Wow, the last week of August arrives and the leaves start to change colour and there's that distinct chill of winter lingering in the air. Ah, fall. You're like the sweet parting kiss from summer before winter's long embrace. I love it.
It's a shame that I'll be too far consumed by education to really enjoy it, though. Especially now that I can photogrophy (pronounced foh-tog-rof-I) I wish I could spend more free time outdoors. BUT, because looking forward rather freaks me out at the moment, I think I'll do some looking back.
I typically stagnate as a person during the summer. It's such a great time to... Do nothing. Take it easy, and do all those well-traveled activities that provide simple enjoyment. I can't recall how many summers I've spent doing absolutely nothing of value. Maybe I'd work part time during the morning, then get home and camp out in the basement in front of the N64 or computer. Good times.
This summer, though, I wanted to do something. So back in June(ish), I decided I wanted to do two things - learn how to map for the Source Engine, and learn photography. And, actually, I managed to do both of them.
I can't recall which one I started first, but it seems like I spent an eternity waiting for the camera to arrive, so I guess I must've lead of with map making to kill time. Let's see, is there even anything to recap here? I developed a basic knowledge of the interface, thanks in large part to how much effort Valve has put into documenting it. Between that and a handful of community YouTube tutorials, I managed to put together a playable Beta of a small environment. I actually modeled it after the office where I work, which helped me a lot with direction. There ain't no creativity here folks - I even got some floorplans from work which I used to layout the level.
If I had to throw out an estimate... I probably put something like ~20 hours of work into it. Not bad, I think, considering that I went into it not knowing a thing. At the same time, though, it's obvious that it's my first try. There are breakable doors that open to outside the map, floating entities, poor navigation, blinding light sources, messed up navigation, and, oh yeah, that "Map is Unplayable" message every time you start it up. You can still press 'ok' and play anyways, but apparently it's broken.
I don't know if I'll go back to it at all. Parts of it were downright frustrating, and as intuitive as the interface is, once things get going it becomes very complicated very quickly. I can't even imagine how the mappers at Valve can manage all of that. I'm sure if I were to stick it out I could fix my map and become even more familiar with the process, but... I don't think it's for me. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY enjoyed the process of learning something new and forming a virtual environment from scratch. But at the end of the day... I don't think it's my thing. Perhaps if I develop a good reason to make another map I'll give it another try some day. But the fact is that I of have alltwo people to share a it with. That's not even enough for a game of Left 4 Dead. It's just a whole lot of effort to spend when so few other people will enjoy it. The kicker is that you need those people to enjoy it yourself. Without anyone to share it with the final payoff is a very hallow one.
So, yes, I can map. Not very well at all, but I can do it. It's something that I've wanted to learn for a long time, and I've done just that. It's gratifying in that sense, to know that you've put in the effort towards something you've always kind of wanted to try.
And, photogrophying. I got a camera from El Frank early this summer. It's his old Canon PowerShot S300 - a seven year-old unit, complete with faded finish and cracks. I wish I could tell some sort of story about how hard it wfigured out the buttons for exposure, white-balance, and focus mode, and learned to use AutoStitch. That's about all there is to it, and I'm not really that great. But in this case, it's something I kind of enjoy. So I pack around the camera everywhere I go and snap the odd picture. And the results are unremarkable. Medeocre at best. But it isn't something I do for other people, and so I'm alright with that.
So there you have it - I accomplished both the "I want to learn..." goals I had for the summer. I'm by all accounts terrible at both, but task completed and achievement unlocked - I accomplished what I set out to do. I really can't say where things go from here.
What else did I do with my summer... I re-read the Book of Mormon again. Got through it in two-and-a-half months. It was a bit of a haul - two chapters (at least) every night plus whatever I could get in over the weekends. It was a satisfying read, in more ways than one.
Oh, and I watched all of The Wonder Years. I actually gave up on Joan of Arcadia, after I got sick of the teen angst and drama of the show. So I downloaded the first to seasons of TWY... And loved it. Yes, technically, I guess it could be considered a teen drama/angst show. But this one was just so much... Better. The storytelling was fantastic! The plots were original and quirky, it wasn't nearly predictable, and some episodes really made you think. It's so much more satisfying on every level. And despite its age, it's held up really well. It's a twenty year-old show made about a time period twenty years before that, but it's truly timeless. It was all just as releveant. Fanstic show, I'm so glad I watched it.
For the record, I saw all six seasons (a total of 115 22-minute episodes) over the course of five-and-a-half weeks. Not bad. Doesn't quite hold up to when I watched The 4400, though. I got through all 44 episodes (42 mins a piece, with a few double-length) in two weeks. That was brutal. But when it's a good show, you don't really mind.
I think... That pretty much covers everything I wanted to make note of. School starts with orientation on Tuesday. I may be getting a car on Monday, but with registration and insurance to sort out, I'll most likely be taking the bus the following morning. And thus will begin the next four-year-haul of being a student. I can hardly wait.
-Cril
Booker T and the MG's - Summertime
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