Misspent Childhood

Again, while at the Coral with some of my favorites, S, D, G, and ? (I don't think I ever introduced myself), I found myself sitting quietly by while they discussed cartoon I had not seen. I don't really mind this seeing as I am here to learn and pick new things up but I was beginning to get a little frustrated with myself. How do I not know most things they are mentioning? What did I do as a child? As an adolescent? I obviously did not watch nearly enough TV. I was too busy in my backyard pretending my swing set was a rocket ship. Although this fostered the imagination, it did very little to enhance my knowledge of cartoons.
Or perhaps I just have a poor memory. I am inclined to believe this but I would like to pretend it isn't true. Conclusion: I need to catch up on my cartoon watching.
Yesterday we digitized some VanBeuren cartoons. Now those are some quality cartoons. They are pretty trippy actually. Strange to the point of wondering what the people watching these when they were first made thought. Did they think that these were funny or just plain weird? I think they are both. It suits my kind of humor really. You've got to love it when the two main characters, Tom and Jerry (not the cat and mouse, this was before their time, there is no coincidence there but I won't go into it), are singing and they lean close together and poof! their mouths join into one singing mouth. This stuff is pretty out there, but there are some brilliant/amusing walks and runs.
Speaking of Tom and Jerry, or really just of Jerry, Steve got very mad at Family Guy yesterday. Rightfully so in my opinion. Now, I know that some people reading this are probably Family Guy fans, but bear with me, I am slowly being turned into a cartoon snob (although expert sounds nicer to me). He discovered, through YouTube (which made it into Forbes' Midas List this year, as did this person), a parody. . . well more like an exact copy that Family Guy did of Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry the mouse. I suggest you watch both versions (Family Guy Jerry). Ugh! an exact copy! Really now, Family Guy. And it isn't even a good copy. . . .
Okay, I rant. Now I forget the initial purpose of this post. I ponder. Oh right! Bill Peet. I don't remember too much about the authors I read as a kid except for Dr. Seuss and Bill Peet (I speak of picture books). These are both rather fitting. Perhaps my childhood was not too misspent after all. Dr. Seuss fits perfectly with my love for Dartmouth. Dr. Seuss attended Dartmouth. Bill Peet fits with my love for animation. Bill Peet was apparently an animator and storyboard artist for Disney. . . until he got fed up and quit so that he could write and illustrate books. I loved his stories as a kid! They rhymed and what more can you ask for as a kid except for some good drawings? Bill Peet delivered on those too. It is comforting to know that perhaps I was destined for both Dartmouth and animation.

Sorority: the Life, the Love, the Limit

Quick note: this post could be considered a pure rant. Do not read if rants aren't your thing.
When people ask me why I decided to join a sorority, I tend to respond with some wishy-washy answer about liking the girls or not wanting to have missed out on something good. While both of these answers are true, I can't deny that both are a double-edged sword. I do like the women in my sorority, yet they also cause strife, confusion, depression, anger, and at times desperation in my life. Not to mention, I tend to not like girls in general. I have had countless wonderful experiences because of my sorority, but I have had almost as many displeasing ones to match.
So why did I join a sorority? The last night of rush came down to a choice. Although I had gone to two houses that night, I was not, like most girls, choosing WHICH sorority to join. I was instead choosing between one house or none. I stand by my ultimate decision because, as I said, I have made some excellent friends and I have made some unforgettable memories. But there are so many things about being in a sorority that make me tense up and want to runaway.
Sometimes I wonder how some of the women in my house will ever survive life outside of it. Some seem completely unable to relate to what I call the "real world." How did they miss that blatant social cue? How can they be so sensitive to everything? I appreciate sensitivity as much as the next person. Yet the degree it reaches in the house makes me afraid to say what I think or feel. This is ironic considering my house prides itself on being such an accepting place. I cannot handle the stress of constantly worrying if I may or may not have offended someone or made them go cry behind a door. I hope that those of you reading this who know me pretty well know that I do not like to hurt people and do not directly say things to people if I think it will harm them.
This past term I found myself dreading certain social events because of this. I hate drama and it only seems to breed in sororities. Perhaps this is no surprise to people who are not in a sorority. But when I first joined, I knew my house would be different. Yet, sadly, there are just as many crying, yelling, stomping, and oblivious girls in my house as in any.
I repeat again that this is not to say I regret having joined my house. Just sometimes I think about how simple life could have been without this stress.
Note to anyone in my sorority (or I suppose any sorority, hello redhead!) who may disagree and is reading this: This post was not intended to be malicious; it is simply a reflection of how I feel. I still like you and the house.
Note to anyone in my sorority who may agree with me (I know you exist): I think it is okay to sometimes get away. It is probably the healthy thing to do.

