Anthony's CSU Stan

A Portrait of The Artist As A Student Blogger

How television will take over my summer.

May 20, 2013 by · 1 Comment · Uncategorized

Hey, blog readers! (I switched it up there, I hope you don’t mind.) The truth is, that title is probably a bit of an overstatement, but probably not by much! Recently I’ve become swept up in watching quite a few television shows, but I’ve had a hard time keeping up with some of them because of school. Now, suddenly, school is nearing its end for the summer, and netflix and my DVR are whispering my name.

Recently I began searching for a replacement show to help fill the void that the Walking Dead left with its season finale. That’s when I stumbled upon Game of Thrones. In reality I had given this show a shot before, and while I found it interesting, I hadn’t quite been pulled in the way I thought I would be. That’s when a friend at the school gym mentioned the show to me, reminding me that it existed. After that, every free moment I had was taken up by the show. As the character Ben says in Parks and Recreation, “They would never cancel Game of Thrones! It’s a cross-over hit. It tells real human stories in a fantasy setting!” I’ve seen every episode of the show now, and that means I had to find a new show to watch!

I mentioned this to my girlfriend, and she recommended I watch the show Arrested Development. This is another show that I had watched before, but never finished. I had heard a lot about the comedy over the internet and from friends. The show was cancelled after its third season, which angered a lot of viewers. Now, after seven years, the cast has reunited for a season, which is airing on Netflix at the end of this month. The writing and acting in Arrested Development is brilliant, and I’m already halfway done with the second season. Which means I’ll need a new show to watch soon…

I recently saw the new Star Trek movie…twice. It was brilliant! I have fond memories of watched Star Trek: The Next Generation as a child, so I have always had a vague understanding of the franchise. This reboot series has proven to be a great addition to the universe, and it has gotten me in the mood to watch Next Generation once again. Watching this show will be a massive undertaking though, so I will have to really commit to it this summer!

What shows are you currently watching? Do you have any favorite television shows you would recommend? Let me know in the comments!

Song I’m blogging to: “You Only Live Once” by The Strokes.

 

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Preparing for the new semester!

May 13, 2013 by · No Comments · Uncategorized

Hey, blog perusers!

I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve updated you all on my life! Everything has been extremely busy. I’m a third of the way through finals, with my first in a list of two research papers finished. I have a philosophy research paper and a final exam in Statistics left before I can tie a nice bow on this semester. It’s been a great spring semester, though it’s also been an incredibly fast one! Class registration came along before I was ready for it this time around, so I had to do some down-to-the-wire research with my adviser to figure everything out. Here’s my (almost complete) schedule for next semester.

Fall 2013:

I still have to choose a fourth class, but I very well might end up taking all studio art classes, which will be a first for me! It’s going to be a very busy Fall semester, but I’m excited for it. I’m also ready to rest up over this summer in preparation. (Who am I kidding, I’m going to do very little resting this summer.)

What classes are you all signed up for for Fall? Let me know in the comments!

Song I’m blogging to: “Weighty Wait” by Bobby Birdman.

 

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The Stress!! Ahhhh!

May 3, 2013 by · No Comments · Uncategorized

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, I’ve been pretty stressed. Finals month is here, and it’s showing me its teeth! I know you’re all probably experiencing the same thing, unless you’re very good at managing your stress levels. If that’s the case, I envy you! I’ve never been one to complain too much about finals, since I’ve never really had a terrible experience with them. This semester is the exception. I enjoy keeping busy. I’m not one to sit around and stay content with stagnation. Right now I have two math exams and two research papers to think about though, and that’s getting my heart racing a bit. What do all of you do to manage stress? Do you have any tips? I’m an optimistic soul, so I don’t think any of this is the end of the world, but trying something new won’t hurt!

Here are some things I do to manage stress:

Watch a movie! I just went and saw Iron Man 3, and I didn’t think about finals at all!

Go for a run or bike ride, especially in the evening when the weather cools down and the sun is setting.

Do something with friends, or talk to someone you care about!

Listen to some fun or calming music!

Well, that’s all I have for you for tonight! I wish you all the best of luck on your finals! Let’s survive this all so we can enjoy our summer!

 

Brace Yourselves, Summer Is Coming. (<–Game of Thrones reference)

April 28, 2013 by · 1 Comment · Uncategorized

Hey everyone! How has April been for all of you? It’s been pretty great for me! The highlight of my month was that my art work was put up in a show in downtown Turlock with a ton of other great work from the CSUS art department. If you’d like to go check that show out it’s still up for at least a week at Rex Kline’s Insurance in downtown Turlock! Now, while my April has been quite awesome, I also have to say it’s gone by really quickly. We’re less than a month away from the end of this semester, and that’s just crazy to think about! I think this Spring semester has been the quickest for me, because I’ve been so busy. I have constantly been working and going to class, so I’ve rarely had a dull moment. Finals are coming up now, and I feel like these last couple weeks of school are going to zip right by me. I’m a bit saddened by that idea, but who am I kidding? Summer is coming!

