New Gym and the Olympics

Today was my first day coaching since I moved to LA. I started my new coaching job at Club Champion Gymnastics in Pasadena. This month is only a few hours of floating and getting to know the gym and the kids. I worked with one of the team coaches who happens to be from the Ukraine, with the strong Russian accent you would think a man of that country would have. But it was great getting into the gym again. And the kids that were at practice today seem like a good bunch. So far they don't come close to cool girls that are still back in Sioux Falls, but that bar has been set really high! It's amazing how you can find kids in different gyms halfway across the country from each other, who have the identical personalities! I'm excited about getting more and more into the gym. In September, I'll be getting more of a set class schedule, but for now, it's floating with team some days and rec classes others.

After the weekly Wednesday Night Ultimate Frisbee match, sore and tired (and vastly out of shape!!), I have returned home to catch some of the Women's Gymnastics podium practice. I missed the men's by just a little bit last night, but raced home to catch some of tonight's action on NBC.com. It's kinda fun seeing the future Gold Metal team practicing (I'm prophesying here people!!). I think I missed vault (bummed to miss Alicia S.), but saw bars and now they are onto beam. Bars looked good. Here's to a good beam practice.

I wanted to get a post about my first day at a job here in LA...and hope to have some more to post for sure next week with the Olympics and SIGGRAPH 2008 going on....

Until laterz!

The Drawing Club - July 31

I've posted some sketches from tonight's Drawing Club over on "The DakotaKid Corral". Check the post out here.

Until laterz!

Princess and the Frog Teaser

Okay..I know this is something I haven't worked on (at least not yet..always hope!!), but because I have goals of animating on Disney 2D films in the near future, I want this to be huge! Disney has posted the first teaser for it's jump back into traditional animated features, "The Princess and the Frog". Run, don't walk, to view this teaser. It's just a glimpse of the goodness to come! Plus..the more people know about this film the more they will go and see it and prove to the suits at Disney that it's not the format that makes a film a hit, it's a well told story that gets people's butts in the theaters!

Check it out here!

Until laterz!

Whole lotta shaking going on!

By now most of you have heard of the 5.4 earthquake that shook the southern California area. I was driving down I-5 and the 110 freeway when the biggest quake since 1994's big one. I'd love to be able to tell some huge story about cars all over the road and huge cracks and power lines down and flames from the pits of hell blazing...but to be honest, I didn't even realize anything was going on. If it wasn't for the radio saying something about Chino Hills and my housemates saying they felt it big time and all the media coverage, I wouldn't really have known anything had happened. I'm kinda bummed cause I wanted to compare to the earthquakes I experienced in Taiwan. Oh well..another time! :)

Until laterz!

The Drawing Club - July 24

I've posted some sketches from this past Thursday night Drawing Club over on "The DakotaKid Corral". Check the post out here .

Until laterz!

Going Back to school

I'VE BEEN ACCEPTED!!!! WHOO HOO!

For those of you that haven't heard, I've decided to further my character animation skills (and ultimately up my job options!!). I recently applied to the Animation Mentor program. I am scheduled to start the Fall '08 term at the end of September. This is an online course that has been gaining more and more recognition and respect in the animation industry. It's an 18 month course that consists of six 12-week sessions. And the BEST part of this program is that each quarter you have a different mentor training you. These mentors are actively working in the industry and truly WANT to further the students passion and career. So, over the next two years, I'll post updates on the classes and the good and the bad (but hopefully more good!). Keep checking back.

Until laterz!

Beach Party

After being in the LA for about two weeks, I finally made it to the REAL reason people move here...THE BEACH! Now, many of you know that I'm not usually a "Let's go to a day at the beach"-kinda guy, especially in this land of perfect bodies (both real and fake). But the Blue House small group went to the beach last week and I went along. We went in the evening and grilled burgers. It was a beautiful area and reminded me that I do LOVE God's creation!! And it wasn't that far, really. I'm gonna have to get out there more often. Even just to chill out and sit. Along with the burgers, we made a HUGE fire, which one of the guys with us kept adding bundle after bundle of wood onto. This created quite the blaze. We hung out and listened to the jam session of guitar and djembe (an african drum). Also met some new people, one that is from south west Minnesota! So awesome to find people that KNOW where I'm from. All in all, it was a great time! Check out the photos.