We babysat a good friend’s dog for a few days and now the kids and wife have been bugging me to get one when we get home. Personally I think that they are all just missing our pet cat who passed away a few months ago. Problem is that I am not a big animal lover. Plus having a dog in NY can be kinda unfair. But mostly, I just hate picking up crap. Still I have to admit that Trixie was pretty fun to have around.
New Media Technology site launch
One of the reasons why I haven’t posted anything recently was because for the past month I have been working hard to finish all of the marketing and promotional materials for the new LaGuardia Media and Technology website. The New Media program had been without a web site since the college administration decided to relocate the New Media degree from the now dissolved Computer and Information Systems (CIS) department to the Humanities department. The relocation of the program offered me an opportunity to redesign the curriculum in a more effective way. However, all of the recent changes in the curriculum, as well as the physical relocation of the actual program had caused a bit of a confusion. The new website was merely one of the tools that we developed to minimize the pain of the transition.
More information on the LaGuardia Media and Technology programs can be found here:
Pets are family members too!
For the record, I am not a big animal lover. I don’t hate them or anything, but I am not one of those people that gets all giddy about being around them either. In fact, I always thought that animals could be a bit of a pain. They cough up hair balls, make noise, pee outside of the liter box at times, and can literally get underfoot when walking around the house at night. So it came as a total surprise and shock to me that I would be upset about the recent passing of our family cat. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised because Ski and I had the cat for nearly 20 years. Hell, we had the cat longer than we had the kids. I actually found myself on the verge of tears the other day when I came home and realized that I no longer had to worry about leaving my leather boxing gloves lying on the couch because the kitty wasn’t there to scratch them up.
Mayor’s office: Futures in Film and New Media
Representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting came to speak to the students at LaGuardia. The event was sponsored by the LaGuardia Media Studies and New Media Technology programs. The visitors from Mayor Bloomberg’s office talked about training programs, diversity initiatives, and other opportunities for CUNY students Continue reading “Mayor’s office: Futures in Film and New Media”
Old students return
Earlier today a former LaGuardia New Media student, Miki Masuda, came in to speak to some of my capstone students about her experiences working in digital design, and transferring from LaGuardia to a senior college. Now just to give you some background, new media capstone students at LaGuardia are generally my most advanced designers. The have taken many of the required courses and are usually just a semester or so away from graduating. The capstone class, HUW 269 – New Media Project Lab, that I am teaching is designed to assist students in developing a final professional portfolio to facilitate transfer to a senior college or gain employment as a New Media designer.
Miki is an amazing designer. When I was looking for a guest speaker Continue reading “Old students return”
Night out with my Boo
It has been too long since the wife and I have had a night out by ourselves. So I took her out on a “date night” at the Barrymore Theater to see Race. Race follows “three attorneys, two black and one white, offered a chance to defend a white man charged with a crime against a black woman.” The plot unfolds as the three lawyers and defendant grapple Continue reading “Night out with my Boo”
Randori Roundup
Pete Muldoon’s seminar from the other day got me thinking about my first Judo lessons, and has me wondering why I ever stopped. From day one you learn how to jump and fall, all while wrestling your friends to the ground. No katas or forms, just controlled roughhousing. Randori, as judokas refer to it. As a kid I loved it. And while I have always gravitated more towards of the striking arts, Judo was one of the first martial arts that I was introduced to when I was younger. Alot of time has past since those days. In fact it had been so long that I was shocked when my mother told me that it had been more than twenty-five years since my last Judo tournament.
I started taking Judo while I was a camper at Kutsher’s Sports Academy back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The summers that I Continue reading “Randori Roundup”
A judo chop, chop, chop!!
After a week of really crappy weather it was great to get out of the house and attend a combat Judo seminar taught by Peter Muldoon this weekend. Pete, is a 3rd Dan black belt and one of the senior instructors at the Krav Maga Federation headquarters in Manhattan. He was gracious enough take time out of his schedule and share some of his knowledge of throws and takedowns with a group of us on a cold Sunday afternoon.
I had been looking forward to this seminar ever since Continue reading “A judo chop, chop, chop!!”
Meeting the Mayor…or “Yo, dat’s my cousin”!!!
Those that know me are well aware that I am not very political, or politically correct for that matter. So it was interesting that I was invited to spend the afternoon rubbing elbows with NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other important people within city politics. After years of her hard work and sacrifice, my cousin sworn in as NYC judge. Needless to Continue reading “Meeting the Mayor…or “Yo, dat’s my cousin”!!!”
Y’all are Stressin’ me
I gotta chime back in and address some of the concerns my friends have recently voiced. I must at admit I am a bit shocked at some of their comments regarding me getting a motorcycle. I have thought long and hard about this. Getting a bike, i.e. Midlife crisis or whatever, for me isn’t about proving anything to anyone else. It is about doing some of the things that you always wanted to do….while you are able to do them and enjoy them safely. With that said, there are more than a few reasons why buying a bike at this point in my Continue reading “Y’all are Stressin’ me”