North Central College Media 200 Class

      More green for these pages! Once again, kind of just messing around with some  character designs and outfits. When I don't know what to draw I pretty much default to pretty girl in nice outfit. I added some leaves in green pen to fill in some blank space though. The drawing in the center of the right page is of me actually, I just liked my outfit that day.      This is my last post! So, bye!

      This page is also not super complicated, just some doodles. But I really like the one on the bottom. The pose just turned out really well. In the center I was doing some character concepts of a Dungeons and Dragons character.      But that's all for this one. Just a nice green doodle page, bye!

      Today's page is mostly doodle-y. I just finished a really big drawing project, so I'm kind of all out of creativity. But I Like this page regardless! Theres some of my characters in winter gear, some of my current moods and some different styles I've tried. I wanted to try out a simpler style for animating, since that's what I what to go into. Figured an easier style would make my life easier.       There's not really much to say about this so bye!    

Daily Blog 10 Last One! We are finally done with blogs, it’s a bittersweet moment because of the fact it means I’m close to ending this semester. I just finished my teacher evaluations which is always good to do. My first college semester is a roller coaster that I just hopes to get better as I move towards finals then to break. I can’t say college is easy, but I can say it’s worth it just because of the stuff I learned so far that you’re going to have ups and downs in life while you’re in school along with separation from your family and friends. You just must stay focused on the goal at task, which is graduating, when I did my evaluation on the teachers it really helps me realize all the new stuff I learned in since I been here. I know I have a big future ahead of myself and a strong support system behind me. As I finish up these last two weeks and finals wish me luck ! 

Some of my favorite videos to watch and make are montages. They're pretty easy to make, which is a bonus, but I've always loved making them. I tend to make them when I go somewhere exciting (and have enough footage to edit with). I made one as a "recap" of my freshman year of college and it was short, but I do liked how it turned out.  Another one I made was of one of my friends. It was his birthday in April and part of his birthday gift was a video of all the crazy/funny memories we've made with the videos I have. It did end up making him cry so think I did a pretty good job. 

Fall isn't my favorite season, but it's definitely one of my favorite seasons to shoot in. I love seeing the trees change colors because it's very visually pleasing to me.  Last October two of my friends and I were bored on a Sunday afternoon when I told them about my camera, and they agreed we should go walk around the neighborhood and take pictures. I was still getting to know my camera, but I loved how some of the pictures turned out. I ended up making some my lock screen, and so did my friend.  In front of the stadium Enjoying the walk Gazebo on the riverwalk Trees in the neighborhood 

 First thing's first: DON'T SKIP LEG DAY. PITCHERS USE THEIR LEGS. Much like my blog about upper body lifting, I divide these lifts up into Power and Speed days, with workouts provided by Bill Miller (@billmillertraining on IG). I'll set up a template leg day workout I plan on using soon, both a Power and Speed workout.  Again, Power days are about moving ad controlling heavy weight, while Speed days are about moving as fast as possible with the help of a bar sensor. It's important to note that I don't believe pitchers should wear belts, as the spine needs to be as rotational as possible while pitching. If that's the case, it makes no sense to limit spinal mobility while lifting. Template Power Day: EMPHASIZE MOBILITY Plyometric Warmup Jumps DB Vertical Jumps 4x3 DB Contrast Split Stance Jumps 4x3 DB Skater Jumps 4x3 SSB Reverse Lunges 5x4/leg DB Forward Lunges 5x5/leg DB Lateral Squats 3x8 Template Speed Day: EMPHASIZE MOBILITY Plyometric Warmup Jumps DB Vertic...

The most important thing to know is that lifting for baseball is not the same as lifting for bodybuilding or aesthetics. Lifting for baseball should focus on the ultimate goal of improving aspects of the game, not having the biggest muscles out of your friend group. That being said, upper body lifting should be separated into two components: Power and Speed.  I've turned my Power days into typical gym lifting . Heavy bench press, an emphasis on strengthening my shoulders and back, as well as my forearm grip strength. My Speed days are focused around moving lighter weight as fast as possible with a bar sensor. Bar sensors give immediate feedback as to how fast a rep was performed (i.e. I benched 135 lbs at a speed of 0.97m/s). I will also use these days to do a lot of medball workouts .  A typical Power day for me would be something along the lines of this, as provided by Bill Miller (@billmillertraining on IG): Plyometric Pushups 4x5 BB Bench Warmup, 5x4 @ 225lbs BB SA Landmin...

Daily Blog 9  Hello, its Nick here, my break was amazing. I got to spend time with my family for my birthday, and I also surprised my mom when I showed up. We celebrated Thanksgiving at a hall this year which was great because I got to see all my family at the same time. I was happy to eat real food because I was getting tired of K man. I almost wanted to stay home and go virtual for school, but that wasn’t an option. I ended up having to be at the airport at four am to get to my first class on time which was hard of course. With finals and stuff coming up I knew I couldn’t afford to miss any classes especially in my accounting class. I’m just trying to say focused on the bigger task at hand but in all honesty, I can’t wait until I’m home. Thanks for listening to my thoughts. 

