First off, there's a great new trailer out for Horton Hears a Who, check it out here! I did the shot with this character gasping, don't blink or you'll miss it! :)



Second off, I started at Reel FX last week, and I'm loving it! Everyone's really cool, and they've got a great attitude about the project. And the office itself is great, it's enormous! And speaking of enormous, we're actually liking Dallas quite a bit, especially the veggie-friendly suburb we're living in. Seems a lot more laid-back and friendly than what we're used to, maybe because there's just so much space for everyone... it's hard to get too annoyed with people. Even the requisite trip to IKEA this weekend was pretty easy-going, especially after the one in Jersey. ;)

So yeah, life is good. Feels great to take a deep breath and relax a little after a year in super-crazy crunch mode. Now I'll have time to take up a hobby or two.... mmmm homemade beer! :D

Aja B

Wow, so it's been 5 months since the last time I updated this site! I just wrapped up my stint at Blue Sky here in White Plains, which was a heck of an experience. I learned a ton about animation, met a lot of fantastic people.... and worked really, ridiculously hard. I'm thoroughly enjoying my time off over these next couple of weeks, it's been almost a year since I had a break. Great to be busy, but also great to be able to buy groceries and know that I'm actually going to be around to use them. :)

So now we're packing on up and moving on down to Texas, of all places, so I can start on Open Season 2 at Reel FX! They were kind enough to offer me a permanent staff job, and boy are we looking forward to not having to job-hunt every couple of months. :) Everyone's already been so nice to me down there, I can't wait to get started! I've never actually been to Texas, but the more we learn about the Dallas area, the more it sounds like we're going to be able to find our niche just fine. And the cost of living is definitely a lot less than it is in Westchester county... for just over half what we're paying to rent a 2 bedroom house in White Plains, we're going to be renting a 4 bedroom house in Richardson. Four! I've never lived in a house that big. :D

In other news, Mark and I launched the 11 Second Club back in June, and then re-launched it this October with our new sponsorship from AnimationMentor.com! It's been a heck of a lot of fun getting to work on this site, and it's really gratifying to be able to give something back after I've gotten so much from the animation community.

For our personal sites, I just got a cool new web publishing tool that I've been toying around with.... hence the new all-thumbtacks all-the-time theme around here. :) I haven't figured out how to import all of the comments people left on the old site yet, but I'm sure there's a way.

We're looking forward to having some friends and family visit us over Thanksgiving next week, and then we'll be on our way! This is the first move we've ever hired actual movers for, so we're excited to be able to just drive ourselves and the dog down without worrying about driving a big crazy truck around the country. I start at Reel FX December 10th, can't wait! :)

Aja B

Just wanted to drop in and share some very exciting news... I've been offered a job working on "Horton Hears a Who" up at Blue Sky, starting in July! I can't wait, though I'll definitely miss working at Psyop, it's been an awesome experience! Especially the four square. Ohhhh yeah. :D

That's all! :)

Aja B

Well, I think the time has come to put this blog to bed, at least for now. I started writing this almost 2 years ago to journal my experiences in the (fantastic!) AnimationMentor program, and now that I've graduated and moved on to the working world, I'm finding I don't have that much to write about anymore. Plus, the other night I seriously considered posting about what I ate for dinner, and you know that's not a good sign. :D

So yeah. Many, many thanks to all the folks who've read this blog over the years, and for all the helpful and supportive comments you guys have left. I was always surprised to realize that people actually read the silly little things I've written here, and it's really meant a lot to me to hear from you. I hope you all continue to reach for and meet your goals in life.

You stay classy everyone! :)

Aja B

Went and checked out the Brooklyn Museum today. Very cool! I was there to see the second-to-last weekend for the Ron Mueck exhibit, which was easily one of the coolest collections I've ever seen on display, but the American and Egyptian art collections were pretty awesome too. Definitely makes me want to see what else this city has in the way of museums. :)

Also fun was the delightful surprise that the D train to Brooklyn goes over the Manhattan Bridge rather than through a tunnel. Subways and bridges, two of my favorite feats of engineering, together at last. :D

Aja B