Tumblr!

http://davidvick.tumblr.com

My posts here should start importing over to that address in an hour or so. It's nice, feels like I'm Web 2.0 or some shit.


--D

Something, AGAIN!

It's too damn boring in this computer lab. It's an easy job, but man I'd rather be doing something like walking around or whatever. Least the people here are chill as fuck and nice. Better than being one of those Desk Assistants in the dorms.

Speaking of dorms, I was reading my D&D Monster Manual 3rd Edition on the shitter today and I remembered about the two groups I had a chance to play D&D with. I was DM for one of them (a really shitty DM) that got carried away with power. That fucking game sounded like an episode of the Power Rangers. And by all intents and purposes, it could have been. And it would have been better written than any of them. Except for the Green Ranger Saga; that shit was baller.

I ran a PC in the other one. That shit was fun because these guys knew what the fuck was up and were pretty cool. The DM was a tricksy hobbitses though. He kept setting up traps for us in this tower with 5-7 levels of bullshit, but at least the ending of that session was killer since we faced off against a skeleton army. That situation seems daunting when you're a few beers in and just going with the game.

It would be nice to get back to that shit, maybe try out the 4th edition stuff with some Shacknews fellers at QuakeCon. That is, if we aren't blasted drunk.


Tommy was the best,

--D

Blog Entry Number... Something

Fuck it all if I even attempt to update this blog regularly. I think it's about time I try to write for myself instead of thinking about who is reading this damn thing.

That whole mentality started when I sent a link to one of my old ones to this monstrous whale of a woman who just was the epitome of smugness. Yes, you buy clothes that complement your figure. Too bad your figure complements a buffet.

I sent this bitch a link to my blog a while ago and she's all "This blog is pretty self-centered."

...

NO SHIT.

That's like her giving me a sandwich and me saying, "Oh this has items in between bread." Not a likely situation in her case, but it's an example.

Yet, due to my gullibility and eagerness to please people, I followed her advice. Enough of that though, I'm writing this blog exclusively for myself, which is how it should be. The "epiphany" posts will be few and far between now, so expect more of my natural charm, wit, and raunchiness to come through in spades.

Regards,

--D


P.S. Oh and check this shit out when the website works. It's a fun game. www.brokenpicturetelephone.com

Boredom at the Computer Lab

So things have become ever so stressful after graduation, which was to be expected I guess. The whole situation right now with the economy has left me scrambling to find a decent job other than here in the computer lab. While Capoeira and the stage combat class keep me motivated and hopeful, I remain determined to find a decent job while I continue the film and theater life I have laid out for myself.

I've had one audition this past weekend and another is lined up for this next one, so I'm excited for them. The grad school application is about 60% done, and I should be able to get part of it in by Friday. The rest of it involves the Grad School department of the whole university and the GRE test (which I can't afford now)... so I guess I'm screwed in that matter. Well, looks like I'll have to wait to take grad school next year.

That's it for now.

--David

Nervousness

It's a strange beast. It can go away for a few seconds, but it's always there in the pit of your stomach. Finding a justification to feel or not feel that way doesn't take it all away.

It's an audition I have tonight for Rosencranz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a workshop play being produced at the University of Arizona. Though I have only spoke the words of Shakespeare on two separate occasions (both monologues), that doesn't help with the nervousness expected during an audition. I'm fully confident that I know the words and have some (barely justifiable) blocking, but that nervousness in the pit of my stomach rattles me. Hopefully my new found focus will pull me through the endeavour. That and a bit of support from fellow actors and friends.

I just don't want a huge part in that play. I'd rather be one of the characters from the Shakespeare play than Rosencranz or Guildenstern. If I had more time, then I wouldn't care as much. Things will work out in the end though.

Ironically, I'm not nervous about the auditions for the Media Arts Student Films this Friday. In fact, they'll be a cakewalk compared to tonight. We'll see though.

--D

New Site

I finally registered www.davidvick.com for my acting resume.  Feel free to check it out and swing me an e-mail at david (AT) davidvick.com.

--D

Thoughts on Capoeira

This will be cross-posted among my various internet profiles, so bear with me if this is repeated.

When I first started capoeira, there were many different voices saying many different ways of doing the same thing. It was confusing to people who had just begun, including myself. I was told not to think, but do. In spite of that advice, I thought more about the movements and what they meant, not only in the roda, but to myself as well. Perhaps I thought about it more than my peers, but that is how I have done things and will continue to do with other endeavours. This will, ideally, lead to minor realizations as I continue my practice of this art.

As much as it is emphasized in capoeira that training with a group, even if it's a group of only two, is best, there is a part of capoeira that is internal. Capoeira is a martial art and dance, so the personal exploration of each of those categories is very much present in capoeira. In fact, it is almost essential to the nature of the jogo.

Many times, from the time I began training to the writing of these words, I have seen students go from group to group, teacher to teacher. This is understandable for those that are just beginning. Schools have varying personalities. With students who have trained for longer periods, though, it is confusing. While one teacher demonstrates a movement in one fashion, another could show the same move explained differently. In the meantime, you're forced to adapt to their teaching style and their explanations, potentially hindering training beyond the classes or workshops.

A great student reaches beyond the boundaries established by the instructor to develop their vocabulary in capoeira while always having that "home" to return to if one gets lost. Going from teacher to teacher training for long periods of time is like moving from one country to another, but still thinking you're in the first country. How can you explore what's beyond the borders if the borders keep moving?

Any one, capoeirista or not, can learn the movements. To not think about where and when they can be used is to walk blindly into a roda, confused as to their significance to everyone and yourself. Of course, a student can learn and become a great capoeirista alone, but without guidance, knowledge, and-above all-respect, progress will become slow or stagnant.

It is only now, after three to four years of practice as of writing this, that I have grown a taste for discovery beyond what I have been taught. My boundaries and base are solidified and my will to push forward is increasing exponentially. My passion for the game is growing; my thirst for expression must be satisfied. This would not have been possible were it not for Capoeira Mandinga.

I owe a great deal to this group that I want to thrive because everyone on my path through this maze of movement and music has given me something that I will treasure. I owe it to Mestre Marcelo and Luar do Sertao for having a family that I can feel at home with, even when far away from my own. More importantly, I find the will and strength to do what I do not just for my instructor, or my mestre, or even the group. I do it for Capoeira in its entirety, and that gives me hope.

--Feiticeiro