Forum

This post is generally in response to some comments that I have gotten over the course of my blogging life.
In a way, I wish my blog could be a sort of forum, Bonnie. But then I fear that you might steal the show and if you quickly scroll to the top of the page, you will find that these are the Los GEMELES Adventures. No just tricking, no one can STEAL my blog, only enhance it. I do wish that I could respond to people's comments so that everyone could see. I suppose I could comment myself, but then I would be commenting on all of my entries and that seems a little excessive.
So, Laura, I like you too. I also really like saying your last name.
Kenny, Ronaldo is pretty darn sweet, I wish I could handle a soccer ball like him. Thanks for sharing that link!
Dave, you don't comment. . . in fact, I don't even know if you read this, but it only seems natural to mention you if I mention Kenny. So, thanks for finding that article about drinking water and I will continue to say: let's not let it be a year again before we see each other.
Emma, you will note that most people who comment on my blog (excluding Erin, again), do not attend Dartmouth. This might say something about our school. I am not sure.
AshLAY, I like saying your first name. Someday we shall sit around a fire while I recount the Disney story. I like your hair too.
Christine, I am not sure what to say to you for once. . . this is a surprise since between the two of us we rarely seem to run out of words.
Alexis, I see you all the time, I don't need to write anything to you here, but you are remembered!
Erin, please stop being sick. Please keep commenting on my blog. It makes it seem like we are almost near each other instead of on opposite coasts.
and finally, to my most frequent commenter
Bonnie, it sounds like thermo is driving you crazy. When you type thermo, I think thermos. Then I think of the lunches my mum packed me when I was a wee one. I also think of physics, and Kugland, and how he was about as old as we are now when he taught us. It showed. But I loved that class, even when people tried running through the walls. We drew some great comics. Oh dear, I must stop writing to you because it could go on for a while because now I am thinking of our French dialogues, and you know where that leads.

The Biz

"Are you an animator?" "Ehh. . . I hope to be? One day? Sort of?"
"Either you are, or you aren't." Oh crap, "Yes, yes I am."
This question continues to stump me. In truth, I really just fell into animation. It was not my dream to be an animator when I was growing up. It didn't even cross my mind. My sister was the artist of the family. . and my mum. . . and my grandpa. Well, whoever it was, it was not me. I was going to be a teacher, or a uhhh, I was keeping my options open. Honestly I love animating but I still can't consider myself an artist or an animator when I am sitting next to people who have already made a career out of it. It is more my dream to get into the technical side of animation. I think this fits with my track record. I tried to whole acting thing, and after being cast as an exotic bird in Peter Pan my freshman year in high school (yes, this role was CREATED for me and 3 other fortunate girls; we wore bright unitards, tutus, wings, feathery Vegas head pieces, boas, and lots of sparkles), I decided that it wasn't my scene. Then I discovered the world of backstage and I haven't been able to leave it since. Maybe I am just more comfortable behind the scenes, but I would love to be a Technical Director. Then again going with what is comfortable does not always turn out to be the most rewarding.
Along those lines, last night, after consuming a large pancake for dinner at the Coral, I sat back and listened to some truly interesting/amazing stories. Some of them were amusing, some frightening, but all gave me a better insight into the life of an animator. It seems to be a life filled with long hours and battles with companies who take the rights to your cartoons so that you can get it on television. It is not an easy life, and certainly not one filled with a lot of dollars. So why choose animation? They draw simply for the love of drawing. This is my conclusion. I like this answer because it leaves the romance in the picture. I am still young and I still have those "stars in my eyes." I think I will keep those stars around as long as possible.

Disney Fights Dirty

This was really just an eye-catching title to make you read this entry. I am not, in fact, going to tell you the specifics about why and how Disney plays dirty. But take my word for it, they do. If you feel like hearing the story (and it is a good one) ask me to tell it to you one day, and we shall sit around a fire and drink hot cocoa while I shock you with knowledge I dare not impart in writing.
This may seem a bit drastic and very cryptic to you, but I have no desire to be tailed by anyone hired by Disney just because of a blog entry. Okay, this probably wouldn't happen. But that is how good this story is.
Today I realized that I am a blogger. This frightens me in the same way that someone knowing my name without me ever having met them before frightens me. Anyone can read my blog. I set the preferences that way. But I am not certain about why anyone would want to read it. While I think that I sometimes have interesting things to share, I feel like they could really only be interesting to people who know me pretty well.
I now see why Emma aggravatingly only mentions people by their first initial. I don't think I will adopt this because then I will refer to A or E and no one will know which A or which E. Or I will say I spent another evening at the Coral tonight with J, J, G, S, L, M, and K. This bothers me. But the whole reason I am on this tangent is because J asked me tonight if I had a blog, and no wonder my name is familiar. I was so embarrassed on the inside and to this moment (day doesn't really work in this case), I can't really say why. Perhaps J is reading this. . . Perhaps from now on I will be more careful about what and about whom I write. . . eh, no, that isn't really my style. I will just have to get used to the fact that relative strangers may have a better insight in the workings of Gemma than I would initially expect or prefer.
This whole entry has basically been about me anxiously looking over my shoulder. I think that means it is time for bed.

