tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57595803496947788432024-03-06T00:27:29.191-08:00Semester Abroad at Gnomon School of Visual EffectsMatthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-2246407268862705532009-04-04T09:14:00.000-07:002009-04-04T10:22:29.091-07:00Wonders of the West<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZdHnFgAUI27WYhSWzrpQfpzQ7FxFGMpwhvqNst_gDqq_Z_GIQRhcpyF4glp9S6UXYo-xWnkzbjs9YsXLTmz9gUglih2niyupAFrEYvRcbFvmP0E7ANz3riTrvHRWdQdsI8b0H0QVpBQ/s1600-h/arches_delicate_001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZdHnFgAUI27WYhSWzrpQfpzQ7FxFGMpwhvqNst_gDqq_Z_GIQRhcpyF4glp9S6UXYo-xWnkzbjs9YsXLTmz9gUglih2niyupAFrEYvRcbFvmP0E7ANz3riTrvHRWdQdsI8b0H0QVpBQ/s400/arches_delicate_001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320885797524209458" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Delicate Arch</span><br /><br />Its over. After 3 long, tiresome months, our semester is finally over. To say we learned a lot would be a gross understatement. I still have not fully processed all the techniques I learned while attending Gnomon, they are all scribbled in my notebook waiting for a time I can internalize them properly. <br /><br />On Monday the 30th, I began my drive home to Maine. The first stop was Zion National Park, located in Southwest Utah. It was an amazing place. The entire park is literally located in the belly of Zion Canyon, a sweeping trench of beautifully colored walls, with a green-blue river running through its heart. It is a truly majestic area, forcefully shoving the wonders of nature into your face at all times. While I was there, I decided to hike the 'Angels Landing' trail, a steep climb up a 1500 foot cliff face. The trail begins as a series of switch backs, eventually giving way to a series of narrow rock path ways that cause you to hop and climb along the top of the mountain, all the while facing 1400 foot drops to either side of you. The last mile or so of the trail has you holding on to chains for dear life, as you scramble up and over steep rock faces all the while facing certain, erm, discomfort should you misstep. All of the sweat blood and tears (well maybe not tears) are well worth is once you summit. Angels Landing provides a 360 view of the Zion Canyon, a truly breathtaking sight. <br /><br />From there I made my way to Arches National Park, located in the Southeast area of Utah, near the charming adventure town of Moab. While not as much of a hiking park as Zion, the views were no less, if not more impressive. The park is filled with iconic Arches. The size and beauty of these arches cannot be portrayed through photographs or video sadly enough, although I tried my best. They are a monument to the power and artistry of mother nature, cementing her position as the worlds greatest sculptor. The sunset is an especially magical time in Arches. The dipping sun causes the rocks to glow an intense red, which contrasts nicely with the pure blue skies of the west. The La Sal mountain range provides a constant backdrop for the majority of the arches, adding yet another layer of beauty to the scene. This is a place I can only hope all of you get to experience at least once in your life. I intend on returning to the area as soon as I can so experience the rest of Arches, as well as Bryce and Canyonlands National Parks which are also in the area. <br /><br />I am currently staying with my Aunt and Uncle in Crested Butte, Colorado, a small but charming ski town that I visited as a young boy. It is always interesting to return to places from your early childhood to see how much you can remember. <br /><br />From here I am traveling to (?), Kansas, and then to stay with a friend in Ohio,then to another friend in Mass, and then finally back home to Durham, Maine, which hold a unique beautiful landmark of its own, my bed.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhus_RFNiqQ12ccYfXZUhn5n8gwt_Bc4PSCbTWzHcHncDJKanWQbRJMaYMx-_H8jiWE9B90-4ODb4-JgERq1QfQwSxA8ueFNThnuwq9Yk8CCYcDWnqIoypJYENFCu8q-3SO-_QT8J6cbbs/s1600-h/arches_pano_001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhus_RFNiqQ12ccYfXZUhn5n8gwt_Bc4PSCbTWzHcHncDJKanWQbRJMaYMx-_H8jiWE9B90-4ODb4-JgERq1QfQwSxA8ueFNThnuwq9Yk8CCYcDWnqIoypJYENFCu8q-3SO-_QT8J6cbbs/s400/arches_pano_001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320883103704170882" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Arches National Park</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpRpYXAoIjh0CtTAaHHDv7lA6lecdD30NNGYM9gESAlGqcO-yYiDWX6DtyYs_Ojss_pc-ro9evoCwHVRcjLmlVfZMNOoORaiGGBDC2H1uMPsjbqMiRTanBZouC4FDOvvB3tQRZCiCwGg/s1600-h/arches_misc_001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpRpYXAoIjh0CtTAaHHDv7lA6lecdD30NNGYM9gESAlGqcO-yYiDWX6DtyYs_Ojss_pc-ro9evoCwHVRcjLmlVfZMNOoORaiGGBDC2H1uMPsjbqMiRTanBZouC4FDOvvB3tQRZCiCwGg/s400/arches_misc_001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320885800075118002" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Arches National Park</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKYMn7u6xC01A6SKj24TexXsUEevntqv2imAM-ReVvYqLW7kCGQAfkyPN2mUsNdMXZlG5rnMkrcIhiRlnRBBtPeVaB5i5GD5d3k0IN3a_TMZINK5zxcw11HE_e2KaXCxCcNaEDHmdOa0/s1600-h/zion_day2_5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKYMn7u6xC01A6SKj24TexXsUEevntqv2imAM-ReVvYqLW7kCGQAfkyPN2mUsNdMXZlG5rnMkrcIhiRlnRBBtPeVaB5i5GD5d3k0IN3a_TMZINK5zxcw11HE_e2KaXCxCcNaEDHmdOa0/s400/zion_day2_5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320885811649284834" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Northern view from Angels Landing</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtF008BnUW8ngc4C9SdH26JgeceG05STPWO1mHFsa4hHtsC5978puqMpwGKtpyZZUJCs6Fiita6PkZNJyv9O7SZYy__WVMiSwnuM0KRSUkhFnJgEYOC-S9DYnVwe-8VZPX37NBsqpttaU/s1600-h/zion_day2_8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtF008BnUW8ngc4C9SdH26JgeceG05STPWO1mHFsa4hHtsC5978puqMpwGKtpyZZUJCs6Fiita6PkZNJyv9O7SZYy__WVMiSwnuM0KRSUkhFnJgEYOC-S9DYnVwe-8VZPX37NBsqpttaU/s400/zion_day2_8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320885804597158450" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Trail down from Angels Landing</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO8ZIwE9MD5S7-rzzJ2RKuTF49UBt__9XQoRXbav3xXCrspCElwkUGmBCOivcw_CY1AoG-yu20ySzSe89WlIniEqdKwMs2dymdEQxzjOOmCO0Nojdv33mz-4SJayKz3g6Dp3r5qh7Wag/s1600-h/zion_day2_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO8ZIwE9MD5S7-rzzJ2RKuTF49UBt__9XQoRXbav3xXCrspCElwkUGmBCOivcw_CY1AoG-yu20ySzSe89WlIniEqdKwMs2dymdEQxzjOOmCO0Nojdv33mz-4SJayKz3g6Dp3r5qh7Wag/s400/zion_day2_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320885812359147794" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Zion National Park</span>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-5532324969211288342009-03-09T04:12:00.000-07:002009-03-09T04:35:02.710-07:00Long Time No Post<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwFceowG1eVw9Ir_WS_qSiSkZOV6Hlml_w-XnE3Y3cDFfnW9aRCAAhOR0EHNGwcZ8bykRjLjN0RQUwDdYKsAPdL2K_8A02Tg44AJD_vz-Xjt5nh4QFQG4WIEmwMkpt1UOnl7R8COKh0M/s1600-h/DSC_0081+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwFceowG1eVw9Ir_WS_qSiSkZOV6Hlml_w-XnE3Y3cDFfnW9aRCAAhOR0EHNGwcZ8bykRjLjN0RQUwDdYKsAPdL2K_8A02Tg44AJD_vz-Xjt5nh4QFQG4WIEmwMkpt1UOnl7R8COKh0M/s400/DSC_0081+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311149856135972514" /></a><br />I apologize to everyone for the lack of information as of late. We have all been pretty swamped with work. It's been hard to find much spare time to do much of anything. In fact the opening day showing of Watchmen we attended was the first thing we had done for fun in.....months. The semester is starting to wind down now, just 3 more weeks to go. It's truly amazing just how fast the time has passed out here. It is as if the concept of time has somehow been skewed and distorted around our ultra busy lifestyle. It is somewhat saddening to see our time at Gnomon begin to draw to its conclusion, but I am anxious for the East Coast and Maine. Due to one of my classes originally being scheduled for a delayed start, I am now driving back to Maine alone, as Josh had assumed I would be staying here longer then him and James. While this is slightly disheartening news for such a long journey, I am excited to make it alone. With no pressing engagements to return to, I am planning on taking my time and really soaking in some of the wonders of the West. I am planning on spending at least 2 nights in Zion National Park, Utah, hiking and photographing the area. Perhaps a night will be spent in Arches National Park as well. It's hard to say at this point. I will spending time with my Aunt, Uncle and two little cousins in Crested Butte, CO as well, shortly after my visits to the National Parks, another stop I am looking forward to. Traveling the country alone is something I have secretly always wanted to do. The romance and mystery of the open road will be a great adventure to partake in.<br /><br />The weather out here has been spectacular lately. The average temperature has been between 60-70 on most days, even high on others. Oddly enough I find myself pining for the damp, wet Maine spring. There is something uplifting about seeing the world coming back into fruition after winter, something that is not present here in the land of perpetual sunshine. <br /><br />As far as work goes, we have all been hard at work. Josh is well on his way in his final animation, James is busy modeling a car and his video game character, and I am busy with my lighting, my character and a whole bunch of speed sculpts for my Zbrush Texturing class. However, speaking for myself (and I would assume the others) I have learned so much that I haven't even had time to digest it all. I am looking forward to the summer so I can really apply the techniques I have learned to my personal work. <br /><br />I attached a photo I took at Santa Monica Beach during my mothers visit, and a 3 hour speed sculpting exercise I worked on for class. Ill get some more work from the guys pretty soon, I promise.