Home | Portfolio | Who Am I | Art | Multimedia | Installations
Cat Chow | Raggedy Ann Collection | Resume | E-Mail

Friday, December 22, 2006

Five things people don't know about me... 

Yikes! I’ve been tagged! I’ve been tagged to write a post about 5 things people don’t know about me...

Okay, Omar... you asked for it:
  1. I Hate Math
    It’s not just that I don’t like math, I actually loathe it. I did fine with math until I took Algebra I in 8th grade. I managed a C- in my first semester, and I flat out flunked out of my second semester. (or, maybe I got a D-) And here’s the thing: I really tried. I stayed after school, was tutored by my Algebra teacher, spent Spring Vacation in the library studying. It didn’t do any good. I just sucked at it. I took Algebra I again the following year, and pulled out an A my first semester (guess something clicked!) and a B or C the second semester. Unlike my sister (the math genius who took AP Calculus in her senior year) I only went as far as Algebra II/Trig. When I went to College, I intentionally stayed away from any math course as long as I could. ( I even took non-mathematical Physics at SJ State) When I transferred to the San Francisco Art Institute to finish my degree at age 25, I had the option to “test out of math”. That is, I could take a math test, and if I passed it, I wouldn’t have to take a math course at all to get my BFA. Mind you, I was 25 at the time, and hadn’t had a math class in about 9 years. Somehow, the Math Gods were with me that day, and I passed the test. I never had to take another math class again.

  2. I've worked at John Deere
    Actually, the more interesting tidbit might be that I had more than 30 different jobs before I was 25 years old. One of my favorite books in my early 20s had a line that said, “Do everything you can think of doing, so you know what you don’t want to do for the rest of your life.” I guess I really took that advice to heart! My first job was at Miller’s Outpost, my second job was as a teller at Bank of America, and my third at Sun Microsystems. Most of my jobs after that were temp jobs around the Mid-West, and in the South Bay. During that time, I was traveling around the country (I lived in Ohio, Southern Cal, Boston and Madison, WI) auditioning for, and becoming a member of various World Class Competitive Color Guards. I rehearsed in the evenings and on weekends, and worked full time during the week days. For the next seven years, I had the most interesting and eclectic set of jobs imaginable: I worked at a Paper Manufacturing Plant, a newspaper, a medical center, I rented out apartments, I did graphics for manuals at LSI Logic, I worked at Radius (Coincidentally, I worked there at the same time that Dick did!), Komag, a Buick Dealership, and, yes, John Deere (where I worked for 2 years). Once I was settled back in the Bay Area, I also worked as at the computer lab at the San Francisco Art Institute, helped to teach a computer course to people with physical disabilities at De Anza College, had a short stint of working with Howard Rheingold at Electric Minds and worked at an art gallery. I also taught at various Middle Schools, High School, and independent groups as a color guard instructor.

  3. The Dream Job that never came to be.
    ..and with all of these jobs under my belt, I never did have the one job that I dreamed of doing for so long.... I wanted to be a Disney Animator. Yep, I was (and still am) a big animation nut. While I was working all of these bizarre temp jobs, I realized that I really wanted to be an artist, and that I loved traditional animation. I came home and studied animation for a couple of years, and then started to dabble in computer animation. (a very new art in the mid-90s) I was fairly good at it, but alas, not good enough. I applied to Cal Arts in Valencia, CA – where many a Disney artist has graduated, and made it to the top 30 out of 0ver 300 applications. But it wasn’t good enough, and I wasn’t accepted. Instead, I took my portfolio to the San Francisco Art Institute, where I started to dabble in Mulitimedia and Web Design. And the rest is history...

  4. I have Axial Myoclonus
    Some of you may know that I have a neurological condition, but most of you don’t know much about it. I don’t talk about it much these days, which is a good thing. It kind of took over my life about a decade ago, but it’s under control now, and I know what to expect from it. Basically, when I have an episode, my body starts to shake or jerk uncontrollably. When I have a bad episode, it exhausts me. The strength and length of the jerks varies, and there are certain triggers that I try to stay away from. Two of the most important factors that I try to control are stress and sleep. I need 8-10 hours of sleep, and I have to keep my stress level down. These are two of the main reasons why I decided to start my own business. I need to have control over when I work (how many hours, what time of day), and what my work flow/production is (what kind of clients, how many projects). I really believe that the decision and ability to have my own business has helped me to manage my neurological condition. I’m very thankful for that.

  5. My One Phobia
    I hate balloons. I have an actual fear of balloons. I have been known to leave a store if they were inflating balloons inside. I will not attend a child’s party if there are balloons present. I just looked it up, and there is an actual phobia called “Ligyrophobia” which is the “fear of balloons popping”.
Hmmm...I have a feeling that people’s list are usually a lot more concise than that just was. Sorry about that. I was on a writing rampage!

My turn to tag!

Let’s see...

Bruce, Christopher, Philip Paula and Kimi!
(these are the people who I actually think will respond)

...and Dick!
I can’t leave my hubby out! (even if the chances of him responding to this is very slim)
C’mon, Dick. Tell us a little something about yourself! :)

Labels:


Comments: Post a Comment

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours? & Weblog Commenting by HaloScan.com

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in anyway --- oh right, I *am* my own employer! ;)

© Copyright 2003-2007, Trina Chow