How to Measure a Man

We are all familiar with the idea that if you want to judge the character of a man, you look at how he treats his inferiors. An ex of mine translated that to mean how people judge service people, specifically waiters. The problem with that is the reason that was always included - waiters can poison/spit in your food.

What that says to me is that you should treat people well...if they can respond in some way that might hurt you. That hardly seems like the measure of a person to me.

So, truly, I think the measure of someone is how they treat road crews. They're in your way, it's almost always at an inconvenient time and place, and you generally don't see the direct results of their work. If the person in question swears at them, honks at them, or generally is rude to people trying to do their job...now that's the measure of a man (or woman). 

So much for that...

After a month of classes, I find out that I'm not a student.

I called Admissions today since my application has been listed as Pending awhile and I need my student ID to take my calculus test tomorrow. After they review my file, they tell me that they are no longer processing applications for the fall semester, even though I submitted the application over a month ago.

As you can imagine, this is incredibly disappointing given that I've been going to class.

So I'm trying to focus on the positives:
- I don't have to pay the application fee when I apply for Spring.
- Advanced Calculus is offered in the summer, so I'll be able to complete Calculus 3 and Advanced before the fall, as originally planned.
- I can still write off the school expenses on my taxes.
- The first month of Calc 3 next semester should be a breeze.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Review: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

This had been sitting in my Netflix queue for awhile, but I got a chance to watch it after a bad day where I was stuck in bed. Might as well make use of it, right?

Being Elmo is the story of Kevin Clash, the man behind the puppet Elmo as we currently know him. It tells the story of his upbringing outside of Baltimore, his early love of puppets, and how he became a puppeteer for Jim Henson. Clash is currently a co-executive producer for Sesame Street, as well as the only puppeteer who handles Elmo.

I find puppets interesting, which is why I wanted to watch it, but I didn't expect the story to be so touching. It covers the challenges that the popularity of Elmo has caused for Clash as he spends a great deal of time away from his daughter. The creative process involved, the training for puppeteers - the entire film was much more detailed than I expected. I also got sniffly a few times, especially when Elmo meets with Make-a-Wish kids, with whom he is very popular. Clash appears to be a man who genuinely cares about the people that Elmo touches.

The film also shows him investing in the next generation of puppeteers. When a child who is interested in identified, he invites them to see where he works, interacting with them as a fellow professional, asking to see their puppets and discuss technique. This was done for him when he was a teenager by legendary puppeteer Kermit Love and you can see him passing along that legacy. To me, that shows the character of the man. He is reportedly one of the highest paid puppeteers every between merchandising (all the Elmo voices is him) and appearances, but he takes the time to help inspire people who want to do what he does. For a niche field such as puppeteering, that's so incredibly important.

I recommend this to anyone who has the time to sit and watch it. It's fascinating to see how the puppets are made, how puppeteers are trained, what goes into some of them, but also knowing that a man like Clash is behind Sesame Street makes me warm inside.

Go Sun Devils!

That was my moment of school pride.

University Drive from the bridge

For those unaware, I am a student at Arizona State University (Tempe). I'm only enrolled in Calc 3 at the moment, but I'm enjoying it. Class is at 7:30 in the morning, which is challenging some mornings, but I'm managing to make it somehow. We're also back to using Course Compass, which is a program I used for College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, and Calc 1, so I like it very much.

ASU has a different feel to it than SUNY OW did, which is not surprising given they are on opposite sides of the country. The campus is very active when I get out of class at 8:20 (adjusting to 50 minute classes was interesting when I'm used to 100 minute), where SUNY was a ghost town until the 10:20 block. There are bikes everywhere and rows and rows of bike racks available for students. All parking is paid (oye), which encourages students to bike whenever possible. If it was a little closer, I'd be tempted.

I have entered into an email conversation with the head violin professor about tracking down a student to teach. Her response when I asked if they were available was to ascertain which teaching style fits me best so she can pair me with the correct teacher. I like her already! I'm hoping to begin lessons next month - I miss playing.

The biggest downside for me is that the ASU colors are gold and maroon. And it's not a shade of gold I can wear. Maroon isn't terrible, but it doesn't do much for me. Gold is the primary color, so I'm hunting for an ASU shirt that is primarily white with gold on it. SUNY OW's big advantage was that green is one of my best colors.

However, you can't beat the walk to class.

Historic Palm Walk. My building is on the left.