yaMdivaD's Blog

Thanks for my Birthday Wishes!

2011-06-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is a birthday card from my office

And here a bunch of voicemails people left me!

I talked with my parents more the night of my birthday, naturally, and my brother took Adri and I out to dinner.

Thanks everyone!

2010 - 2011 Chapman University Admission Infosession

2011-04-19T10:09:00.001-07:00

Information Session 2010-2011 on Prezi

goofing around with new YouTube video creation tool...

2011-04-04T16:59:00.001-07:00

Simply the funniest thing ever

2011-03-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

-dm

Blind Wine Tasting Restuls

2011-02-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

Recently I performed a blind taste test featuring a few wines. We had 4 tasters, and 4 wines. Here are the results! Go Trader Joe's!

-dm

Photos from Amador County

2011-01-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my picks...

From CA Christmas

...and here is the entire Album:

-DM

Amador County Wine Tasting

2011-01-02T22:54:00.000-08:00

Over the holiday break, Adrianna and I went wine tasting with our families. I decided to keep track of my opinions, and then survey the group at the end. Why? Who knows... it just sounded like fun. Here are the results of the wine tasting in Amador County "analytics" expirement.

CLICK HERE for data and reports

CLICK HERE for group result chart

Best,

-dm

Wine Tasting in Amador

2010-12-28T22:59:00.000-08:00

Folks have a good sense of humor up here in Amador County. We spent about three hours today with Robert van der Vijver at his winery and had a ball. In addition to his personality, it also helped that his wine was very good... in fact we ended up leaving with some of it.

At another winery we visited, we saw this picture out front:

Another example of humor in Amador. The people up here are very friendly, the wine is very good, and the tastings are still (for the most part) free! In addition, bottle tastings are still possible in this area. All in all, it is a fantastic place to visit in my opinion.

-dm

Christmas Carols

2010-12-28T22:43:00.000-08:00

This is my first Christmas in CA, and this means that I'm around my mom's half of the family this year for the holidays. Typically my brother and I return to Colorado for the holidays and are with my father's side of the family. Here's one of the carolers from my mom's side:

-dm

Roomba Christmas Gift

2010-12-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

Here it is in action:

-dm

Dog Sitting - Day 1

2010-11-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

-dm

I Just Voted...

2010-11-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

VToday is November 2nd and we all know what that means. It's time to step up and vote; to take a stand for what we believe in. Today I voted, yes in the 2010 elections but almost as important, I voted for Justin Lutsky:

Vote here: http://now.sprint.com/e?OzHFzlN8110

You can vote once a day. We need to get Justin in the top 10 so Michael Bay can judge his short!

-DM

This Was In Our Backyard

2010-10-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

...gross, eh?

-dm

Hand-written letters... or are they?

2010-10-01T09:34:00.001-07:00

At the NACAC conference in St. Louis, I came across these machines that simulate handwriting... but are actually printers. Crazy stuff!

I guess those letters we get from politicians and celebrities written in pen don't mean anything!

-DM

Recruitment Videos 2.0

2010-10-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy of our NACAC 2010 presentation.

-dm

Night of the Living Trekkies

2010-09-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a trailer I was in (Borg Fanboy) - thanks for the opportunity Justin Lutsky and team!

- http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/09/15/night-of-the-living-trekkies-trailer/

-dm

Sunday Planter Project

2010-08-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

Here is what we did with part of our weekend! We created a planter and then planted cherry tomatoes, rosemary, eggplant, sweet peppers, bell peppers, and oregano.

Now we wait... and then eat.

-dm

Man Walking Racconn

2010-07-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Today on my way to work, I saw a man walking a raccoon.

Raccoons were once my favorite animals, but when I grew old enough to realize that they were technically vermin, they lost a few points. I do think it's pretty cool that he has a pet raccoon but I think I will stick with dogs.

-dm

Chancellor's Retreat: New Media Recruitment Initiative

2010-07-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

David May on "Chapman Shorts"

2010-07-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to President Jim Doti, Adrienne Brennan, and everyone at Panther Productions for having me on the show!

Best,
-David May

Hobsons #Connectu10 Quick Conference Review

2010-06-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

I believe in brevity, so here it goes:

Motifs/Themes of the conference:

Automation is great
Be conservative with your
Branding relies on consistency
Social Media is not intended to replace traditional recruitment, but it should supplement it.
Twitter is fantastic, but not terribly used right now by high schoolers. While the students are not totally on board yet, there is hope that it will continue to "grow down (in age)" and eventually college/university twitter efforts will be rewarded.

Location:
I loved Minneapolis and was even able to grab a few (3) pictures of some landmarks last night.

In addition, the Hyatt was great, good food and staff. The Millennium was not great but that's my fault for booking late!

