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Almost to Spring Break!

3/01/2010 12:38:00 AM • • 2 comments

It's a busy and crazy week for me this week. On Friday, I'm leaving town for two weeks for a week-ish in Dallas/Austin and then a week in California. I've never been to Austin or California, so I'm pretty excited. But, I have to be responsible first and get most, if not all of my homework and tests done that I'm missing next week done before I leave on Friday, on top of packing, laundry, that sort of thing.

I have a meeting scheduled with my advisor at UTA on Friday, right after I land, to discuss my schedule for next semester, as well as whatever else a transfer student like me might need to know. It was a time and a half trying to find an email for them, but my best friend (who has some weird knack for navigating and finding almost anything on a college website) found it within minutes, putting me to shame. I also have to finish up my financial aid verification documents this week and bring them with me as well to drop them off at the financial aid office at UTA. I finally got around to applying for the FAFSA, now all that's left is these documents and some more scholarship searching. Does anyone know of any good websites that have scholarship opportunities through different places? Sorry I can't be more specific, but I remember my mom found a few a couple years back, but I can't remember/find them again.

I'll hopefully be able to blog about my trip while on my trip, including my meeting with my advisor. It doesn't get too good until next Monday, when I head off to Austin for night one of John Mayer, then we come back to Dallas the next day and see him at the American Airlines Center. I've seen him four times before, but this is the first time I've seen him twice in the same tour. I could not be more excited. I'm using this vacation as kind of a last hurrah, since I doubt I'll be able to do something like this once I'm on my own in Arlington. Plus, it was part of my new year's resolutions that if I have the opportunity to do something, do it, no matter what.

Kind of bummed the Olympics are over. The last two weeks were amazing in so many ways. Team USA accomplished so much and there's always a feeling of unity during the Olympics. I'm a huge hockey fan, so while today's US vs. Canada matchup ended unfavorably, it was still a great game to watch. I can't wait to see what Russia brings in 2014.

I hope some of you got the opportunity to see Matt at the War Legion this weekend. I'm hoping to make it to one of his shows someday; I'm sure it's a great time.

Big Weekend!

2/26/2010 07:56:00 AM • • 3 comments

This Saturday I will be performing live at The War Legion Underground. The event is called "Digital Styleings 6.0" because the duo I play with is named Digital Style, and it's the sixth consecutive show they've had at the venue. It will be my third time to perform with them as DJ Chiknbiskit.

When I first started playing records in Amarillo, the shows were very small and at the old hookah lounge/coffee bar Namaste. The people who attended mostly consisted of close friends and family, so it was never a large turnout. I guess it didn't help that I had to perform outside in the cold November night wind. Last October one of my friends told me about a DJ duo that plays music of the same style that I play, right in Amarillo. I didn't really believe him at first because most of the people around here haven't heard of many of the artists that I like to play. When I arrived at the concert, I was immediately blown away by what I heard. I recognized a lot of the music and saw a ton of people dancing! Much more than my small shows at Namaste.

After meeting the guys of Digital Style, I got them a demo CD of stuff I had done in the past, and they agreed to put me on Novembers show ticket. My first performance with them on November 14th (Digital Styleings 4.0) was one I wont ever forget. Over 100 people packed into the venue, some friends, but mostly people I didn't know (quite the change from Namaste), and EVERYONE was dancing the whole night! It was great, and the 3 of us decided to perform together monthly.

In January, my 3rd performance with them got cancelled due to the insane snow Amarillo was getting at the time, and we had to reschedule for this weekend, February 27th. This performance will be a little different for me because I am playing a newer style of dance music that I have never performed before live called dubstep. The best way to describe the sound of the genre would be to take a very basic hip hop or rap drum beat, but then add a very heavy electronic bass line, sometimes added to a familiar vocal melody where the words have been cut up and rearranged to make new phrases.

Besides not having played dubstep live before, I'm also a little worried about how the crowd will like the music. I know the core group of friends the DJs have like the style, but most people I have met in Amarillo just haven't heard of it. This is good because I will exposing people to new music and sound they possibly haven't heard before, but it could be bad because if they don't like that sound, then they wont dance, and a clear dance floor is not what you want to see when your playing on stage. I have already decided to split my performance in half. Start off with some good, recognizable, electro dance music, and then I will transition to the dubstep, reading the crowd energy level from there.

Crowd energy, the very best part about being a DJ. Please come to the show if you are interested! It is an all ages show, and there are more details on the flyer I've posted below!

Spring Break is coming up soon for all you students! My plans are still in the works, but as soon as they are set I will post about where I'll be this mid March.

