AHT

Last week, I went on Southern Adventist University's Adventist Heritage Tour. The real reason was that I just wanted an hour of credit. However, now that I'm looking back on it, the tour turned out to be the absolute best part of my entire semester. The long hours in a bus were great (I love road trips and prolonged travel of any kind), the sites were gorgeous, and (most importantly) the people were amazing. We had a busload of 42 peeps, and I honestly loved everyone. We all pulled together into such an awesome group, and I made some incredible new friends and ratified some already existing acquaintances. All in all, I think SAU's Adventist Heritage Tour is an event that should be experienced by everyone.

I'm Alive!

Over the past week.5, I have been across a continent, to a wedding, making new friends, eating well, moving residences, attempting productivity, and grappling with the myseries of life. After all, that's what the summer is for, right?

Salad Opinions

This past weekend, I drove down to Oliver, British Columbia to celebrate the birthday of a close friend. While there, I partook of a potluck feast put on by my friend's relatives and church members.

I had just finished a heaping plate of provisions, and was returning for more. As I reached for a few more scoops of luscious taco salad, a nice elderly lady started talking to me. It went something like this:

Lady: Where are you from?
Me: Kelowna.
Lady: What's your name?
Me: Tyler Quiring.
Lady: Tyler Kwyee?
Me: Quiring.
Lady: How old are you? 20? 25?
Me: Yeah, 20.
Lady: You must be married then.
Me: No, not yet.
Lady: Well you should come to the Oliver church, you'd find yourself a treasure.
Me: Yeah, who knows?

The lady then turned from me to a young woman, and had this conversation:

Old Lady: What was your name again?
Young Lady: Nina.
Old Lady: What is that short for?
Nina: (Said the name, which I forget).
Old Lady: Well that's a fitting name for such a cute girl.
Nina: Thank you, you're very sweet.
Old Lady (to both of us): Well have more food. These are beautiful salads, and there's plenty left.

Then the lady moved on to speak with other people.

The End.

Life in a Manila Folder

My life over the past 2 years can basically be summed up with the below image:


It's a file I have been working on laboriously for the past three summers, in a program that looks like this:



I am building and managing a digital catalog of cabinets at the cabinet factory where I work, and I can honestly say that my very life is sealed away inside that zip file. The project is now coming to an end and I'm wrapping things up, but it's quite sobering to know that so much of my time and energy can be contained in such a small thing. Oh well, it's on to something else now I guess.

A Film of Mixed Things

I have this sweet idea for a film that I want to do this next year at college:

I want to make a film over the next several months, based on my favorite album The Winter of Mixed Drinks by Frightened Rabbit. I am envisioning a collection of 12 short films following the natural progression of the album, and using the album as the soundtrack. It would probably end up at around 45 minutes long (the length of the album), and have a loosely held yet overarching plot linking the individual films together. All I have right now is a very loose working idea, but if you would like to help in any way on one or all of the films (nudge nudge, my art and film school friends), then hit me up on Facebook or email, or comment below, and we can talk about it:

Facebook: facebook.com/quiring
Email: tdq101@gmail.com

P.S. I know this is probably illegal, but I'd like to know if it is possible before worrying about that.

Video Video Video Time

I recently bought a video camera, and brought it with me last week on my vacation to Fairmont, British Columbia. While there, I had plenty of time to play around with it, and tried my hand at my first real time lapse. I set the camera down and let it record the sky until my tape ran out, and then sped up the footage so that 40 minutes was compressed into 20 seconds. That's the first shot in the following video, and the rest is comprised of other, shorter time lapses and miscellaneous shots off the patio of the villa where I was staying. Watch:

The Five

Here are my 5 favorite things in the whole world:

1. Friendship

2. Wind

3. Mountains

4. Music

5. Lying in sun-dappled areas of the living room floor on a lazy weekend afternoon.

And now you know.

Lymbyc Systym vs. NASA

I was inspired some time ago by the Apollo documentary "In the Shadow of the Moon." I have since wanted to produce some small tribute to this great masterpiece of a film by using public domain footage made available by NASA. The only problem, however, was that until recently I hadn't found music that I felt could lend credence to the narrative complexities that lie within this subject matter. Enter Lymbyc Systym, one of my new favorite bands. They create masterful works of alternative instrumental art. I knew when I heard the song "Teddy" off their latest album Shutter Release that I had struck gold and simply had to make something Tyler-style out of it. I chose to link the two together because I feel that the thematic overtones support each other well, and that the two pieces work together in a uniquely complementary way. So, without further ado, here is Lymbyc Systym vs. NASA:

Favorite Eateries

I like eating food. Here are a few of my favorite places to consume nutritious heaps of sustenance:






















And lastly, my mother's kitchen.

Flight

Lately, I've started taking flying lessons in this plane:
















Photo by Glenda Quiring

Anyhow, I was supposed to go up today for my third lesson, but I called my instructor right before I left and he said the weather was too bad. Boo hoo.

Interesting...

Google Analytics is a wonderful thing. I've been tracking all my blogs with Analytics, and I get to see how often people visit my pages, where the visits come from, and what means people use to find my stuff. The interesting thing is that about a third of my traffic comes from the Canadian town of Whistler. Granted, I really don't have much traffic to speak of, so I'm guessing it's the same person each time. I don't even think I know anyone from Whistler, or why someone from there would be so intent on what I have to share, but I am interested. Dear Whistler friend, if you should so desire, shoot me a line sometime. I believe my email is readily accessible from this page somewhere. Or, you could just hit me up with a comment. Either way, I'd like to know who you are. Whether I already know you or you are a total stranger to me, it's nice to having someone reading the things you write. And with that, I'm gone.

BTW, check out using Analytics for your sites here.

Food

I'm trying to be healthier. I bough an app for my iPod Touch that lets you track your food and water intake, weight, and exercise, and I'm using it. I'm also trying to get more sleep than I did this past school year (ha!). It's pretty ok, because I feel better when I eat good, real food at lunchtime at work, and then I have nice suppers that are made well and consist of good foods. I just need to get way more active. Good thing I have sisters that like doing fun stuff! While I was driving to work today, this one girl on a bike didn't know whether to go behind me or in front of me to cross the street, so she just waited while I turned left at my leisure. I felt like a jerk.

"Daily" Ty???

I guess it's been several months since I've posted. Whatever. I've been busy doing awesome things, like:

1. Being Director of Photography for a film.
2. Passing my classes.
3. Being a resident assistant in the Men's Residence Hall at my University.
4. Playing in multiple bands.
5. Partnering with Luther Whiting to produce a promo for Noshaq, Inc.
6. Driving back from school for the summer.
7. Finally getting some reading in.
8. Working during this summer.
9. Living life to the fullest.
10. And, on Sunday, I'm going fishing.