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMuIC_9e1_AezUNtCSd55uC-6zATejItt_zoLgO9IkRAmMVmirpdfsTxJnsusmeMVA29LPQnaonjkjKcV8R7Ov-d0tt5b1gJeFYwRvRMsPJ_-h1_o3WTedtmiCqbUPSWOa9Oja0R6g4I/s1600-h/head_progress+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMuIC_9e1_AezUNtCSd55uC-6zATejItt_zoLgO9IkRAmMVmirpdfsTxJnsusmeMVA29LPQnaonjkjKcV8R7Ov-d0tt5b1gJeFYwRvRMsPJ_-h1_o3WTedtmiCqbUPSWOa9Oja0R6g4I/s400/head_progress+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311149925081168578" /></a>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-11923999349753269382009-02-19T13:52:00.003-08:002009-02-19T13:52:47.810-08:00Josh's AnimationHere is an animation Josh has been working on. Im sure he would appreciate any feedback or suggestions!<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LYmTQKmadC0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LYmTQKmadC0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-86284283379802611442009-02-14T03:53:00.000-08:002009-02-14T04:03:58.685-08:00Tarons Art Opening at Gnomon.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Cj_rHpIucMIZo-vsV7vGa513OgtkN09L5oJEREDcjfic3teb-fIpl123VDnfA0Fybg0HF-PBSHhvbbt-0rH2WyJu6L98Qh4a5MfWuD2YnMG4-HNINlv9z2FIajVy7vn97cJkT0P7XiQ/s1600-h/taron_opening_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Cj_rHpIucMIZo-vsV7vGa513OgtkN09L5oJEREDcjfic3teb-fIpl123VDnfA0Fybg0HF-PBSHhvbbt-0rH2WyJu6L98Qh4a5MfWuD2YnMG4-HNINlv9z2FIajVy7vn97cJkT0P7XiQ/s400/taron_opening_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302622343119637314" /></a><br />This past evening, James and I had the opportunity to attend an art opening in the Gnomon gallery of works created by the artist, Taron. <a href="http://www.gnomongallery.com/next.php"></a><br /><br />On display was a large variety of 3D canvas prints. His work in many cases was both beautiful and disturbing all at once. I believe that his renders and presentation took his art from the "digital media" realm to that of fine art, a task any digital artist will tell you is not an easy one to achieve. In addition to his digital work, Taron also had on display a few of his traditional paintings, and a few images from his sketchbook. After viewing these images it is immediately evident that he is almost as well versed in traditional as he is in digital arts. <br /><br />I have included a few pictures (it is a shame I did not think to take more), of the gallery for your viewing pleasure. I encourage all of you to take a look at more of his work, which can be found at <a href="http://www.taron.us/"></a>.<br /><br />Thank you for reading!<br /><br /><br />*Click for larger versions*<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jBCyZ1S0bfdMteDT7IQ3SGE6Zt1jSHEAvjz2WTDTZ1X3_ttG2hg3E34kV8QuTqrwf-CWgfq2TlvD3lYJKLdlph76qLhIC0PNjYdds7AmmYnRSTQDqnbJPkaTztGqc3RqKGtpCVq3qIo/s1600-h/taron_opening_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jBCyZ1S0bfdMteDT7IQ3SGE6Zt1jSHEAvjz2WTDTZ1X3_ttG2hg3E34kV8QuTqrwf-CWgfq2TlvD3lYJKLdlph76qLhIC0PNjYdds7AmmYnRSTQDqnbJPkaTztGqc3RqKGtpCVq3qIo/s400/taron_opening_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302622361589551538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfBc5vuBTHDXKVufEHekrXDQm9rJ6do3BhU-FRJ1ME6lWbJPfHDZfal7SaXI1enptdUjICDke8v5XoP0Z9wMZaZHe6ybGUSrEwvcRxcASHgITy2pwZa3BPbhCA4EI_KJIyY-rpyrFB4o/s1600-h/taron_opening_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 296px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfBc5vuBTHDXKVufEHekrXDQm9rJ6do3BhU-FRJ1ME6lWbJPfHDZfal7SaXI1enptdUjICDke8v5XoP0Z9wMZaZHe6ybGUSrEwvcRxcASHgITy2pwZa3BPbhCA4EI_KJIyY-rpyrFB4o/s400/taron_opening_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302622353353594898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKmzgof8bmEyNMjKKWbd4NqrnCKyJG3yx21PRl28HY5KDHTJuCDNhcZK3vo4rlReWG4rMl_WyccnD61IxTfYyixUCJsvhWgelLRa_YzpkpwoJRavnoPLws0CKy8P_R20Y_nvSpL531Ag/s1600-h/taron_opening_james.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKmzgof8bmEyNMjKKWbd4NqrnCKyJG3yx21PRl28HY5KDHTJuCDNhcZK3vo4rlReWG4rMl_WyccnD61IxTfYyixUCJsvhWgelLRa_YzpkpwoJRavnoPLws0CKy8P_R20Y_nvSpL531Ag/s400/taron_opening_james.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302622347123139538" /></a>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-26117209558449917232009-02-08T23:26:00.000-08:002009-02-09T02:00:18.949-08:00More WorkHere is some work from all of us. Some stills from James' modeling class, a video from Joshes dynamics class, and a Zombie that I am sculpting to eventually texture for my texture painting class.<br /><br />*click for larger view*<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlA6mh0-ANMubDzDCAFJ6qnkXkvJCsWAWuSJcI2YtZy2ffQ_NsaEopRKiHVcTjEmrmZA1kcxpUVVCgwr3TEBf00fl7GcfYIMWRR6de5Bng_w4R2k0eYRtDZF4YckJ7CwWG4WoncF73AA/s1600-h/Dice.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlA6mh0-ANMubDzDCAFJ6qnkXkvJCsWAWuSJcI2YtZy2ffQ_NsaEopRKiHVcTjEmrmZA1kcxpUVVCgwr3TEBf00fl7GcfYIMWRR6de5Bng_w4R2k0eYRtDZF4YckJ7CwWG4WoncF73AA/s400/Dice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300697866352496834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHxR6fL5rRRuWS9PBhUANgAlw9Zu7ofy0SucmyHSRvBlch4bixDQbhPJZEUNsagvEfeXPSQhvzTQsQtA8NRZFZCgIXxC40-crtqbl9PzDx3cH_nj9tQ_X3KuDx7SeGDnEjZiv0j3L7do/s1600-h/House_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHxR6fL5rRRuWS9PBhUANgAlw9Zu7ofy0SucmyHSRvBlch4bixDQbhPJZEUNsagvEfeXPSQhvzTQsQtA8NRZFZCgIXxC40-crtqbl9PzDx3cH_nj9tQ_X3KuDx7SeGDnEjZiv0j3L7do/s400/House_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300697863485416258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBauTGJyw_7VLzXHkw-EfI22yFWIo9QU2ifBLpu6rZW11UVOzonTPSLLQRAE5tsxI7bdTRu7Q8qt1Y2kZ1uCh4pplsNwiqWgRCmIIOffFTbZP7c9CftVw6zaMocVcBm18Eaz98bnFCgnI/s1600-h/House.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBauTGJyw_7VLzXHkw-EfI22yFWIo9QU2ifBLpu6rZW11UVOzonTPSLLQRAE5tsxI7bdTRu7Q8qt1Y2kZ1uCh4pplsNwiqWgRCmIIOffFTbZP7c9CftVw6zaMocVcBm18Eaz98bnFCgnI/s400/House.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300697862345822770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-B0g5vnv5cN8KdkyTnc3ziJRxweJW5WkoelfummoGnZqmY2ujEaoI_zhVPsnmlErsEWHjCISYgLy5KueDW3SAx61s1lJGN7-ZcX-HzAbO1QVrxqd2pmt2d491fmqXAN-qH0mcoIWDlbo/s1600-h/Blender.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-B0g5vnv5cN8KdkyTnc3ziJRxweJW5WkoelfummoGnZqmY2ujEaoI_zhVPsnmlErsEWHjCISYgLy5KueDW3SAx61s1lJGN7-ZcX-HzAbO1QVrxqd2pmt2d491fmqXAN-qH0mcoIWDlbo/s400/Blender.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300697862869733650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFaeldBBoZ30BKgqRYHUDNko4XbO2V1euSBdkt-Hn_S_iQ9A20ZItJ9bPDj6eMuYihr64EXFjHjslwhbD2Z3NgB-toCTIUuPizgNa6Jalb6qyt94VyGkWkjW_PAB2pjd9dJC52KXvcgQ/s1600-h/zombie1_sheet_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFaeldBBoZ30BKgqRYHUDNko4XbO2V1euSBdkt-Hn_S_iQ9A20ZItJ9bPDj6eMuYihr64EXFjHjslwhbD2Z3NgB-toCTIUuPizgNa6Jalb6qyt94VyGkWkjW_PAB2pjd9dJC52KXvcgQ/s400/zombie1_sheet_2.jpg" border="0"alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300734900033300914" /></a><br /><br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ajp6daOrmZM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ajp6daOrmZM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/81H5r0-DnM8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/81H5r0-DnM8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-59157058194975331092009-02-03T03:48:00.000-08:002009-02-03T03:57:07.828-08:00Gesture StudiesIn the past couple days I've been working on some Zbrush sculpts. These are simply gesture/anatomy/and proportion studies. My teacher, Ryan Kingslien creates a lot of digital "fine art sculptures", basically pieces that have no practical purpose besides looking nice (hopefully!). I have tried my hand at this concept, applying the knowledge I have gained thus far in his Zbrush&Anatomy class.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-aDxhPsxF2FODOKczGLoJyPjoDzczXknJKMyWTYLbG9nf9zldBdZqJAbE1NYDgXwA0P1TC_3UMJ1nmygFZG77WLXQXPDVURtHTKGcQtpSSkLV-EegP2pEvD4khLNRf9hbTjx0dzMruw/s1600-h/gesture1_sheet2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-aDxhPsxF2FODOKczGLoJyPjoDzczXknJKMyWTYLbG9nf9zldBdZqJAbE1NYDgXwA0P1TC_3UMJ1nmygFZG77WLXQXPDVURtHTKGcQtpSSkLV-EegP2pEvD4khLNRf9hbTjx0dzMruw/s400/gesture1_sheet2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298537466250807858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxxvvkLcd0SSu53JTapUAJ0weISK7kCx2iFl2zLpimStS1GUQ7Fggpjisns2rENJ5rJJV3DfhDZOVGCggzyw1lciw5I4K_dY8YCNPXZ24DrKilul_KLcYQfwCY18MgTOKPceEsSzikao/s1600-h/gesture1_sheet1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxxvvkLcd0SSu53JTapUAJ0weISK7kCx2iFl2zLpimStS1GUQ7Fggpjisns2rENJ5rJJV3DfhDZOVGCggzyw1lciw5I4K_dY8YCNPXZ24DrKilul_KLcYQfwCY18MgTOKPceEsSzikao/s400/gesture1_sheet1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298537465481274226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGSgMX_3Obmm69qFAuaVJTHa5mAyargGRJg-hyd56s6Y0WnZFa7C1WWcnswBS-NIwNF6GMBX7fpNFb-05kmURrkfEmezt64PkM8nF6JDphBXHif-HDsTIwRssGLks1pBhOGIKSLp6rsk/s1600-h/ges2_sheet1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGSgMX_3Obmm69qFAuaVJTHa5mAyargGRJg-hyd56s6Y0WnZFa7C1WWcnswBS-NIwNF6GMBX7fpNFb-05kmURrkfEmezt64PkM8nF6JDphBXHif-HDsTIwRssGLks1pBhOGIKSLp6rsk/s400/ges2_sheet1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298537461833164706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4A_N4Ck6AklaYqvM24mK1oEjtnKobOvyZMUOQA1lRVXRY-nPGdx8APUcJhdZn8TDu446hbmS5y2RjCAsxzFFwEOkKLi2bsV97at9xdDIWAAZidj4iAZlo9QWX-2HfyLdgK9RPtpZgy6c/s1600-h/side_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 