      This is part two of my characters! On the left is Abbigale Woods, Dianna's little sister. and on the right is Blitz, a friend of hers. Abby is 17 and a junior in high school. She is very energetic and friendly as well as caring when it comes to her friends and family. Blitz is a bit  mysterious. She doesn't share much a about herself or her past, but has a cocky and flirtatious personality.     I really like the way these came out. I feel like their outfits and faces really suit them. I had a little bit of trouble with Abby, since I wanted her to look relate to her sister ( Obviously) but not a clone of  her. I hope I succeed. Blitz was way easier to visualize, since I had a pretty clear vision of her in my mind.  That as all for this one! Let me know what you think!

          This week's post is part one of two. I was working on some more detailed portraits of my characters. I plan to make a comic with them, so I wanted to be sure of their features and that they all look different from each other.      On the right is Dianna Woods, 20 ( The left side is just some doodles). She is one of the main characters. In the story, she takes in her younger sister (Who you will see later) after the death of their father. She is a pretty serious person, and doesn't say more than she has to.      Thats all for this one. See you next time for the other main characters :)

  Coffee at Home I don't know about you but I am someone who has to have a cup of coffee every morning or I get a headache. Let's be honest, if I could grab a Starbucks everyday, I would. But we all know that can add up and really break the bank. So I have found some products that makes making coffee at home fun! The first product is perfect for coffee or tea. T hese mugs are doubled insulated and really do a great job of keeping my coffee and tea hotter for longer periods of time. . These mugs are a game changer. Now I can brew a coffee, hop in the shower, do my makeup, and come back to a coffee or tea that feels like it was just poured a minute ago. These mugs are also very aesthetic looking and look great in any house or apartment. The other product on my coffee bar is a milk frother. This is a great tool to use whenever you want your creamer mixed in your coffee or whenever you want to create foam on top. I also like to add collagen in my creamer to make it extra frothy. I...

Everyone’s heard of the Big 3 computer operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux, and in my last article, I showed how to install one using a Virtual Machine like VirtualBox. But you likely never had to install one from scratch before. Here’s how! Installing Operating Systems  Lets say you found a computer that got corrupted by viruses, or maybe someone deleted an important file, and you can no longer get to that Windows Startup screen. Here’s how you install Windows or Linux from ‘nothing’. You will need: A second computer ( not needed if target computer works fine) A flash drive (I recommend at least 10GB) Software to ‘create a bootable USB’ like Rufus or Ventoy (I use this) or U N etbootin A Windows 10 (or whatever version) ISO: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO   Step 1. Getting the ISO The first step is to install that ISO file on your working computer. Whether you are installing ...

Windows, Mac, Linux; everyone has heard of these Operating Systems (OS). But you probably only have one of these on your computer. Have you ever wanted to try out another OS, without buying a new computer? That is where a Virtual Machine comes in – a virtual computer that allows you to install any OS and do whatever. Installing a Virtual OS   Installing a Virtual Machine (VM) is just as easy as installing Zoom or Firefox; you just pick one you want, head over to the website and install. There are quite of few VMs out there , but what I use, (and what is free) is VirtualBox by Oracle. It can be installed on any OS, and can be used to i nstall any OS . To install Windows or Linux or Mac, you have to think of a computer as: the device (hardware) + everything it runs (software). The OS is software, so every time any computer starts, there is a moment when the operating system is selected from a file, just like how you have to find Zoom to run it. So a computer starts, looks fo...

In later articles I will be talking about flash drives and computer operating systems, so I decided to make some important distinctions between Flash Drives & Hard Drives.          Flash Drives & Hard Drives Flash Drives Flash Drives, aka USB drives or thumb drives, are small, thumb-sized storage devices that can plug into the USB port of just about any device with one. They are now also making USB-C Drives that serve the same purpose as well, with many computers doing away with the standard USB port.  They come in sizes as small as 5 to 8GB (21$ for 10 of them on amazon), all the way to 1 Terabyte for hundreds of dollars. The SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe (1TB) USB-C drive is about $155 apparently.  Largest Flash Drives: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/largest-flash-drives/ But anyway, their main usage is storage and file transfer, and are very useful for making and storing backups of important information...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 11/28/2021 Blog Ten      The Game                It’s game time, you are fully stretched and ready to go. You’re watching the opposing pitcher warm up and getting mentally ready. You’re looking at your cleats, looking at your mitt, and possible putting gum or seeds in before you go hit the field. The coach comes back from the coin toss and has this big smile on his face. It’s game time! All your hard work has paid off and you’re ready to go. All those times you had to sacrifice with friends, family, and having fun so this moment you can be ready to show your best. Forget about everything going on and just play the game. You’re playing the best game on earth, show your energy and no matter what happens have a smile on your face.           T hank you for reading all ten of my blogs and hopefully you can take away some skills and me...

