I'm starting this quarter with Storyboard Rendering for Animation and Character and Object Animation and will be finishing up the quarter with Acting & Movement and Computer 3D Modeling and Animation I.  I'm excited about the last class because I get to start using 3DS Max.  The first half of the quarter is tons of drawing but I like that so it's all good.

Yeah I know it's crazy but I've played my 360 600 days in a row now. 

 

It's hard to believe but my boy is moving out today.  He made the decision a couple of weeks ago to leave Sammamish and head to lower cost of living pastures.  I can't really blame him.  Even studio apartments in this area are ridiculously expensive and he'd been trying for the last 3 months to line up roommates and it just wasn't happening.  Anyway, he put in a transfer and he's heading up north to Sedro Woolley.  I have to admit I'm very happy for him but at the same time I'm very sad for me.  I didn't know it would be this hard to let him go.

Yesterday I hit the 500 day mark on my Xbox 360 streak.  I wasn't sure I'd actually make it to playing every day for 500 days with school and work and everything else but it has certainly been fun.  I have no idea how much longer I will keep it up but at this point it's hard for me to let it go.  I'm in the top 40 on the streak leaderboard now too.

 

I just thought I'd mention that I've been helping out with the art and layout of an online game magazine called The Blue Skittle for the past few months.

 

 

It's been a fun experience and it's a great little magazine.  It's more about gaming culture and attitudes than game reviews.

I realized I hadn't posted about my new job yet so I figure it's time to do that. 

 

Late in April I was contacted about a position doing "devsigner" work for the Microsoft Game Studios.  Basically a devsigner gets to spend a lot of time in Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash as well as creating a lot of web page templates using mostly xhtml and css with a little javascript thrown in.  They can design and code.  

 

I figured since someone took the time to seek me out and the job sounded too good to be true I should at least take a look at it.  Well, I got the job and it's certainly been a blast.  It fits in really nicely with the degree I'm working on too.  It's contract work but I'm cool with that and I've certainly learned a great deal.  Oh - and I sit on the design team and not on the dev team but I'm the bridge - I work and talk with the devs a lot.

 

Anyway I get to work on lots of sites for upcoming games and it's once again cool to have a job where most of the people game as much as me. 

I actually finished my first quarter of classes on the 14th but I've been too busy since to say anything.  I managed to get straight A's in all my classes though.  I have to admit having two final projects due on the same day kind of sucked a bit but it's all good.

 

Summer quarter doesn't start until July 14th but I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm taking History of Art in Early Civilization, Fundamentals of Design, Drawing and Anatomies, and Visual Indication.

Today marked a major milestone for my Xbox 360.  I have played it every day for the last year.  I'd say that is an indicator that I don't have a life but since I work full time, go to school full time, and still find time to hang out with friends and family I think I'm ok.  I'm good at gaming in moderation... most of the time.

 

 

Here's a sketch of my niece Heather that I did for my drawing class.

 

I'm almost through my 2nd week of school and it's been really good so far.  I was excited to find out that even though it was over 25 years ago a bunch of my old college credits transferred so I don't have to retake all the English 101, Speech 101, etc.  What cracked me up is one of my higher level English classes that transferred was English 231 - Science Fiction.  It was this really fun lit class where you got to read Asimov, Ursala K. LeGuin, and a bunch of other classic Science Fiction authors and discuss them.  That was pretty much a dream class for me and I had totally forgotten about it until I saw it had transferred.

Yeah I know I've been taking lots of unaccredited classes over the last 3 years but I decided to officially go back and get a degree.  My portfolio was accepted at the Art Institute and I'm going for a degree in Media Arts & Animation.  I'm pretty excited about it. 

I have now played my Xbox 360 for 300 days in a row.  That makes me 68 on the 360Voice streak leaderboard. 

I've added a new sketch to my sketches album.  I seem to have a thing for drawing the very full lips. 

 

I've had this picture for over a month now but I'm just getting around to getting it posted.  David was a groomsman in December for one of his best friends.  It's odd to see his friends getting married that I've known since they were in grade school.  It really does feel like they have all grown up too fast.

 

It's probably not the best time of year to be doing a major remodel but it's almost over and I know I'll be happy with the results.  When it's done Scott will have his dream kitchen and I won't have a big ugly fireplace or carpet upstairs.  I have to say the guys doing the work have done an amazing job.  When you look at the wall where the fireplace was you can't even tell that it was ever there.  It's a pretty good Christmas present if you ask me.

 

Remodel Pics <-- Scott has been updating this Skydrive folder with new pictures almost daily

In other silly news I broke the top 100 leaderboard for streaks on 360voice.com. 

Last night I hit a milestone with my Xbox 360.  I have played with it for 200 days in a row.  It's a little sad but I don't think I can let the streak go.  Damn 360Voice for keeping track.  Blog entry.

 

Once again I got a funny gamerscore.  I was shooting for 20k and I came up just a tiny bit short.

 

 

What are the odds?  Probably better than I realize but I still thought it was funny.  My 360 even blogged about it.

Here's a pic of Scott and me at one of the many fun Halloween parties we attended this year.  We went medieval and it was fun - more comfortable than you'd think.

 

 

Picture thanks to Trixie.