Timing: Timing was great.

Overall:
What a great conference, and how fitting that it ends on Social Media Day! Great work @HobsonsUS and I look forward to next year!
*ALSO - Would anyone be interested in creating a shared blog where we can all contribute our ideas regarding New Media in College/University Admission? I created one and would love to consolidate lots of our ideas into one place. Let me know if you want me to add you as an author. http://newmediaua.blogspot.com/

-David May
@yamdivad

Everything I need to know I learned from America’s Funniest Home Videos.

2010-06-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Let’s face it… America’s Funniest Home Videos it the best show on TV; it's the YouTube of the 90's. In addition to entertainment, AFV is full of educational tidbits as well. As they say, anyone can learn from their own mistakes, but truly wise people learn from the mistakes of others. Here are a few things I’ve learned.

TEN AFV LESSONS:

If a squirrel gets into your house and you try to catch it (or chase it out) your house will end up in shambles. It seems that the best thing to do is learn how to co-exist with the squirrel. This is particularly difficult to explain to your pets.
If you have a baby, and you are laying on your back, don’t hold the baby above your face. It will definitely puke in your mouth.
Geese know exactly where your nuts are, and they will attack you there upon purpose.
If you are going to have children, keep paint and chocolate far out of reach.
Cats are the weirdest of God’s creations. Yes, I know about the duck billed platypus. I stand by it; cats are completely insane. If they are not chasing bags that are attached to their feet, squeezing under doors, or darting at full speed into walls, they are making strange noises that sound like a human drowning or performing seemingly impossible acrobatic tricks. If that is not enough to convince you, ponder this: I have seen a cat chase a bear away (on AFV). Think about it. They’re probably aliens.
Kangaroos are not cute, and the danger they can cause to people is almost always severely under estimated.
Elephants are not afraid of mice in real life… women truly are.
If you film your wife drooling and then wake her up, she will probably divorce you. If your wife is filming you drool and you wake up and are anything but happy about it, she will probably divorce you.
When you buy a new car MAKE SURE you know how to park it so that it won’t roll down your driveway and into a lake, someone’s house, or oncoming traffic. It’s called an emergency break people… just like your old car.
Dogs are worth every penny. They will probably break something at some point but they’re worth it because they’re just so happy all the time!

TEN THINGS NEVER TO BUY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES:

Piñatas - one way or another, you will get hit in the crotch or face. The same warning applies with T-Ball sets for your children.
Trampolines – Make a list of “ways to have fun on the trampoline” then make a list of “ways to get hurt on a trampoline.” If the “ways to get hurt” list is longer than the “ways to have fun” list (it will be), don’t buy the trampoline. In fact, trampolines aside, this is a pretty good test for almost anything.
Tickets to a drive-through safari – It’s just not worth it – monkeys will probably rip your windshield wipers off. If you MUST do go to one of these safaris, please don’t roll your windows down. If you MUST roll your windows down, please don’t encourage giraffes or elephants or any other animals to eat right off of your hands. They are wild animals folks – I have never seen more drool – not even in the movies.
ATVs or Snowmobiles – Enough said.
Those big Styrofoam airplanes – actually, you can buy those if you want but DEFINITELY film the results, post the video on-line somewhere, and let me know where to find it. I can always watch more people getting smacked with those things.
Those little airplanes with a string attached that fly around the operator in circles – those videos are almost not funny – I think I almost watched someone die of strangulation on National TV.
Gymnastics lessons – and give Karate some very careful thought. Don’t just sign up on a whim.
Tables that you plan on standing on - Tables are just not for this.
Baby Alligators – just trust me on this one.
Above Ground Swimming Pools – It will break. There will be a mini-flash flood that (depending on where the water goes) could cause substantial damage to your home and/or loved ones. If you have a dog, this warning is ten fold.

TEN THINGS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS TO PEOPLE, BUT APPARENTLY ARE NOT.

Don’t snowboard off of your roof. Just because it’s covered with snow does not make it safe.
If you’re going to cut a tree down, make sure you are not tied to the part that is going to fall.
If you weigh 300 pounds and you are going to try to swing into a lake – that’s fine – just make sure that both the rope, and the tree branch that the rope is attached to can support you.
Bears will kill you. I’m not kidding.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES – I MEAN NO CIRCUMSTANCES try to bench twice your body weight WITH NO SPOTTER. I can’t stress that enough people.
Don’t film your family or loved ones in the shower. How would you feel? I mean, come on.
Don’t go para-sailing in Mexico, particularly if you are over the weight limit.
Keep silly string away from birthday candles… or any open flame for that matter.
Please do not get in a tractor tire and roll yourself down a hill. Parents, if you encourage your children to do this, you are bad parents. I don’t want to hear excuses. In fact, any parent who decides it’s a better idea to keep filming their children doing wild and dangerous things needs to get their priorities straight. PUT THE CAMERA DOWN AND STOP THE WILD AND DANGEROUS THINGS FROM HAPPENING!
On a camcorder, look through the EYEPIECE, not the lens. Otherwise we just get lots of footage of your eye.

