Workstation from today

Today I got up at about 5am.  It wasn’t as weird as I thought, since I had gotten enough sleep.  It was just like it would be if it was 9am and a normal morning, minus the darkness outside.  Either way I downed a Slimfast and got to work by about 5:30am.  It was nice driving on the roads with almost nobody.  I say almost of course because average traffic that early is still quite a few cars, much more than I would see back home at that hour.  I got in the building and into the office to put the alarm code in hoping I didn’t do something stupid and cause a fun little visit by the cops.  Luckily I remembered the number just fine and disarmed it.

The whole reason I came in early today was to start Color Timing on Blink of an Eye (visit blink.pureflix.com).  I was doing the first pass, and got started on Reels 2 & 3 until Vance was to come in at about 10.  The best part about having so many displays is you can have other things playing while you work, especially when sound doesn’t matter.  The setup they have at the office is pretty much what I have at home.  They have a RAID which I don’t have simply because I don’t need it.  Also they have a MacPro, Dual 23in Displays, a Panasonic monitor for Color Correction (I have a monitor but not an LCD), and a Panasonic Plasma for output from FCP.  Technically I have one of those but it’s in it’s box in my house back home.  I STILL haven’t found a buyer for that thing.  Maybe I’ll just take my chances and have it shipped to me, but it’ll cost me a fortune.  Even if I move from this apartment I can’t take it anywhere, same problem with the desk I wanted to buy today (which you’ll read later).  I don’t know, we’ll see what happens with that…it was expensive and I need the money from it.  I prefer to have some sort of media playing while I work, unless I’m editing.  I don’t like silence and the sound of a computer fan for 8 hours or more…it tends to grate on your sanity.  I put on Blood Diamond while I worked.  I hadn’t seen it before and while I couldn’t (obviously) give it my full attention, it kept me going as I worked.  I think playing movies or music really helps pass the time while your working, but (for me at least) doesn’t slow me down.  I remember going through my DVD collection a few times a year back home when I worked for the church.  In a work week you go through the Star Wars Trilogy (the only good ones…the old ones of course), and Indiana Jones 1-3 (4th sucks) without a problem.  Before you know it, your work day is over, you got a bunch done…and tomorrow’s another day.

I’m still thinking hard each day about where I stand as far as my job.  Every little thing it seems gets taken into account once the thought of changing position, job, location, etc. slips into my brain.  I really weigh things out heavily and never make hasty choices.  When I uproot my entire life to take a job I knew almost nothing about, and work with people I’ve never met, and move where I’ve never been, and spend money I really don’t have in abundance just to get here and get settled…I better make sure that I know what I’m doing before I axe my source of income at the moment.  The opposite was true back home working in ministry at the church.  I had to fight the fact I actually got paid to do what I was doing, and instead focus on the task at hand.  I’m not sure how this is different, but somehow it feels that way.  There are other things within all that but I won’t mention those, it isn’t necessary.  We’ll see what happens.  As I talked to my mom today on the phone, I told her I wont have trouble making money.  That’s something that’s never been a problem for me it seems.  Knock on wood of course, but most of the time I make my own way…one way or another.  I’ll get by, I’m not really worried about that.  What I am worried about is leaving and cutting off my income for too long, getting myself into some trouble before I find something else (and of course I have no idea what that would be).  We’ll see what happens.

I want to go into business for myself and stay there.  Technically that process had started long ago, but until I get a profit from something or enough side jobs to actually sustain me…that isn’t reality.  It’s always nice to get another couple thousand in the bank every few months, but that isn’t enough to support a family  Kyle!  What are you thinking about this stuff for!  Your 21!  Good grief, be a kid!  Have some fun!  Take it easy killer, I’m not the typical 20 something.  I plan, I evaluate, I save my money, I tread waters carefully and I’m building a future now…not later.  Far too many start thinking about these things too late.  I want to help build a future for the wife and kids that don’t exist yet, so when that time does come around…I can be responsible and a good steward of that blessing.  It’s not something many really agree with, but I honestly don’t want to get married until I have the financial means to support myself AND my wife.  That’s a goal, not a rock solid plan because it doesn’t always happen that way.  But if I can do it, I will.

After work I got food on the way home and just relaxed the rest of the day.  It gets really hot in my room with this computer in here, even with the window open.  This thing is like a heater, and I’m sure the mini-fridge doesn’t help.  Later on in the day I decided to go get a desk for my room.  The one in here is an odd shape and doesn’t leave me any space to put speakers.  I headed over to a local IKEA nearby.  On my way I stopped to get nail and toe clippers that I desperately needed.  I could’ve put an eye out with the shiny white knifes I had growing out of my stubby fingers.  Who needs a gun to defend themselves.  Anybody tries to rob me I could’ve just scratched them to death.  Anyways on the way there (this is 10 minutes from my home by the way), I noticed lots of great shops that I didn’t know were that close.  I knew there was a mall that I pass on my way to work, but there was another in the other direction just over the same distance.  It’s called the Carson Mall and the IKEA was next door.  That place was HUGE.  IKEA is one of the biggest places I’ve ever seen, and I couldn’t find my way around.  Three floors, terrible layout.  It felt like one of those wooden toys with the maze in it that you tilted back and forth with the steel ball in it…trying to land the ball in the hole at the end of the maze.  I eventually found the desk area but the desk I saw at work didn’t match the one I found, even though it was the same series from the company.  It looked too small.  Each monitor I have is 24in Diagonal so they are about 22in wide, and since I have two….I need a pretty wide desk to have those on there AND anything else I might add on the sides (like speakers, which I also need).  I found a wider one but it was double the price.  This place was so large you had to get a slip printed out, then go downstairs so they could bring whatever you wanted out of storage.  I wasn’t sure if the box would fit in my car so I went outside to measure.  It looks like it would fit but because I wasn’t sure I just got in my car to leave.  No since in buying then lugging it out there if it wont fit.  My dads truck would’ve come in handy right now…not sure how I’m going to buy the thing now.  Before I left the mall I stopped at Jamba Juice, a place that makes healthy fruit smoothies and such.  They’re really good and I added some antioxidants to mine to combat the fast food I had earlier lol.  On the way home I saw even more shops I didn’t know were around.  Now I know where to go for a few other things which is nice.

I can’t wait to get my own place someday, something that’s fully mine.  Some would probably be surprised in just how much care I would take in decorating and choosing furniture.  I think I just lived with what I had most of my life, and not what I bought so when the time comes to buy a place or find a nicer apartment…it’ll be nice to go shopping for things.

Well that’s my day, in pretty decent detail if I do say so myself.  Thanks for reading this far.  Till next time folks.