Shi
December 15th, 2006, 02:09 PM
it all started this morning. i was putting off packing again to finally watch 'the warriors' a flick that i didn't bother to see when i was 5 years old... but alas, i regretted it and was running around trying to remember where i put that brush...or that one pencil... and how i needed a new sketchbook for this *amazing* event.
this will be my second workshop. i went to the first one in SF, and needless to say it blew me away. it was, as i refer to it, the most beneficial, enlightening, and rewarding masochistic art experiences i've ever had. as a student it really showed me how much further i had left to go. and how much more i wanted *it*.
anyways, that aside, i left the apartment with my roommate an hour and a half early for the flight. we thought things would be fine and dandy. hopefully we'd be missing the heavy moments of rush hour. we were *so* wrong. for some rason everyone was on the highway, fleeing home at 3 o'clock. "w t f..." the driver mutters. "i think someone died, or i'm going to miss my flight. either way this sucks"
i get to the airport with 20 minutes to spare. i can make it...i can make it! i run up to the DIY electronic self-check in. i looked for the button that says "teleport me to my flight." but gave up looking through their crappy menus and just inserted my credit card.
=CHECK IN DENIED= FINAL BOARDING IN PROCESS PLEASE SEE A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
you have to be shitting me..that line is so long...i jump in queue.
the lights flicker, or i blinked really fast, then someone else asks if that just happened...so i guess it did. the 'delta airlines' section loses power and is now in darkness. us kids in 'alaska airlines' look at them cluelessly. my phone rings. "dude, the airport and all the power went out." its the roommate.
"what...?"
"yeah. there's a huge storm, i'm on the bridge and i'm nearly getting blown off. i'm going home hope you make that flight (or your fucked) <--- that's what i hear him saying."
"yeah yeah, but get this. this is hilarious, on the radio, they said that one of the malls lost power and went out. and then soon, everyone just started looting!!!" i *really* wished i was at the mall right then. i really want a wii... or a free wii... or just to run around in a panicked mall..
long (beginning) of the story short, i got shafted. they said my flight was delayed so i might be able to make it if i could get through security in 15 minutes (HA!). i tried my best. thanks to the materials thread i tried wisely to play the vague game with the TSA.
"you have a lot of tubes of liquid."
"their actually just paint."
"are they oil?"
"no, their just paint."
"will it fit in a ziplock bag."
"what?"
i brought a basic set of oils with me and my favorite acrylics. i think i had to throw away phallo green and blue because the ziplock bag wouldn't close.
alas, i didn't make the flight. they put me on a flight at 9 pm...4 hours later.
i had my little brother pick me up. my family lives 10 minutes from the airport. aparently on the otherside of the bridge they were getting the storm too. the power went out when we got at the house. it was almost funny.
i went back to the airport. played dumb about the paint. this time *real* dumb. although hearing the winds howling when i came in, i still had a bad feeling. i got to the gate and it was PACKED. and delayed. not just us though, everyone in this wing of the airport was delayed. we all looked sad. worried. faces wincing knowing we were about to get screwed. although this time it wouldn't be so bad, i thought. because you see, this time i thought my curse may finally be broken. everytime i get on a flight, i'm stuck next to grandma. not my grandma, or your grandma, but *grandma*. she always asks me "are you an artist?" when i start sketching. "yes grandma...i'm almost done with school." but who knows! this time there were cute chicks! not just any cute chicks, but adorable artistettes. we artists have a knack for knowing one another. its kinda like when you go to an art school and you're like "yeah, you belong here." or when you go to a workshop and everyone feels comfortable with each other. and... "hello? HI!!! oH mY GoSh! i kNOw I sHouLd BE therez by nOwZ."
my artist radar sucks. i was fooled by the ecentric cloths and the fancy pink hair. i think i just liked the hair...
from ms. popular's 5 phone calls, it sounded like someone told her that they were canceling flights. then someone else told her that expedia said there were no open flights the next day until late in the evening. i told myself to panic. i hate storms. or 'inclimate weather.' i wish she would just hang up so i could get it over with and tell her how cool her hair was.
