Laptop Search

I bought a camera. A Nikon D40x can't wait 'till it arrives! My first big purchase camera. The only thing I worry about is someone picking up the package instead of me. I had that happen once. Someone opened my costume I bought online about a few weeks ago. I got it cause around that time, the sale for those things really price up around Halloween time.

Small poem I've started in my head but never place down...

You older than I
Don't have much drive
The thrill is dying

Good-Bye Maya... 7

I have work in about an hour or so. I left my class early today. I was not in sync with the lecture. I think I should drop the class.

It would make me less stressed.
I can do better in my other classes.
I can learn this material at home from a book.
I don't want to use an older version of Maya.
I don't need this class for the major I've decided on.

I remembered what Mark Shaeffer at Chabot College would say, "If a client asks of you to do something and you don't know how or not familiar with just say yes because there is a way." Within reasonable theory this is true. I could follow these tutorials which are due in a few weeks but on the other hand I could just...

Do them whenever on my own time.
Get familiar with the tools and do my own project.
My boyfriend can help me out as well - He has a BA in Multimedia.

Quick Wednesday Run Through

My hair looks messy but I walked through the day with an optimistic smile.

The light rail is well air conditioned. Very important because today was a hot one. I walked by the San Jose Art Museum. Children were playing in a walk through water fountain. Some older women with VTA uniforms were putting their hands and feet in and laughed together. I joined them in the same area. It felt so good. The water really helped my body temperature cool down. I went to Subway for lunch on Santa Clara. I meet this really friendly guy who prepared my sandwich I think he was just as excited as I was when he told me he was a student at SJSU also. He said he was majoring in criminal justice, I think, his accent was a little thick. His name was Lennon! "yea like John Lennon" well thats a first. Afterward I ate my lunch in the shade then took the light rail to Milpitas.

Today was my day to simulate the time it takes for me to get home on Wednesdays cause I plan to work at a certain time those days.

Also, note to self, get a special water bottle container to reuse. One that does not sweat. I will be smarter than buying a new one each day and keep it cooler. Thus reducing my daily budget. Plus better for the environment.

Commuted For Free! But Still An Expensive Day

Interesting day. My new traveling plan went better than I expected.

I bought a lock (to put on a locker at SJSU), a gift for my sis, new mascara (old one getting kind of scary), a carrier for my point and shoot camera and mp3 player, and a pencil case. I spent like over 40 dollars before school even started! Rode the bus at 10.50am. Oh! Almost forgot, I bought my textbook for ART 51 in the morning online for like 25 dollars. When I finally got to San Jose I realized I should probably check into whatever this "light rail" is. My first class was cool but long. We showed our past work to the class. I was impressed with my classmates' work. Lots of cool stuff. I didn't do as bad as I thought considering I just transfered. Big relief.

I don't know why my ART 51's class room is always cold, I think next time I'll bring a blanket! I left class early cause I couldn't take the coldness. I went to the admissions office and got proof of enrollment. And walked to the "light rail" and figured out where I needed to head. I got on and off I was. It was actually pretty cool, not sure how or who you show how you paid, but it doesn't really concern me considering people just walk in from off the street and I have a pass. I think it really beats the traffic. I finally got to Milpitas and drove home. On my way I bought gas for 14 dollars and 14 cents. I plan to make every Wednesday... Gas Wednesday from now on. (ash wednesday, hehehe, dumb joke)

I plan to eat with my boyfriend real soon and I would like his help in picking out a laptop with me. I also plan to drops some serious dollars for my first digital SLR camera tonight. Nikon 40x in mind. Now I am totally broke. Pay day is next Thursday, which reminds me, I have to write a note to them before they make a new schedule.

New Planning New Travels

Wednesday will be the thinest day of the week.

Wake Up & Get Ready. Drive to Great Mall. SJSU. Leave SJSU. Great Mall. Drive Home. And Work 6pm to Midnight, Probably.

