Drawing Camping

So the first class of Slackademics went reasonably well. I can’t decide if I was overprepared or underprepared, but we covered a lot of ground. I bought a honeydew melon and folded a photo of Kenny B’s head in quarters. I’ve never taught drawing to anyone before so it was a challenge and a little bit intimidating, but if I can do it, you can do it! I hope that the next class will be camping skills, followed by an actual Slackademics camping trip! I’ve been trying to go camping for years but every plan I make falls through. Knock on trees that I can pull this off, with the help of Geoff and anyone else who’s interested. I’m hoping for camping around the 29th and the class up to a week prior. If you’re on the slackademics email list you got my email, please reply – I’m making a big spreadsheet to figure out what the next classes will be and I can’t do it without your input.

Slackademics Drawing

I finally done did decide. The Intro to Drawing slackademics class will occur either on Friday the 7th (evening) or some time on Saturday the 8th of Juuuuly. Anyone have a preference (anyone who’s planning on coming, I should add)? The catch is that everyone has to comment on my WWFJ post below about who their favourite character is.

Pillow Kill

Went to Sherane’s last night and played Pictionary. The closest the other team got to “suffocate” was “pillow kill.” Good times.
I spent some time today figuring out what I’m going to be doing for my drawing course/workshop/slackademics deal. 12 people voted for it on the slackademics poll but only one has come forward by name as a student. Is this the terrible weakness in the plan? I guess we’ll find out. Lani also is considering a mahjong class which I think would be fantastic.

Uh…what else. I spoke with someone today who was born in 1916. He asked me when his new card expired and I said 2009. He said “that’s only three months from now!” I said “that’s three YEARS from now.” “Oh, I think I need to see a psychiatrist” was his reply to that. Cute.

I was talking about one of my heroes, David Attenborough, a while back. Well, he turned 80 recently, and as a result I was able to find a clip from his documentary The Life of Birds which you are going to love: it is the lyre bird of Australia. Click here for the wmv file.

And here are some youtube Sesame Street vids.

This is a good one – nice payoff: Letters Versus Numbers

Mahna Mahna gets up to his old tricks

Who all lives in a capital I? We do.

20 hits from the hookah

Weekend Update

According to the radio, Madonna is crazy crazy for me. That’s nice. My past couple days have been busy with slackademics, my recording setup, and gaming. Last night during Mutants & Masterminds Joe and I switched places – now he is the GM and I am a player. My character, Zero, is a power mimic so that should keep me interested. We’re fighting super-nazis on an alternate Earth.

Lance, one of the other extras in X3, emailed me and mentioned that he saw both of us in a scene which I had missed on my viewing – one with Magneto and Callisto.

Jordan and Tara dropped by on Sunday with my new acoustic guitar. I also dropped in on Yvonne unexpectedly on Saturday while I was in her neighborhood garage sailing and we caught up on things. I grabbed my old Yamaha keyboard off of her and so now I have lots of studio instruments, for what it’s worth.

Joe agreed to do up a proper slackademics website, so that should help things along. I definitely have quorum for a drawing course, so I just have to figure out when that will be. If you’re interested in joining let me know what days of the week are generally good for you. Rowan pointed out http://www.freeschool.vcn.bc.ca to me, which looks like a kind of hippiesque “radical” version of slackademics (topics are/were voluntary simplicity, beyond sensory perception, readings and history on sexuality, and graffiti and guerilla public art). Useful to see that they are/were holding their learning groups at Spartacus Books. They also seem to be stagnant or defunct as of March.

Yet Another Slackademics Update

Okay forget about the myspace slackademics group. It’s scrapped. What’s that you say, you already forgot about it? Good. Me too.
However, I have created a forum/bulletin board. If you would like to know where this forum is, and you are in Vancouver (and I haven’t already emailed you), you will have to let me know. I will need your email address to send you the link. The reason I’m asking this is because I don’t want random “unreferred” people (or even non-Vancouverites – sorry kids) cluttering things up.

Slackademics – The Most Interesting of Interests.

Here’s the question of the day – which I have made into a poll. What subject(s) would get you out to a Slackademics class in Vancouver?

http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=0i6qk1evyocs6av198805

At the end of the survey it will ask you to register to create your own surveys, but you don’t have to. The results will be viewed by me and I’ll try to organize the very first class.

I’ve also made a yahoogroup if you’re interested in joining that.