"i'm...sorry i have some bad news." (noo!!!)
the flight was canceled. all flights were cancelled. everyone in the wing was told to line up at every customer service desk and they'd "see what they can do." awesome. as luck had it me and ms. popular were in line next to each other. and she was still on her phone. i didn't want to be rude, and it'd probably sound like i was hitting on her. so i damn sure wasn't going to interupt her call(s) for that. i whipped out the DS and played wario wares until it was my turn.
"please tell me there's a flight to san francisco or oakland before noon..." i begged the rep.
"hmm.." she said and click clacked her way through a keyboard.
i continued to look worried, and then her face "ohhh..."
"eh?"
"i've got something good for you."
"really?!"
"you have to keep quiet about this but i found you a 1st class seat to SFO at 6 am"
"i love you."
i never told ms popular how cool her hair was.
then the cell phone rings. "dude, its johnny" my younger brother.
"there was a mudslide in tacoma and i can't take the train down."
"holy shit?"
"yeah... can you call united and find out if i can take the plane ticket to taiwan from seattle instead of portland?"
"dude...i don't think they're gonna do that.."
"well i was supposed to come down and take a plane from portland, back to seattle, so that he'd make it here for sure... but now i can't... i think they'll let you do it."
"we won't let you do it."
"are you serious? he's taking one LESS flight. why would this cost more?"
"well you see, our systems aren't showing that there's any emergencies in the portland/seattle area. so in order to change this flight path, it will cost you $3000"
"!!!!!!!!#%@#%&%&#$#$*$#&^%@#$%#^@@!!!!!!!" (i can't speak in symbols so i was silently making rude gestures through the phone)
"can i talk to a supervisor is there anything he can do?"
"one moment i'll put you on hold."
the music comes on and its that 'united' song that always plays on their commercials. which i ADORE. they had several of them who were animated by an AMAZING artist Alexander Petrov, he animates with OIL paintings on glass and its simply amazing.
"no, we can't do anything for you."
"i hate you." i didn't really say that...
problem solving problem solving... we have a problem..
"josh, can you do me a favor?"
"uhhh..."
"i need you to drive johnny down to olympia. i'm going to drive up from portland, if you can do this you'll save me 3 hours of driving. i'm not sure i can make it in time because of the storm, he needs to be here by 5am."
"...you're so taking me snowboarding."
"done and done."
i was tired, exhausted, and driving. awesome. i borrowed my cousin's acura, which is much much much better then anything i drive. and despite the branches and small trees in parts of the road, it was the best thing i could ask for at 80 miles per hour heading north. i wasn't really worried about getting a speeding ticket. i'm sure all the police were busy diverting this disaster. fending off the storm with their militant skills. fixing downed powerlines and "body massage." i tried to keep talking in my own head. despite how cool the car was, the cd's in it SUCKED. imagine a classical soundtrack to an anime. now make it a classical soundtrack to an anime video game.
me and my lil bro rendevous at exit 102. josh is low on gas. the gas station is out of power. but josh is also a really nice guy. he tells us to GTFO and get back to portland or we'll miss our flight. we've got 3 hours on the clock. it took me 2 to get here. me and johnny start driving and make smart jokes. i tell him wit is educated insolence. he replies with "in your face." i miss my little brother.
in the end we made it with an hour to spare. dazed, confused, i got out of the car and proceeded to be big brotherly. passports, money, tickets, money, bags, cash, video games, and money. i made sure they remembered to pack it. i went through my things. i'm still sad that i can't bring any work with me, partly because i don't really have anything i think would be worth bringing. partly because my sketchbook was stolen along with my backpack. bastard hobos.
we finally got to the airport at 5AM. i realize if you're just sincere and casual, they'll just give you a verbal slap on the wrist. "oil?!" "they're non-flammable." "oh...well then..shame on you for bringing oil paints." "i have learned a great lesson today, next time i'll get it right for sure."
i'm absolutely exhausted. despite everything... i'm relieved. i'm on a plane headed to an amazing event. i hope to learn a lot and grow even more. i'm excited. very excited. i can't wait to see marko draw again. or get jealous at wes' skill. and see coro's colors. i'm prepared to hit that feeling to know i'm not *there* yet. i already know that this will just make me try even harder. i know it will all be worth the measly $500 to come here.