Summer movies like Iron Man, The Great Gatsby, and Star Trek are going to be here! My friends who are off to college with be back for adventures! I’m going to be able to practice driving so I can finally get my license and go on fun drives to cool places, like Top of the World and San Francisco! D&D Campaigns and video games will have entire days dedicated to them! My birthday is in June and I’m turning twenty-one!

Yeah, I’m just a little bit excited about summer. Now all I have to do is power through these last few big assignments at school. Papers and exams stand in my way, but I’m going to defeat them!

What are your plans for the summer? Are you sad to see this semester end, or are you just ready for it to be over?

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Jobs on campus. (And where to find them.)

April 22, 2013 by · No Comments · Uncategorized

Hey, blog perusers! How is everyone’s semester going? Are you excited, nervous, or just plain overwhelmed about the end of the semester fast approaching? I can say I’m a mixture of everything. I’m excited to be done with papers and exams, but I’m nervous about those very same papers and exams. I’m also sad that work in the game room will be put on pause for a couple months, because I very much enjoy my time there.

Speaking of work on campus, that is what this post is about! I’ve had three jobs on the CSU campus since I started there a couple years ago. I worked as a Multimedia Technician for the ASI in my first semester of college, which lasted a semester. Last semester I was able to acquire this blogging job, and now I get to talk to all of you every week through the internet! It’s great! This semester I was lucky, and I was able to land a position in the USU Game Room. A lot of people ask me how I’ve been able to find these job openings and obtain these positions. I could just say I was lucky and end it there, but working for the school is an amazing opportunity, and I was to share some tips and practices with everyone so they can possibly have this opportunity as well.

1. Check the school employment websites regularly. Check the Human Resources section of the school website, as well as the employment page for ASI and USU. Check these pages regularly, because new opportunities pop up all the time. If you’re interested in a position, apply for it as soon as possible. A lot of positions fill fast, and a lot of them start at the beginning of a semester, so it helps to use the breaks between them to get through the application process. Also check your student email! Many employments opportunities will be advertised in your email, so don’t forget about it.

http://www.csustan.edu/hr/Employment_Opportunities/Student/

http://www.csustan.edu/asi-usu/pages/employment.php

2. Even if you don’t get a position the first time you apply, don’t give up! Keep checking every couple months for new openings.

3. Apply for as many positions as you can. This way you can spread a wide net and hope something catches!

4. Show that you’re eager to work for the school! Show that you have school spirit! This has really helped me in interviews. As a student, you can easily talk about being, well, a student. You don’t have to make anything up, you can simply be honest about your student life.

5. Do your research! Look into what you need to know for the position, and make sure you’re educated on those items when you interview!

That’s about all I have! Working for the school is brilliant. You can work with your class schedule, get involved with areas of the campus you might not have before, and meet all kinds of new people. Just be confident, passionate, and dedicated!

Thanks for reading! Best wishes!

Song I’m blogging to: “There’s No Leaving Now” by The Tallest Man On Earth.

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The Game Room.

April 15, 2013 by · No Comments · Uncategorized

Hey, blog perusers! Now, I know I’ve posted before about the fact that I work in the USU Game Room on campus. The thing is, I’m always looking for ways to get more students in there to check the place out. I’m going to make this post brief, because I know everyone is busy and may not be able to take the time to read long posts during the week. Here’s some information about the Game Room for you! I work there Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30pm-5:00pm. Come say hi!

http://www.csustan.edu/asi-usu/pages/GameRoom.php

“The game room is located in the University Student Union Building beside Pop’s convenience. It offers many games and activities for students to do during their breaks from classes. It not only has chairs and couches for socializing, but it also has a refrigerator, microwave and vending machines for student use.

There are 2 gaming stations including X-Box Live, and Nintendo Wii. Games are always changing and currently the Game Room has Madden 2013 FIFA 2013, Call of Duty (Black OPS) & 4 Modern Warfare and X-Box Kinect and will soon be getting a new foosball, air hockey. The Game Room also has board games, billiards and ping pong for students to play at a low rate.

Gaming tournaments are held monthly in the game room, where snacks are provided and you will have an opportunity to win prizes such as cash, gift cards, shirts and games. If you would like more information about the tournaments or want to sign up please call or visit the Game Room.”

Our next tournament is coming up fast, so come sign up if you’re interested in old school gaming like I am! I’ll be handing out flyers on Tuesday with information about the tournament, so come say hi and learn a bit! I’ll be around the dining hall!

I want to use this blog to share with you all information about cool things around campus, and I definitely consider the game room a cool place!

See you there!

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Tattoos!

