Art Teacher Retires, Former Student Shrugs

I knew this guy.

I had Mr. Rodriguez as an art teacher during my time at Calla High School. He had a sleepy demeanor and loose classroom rules that students appreciated. There enough stiff pricks at that school that any teacher who didn't goose-step through the place looking for a way to stick it to some unsuspecting stoner gets an immediate bump in karma points from me. On the other hand, since his classroom shared a wall with the school's main john, he was known to commando through the door and try to catch a punk with a ciggie in his lips. Karma negated...

His and my relationship was of such little substance that it can barely be called such. He wasn't a bad guy, I can say that. I was interested in art and tried to tweeze some techniques out of him, but I didn't learn much. No real fault of his, I haven't learned much since, either, and what I have picked has been slow going. Sometimes, things just don't click.

There were a few folks on staff at the school that had a significant and beneficial impact on me there, he just wasn't one of them. I'm sure he touched some students in a deep and positive manner, just not me. Then again, as much as I hated my entire pre-college scholastic experience, it is more than a lukewarm statement to say that his was not a contribution that added to that hate. I'm content to settle for that.

So, he's hanging up the smock. Good for him.

"Speaking of Art," Impending Debut

I recently mentioned a video project that is reaching culmination. The video project itself is a done deal, but the first time I cut it to a VCD and DVD for review, it didn't seem to burn right, and the resultant videos were jagged and choppy, respectively.

I am re-exporting the work to another format and re-burning the DVD as I blog this. Hopefully I'll have chased out the last bug on this project, and begin to obsess on the next. Not to mention, I'll be able to hand it over for run for cable distribution, and show it off a bit!