so if you see an asian kid running around with a scarf and a mohawk. come up and say hi to him. he went through a lot to get here. :)
Kev
this will be my second workshop. i went to the first one in SF, and needless to say it blew me away. it was, as i refer to it, the most beneficial, enlightening, and rewarding masochistic art experiences i've ever had. as a student it really showed me how much further i had left to go. and how much more i wanted *it*.
anyways, that aside, i left the apartment with my roommate an hour and a half early for the flight. we thought things would be fine and dandy. hopefully we'd be missing the heavy moments of rush hour. we were *so* wrong. for some rason everyone was on the highway, fleeing home at 3 o'clock. "w t f..." the driver mutters. "i think someone died, or i'm going to miss my flight. either way this sucks"
i get to the airport with 20 minutes to spare. i can make it...i can make it! i run up to the DIY electronic self-check in. i looked for the button that says "teleport me to my flight." but gave up looking through their crappy menus and just inserted my credit card.
=CHECK IN DENIED= FINAL BOARDING IN PROCESS PLEASE SEE A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
you have to be shitting me..that line is so long...i jump in queue.
the lights flicker, or i blinked really fast, then someone else asks if that just happened...so i guess it did. the 'delta airlines' section loses power and is now in darkness. us kids in 'alaska airlines' look at them cluelessly. my phone rings. "dude, the airport and all the power went out." its the roommate.
"what...?"
"yeah. there's a huge storm, i'm on the bridge and i'm nearly getting blown off. i'm going home hope you make that flight (or your fucked) <--- that's what i hear him saying."
"yeah yeah, but get this. this is hilarious, on the radio, they said that one of the malls lost power and went out. and then soon, everyone just started looting!!!" i *really* wished i was at the mall right then. i really want a wii... or a free wii... or just to run around in a panicked mall..
long (beginning) of the story short, i got shafted. they said my flight was delayed so i might be able to make it if i could get through security in 15 minutes (HA!). i tried my best. thanks to the materials thread i tried wisely to play the vague game with the TSA.
"you have a lot of tubes of liquid."
"their actually just paint."
"are they oil?"
"no, their just paint."
"will it fit in a ziplock bag."
"what?"
i brought a basic set of oils with me and my favorite acrylics. i think i had to throw away phallo green and blue because the ziplock bag wouldn't close.
alas, i didn't make the flight. they put me on a flight at 9 pm...4 hours later.
i had my little brother pick me up. my family lives 10 minutes from the airport. aparently on the otherside of the bridge they were getting the storm too. the power went out when we got at the house. it was almost funny.
i went back to the airport. played dumb about the paint. this time *real* dumb. although hearing the winds howling when i came in, i still had a bad feeling. i got to the gate and it was PACKED. and delayed. not just us though, everyone in this wing of the airport was delayed. we all looked sad. worried. faces wincing knowing we were about to get screwed. although this time it wouldn't be so bad, i thought. because you see, this time i thought my curse may finally be broken. everytime i get on a flight, i'm stuck next to grandma. not my grandma, or your grandma, but *grandma*. she always asks me "are you an artist?" when i start sketching. "yes grandma...i'm almost done with school." but who knows! this time there were cute chicks! not just any cute chicks, but adorable artistettes. we artists have a knack for knowing one another. its kinda like when you go to an art school and you're like "yeah, you belong here." or when you go to a workshop and everyone feels comfortable with each other. and... "hello? HI!!! oH mY GoSh! i kNOw I sHouLd BE therez by nOwZ."
my artist radar sucks. i was fooled by the ecentric cloths and the fancy pink hair. i think i just liked the hair...
from ms. popular's 5 phone calls, it sounded like someone told her that they were canceling flights. then someone else told her that expedia said there were no open flights the next day until late in the evening. i told myself to panic. i hate storms. or 'inclimate weather.' i wish she would just hang up so i could get it over with and tell her how cool her hair was.
"i'm...sorry i have some bad news." (noo!!!)
the flight was canceled. all flights were cancelled. everyone in the wing was told to line up at every customer service desk and they'd "see what they can do." awesome. as luck had it me and ms. popular were in line next to each other. and she was still on her phone. i didn't want to be rude, and it'd probably sound like i was hitting on her. so i damn sure wasn't going to interupt her call(s) for that. i whipped out the DS and played wario wares until it was my turn.
