Spring is here at last. The wisteria are in full bloom over the archway outside of ours. The jasmine flowering in the bush nearby infuse the air with a glorious scent.
Dj has just got a new job at Easts over in Bondi, so he's ever so happy. His first pay arrived today.
My brother Steve has scored his first job in (wait for it) 8 years! So I can stop worrying on that score also.
I'm looking forward to swimming again. I need to cut out the carbs and get some fitness in.
My friend Mark and his wife Marlin are over from England and we had a lovely BBQ at his folk's place. So good to see him again. They look very happy.
Also need to concentrate on the PhD. Very exhausted. Kate is unwell. I'm not too good either, think I'm coming down with a cold.
Will probably get her gastro in a few days too.
Roll on vacation.
22/09/2010
13/09/2010
Too busy to scratch meself
I've been given heaps of hours at work at the moment, and I'm sooo busy. Too busy to scratch myself.
I use my spare time in class just keeping up with the marking.
Run away!
I use my spare time in class just keeping up with the marking.
Run away!
01/09/2010
Tales of mundane humanity
I worry about the absolute shlock encompassed and propogated by our daily newspapers. I used to live and breathe news, but really. The banal humanity of our daily lives. The shocking acts of betrayal. The bare arsed rump of humanity exposed in all its ugliness.
Life is and remains a wonderful treasure. But the daily tabloids would sully, disfigure, dismember all that is beautiful and just and right about life. It's the daily uglies. The daily horror.
I'm getting so that I avoid the newspapers, the nightly TV news horror report. The tales of mundane humans filling their mundane lives with pond scum. Why do we raise the ugly above the wonderous beauty and love that is all that life is?
Much better to smell the wonderous scent of the garden that I have nurtured for the past few years. To enjoy the perfume of spring while carrying my slumbering child inside to bed. To treaasure, to enjoy, to cherish every living moment that I have on this earth.
On another note, a colleague did a talk today on his wonderful tool that his has developed to help the analysis and visualisation of content analysis. He has his tool on his website that you can download. Yep. The page is in Arabic. Ha ha ha!
Life is and remains a wonderful treasure. But the daily tabloids would sully, disfigure, dismember all that is beautiful and just and right about life. It's the daily uglies. The daily horror.
I'm getting so that I avoid the newspapers, the nightly TV news horror report. The tales of mundane humans filling their mundane lives with pond scum. Why do we raise the ugly above the wonderous beauty and love that is all that life is?
Much better to smell the wonderous scent of the garden that I have nurtured for the past few years. To enjoy the perfume of spring while carrying my slumbering child inside to bed. To treaasure, to enjoy, to cherish every living moment that I have on this earth.
On another note, a colleague did a talk today on his wonderful tool that his has developed to help the analysis and visualisation of content analysis. He has his tool on his website that you can download. Yep. The page is in Arabic. Ha ha ha!
27/06/2010
End of Semester
Typically at the end of Semester we have the usual dramas. Students failing themselves. Students submitting (but not checking) their assignments. Students not getting the work done. Typical typical. Not any surprises. But for some reason this semster has been a little more fraught than usual.
Students aren't aware that they actually grade themselves. How well they do is usually a function of 90% how much work they put in and 10% talent.
Those who work hard ususually do well.
This is something I must remind myself of while doing the PhD. Hmmmm.
:)
Students aren't aware that they actually grade themselves. How well they do is usually a function of 90% how much work they put in and 10% talent.
Those who work hard ususually do well.
This is something I must remind myself of while doing the PhD. Hmmmm.
:)
20/06/2010
The World Game
I have taken an interest in the soccer, for probably the first time seriously.
It has been fun watching Australia lose, Algeria draw against England.
I confess to two 4am starts and to staying up until 2am last night.
Other news. DJ becomes an Australian on Tuesday. I'm so happy for him.
PhD going okay. Getting it done, but need to stop phaffing around with graphs and get on with it. I've been quite rigorous, so Andy should be happy.
Work's okay, really loving teaching design. The Photoshop class has been great. Really enjoyed it and the class. Lovely people. The web class not so good, still nice folk but they're just not into it. Gamers as usual are fab. I feel quite excited about the future of a lot of them. Very talented bunch.
It has been fun watching Australia lose, Algeria draw against England.
I confess to two 4am starts and to staying up until 2am last night.
Other news. DJ becomes an Australian on Tuesday. I'm so happy for him.
PhD going okay. Getting it done, but need to stop phaffing around with graphs and get on with it. I've been quite rigorous, so Andy should be happy.
Work's okay, really loving teaching design. The Photoshop class has been great. Really enjoyed it and the class. Lovely people. The web class not so good, still nice folk but they're just not into it. Gamers as usual are fab. I feel quite excited about the future of a lot of them. Very talented bunch.
12/05/2010
An then came Autumn
I'm thinking of starting a design blog. There's lots of them out there. Or maybe a design teaching blog. Or something cutting edge with my musings on design trends.
I've been having an email argument with the editor of Computer Arts magazine about his recent edition of Photoshop Essentials. He mentioned a member of the female sex ONCE in his entire magazine. All contributors, interviews and roundtables were done by men.
He maintained that there are no photoshop designers who are world class and women out there! And that his magazine represents the breakdown of the industry as a whole. I find that very hard to believe. This sort of misogynistic attitude was ok back in the 1950s but this is 2010. His competitors appear to be able to find female artists to write for them...!
Advanced Photoshop magazine has the majority of contributors as women in their latest edition! So now I'm really confused, and have probably put a black mark against my reputation in the UK.
I suspect a systemic anti-female attitude on the part of the editors. They just don't take the female artists seriously, and hence devalue their work and don't include them.
My mum says she has a friend who has a daughter who is an artist. She refuses to have her photo take and makes her name ambiguous. She makes $20,000 per painting. If she revealed she was a woman, I wonder if she'd be making that much....
I've been having an email argument with the editor of Computer Arts magazine about his recent edition of Photoshop Essentials. He mentioned a member of the female sex ONCE in his entire magazine. All contributors, interviews and roundtables were done by men.
He maintained that there are no photoshop designers who are world class and women out there! And that his magazine represents the breakdown of the industry as a whole. I find that very hard to believe. This sort of misogynistic attitude was ok back in the 1950s but this is 2010. His competitors appear to be able to find female artists to write for them...!
Advanced Photoshop magazine has the majority of contributors as women in their latest edition! So now I'm really confused, and have probably put a black mark against my reputation in the UK.
I suspect a systemic anti-female attitude on the part of the editors. They just don't take the female artists seriously, and hence devalue their work and don't include them.
My mum says she has a friend who has a daughter who is an artist. She refuses to have her photo take and makes her name ambiguous. She makes $20,000 per painting. If she revealed she was a woman, I wonder if she'd be making that much....
04/05/2010
Study study where is the study?
Getting there at last, doing actual data visualisations, which is utterly amazing.
So need to get back into it.
In other news, Kate is joining a soccer team. Should be fun.
Training tonight, hope she sleeps well. DJ is still in Algeria, should be home in a couple of weeks, volcano ash permitting.
Other than actually getting on with the PhD, not much to report. I'm loving my new design and web classes. They doing good.
So need to get back into it.
In other news, Kate is joining a soccer team. Should be fun.
Training tonight, hope she sleeps well. DJ is still in Algeria, should be home in a couple of weeks, volcano ash permitting.
Other than actually getting on with the PhD, not much to report. I'm loving my new design and web classes. They doing good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