-MH

Austin

2/20/2010 01:20:00 PM • • 4 comments

Today is one of my best friends birthday and I am currenty in Austin helping him celebrate! My girlfriend and a friend of ours left town last around 6:30pm because I couldn't get off work earlier. Normally when we drive to Austin we take 287 down to Fort Worth, then continue on 35 all the way to central Texas. Usually the trip is around eight to eight and a half hours long. I'm not sure why we usually take that way, maybe because there's a part of me that misses the DFW area. Yesterday, my friend told me a way to Austin that he had discovered to save time, going South on 84 almost to Sweetwater, then taking 70 to 183.

We ended up making the whole drive in seven hours and fifteen minutes. This was great becase we worried that since we couldn't leave till 6:30pm, that it would be 3am before we arrived. The best part about the drive, especially at night, is the miles and miles of windfarming that is happening around Sweetwater. Rows and rows of simultaneously blinking lights, one on top of every wind propeller. As far as you can see, blinking red lights. Maybe it's the computer geek in me that wants to know things like how they program the lights to blink at the same time, and what equipment does it take to keep them running and maintained? I guess I could find all this out by talking with one of AC's many Wind Farm students!

Today will be filled with movies, food, and just general catching up with old friends. I'm excited to be in Austin and getting to see people and things that are not normally seen in Amarillo. Hot dog stands run out of Airstreams, delicious grocers like Whole Foods, and a city treeming with college life that is just not apparent in our small West Texas city.

-MH

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]



Olympics and Scholarships

2/17/2010 01:26:00 PM • • 5 comments

It's crazy at how much work is necessary to receive financial aid or scholarships. Within the week, I need to file a Fafsa (something I've never done before) and search for relevant scholarships through the UTA site, at least. The process is so complicated too, especially being an out of state student for most of my college career. I'm not looking forward to this, but it seems like attending a university is pretty near impossible without some kind of aid.

I'm going for a visit to UTA two Saturdays from this weekend. I missed a transfer preview day by a week, I think, but my advisor told me to email my advisor there and see if there's someone I could meet with on the day I'm there. I've never been to UTA before, so I hope I like it. I applied and got into AC without ever visiting and I love it, so I hope the same goes for UTA.

Anyone else as big into the Olympics as I am? I don't really get into the summer ones, but I am OBSESSED with the winter ones. Anytime I'm home, I usually have the TV on. I'm really into curling right now. I don't understand a lick of it, really, but it's still very intense for such a simple looking game. Bobsledding starts soon, and I'm looking forward to the US/Canada hockey game on Sunday at 7. I don't know what could convince someone to start doing the luge/skeleton. It looks SO dangerous, and that was pretty proven this past week with the man from Georgia dying while practicing. I'm proud of the US Olympians who have already brought home medals: Hannah Kearney, JR Celski, Apolo Ohno, etc. Looks like we're behind Germany by a medal as of this afternoon, but I'm sure we'll make a comeback.

Finally, The AC Concert Choir students will present a variety show this Friday night in the Concert Hall, 7:30 pm, to raise money for their spring tour. Admission is free and donations are accepted to help with spring tour expenses. I would love to attend this, but I have to work. Go check it out if you're looking for something to do on Friday!

I can see!

2/12/2010 03:00:00 PM • • 5 comments

Well last Saturday I managed to lose my contacts, so I've been dealing with glasses for the last 5 days. This used to not be a problem for me, but since I have changed my contact prescription in the last few months, my glasses are old and make my vision a bit blurry. Blurry vision does not make taking notes in class very easy. Especially since I'm usually stuck sitting in the back due to my laptop constantly needing power. Yes, my laptop has a fried battery so it always has to be plugged into to wall, COMPLETELY negating the purpose for which I bought the laptop, portability.

I had to miss Cal Ripken's big speech at AC this last Tuesday due to work. My mom and dad both went so I will have to get the review from them sometime soon. According to my dad, mom even got her picture taken with Cal so maybe I can post that the next time I write!

I'm reading Catcher in the Rye right now, and yes it's my first time to read it. Pretty sure it was a required reading in high school, but I was never a fan of required readings. My dad gave me a copy because the author, J.D. Salinger, died last month. It's a pretty easy read so far and I can see my dad was comparing my "angsty about college" emotions to Holden's (the main character) own. Looking forward to continue reading tonight.

Today is my first Friday off of work in a long time, and it's nice to have a day without school or work to worry about (except I just realize I have a writing assignment due today but hopefully that wont take me more than an hour). Tonight we are having a couple friends over to watch The Fountain. If you've never seen this great movie, I highly recommend it as it is very "out-of-the-box" and will make you question yourself personally on a level you might had not questioned before.

