Never getting it done!

“Does anyone else ever have that sense of simultaneously feeling stressed or overwhelmed while also having endless ambition and a desire to do everything possible? ”

Funny. I started writing this nearly a year ago. The sentiment remains.

I know it has been a great deal of time since I have touched this blog, but I realize it is a good idea to get back into it again. Why did I take a hiatus in the first place? There is no proper excuse, really. I let life get in the way. Not the worst of reasons, but a poor excuse to stop blogging.

I need to do some work stuff, but I woke up both today and yesterday with terrible cold symptoms. I know it’s due to allergies, but it’s enough to keep me from going to the office today. Dealing with web redesign stuff, but doing so with a bowl of oatmeal, chai tea, and watching The Social Network, a newly purchased Blu-Ray disk from the ridiculous deals of this year’s Black Friday.

I have been sentimental lately.

I will write more later.

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by on November 29, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Film, Life
Posted by Laura Davila on November 29, 2012

http://cursingattheastro.net/letsblog/2012/11/never-getting-it-done/

2011 in Review: Laura Grows Up?

Hello all, if any!

Laura drinking the Coffee of the Future

I hate to be vain in this blog, but this seems to be the only image I own the rights to that fits. You know. Because of Future coffee.

So it looks like we are just a few days shy of entering the year 2012. Even though we have been poor thus far about updating on a regular basis, I still find it appropriate to reflect upon the past year in hopes of improving for the next chapters of our lives. I have also realized more and more lately how I have let a lot of moments slip out of my memory before I chronicle them. I have allowed myself to grow a bit lazy in this respect, and am attempting to be proactive about it now that I have realized that the consequence of such laziness will be forgetting some of the wonderful and terrible things I have gone through. I intend to take more photographs, as well, to keep a better record of everything.

Now that the explanation is out of the way, what is there to say about this year? I can list a few personal milestones and highlights of mine:

Drive

I spent part of this year learning to drive, acquiring a license, and becoming comfortable driving everyday. Why yes I was 21 when I acquired said license and am 22 now.

The Comic Biz

I had a comic regularly published in the Daily Texan, our university paper. Not always my best work, but taught me a little bit about deadlines and how to be creative with the limits of the 3-panel strip.

Gender and Hardcore Doc

Produced a short documentary, which serves as probably my only live action directing credit since my altogether too silly intro to production piece. I also entered this documentary in to my first film festival. We’ll see how that plays out soon enough, but odds are grim at this point.

Spring Break and SXSW

Attended SXSW as a volunteer for the second year in a row. Got to see Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kristen Wiig, Rain Wilson, and Ellen Paige at the Super, Paul and Bridesmaids premeires. Baller! I also met Felicia Day and Carrie Brownstein! (photos pending?)

Graduation

How about the fact that I completed my undergraduate degree? In May 2011, I received my Bachelor Degree of Sciences in Radio TV Film from the University of Texas at Austin College of Communication. With highest honors, a grade point average of 3.98, the privilege of completing the Senior Fellows honors communications program, and also earning an Elements of Computing certificate.

Get Wisdom before you get Dumb

I underwent surgery to remove all four of my wisdom teeth this summer. The pain, the swelling, and the odd sensation of tongue meeting gaps in gums was enough to keep me in bed for a good week surviving on nothing but soy protein shakes and yogurt from Laredo favorite, Sweet Spot. So much taro root in my mouth. And so much cotton those first few days, too. That was probably the most major surgery I can remember having.

First Jobs

Doing well in school landed me my first job with Sparksight, a competitive offer for a web developer position at some crazy corporate insurance agency middle man, and ultimately my current position with the University.

Paying ‘dem Billz

I have sort of became a true blue adult, as I have now begun paying for my entire living expenses where I was subsidized before. I also have started the somewhat painful process of student loan repayment.

Mischief Managed!

A chapter of my childhood officially came to a close as I watched the final scenes of the final Harry Potter film. It was an emotional night, to be sure.

Misc. Nerdery

I can now say I have been to a cosplay, murder mystery party. It was XMen themed and very nerdy, but I was quite into it after having watched XMen First Class 3 times in theaters.

