Time in a Sieve
Posted on March 19th, 2010
Filed under: General — Karl Olson @ 1:19 pm
It struck me between classes today that this time last year, I was just beginning to work for my friend Charlie at his now semi-defunct company. I was busy trying to sort through documentation that ultimately would be superseded by Motorola’s version of the Android dev environment where much of the code I was looking for was pre-built and better explained.
Anyways, that then made me realize the last time I had been in school in the spring was in 2006, and the last time I had a full time course load was spring 2005. Reflecting back on it, it’s beyond me how I managed to drag out getting back to school for so long. I guess there was always another little fire to put out or moment of poor planning that cost me time, but at the same time, I could have finished an entire 4-year from scratch if I’d just gone for it then. That’s not even taking into account trying to get into a real university right out of high school. If I’d done that, I’d have been square even sooner.
At the same time though, I think my weird journey forward afforded me a much broader range of experiences than I would have had otherwise, and I’m glad to have had the chance to try on those outfits. I may have only “cosplayed” as a journalist, start-up developer and most tellingly of all, a professional musician, but I think I had to try these things on first.
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See what satisfied customers say…
Posted on February 26th, 2010
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 11:53 am
So, Z of Hipster Please! has reviewed both Romance Language 2 and Electric Sheep. All things considered, I imagine anyone who reads Hipster Please! probably already knows about the albums, and thus have bought/pirated those albums, but if you needed the word of a critic, there you go. Truthfully, I’m kind of surprised at which songs he did and didn’t like, but par for the course perhaps.
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Be It Ever So Humble
Posted on January 24th, 2010
Filed under: General — Karl Olson @ 1:31 pm
So after two weekends of heading back to familiarity (be it family and Kirkland or Danielle and Victoria,) this is my first weekend in the Townhouses (which are basically 4 single occupancy dorm rooms with a kitchen and 2 bathrooms.) Like clockwork, there was a party going on downstairs, and well, I had no interest beer pong, not only because of a lack of interest in beer, but also a lack of interest in communicable disease.
However, I definitely feel like I’m getting more and more into the flow of life here. Beyond that, slowly but surely I seem to be making friends with folks in the ARC, so it’s not like I’m without social contact either. In fact, last night, I hung out with some of the nerd crew on campus. It’s much more my pace. I still have some disorienting moments sometimes when I wake up, but on the whole, I seem to be getting used to being at least quasi-adult.
In fact, I even feel comfortable enough to indulge a little. I’m going out for a Starbucks at the mall.
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Stranger in A Semi-Familiar Land
Posted on January 4th, 2010
Filed under: General — Karl Olson @ 12:14 am
So, as I think most people know, I have moved to Canada to attend college at Simon Frasier University. I have my apprehensions about school – even when my best efforts are applied, my supposed brilliance (this isn’t me being egotistical, it’s from other people saying I’m smart) doesn’t always come across in my studies. However, I’m hoping that my return to higher education 4 years after finishing my Associates Degree (which itself took two years too long to finish,) will be successful. Hopefully, since I won’t have a job distracting me (or even much in the way of social commitments or hobbies to worry about – more on that later,) it’ll be a lot more like my last two years at BCC where I was able to focus on my studies quite well, and not my first two at BCC where I was often so exhausted physically from pushing carts around that I didn’t have the energy to put into course work.
Now, some may also assume this means that now I’m automatically in an environment that I’m fairly familiar with, but the truth is the SFU Burnaby campus is far enough removed from the places I know in Vancouver (namely Commercial Drive, Strathcona and Metrotown,) that’s it’s akin difference between living on Capitol Hill and living in Kent. One is a cool neighborhood in a big city, and one is formerly industrial area that’s been gentrified with Ikeas and such. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t made a point to visit some familiar areas. In addition to visiting the Ikea for some odds and ends, I made a point to visit the Metrotown mall to get some other essentials square too. The interesting thing was coming up the street that intersected the one Metrotown is on, I saw the Crystal Mall, an Asian-centric shopping mall where Danielle and I would visit when I was in Vancouver in years past, and I was somewhat overwhelmed. It was bittersweet; I was so happy to have a familiar beacon with such fond memories attached to it, yet I truly wished that she was here with me so that we could enjoy it together. Even being in Metrotown, there were a lot of things that reminded me of those times.
Perhaps nothing is more motivating to me than to know that if I do put in the effort to finish school here, I will be joined by the person who introduced this lovely city to me, and who makes it a 1000 times more lovely with her presence. Of course, even Castlegar is fun with her.
In the interim though, it’s keeping in contact with phone calls, and where as I at least had friends and family in Seattle to socialize a little with, I really don’t have super tight contacts in the same fashion here. Hopefully, this translates into getting school work done with massive efficiency, but I hope I can keep in contact with with people often enough that I don’t feel too lonely either. Yeah, there are school clubs and such that should let me make some local contacts, but on the whole, the last thing I think I need is to feel isolated from the connections I do have. In short, don’t be surprised if I’m on skype, google chat and other stuff a bunch, and feel free to say hello.
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Just in time next week’s show
Posted on December 27th, 2009
Filed under: Music News,Videos — Karl Olson @ 9:57 pm
Video of me live specifically a nice piece of my set earlier this month at the JewelBox. Check my cool vest and accidentally half-popped collar. Oh and rapping.
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Hardcopies On Sale* For Romance Language 2
Posted on December 18th, 2009
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 5:55 pm
*=however, since I’ll be back in school as of the start of the new year, I’m pulling all hardcopy sales as of 31st of December. Also the price of the album downloads on bandcamp will go up as well.
So, I’d get while the getting is good, or really can even be got in some cases.
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Romance Language 2 Now On Sale*
Posted on November 30th, 2009
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 3:59 am
*=since I won’t be able to mail hardcopies until the 12th of December (except for pre-orders which are already on their way,) it’s online exclusive for the next couple weeks, available right here: Romance Language 2 at Bandcamp. However, where as the hardcopy will now be $14 US online, the download is $5 (or if you’d like more than that.) Skip a starbucks, buy an album.
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Ultraklystron @ Home
Posted on November 25th, 2009
Filed under: Music News,Videos — Karl Olson @ 7:47 pm
A ton of footage of me was uploaded to youtube by AlienBobZ. This allows you to enjoy a whole Ultraklystron set with out even leaving your house.
Full Disclosure
Nerdcore Life
He’s an OG
Chocolat Cay-kee
Fashionable
It’s The Beat
Surprise Suprise
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Proof of Progress
Posted on November 25th, 2009
Filed under: Music News,Pictures — Karl Olson @ 6:13 pm
Looking good, no? Romance Language 2 be shipping no later than Friday, which means the preorder window is until tomorrow night. Also, orders after Monday afternoon won’t ship for a couple weeks as I’ll be out of town, so, that’s all the more reason to get a move on if you’re impatient, though I guess the truly impatient will always be able to hit up bandcamp, as I should have it for sale there by Sunday/Monday.
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Everything Nerdcore Available
Posted on November 21st, 2009
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 8:28 pm
Only 10 days until Romance Language 2 joins the rest of that catalog.