"please tell me there's a flight to san francisco or oakland before noon..." i begged the rep.
"hmm.." she said and click clacked her way through a keyboard.
i continued to look worried, and then her face "ohhh..."
"eh?"
"i've got something good for you."
"really?!"
"you have to keep quiet about this but i found you a 1st class seat to SFO at 6 am"
"i love you."
i never told ms popular how cool her hair was.
then the cell phone rings. "dude, its johnny" my younger brother.
"there was a mudslide in tacoma and i can't take the train down."
"holy shit?"
"yeah... can you call united and find out if i can take the plane ticket to taiwan from seattle instead of portland?"
"dude...i don't think they're gonna do that.."
"well i was supposed to come down and take a plane from portland, back to seattle, so that he'd make it here for sure... but now i can't... i think they'll let you do it."
"we won't let you do it."
"are you serious? he's taking one LESS flight. why would this cost more?"
"well you see, our systems aren't showing that there's any emergencies in the portland/seattle area. so in order to change this flight path, it will cost you $3000"
"!!!!!!!!#%@#%&%&#$#$*$#&^%@#$%#^@@!!!!!!!" (i can't speak in symbols so i was silently making rude gestures through the phone)
"can i talk to a supervisor is there anything he can do?"
"one moment i'll put you on hold."
the music comes on and its that 'united' song that always plays on their commercials. which i ADORE. they had several of them who were animated by an AMAZING artist Alexander Petrov, he animates with OIL paintings on glass and its simply amazing.
"no, we can't do anything for you."
"i hate you." i didn't really say that...
problem solving problem solving... we have a problem..
"josh, can you do me a favor?"
"uhhh..."
"i need you to drive johnny down to olympia. i'm going to drive up from portland, if you can do this you'll save me 3 hours of driving. i'm not sure i can make it in time because of the storm, he needs to be here by 5am."
"...you're so taking me snowboarding."
"done and done."
i was tired, exhausted, and driving. awesome. i borrowed my cousin's acura, which is much much much better then anything i drive. and despite the branches and small trees in parts of the road, it was the best thing i could ask for at 80 miles per hour heading north. i wasn't really worried about getting a speeding ticket. i'm sure all the police were busy diverting this disaster. fending off the storm with their militant skills. fixing downed powerlines and "body massage." i tried to keep talking in my own head. despite how cool the car was, the cd's in it SUCKED. imagine a classical soundtrack to an anime. now make it a classical soundtrack to an anime video game.
me and my lil bro rendevous at exit 102. josh is low on gas. the gas station is out of power. but josh is also a really nice guy. he tells us to GTFO and get back to portland or we'll miss our flight. we've got 3 hours on the clock. it took me 2 to get here. me and johnny start driving and make smart jokes. i tell him wit is educated insolence. he replies with "in your face." i miss my little brother.
in the end we made it with an hour to spare. dazed, confused, i got out of the car and proceeded to be big brotherly. passports, money, tickets, money, bags, cash, video games, and money. i made sure they remembered to pack it. i went through my things. i'm still sad that i can't bring any work with me, partly because i don't really have anything i think would be worth bringing. partly because my sketchbook was stolen along with my backpack. bastard hobos.
we finally got to the airport at 5AM. i realize if you're just sincere and casual, they'll just give you a verbal slap on the wrist. "oil?!" "they're non-flammable." "oh...well then..shame on you for bringing oil paints." "i have learned a great lesson today, next time i'll get it right for sure."
i'm absolutely exhausted. despite everything... i'm relieved. i'm on a plane headed to an amazing event. i hope to learn a lot and grow even more. i'm excited. very excited. i can't wait to see marko draw again. or get jealous at wes' skill. and see coro's colors. i'm prepared to hit that feeling to know i'm not *there* yet. i already know that this will just make me try even harder. i know it will all be worth the measly $500 to come here.
so if you see an asian kid running around with a scarf and a mohawk. come up and say hi to him. he went through a lot to get here. :)
Kev