I use this picture in the spirit of freedom and exploration, the same one that I felt on my journey through Washington, D.C. earlier this quarter (they are the Cherry Blossoms from DC, by the way).

It’s summertime, everyone. Maybe you still have a final or two left, or an essay, or have a full-time job, but it is summer. As is the norm for me, I see big chunks of time as new beginnings or as a new chance to improve or change myself. A little self-indulgent, but you’re reading a blog written by me, so what should you really expect by now?

Initially I didn’t know what to expect from this summer, but I have since gotten a better grasp. It has changed shapes several times over this past quarter as I signed up for and quit UniCamp, had a chance and lost it at going to DC for an internship, and had a personal change that affects the second half of my summer pretty dramatically… so I spent some time thinking about what to do. As I see it at this point, this isn’t a summer of resume-building or industry experience or any of that, so most of my growth will be personal, if any, and I have some sort of plan to attack that… and here we go!

Part of the problem I have is spending too much time online not broadening my mind or experiences, and to counteract this was my initial thought to not use my computer during the daylight hours, with the exception of work for resTV, if necessary, and CEC, if dealing with film studios. There’s too much to be done outside, out-of-doors, and I’ll be (for various segments of time) in Los Angeles, Loomis, Alaska and Austin, so there’s plenty I can do.

If it’s a school day I’m sure I’ll be fed up of sitting inside for five hours, so I could run, read, or play guitar (I’m considering a banjo, but I don’t know that I need anymore THINGS). On the off-days I can road trip somewhere, learn how to surf, better learn how to use my camera, or if I’m home in Loomis, I plan on getting sun-burnt from being outside in the 100 degree sun. I have a whole lake to kayak around, hills to hike, trails to navigate, and desire. Plus, I’ll be the housewife of the apartment next year so I need to continue refining my cooking skills.

This is not to say all my problems derive from overcomputatin’ but it just seems like the easy scapegoat at this point, and I am by no means saying I’m not going to use it. I will cease instant messenging and will be removing most of the functionality of the Facebook profile until Fall quarter. I would rather have more in-depth communications, or in-person, and the majority of time I spend online that I find trivial are those two things. Not to lash out at others who enjoy them, but I do need a break.

As of now, the film projects I have to work on are still up there in number (Sole Mates, Kuan’s Spraypaint Project, Action Movie, Cloverfield Knock-Off, and given the open times over summer, it’s possible there could be another three to five, especially animations…). The original goal had been to stockpile footage over this quarter to have projects to work on over the summer when there are less people around. Needless to say, my plan worked a little too well, but I have no complaints. They all look like great projects, all satisfying different creative urges.

I have less desire than normal to enumerate goals, as this post is more about expressing my feelings toward this summer. Overall, I am positive about what’s upcoming. I’ll be taking some steps forward in some areas, and if I can answer some of the questions about myself, firm up some of the blurries, I will come back to Los Angeles in early September charged and excited.

I think what I’m really looking for is whether or not I should get a banjo.