April 8, 2013 by · No Comments · Uncategorized

It may not surprise people when I say I love tattoos. As an art major, people might just assume that’s a given. The truth is, even art majors are divided on whether tattoos are a good idea or not. A whole lot of people are divided on this issue. Some people believe tattoos are wrong because they’re permanent. This fact means one could change their mind later in life about the tattoo. Some people believe tattoos are wrong because they can make it more difficult to find employment. This is true, I’ve experienced it first hand. I volunteered for a customer service company a year before I got my first tattoo. The manager loved me, and jumped at the chance to hire me when I came to apply for a job. That is, until he saw my tattoo. I was denied the job. This wasn’t because of the content of my tattoo, it was because of the fact that I had one in the first place.

Luckily enough, I’ve been able to nab a few jobs since then, so it wasn’t the end of the world, but this experience still bugs me a bit to this day. I think that tattoos are a wonderful art form. Sure, it’s true, some people get strange or messy tattoos. The type of tattooing I’m really interested in is the kind that is treated as an art form. Tattoo artists put a lot of time and energy into training and preparing to do what they love. Many tattoo artists spend time painting and drawing when they are not tattooing. I think that tattooing is often seen as a dirty profession. Some people might think walking into a tattoo shop is like walking into the midst of a scruffy biker gang. I’m here to report that that’s not (always) true! I recently had a new tattoo done, and it was a great experience! The shop was clean, the artists were professional, and the atmosphere was super welcoming.

What I’m trying to say here is that tattoos are becoming more and more prevalent. As college students, we see them everywhere. I believe that tattoos can tell stories, and have stories behind them. Tattoos do not immediately need to carry a negative connotation. If you see someone in one of your classes or around campus who has a tattoo, ask them about it. You don’t have to pressure them about the deep meaning behind it. Perhaps they just got an art piece or character they really liked. At any rate, tattoos are a form of expression, and showing interest in them will usually bring a smile to the tattooed person’s face.

My tattoos:

August 10th, 2010.

April 3rd, 2013

 

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The Local Music Scene.

April 1, 2013 by · No Comments · Uncategorized

Hey, blog perusers! Before I begin with this post, I have a quick update! I took the Statistics exam I was worried about, and I got a 76! I know that’s not amazing, but that’s passing, and that’s really all I can ask for right now, so I’m happy.

For the last few years I’ve been sporadically attending music shows at a small cafe in downtown Modesto called Cafe Deva. I’ve been to four or five shows there, and it’s always been super fun. The people there are great, the music is awesome, and the atmosphere is fun and welcoming. Recently I found out that these shows, Off The Air, were…well, going off the air. The shows were ending after a final show on Friday. I knew then that I had to go see this event off. I attended the show, where three local bands were playing. These bands were Awahnichi, a two piece band with a heavy focus on melancholy songs about nature. Next up were The Airlings, a very energetic band with a great sound. This band has people I know in it, so I was very excited to see them. The final performance was by a band called French Cassettes. If you don’t know French Cassettes, you need to know them. I saw this large band several years ago in downtown Modesto. They have a pretty big following in California, and their shows are always brilliant.

The show was incredibly fun. I danced, sang, and messed up my hearing for the night! At the end of the night though, when the man who had run these shows for eight years gave a speech, it made me quite sad. This great musical event in my area was ending. A great point was made in that speech though. Cafe Deva is not the only place where events like this happen. I decided to post this in the hopes that some of you reading this, students in the area, will go out and support local music. Try going to a show with friends some night. Get some coffee and kick back. Donate a few dollars to an up and coming act. You never know when someone is going to hit it big, and you can say you were there for an early show. I want to support something special in our area, and our music is that something special.

Here are some places that still have music shows you can check out!

Grizzly Rock Cafe in Turlock

The Queen Bean in Modesto

The Yogurt Station in Oakdale

The Gallo Center in Modesto

The State Theatre in Modesto

Check one of these places out when they have a show! If you know of any other places that host shows, let me know in the comments! Our area can have a negative reputation, but there are some great artistic people here that make the valley an area to be proud of.

Song I’m blogging to: Secrets Make Sounds by French Cassettes

http://frenchcassettes.bandcamp.com/

 

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On Driving (And my not doing it).

March 25, 2013 by · No Comments · Uncategorized

Hey, blog perusers! Let’s take it down a notch. Let’s get serious for a second. Let’s talk about things that we’re ashamed of, shall we?

When I was fifteen years old, I started driver ed. Back then my mind told me I lived in an ideal world where people got their licenses at sixteen, and had cars by the time they were in college. A lot of exciting things have happened in my nearly six years since I was fifteen, but neither of those events I mentioned have actually occurred. It’s a long story.