ULTIMATE RECIPE FOR DISASTER

If you want a solid AFV experience, just do the following and make sure to have a video camera ready:

Your wedding reception must be outside. Definitely have alcohol, and an expensive cake. At some point in the evening, make sure to break a pinata (blindfolded). For some extra excitement, do this on a trampoline. Tell everyone to bring all of their children, as well as their dogs and cats. When opening the champagne, NEVER point it away from anyone. Lock your knees at all times no matter what. Invite LOTS AND LOTS of old people and tell them they can’t wear belts, then play catch with them. If you don’t know lots of old people it wouldn’t be a bad idea to invite a local retirement village just for fun. I’m sure they’d appreciate it anyway.

The real lesson here is to watch AFV not only for entertianment, but also for good life lessons. I’m telling you, it’s changed my life and I think it would change yours as well.

-David May

p.s. This post is dedicated to two of my old roommates. One of our rituals was watching AFV together. I miss that, and I miss them. Here’s to you A.T. and Kev.

What's Up With Cereal Mascots?

2010-06-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Has anyone noticed that almost all of the cereal mascots make the exact same face? There must be some serious market research behind that face and kids loving it.

Then I realized... it's the Lutsky face! Justin must have access to the same market research.

-dm

Return from WACAC 2010

2010-06-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the WACAC 2010 conference "Come Together" which was a delight. The conference committee did a great job... but of course I'd say that, I served on it!

All joking aside, University of San Francisco was fantastic - their staff is so loving, such wonderful people. The location is beautiful and fit the needs of the conference very well.

It's always good to connect with friends in the Admission world, and be reminded why we do this. When our young scholarship winners were on stage we were all reminded why we do what we do. Helping young students who need guidance find the right college for them is very rewarding. When the young lady in the picture below began to cry out of gratitude for her counselor and all of the support that she has been given, we were all reminded how valuable it is to have someone who cares.

Cheers fellow admission people! It is a pleasure serving alongside you!

-David May

Acknowledgement of 5 Years of Service

2010-06-04T11:21:00.001-07:00

Today was Chapman's Staff Appreciation Program where I was proud to achieve my "5 years of service" pin. I wish I had recorded President Doti's speeches, and I wish I could include Armando Diaz's video as everything was lots of fun. Thanks to Chapman HR and the leadership at Chapman for making it an exciting place to be!

Thanks for reading,

-David May

I didn't get an interview

2010-05-27T16:54:00.001-07:00

How the Other Half Loves

2010-05-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

My brother's show How the Other Half Loves was awesome. Great performances, fun set design and a well constructed comedy. I was lucky enough to attend the final performance with my family and we were able to congratulate my brother (below):

Congrats to James and the cast of How the Other Half Loves on a wonderful show!

-dm

This is what Google Voice thought my mom said...

2010-05-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

Normally, Google Voice is pretty darn accurate with the voice transcription. I find it incredibly useful if I want to check my voice mail while in an elevator, or loud room, etc.

However nothing is perfect. This is what it thought my mom said to me in a message... I assure you, this is not what she said.

I always like a good laugh.

-dm

Broadcasting Live, from Graduation

2010-05-22T17:19:00.001-07:00

As you may or may not know, I am graduating from the Dodge College of Film and Media arts today with a Masters degree in Film Studies. I'll broadcast parts of the program, but for full coverage please see the link below connecting you to Chapman University's webcast.

Here's the stream from my Droid...

(more)

And here is the link to watch Chapman University's production:
http://ibc.chapman.edu/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=8bb260d28c4146a19e70113b76483800

Thanks for all of the support!

-David May

My Emergenetics Results

2010-05-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

FULL REPORT

Engagement Pictures Posted

2010-05-12T18:21:00.001-07:00

http://adriannadavid.blogspot.com/

Wine Tasting in Temecula

2010-05-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow at work: the Birdogs arrive.

2010-04-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Whatsa Gonna Wanna?

2010-03-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I'm strange... perhaps everyone is like this. There are some things that we all say that are irritating. My friend for example has a mental book of words called "the Book of Things One Should Not Say or I Will Punch You In The Treaty." Words like silly, snicker-doodle, tummy and so on are in "the Book."

