Happy New Year!!!

May 2007 bring peace, joy and success!! (and good music, good movies, good concerts...etc etc etc) Speaking of good movies, finally saw Happy Feet... LOVED it.

Said it for a while...

#1 at the box office?

Happy Feet.

Always back to the basics...

I was struggling with a bit of work last week and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why on earth it wasn't "working"... I liked the timing, the spacing was good... but something was wrong... it felt wrong. So I left the scene on stand by for a couple days (it's always good to keep your eyes fresh).

When I went back to it I figured out why. And yet again, I had to slap myself in the forehead. I wasn't paying attention to the rules. I got caught up in the details and forgot the structure. My contact poses were not hitting on a straight. Bah!

So today's reminder is... legs always hit contact positions on a straight...
Gotta love animation.

mau.

Oooohh Yeah!

Their 3rd album is coming!

It's a happy happy day!!

Clicky

mau

Pretty in Pink

Kim and I volunteered as crew for the 2006 Avon Breast Cancer Walk. We will be part of the Gear and Tent Team. It's pretty exciting and I'm really looking forward to it! Even though we start tomorrow at about 5am and pretty much don't stop until Sunday night. Definitely worth it though. Hopefully there will be time to snap some pics.

mau.

Do Not Forget

Never forget.

James Baxter Rough Animation

This is some of the work of my teacher's teacher.

!!



mau

This is awesome!

clicky

mau.

I've been saying it all along...

This movie is going to be amazing~!

Happy Feet

Go check Trailer #3

mau.

Oh man...

This is hillarious



thx JKrew

One of the things that's been keeping me busy

www.mauriciovasquez.net

It's not too fancy, but I'm happy... for now.
Besides that, que calor!!

mau.

VAMOS VAAAMOS!!!

Argentinaaaaa!!!

6-0!!!

Japan - Australia

What a Game!!!

Australia scored 3 goals in the last 6 minutes!!!

amazing.

mau.

CARS

Movies like this remind me why I love my career so so much. Pixar hasn't lost it's touch! Not to be a fan boy but they are as great as ever!! And One Man Band was amazing too!!

Go see CARS!!

Now!!

Go!!!!!

mau.

Temescal Canyon - Pacific Palisades -

Kim and I went for a really cool hike yesterday morning at Temescal in The Palisades. Click on the picture to check out the album!

If you live in LA you HAVE to do this one. It's by far the coolest one we've done so far. We did the Ridge Trail, which is mostly uphill and quiet long. But the views were worth the trip.

Check the pics!!

mau

Long week!

This last week and a half has been long. I took up on some extra (and welcomed) work. I don't think I'm allowed to talk about the projects but they were cool. Plus going back to Shadedbox for a bit was nice. Catch up with the guys and get some good work done.

Besides that, I'll have a couple more posts in a few days. I am still dealing with some unfinished work. In the meantime, Argentina won it's first match!!! Not the most impressive 2nd half I've seen, but a win non the less!

mau.

In my humble opinion...

First of all, you can never...EVER, trust critics. In particular, movie critics. I am sure there are 20 billion arguments that could be presented and argued in their favor, based on god knows what. In any case, experience dictates that I just don't necessarily see movies the way they do. So yes, I don't trust critics because I like to be able to create my own, non-biased opinion. I'm entitled to my opinion after all. And it just happened again tonight with "The Code".

I am not a conspiracy fanatic, as a matter of fact; I try really hard not to be a fanatic about anything. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I succeed. The reason I liked The DaVinci Code, was not because I necessarily believe that this fiction is plausible. I liked the book because it was a good read. It entertained me, quiet a bit. Did it spark a doubt in my mind about the veracity of its plot? Well... maybe it made me wonder a thing or 2, but I am not willing to change my views solely based on the fictional work of a relatively new author.

The movie, in my humble opinion, is a really good depiction of the book. The book is not a thriller by a long shot. The book, as I recall it, is pretty much a succession of events. Plain and simple. The cool factor is the meticulously woven plot. And the movie, in my eyes, delivered just that.

Many things can be argued about this book, its subject and the movie. I am for now just saying that I (again) do not agree with critics. I liked it. I thought it was true to the book. Maybe one of the very few films in the last few years able to honor a book, just like LOTR's did (to a whole different extent of course).

Do I have an opinion about the ridiculous and boisterous religious reactions to the movie? (not only from roman catholics, but from organized religious institutions in general) Of course I do, I think it's just that. Ridiculous. Why blow up a movie into such a big deal? What's all the fuss about? It's a F I C T I O N!!!! Geez.... Sometimes you really need to pick your battles people...

Being offended by every single thing that crosses your path or contradicts you in any way is such a waste of time... It almost makes it look like you suffer from an inferiority/paranoid complex of some kind... Unless of course, you are complaining because the "fiction" rings a bit too much like a possible truth... I guess we will never know.

mau

Unexpected Visitors

California's wildlife still amazes me. These 2 were right outside my apt. today... chilling in the courtyard.

Jewelboxing

Now here's an excellent resource for anybody interested in putting together an awesome dvd or cd package, portfolio or gift! Not badly priced either!

Check jewelboxing for more!

mau.

A Hike in the Wilderness

StoneyPointPark006
Originally uploaded by mau2112.