386px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4A_N4Ck6AklaYqvM24mK1oEjtnKobOvyZMUOQA1lRVXRY-nPGdx8APUcJhdZn8TDu446hbmS5y2RjCAsxzFFwEOkKLi2bsV97at9xdDIWAAZidj4iAZlo9QWX-2HfyLdgK9RPtpZgy6c/s400/side_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298537462623826690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEDzPZLXXJKkYToW-LxlF8-IfaGwvOzv6UQqLLs8bWYD3Wij1JSYS5zRN1BtaAqefmwYlj98PVT-m5bFo8w3e-vzJl69tG3Vgz59rf4Pg37x0xG67wjixdN1tAh5hMToA6kLL3jmwfsQ/s1600-h/front_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 390px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEDzPZLXXJKkYToW-LxlF8-IfaGwvOzv6UQqLLs8bWYD3Wij1JSYS5zRN1BtaAqefmwYlj98PVT-m5bFo8w3e-vzJl69tG3Vgz59rf4Pg37x0xG67wjixdN1tAh5hMToA6kLL3jmwfsQ/s400/front_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298537463086370290" /></a><br /><br />*Watch videos in High Quality for Audio*<br />Dancers:<br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PWqM3b_a_rA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PWqM3b_a_rA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br />Ballerina:<br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4grUUAz_pwU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4grUUAz_pwU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br />Dramatically Posed Man:<br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VcwhE-d8oLo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VcwhE-d8oLo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-26750529875385217082009-01-31T02:37:00.000-08:002009-01-31T02:43:55.446-08:00Work updates.Hey everybody. Here is some work we have done in the past few days. First is a walk cycle that Josh animated for his character animation class. I also included a few Zbrush images I made. The first is the beginnings of an anatomy study for my zbrush&anatomy class. The second is my entry for a sculpting challenge on threedy.com. and the last is a head study that I worked on with some guidance from Ryan Kingslien. <br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fvNTkz64COQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fvNTkz64COQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92HzejrJhUYX_XusFbQ8300BSH71D6XXTqVtZpd2zWKobIEHLdXrY1t1mnIObWUDYFdlMuw3VN5gcaw6aTP3_vP7Aw3RNoM5Bqzl91J4ms_N49IAQiuBDO292uFmz9gCkXnvbvBLTw6Q/s1600-h/wip_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 331px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92HzejrJhUYX_XusFbQ8300BSH71D6XXTqVtZpd2zWKobIEHLdXrY1t1mnIObWUDYFdlMuw3VN5gcaw6aTP3_vP7Aw3RNoM5Bqzl91J4ms_N49IAQiuBDO292uFmz9gCkXnvbvBLTw6Q/s400/wip_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297406239534303106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6uDW3YT04-pBG3gFkgA3M5sx27iYJgnXCdUnKTwa3HdlO4nz5sdX4jSAe6mk9HK9oI8-11bYbuuJ2CgVkwB6G5UorSOp1VSVjhfXZX7ZMRl0T7sqqKR5yEFSDWlMA53EMnXZEcp0bfE/s1600-h/final_smaller.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6uDW3YT04-pBG3gFkgA3M5sx27iYJgnXCdUnKTwa3HdlO4nz5sdX4jSAe6mk9HK9oI8-11bYbuuJ2CgVkwB6G5UorSOp1VSVjhfXZX7ZMRl0T7sqqKR5yEFSDWlMA53EMnXZEcp0bfE/s400/final_smaller.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297406244901707538" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlKZp_E5NY2A2IKQXO3ooAZLvHSLtrw1vHb4aQ0kEZdL4VtHXiS7l4JIOAYtfqa0nycf0r-UbX3qIsp9ovH4qn5c77UueszCviY1N_Z7asGUmbT5quNpjeSpyYyhMSwWAle5Zjc12A5U/s1600-h/face20_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlKZp_E5NY2A2IKQXO3ooAZLvHSLtrw1vHb4aQ0kEZdL4VtHXiS7l4JIOAYtfqa0nycf0r-UbX3qIsp9ovH4qn5c77UueszCviY1N_Z7asGUmbT5quNpjeSpyYyhMSwWAle5Zjc12A5U/s400/face20_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297406240848858754" /></a>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-86943740591594676592009-01-25T19:11:00.000-08:002009-01-26T04:19:19.240-08:00James does work too!Here is some of James' work. A few shots of a skull he had to sculpt for his Intro Zbrush class, and then a render of the shader series he worked on for Texture Mapping.<br />Im sure he'd appreciate feedback!<br /><br />I also included a few images of some environmental sculpting Ive started to experiment in.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w2KF71ox4LC0MwRDzZ3rfQr5rnprt34abuQ_LaSd1xC8_s-eCjgODazXvAMZydNVnIEyklCSWZEOEfGmFpna6KOovpDtSB6iirIxcYjMHk3fpQJqE0VtJYYiEmUFsP0f4FkAtWzodDA/s1600-h/Skull_2_quarter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w2KF71ox4LC0MwRDzZ3rfQr5rnprt34abuQ_LaSd1xC8_s-eCjgODazXvAMZydNVnIEyklCSWZEOEfGmFpna6KOovpDtSB6iirIxcYjMHk3fpQJqE0VtJYYiEmUFsP0f4FkAtWzodDA/s400/Skull_2_quarter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295435291762340962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQanEG9jgblcC8CCS1777vHxt9NeyiNug32UCoDgm6GI1oRCe_Hj3ywUsk4cSYP6Y6L7hrreTWq75JoPYG_85zpGFXErDIsnk7-DzgD_rOyZHDU00oDgvqbh7mlbMBVwgwF8e52AazwQ/s1600-h/Skull_2_front.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQanEG9jgblcC8CCS1777vHxt9NeyiNug32UCoDgm6GI1oRCe_Hj3ywUsk4cSYP6Y6L7hrreTWq75JoPYG_85zpGFXErDIsnk7-DzgD_rOyZHDU00oDgvqbh7mlbMBVwgwF8e52AazwQ/s400/Skull_2_front.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295435293773464162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-MHyORRHOXE9sf8UG6Kug02MqARHBQlhOTZNNFuBhO1xcoq9bcujn_d-IyFPNuaLPkCu5SONrjBEA05jg9iXXwaA5or_nn-S07rQqSnTYHJ8sU4Fp5Rks-ICAjk96Pea_eQ6oTsrT1o/s1600-h/Rubber_Glass_chrome_alum_plastic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-MHyORRHOXE9sf8UG6Kug02MqARHBQlhOTZNNFuBhO1xcoq9bcujn_d-IyFPNuaLPkCu5SONrjBEA05jg9iXXwaA5or_nn-S07rQqSnTYHJ8sU4Fp5Rks-ICAjk96Pea_eQ6oTsrT1o/s400/Rubber_Glass_chrome_alum_plastic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295435294732662242" /></a><br /><br />My Environmental Sculpts:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHrgpnaE0loEPTuQjFOAPNM6Be1Pnv-qCK6ZzydrlZtTXxtOF8d1PQhDks462XMTgUHijrlKUAc0frHa7O02i1EW629zUzPtqO8SP3YdPW_ZPEqjTWwkZNs7aVhj5KKGg9MJJQXcQDY8/s1600-h/full_scene_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHrgpnaE0loEPTuQjFOAPNM6Be1Pnv-qCK6ZzydrlZtTXxtOF8d1PQhDks462XMTgUHijrlKUAc0frHa7O02i1EW629zUzPtqO8SP3YdPW_ZPEqjTWwkZNs7aVhj5KKGg9MJJQXcQDY8/s400/full_scene_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295575745241791266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTwqJOgI0zZ4vxRYKieGPBsLNpbeVmaclLffjHarNpXO6JkxLF_HCWc1a7Zd_Y6joTHUCaQm8Pqu279K9IVnt5cCNG0txaSDnKHjgcKZwoKNMaDFGJKH4r6MZ5oOgY3LAveLnhxwExq4/s1600-h/erosion_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTwqJOgI0zZ4vxRYKieGPBsLNpbeVmaclLffjHarNpXO6JkxLF_HCWc1a7Zd_Y6joTHUCaQm8Pqu279K9IVnt5cCNG0txaSDnKHjgcKZwoKNMaDFGJKH4r6MZ5oOgY3LAveLnhxwExq4/s400/erosion_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295575752404112658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnW3qvX5H9Z7Kjo238OmgQ0Rt8mcIj-6m5jlfBGacqCnwUqPffPLgToAuOv54UEcnfwk4m1muwZUeLh1uevX2e_XXDIhbOcbNd8dwEanCIv-UIIfCGt5Gju4yClWBAErjd0DXUcN9UTU4/s1600-h/broken_bottom_1+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnW3qvX5H9Z7Kjo238OmgQ0Rt8mcIj-6m5jlfBGacqCnwUqPffPLgToAuOv54UEcnfwk4m1muwZUeLh1uevX2e_XXDIhbOcbNd8dwEanCIv-UIIfCGt5Gju4yClWBAErjd0DXUcN9UTU4/s400/broken_bottom_1+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295575750266162898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPgzwOnFHNgU87d9blwPZ_1ZDIsDL7D26L0zYvOrzX_uGLOKj-emIdSrAoppWYw6ckzoPlEC-Qb7500xuYQCI6dxVSme7-NetKLI34NTwl97S8CnjXNHH7cqDXunD5YncpOilvTeX11Q/s1600-h/arch_1+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPgzwOnFHNgU87d9blwPZ_1ZDIsDL7D26L0zYvOrzX_uGLOKj-emIdSrAoppWYw6ckzoPlEC-Qb7500xuYQCI6dxVSme7-NetKLI34NTwl97S8CnjXNHH7cqDXunD5YncpOilvTeX11Q/s400/arch_1+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295575745769264018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdXmRRvueLmfGoc5P46K1xTEkZvn9twUG6_03SVWznXziLgRWIpIVD6RC147y7brBmovtFlTe5ikexwNjpYXwElDq5_KkuUA82g2iWNgHZFcTyhlgz79lE4s2dDGj94X_YX5H31ewO24/s1600-h/column_1+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdXmRRvueLmfGoc5P46K1xTEkZvn9twUG6_03SVWznXziLgRWIpIVD6RC147y7brBmovtFlTe5ikexwNjpYXwElDq5_KkuUA82g2iWNgHZFcTyhlgz79lE4s2dDGj94X_YX5H31ewO24/s400/column_1+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295575744221385106" /></a>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-1611601889331466722009-01-22T16:28:00.001-08:002009-01-22T16:38:14.801-08:00More Work.Hey all,<br /><br />We have been hard at work as usual. Tonight, Gnomon is hosting a game dev. presentation, featuring the team from Naughty Dog entertainment, talking about their 2008 hit game, Uncharted: Drakes fortune. Unfortunately James and Josh have class during the presentation, but I will be attending, and taking pictures of the event to show everyone what was going down.<br /><br />So anyway, here is the finished container. I took Elliotts and Matts advice and worked on the color of the rust, saturating it much more, and added more contrast to the spec. map as well. I rendered these out of Mental Ray, tried to use flat shading to emulate a basic game engine lighting (as this is meant to be an asset for a next-gen game). I then composited it in Photoshop, I think it turned out pretty decent. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZBpEh-zyuaF8QJl_R83SNEkaJxDnHKJRJnwwrPoi3aqX9hyrVoG__B1NFL8hUJPe-5Ye8-wYF1tNGhvFGpaqIGyezigMqSQdBLfdwXqMtu219rzx8kZKR8pGbmzso3babIYEOSzjzvU/s1600-h/cargo_comp_1_smaller.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZBpEh-zyuaF8QJl_R83SNEkaJxDnHKJRJnwwrPoi3aqX9hyrVoG__B1NFL8hUJPe-5Ye8-wYF1tNGhvFGpaqIGyezigMqSQdBLfdwXqMtu219rzx8kZKR8pGbmzso3babIYEOSzjzvU/s400/cargo_comp_1_smaller.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294281402791675874" /></a><br /><br /><br />I am trying to get some renders from James, but so far Ive gotten nothing, haha. But Ill keep up the nagging until he caves.Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-7721403342881487932009-01-20T01:41:00.001-08:002009-01-20T21:46:43.181-08:00Some of our work.Hey Everybody.<br /><br />Here is some of the work we have done so far (I'll post some stuff from Josh and James as soon as they give me some!).