Land of the Far Beyond

I feel like. . . a little squirrel, if you will, who has lived her whole little life in a little nest with her little siblings and less little mother. For the sake of the story, I will call myself Perri. Perri the squirrel. This is my true life fantasy. (For those of you, as in most of you, who do not understand this reference, I recommend checking this out. It is the first, the finest, and the last true life fantasy ever made.)
It all started last Tuesday on the corner of 7th and Wilshire. I walked in to Revolution Prep feeling almost sick because of nerves. Yet I had my lesson down pat. "Rugby is a game of its men of fame, of its men of--" no, it didn't go like that. But as much as I had practiced my 2-3 minute crash course on rugby, I still have no idea what I actually said when I got up to speak to the "class." Apparently they liked what I had to say though because I was invited back to training. I was given a binder of all of our materials on Friday and asked to learn it by Tuesday. I ate, breathed, and dreamed about that binder. Come training on Tuesday, I managed to pull myself together and not mess up horribly. So they kept me around for the second day of training (quick note: everyone who came to the first day of training came to the second, I wasn't special). I also managed to scrape through that tonight with all body parts still in tact. By scrape, I really mean stroll with confidence until we got to the grammar section. I could go into detail about why grammar and I are not friends but I think I will spare you, or just save it for a later post.
I am now a trained SAT prep instructor.
This is where Perri comes back into the picture. I have been given my materials and my instructions, but will I be able to leave the nest and walk along that branch without falling into the frightening Land of the Far Beyond?
A bit lost, a bit nervous, and also a bit excited, I stride out in the world armed with only my dry erase markers, binder, and Revolution t-shirt. Can I handle the pressure and judgment of the high school students? Stay tuned.
P.S. when I put links in blog, I put them there because I really think they are worth going to, click on the Revolution link, see where I work. It is a really cool company (that does not just provide services for rich white kids so they can go to rich private schools)

Untitled #1

First, I would like to say thank you to all of my loyal readers. I know who you are because you comment, or just plain tell me that you read it. I really couldn't have done this without you. You are what make all of this worthwhile. I sign into my blog everyday holding my breathe in the hope that someone has commented. . . and I am rarely let down! In fact I have always had a loving comment waiting for me, unless of course I am talking about my internship or about animation. Really people, this is the reason I am down here in the first place. But no! Do not fear or tremble in the corner; I still love you.
The curious reader may be wondering at this point why I am writing a thank you speech for myself. Smart reader! I am not just writing this to encourage those of you comment-shy folk to let me know what you think or what you want to hear about, I am writing this because it is awards season down here in L.A. and I am determined to be just as prepared as any actor off the street to accept an award (any award will do).
Now, wouldn't it be neat if I went to an awards show while I was here? I am after all trying to get into one part of the industry. I fear that this will not happen however. I blame my lack of connections and lazy agent.
But wait! What's this I hear? Gemma IS going to an awards show?! Unbelievable! Her ridiculous dreams of receiving an award may yet come to pass! Okay, in reality, probably not. Mostly because I haven't done anything deserving of an award.
What awards show you ask? No, not the Oscars. But this does not make it any less exciting for me. I am going to attend the Annie Awards on February 11th. Most people are probably starting to deflate a little after that build up because most people do not know what the Annie Awards are. They are the animation awards that ASIFA-Hollywood is responsible for holding every year. While I doubt Brad Pitt will be decorating the ceremony with his presence, I am quite excited to go because the people who will be there are like stars to me. I have one ticket for myself and one ticket for a friend. I have to admit it really wasn't a hard choice: I am bringing Alexis. Not only will she look great on my arm while we stroll down the red carpet (if there is one), but she will also make sure I am dressed and make-upped properly (something I must admit is not my forte). Not to mention I know this is something that both of us will enjoy.
So go ahead, be jealous. I promise to relay every detail of our thrilling night come February 12th.