I completed driver ed pretty easily, and pretty immediately went to get my permit. I passed my test, paid an instructor, and was on the road in no time. I was a pretty good driver too, if I do say so myself. My instructor liked me and told me I was a natural. I drove a lot back then, and was really exciting about getting my license. Then Laser Quest happened. I went with several friends to an all-night game of laser tag, and before long our pockets were full of paper score sheets. Those of you who have had learners’ permits might know that they’re just stacks of paper with your signature and DMV logos on them. I spent the morning at a friend’s house, and in that time I emptied my wallet of all of my score sheets, leaving them at my friend’s place. That night I decided to practice driving with a friend. I turned onto Pelandale Avenue to find myself at a DUI checkpoint. I wasn’t doing anything wrong to my knowledge. I wasn’t breaking any laws, at least not on purpose. When the police officer asked to see my permit, I was happy to pull out my wallet and show it to him. The only the problem was….I had left it at my friend’s house with all of my laser tag score sheets. The police office proceeded to write me my first ticket.

From the point on I decided I would stop driving, due to how disappointed in myself I was. I ended up going to traffic court twice, only to end up shelling out nearly $400 of my high school graduation money. This all lead to an aversion to driving that’s lasted for some time. After those events, most of my friends got cars and licenses. I moved closer to most of my friends. The need to drive wasn’t imperative anymore. I just didn’t go back to it for a couple years. Finally, I did renew my permit. By that time, my family had pretty much given up on the idea of me getting a license, so my permit just expired.

Now, in 2013, I have my permit again. This time I took the license test, so now all I have left is the behind-the-wheel portion. My grandparents are working on getting me onto their insurance. I’ve practiced driving with my girlfriend, who has had her license since she was sixteen. I’m nervous, I’ll admit it. I tend not to tell people this story, but it’s something I’m trying to become comfortable with, so I can get over it. I ride the bus to and from school, and I bike around town. I’m almost twenty-one though, and I feel like driving should be the least of my worries right now.

So I’m going to tackle it, and I’m going to work it out. I’m dedicated!

I’ll see you on the road!

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My relationship with MATH.

March 18, 2013 by · 2 Comments · Uncategorized

I’m going to come straight out and say it. I’ve never been a huge fan of mathematics. I’ve been through repeats classes, summer school, and loads of anxiety-ridden tests brought about by math. For this reason, when I came to CSU Stan, I didn’t take a math class immediately. In fact, I put it off for over two years. I was afraid and nervous. I was afraid that I would fail, and in college that’s not something you can (literally) afford to do. Instead I took other G.E. classes, always skipping the math section that I needed to fulfill. Then I started plotting my course through the art world, and a couple of semesters doing that convinced me that I never wanted to be outside of the art department. Alas, my carefully constructed illusion had to come to an end eventually, and Spring 2013 was when it was (literally) scheduled to do just that.

I forced myself to sign up for Statistics of Decision Making on a recommendation from my girlfriend. She does not enjoy math very much either, but she said statistics was the one exception. I trusted her opinion and put myself back into the savage jungles of variables and equations. Nervously, I waited for the semester to begin. One of my friends, a former mathematics major, then told me that statistics was his least favorite type of math. That didn’t sit too well with me, but at that point I had committed to getting math out of the way, finally.

After my first week of class, I knew things were going to be different. I enjoyed my professor, Judith Clarke. I enjoyed the way she taught the class. I forced myself to sit at the front of the class. I took notes without doodles and song lyrics in the margins. I found myself suddenly believing that I could actually pass this class. Then the exam reared its ugly head. I’m the first to admit that I get anxious with tests. My palms sweat. My stomach aches. Adrenaline turns me into a tense disaster. This exam, though I had studied for it, hit me like a truck, and before I knew it the class was over. I had totally bombed the exam.

Then, as I stood outside trying not to freak out, I decided I was not going to let it get to me. I just wasn’t going to let this exam ruin the whole class for me and take me down. I resolved to work harder for the next exam. I worked hard on my homework, making sure I brought my grade up as much as I could. Now I’m here a couple weeks later, gearing up for another exam that will confront me soon. I don’t know whether I’ll pass it or not, but I know I’m sure going to try.

Does anyone else have trouble with math? Or any subject for that matter? Do you have trouble with tests in general?

Here are some tips I have for anyone who feels like I do about math:

Take really organized notes. Keep everything spaced out, don’t clutter everything on the page. That will only make it harder on you.

Be at every class session. Missing a session can throw you off completely.

Put yourself at the front of the class. This will help keep you from getting distracted.

Ask questions if you’re confused about anything. Don’t let things just slide until the exam.

Make sure you do your homework. Keep track of your homework scores in a notebook, and average your grades yourself. This will help you feel in control, and keep you updated on how much you need to improve.

I hope these tips help! Thanks for reading!

Song I’m blogging to: “Yeah Is What We Had” by Grandaddy.

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