<br /><br />I painted this texture for a cargo container, for my Texture Painting class. I think it came out pretty well. The teacher gave us pretty high standards, something that he would consider acceptable for his own work (hes a texture artist currently working on the next Call of Duty game). I think it turned out pretty well. Took about 10 hours, hand painted in Photoshop. I painted dirt, rust, boot prints, paint splatters, salt stains, etc. I never realized how time consuming texturing can be. I would love to hear suggestions from Matt or Elliott.<br /><br />(Click for Larger Version)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KMamUXo60iCrQqXo2JUnu7cgSSIX_gNTF006uomH-2zfjtXK2vGCIJRFtf9X93nIirqR__1CQOCPxmhQ-B7xdwgrJfdEr3zrbg8Zjj-jYn_EurVZdWtLrtXTBfaRg32JVu9jrAL3eJo/s1600-h/cargo_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KMamUXo60iCrQqXo2JUnu7cgSSIX_gNTF006uomH-2zfjtXK2vGCIJRFtf9X93nIirqR__1CQOCPxmhQ-B7xdwgrJfdEr3zrbg8Zjj-jYn_EurVZdWtLrtXTBfaRg32JVu9jrAL3eJo/s400/cargo_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293309578802638994" /></a><br /><br />Some early renders (I havent had a chance to make Matts changes):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jhR2CWjU2PR_rNKD_JjRGTzeQHC-Yt6YPj4a228ES4iJKRRSH3y632e7cK2F_ApOMHs-fZoMNI3H62k3_O9PXpozlsdiim4iOEbqxn0vV5glGp-PvWhkU7gdulkD9u59MTZAWr2LItg/s1600-h/side_view.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jhR2CWjU2PR_rNKD_JjRGTzeQHC-Yt6YPj4a228ES4iJKRRSH3y632e7cK2F_ApOMHs-fZoMNI3H62k3_O9PXpozlsdiim4iOEbqxn0vV5glGp-PvWhkU7gdulkD9u59MTZAWr2LItg/s400/side_view.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293605206571379170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00-VCmg7TxCb3Bgbso4svBWW5FBApEEvSw3ZRd26T9HNM1WGPZkgVFV7PDKBFNETx9BPzwLkFtjK8LBxMakLsQnyGVy3V9qXHT4kn1frQB6vnSSKFez2E2ml9mheJg8SRpawA1lzet2s/s1600-h/front_angle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00-VCmg7TxCb3Bgbso4svBWW5FBApEEvSw3ZRd26T9HNM1WGPZkgVFV7PDKBFNETx9BPzwLkFtjK8LBxMakLsQnyGVy3V9qXHT4kn1frQB6vnSSKFez2E2ml9mheJg8SRpawA1lzet2s/s400/front_angle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293605208533901778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gPDMWOH6Is9gmIORzJZ2AfRFjyHrHci9IdBiEomt7VvV2kS8B54AcBYcsVkcOAkeJ2wToPwO6nJ34J88CweGUyKb7NRctCg5z0CperaUTyxKGJ8mFB5qrqc8fBZAHbi_t2hTA5Fah4c/s1600-h/side.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gPDMWOH6Is9gmIORzJZ2AfRFjyHrHci9IdBiEomt7VvV2kS8B54AcBYcsVkcOAkeJ2wToPwO6nJ34J88CweGUyKb7NRctCg5z0CperaUTyxKGJ8mFB5qrqc8fBZAHbi_t2hTA5Fah4c/s400/side.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293605207300009762" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here is a ball that Josh hand animated. No dynamics on this one. A sort of back to the basics exercise. Looks good though, much harder than it seems (take it from someone who cant animate at all.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/znrZ28eHRfQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/znrZ28eHRfQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Here are some renders from my Lighting class. Our first homework was to basically do a photoshoot with a model, practicing 3-point lighting. Here are a few of my better shots:<br /><br />(Click for Larger Versions)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifO5nzGeAD6LNaBDmOXsB8rj75WfXhMPsP-oxohLpOTziaUGre9BqeBArNErcswO3twbbG4r0NXsZKF1mZGpPkXZVDEEp_cw1O_ArbKLKzN1eIWp37BRQrgCDDNn8ikR8roqADaYu0Qkc/s1600-h/body_lighting_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifO5nzGeAD6LNaBDmOXsB8rj75WfXhMPsP-oxohLpOTziaUGre9BqeBArNErcswO3twbbG4r0NXsZKF1mZGpPkXZVDEEp_cw1O_ArbKLKzN1eIWp37BRQrgCDDNn8ikR8roqADaYu0Qkc/s400/body_lighting_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293592114938889410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1xQQ0RnxknvvrqnsiCcXNVzuDk7jbxMDktypj0aQPvLrJD7WD_5JtvxOK0QNb6qc6ZYys-k5PLLIXAgE8er28OX76BL20pCsNdKQPtMHDd56XK79Q__wN3Fs1nMDXQ2uZrkOJ3eRgMk/s1600-h/body_lighting_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1xQQ0RnxknvvrqnsiCcXNVzuDk7jbxMDktypj0aQPvLrJD7WD_5JtvxOK0QNb6qc6ZYys-k5PLLIXAgE8er28OX76BL20pCsNdKQPtMHDd56XK79Q__wN3Fs1nMDXQ2uZrkOJ3eRgMk/s400/body_lighting_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293592117365774226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeg1xPDQkqDospBkrhf82F2jqgThI5sz_6sY9bpbqHSTDY2JMcuFt04pb0xxqTuLgP7PRE6MlDAAXMx2p6Y3ZcM3Ntqx4-0DzZoUfNq245-zXQruZnt9B45OGlTXAiqWmyXvhjXgE5tg4/s1600-h/head_shot_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeg1xPDQkqDospBkrhf82F2jqgThI5sz_6sY9bpbqHSTDY2JMcuFt04pb0xxqTuLgP7PRE6MlDAAXMx2p6Y3ZcM3Ntqx4-0DzZoUfNq245-zXQruZnt9B45OGlTXAiqWmyXvhjXgE5tg4/s400/head_shot_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293592112951117890" /></a><br /><br /><br />Josh's Nebula:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YtHicMBba1k&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YtHicMBba1k&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />ThanksMatthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-7909820017749181322009-01-14T18:58:00.000-08:002009-01-15T17:23:58.118-08:00First Experiences at Gnomon.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEfOILGdtaDfSaCu3_2DvruRLaAWjHNesc_hUVelDA44csx_dyytEoOwjSQKxoq63xWe_XLrxuiilPcGSFYlHjc39sNzFGIvVyPXV2rk-256EVrujxW4nzpG5iz-l3y5ijPf5OI-osOc/s1600-h/gnomon_1-12-09_+(12)_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEfOILGdtaDfSaCu3_2DvruRLaAWjHNesc_hUVelDA44csx_dyytEoOwjSQKxoq63xWe_XLrxuiilPcGSFYlHjc39sNzFGIvVyPXV2rk-256EVrujxW4nzpG5iz-l3y5ijPf5OI-osOc/s400/gnomon_1-12-09_+(12)_small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291366540673432754" /></a><br /><br /><br />Sorry for the long lapse in posts, we haven't really done anything noteworthy, until now. Monday, classes began at Gnomon. To answer Elliott's and Matt's question before either of them even asks, we are taking;<br /><br />Matt:<br />-Lighting and Rendering 1<br />-Character Creation for Games<br />-Creating 2D Textures for 3D Art<br />-Anatomy in Zbrush (5 weeks)<br />-Texturing in Zbrush (5 weeks, after Anatomy)<br /><br />James:<br />-Texture Mapping 1<br />-Character Creation for Games<br />-Polygon Modeling 1<br />-Intro to Zbrush<br /><br />Josh:<br />-Dynamic Effects 1<br />-Character Animation 1<br />-Compositing with Shake<br />-Character Kinematics<br /><br />So far Josh has had his first Dynamics class <span style="font-style:italic;">(for the Moms, dynamics in terms of 3D, is creating things like smoke, rain, water, stars, fire, explosions, etc for use in 3D scenes).</span> Apparently he already has a great deal of work, creating a Nebula simulation or something of that sort. <br /><br />James' Texture Mapping <span style="font-style:italic;">(creating the textures that are placed on models of environments, characters, objects, etc)</span> class was unfortunately canceled on the first day, the teacher got caught up meeting a deadline at the Studio he is employed at. Par for the course I assume. If we want education from working professionals, we have to be understanding of their more important commitments. <br /><br />I had my first Lighting and Rendering <span style="font-style:italic;">(In Momish: This is essentially the process of making a 3D scene look as though it is real, accomplished through adding realistic lights and shadows, fog effects, and then rendering out the scene through a render engine, which, in a sense, takes all the aspects of the scene such as environments, characters, lights, textures, and animations, into a viewable movie....more or less)</span> class yesterday. It is taught by the lead lighter at Rhythm and Hues. He recently finished working on the film "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor". Regardless of how good the movie was, the visual effect warranted a Oscar nomination. So needless to say, this guy means business. Luckily for myself, much of the understanding of how light works is very similar to same concepts used in photography.<br /><br />The campus of Gnomon is a wonderful places, with a very similar feeling to the interior of the Art Dept. at Springfield. It is an incredibly creative environment, with comfortable lounge areas, and very advanced computer labs. Many of the computes are set up with 30" monitors! Goodie.<br /><br />So that's basically the gist of recent events. I will keep you posted as we complete projects and experience new classes, posting stills and videos of our work.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!<br /><br />For more details on our classes, see the course descriptions here:<br /><a href="http://www.gnomonschool.com/courses/courses.php">Gnomon School of Visual Effects Course Descriptions</a><br /><br /><br />Ive included a few images of Gnomons "campus".