In the same vein, I also lost my Rocky Horror V card. It won’t be the only time I attend a live “performance” of this, either.

This was also the year I finished reading the beautiful Sandman series, courtesy of my previous boss from when I worked as a student for the UT Law school website. I have since been hungry for more beautiful graphic novels and tales of Gaiman’s.

Road Runnah going a hundred miles per houah.

In October I completed couch to 5k, and thus successfully jogged for 30 minutes straight and significantly improved my physical endurance.

Hair today, wax off tomorrow.

This is a little weird, but I figured it’s interesting enough to record. I got my first bikini wax, which ended up becoming a full on Brazilian. What can I say? I felt adventurous that day.

Drawing a blank

I attempted to start and organize a drawing club through facebook. It sort of fell of the radar over the past couple of months, but hope to revive it soon.

Dye, dye, dye, my darling

I dyed my hair for the first time EVER. The ever capable hands of my stylist, Allison Martino of the Chuck Edwards salon bleached my dark locks so I could have some splashes of violet in my hair. I love it and never want to go back. I am thinking teal next time.

One November did not Spawn a Novel

I began and crash failed by day 4 of NaNoWriMo. I still have the story idea strongly in my head, and intend to continue its development anyway.

Get this girl a medic.

I am proud to say I took responsibility over my healthcare, which I previously allowed my mother to manage entirely. I still consult her frequently, but it’s nice to know I can take care of myself if absolutely necessary. Fantastic healthcare from above mentioned fantastic University gig helps. I will never forget to acknowledge how lucky I am for this!

Gigs and things

I got to see the ever so lovely and ever so legendary former lead of equally legendary post-punk aka goth band Bauhaus, Peter Murphy! Twice!! He spat roses, and it was glorious.

Other than Peter Murphy, I attended quite a few great gigs, mostly thanks to going to Fun Fun Fun Fest! Saw Girl in a Coma, A Perfect Circle, Cold Cave, Echo and the Bunnymen, Davila 666, Ceremony, and Blonde Redhead to name a few. I’m building a list of shows I’ve attended, so I will have a better index in the near future.

Should I count Henry Rollins? He gave a great stand-up/spoken-word performance, and was so fantastic, too.

DALLAS

I went on my first trip that did not involve school or family earlier this month. My boyfriend and I attended a friend’s (fantastic, atheist, steampunk) wedding at the museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. They wed underneath the TRex bones and it was quite lovely. My boyfriend and I spent the rest of the weekend enjoying our swank Belmont hotel room, wandering Dallas, visiting the aquarium (and seeing a wide variety of animals, including plenty of non-aquatic life!), eating at the scrumptious vegan diner Spiral, and having creepy adventures in odd areas of Dallas. It was the most fun I can remember having on a trip, and I hope to visit Dallas again soon now that I know it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it’d be.

Love or whatever.

I became very close to the person I am in a relationship with. Certainly closer than I had been with any of my (one) exes. Hooray for love. I felt it had been pretty significant in my life, and worth noting.

Mozfather

But most important of all, saw Morrissey live in concert, two nights in a row. Holy shit. I still need to write about those beautiful evenings and share some of my photos, because I must say that it was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life. And then I got to do it all over again the next day, getting some setlist differentiation. What a lovely soul.

Looking at this list, I would say the theme of my 2011 was my transition from student to adult. It’s been a bit of a rocky transition, though. I am still not used to the difference of stress, as I tended to be a workaholic as a student. I do intend to find some sort of balance between feeling crazy stressed, but productive and feeling completely relaxed, yet totally lazy. I think the anxiety of being lazy stresses me out far more than the effort needed to be as productive as I have been in the past. Who knows! I think my desire for fun in the forms of film and live shows is one way I can balance keeping myself busy and productive, while still enjoying myself.

There are many other ways I could look back at the past year, and maybe I’ll write another post where I look back at other aspects of the year. In fact, I think I’ll write a best and worst of, as I want to foray into writing reviews. I will also follow this up with a “resolutions/to-do” list for the brand new 2012.

Till then,
Cheers!

