We just finished the run of our annual Dance Concert. It has gotten some press even. It was mentioned in the Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Roanoke Times. Mainly for the choice of having a live online commentary to accompany the performance. There was a student posting tidbits of info about the dances here.

It raises the question, in this modern day and age, do people prefer to do multiple things at once? Right now are you listening to musics while checking the internet or have the TV on? Are people interested in doing just one thing at a time? When you are watching something like dance where there isn’t a strict narrative, would having some background be helpful? IS this progress? Having a live performance be like pop up videos? Giving factoids about the pieces? Having the director tell us what to look for?

Are we supposed to accept that what they say is the right answer? If they did their job correctly should the audience just know what the play or dance is about? How much of art is left up to the beholder/audience? Won’t each person find their own individual meaning? Taking in backgrounds and cultural norms there will be a lot of overlap to the meaning that people take from a piece of art. But isn’t art about both individual expression and individual interpretation? Is this twittering just homogenization of interpretation? People may not feel comfortable unless they are told the right answer, but maybe they should figure it out.

On their own. ;)

I wish I had a more time to post something to the blog but I haven’t and again and I think it’s the to diffusion of attention from many different things. Things that I should be paying attention to, family and things like that, and things that I shouldn’t pay so much attention to * Ahem* Internet *Ahem*.

And so I am about halfway through the year. Last term I was stressed about teaching and doing everything. I don’t think my class turned out as good as it could of. This term I’m teaching a class, but this time I don’t feel stressed about it. Possibly because I have taught this a lot before.

What I’m really focusing on now is balance. Not worrying about getting everything administratively because it will get done. Focusing on being at home when I am at home (keeping my head from drifting to work issues) On the weekend I’m not going to check email that might be work email, just doesn’t get checked and that is ok.

We also have a kid sick at home, like Arden is tonight, it is keeping us awake a little and bites into your available time don’t you know.

I have been wishing I had a little time to do with the fun things that I want work on. But I guess I got to do the unfun things first, like the administrative emails and such before I get to do fun stuff like design things and making things.

Speaking of making things, having a a 3d printer at home has been really interesting for a person that makes digital designs. I’ll try out an idea for something on the computer, and then get printing on the 3d printer and see how it works. It is really something to see, watching that object being built up layer by layer. The only problem is that I have a misprint ever 3rd time still. Being a kit I made myself and comparing the cost to other 3d printers I can’t complain.

Why is it that today people can’t work together? Admittedly I wasn’t paying attention much back in the 80’s or 90’s, but why is it about posturing now? Politicians constant campaign, focussing on reelection takes the eyes off the goal. The goal of being in the government is to take care of the needs of the country and its people. Now there is always debate on what the government should take care of, but that is the essence.

Now new media has given everyone a voice, but that seems to be causing everyone to listen to what they agree with. The founding father created a system s checks and balances. One where the few or the one do not get decide for the many. Our government has evolved since then, those checks and balances have changed but are still there for the most part. What these checks and balances do is force compromise to accomplish anything. So compromise is part of the design of the founding fathers, as much as in God we trust.

The problem with America is that we don’t support activities that deal with compromise positively. Our culture is based on machismo, capitalism, and individualism. America’s focus on sports reflects that. Sports don’t like compromise, they prefer competition. Competition is the opposite of working together.

Compromise is part of working together for a common goal, it is a part of theatre. Maybe the country would be working better if arts were mandatory instead of PE. What do you think?

It has been a long time since I have posted anything substantial here. Mostly it has been quick little things. Well, I have found it hard to find a balance between the demands of work and family and then to find time to do those things that are categorized as ‘extras’ in my brain. Perhaps this is indicative of the modern times, with things like Facebook and Twitter the need or desire to express opinions or thoughts is diluted. There is no built up need to express thoughts on family or whatever. That plus my usual web surfing seems to have killed my blogging.

It has really hit home that my ratio of content consumption to content creation is out of whack. I am not producing as much as I want to. THis has been running on the back of my brain for a while now. So what I am thinking is I need to a jump start my creative side, and get it out of the rut I am in

What I think is that if there is something you want to change, then change it. Questioning or excuses are just inertia. So I am setting the bar higher for 2010. I need to be making more, whether it’s blog posts, podcast episodes, designing things, or doing crafts with my kids. I am going to say to myself is there something I want to create before I sit down to watch TV or open up the web.

I can already see this will get hard when I spend all day doing email and misc administrative stuff during the day. I will just want to veg out. But I am going to try and step back an see what will really give me value and happiness. You can already see this is not a new year’s resolution, It is more of a recurring reminder to myself. I don’t want to make a promise I will feel bad for not keeping, I need some encouragement.