<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4J7ABlup9AGhpHp33ke1wXNeRD1TNMzZTPUny4nyZCvzD8Dg3CXrn_IhL6HHSzw7OzU7Z51VlsaXmeavHK30FrP-IgBdurwfQFKuYqrTJrkUCa0th0yfnBjtPvTmbqJQ1k9ezxINlfww/s1600-h/gnomon_1-12-09_+(30)_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4J7ABlup9AGhpHp33ke1wXNeRD1TNMzZTPUny4nyZCvzD8Dg3CXrn_IhL6HHSzw7OzU7Z51VlsaXmeavHK30FrP-IgBdurwfQFKuYqrTJrkUCa0th0yfnBjtPvTmbqJQ1k9ezxINlfww/s400/gnomon_1-12-09_+(30)_small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291366538318431858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElgkWjqnU0PlnKDe5U6jHN9ReYV5awQXvtKtZQDb_WXFU5xe2lXvp2TjUIq0MCuYYELkcoyVowqhS59Zkeop3byCVlKjfKL_uP9RWPh3d1G1a7YZP4fs9nD-lI_6cu-jB0yBxEV2x6_I/s1600-h/gnomon_1-12-09_0_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElgkWjqnU0PlnKDe5U6jHN9ReYV5awQXvtKtZQDb_WXFU5xe2lXvp2TjUIq0MCuYYELkcoyVowqhS59Zkeop3byCVlKjfKL_uP9RWPh3d1G1a7YZP4fs9nD-lI_6cu-jB0yBxEV2x6_I/s400/gnomon_1-12-09_0_small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291366535330073522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6Bwc0PdDkvVOm6_47q-8Dit3E7pOBNrEZpl_ByD0Db_HMJX03BA_c0beZwPOVGj5k2HlonVeGfQSyNIj5HqGm-rj9zZ26AihugdBGLWY_lmnm7BTQw_fcvbylUyqPDkZPej7CkG7Rmw/s1600-h/gnomon_1-12-09_+(4)_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6Bwc0PdDkvVOm6_47q-8Dit3E7pOBNrEZpl_ByD0Db_HMJX03BA_c0beZwPOVGj5k2HlonVeGfQSyNIj5HqGm-rj9zZ26AihugdBGLWY_lmnm7BTQw_fcvbylUyqPDkZPej7CkG7Rmw/s400/gnomon_1-12-09_+(4)_small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291366532211923698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DRiflbne3jABpTSw2GRtQfgotkWnaLchJSiNqDwrnuVOugBGvVN_MuN0NdDfwReDum_FvNQRszXPCn1m1zD5IykaDexiYTtg9R5qOzUwhHi35PmRcY0bl6IhyphenhyphenZm8pQg3AXyvgafDoAQ/s1600-h/gnomon_1-12-09_+(3)_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DRiflbne3jABpTSw2GRtQfgotkWnaLchJSiNqDwrnuVOugBGvVN_MuN0NdDfwReDum_FvNQRszXPCn1m1zD5IykaDexiYTtg9R5qOzUwhHi35PmRcY0bl6IhyphenhyphenZm8pQg3AXyvgafDoAQ/s400/gnomon_1-12-09_+(3)_small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291366525952930546" /></a>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-35974463954842093062009-01-07T19:08:00.000-08:002009-01-07T19:20:24.810-08:00New England Boys in HollywoodAt long, (oh so) long last, Josh, James and I moved in to our apartment Monday afternoon. Josh and I arrived around 11:30am, only to be told that we couldn't actually move into our apartment until 3:30pm. That sort of deflated our excitement a bit, but no worries, its not like there isn't anything in Hollywood for us to occupy our time with. So finally 3:30pm rolled around, and we began unpacking, rearranging. However, since this is only a one bedroom apartment, I am forced to sleep in the living room on a surprisingly comfortable cot, and I had to convert the coat closet/pantry into shelves and a clothes closet. We make do. Our kitchen is a true ode to college kids, with a heavily stocked freezer full of pizza, Hot-Pockets, sausage, etc, and a lot of beer (none for James, hes only 20, bless his little heart). The apartment is roomy, and has begun to start to look more like a home than the giant hotel room it formerly resembled. We have a nice fenced in patio, sliding glass doors with a screen, a clean, wide open bathroom area, and a rather spacious living room, with 3 seating areas. Perfect. We aren't sure what the next few days hold for us, as we do not have class until Monday. We are thinking about getting up super early for Leno tickets (they are free provided you are lucky enough to be in line in time), perhaps a much needed tour of Gnomon? Visiting a studio (what studio you say? Oh perhaps, ABC, NBC, WB, Universal, Disney Animation)? Endless possibilities, but whatever we choose, I'll keep you posted.<br /><br />Thanks for reading, and enjoy a few photos of our diggs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cKFqBrNUNRYxP93PSO3uhmShgR-fpxWwuAn5EYHyGgquLf-PXjb9NPb91z5zteNJwW-4ejqsqrETXEio0Q-WhLJBZtWGKAbvAhmuKLnNvTm8n1V_20RYishfZpzPmyePmSd2k3AslX8/s1600-h/DSC_0008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cKFqBrNUNRYxP93PSO3uhmShgR-fpxWwuAn5EYHyGgquLf-PXjb9NPb91z5zteNJwW-4ejqsqrETXEio0Q-WhLJBZtWGKAbvAhmuKLnNvTm8n1V_20RYishfZpzPmyePmSd2k3AslX8/s400/DSC_0008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288757118270495314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6uGV11A9NNj1o6i7xaz0EeP1Yl05kQqfBk-1zd7johV8kIZp8xoAyJL8BqX9oRv3WsIoEy-jmIaiK9rxOUMk5QlOuAA9wpfrG1d07ln7ZpaHQK4LVwploqNdm-EvB9zdMjEP74Voybk/s1600-h/DSC_0006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6uGV11A9NNj1o6i7xaz0EeP1Yl05kQqfBk-1zd7johV8kIZp8xoAyJL8BqX9oRv3WsIoEy-jmIaiK9rxOUMk5QlOuAA9wpfrG1d07ln7ZpaHQK4LVwploqNdm-EvB9zdMjEP74Voybk/s400/DSC_0006.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288757116422618706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3I-Ejl7xXBTdDy515PCfC_WEqSRFzsxC0LqprrMqpcNpVhI5IXyApQHIIcvCgN2ayp2w5KKem8zcTPwa6C2xNYpretqNYBL_gfCAyx0X0DlNNhwrCZnx2zx2XmELb9-Lkb_VAoC7Tfc/s1600-h/DSC_0005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3I-Ejl7xXBTdDy515PCfC_WEqSRFzsxC0LqprrMqpcNpVhI5IXyApQHIIcvCgN2ayp2w5KKem8zcTPwa6C2xNYpretqNYBL_gfCAyx0X0DlNNhwrCZnx2zx2XmELb9-Lkb_VAoC7Tfc/s400/DSC_0005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288757111604653458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklz1l3DBc8znvhAmrd3MmoM7ciy_DFqGRes4Zk7iu2mHHbSV96xKpGDONnnvRvZN1h3b0g0y4K9CHg_BiHS-9lrHhBdK1SSFhrfLOZ5Re6d1geWJY_71AFqgGAkrJslI3I7wrWD97XA0/s1600-h/DSC_0004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklz1l3DBc8znvhAmrd3MmoM7ciy_DFqGRes4Zk7iu2mHHbSV96xKpGDONnnvRvZN1h3b0g0y4K9CHg_BiHS-9lrHhBdK1SSFhrfLOZ5Re6d1geWJY_71AFqgGAkrJslI3I7wrWD97XA0/s400/DSC_0004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288757109502659490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgAhnWnaUtRYbbP55bWqn3cicS_QSIURwfHR5YX-Mo0iWzqAcz9GKha3lRDtUXrjaVosDYH3FEAB5bGcY6sKV2cQ-CGLsBTnb68lhCDI7f4mvjolr6ZkJsJGupRpmp_o1FyoBoaDNjpQ/s1600-h/DSC_0001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgAhnWnaUtRYbbP55bWqn3cicS_QSIURwfHR5YX-Mo0iWzqAcz9GKha3lRDtUXrjaVosDYH3FEAB5bGcY6sKV2cQ-CGLsBTnb68lhCDI7f4mvjolr6ZkJsJGupRpmp_o1FyoBoaDNjpQ/s400/DSC_0001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288757104986716706" /></a>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-77390453738594369822009-01-07T18:40:00.001-08:002009-01-07T19:23:58.169-08:00Los Angeles ZooJosh, James and I visited the Los Angeles Zoo today. It was pretty easy to find, as it is only about a 10 minute drive from our apartment! Talk about location. Because it is "winter" (it was 70 degrees and sunny all day) there were minimal crowds today, meaning easy access to the animals, and less stress for me (I hate large crowds, especially at tourist-y places). The zoo was really phenomenal, and provided many good photo and video opportunities. Here are a few photos I took today, and a video or two that Josh recorded. Thanks!<br /><br />View the rest of the photos on my flickr account: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/matthewdale/">http://flickr.com/photos/matthewdale/</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCRTcCvhr-Muoubqf7TO6bgMOQbeHVWyEOKK60uIeIDjMNmmIBzSrCbIKHhIF9zemFwVLiwef7OsQgbYHeQ3dQKOg-MaT1LGnX3hs9cs8QtFJwUrOhyd6wJmRkvdcXKrxKiKE_vX-tLA/s1600-h/DSC_0058+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCRTcCvhr-Muoubqf7TO6bgMOQbeHVWyEOKK60uIeIDjMNmmIBzSrCbIKHhIF9zemFwVLiwef7OsQgbYHeQ3dQKOg-MaT1LGnX3hs9cs8QtFJwUrOhyd6wJmRkvdcXKrxKiKE_vX-tLA/s400/DSC_0058+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288749464972322274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn53i8YSeeQ-Zd9vBa0OyHKeVg1QC0APc_ZXQVBCDEYKgDy2hGEG_brY5luX5sQswYVW0bvAsiZ_ClRtzyMoWS1R9WrvijHr3mRvCiS46fDVqxtreX2RKgbg__8WjQb0NNet8_8jW7q0/s1600-h/DSC_0032+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn53i8YSeeQ-Zd9vBa0OyHKeVg1QC0APc_ZXQVBCDEYKgDy2hGEG_brY5luX5sQswYVW0bvAsiZ_ClRtzyMoWS1R9WrvijHr3mRvCiS46fDVqxtreX2RKgbg__8WjQb0NNet8_8jW7q0/s400/DSC_0032+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288749462749636274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKY7iPxb2fG1BgG7OFiouoEMZTsn-A580pHCXz-8dvBegYRSVFGD-DF15qiWXEx1MT59AabbzxjkeQ5uRidPvIsTYpmGz82Fln-M_P5GRFRMeMjH408Yp7caSoTI0MEbbn3bdiHcu0Iw/s1600-h/DSC_0170+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKY7iPxb2fG1BgG7OFiouoEMZTsn-A580pHCXz-8dvBegYRSVFGD-DF15qiWXEx1MT59AabbzxjkeQ5uRidPvIsTYpmGz82Fln-M_P5GRFRMeMjH408Yp7caSoTI0MEbbn3bdiHcu0Iw/s400/DSC_0170+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288749455230895554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF1nO2sSZEhKk6Nct1aFGIhI4LCLnboqdAB-OjPM_6izoAzdDeU1asAjeSc-Gtwqsrbv9OOqJqjfnUNig91trq3TDdv3H03bqfGMoED634zuUqd8M-j49LuEKHsgZ8Ohx5N3FsRmZwck/s1600-h/DSC_0212+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF1nO2sSZEhKk6Nct1aFGIhI4LCLnboqdAB-OjPM_6izoAzdDeU1asAjeSc-Gtwqsrbv9OOqJqjfnUNig91trq3TDdv3H03bqfGMoED634zuUqd8M-j49LuEKHsgZ8Ohx5N3FsRmZwck/s400/DSC_0212+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288749449544241426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dv6evvhW9c-y5qJMVyqHkWLE440wKvSHl_eR0bRxXbFYG39V1iJr2HpdnyZJJf7CIezUp0JVj0UR0Z6suaMacnqJR6MxQHWe_dr2u6M06jUL7spy932wMsCopYFs743cStWEekx4g8k/s1600-h/DSC_0144+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dv6evvhW9c-y5qJMVyqHkWLE440wKvSHl_eR0bRxXbFYG39V1iJr2HpdnyZJJf7CIezUp0JVj0UR0Z6suaMacnqJR6MxQHWe_dr2u6M06jUL7spy932wMsCopYFs743cStWEekx4g8k/s400/DSC_0144+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288749446982237874" /></a><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/L81X63s1pas&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/L81X63s1pas&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gJhWtuhlxBM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gJhWtuhlxBM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-8121239145820897562009-01-04T22:40:00.000-08:002009-01-04T22:45:45.102-08:00More Joshua Tree Images (SEE BLOG POST BELOW!)A few additional images from Joshua Tree. <br /><br />SEE BLOG POST BELOW!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw20yi3pEt7sdn4J1FmsSuxaCYTwYR4uTsnyfTl2CQ5xTDgKXH7ZVp0BBb_GMIRUlEhA7JaolAm6QwWiDDMfv8CLn8mDOcSKQLUk96Nuse2jl3VLfBHQ0eoyqT8fb-DU8wR3M3OM73wXc/s1600-h/DSC_0102+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw20yi3pEt7sdn4J1FmsSuxaCYTwYR4uTsnyfTl2CQ5xTDgKXH7ZVp0BBb_GMIRUlEhA7JaolAm6QwWiDDMfv8CLn8mDOcSKQLUk96Nuse2jl3VLfBHQ0eoyqT8fb-DU8wR3M3OM73wXc/s400/DSC_0102+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287696497660249362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJyEkRLgOmTWGJ1mDovT8PSdODNYyuP5780TCdTKbbFUS3nxtpgy6uXZ-r1xr5IYwgKE6YSq5MrrPwRnJRDACsee4tEUADF-vYEkwAkh-uETGLIHIh990r4Y0jkHbtRmyCn6bWiiw3PA/s1600-h/DSC_0127+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJyEkRLgOmTWGJ1mDovT8PSdODNYyuP5780TCdTKbbFUS3nxtpgy6uXZ-r1xr5IYwgKE6YSq5MrrPwRnJRDACsee4tEUADF-vYEkwAkh-uETGLIHIh990r4Y0jkHbtRmyCn6bWiiw3PA/s400/DSC_0127+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287696490189556258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhic0pDEIX4ULSLNwte-P61HyrSRbzQ39z69xMSzFVVgpN2GXdiuAA0RxD8jX8OWKweWzErun7dPxjcvEJhkcnfdFx2U1FA7sADmXa_nugNvsdJRzlNUpiBXTfQOOrddQ_GWnpSefYlBtA/s1600-h/DSC_0025+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhic0pDEIX4ULSLNwte-P61HyrSRbzQ39z69xMSzFVVgpN2GXdiuAA0RxD8jX8OWKweWzErun7dPxjcvEJhkcnfdFx2U1FA7sADmXa_nugNvsdJRzlNUpiBXTfQOOrddQ_GWnpSefYlBtA/s400/DSC_0025+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287696486262733170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YJMzOCW2XXnbeXQQPViWdyqUd4X5KpeGbR4Vnv9mHzA1nW3XalJOpn1ugj2iJme_uRTrvIYulsmS8STjab7nZFN9kJLN95Yo62qjrMd5IEHcBuNe-hiVZ83Qf8kX6djFcEa_6XM3O5g/s1600-h/DSC_0013.