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by on December 28, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Austin, Events, Life, Music, Shows
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Posted by Laura Davila on December 28, 2011

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An Arts!

The Man Who Once Sought Power: Albus Dumbledore

The Man Who Once Sought Power: Albus Dumbledore

I don’t have very much to say to accompany this, but I drew something! On the computer! I am going to be doing this a lot more often now to get myself out of a funk I should have gotten out of ages ago. I need to use this tablet more often!

I also need to get faster at drawing on this thing. I started this particular illustration a long while ago, but never finished it. I have a few other orphans like this in my past. Perhaps I should return to them when I am short on ideas? At the same time, I feel like I have so many ideas lately that my hands can’t keep pace!

This is the start of a new era….I hope.

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by on December 9, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Art, Creative, Digital, Drawing, Illustration
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Posted by Laura Davila on December 9, 2011

http://cursingattheastro.net/letsblog/2011/12/an-arts/

The Noise is the Message: My take on the Occupy Movement

Photo of Occupy Wall Street protestors by Carwil

Photo of Occupy Wall Street protestors by Carwil

I want to start off by saying I agree with the sentiment of the current Occupy movements taking place across the nation. I agree that it is unjust for 1% of the population to be so powerful and wealthy compared to the other 99%. I would even chime along the movement’s mantra, “I am the 99%.” There are very clear sociological impacts of this disproportionate distribution that manifest in problems like unemployment which leads to debt, poverty, and lack of healthcare. If one is employed under these circumstances, the living standard is still likely to be stunted by the fact that many who do work are overworked, underemployed, and underpaid for what they studied in college and what they need to provide for their family. This is just in the context of the current job market without accounting for how globalization, capitalism, and corporate america factor in to the issue. If this is all true, I think it is fair to assess that there needs to be some sort of systematic, societal level change to how our economy functions that we as citizens, members of the 99%, must drive.

I also think it is fair to be critical of somewhat directionless protest.

I don’t believe the Occupiers are idiots by any stretch of the imagination, but I do find it frustrating that the action of protesting seems less powerful without specific demands. Especially in the eyes of those they are protesting against. I am confident that some of the protesters have targeted ideas for policy changes we can urge our government to make, but these people need to step forward and lead the movement toward a tangible goal. I’m mad as hell, too, but I can’t see anything beyond a mass of people holding (often very clever) signs. There is a general sense of what might make things better, but without a leader or at least an organized way to present a common goal the messages get muddled and lost as noise. The desire for a leader is also troubling, though, as part of the appeal of the movement is the fact that it appears to be morally opposed to granting special power to the few.

I was feeling guilty for not stopping by Occupy Austin, but when I stopped to think about protesting from here it seemed a little silly. The main reason I haven’t is I just haven’t had the time to outside of work. I have been busy either being tired from working, busy doing other side projects I have been wanting to do for ages, or just trying to spend the time I am free with friends when our schedules can coordinate. When I think about actually participating, though, I feel that me hanging out won’t really count for much. What would I really contribute? Another body? Possibly another sign? They already call themselves the 99%, so I almost feel like I’m already accounted for symbolically. The silly part to me, though is that the protesters in Austin are outside of City Hall? City Hall seems to be the last place that makes sense for protesting something Federal (or rather, Wall Street and Corporate America). Learning that they are protesting there really threw me off.

On top of that, the message of the protesters is really getting lost in the noise here. On Sunday there was an AIDS walk in town that the Occupy protest randomly aligned itself to. I’m sorry, but those two issues are completely different, as one was about raising awareness and money to fund medical research (or something along those lines) and the other is based in financial grievances. I know that caring about one issue and the other isn’t mutually exclusive, and I am all for recognizing the interconnectedness of the human condition, but in this context the association makes little sense to me. I won’t be surprised if the Occupiers here also try to attach to the March to End the Death Penalty this coming weekend. Certainly not mutually exclusive issues, but involve completely separate levels of government and completely different types of problems. While I sympathize with Occupy, the fact that the Austin protests seem very disconnected from the original idea of protesting corporations and Wall Street make me less compelled to participate. I do intend to attend the Death Penalty march because the agenda for that is clear and our message is easy to communicate. I may end up at Occupy Austin at some point, but not without first thinking critically about what it means.