It’s: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/slackademicsvancouver/

Slackademics Update

Getting a few responses, and I’ve added still more stuff to the list below (and will continue). Keep commenting or emailing about what you’re interested in and I’ll try to get the first class sorted. May be drawing or guitar. Additionally, Lin had a great idea – I will quote her directly:

I think you should also have a travel component so people can talk about countries they’ve visited and give people who want to go there tips on what to see, what’s cheap, where to visit.

Slackademics: The Makening

I’ve really been mulling the Slackademics thing over. I’ve emailed Joe to see whether he’d be interested in putting together an official website, with forums, mailing list options, database, etc. Maybe, just maybe, this will catch on, and I can help make it happen outside of just Vancouver. I’ve already got some interest from some friends that I’ve emailed and who’ve read the blog.

OFFERED:

Vegetarian Cooking *
Vegan Cooking *
Wedding Planning
Basic Feminism/Feminist Film Theory
Horror/SciFi Film Theory
Search Engine Optimization *
Photoshop/Digital Graphics Manipulation *
Web Design/HTML tips *
Drawing **
Scrabble Strategy
Origami (possible) **
Accordian Orientation
Music Theory
Singing
Acoustic Guitar *
Method Acting
D&D
Miniature Painting (**)
Kitchen Safety
Algebra, Fractions
Unarmed Combat
Yoga
Swimming ****
Crisis Intervention and Suicide Awareness/Response
Basics of Safe Facilitation for Youth
Thirty Years of Text Adventuring, From Advent to Zork to Today
Voice Acting
Cooking (Savory or Desserts) & Chocolate Making. *
Jewelry Making **
Lantern Making **
Biology/Microbiology/Genetics
Psychology (ADHD/Autism)(Creativity)
IQ Assessment
Chinese Culture, Religion & History
History of Christianity & the Church
Latin
Greek
Buy/Sell Stuff on eBay
Run an Online Business
Grow Plants from Seeds
Beeswax Candles
Cheap Spa Treatments at Home
Make Brochures
Play Drums
Mechanic
Currey Dishes

So if you’re interested in any of those – let me know and I’ll mark it, dude.

A little incentive for teachers, I thought, would be free dinner. Maybe everyone who comes to the class brings an hors ‘douevre or just puts in a fiver for pizza or something. It could be worked out easily.

* – requires equipment
** – requires supplies
*** – requires specific location
**** – gymastics and crappy animation don’t mix

Slackademics – The Ball Will Roll

I’m going to send this email out later today, but here’s a head start for my blog readers. Feel free to comment.

Yeah, school is okay, but there’s another way to learn things. People I know have lots of skills. They are willing to share them, and they want to learn new ones, and nobody has to spend any money–just a little time. So I am putting together Slackademics Vancouver. Every week or two, a few of us get together. Someone is designated the “teacher” for the evening/day. Whatever is in demand and is available. In trying to get the first session off the ground, I’d like to find out: Who’s interested in participating
Who’s willing to teach
What your skills are
What you want to learn

To kickstart the procedure, I’ve compiled a list of some skills and spheres of knowledge. If you are interested in participating, please indicate what skills you are willing to teach, and what skills you are interested in learning. Note that this is for people in and around Vancouver BC.

Guitar, piano, other instrument; read music; drawing; painting; knitting; language (Mandarin, Cantonese, German…); tennis; culture jamming; screen printing; art history; writing; grammar; cooking; hairdressing; bike repair; miniature painting; nutrition; optimizing computer; exercise/personal training; building a web site; flash; photoshop/other programs; first aid; investing/finances; yoga; tai chi; gardening; woodworking; plumbing; job hunting; acting; vocal training; mediation; marine biology; running a business; counseling; photography; animation; dance; filmmaking; origami; stained glass; jewelry making; sculpting; airbrushing; astronomy; tattoo; time management; auto mechanics; floristry; electronics; graphic design; wiring; health; sound engineering; poetry/songwriting; art history; music history; other (describe!)

Additionally, if you’ve taken any college/university courses, please consider sharing your knowledge on the subjects.

I’m trying to figure out how best to manage this, so please let me know if you have a preference as to how you’d like to be contacted/not contacted. Do you prefer email only? A yahoogroup? LiveJournal community? Myspace forums? Google group?

For now, you can just email me at thickets@uniserve.com