Valentines day is only 2 days away! Here is a LIST that Time/CNN published on their website of cheap gift ideas for your significant other. Have a great Valentines!

-MH

Blogger #2!

2/08/2010 08:57:00 PM • • 6 comments

Hey all! I'm Chelsea Hulen, and I'm one of the new AC bloggers for the semester, along with Matt. There's not much to me, but I guess something is better than nothing!

I was born in Amarillo and lived here until I was about four, until I moved to Santa Fe. Stayed there for another four years, and then moved to a tiny-ish town in Tennessee about an hour south of Nashville, where I lived for about 10 years. I graduated high school there and then moved back to Amarillo to start at AC, where I've been living for a little over two years. So, that makes me 19, finishing up my time here at AC, and working for Mr. Payroll in the Toot 'n Totums around town.

After starting as a general studies major, I switched to business management for a semester, until I figured out advertising was the best place for me. I've always been interested in the psychology behind advertising, as well as product placement, so I'm hoping I can find a career in either of those areas. I have one semester (well one and a half, including summer) and then I'm off to Arlington, as I got accepted to UTA this past Saturday, to finish up my bachelors in advertising.

Besides working and school, I don't do much socially, but I'm working on that this semester. I'd much prefer to stay at home, reading or watching a show. I probably watch more television than is healthy. My favorites are Lost, Glee, The Office, and V, but I can probably tell you just about anything about a show. I also enjoying going to Dallas for concerts, as there's not many here that interest me. I've seen John Mayer four times (will be six come March), as well as Joshua Radin, Keith Urban, and Feist.

I hope my blogs will be a nice mix of happenings around AC, as well as what I'm watching/listening to, and maybe the transferring process I'm about to go through. I'm very much looking forward to writing for this, as I've never really publicly blogged before.

I'm open to any and all questions, so don't hesitate to message me.

Chelsea

About the Blogger

2/08/2010 03:11:00 PM • • 6 comments

Hello everyone! My name is Matt Horsley and I am one of the new AC Bloggers for the Spring 2010 semester. I thought I would give you an about me post that will kick off my blogging for these next few months.

I am 23 years old and have spent most of my life in Amarillo, TX. My life began in Houston and lived I there until I was three. I graduated from Tascosa High in 2005 and attended Amarillo College that Fall. After one semester of average grades, I moved to Fort Worth to take a break from school and join the workforce. In 2006 I went to Acoustic Edge Institute to get my MECP in Car Audio, Video, and Electronics and moved to Denton, TX. There I installed car electronics for Best Buy until August 2008 when I returned to Amarillo to pursue my education at AC.

My major at AC is Mass Communication: Advertising/Public Relations. I chose this major mostly because I have a strange interest in product placement in todays media, and want to pursue a career either in advertising, public relations, or product/idea/people promotion. Not being the most academically inclined student through high-school, I am taking my college career a few courses at a time so I can devote more attention to each class.

I currently work in the copy and print center at Office Depot part-time and have been there for over a year and a half. When I'm not in school or at work, I am usually working on my music hobby DJing. Not the "Radio DJ", or even the guy that came to your high school prom and played the chicken dance. I'm a dance mix DJ that takes 2 songs, matches the tempo, and fades between the them to make a seamless flow of music. You can usually find me performing monthly at The War Legion Underground on 10th st, as well as the Nat on occasion. If you are a dance music buff, I usually play the electro, dubstep, house, and general techno genres. My alias is DJ Chiknbiskit (influenced by "Chicken in a Biscuit" crackers.... so delicious) and I picked that because I wanted something that would stand out and be memorable. Plus I love everything chicken and biscuits. Many of my blogs will likely be about music and the evolution (or de-evolution) that is happening in the industry as it's my major passion.

I am excited to be blogging for AC and I hope you will continue to read my upcoming posts! Feel free to email or comment any questions you have! Thanks!


-MH

Annual Christmas Party at Mike's

12/04/2009 03:47:00 PM • • 1 comments

Today was the Annual Mass Communication Christmas party at Mike’s house. I get lost pretty easily when I’m driving in a part of town I’m not used to, so yesterday Andrea, Miguel and I decided we would all go together to Mike’s house. I thought we should leave for the party around 11 because it was supposed to start at noon, but I had a feeling we’d get lost, because neither of them had ever been there before and I had just been there twice. So, I figured we would all take one car to the party.

We decided to meet in the parking lot by Parcells Hall a little after 11:00. Around 10:40 Miguel called me and said he had to go get a haircut and that he will be at AC at noon. I didn’t want to sit in the parking lot for an hour so I said that was fine and told Andrew about our new plans.