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YJMzOCW2XXnbeXQQPViWdyqUd4X5KpeGbR4Vnv9mHzA1nW3XalJOpn1ugj2iJme_uRTrvIYulsmS8STjab7nZFN9kJLN95Yo62qjrMd5IEHcBuNe-hiVZ83Qf8kX6djFcEa_6XM3O5g/s400/DSC_0013.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287696482026974130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-SAWHkQq-4pZ4OMi2lUpWYs0-rrqsXFd59EFjOM-W3e50RUhHcNSj4Zfe54GRmNMBvTmsY9C9mu1ju4GFGxUmEdFlN2Bbqk5i1h1Kob1V0V6rwW1p-dI-cG41zxnCv3oDSJqMltNMbs/s1600-h/DSC_0006+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 276px; height: 351px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-SAWHkQq-4pZ4OMi2lUpWYs0-rrqsXFd59EFjOM-W3e50RUhHcNSj4Zfe54GRmNMBvTmsY9C9mu1ju4GFGxUmEdFlN2Bbqk5i1h1Kob1V0V6rwW1p-dI-cG41zxnCv3oDSJqMltNMbs/s400/DSC_0006+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287696479118428914" /></a>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-53839394666258764072009-01-04T22:02:00.000-08:002009-01-04T22:44:24.271-08:00Western Beauty.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcwGQfjiNQRyjx3R03arPsZtbaFvXJ0RFoaduHWnetdJRMmJjY6pTyWQooVnzEzP3O0TTTqL4cQP11YWPhUzneMXu3PYOJDYyevG2rsAVfFgtMGoAGMXPctV7LOCXLYg5K9UHw5McgeI/s1600-h/DSC_0021+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcwGQfjiNQRyjx3R03arPsZtbaFvXJ0RFoaduHWnetdJRMmJjY6pTyWQooVnzEzP3O0TTTqL4cQP11YWPhUzneMXu3PYOJDYyevG2rsAVfFgtMGoAGMXPctV7LOCXLYg5K9UHw5McgeI/s400/DSC_0021+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692908665630130" /></a><br />We made it. 3200 miles, 5 nights, and countless gallons of gas later, we arrived in Victorville, CA, about 80 miles north of Los Angeles. Our last day of travel was our shortest distance-wise, so we planned a few scenic stops along the way. We first stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. It was stunning. Deep reds, washed out blues, aged pinks covered the mountainsides providing gorgeous views of the area. As an avid photographer, I was in heaven. These mountainous areas are known as the Painted Desert, and the other section of the park, from which it derives its name, was no less spectacular. The petrified forest was a huge vista of shards of petrified wood fragments and logs. Over the course of millions of years, the wood had slowly transformed into a form hard, rock-like substance rich with yellows, reds, blues and greys. It was interested to be able to see a fragment of the ancient past of Arizona, to see something that lived in the age of the dinosaurs. While we were there, we were viciously chased off of an overlook by a large, angry looking raven. Not knowing what the bird was capable of, we high-tailed it. Our next stop was the Meteor Crater, also located in Arizona. This is the crater left by the meteor that allegedly killed the dinosaurs (or at least leads all theories in probability). The crater was incredibly large, roughly 3 miles in circumference, and nearly 500 feet deep. Like the petrified wood, it was humbling to view a piece of history hundreds of millions of years old. Something that altered the state of the Earth for the rest of time. After leaving the Meteor Crater, we continued on our route down I-40. Lying in stark contrast to the shrub filled desert we had so become accustom to in Arizona, we entered a national forest, in which we were quite surprised to find....snow. In fact it started snow while drove through the forest. Shortly after exiting the woods, a tremendous mountain scape creeped into view. We have not yet determined the name of the mountains, but they were the last thing we saw as the sun went down, a fittingly beautiful end to such a scenic state. As we entered California, we were mildly shocked to be met with a border check-point, asking us if we had any fruits or plants, and where we originated from. It seemed a little extreme, given it was only a state border. Today, with our first free day in a week, we decided to travel to nearby (such a relative term now, it was in fact 2 hours away) Joshua Tree National Park, a desert area with beautiful rock formations surrounding your field of view as you journey to the heart of the area. I spent quite a bit of time bouldering and climbing around the rock faces. We came across a rather picturesque area, just as the sun was going down, so I gathered up my gear, and made a trek to the top of the rock outcrop that headed the area. As the sunset, the areas rocks were cast in a red-golden glow, and the sky glowed a light shade of purple. All the sights I have seen on this trip have awoken a new respect and admiration for our nations beauty. We are lucky to live in a country that has such varied and beautiful landscapes. <br />Well tomorrow our cross-country pilgrimage comes to an offical end, as we move into our apartments in LA. Look for a blog post and images of our new digs sometime soon. Thanks for reading.<br /><br />Included are a few pictures of Joshua Tree National Park, and a few videos that Josh has filmed in the past few days. Enjoy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbesJu0lHEcesriwFwbqLU2QF20ivwUKNvmQaU79tc0AwbLXDWVF5CQAfRF7pX30WZPvaivx4XcsBVtK9TjXa5lQcJnwJgWsXtNPYzJrKvpGOkYVfTb4PJ8jzuiBBSH1ufmsVwVHcXuBs/s1600-h/DSC_0044+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbesJu0lHEcesriwFwbqLU2QF20ivwUKNvmQaU79tc0AwbLXDWVF5CQAfRF7pX30WZPvaivx4XcsBVtK9TjXa5lQcJnwJgWsXtNPYzJrKvpGOkYVfTb4PJ8jzuiBBSH1ufmsVwVHcXuBs/s400/DSC_0044+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692928892201106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0Uh3vUPP6eP8ZZxQYslvi9qZU3wpKJ1-RfMauAFL7dkJlY6p3wcUVtDxVRmIF713RpYjf_IC_T8UcdA5ba5V1O_v9PVvywVbGBJIyzje_JzLMccqJdyBBPJmWNazQ1JMn-9s8D3KpAY/s1600-h/DSC_0023+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0Uh3vUPP6eP8ZZxQYslvi9qZU3wpKJ1-RfMauAFL7dkJlY6p3wcUVtDxVRmIF713RpYjf_IC_T8UcdA5ba5V1O_v9PVvywVbGBJIyzje_JzLMccqJdyBBPJmWNazQ1JMn-9s8D3KpAY/s400/DSC_0023+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692924432934530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQm3zIkEimo-pZimPyv7duArxM9u9YYyCJVuND2uXq_8eSC6VVVYl2qEelAD_7b30WPr1przErm40VIQubiTwZy8Fhtvx8ndyGSVzVa-DVWajJpzClI5SG2PToq0281vRTccvooEujlY/s1600-h/DSC_0123+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQm3zIkEimo-pZimPyv7duArxM9u9YYyCJVuND2uXq_8eSC6VVVYl2qEelAD_7b30WPr1przErm40VIQubiTwZy8Fhtvx8ndyGSVzVa-DVWajJpzClI5SG2PToq0281vRTccvooEujlY/s400/DSC_0123+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692916721371074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ezrBoVDXiO-dZA9M485zenKM8OfDNX4bQi9SltI76sQ0N39vdcNyOv6UYxfYzKJP83jA6N1Ln6qbtMmucj8oPWjqfL_ayPgZDIWKHrpP61Av0NcRbf3ICLUWhi7MJu54GRMOke4hhRA/s1600-h/DSC_0052+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ezrBoVDXiO-dZA9M485zenKM8OfDNX4bQi9SltI76sQ0N39vdcNyOv6UYxfYzKJP83jA6N1Ln6qbtMmucj8oPWjqfL_ayPgZDIWKHrpP61Av0NcRbf3ICLUWhi7MJu54GRMOke4hhRA/s400/DSC_0052+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692929911085714" /></a><br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sKArp2CeYI4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sKArp2CeYI4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LZ7tcKzXPck&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LZ7tcKzXPck&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ookoqs4lWXc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ookoqs4lWXc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-35431699325008966902009-01-04T00:26:00.000-08:002009-01-04T00:50:17.764-08:00Petrified Forest National ParkJosh and I visited the Petrified Forest National Park today, which also includes large portions of the Painted Desert. Here are some of the better photos I took today. More to come, and a blog post tomorrow. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpKLIO1UxH-VmAlP2H6htQQkicqqBeB8sxhx0W587hw-MezMp9i1-uvn_l6iRusXOWjQel3Hyhq86O1MOHgM0G7MjTGT5GDixPploOGQ0W84hb6WrpvSDomx_ZeUu-Vhmq8Cw7rcTxQU/s1600-h/DSC_0051+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpKLIO1UxH-VmAlP2H6htQQkicqqBeB8sxhx0W587hw-MezMp9i1-uvn_l6iRusXOWjQel3Hyhq86O1MOHgM0G7MjTGT5GDixPploOGQ0W84hb6WrpvSDomx_ZeUu-Vhmq8Cw7rcTxQU/s400/DSC_0051+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287358102248264818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam4oJB-Ai42Nvx5hLPxwJrXu3fjvKwY390EkJOVjNCxStPGCGJceRrFThSMUBNpZhVEozKFQqMrHi8MVnKWKtafJR8oOikl5CTXOpmOYWyYh-RVrDZbCbu5KT0lfE-NUjBYSeLido-i8/s1600-h/DSC_0025+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam4oJB-Ai42Nvx5hLPxwJrXu3fjvKwY390EkJOVjNCxStPGCGJceRrFThSMUBNpZhVEozKFQqMrHi8MVnKWKtafJR8oOikl5CTXOpmOYWyYh-RVrDZbCbu5KT0lfE-NUjBYSeLido-i8/s400/DSC_0025+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287358103943768178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSwClg2xRUWlesIfM4uDYQCOGxsFdvffMUlWlsYpmv1w_WmN-I7lOH8hbhffktkavPtGIX0tp6QAJJ4FYeDYEDcshyphenhyphenq-arECDxJknTzQMYtZBevx2u3l4nQ0SMIu91yVrArOl6I9v9xc/s1600-h/DSC_0056+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSwClg2xRUWlesIfM4uDYQCOGxsFdvffMUlWlsYpmv1w_WmN-I7lOH8hbhffktkavPtGIX0tp6QAJJ4FYeDYEDcshyphenhyphenq-arECDxJknTzQMYtZBevx2u3l4nQ0SMIu91yVrArOl6I9v9xc/s400/DSC_0056+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287358098626178578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiA0SjuCXi_DZN7uTTZJbyLC_cEkwwa2xNT4JFeZB-ZMZ00q_wzn8CxprElXRo0bQ-3ZHwr0ROAfmziNaHZ45VrDkqthputsEph3qGlLwsma3QwHg584q6_6HIHzPw-g6hD4W2SkQyeE/s1600-h/DSC_0058+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiA0SjuCXi_DZN7uTTZJbyLC_cEkwwa2xNT4JFeZB-ZMZ00q_wzn8CxprElXRo0bQ-3ZHwr0ROAfmziNaHZ45VrDkqthputsEph3qGlLwsma3QwHg584q6_6HIHzPw-g6hD4W2SkQyeE/s400/DSC_0058+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287358095254866130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEiW8DFP_gJWNVAdfkogl_9CdFLpUeoH7sDWywowm-BbDYi0gBuG4cK2_0K_9b54tzqPz0p1HoBbXgF3K-LJf7fwZoGGc7LDJ5dzNNOKeXqdK_rlO_hSJ0X87Fzs2CKpmbwQq81UeRLQ/s1600-h/DSC_0044+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEiW8DFP_gJWNVAdfkogl_9CdFLpUeoH7sDWywowm-BbDYi0gBuG4cK2_0K_9b54tzqPz0p1HoBbXgF3K-LJf7fwZoGGc7LDJ5dzNNOKeXqdK_rlO_hSJ0X87Fzs2CKpmbwQq81UeRLQ/s400/DSC_0044+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287358094480807922" /></a>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-14615729859856088192009-01-02T21:22:00.000-08:002009-01-02T23:35:26.130-08:00Tennesse to New Mexico, or, Why Is Everything So Flat?