Life is surely crazy right now:  after moving, we’ve been running and running and running.

The RIT MFA in Animation program is surely pretty awesome right now, but it’s not glamorous.  I’ve been working daily at RIT and if I’m not at RIT, I’m at home sleeping for 4 hours and then back into the swing of things again.  As an example, I was up with Corinn until 3:30AM this past Monday to complete a video shoot, packed up the video and lighting equipment and fell asleep around 4 – 4:30AM.  I’ve already pulled two all-nighters and I’m burnt out.  If someone says, “Welcome to Grad School” one more time, I might slap them.

The irony in all this is faculty at any college I’ve known will say, “This is the way the industry is and the industry is working people like slaves.  We don’t want our students to work in a slave industry.” Yet, the volume of work I have to produce for these classes is a little ridiculous considering the amount of time I have to put in for each project.  I’ve worked 80-hour and 100-hour workweeks before, but never did I ever feel like this.  Granted, I’m a bit of a perfectionist, but 17 credit hours of classes at this level is a little insane, considering this and next quarter will be considered the ‘easiest’.  Maybe it’s just me struggling with the work much like a person whose’ not weight lifted in years, but starts off with an 180lbs chest-press.

And, on top of it all, I’m working as a Research Assistant for Stephanie Maxwell, a professor at RIT in the school of Film and Animation.  So far, it’s been cool, but I’m limited to 10 hours a week and have been currently diverted to help another professor work on coordinating a film symposium of which you can find here: http://chinesefilmsymposium.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html.  I’m also developing from scratch a website to post festivals and events for students so they can browse what’s out there and see what submissions and entries are available at their level or in their genre.  It’s slow, but building the back end is the hardest part.  The front end will be a little easier to complete and the time put in will allow me to quickly add events and festivals as well as anyone else who’d be interested in helping out.  I just hope Stephanie’s patient with this as it does take time.  I’m also finding myself just working on it without clocking in time.  I think it’s simply a reflection of me enjoying programming in general.

Poor Corinn’s also been in a rough state.  She basically sleeps as soon as she gets home (around 1am) just to repeat the same thing the next day starting at 11am.  Yes, this is the definition of work, but the only time we get to see each other is at 1am when I pick her up from Geva – she’s currently working in wardrobe as an assistant to help get people dressed for productions and to clean up afterwards.   It’s a paying job, which is great considering she was thinking of volunteering anyway!  Actually, as I write, this is her 2nd to last performance as tomorrow morning at 2am, she’ll be done at Geva and at 9am she’ll be working at her new job until something else comes along that’ll be better.  She already has a couple companies reviewing her resume and one that’s about 40 minutes away has already gone through the interview stage and is calling her references!  It’s not a job in the theatre industry, but certainly has a different direction she may enjoy.  I just hope and want her to feel valued, challenged and happy in whatever her new job is.

I might need a new-to-me car as if Corinn gets this new job, and she has to travel a ton, it won’t allow me the convenience of driving back and forth to RIT campus.  You might be wondering, “Ray, why not take the bus?” In fact, you’re right:  I should take the bus, HOWEVER, the Rochester/RIT bus system sucks.  I feel like I’ve been spoiled with a bus system like CCTA in Burlington, VT where you could depend on the bus being there either every ½ hour or every hour until just past Midnight.  Moving here, I thought the transportation system would be just as frequent or more frequent since it’s a larger city!  I was flat out wrong.  In the morning, the bus arrives 3 times within a span of 15 minutes at 7:18AM.  The next time after is 8:35AM, the next time after that is 10:37AM and the time after that is 12ish.  It’s reliable timing, but the 2-hour in-betweens sucks – to put it lightly.   At night, it’s worse.  Either you get on the 8:30PM bus or last bus from RIT at 10:24PM or you’re having fun walking home or taking a taxi.  For work, this system would not be terrible. For the level of requirements in classes in the MFA program, this is very inconvenient.  Again, I feel like a spoiled child, but I also need a car since I’m doing a lot of infrequent work in my position as the Research Assistant.

On a completely different note, Facebook so far has taken the need away from blogging as we’ve been keeping up with friends and family there, but I still feel the need to write stuff that’s a much longer reflection than a 400-character limit on my thoughts.  I never thought I’d be a Facebook’er, but I’m definitely on the bandwagon and though the CEO is constantly on the hot seat for changes he makes or comments he has, he’s brilliant.  He started something that allows me to feel connect to those I enjoy spending my time with.  Granted the postings of “someone needs your help with their farm!” and “someone’s answered a question about you!” gets a little annoying, you learn how to navigate around those.  I think I might have to put a flaming bag of poo on Jay and Sarah Jerger’s front door soon to thank them for the slight addiction that both Corinn and I enjoy as it’s keeping us sane during this insane time for us.

The thing that Facebook cannot do is making up for the lack of the physical visiting of someone.  I still haven’t seen my brother, as I promised before we moved.  It sucks, as the timing would have been perfect if it was not for us struggling to get things together and trying to sell our home.  I still cannot believe how much we had to pack.  I remember moving into our condo thinking, “WOW!  We’ll never fill this space!”  Yep, wrong.  Stuff just slowly creeped in.  I’m hoping that in the future, very near future, that I’ll be able to find time to see Jason.  But looking at my future, it seems that every weekend is tapped for time for the MFA and it’s only getting worse.  And Jason’s not the only person I’d like to visit too.  I’m afraid I won’t be able to see anyone for three years.  “Welcome to Grad School.”

I’m just hoping that during my time here at RIT that I’ll be able to explore a bit more.  There’s so much in this city and my time has already flown as were in midterms this week.  Holy Crap, WE’RE IN MIDTERMS THIS WEEK!  I’m loosing track of time very fast and easily.  This program is sucking it away...

I’m also realizing that my Youtube SpunkyDDog channel has turned into my personal, virtual fridge.  I feel my Catholic guilt settle in as it does feel a little vain to show off some stuff you’re proud of.  My mom would be proud if she had access to the Internet.

I feel like this blog will turn into more of a personal rant, but it isn’t really.  It’s just helping me to keep my sanity by trying to communicate my thoughts.  I’m hoping I can post more of my work as time goes to keep people in touch with what I do… maybe to even somehow get critiques on the work.  Keeping the human aspect – not grinding yourself into work – in life is important.  I got to work on that.