Freedom

I have usually liked my dreams. They tend to amuse me. I like to think of them as a bonus to going to sleep. I not only become well rested but I also get told a good story or two. It is kind of like going to the movies. You pay to see one movie but then you also have the pleasure of seeing a few mini ones! I believe most people call those previews. I've been known to have dreams of lizards made of double mint gum packages and of living in an underwater RV. But not all dreams are quite so enjoyable. There are also the dreams relating to schoolwork, which are usually more painful than anything else. For example, when learning about integrals my senior year, I had a dream in which I was required to find how many people I could fit under a curve.
I like dreams so much because they are controlled by the imagination and I know that the imagination can come up with some crazy stuff. Actually, I find that the only limiting factor for most things IS the imagination. So I have a great respect for it. I think this is why I like animation so much: the only thing holding you back in animation is your creativity (or if you are working for someone else, then I suppose the higher ups can also limit you). There is a sort of freedom in animation that I have come to appreciate. You create your own world in which anything can happen. Don't want gravity? Gone! Feel like your neck should be able stretch at will? Done! Want to breathe underwater? No problem! I fully appreciate the freedom you are given when animating. This is not to say that are no rules to follow when animating. In fact rules are quite important especially if you are just starting out. . . I've started to lose my point.
My original reason for this post was not to talk only of my dreams but to emphasize the differences between drawn animation and computer animation. While I personally find this very intriguing, I am uncertain if my audience wants to hear me rant about such things. Suffice it to say that I think there is quite a bit of potential freedom in computer animation but I am uncertain whether anyone has been able to fully realize that potential. It is much easier for me to see the freedom in drawn in animation. I hope that one day I will be able to take what I may learn about drawn animation and apply it to computer animation.
I think reality is over valued in computer animation. You can really do anything on the computer so why limit yourself with reality?

By Numbers

This one is for Erin because she complained that I hadn't written anything new (some of these might be a stretch):
0- (one must not forget about the number zero, as all good computer scientists know) The number of times I thought I would have to worry about the SAT ever again. How wrong I was.
1- The number of people I have inspired through my blog. It has been confirmed, I am Miss Allie Fecych's muse. I expect this number to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming months. Maybe I will inspire you to take a greater interest in animation, to start your own blog, to adopt a child (*disclaimer* this is not recommended for most of my known readers), or to simply try a new flavor of ice cream.
2- The ideal number of headlights on an automobile which became so much more enchanting when Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade came up on shuffle on my iPod (yes, this happened last night. THE 405 and I had a magical moment together).
3- The number of people I know who are currently visiting New Zealand. Those lucky jerks. Hi mum!
4- The amount of days I have to fully prepare myself for my first training session with Revolution Prep. I am supposed to have 10 days, but I suppose less than half will do. (Holy man!) So far I have learned that my students have no choice but to trust that I know what I am talking about when I stand at the front of the room. What a scary realization.
5- The number of tanks of gas I have filled since January 3rd. That is a new tank of gas every 3.6 days! Typical SAT question: At this rate, how many tanks of gas will I have fed to my car before I officially think I drive too much in L.A.?
6- times 2. . . . The biting temperature that is currently besieging Hanover, NH. Yikes! People have asked me whether I will bring my car to Dartmouth and I always respond with "No! Who would subject a car to such weather?" Now that I am in L.A. for winter I am forced to realize how ridiculous that is. For if I thought it inhumane to subject a piece of metal to the cold how could I think it okay to subject myself to it? If you have the choice of a low of 56 during the winter or 12, what would you choose? No wonder I find there is such a difference between people from the east coast and the lucky ones from the west (Erin, you are an anomaly), I think a part of them is permanently frozen. Like the baby toe or ear lobe. I am not implying that people from the east are frigid, I promise they are just as human and caring as we are.
7- The total number of scarves, hats, and jackets that I will not wear until next winter. They are getting lonely. Perhaps I shall take them on an outing anyway to persuade them that they are still well loved.
8- The hour that I arrived at a pub in Santa Monica this morning with the Foley's to watch the Manchester United v. Arsenal game. I decided that both Bonnie and I will have to live in the same area when we grow up so that we can go to a pub together at 8 in the morning to watch soccer games. I hope she doesn't mind that I have scheduled this into her future. Other people are invited too but she is the one I can imagine actually doing it with.
9- About the number of successful pieces of fish that Alexis and I made when we attempted fish sticks the other day. Getting the oil the right temperature is hard! But I decided that since I did manage to cook edible food, I can cross off "Learn to live in the real world" from my to do list. I give Alex and myself one gold star (we will have to learn to share, one more thing to cross off the list).
10- The number of fingers on my hands and the number of toes on my feets (not to be too cocky or brag). (The fingers are counted separate from the toes, this does indeed make 10).

Oh and. . .

I went to my "audition" on Tuesday with Revolution, an SAT prep company, and I believe it went well. Although if you had asked me Tuesday night if it went well I would not have been able to give you a straight answer. I was asked to prepare a 2-3 minute lesson to teach to 3 people who work there already and about 12 other people who also applied for this job. I decided to teach them about the basics or rugby (Krista helped me come up with this topic). I got everything I wanted to say out and I think they actually learned something about the sport. But then all the people who went after me (I was second up) were, not only all older than me as well as better dressed (suits, skirts, etc), but also seemed more confident and interactive. So I wasn't absolutely certain that I would be getting called back to training. But I guess they liked rugby because they did call me back! I will go to the training sessions with them next week and then start private tutoring in the Pacific Palisades after that. This turns out to be quite a good find as far as jobs go because it not only pays well but I can also continue to work for them in San Mateo once I go home for the summer. Hooray! I will know all there is to know about taking the SAT. I will be a useful tool for all high school aged students. If I prove that I am a good tutor though, they will move me up to be a SAT II, LSAT or MCAT tutor! Then I can be useful to even my friends! But I will still have to charge you. Sorry.
I will soon be able to afford a new camera and then I can take more (less awkward) photos to post on my blog just for you. Isn't that exciting?