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by on October 20, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Austin, Economy, Opinion, Politics
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Posted by Laura Davila on October 20, 2011

http://cursingattheastro.net/letsblog/2011/10/the-noise-is-the-message-my-take-on-the-occupy-movement/

A Night of Campy, Spooky, Fun with The Black Unicorn Cabaret

Last week I attended a Monday night show.  It was probably not the most responsible of choices to party so early in the work-week, but since it was to see Voltaire, who I had enjoyed so much when he came through town last year, I made an exception.

Mr. Voltaire Performing

Mr. Voltaire Performing a spooky song of sorts.

When my friends and I arrived at the venue, we met some few very nice people with lovely hair, fabulous costumes, and warm attitudes. I also had a chance to say hello to  several people I already know and got to know better.  We chatted about corsets and costume shops as we anticipated the start of the show.

That night reminded me how much I love Elysium.  The dark walls, plush yet posh seating, and always dressed-to-the-nines crowd all contribute to the somewhat intimidating, but overall very fun and spooky atmosphere.  Smoke machines always help, too.  It was pretty calm considering it was Monday, and the mellow vibe made it easy to actually hear people, which is not normally the case on a more chaotic but equally enjoyable Sunday 80′s night.  This plays really knows how to cater to its subculture as the only “goth” club in Austin, for either type of night.

Both of the opening acts, Hellblinki and This Way to the Egress, were amazing.  Band members of both dressed like your typical halloween-loving goths in costume-like fancy attire and ghoulish makeup.  Musically, each had a novelty feel, playing with genres like rockabily, old-style radio show singing, european folk music, and whimsical circus-style music.  And somehow a little industrial, too.  Both bands also shared an affinity unusual instruments including accordions, bells, whistles, saw and bow, and key-tar.  They were pretty good about the witty jokes and banter, especially when a sexy burlesque dancer performed along to their music. All in all, the music from both acts proved dance-able and lively, especially with their last, jump and clap inducing numbers.

I think enjoyed three-piece Hellblinki a bit more than the larger ensemble act of This Way to the Egress, if only because I was more impressed.  From what I could tell, each member of Hellblinki was capable of playing any and every instrument!  They also scored audience participation points by getting us all to drone along as zombies to re-enact the keyboardist’s prom. But, you know. With Zombies.  To be fair, though, This Way to the Egress had a great little bit, too.  During one song, one of the several band members who did not play an instrument for that particular song held up marionette handles over the keyboardist so it looked like she was his puppet.  It was pretty damn adorable, as she had the acting ability to appear doll-like.

After both acts finished and took their bows, it was time for Voltaire to play.  Accompanied by many members of the opening acts, he bantered on with the audience through his set, thanking us all for being out on a “school night.” If you’re unfamiliar with Voltaire, his acoustic goth-rock schtick is more of a novelty comedy act, as his lyrics are often full of self-aware, gore-y and spooky hyperbole. While you might expect something like NIN from looking at him, his music actually far more resembles the gothic version of what from Jonathan Coulton writes for nerds.  Along with the new material he played to promote the new album, he also played a lot of songs that I remember him performing back in 2010.  This included the Twilight-mocking “Vampire Club,” a song written for Cartoon Network’s Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy called “Brains,” and a tune addressing his grandmother’s attitude to his gothic lifestyle, “Death, Death.”  He also played the title track of the ambitiously titled “Riding a Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children!” (Yes. That is the entire album title. And the banter about the title was very amusing). He closed with the crowd favorite “When You’re Evil,” ending on the same cynical, yet oddly optimistic note characteristic of his persona.

After the show, we stood in line to meet the band members and buy some merch. Hellblinki revealed it was a goal of theirs to sell at least one vinyl at every show, so I was glad to be that person that night. When we met Voltaire, it was lovely to confirm my belief that he was actually an extremely warm and genuine person.  After giving us multiple hugs and being extremely patient about taking the classic myspace angle photo with us, he jokingly propositioned sex with my friend April–who adores him, by the way. The married man admitted he could not act ont he proposition as his wife would probably not let him have a threesome (unless of course it was with another man). Still, my friend was able to kiss him on the cheek, and he kissed her back. Quite magical!

