1 month until "real life"

My post Sync 08 life has commenced! The semester until now has been largely consumed with organizing & producing the (art & music) festival. It was largely a success, in my book, we had good crowds both nights and great performances. More work went into it than I ever predicted, partly because it was my first time organizing something of that scale, but I'm glad for the experience. I met some great people, learned a lot about music & technology-- what really makes performance in that area compelling, and toughened up a little. Under pressure, there will always be people difficult to deal with, no matter how flexible or amiable I strive to be.

A few festival pics:

Michael Una played an amazing set Friday night

shenanigans.tv brought a whole troupe and awesome costumes

we were very luck to have DJ 'munk spin both nights

I can by no means relax completely with graduation a little over a month away, but will be happy to concentrate on my own work for a while. I will be spending lots of time on my senior project, an interactive video installation, and catching up on all the regular person things that seem to get pushed aside when I'm consumed with a project. My body has already retaliated for the lack of pre-Sync sleep. I missed most important commitments this past week, but feel a tiny bit better and am hoping I don't have mono. Ah, the pursuit of balance, when I do so thrive on extremes!

Something I've been thinking about a lot-- using the correct tools for the task. In all aspects, using the most appropriate thing available to you for the situation. Email is great for professional correspondence and long-distance communication, but for personal relationships, phone calls feel like a much better choice. (Trading the ability to calculate your words for the chance to read voice inflections?) Facebook is good for party invites, and... not much else. Why not use GarageBand for a quick recording of an idea if it's easier to start up than ProTools? Why not stir your tea with a fork if it's the closest thing in reach? I am sensitive to aesthetics, and fanfare has its place, but spare time is too precious to be lost in politics and logistics.