Ooookay

Here we go. Here are some pictures. Steve, the man I work with at ASIFA, discovered my blog so now he has told me that I need to put pictures up. Then I explained that I have no operational camera at the moment. But Steve, kindly took some photos of me at work on "my" 4 computers at ASIFA-Hollywood. I think I might look really ridiculous. That is a fake Gemma smile if ever I saw one.

Shopping

I am not a very good shopper. I like it when I find nice things and they are on sale, but I have very little patience when it actually comes to doing so. This is probably why I end up owning only 3 pairs of pants all of which have holes in them.
This doesn't seem to be too bad of a problem for me though (except for the holes in the pants). I like to tell myself that it is much better to be someone who does not shop often as opposed to someone who spends his or her money on clothes all the time. But today I indulged myself and did my favorite type of shopping. This is the kind of shopping that costs me no money at all because I could never afford to purchase even a piece of what I am looking at. No, I did not go shopping at Tiffany's or Armani or any other expensive retail store. I took myself house shopping.
Krista and I had a nice long walk along the beach this afternoon to go to the Promenade for lunch. On the way back, we decided to take the more residential route. I saw some of the most beautiful homes this way. There were quite a few that I could see myself living in. They all tended to be relatively big, have big windows and some really nice trees. Basically, when I grow up I want to live in a house just like the one I grew up in. For anyone who never got to see the Hayne Road house, you really missed out. It had the most spectacular backyard, which I managed to transform into not only the usual jungle, but also a circus, an ocean, a battle zone, a race-track, an archival dig, a roller coaster, an ice rink, a secret garden, and I am sure so much more.
Yes, I will find a house just like it. First step toward that is to get a well paying job, or at the rate that my current job search is going, just marry rich.
My kind of shopping certainly involves a lot of imagination and even more wishful thinking.

A Tour

This is a quick tour through the L.A. life of Gemma Ross.
Firstly, I am living with the Foleys while I am down here. No, they are not some random family I found who I decided had a nice house in Pacific Palisades. They are very close family friends whom I have known my whole life. I am living in the downstairs guest-room/sensory-deprivation-room/room-with-a-drumset-but-no-drawers. It is a very cozy room. The fact that it is sound-proofed though makes it hard to get up in the morning because I am used to the sun guilting me out of bed. Chris and Krista Foley make me yummy dinners and entertain me when we are home. Sometimes I might refer to them as papa and mama Foley. Do not be confused. There is also David Foley, who went to BC but is now back in L.A. working in a tall building in downtown. But I have only seen him once so far. Then there is Kim Foley who is at University of Chicago. We are the same age. I have not seen her. This is possibly because she is in Chicago.
Secondly, my internship is in Burbank. Los Angeles is composed of lots of cities for those of you who do not already know this. So both Burbank and the Pacific Palisades are still a part of L.A. I have to take 5 highways to get from home to work! The PCH, 10, 405, 101, and finally 134. It can be pretty intense.
Thirdly, I have about 3 friends down here. I will now list them in no particular order. 1. Alexis! My sister! I count her as a friend. She is a friend that comes with 3 other friends attached: Sean, Chloe, and Virginia. Sean is her fiancé. He plays around with the viruses. The other two are their really cute new pet rats! 2. Sergio-friend! He goes to LMU (this is in L.A.). He was a year ahead of me at Sacred Heart. He is a cool kid (he is older than me so I don't know why I call him a kid) who needs to hang out with me more often. . . hi Sergio. 3. Rebecca-friend! She goes to Dartmouth with me and is also a Theta. She too has this term off and has taken a job that involves her teaching herself physics and Linux. I hope it is paid. We saw a movie the other day. Pan's Labyrinth. It was good, even if a bit gory. Go see it.
Fourthly, yeah. . . I don't have anything else exciting that should be explained about my life down here. But now you know who I spend my time with as well as where I spend my time! Now I can refer to these things without confusing the masses.