We ended up staying even later than intended because I lent my camera to a friend who was having trouble getting to the front of the Voltaire line (mostly due to talking to other band members), but I am really glad we did. Apparently, towards the end of the night Voltaire likes to use the Wheel-o-Fortune style wheel This Way to the Egress has affixed to their merchandise booth to give away his own merchandise. While the first winner was a member of Hellblinki, he gave us another sympathy round, and I actually won! I won an adorable little plastic “Deady” bear, which is of course a spooky, gothic version of your regular teddy bear. He’s also sort of a ninja or samurai or something. He currently sits in my cubicle, still packed in the box that pictures a cartoon of the bear itself and a cartoon of his creator, Voltaire.

Everything else I know about Voltaire makes me realize I want to be him. Not only does he have this fabulous dark cabaret act, but Voltaire is also a talented animator, writer, filmmaker, and artist. He teaches most of this at the School of Visual Arts in New York, all while writing, recording, and touring his album material. This performance was no exception to the many examples of why he is amazing. I highly recommend going to a Voltaire show if you ever have the chance, or at least look up a few videos on YouTube. He did not play some songs I really liked from the first time I saw him (namely, the adorable lullaby he wrote for his son, “Goodnight, Demon Slayer”), so I can tell you he has even more material than what he plays live that is also with worth checking out.

All in all, the Voltaire show was a wonderful night of spooky fun, and I hope to do it again soon.

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by on October 13, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Laura Davila on October 13, 2011

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Submitting to SXSW

First of all, apologies to our many fans.  Last week was a bit hectic, so neither myself nor Alex were able to make our weekly posts.  The important thing is, we’re here now.

Today, I did something a outside of my comfort zone.  Although I studied film in school, I never took a production class where I needed to make my own short film.  This was mainly due to lack of interest in being a director.  The desire to become a director is a worthy aspiration, but not one I have for myself exactly.  Directing can be fun, but I have never really considered myself to be the kind of person who tells actors what to do.  I will say that I love to be the idea person, but my real goal is to be an animator or production designer.  As such, I took classes that would help me along that route.  I worked alongside my classmates as an editor, production designer, sound editor, actress and more for our various class projects.

That doesn’t mean to say that I didn’t get the filmmaking bug, especially being among many aspiring directors in classes.   Ironically, it was in my final required Media Studies course, not a production class, that I felt the urge to create a film of my own.

Mattie Sue talks about the attitudes of women in the hardcore scene

Mattie Sue talks about the attitudes of women in the hardcore scene

Before I talk about the film, let me say that I have always been extremely grateful that the RTF Program at the University of Texas encouraged us to think more deeply about the media we might create through our studies courses.  There were many students with the urge to just make, make, make who absolutely abhorred supposedly wasting time in these classes that focused on theory rather than practical filmmaking.  I was always inclined to defend our required media studies course because I feel we sometimes forgot to think about what our ideas actually mean beyond their face value.  In these classes we studied film, television, and media in general through screenings, writing, and discussion, often through critical and analytical lenses so as to understand and explain what it was we as a society consume on a regular basis.  I found great value in learning the language and the syntax of–typically cinematic–media and the role it can play in our culture.  Not only that, it’s hard not to enjoy classes where you basically just talk about popular culture.  Which is completely legitimate, given the fact that popular culture permeates our society so much.  More than we are normally proud to admit.

So fast forward from my first and then only short film (a ridiculous, innuendo filled music video made with friends for the intro production class) I made as a sophomore to my final semester of college.  Finishing up those credits, I needed one last media studies class and I found myself extremely lucky to see I could take a class entitled Gender and Rock Culture.  It was as if my final media studies class would be perfect.  As if Rock and roll weren’t fun enough of a topic for a music fan like myself, throwing gender in the mix pretty much sold me.

