VUG Media

Just when I thought the end of school meant slowing down my pace I am blind-sided with the fact that I now have to focus on working full-time and finishing up a ton of different projects (2 Wedding photo packages, 1 Website, 2005 accounting + over due government stuff + taxes!).

All of this equals an extremely hectic week, especially seeing that I am the only web developer on full-time at Image X and there is a huge work backlog. Especially when I consider that I have Spanish night class starting May 9th. The current plan is to try and finish up as much as possible (hopefully all) projects and take a much needed break from night time projects until about July. No bringing extra work home, nothing else extra, just "me" time. I really need to have some downtime to reflect, recoup and re-connect with a ton of people. For who knows how long I've been letting myself pack too much into my schedule... I just want to get to the point where I can go watch a movie, go out to a concert, swim or play guitar without having to stress about what I should be doing.

Despite my newly organized self, I am still not finding enough time to get through all of my "to-dos" or "like-tos". My case in point is my bookmark folder called "to blog" is overflowing with about 50 things that I would love to post about. Rather than waste a good chuck of the holidays writing about everything, here is a few things I have found to be interesting as of late:

The Chronic of Narnia

If you love SNL parody, you have to watch this rap. As a side note, I just saw the Chronicles of Narnia last night and really enjoyed it (3½ stars), despite being stuck in the second row.

A little September house cleaning is going on in the blog department of my life:

First, notice that column on the right side of this type. See how it isn't just navigation? You might have noticed a new "Upcoming" badge displaying events that I am attending or have in mind. Any of you long time readers (aka. a few of my close friends) used to get the occasional posting or email from me announcing a listing of the latest and greatest concerts or films that must be seen. This is no more, just track my life on the right. An RSS feed of this is still available for you nerdy types.

Second, I have had a huge folder of articles to blog about hanging around and it was somehow stressing me out. I purged it today and posted links to 10 articles on my Del.icio.us feed, which is also located on your right.

The summer is in full swing now and with three days left before holidays, I am determined to at get some sort of tan this summer. On that note, I will be cutting back all internet use to the bare-bones until after labour day. I will only be using the net for email, school and necessary searches/work. No RSS Feeds, Blogs, Google News, CBC, NY Times - I might even cut out Pitchfork!

Before I stop blogging for a few weeks, I'll give a quick update on things going on with me or catching my attention. Here goes the categorical list:

Music

Best Album of the Summer (so far): The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

It seems as though my quest for productivity is taking up a lot more time than I actually spend implementing it. It seems that I am not the only one.

One of my latest finds is an add-on for Mail aptly named "Mail Act-On" which allows the archival and sorting of mail via keystrokes. There's a bunch of great stuff you can do, as these tips show.

Up next is DIY Planner, a collection of free productivity templates, even for a Hipster PDA (see the Hipster PDA edition).

I just finished writing my last exam of the year and it feels amazing. No more homework, studying and procrastination. Now I have time to do what I want (which was the problem all along). Maybe I will actually get around to building this site, fine tuning the posts and actually putting up something of use.

As for school, the last stretch was a handful: two nights with no sleep, 27+ hour binges of work, a ton of early morning exams and even a denile of washroom privalages (let us not go there). Hopefully the GPA does not fall too far off the charts! At least this last exam was a bit of a bird-walk compared to the others.

I like articles like this. They make me feel a lot better about myself. Oh, and I made it through the paper hell stage. Two of them are C level (maybe if that!), but they are done. Gone. Now I can actually be productive, doing what I want to do!

Alright, it must be crunch time again because it is 6am and I'm still alive and kicking. I have a paper due first class (1pm) that I haven't touched and I'm actually proud for once. Why? Because right now, I have a completed DVD compiling in the background.

In the past week I have taught myself how to use Final Cut Pro and edited two short videos. I completed the vids tonight in a panic as I had to revert to old copies and finish things off. From there, starting at about 3am, I created a DVD menu in Photoshop and learnt the basics of DVD Studio Pro and came out with a finished product by 6am! That is why I am proud.

This must mean that the pressure of school is really getting on me - it is my last stand of procrastination!

In the last 24 hours, here is what I've done:
- sorted and recycled old papers
- cleaned my room
- Folded my laundry
- Did the dishes (x2!)
- Registered and set-up a domain (more on that later)
- Typed up a few meandering emails
- updated this blog
- read about a millions different things online
- checked my RSS feeds
- loaded more than a dozen CD's into iTunes
- reformatted my iPod
- learnt a few Hootie and the Blowfish songs on guitar