Pictures

I just thought I would let you know that I was thinking about putting up some photos because, hey, they are fun to look at in moderation. So I busted out my camera to take a stellar picture of the ocean, pressed the on/off button only to discover that my camera didn't much feeling like turning either on or off. It was suddenly stuck in a strange limbo between the two states of power. I tried recharging my battery and that seemed to work for one run through of turning it on (silently celebrating) and then off. Sadly when I later returned to my camera to take a picture it, yet again, refused to either turn on or subsequently turn off. So I apologize for the lack of color and excitement on my blog, but until I get my long sick camera to behave, I am afraid I will have to look for a new one and you will have to look at a photo-less blog.
If for some reason you feel like donating to the Gemma's Camera Should Work Fund, I will gratefully accept it. Actually I typed gracefully the first time, ha, I will try to accept it gracefully too. I found a great Oregon Scientific Barbie Digital Camera. Ages 5 and up.

A Man's World?

I never much liked this statement, mostly because I am not fully certain what it means. What is a man's world?
When I announced to my boss (at school) that I am a computer science major, he told me that I was going into a male dominated field (okay, for any of you who know my boss, this is not how he said it, but it is the equivalent). He might have told me I wasn't going to get a job because only men work in computer science. I told him that if that happened I would return to Dartmouth to get a job in construction with him. Much more feminine. . .
Sure enough, my computer science classes have usually had a ratio of 3 women to about 20 men. In a college that is 50% women, I have to wonder where they all went. Are they all taking Women and Gender Studies courses? Impossible!
This Saturday, Steve asked for volunteers at ASIFA-Hollywood. While chatting to one of them, he mentioned that his girlfriend is an animator in Mexico. In fact, she is the first female computer animator in Mexico. The company didn't want to hire her at first because they do not hire women, But her stuff was good, so they did in the end (I haven't checked my facts on any of this by the way so. . . yeah, sorry if your cousin was actually the first female Mexican animator). However, I personally can't even imagine being the first woman to do anything anymore, except for being president. I think it would be frightening, yet somehow exciting at the same time.
Most computer science majors are men. Many animators are men. (The only woman I have met so far through my internship happened to be the girlfriend of one of the men). Most people in construction are men. Although, I must admit, most student employees in the scene shop are inexplicably women. . .
Now I find that I am uncertain how to end this post. I have written myself into a literary corner and left no windows or escapes, save for the gaping feminist hole to my left. I fear that this is the out I must now take. So, at the risk of sound terribly feminist (something I tend not to do), I have to conclude that there is no such thing as a man's world. I defy you to find one. I will graduate a computer science major modified with animation from the last ivy-league to admit women and I will get my dream job (just probably not in Mexico).

It's tough.

This post is particularly hard for me. I have toyed with a couple ideas of what I should write about, but nothing so far has really struck me. Perhaps I have the blogger's version of writer's block (which seems much less romantic or problematic, I suppose).
I could tell you that I saw Ray Liotta today at the gym as well as the oompa loompa again.
I could tell you that I met John K., creator of Ren and Stimpy. I was on my way out at this point though, so I did not go to the Coral to hang out with him and others.
I could also tell you a bit about the lovely family I am staying with. The Foley family. But that blog requires more time and thought than I am willing to give it right now.
I could tell you that I finally got called back about a job. Revolutions called me. It is a SAT prep company. They would pay well. I have an "audition" (so L.A.) on Tuesday.
I could also tell you that I went down to the beach to watch the sunset today. It was windy, and I got goose bumps. The cold was worth the view though. There is something about the ocean that entrances me. It is so beautiful, yet sinister at the same time. Because it was very windy, the view was made even nicer. There are few things worse than a boring ocean. There is nothing sinister in that.
I could also tell you what I had for lunch, but I promised I would shy away from such mundane and uninteresting things. Plus, I am not sure I had lunch. . . did I? Oh, yes I did! A tuna sandwich from Gelsons on a french roll with lettuce. It came in a plastic box. No, I will not bore you with those details.
Maybe this post was just me trying to point out to those who may have never tried blogging that it is quite a difficult task to write something new, yet interesting each day.
What does my blog reading public want to hear?

Movie Actor Sighting!

This is my first one on this trip! How exciting! Not quite as exciting as Johnny Depp per se, but I think it is more unique. This morning, while doing the gym thing, someone caught my eye. Hmmm, he is familiar looking, I thought, and it didn't take me too long to figure out why. You see, there are signed movie posters all over the gym (pictures of big scary body builders too, but I try not to look at those. They frighten me), so I decided that I just HAD to see at least one movie star in my time at the gym. Now it has happened! Okay, have I built up enough unnecessary suspense? I saw the man who played the Oompa Loompa in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So no, not Johnny Depp, but was in a movie with him.
I thought I should share my first sighting. I am, after all, in Los Angeles.