Kim and I went to Stoney Point Park yesterday for a nice 2 hour hike.

Check the pics!

mau

Well lookie lookie

Now those are some sweet sweet shoes if you ask me :P

I love kimmie :)

Oh yeah, I got the flickr badge working, there are some nice pics from the Gilmour concert there. Check them out!

mau.

Oh the Joy!!!

That my friends, is David Gilmour. I had lost all hope of ever seeing him (or Pink Floyd really...) perform live. By far, this was probably the best concert I have ever been to. I think it even surpased seeing RUSH live for the first time. It was THAT good. He sounds just like he did 30 years (+) ago. Amazing comand of the stage, he brought the house down more than once... For me, Wish You Were Here did it. For my friend Yves (he went with me) it was Comfortably Numb.

Even though he did not play as many songs from PF as I wish he had, it was still a treat. Just as it was to see Richard Wright "tickle the ivories" . Even Crosby and Nash (yes...I know) came on stage.

What an amazing night. I am still geeking about it!

I will start a flicker account and I will upload more pics fromm the concert.

mau.

Books

Monique definitely has a click for recomending books I will like. I finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being a couple days ago. It's an unbelivably good read. Although I am not sure if I truly grasped the whole of the book in one go (probably not...) I was quiet moved by the ease and control Milan Kundera shows throughout the novel.

Here's a couple bits that caught my eye and made me drift for a while... It is when I read these that I find myself truly lost in a book. Just too good:

"...It is wrong, then, to chide a novel for being fascinated by mysterious coincidences, but it is right to chide man for beign blind to such coincidences in his daily life. For he thereby deprieves his life of a dimension of beauty..."

"...I have said before that metaphors are dangerous. Love begins with a metaphor. Which is to say, love begins at the point when a woman enters her first word into our poetic memory..."

After finishing the book, I decided to go for a change of pace. So I read The Tale of Despereaux, a really nice children's book by kate DiCamillo. The change of pace really made me appreciate the simple, yet fun approach of Despereaux. A nice little book. No more than a day or two to finish it.

Right now I am trying to decide what to read next. I have a couple books on the shelf... I should make up my mind tonight....

mau.

The Importance of Being Well Rounded

In the last couple days, I have come to realize that I've gotten a bit burned out from using all my spare time to read books about animation, or about Maya or Mel... Having said this, I should say that I am definitely not burned out about animation. It's just that... well... it's a bit too much.

A couple of days ago I woke up to a really pleasant surprise. 2 very close friends (they both live in other countries) were online and the 3 of us chatted for a good couple hours. Mainly catching up, wondering how our lives were going. The point of this is that, besides greatly enjoying our conversations, they really opened my eyes to a lot of things. Each in their own unique way, since one is an illustrator and the other one is a photographer. And both thumpin good I shall add!!

I started my post grad with them and I got exposed to a lot of new and fascinating things while I enjoyed their company. Mainly the wonders of illustration, the true depthness of fine art and the incredible subtleties of being able to discuss a book thouroughly. All of these with nothing more than maybe a good glass of wine or a strong cup of coffee. Many, many wonderful memories from those few months we shared.

That conversation got me thinking. "...I haven't read a good book in a while..., ...I haven't found a new graphic novel in a while..., ...I haven't painted in a while..." So of course, something clicked. I need a brake. I need to really take advantage of my scarce free time. So for the last couple days I have been reading, catching up on some movies. I still have to pick up the brushes and pencils. But I have time.. So it's all good.

The real importance of all this is that, not only do I do it because it brings me personal satisfaction, but because I truly think that all these different disciplines of art bring new perspectives to my work and to my way of seeing things. These are the tools that really round you up. They really make you a better artist. The exposure, the thought process, the variety.

It feels great to pick up all these wonderful books. I shall list some I have read & some I want to read. But right now, I'm off to the movies :P!

mau.

Nifty Trick

[EDIT]
03-23-06
I discovered i typo in the code (fixed!)

Here's a nice trick for maya users. A bit of code to create a tear-off channel box. Compliments of JamesTHP from JAHD. I just modified it a bit.

You can turn it into a shelf button:

select -cl;
window;
formLayout form;
channelBox myChannelBox;
formLayout -e
-af myChannelBox "top" 0
-af myChannelBox "left" 0
-af myChannelBox "right" 0
-af myChannelBox "bottom" 0
form;
showWindow;

Very handy for saving some screen space!

mau.

Pandora

Finally found the time to add the Pandora link on the blog. Check them out! You are guaranteed to find at least a new band you'll love!!

Pandora

mau.

Traveling

I love to travel. As a matter of fact, I travel every time I have the chance to. Although I have been limited with the options in the last couple years, the near future looks exciting with some oportunities shaping up quiet nicely!

So far, this year the idea is to make it to Boston for Siggraph. Then back to Savannah (after almost 5 years...) to visit a really good friend of mine who just moved back there. Then there's 2007's plans to go to Japan and to Australia (Perth and probably Sydney).

This year is shaping up nicely. There should be plenty of pictures coming up! And hopefully more than a post every 2 months :P!

mau.

More Happy Feet Goodness!

This is some seriously cute stuff!!

mau.