I left my house at noon to go to AC and right as I was stopped at a red light on 27th Street, I got another call from Miguel asking where I was because I was late and Andrea was looking for me. I was trying to get there as quickly as I could and I asked him where he was because I was visualizing both of them waiting for me in their cars in the parking lot…no, not the case. He wasn’t there either! I get there and neither was Andrea, so I didn’t feel so guilty for being late.
Miguel got there not long after I did and then Andrea pulled up. I got in the car with Miguel and Andrea followed behind us to Mike’s house. We got there and pretty much everyone else was already there.

Yesterday before we went to Announcing for Radio and TV, Jill was making a blooper video to show at the party. They were bloopers from the videos Miguel, Bill and I have made throughout the semester. There was a lot of footage of me fixing my hair during my stand-ups and just a lot a lot of funny stuff! So, hopefully we can put it the Ranger website soon, for everyone to see!
Miguel and I had to leave the party early because he had to go to work, so we missed out on the gift exchange and the rest of the festivities. I took cream puffs to the party and Mike told me to take them with me. So, when I went to get them off of the table, I dropped the lid in Nancy’s banana cream pie, so I got whipped cream all over it.

I didn’t realize until I got in Miguel’s car, how much of the whipped cream I had taken with me…I had it all over my purse, my new jacket, Miguel’s jacket, then he put some in my hair and I even managed to get some on a little car ornament hanging from the rearview mirror! It was like Gelato on 6th Street all over again!

Darkroom Experience

11/17/2009 04:28:00 PM • • 0 comments

A few weeks ago in my Fundamentals of Photography class we were given the assignment to take self-portraits of ourselves using black and white film. I borrowed my mom’s camera from 1982 and Mr. Cavanaugh provided the film. Miguel and I partnered up for this assignment as well and we decided to go to the Lynn Library to take some photos. We went up to the fourth floor and took his photos. We ran out of time before our next class started so I decided I would just take mine later on that day.

The next time we met for photography we were going into the darkroom. So, Mr. Cavanaugh brought in some reels and some rolls of film that we could practice with before we actually went into the darkroom. He told us to practice rolling up the film on the reels with our eyes closed because that’s how dark it was going to be in the darkroom. I knew it was going to be dark, but I didn’t expect it to be THAT dark!

So, Miguel and I practiced unrolling the film without touching it to our fingers and attaching it to a reel and twisting the sides until the roll of film was all the way rolled up. Miguel was having a hard time getting the film onto the reel so we decided my job would be taking the film out of the cartridge and getting it attached to the reel and he will twist the film onto the reel.
So, after waiting 45 minutes on the first group that went, it was finally our turn to head into the darkroom. We had a small group there was only four of us but only two people can fit in one room, so you have to be pretty comfortable with your partner! It would be really awkward if you didn’t know them.

After making our way through a dark hallway with about 15 little closets, Miguel and I settled into a room. We sat everything down on the counter, both rolls of film, two reels, a light tight container and a pair of scissors. Mr. Cavanaugh told us to make sure we knew where everything was because he was going to be turn out the lights and we won’t be able to see anything.

He finally turned out the lights and it was pitch black! Like I said before, I wasn’t prepared for it to be THAT dark! So, since I couldn’t see anything I started to feel around on the counter in front of me so I could get a roll of film and get the process started. I found the first roll of film just fine and I didn’t have any trouble at all getting it to pop out of the cartridge, but as soon as I got it out and started to cut the end off, I dropped the whole roll of film on the floor! So, Miguel got down on the floor trying to find this roll of film in the dProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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kness. While the two people in the next room were laughing at us.

After Miguel picked up the roll of film I cut the end off, attached it to the reel and handed it back over to Miguel so he could do his job of twisting the film onto the reel. I started working on the second roll of film and this time I didn’t drop it so that was good, but I did rip part of the end off, which ended up being okay because there was nothing on that part. Before we knew it we had both rolls of film on the reels and we were ready to get started the development process.

That was the part that took the longest because there are so may steps you have to take and everything is timed, it’s just really time consuming. It also smells really gross…kind of like rotten eggs mixed with chemicals and it takes a long time to get the smell off of your hands. But getting to develop my own negatives was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I just hope next time I remember to fix the flash my camera because most of the film had a stripe down the side because the flash went off too quickly!

What's going on...

11/14/2009 05:13:00 PM • • 0 comments

This past month has been so busy! So, I haven’t been able to actually blog for quite some time now. But I have been writing stuff down as it happens so I can blog about it later, so in the next couple of days you guys will be bombarded with blogs! You’ll get to hear about me getting to meet Nando Parrado, getting to meet Elmo and Cookie Monster, my first plane ride, the Journalism convention, my first time in the dark room and some other stuff too!