Avery Allen shares her experiences as a girl guitarist

Avery Allen shares her experiences as a girl guitarist

I wasn’t just excited about the topic.  I was actually inspired.  A few classes in, I knew that instead of going the traditional and in my eyes easy route of writing a final paper, I would ask if I could produce a short film final project instead.  I felt that I had written enough papers in my undergraduate career and had not created nearly enough media.  A while before I had a pipe-dream about making a film about Hardcore Punk, since a friend of mine plays for a band here in town.  Eventually, though, the idea developed around the class subject matter, and I got in touch with women in Austin’s Hardcore Scene.

After about a month or so of planning, coordinating, seeking advice, and meeting new people, everything was set in motion for a short documentary.  I met the talented Jasmine Mayberry, her friend and also talented Avery Allen, and fellow music fan Mattie Sue along the way, and they were generous and nice enough to tell their stories on film for my project.  A few weeks of shooting, interviewing, and more planning lead to a few more weeks of editing and post production, and then I had a semi-finished product.  Finished enough for my class, anyway, and on our last day I screened the 15 minute film I made.  And my classmates and instructors seemed to enjoy it, offering positive feedback as we parted for the summer.  Although there was far more to it than that, I won’t spend too much time explaining the project here (but I will probably publish the accompanying short essay I wrote for my class here in the future).

Jasmine Mayberry performing with Hot Rails to Hell

Jasmine Mayberry performing with Hot Rails to Hell

I am very proud of this project.  Enough so that I decided to take the risk and submit it to South By South West.  At least this one film festival, to say that I wasn’t afraid to try.  I have no idea what my odds are for getting selected, but I have seen a pretty broad range of quality from the few films I had the pleasure of watching at SXSW as a volunteer.  I submitted  a rough cut of the project, but I believe the narrative of these women’s experiences is compelling enough to stand regardless of production quality.  And I am hoping that the folks who screen the film submissions will find their stories as compelling as I do.

So there it is.  Going beyond my comfort zone: beyond what I know.  I took a bit of a risk by even making the film when I was not even in the position to make a film, being in a class that did not have dedicated resources for filmmaking.  I definitely came out far better for having tried in that instance.  At the very least, I can say that instead of just writing another paper, I made a documentary.  Which I had not done before.  I have never submitted anything to a film festival, either, let alone seriously submitted to something outside of the academic world.  I may have just wasted twenty five dollars on the submission fee, but I know I will be better for having tried.  Wish me luck!

 

Laura began this post earlier in the week, when she actually had physically submitted her DVD.  That was on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011.

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by on October 1, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Creative, Film
Posted by Laura Davila on October 1, 2011

http://cursingattheastro.net/letsblog/2011/10/submitting-to-sxsw/

When I was young, I was a leader.

When I was young, I was a leader.

I can vividly remember myself as an 8 year-old, in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and so on. As much as an 8 year-old can unite a group of people and provide motivation and inspiration to his peers, I did so. I was a shy boy, but within my group I felt powerful and in control. The accuracy of these feelings is not what is important to me, rather the frame of mind.

As I have grown up I have quite clearly moved away from that mindset. I feel as if much of the time I am simply the one standing in the back, taking it all in. My opinions are measured and considerate. I don’t like to make waves, and I certainly am not clamoring to have my voice heard.

Today I will be a leader again.

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by on September 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Self-Improvement
Posted by Alex on September 14, 2011

http://cursingattheastro.net/letsblog/2011/09/when-i-was-young-i-was-a-leader/

Stories I should finish

Is there Yoga on Mars?

Can't find a good recent drawing of any of my characters on my comp, so here is Bowie.

Although I had a lot of thoughts about tonight’s Republican nominee debate, I will have to sort through my coherent argument before I’d feel right writing a proper blog post about it.  Definitely the kind of subject I will attack in the future.  And let me also just say that, as a Texan…I fucking hate Rick Parry.

