Gone to America

Just finished my first week of teaching here in New York. When I say a week, it was really just a full day on Tuesday, with a morning class on Thursday and another today. I took two different groups of students at the NYFA through their sound paces, blathering about stuff and showing cool clips on the first day, and then making withering comments about the quality of the recorded sound on their films in the second session.
It all went very well, despite the way my sunburned skin kept flaking off and forming little drifts on the floor of the classroom. I didn’t run out of things to say too often, and I’m fairly certain that most of my pronouncements were relatively accurate. Some of the students now want me to come in and do individual consultations on their projects, which will mean more money, if I ever figure out the bureaucracy.
It seems pretty dense, and if at wasn’t for Drew Bellware, my fellow sound tutor, I wouldn’t have a clue what was going on at all. I have a fuller week next week – three groups, not two – and a couple more slots at the end of the month. Perhaps some consultations in between… Dollars! Glorious dollars!
I quite enjoy teaching. It is tiring, but finding ways to explain things I haven’t needed to put into words too often is entertaining, and it’s nice to be reminded after a period of relative dormancy that I do actually know things. I haven’t completely wasted my life!

I wonder if any of the students will Google me? I handed out my card liberally. Perhaps I should offer a prize to the first one to find this site and make themselves known in the comments.

Or perhaps not.

In other news, Julian has obtained his work permit! This is huge. He’ll be working almost immediately, I assume, as he seems to have been offered a constant stream of jobs since he arrived, but none he could take up while his status was, well, let’s just say “indeterminate”.
He had his phone stolen a few days ago. A deeply traumatic event. But I’ve lent him my spare, which he’s paid to have unlocked from Cingular so he can use his T-Mobile account. It was more complicated than that, but there’s no need to go into it here. All is well, and he’s contactable at the same number again.
I’ve prevailed upon him to take a picture of me with less snow in it for the site BG, after a number of complaints about the unseasonal nature of the current image. He was quite keen, as he just attended a lecture by Annie Leibowitz. I’ll probably put it up in a day or two.

And I’ve been doing some fantasy online shopping. I’ve decided that, as well as the already mentioned Ambient Orb, which I came across when Wil Wheaton mentioned it, I really need this laptop from Alienware. I need it so I can start playing all the MMORPGs that are out there. I particularly like the look of City of Heroes.
I tend to get back into computer gaming intermittently – it’s actually been over a year since my last serious bout. I feel the itch.

I’ll be playing poker again tomorrow night. With the guys I could beat, rather than the C5 crowd. I’m developing a cold. Hopefully it won’t get too bad and interfere with my tactical vision.

And I bought myself a natty summer hat. a Shantung Panama Bogart. It’s nice and cool, but keeps the sun off my oh-too-Irish face quite efficiently.

That’s all. Well, not quite all, but this post is already much longer than I had intended. I apologise.