May
2006 Journal Archive
(c) Faye
Riley 2005-2006
journal
archive
05-24-06
Done
Thanks to all who supported, encouraged and exhorted me throughout this process. Couldn't have done it without you.
The party
Commencement
The PhDs were at the end of one of two lines that threaded through the Camponille. The wait was an hour.
However, once threaded through the Camponille, the trip down the hill into the stadium was quick.
Hooding
The scene in the hall before the hooding was chaotic. After we filed into our row, everyone turned and faced the audience and immediately began waving at family members, friends and colleagues. The hooding procession was quick and orchestrated. The hooding itself was 10 seconds in the spotlight.
Mother and me.
05-24-06
Internet problems
Although it didn't feel like it at the time, through a comedy of errors, my internet connection has been down since last Thursday. Working fine now.
05-18-06 (2)
Family are beginning to gather for the weekend festivities. Picked up my gown today.
Reading:
The Berlin Conspiracy by Tom Gabbay.
Listening:
Music video, No Quarter UNLEDDED, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
05-18-06
Rocket Ships, BBQ and Tree Trimming
While cleaning the house, I found a sand paint-by-number retro piece.
I stopped at BBQ joint in Tonganoxie Tuesday afternoon. Daniel's Bar-B-Q. Great BBQ.
On Wednesday afternoon, the city trimmed the trees along the roadway. I had seen this signature of broken tree branches on both sides of the road leading to the river and wondered what could have caused it. Now I know. The implement used for trimming is a large mowing deck that is mounted on an arm and operates perpendicular to the ground.
05-14-06
Clouds and George Carlin
There have been a lot of cloudy days in the last month. The sun broke through on Friday and produced blue sky and pink clouds. They were white to the naked eye.
Reading:
Conversations on the Edge of the Apocalypse by David Jay Brown.
Brown interviews chemist and Pulitzer winner Kary Mullis, science fiction writer Bruce Sterling, robotics expert Ray Kurzweil and George Carlin among others. The interviews are glimpses into the minds of innovative thinkers.
In this excerpt from his interview, George Carlin talks about his creative process. I'm quoting at length because I think what he has to say is valuable.
So what I've always done is try to channel my compulsive need to have order in my physical world and in my work. The more organized my files are -- they're now computer files, although they used to be hard pieces of paper -- the more I have to draw from. Because you don't remember -- certainly not consciously -- everything you've ever heard. So you write things down. I write notes down all the time -- anything I think of that has promise for me. Anything that I think fits into my world of what I want to comment on, or know about, I write it down. If I'm in a car, I'll use a little hand recorder.
Then, regularly -- every couple of weeks -- I harvest these accumulated notes. Every two weeks or so I put them in the proper places in their files -- whether it's under "animals," "colors," "clothing," "male/female," "race," "politics," driving," or "cats and dogs." These things go in their proper files, and as you put them in, you see the rest of the file, and it makes an impression on you -- even if you're not consciously trying for it. It goes through the system once again. It goes through the neural system, and so these things just become richer and richer.
Then files have a way of maturing on their own, to where I really love it. I look at the thing, and I say, This is good. I got to tell people this.
David Jay Brown, Conversations on the Edge of the Apocalypse, (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) 189.
I find the process of recording my thoughts essential to maintaining the creative flow.
Watching:
MY SUMMER OF LOVE
BREAKFAST ON PLUTO
FOUR BROTHERS
PRIMEDoing:
Preparing for graduation
Editing
Spring cleaningFeeling:
05-10-06
Flash2Film First Anniversary
Today marks the first anniversary of Flash2Film. Thanks to everyone who visits and supports this website.
If you have comments, suggestions or feedback, please contact me.
05-01-06
Happy May Day