Moving on, I thought it would be a good idea to write out and briefly explain some of the stories and concepts I have come up with over the years.  I am pressed for time and would like to make a post now, rather than forget to later, so I will just list them for now.  The reason I am doing this, however, is to organize some of the ideas I have already had and loved, but have never actually completed.  One of my life goals is to make a really solid animated film, and any of these could be the beginnings of one. I think the next step I should take on any of these is writing a proper outline, and then perhaps a script.  Most of these were started with the intention that they would be serial animated shows or comics.  No matter what, I would like all of them to be communicated through illustration of some sort.

Here is my list.  More description to come

  • Lenny, the Little Dark Boy.
  • Boots and The Wonderful World of Weres
  • Untitled Vampire rock opera (part 3 of a series that starts with a biblical myth/story, continues with a short piece of victorian/romantic fiction, and ends with this film)
  • Untitled story of the friendship between a little vampire girl and a moody teenager
  • The Samurai and the Prince
  • Uber Punks and Goths
  • Pet Penguin
  • Stupid Cupid/For the Love of Venus (same universe, two stories)
  • Michael paints the sky/David makes the stars (same universe and story where these characters interact, can’t think of a title)
  • The legend of the Phoenix
  • Violet Witch
As I wrote this list, I can help but feel a bit proud of how many I could remember, knowing I still have one or two others that I had conceived but can’t think of at the moment.  A lot of these ideas are also centered around characters, which I think is my favorite part of most stories. Go figure.
That’s all.  Trying to commit to my weekly deadline, making to make SOMETHING.
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by on September 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Creative
Posted by Laura Davila on September 13, 2011

http://cursingattheastro.net/letsblog/2011/09/stories-i-should-finish/

Hello…”World”

This will not be the best blog post ever because I tend to over think things.

 

My name is Laura, and this will probably be my first proper attempt at blogging.  Sure, I have kept personal diaries in the past and written blog entries for class work, but this will be the first time I actually try to write regularly and with focus.

Allow me to introduce myself…further.  My name is Laura, I am 22 years old and I am currently living in Austin, TX.  I came here from Laredo–a horrible little border town with a few lovely people and too many problems outside of that–in 2007 to study Radio-TV-Film at the University of Texas and successfully graduated this may.  I am now working for UT in our Center for Teaching and Learning.

I just started working, and consider myself to be in a bit of a transitional phase.  I have always loved to draw because I adore animation, and I hope to attend graduate school for 3D Animation and Modeling.  At the moment, though, I am trying to adjust to work life, both to my daily duties and finding a balance with my life outside of the job.  My hope is to stay ambitious and keep bettering myself.

 

Some areas I would like to improve and things I’d like to do include:

Productivity on personal projects (to actually complete a few!)

Drawing skills

Time management

Intelligence and staying informed about news/politics, reading more

Fashion style/appearance

Developing craft skills so I can do more DIY projects

Video Production skills

Culinary skills

Be in better physical shape

Do more to show my friends I care about them.

 

These are not really goals.  They are things that may or may not happen.  But they things I would like to get somewhat better at.  Documenting my progress is not the purpose of this blog, but rather this blog should be a space to express myself through words and with focus.  The next post will be more coherent because I will have a topic to write about.

 

Also, I will probably come back and edit this at some point so that it will make more sense in retrospect.  For now I am letting my brainstorm phase be free and exist without worry.  As I fear that worry of sounding stupid or whatever is what often holds me back.

 

Cheers.

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by on September 8, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by Laura Davila on September 8, 2011

http://cursingattheastro.net/letsblog/2011/09/hello-world-2/

Setting Goals

This is the first of many posts dedicated to the process of self-actualization, self-awareness, and involvement in the world. I plan to focus on a variety of issues and subjects that I find interesting or inspiring, as well as on ways to involve myself in activities that encompass a scope of life greater than my own.

I will share news, art projects, accomplishments, social justice issues, self-improvement articles related to exercise and nutrition, and anything else I find remotely worthy of writing about. Providing a greater context for my life and the lives of others is key. No matter how insignificant any one contribution may seem.

My plan is to stay consistent in the upkeep of these postings and to provide context and motivation for the blog’s co-author Laura.

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by on September 6, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by Alex on September 6, 2011

http://cursingattheastro.net/letsblog/2011/09/setting-goals/

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