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzb04n5vj7U5lx8_bzTYCrID61TArCPmxS0qaY4YX-OjTEm-fkiB70XBNDmHwE2gXDPzDElVQnq2_w1veQdXFRcmwWvJ25ZpWwK0R-Rb5FkzXcocQC7xxLq-I0RGsZJ38JRKPcQTH-pA/s1600-h/DSC_0005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 244px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzb04n5vj7U5lx8_bzTYCrID61TArCPmxS0qaY4YX-OjTEm-fkiB70XBNDmHwE2gXDPzDElVQnq2_w1veQdXFRcmwWvJ25ZpWwK0R-Rb5FkzXcocQC7xxLq-I0RGsZJ38JRKPcQTH-pA/s400/DSC_0005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286943766593493490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsA13xwBMJ5nwzrtgYdSxilwiXhx5Och_7zRcA0qYFplgF2iec1UZmdDIbc3Af8q2JqUmX0g9JjtatZLey0AV3uCJZnLOihgxmWeWqJ9cu7sC7sQsSz7qG0-7rLiQhblW5qy4wtAUWvk/s1600-h/DSC_0081.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsA13xwBMJ5nwzrtgYdSxilwiXhx5Och_7zRcA0qYFplgF2iec1UZmdDIbc3Af8q2JqUmX0g9JjtatZLey0AV3uCJZnLOihgxmWeWqJ9cu7sC7sQsSz7qG0-7rLiQhblW5qy4wtAUWvk/s400/DSC_0081.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286943757682664066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkj5RhU07x5vJic4NxwBKvw_XhfFf4YaWcU9oso3S2H5aK-BctCbSIyPBHgTqK7oEnU0Mx6lPUGMDDlqhKmQgVb_ryKp5eGjgVpN_0aOVqnrTzfdU7Px8P4DlSbKOYUGXvfMVTcAcOI74/s1600-h/DSC_0072.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkj5RhU07x5vJic4NxwBKvw_XhfFf4YaWcU9oso3S2H5aK-BctCbSIyPBHgTqK7oEnU0Mx6lPUGMDDlqhKmQgVb_ryKp5eGjgVpN_0aOVqnrTzfdU7Px8P4DlSbKOYUGXvfMVTcAcOI74/s400/DSC_0072.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286943755023426578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3RGxCTikqcwjQllMyuk-ZBdpA1QxW5iZfdOgP-UCe7tYmFWZwU-X6MUndG9-NJ6ThCfJGVyUGejH3SJrU7pTBMpKkS1CAdQFRKMepe7NSL45U-VV_yg-1CwdUx7oswzfESLGT01eHx4/s1600-h/DSC_0068.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3RGxCTikqcwjQllMyuk-ZBdpA1QxW5iZfdOgP-UCe7tYmFWZwU-X6MUndG9-NJ6ThCfJGVyUGejH3SJrU7pTBMpKkS1CAdQFRKMepe7NSL45U-VV_yg-1CwdUx7oswzfESLGT01eHx4/s400/DSC_0068.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286943752495410818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbnhl8bv21E4hjob5Sp4HMRofa9WIgeL9-sx0BU6ZPUoUrt2jGFwqZlTN9geBhc5foXm30iNiCiyU4xOk0zjYf_S-rOX2RlaLKTMYrpU93ot_Faw0E7f1LLLHPz0N8jDR6mqmw0171_w/s1600-h/DSC_0052.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 248px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbnhl8bv21E4hjob5Sp4HMRofa9WIgeL9-sx0BU6ZPUoUrt2jGFwqZlTN9geBhc5foXm30iNiCiyU4xOk0zjYf_S-rOX2RlaLKTMYrpU93ot_Faw0E7f1LLLHPz0N8jDR6mqmw0171_w/s400/DSC_0052.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286943742424472866" /></a><br />In the past two days, Josh and I have driven from Nashville, TN to Gallup, NM. They have been two very long days, during which I have made a few observations. First, everything is FLAT. From western Tennessee, to Oklahoma, to the Texas panhandle. We can see just about as far as the horizon allows, our view not being obstructed by hills or trees. Just grass. Grass and cows. And more grass. It makes me miss the hills, mountains and trees of Maine. And water. One would think water to be a pretty universally present item, however the west proves otherwise. Rivers are scarce and lakes are as foreign as Democrats in this area. Yesterdays (1/1) trip was rather uneventful. We spent most of our time staring out the window, marveling at the flatness of the area. Today's (1/2) section was much more interesting. We stopped at the 19-story cross just before Amarillo, TX. It was massive. We could see it on the horizon from roughly 20 miles away. However, it is surprisingly only the 2nd largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. I believe the behemoth cross in Rio Di Janeiro is the largest. We then stopped at the Cadillac Ranch, a true American icon. Located along Rt. 66 (which we are traveling on by the way), it is a series of 10 Cadillac cars, buried upside-down in the middle of a corn field. Over the years they have been painted, graffitied and drawn upon, amounting to a coating nearly a half an inch thick of paint, a collaborative piece of roadside Americana. I found a can of bright pink spray-paint and decided to throw the old Springfield College "Spirit-Mind-Body" logo on one of the cars (I figured Ruth would like that, I know how much she loves the SC triangle). From there we then traversed the remainder of Texas, and the majority of New Mexico. Upon entering New Mexico, we were greeted with a rather surprising piece of signage; Speed Limit: 75. Oklahoma and Texas had both been 70mph. But 75mph? Yikes. This meant an actual effective speed of 85-90mph for most motorists. Needless to say, we made good time. The climate also changed dramatically, leaving the flat grasslands in Texas, and giving way to more of a chaparral environment. Thick shrub growth and wind-blown hills shaped the countryside, providing a lovely scene at sundown. That's another thing about the west. The sky. I have never seen a bigger, brighter sky in all my life. Well tomorrow we arrive in California, at long last! Our route will take us through the remainder of New Mexico, all the way across Arizona, and down to sunny Southern California, where we will stop just an hour or so outside of the city.<br />Thanks for reading.<br /><br /><br />Here is a video of me painting the SC logo on a Cadillac. Enjoy.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tTgtxgsm424&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tTgtxgsm424&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-51571038410891634262009-01-01T21:13:00.000-08:002009-01-01T21:21:06.374-08:00Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtmdgZq-Wu_8m23cx6VgP9fvBCovqRGIN8nFoPnMUdFd6sIGZ-8JTZj7Qz8HndcQm9iEfYYFlxuaS4tQX7uJznS0D8U9h5Ohi0Zy5-SO6cVrnnNSD7ZLqV8Y1Ui6R3QUSkvbklhYdy10/s1600-h/DSC_0033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtmdgZq-Wu_8m23cx6VgP9fvBCovqRGIN8nFoPnMUdFd6sIGZ-8JTZj7Qz8HndcQm9iEfYYFlxuaS4tQX7uJznS0D8U9h5Ohi0Zy5-SO6cVrnnNSD7ZLqV8Y1Ui6R3QUSkvbklhYdy10/s400/DSC_0033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286562062428300802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wp2iZGmKYfpRtlVtGl8HMvFv7ZKJGdHwz7tRobh7dj6ALt7XzhE6jKyKIDO3DE-KWlX0rcdYNEm63jk66ehy5wiIZyujynfMc5s14D5g7fkNmXEc9jRxy5QX8o2Vv82knR5ZkI00KYQ/s1600-h/DSC_0028.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wp2iZGmKYfpRtlVtGl8HMvFv7ZKJGdHwz7tRobh7dj6ALt7XzhE6jKyKIDO3DE-KWlX0rcdYNEm63jk66ehy5wiIZyujynfMc5s14D5g7fkNmXEc9jRxy5QX8o2Vv82knR5ZkI00KYQ/s400/DSC_0028.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286562059896115554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXHIrk47SZlXzZ4HvDMTH3L9FtGGErWzfgI98wSAq6rGDvIVlnbyhTacapSVfIz7N1J5rDUvnrv9nE5U5yoG6rM-SF_sJmK7yruY8iJwx4DjUpLqqcq97k0-1KMSqEJgEqwTJn-AlNdM/s1600-h/DSC_0005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXHIrk47SZlXzZ4HvDMTH3L9FtGGErWzfgI98wSAq6rGDvIVlnbyhTacapSVfIz7N1J5rDUvnrv9nE5U5yoG6rM-SF_sJmK7yruY8iJwx4DjUpLqqcq97k0-1KMSqEJgEqwTJn-AlNdM/s400/DSC_0005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286562049129326178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKddJ4oVZZut18YZvxpK97kTL31riN4bpum6ZSgdMxmT_ayhc4agh5gD0DUygVlCYbP5_I3qh4IYvc_wJ2tgPnTepEGtoFU5RrkAZyA6Sn1MSt8L2ggPzmOgC_eJEaEZs2y0eNcZ131l8/s1600-h/DSC_0025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKddJ4oVZZut18YZvxpK97kTL31riN4bpum6ZSgdMxmT_ayhc4agh5gD0DUygVlCYbP5_I3qh4IYvc_wJ2tgPnTepEGtoFU5RrkAZyA6Sn1MSt8L2ggPzmOgC_eJEaEZs2y0eNcZ131l8/s400/DSC_0025.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286562044403106562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Z63hdkybdf_3keCM_U_b7mVMeWZC_yW-7iQZA9T-vtAZg6wf8zBU9-d5aaGrarZ3Fz3LNkZ1ByL0TLeTZJV8_IqeVgNRP7vWvSX3RrpFuE-0N_aGhPr3AiixYC8lZq0pBQfqZ7W5Nxk/s1600-h/DSC_0035.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Z63hdkybdf_3keCM_U_b7mVMeWZC_yW-7iQZA9T-vtAZg6wf8zBU9-d5aaGrarZ3Fz3LNkZ1ByL0TLeTZJV8_IqeVgNRP7vWvSX3RrpFuE-0N_aGhPr3AiixYC8lZq0pBQfqZ7W5Nxk/s400/DSC_0035.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286562041096182146" /></a><br />Here are some photos I have taken in the past few days. Blog entry tomorrow morning.Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-1265684919656951612009-01-01T07:21:00.000-08:002009-01-01T07:51:14.021-08:00Smooth Sailing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2cViXtveRnEpzmjeaSP3tIENvcvPJ7ZAsrZBAnEFHk5rSza5dOKN_f_Q8sQEIYwtlGMcRXzliBcS3vTDpZq_TDIK-DuTFfijMnzdTHiZ2UPqZQja1jTxnBBEpfGpeyAbJQHpQYJPcHU/s1600-h/rt40.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2cViXtveRnEpzmjeaSP3tIENvcvPJ7ZAsrZBAnEFHk5rSza5dOKN_f_Q8sQEIYwtlGMcRXzliBcS3vTDpZq_TDIK-DuTFfijMnzdTHiZ2UPqZQja1jTxnBBEpfGpeyAbJQHpQYJPcHU/s400/rt40.