I will probably have to change the day I am scheduled to work. I told them I could work Thursdays after 7 but I plan to take the bus and drive! So, with my calculations I would be home by 7:30. I plan to drop my ART 74 class, its a digital media class and going today made me think in my head "digital media is like the miscellaneous of arts". The first assignment seemed interesting yet confusing. So on Wednesday I'll be home by around 6:00pm. So I could make work at 6:30pm on Wednesday instead of Thursdays at 7:00.

The Arts are funny. Digital Media is so broad now. We when digital and they had to open a new are. No not really. There is Art History, Design Studies, Studio Practice, Animation/Illustration, Digital Media, Photography, Pictorial, Spatial, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, etc. Digital Media needs to find an identity. If I had my way, Animation, Visual Effects, and Web Design go hand in hand why not call it Motion Graphics. Things like Illustration and Painting go together. Spatial should just be called Sculpture.

The 4:00AM Dream

My last day of freedom had passed and I only had hours before I had to wake up and go to work. I couldn't sleep. It was 4:00 am and I had been lying in bed for hours. Just thinking. What is it that is my passion?! I thought about my life. Things I had seen growing up things I had thought when I was younger. I realized that the images in my head where about changing the world around me. From Lego buildings, to creating a space for Barbie to change clothes, making tents in the front yard, drawing floor plans of our old house in Newark (while I was living there), playing The Sims for hours and drawing layouts of dance clubs in my notebook. My passion is in art & design, and it happens to lie deep within architecture.

Around the Bay Area there are only a few places to offer such a degree and no where within my financial reach. My plan is to major in Interior Design. I am so happy that I have finally made up my mind. When I get that degree. I will find a job, support my life. Save up and go back to school. I will have then to decide where, California College of the Arts (San Francisco), Academy of Arts (San Francisco) or Cal Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo).

Last Day Of Freedom

Today is my last day of freedom. Look at me fake that smile. jk.

I am falling head first. I have mixed feelings both excited and worried. I go back to work tomorrow after not having to for about a month. It was nice but I'm ready to go back to work. I also created a resume today. It's okay I give it at B-. I really shows how unexperienced I am, my only employment has been with Safeway and that is killing me. My mom and everyone I know say I should stick with it. It pays for school and food and other stuff but its not going to help my career in anyway. I want to do either Illustration or Digital Media but sometimes I find myself so frustrated with it I'm not sure that I really want it. What is my Real passion?!?

Also today I had the most delicious tuna sandwich made by me, with lemons from my backyard!

Oh, and here is my filled out green form profile in a PDF!

Filling Out Profile Form, My Name!

I am currently filling out a form for class PHOTO 120, Image and Idea. Anyways I plan to scan it and turn it into a PDF, sound cool?

I came to this conclusion today that I would like to change my legal name. Yes, I know sounds radical. Here is the deal with my name... My name is Dañella. People I have known for years called me Dan-Ella and I don't blame them. Its really suppose to be Danyela or Daniela. I don't want to blame my folks but really. I don't speak Spanish, they hardly speak Spanish, so why would they put a Spanish character in their daughter's name? AND IF my name were really in Spanish it would be Dañela. The two L's I have in my real name make a Y sound in Spanish, so I would be Dany-Eyah. So yea. Looking for something more phonetically easy. Throughout my hears of schooling I've only heard a hand full of teachers say my name the way I like it. I'm tired of being DanElla. So just call me Ella.

When I order food I usually give a fake name.

Lets Hope I Can Keep This Up

Lets hope I can keep up with doing something daily for a change.

So far for my first day at San Jose State and I freakin' love it! My Maya class looks like it will be a lot of work but I need to challenge myself. A little intimidating too, my instructor(s) told the class that this class will require many hours of work for assignments. So you "shouldn't be working more than 20 hours a week". I work 24 hours a week at my job. *sigh*. I can't afford to not have a job. I'm happy to pay for my own education BUT the drawback is that its coming from my savings. As of now I can only pay for two more semesters and thats it! I REALLLLY need to look into some scholarships, its really hitting me now.

My other class said I need to bring a laptop to class! What a shocker there goes another thousand bucks! I don't own an SLR, but I hope I can get by with my digital Panasonic camera. It's not the fanciest thing ever, but I love that it has a 16:9 ratio. More Image to love!