Ground Control to Major Tom...

Hopefully my journey to the Twilight Zone is over. I've had just such an "off" week, and I'm more than ready to get back to some normalcy.

Tonight is reserved for damage control:
1. Clean my living room (and my bedroom...and the rest of the house)- I prefer to do all of my CommDesign work at home instead of the Warehouse, but it looks like Hurricane Jess blew through the place this week
2. Go Grocery Shopping- I literally have NO food and have been making due with take-out & leftovers all week
3. Re-write my WTBI paper on the RIGHT book!
4. Get the door to my car fixed
5. Return unused supplies to Michael's

I think the oddness of this week came from the fact that it was Midterms. For me, it was mostly the same as any other week, so I actually think that the LACK of Midterms is what threw me off. It was especially noticeable in Comm Design this week, as most of the students in 450 were scrambling to get their projects done. My professor, Ken Hine (the mastermind behind the Comm Design program at Syracuse) runs his class a bit differently though, and we did not have a midterm. Evaluating my own work for this week, I know it definitely was not up to par (a problem I intend to fix in my next presentation).

On the bright side, I have identified the problems I had this week (second guessing myself, redoing things before the original designs were complete, etc.) and I now have two weeks to correct my approach!

Onwards and Upwards!

Mashing & Monsters

Who: The Warehouse Crew
Where: 4th floor, CoLab
When: Friday the 30th, 6-9pm
Why: Because all the cool kids will be there

Hosted by AIGA and IDSA

I was working in the warehouse late one night
when my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my project from it's place did rise
and suddenly to my surprise

From my table in the warehouse east
to the colab floor where the cool kids feast
the students all came from their studio abodes
to have some fun at the festivities below

They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a Warehouse Smash!
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash!
--------------------------------------------------

TICKETS: $3 pre-sold in the warehouse lobby, bug Sam, Jess, or Liz
COSTUMES = A MUST!
Be prepared for a night of old school games, prizes, candy, food, mashing, and of course monsters!Sponsored by AIGA and IDSAGet Halloween off to an EPIC start!

There is a fifth dimension,

beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call...


So, I've been living in the Twilight Zone for the past week. First, someone broke into my car and stole my GPS and phone charger. (Granted, stuff like this doesn't usually happen in Syracuse, but when it does, it always seems to happen to me!) Anyway,I had my window fixed, but now the passenger side door will not open from the inside. Then, in driving to the apple orchard this weekend, our directions were wrong (oh, the irony), so we just ended up just driving in a big circle. Now yesterday, I spent the morning writing a "book report" on a 300 page book, only to get to class and realize that I had been reading the WRONG book. GAH! I felt like such an idiot! I've never done something that stupid; it makes me crazy!

On the plus side, work on my CommDesign projects is going quite well *knock-on-wood.* My roommate Marco helped me cut the masonite pieces for my musical's set design, then I spray painted all of the pieces, and now I'm just waiting for the glue to dry. Casey is also doing some illustrations for me for the book, so hopefully I can get a few of those from her today to start scanning and organizing :-)

I also created a mold for my packaging project and learned how to vac-form objects! Hopefully today marks the end of my stay in the Twilight Zone...


Work to Do:

1. CS Part I
- Finalize Playbill
- Create tickets
- Create poster
- Get illustrations from Casey
- Scan illustrations
- Take pictures of built set

2. CS Part II
- Finish building
- Take pictures of set
- Take pictures of "actors"
- Photoshop set into setting

3. ModBod (LB Plus)
- Cut Vac-formed packages
- Determine Logo
- Create Meal Guide

4. Fujin
- Logo studies
- Capabilities brochure
- Nested brochure

Weekend Weather Report

You know you're in Syracuse when it's expected to snow mid-October. Saturday has a 30% chance of snow, but that is not going to stop me from going apple/pumpkin picking! I'm also going to Casey's choir concert in the afternoon and then hopefully making some apple cider/pie later that night!

Work you ask? What work?

Warehouse Monster Mash

Exciting news on the AIGA front! AIGA, along with IDSA (the Industrial Designers Society of America) is throwing a Halloween party at the Warehouse! Sam and I are still in the planning process, but Chris McCray is allowing us to use the CoLab for our space, and we're expecting a good turnout for the actual event.

Spread the word :-)

What: Monster Mash
Where: Warehouse, 4th floor
When: Friday, October 30th, 6-9pm

Stephan Sagmeister @ RIT

On Monday, a few members of AIGA made the trek over to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to see Stephan Sagmeister's lecture.

(below: RIT student work for Sagmeister's design
challenge, "touch someone’s heart with design.")

The place was packed, so we got to sit in the aisles, but the good news was that we were super close to the stage :-D

Catch up

I went home to PA last weekend, and it was awesome! It was so relaxing and fun to just hang out and not have anything to do. It also means that a lot of work has to be completed this weekend.

On My List for this Weekend:

1. CommDesign Projects: Need to finish designing the theatrical synopsis book for my musical, create a CD booklet, and build sets. Also need to design logos and packaging ideas for "Beefcake," come up with 3 more "big ideas" + research, and start a 450 blog for the class

2. Soccer: Home game this weekend vs. ESF

3. AIGA: Meeting Sunday at 3pm to discuss membership and Stefan Sagmeister trip.

Tonight I'm taking people grocery shopping and then having a small feast with Simi (whose making potato pancakes) and Sam (who will be bringing fresh applesauce). I'm supplying the chili :-)