a blessing!
I aced my History of Graphic design quiz this week. That’s three in a row. I feel pretty darn good about myself. Especially after trying to remember all those European designer names. Rodchenko, Marinetti, Apollinaire, Mallevich, and on and on.
My graphic design class will focus the rest of the semester on preparing for our BFA show.
This last point is a huge relief. We designers need all the time we can get for this show. You see, Graphic Design is the step child of the fine arts community in our school. The nature of our profession is that we use our creativity and skills to communicate for a client. In a sense, we’re interpreters for some one else’s message. Well our BFA show requires us to make our own message and put it on a wall. Many of us have been in a panic for the past months trying to find our own message. Now that we can focus our class time on this, we’ll be able to flesh out the ideas and pieces better.
I still have quite a load to carry before the semester is over. It’s time to get back to it. I’ll post the BFA show details soon.
