11/30/11

Today, I walked with Brett to Walmart (not my choice!) which was a good five mile round trip. As we walked we discussed go-cart design and various engine types. It makes me want to build something! At any rate, a good day.

11/29/11

Yesterday, I helped change the design of the Be You blog  Lab Connections. Over the year or so since the blog has been up, it seems to have accumulated a large amount of links and videos that are unnecessary. I am still working on it and learning how the blogger design tools work along the way.

11/28/11

Yesterday, I finished the rough hewing of the 3D model of the city of Loveland. I also got my brain working on possible ways to make the pairing of mentors to students more efficient and usable. I am discovering an intense love of music. I was asked, "what is one thing you can't not do?" My only answer was listen to music. I am exploring this path.
    I have also gotten a new phone which has proven both a fantastic time-waster and somewhat challenging to use as a phone. I am learning to type all over again using a touch screen. I think I've got the hang of it now.

11/21/11

Today I continued to create the 3D model of downtown Loveland. I have completed nine blocks thus far. Linda, a woman who, for some reason, has been designated head chef for the Be You House cooked a delicious turkey dinner for us all. I also watched a video about a new sort of economic system revolving around Game Theory, today. This video made me realize that I know nothing about economics and I feel I should endeavor to fill this blind spot in my knowledge.

11/17/11

Today, I worked on creating a Google SketchUp of the city of Loveland. I have six blocks roughly hewn so far. I like having a project to work on. Having something to focus on is comforting.

11/16/11

   Today Brett had moved on to creating a model of a skate park, so, instead, I turned to an old HP computer which had Linux loaded on it. I discovered a way to run windows applications on Unix-based systems (e.g. Linux, Mac OS) using a simple installer package called Wine. I also fixed the legs on a stool.

11/15/11

     Today, I helped Brett create a flying airplane from cardboard. After some trials with mixed results, I believe the problem to be that we were creating too much lift  and that was causing the craft to flip over in the air. If Brett and the plane are there tomorrow, I plan to pitch the idea of adding length and weight to the rear of the craft. I find it quite an accomplishment of an art student to successfully create an airfoil wing. Today was definitely a personal victory.

11/14/11

     Today I finished Sierra's demo video and posted it on youtube. Two young men I hadn't met before were at the Be You house (both of whom's names escape me currently). They are both avidly interested in skateboarding, an activity I find admirable and have never been able to master myself. Balance is not a strong suit of mine.
     Having so many people in the house lent a frantic atmosphere to the place. Also, not related to the house, I had my blood taken today and the phlebotomist must have stabbed a nerve because my entire left arm still aches even as I write this. I am easily overwhelmed and the loudness of house and the pain in my arm soon left me over-stimulated, but I do not care; I have recently discovered an intrinsic beauty to chaos. I have found being uncomfortable is one of the quickest routes of self-growth.

11/11/11

Today, I took some footage of Sierra and plan to edit into a "demo" for her. I also went to the Thompson Valley School District's surplus warehouse and picked out some desks for the Be You house as we are getting more computers and currently have not place to put them. I then played around in iMovie to try and figure out how it works. To me it seems that the more expensive (and supposedly harder to use) Final Cut Pro is far more intuitive than iMovie, but it could be that I have far more experience using Final Cut and also like my editing to be precise rather than computer generated.

11/10/11

Today at the Be You house, I discovered that all but one of electrical fuse breakers had been tripped for the upstairs. I reset them and now the lights and outlets work. I also filmed Cristian and the other kids playing soccer. I know its not much, but its what I did today.

11/09/11

     While I was unpacking my things back into my childhood bedroom, I discovered one of  the 35mm film cameras I inherited from my grandfather still had a roll of unexposed film in it. I took it to the Be You house and took some photos.

   

  I have been given the opportunity to put my film making skills to work by making small "demos" of the students that are studying at the Be You house full-time. Today, I got some footage on a sports action wide angle camera as will as some footage on a flip video of  Be You resident Cristian playing soccer. I plan the end result of this footage to be used at B-roll for a short interview in which Cristian talks about the many things he is learning.

11/08/11

I sit in a room filled with the seeds of greatness. Laptop computers lay stacked on a table. A multi-faced clock displays the times of California, Italy and, (where I currently reside) Loveland. Spirited conversations surround me about cooking, writing, holistic medicine, and getting into college. This is my second day at the Be You house in Loveland, Colorado at which a revolution of education is taking place. I am volunteering here in an effort to discover what it is I really want to do with my life. Recently, I have broken up with my girlfriend, quit my job, and moved back in with my parents. I have half of a BFA with an emphasis on writing/directing film, a good deal of self-taught electrical engineering knowledge, the ability to play seven instruments, I speak three languages, and can tell you how a computer works; yet, I lack any sort of certificate (be it diploma or otherwise) to prove my knowledge of these subjects. Also, I am nineteen years old.
   
     In the following days, I shall do my best to chronicle my experiences and discoveries within the Be You house. This blog is more of an organization of my own thoughts and a way to get into the habit of writing everyday, than an epic of self-discovery. But if someone beyond myself finds my prose entertaining, then, by all means, enjoy.