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286353112060523618" /></a><br />Yesterday we made our way from Martinsburg, WV to Nashville, TN. We spent the majority of our time driving through the western side of Virginia. The area we saw was a simple one, nothing but rolling hills, cows grazing, ancient silos and elaborate water towers (I think its a Virginian pride thing or something, these suckers look like monuments). It was a rather peaceful drive, and the first section of our journey that we truly felt on the road. It was an area neither of us had previously traveled, a totally new experience. The road ran right along with the beautiful Shenandoah mountain range. This probably would have been a more breathtaking sight in the summer or autumn, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The weather was sporadic at best; snow flurries one minute, bright sunshine the next. The only elemental factor that did not vary was the wind. 40mph+ winds blew all day, making driving a bit difficult at time, but nothing of great concern. A few miles out of Knoxville, TN, we finally made it on to the final major highway of our trip, Interstate 40 (which becomes historic Rt. 66 after Oklahoma City). We will remain on Interstate 40 for the 2000 miles, all the way to sunny Los Angeles. Today's trek will take us to Oklahoma City, OK, about 676 miles. See you there.<br /><br />Happy New Year!<br /><br />Check out a colorful Water tower in Virginia. Don't mind the poor audio.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QUP4U3IrJzI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QUP4U3IrJzI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-1262153905646943342008-12-30T23:09:00.000-08:002008-12-31T21:00:22.602-08:00On The Road....Sort Of.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7JlQg8hyphenhyphenk33W1Dh8Gq-xXJHiNpNzuB4qmhYZf6jPaFUr6B70vbyxIsoYU7ovEuV07dVpHg05uXP_Bqsurev-uRMBFnV6BRkm82jJ1oxMpl-szR-cb0N4J-2ODaubl7xyLC6jGrXBh8s/s1600-h/sepia_trucks_sky.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7JlQg8hyphenhyphenk33W1Dh8Gq-xXJHiNpNzuB4qmhYZf6jPaFUr6B70vbyxIsoYU7ovEuV07dVpHg05uXP_Bqsurev-uRMBFnV6BRkm82jJ1oxMpl-szR-cb0N4J-2ODaubl7xyLC6jGrXBh8s/s400/sepia_trucks_sky.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286140866210952322" /></a><br />Josh and I began our trip today. Well, rather we began it at a greatly decelerated pace. We arrived in Martinsburg, WV this morning at 1:45AM, many hours after our originally estimated time. We learned a valuable lesson today, whatever can go wrong, will. I've heard this formerly referred to as Murphy's Law, but I am tempted to lobby for the renaming of it to Dale's Law. Heck I would settle for a hyphen. Murhpy-Dale’s Law. Either way. Our journey began this morning, around 9:00AM, when Josh's father informed me that the inspection sticker ran out on my car in two days. Wonderful. This put a slight delay on our departure, but whatever, it’s better than being pulled over for a sticker violation right? So we drive over to the inspection depot, "Sticker Station" to put my car through the paces and get our holy little sticker that says the Cranberry Crusader is street legal. Routine operation. However, after our nearly hour and a half wait, the mechanic informs me that the front ball joint-thingy on my wheel is loose. I had little idea what that meant, but he showed me that the wheel went "Wobble-wobble" when he wiggled it, so I took his word for it that a repair was needed. Another delay. I think you can see where this is going. So Josh's father graciously schedules us an appointment at the local Goodyear to have it repaired. Josh and I begin to make our way over to the garage, with me trailing him in my car so he can lead me there and give me a ride back to his home while he waits. We approach a rather busy intersection and I see Josh's Jeep just barely squeak through the green light as it turns yellow. I, in a desperate attempt to follow him quickly speed up to try and keep pace with him. Unfortunately for me, just as I was driving below the light, it turned to red, and even more unfortunate, the Biddeford police were on traffic-light duty today. I was convinced that I had made it through cleanly, however as I make my way from the intersection, I see the flashing blue lights in my mirror, and immediately pull to the side of the road, assuming they will pass by me. They did no such thing. The officer hits me with a tidy little $130 fine (Dale's Law). Despite the fiasco, we get my car delivered, and it has a rather timely repair, so we are able to pick it up around 1:30PM and finally begin our trip, albeit 4 hours later than we would have liked to have left. We then spent the next 12 hours driving, talking, eating at our friend Danielle and her wonderfully kind mothers house, sitting in traffic in NYC, and then finally, at long last, laying in our white linens at the Martinsburg, WV Motel 8 (An absolute class act by the way). Phew. Hopefully tomorrow’s entry will be less stress filled. Though that would make for a far less entertaining read. Hm, I'll see what I can do.<br /><br />Here is the video Josh recorded on Monday. Enjoy.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qZvfqY0Mbac&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qZvfqY0Mbac&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-29453310550598137692008-12-10T13:59:00.000-08:002008-12-10T14:29:04.064-08:00Modern Day Magellans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVz6YNwQrCfOF-REYFI1QsNmrtgFXEkfBTfzN6SlriiTLwuWweqzr-tWyWQiujUV-U-TkJpDz2Xap85rmx3QBHrOObkIZPu3-0STDjpI_EXILHAhCf_ZzDy_uq4SMlk0Xc8EBsJ7NDv-g/s1600-h/magellen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVz6YNwQrCfOF-REYFI1QsNmrtgFXEkfBTfzN6SlriiTLwuWweqzr-tWyWQiujUV-U-TkJpDz2Xap85rmx3QBHrOObkIZPu3-0STDjpI_EXILHAhCf_ZzDy_uq4SMlk0Xc8EBsJ7NDv-g/s400/magellen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278291682713658226" /></a><br />Josh and I have started to plan our great voyage...erm, drive. Josh (our resident cinematographer) was kind enough to film a video tracing our route down the east coast, through the upper west, and finally our destination, sunny So-Cal. We have figured out it is going to take roughly six days (if all goes to plan of course), however we are allowing ourselves ample time in the case that we get a flat-tire, arrested, raided by biker gangs, etc. Or the more likely scenario that I wander out into the desert taking photos, and am never seen again.... The route is roughly 4000 miles, give or take. My poor Subaru (The Cranberry Crusader, for those who are unaware of its official title) wont ever be the same. <br /><br />We have decided on a new departure date, now the 30th of December, as we have recently been informed by Ruth that we are unable to move into our apartment until the 5th of January. <br /><br />Well, we have all gotten our paper-work done, classes are wrapping up, we are all getting ready to move out of the dorm, and I finally got my "highway-cruising-Oklahoma-State-Policemen-I-need-to-grow-a-handle-bar-mustache" sunglasses (pictured). We are ready to embark on our voyage.<br /><br /><br />I mean drive.<br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks for reading.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ysuQs7XkyQs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ysuQs7XkyQs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-18470995340220505132008-12-01T13:45:00.000-08:002008-12-01T13:51:40.262-08:00The Wheels Are In Motion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjd5NGGyWHmf14wFejb3MkXX4vNcoeS9coRklC_Oc8W8N1HFBBVgnoHO12ITtdGkUnE-uIpaID0IPYGxnTpCFBVGuEEGSmVeKJgK2I2fRJEpYg1l_CPsjikedidUCvfuqIE2-xL_283U/s1600-h/socalbook+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjd5NGGyWHmf14wFejb3MkXX4vNcoeS9coRklC_Oc8W8N1HFBBVgnoHO12ITtdGkUnE-uIpaID0IPYGxnTpCFBVGuEEGSmVeKJgK2I2fRJEpYg1l_CPsjikedidUCvfuqIE2-xL_283U/s400/socalbook+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274942611195423186" /></a><br />Well things are starting to get off the ground. Josh and I (Matthew, I will likely be the narrator for the majority of the blog) have recently received our AAA Travel Books, outlining hotels, food, and attractions in the majority of the states we are traveling through. I have also ordered a GIANT map of the US Highway/Interstate System that we will be outlining our route on. Tentative departure date is the 28th of December, and James is planning on flying in the day after Josh and I arrive at the apartment (we are driving for those that were unaware). We have all signed up for our classes, and are currently working on getting all the paperwork done, and brushing up on our 3D skills. Thanks for reading!Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759580349694778843.post-25982520718378168072008-11-17T14:20:00.000-08:002008-11-17T17:55:14.679-08:00Welcome!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIvFFkUjcjWK3_AA_4PeeAgL2x4UC3mS-2lQ7Snm6b4dbJmfwLJzgDpUByzyqgIbcMUBpWMNUMJ3sG6PphQfsV1GBU8nQYNarcKG20yHbt1gnfUOzM0WwzQXGn6OKsLG7vAP_2Aophyphenhyphens/s1600-h/faces.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIvFFkUjcjWK3_AA_4PeeAgL2x4UC3mS-2lQ7Snm6b4dbJmfwLJzgDpUByzyqgIbcMUBpWMNUMJ3sG6PphQfsV1GBU8nQYNarcKG20yHbt1gnfUOzM0WwzQXGn6OKsLG7vAP_2Aophyphenhyphens/s400/faces.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269761315373567170" /></a><br />Welcome!<br />This is the first post of our (Matthew Dale, Josh Masse and James Winkfield) blog we have started to chronicle our adventures, education and fun during the upcoming semester away the the <a href="http://www.gnomonschool.com/">Gnomon School of Visual Effects</a>. The school is located in Hollywood, California, the heart of the entertainment industry. We will try to update this blog at least once a week with text, photos, or videos about our most recent exploits. Thanks for viewing and we will be posting again towards the end of December as our trip begins.Matthew R. Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765338675031856119noreply@blogger.com4