Captain Kent, Super Dave

As I withdraw my hand from the grip of a man wearing a blue Warner Brothers polo, he asks me if he may shake my hand. I pause in confusion and extend my hand again, not wanting to seem rude. He grasps my wrist and pumps it up and down, causing my hand to shake. His laughter fills the diner, making a girl in a tiara one table over glance at us reproachfully. This will be an interesting night.
On my right sits "Captain" Kent, a stop-motion animator who put an astounding amount of saltine crackers into his bowl of chili. On my left is "Super" Dave, a young animator from St. Louis who is trying to get a cartoon up and running for Cartoon Network. Dave was incredibly good to have around. He seemed to take pity on me when I was obviously feeling out of my league and took it upon himself to explain certain things or to bring the conversation back to something about which I could contribute. On his left is my boss Steve, head of ASIFA-Hollywood and former Ren and Stimpy producer. Between Kent and Steve is the blue-shirted man whose name, I must embarrassingly admit, I do not recall. But I can tell you that he went to William & Mary, works for WB, and had a piece of pumpkin pie with a generous serving of whipped cream.
Last night I realized the full implications of my internship. Yes, there will be quite a bit of sitting about until I can work on the database, but I feel that very often I will also be sitting in awe. I may know more about animation than your average bundled up person in Hanover, yet I know very little compared to everyone I will meet through this job. My table at the diner dropped names of animators and old TV shows like it was their job. In fact, this is their job. I have met real live animators (who aren't my professors) making a living in the real live world. Or at least they are trying to. I sat silently as Dave described Cartoon Network's antics to get him to work an entire week of 10 hour days for no pay. My eyes widened as Kent complained about a company that still hadn't paid him for a job he did 2 months previously. "Are you sure you want to get into this business?" Kent jokes. I can only laugh in return and respond that I may have to rethink my options.
Finally my two passions have joined. History and animation. Now, history of animation may not be the most studied of histories, but I like to think of this term as a sort of art history course. Though the art in Popeye or Bugs bunny is not very easily seen by many people, I have found many of the animations I have come across so far to be simply marvelous. Because it may be difficult for some to discern the art in a Mighty Mouse episode, I pride myself on being one of those who can.
So next time you see a cartoon, do not write it off as simply something to keep the kids amused for a half hour at a time. If done well, it is a piece of art. For anyone who has tried their hand at animating, a cartoon always has the potential to hold that beautiful squash and stretch, that perfectly timed pause, or that impressive use of overlapping action.

Fear of Judgement

"Hello, my name is Gemma Ross. I attend Dartmouth College. Yes, that is an ivy-league. I am a Computer Science major at an ivy-league school, may I please serve popcorn?"
For some reason I find it odd that I wonder whether or not I am truly qualified to work for Starbuck's Coffee. Perhaps my course on Women's History from Antiquity to the Reformation or Discrete Mathematics in Computer Science did not prepare me for the life of a barista, but I think that, if hired, I could serve one fine cup of coffee to the addicted masses. I am afraid that I have been judged by Robek's, Starbucks, AMC, Blockbuster, and Borders, and been found wanting. If given the chance, I would show them how tasty I could make tea, how smoothly I could blend smoothies, how lovingly I could butter popcorn, how efficiently I could scan movies. God of Part-Time Jobs, let me try my hand at these, and I promise to please.
Although, I suppose it has still only been a few days, and some of the afore mentioned companies may yet get back to me. I wait in anticipation.

The Emerald of LA

Today I rediscovered the beauty of grass. Now here me out on this one! At about this time back in NH, I would be preparing myself to not see grass for several more months. I have always found Dartmouth to be an incredibly beautiful place to attend. I am proud of my brick school in the middle of the woods. But I am finding beauty in my surroundings in L.A. as well.
Everyday I drive down Temescal Canyon in the Pacific Palisades, ahead of me is a gorgeous view of the sparkling blue Pacific Ocean. Perhaps I am sprinkling too much fairy dust on Los Angeles but I can't deny that I love the Pacific. I personally haven't found an ocean to rival it. The sun here doesn't hurt either. While I know that a fresh blanket of snow makes everything gorgeous in NH despite the cold, the quality of sun in L.A. makes many things quite pretty despite the mass quantities of pavement and the abundance of cars.
Okay, back to my original topic of grass. My friends from high school, Sergio and Alicia, took me on a driving tour around LMU's campus this afternoon. I think it is lovely. With that generalization out of the way I can get onto the true details of what intrigued me about the tour: the green green grass. As the library and dorms were pointed out on my left, I could barely lift my gaze from the 3 people playing on the grass to my right. Three people? If we had this sort of grass at Dartmouth in January, you probably wouldn't be able to see the grass because of the amount of people who flocked over to enjoy it. C'mon L.A.! This is a winter paradise and most don't seem to notice.
Los Angeles is without a doubt a very exciting place to live or visit, but I believe that we have intrinsically different values. Although I will not write it off before I have tried it, I doubt a long relationship would last between us. I could list more reasons but I am getting tired plus I still want to try to keep each post to a decent length. I also don't want to sound too negative about L.A. Don't worry, I still like you.