  Lifestyle: Upgrade Your Bedroom   After a long, stressful day, all I can think about is climbing into bed and relaxing. Here are some things to make your bedroom cute and cozy. First, I highly recommend the classic Barefoot Dreams blanket . This blanket is a bit more expensive than your regular blanket but it’s worth every penny. These blankets are the softest blankets I have ever felt! The next way to ensure your bedroom is the coziest it can be is making sure it smells good. I personally will have candles on my nightstand at night when I'm relaxing and during the day I prefer to have my oil defuser going. You can use several different scents such as lavender and eucalyptus. Also, it is really easy to use and can make any room in your house or apartment smell amazing. Also, there is something about having a cute nightstand that just helps me sleep better at night. I like to stack these designer books on my nightstand and then place a candle on top of them. You can...

  The Power of Journaling There is no better way to release stress, reflect on life, and just check-in with yourself more than journaling. This is especially true in the times we are living in. There is no right or wrong way to journal and there are so many journals out there that have their own unique purpose and format and my favorites are: The 5 Minute Journal is perfect for people looking to incorporate more positivity and gratitude into their daily lives with guided exercises and entries. Le t That Sh*t Go   is the journal for anyone looking to take out any stress or frustration in a fun way that will lead to more positive and mindful thinking.  Burn After Writing is a very popular journal that acts similarly to a diary but is filled with prompts that promotes self-reflection. The Best Journal Ever is a blank slate journal perfect for those looking for a place to vent and get any thoughts and feelings down on paper.  No matter what, there is something to be g...

Lifestyle: Music At Home   If there is one thing everyone has in common, it’s enjoying music. No matter how you listen to music or what kind of music you enjoy, there is something to be said about how listening to our favorite songs makes us feel. One thing that has been making a major return in recent years are modern record players. Whether it’s the nostalgia of listening to music via vinyl records or the decor element of having a record player in your home; it’s a revival and trend that I'm glad is back. This Victrola Vintage Record Player   has really set the standard for modern-day record players because of its capabilities and sleek appearance. Besides being a high-performing, portable record player, it also can act as a regular Bluetooth speaker. This V ictrola vinyl storage case is a great way to keep any vinyls you have safe and organized.    While you can find vinyl records for almost any artist nowadays, some of my personal favorites are The Beatles, "Abb...

  Theatre Jokes and Mishaps by Erin There is a lot of humor and mishaps behind the scenes of theatre, and I’m going to tell some stories that have happened to me over the years I’ve been in theatre. I would do an advanced theatre camp for a few summers when I was in high school, where we would do an entire musical in 2 weeks. Yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. During rehearsals, the backing tracks we would practice to would occasionally go “rehearsal tracks” over the actual track. This developed into the joke of the rehearsal tracks soloist, who was listed to be in every scene on the scene breakdown backstage. Of course, no one was actually cast as the rehearsal tracks soloist. It was just an inside joke. Next, I’m going to tell a few stories about my time in Mary Poppins. There was one scene where I had to fly into at the end of a song. I would be brought up into the air off stage a minute or so before I would fly in, so I could be ready to go. During a rehearsal, the cast had to...

  My Experience Flying as Mary Poppins: Part 2 by Erin In my last blog post, I talked about some of my experience flying in Mary Poppins, and now I will talk about my experience flying during performances. How flying works is one person controlled the wires to move me side-to-side, and another person handles the wires to move me up and down. When I was attached to the cables, I had to walk along a track up in the stage's rafters. Before rehearsals, I had flying practice, and the rest of the cast was mesmerized watching me. During flying practice, I would sometimes go back to the side of the stage by the person controlling the side-to-side wire just moving me. I found it quite funny. It was bizarre being up in the air and coming back down. I thought I was going to step on people's heads. A funny story I have about me flying is one time my mom was coming into the auditorium trying to find me, and she looked up, and there I was. It startled her in the moment, but she hopefully fin...

  During this crazy season there have been so many ups and downs with the North Central College football team. The season has been great. We finished the regular season undefeated for the first time since 2016. This team has something to be special about. This was the first year that this senior class has ever beat Wheaton and won the conference outright. There is a lot of special talent on this team led by Fifth year seniors like Cam Martian,Andrew Kaminski, Dakota Carmeens, and Ben Wong are to name a few who have taken this team under their wings. They all lead by example and understand that 2019 was not just a fluke and want to go out as champions along with taking another National Championship back to Naperville. The goal has always been let's go take another ring and show the country it's time to see red and not let the purple powers continue their dominant reign over D3 football.  The team has faced so much adversity from the summer to tell where we are as a team right n...