Terrytoons

I have just discovered Terrytoons. Okay, I didn't just discover them since I have seen Mighty Mouse before and Terrytoons studio made that series. I think you understand what I mean though. They weren't exactly all over the TV when I was busy watching cartoons as a kid, so therefore, they are new to me. I think it is true shame too that my generation didn't get to grow up with them. I find them hilarious. Pretty much every cartoon has a moral (as all good cartoons do), but they get them across in brilliant ways. For example there is one cartoon, Happy Valley, which amuses me to no end. It is the story of a happy happy valley (surprise!) and they have no problem singing about how happy they are. But it wasn't always so happy according to granpa. "It was the night of the big barn dance. . ." Dissolve to a shot of everything and everyone dancing, including the trees, horses, and hens (naturally). !!Lightning strikes!! Now the villain gets a song. His name is Greed. Greed places some gold in the land and everyone in Happy Valley goes crazy and digs up their crops in search of more despite granpas warning: "Happiness and contentment are your riches! Don't be poisoned by greed!" Spring comes, but no gold and no crops! The farmers had learned their lesson that peace and contentment are the true riches in life. This is all done in a song, mind you, making it quite impressive in my opinion. What happened to the marriage between cartoons and song? I love that about the older Disney movies. There was always singing involved! Maybe I love this aspect so much because I am not a very good musician. I find it disappointing that this tradition is dying.
UPDATE! Apparently the only place you can see Terrytoons is at ASIFA-Hollywood (I don't count small clips on YouTube). Wow, I gotta make the most of that one. They aren't going to put them on DVD because I guess they don't believe they are good enough. But I beg to differ. I was also just told that I am free to make a copy of whatever I please for my reference! Man, I lucked out with this internship! So I can show some of you the wonderful singing Terrytoons.

My First Time

. . . blogging that is. Who knows if it will be interesting. As I roam into the world of blogging I find that I should set a few rules for myself. Firstly, I personally highly dislike blogs that simply detail what one has done with their day. My days are not nearly entertaining enough to justify a long post discussing what I bought at the grocery store (I have not yet gone to the grocery store, so that would be a lie anyway). Instead this shall be more my reactions to things that have occured during the day. My end goal is to keep this as fun and informative as possible. I think this is a reasonable goal because I have a friend who managed to do just that (Hi Emma!). I suppose that was really only one rule. Moving on!
Well I am in Los Angeles for my winter term. So far it has been a great 3 days. I have started my "internship" at ASIFA-Hollywood. What is ASIFA-Hollywood, you ask? Google it. No just tricking, I will tell my eager and curious audience. It is a non-profit International Animated Film Association. Yes, that is what ASIFA stands for. . . but in French so that it works out nicely. I am obviously with the Hollywood branch. We have an incredible amount of stuff here! Like the original drawings and storyboards of Ren & Stimpy, storyboards for Speedy Gonzales, drawings from Disney movies (I am looking at one from Sleeping Beauty right now Ashley), cartoons from way back in the 30s, and so much more that I can't even begin to detail all of it. My job as "intern" is to help ASIFA get a database up and running on which people all over the world can do research on animators to get their bios, some sound clips, pictures of their drawings, and their animations, of course. It seems a bit surprising that something like this does not already exist but at least it is in the works. Unfortunately there is quite a bit to be done before I can make this super incredible database. For example, a lot of backing up of things to be semi-specific. So to paint a quick picture of what I am doing right now: I am burning many DVDs that take about 15 minutes each, leaving me loads of time to play around! This is me, playing around. I would frolic about the computers but I would fear that I might harm them with my exuberant dance moves. I will settle for writing my first blog entry instead.
This is entry is turning out to be pretty long, I think I should stop. Are you still reading this? Amazing! I have a short attention span when reading things online. Perhaps this is why I insist on getting the paper version of the NYTimes. Or perhaps I just like the feeling of reading a paper from front to back and having the black ink proof of it on my fingers. I dislike the NYTimes online, I can't read it very well. I will wrap this up then. I work at ASIFA on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 1 - 9p. Odd hours I know, but it lets me avoid the LA traffic, so I will not complain. What do I do in the meanwhile, you wonder (Sorry if I keep putting questions in your mouth.)? I am looking for a job. So far I have applications to Noah's Bagels, Robek's Juice, Blockbuster, and AMC Theaters. It is a strange feeling for me to fear not being hired by AMC. Afterall, I go to a good college. . . I should be able to excel at serving popcorn, right? I hope they hire me.
Okay, I'm off! I plan to make subsequent entries shorter. (Feedback always appreciated, but make it nice. Suggested remarks are: "Gemma, what a brilliant blog!" or "Gemma, I eagerly await your next post!")