Here are mine:

1) Gonna Wanna
Nobody uses this phrase unless they are giving directions... probably because the use of just one of those words/sounds negate the need for the other. For some reason, as soon as directions are being given just about everyone... even intelligent people... say "you're gonna wanna turn left on Main street, then you're gonna wanna go past the third light..." and so on. It would be possible to say "Turn left on Main street, then go past the third light...

I think what worries me more than these words being completely unnecessary, is that it's not just a few people that do it... everyone does it and I can't explain why.

2) Say, "hey."
Everyone including intelligent people do this too, particularly in customer service. Example: "Why don't we just say, 'hey, what can I do to help you?'" I have no idea where this came from. Who started this, where did people hear it, and why is it still used?

3) Could Care Less
Here are the facts. If you could care less, then you care... at least a little bit. If you Couldn't care less (which I believe is the correct way to say this) then there is no care left in you and therefore no less is possible. In fact, if I want to say I'm luke warm on something, I may say "Meh, I could care less... but I could care more."

Am I alone on these? Is anyone with me?
-dm

Is MySpace Dead?

2010-03-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

New Media Recruitment and Rhizomatic Thought

2010-02-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

Introduction:

The WACAC 2010 presentation --->

New Media Recruitment and Rhizomatic Thought on Prezi
- Multiple Entry Points
In Conclusion:
- New media recruitment specifically is best utilized when the author creates user defined access to information.
-David May

Chapter Three In Brief

2010-02-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

Chapter Three In Brief on Prezi

#newmedia Social Mention Roll

2010-02-26T14:01:00.000-08:00

#highered Social Mention Roll

2010-02-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

Multiple Entry Points: Interactive Model

2010-02-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

Oral Defense on Prezi

Amazing Animals

2010-02-24T07:06:00.001-08:00

These stories are great:

The Cat and the Crow

Faith the Dog

Lion Reunion

Man Friends with Croc

Tiger feeds pigs:

-dm

Still Think Social Media is a Fad?

2010-02-21T15:52:00.001-08:00

-dm

Social Mention Widget - Buzz on yaMdivaD

2010-02-17T15:01:00.001-08:00

Wine Tasting in Santa Barbara

2010-02-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

My Zune Tag...

2010-01-21T13:14:00.001-08:00

David and Adrianna are Engaged!

2010-01-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Adrianna and I are both very excited about our engagement. Every so often, someone asks us about the details... soon there will be a video and pictures posted on this blog, and probably on facebook as well. In the meantime, there is a presentation below that I used to communicate with the 'camera crew' which was made up of Kevin Hansen & Erin Smith, Wes Freitas, James May, and Kyle Horst).

It will give you a pretty good idea of how it all 'went down' for those of you who are curious.

Stay tuned for more and we love you all!

-David May

...my day job.

2010-01-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

New Media Recruitment

Profile

...and now, back to application reading! I wish I had more time to contribute to my personal blog.

...more to come.

-David May

...I'm excited about Google Voice...

2010-01-13T16:03:00.001-08:00

Colorado Pictures - December 2009

2009-12-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009

2009-12-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

Every year for the past three years I've written a quick "E-Christmas" card. For a recap of the past few years, see the bottom section of this post. This year is no different, so here it is:

New House in Orange
New Promotion
New Maturity
Same Good Luck with Friends and Family.

I think that's about all that's 'new' for me specifically. Also, I'd like to include the Christmas letter from my parents. Mom and Dad, thanks for doing this!

Last year I posted a link to a video that incouraged people to spend less money on frivilous gifts and more on the pieces of Christmas that actually matter. The same orginazation has made a new video for 2008 and it is below:

This idea took root in our household and Kyle Horst, my brother James May and myself all decided to contribute in our small way. We created a page and raised over $1K for a water well to be built. We now have a profile HERE where you can donate. 100% of your money goes to building wells for people who desperately need clean water.

______BEGIN ARCHIVE_______

2008

Click Here

Merry Christmas!
Please watch this:

Then go here: http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Love,
David May - our water blog (click here)

2007

Click Here

Family and Friends,
Hello!
A few years ago (when I became an adult… at least legaly) I decided it was time to start writing my own Christmas letters. Now, this is going to be a gradual build up to actually sending letters in the mail to my friends and family; right now I’m only up to the “virtual Christmas Card” level. None the less, it will address what Christmas Cards are supposed to address, at least in my eyes.
1) Are you alive? If so, what are you doing?
2) Are you skinny or big? Married or single?
3) What else has changed since last Christmas that I should know about?
And the most important:
4) Merry Christmas.
Here are the answers:
1) Yes, I’m alive. I’m still working at Chapman and going through the graduate film program to receive a Masters in Film Studies. In addition, I’m trying to stay involved in various film projects, and working with Josh Snyder to develop various feature length scripts that hopefully we can get a production company to pay for. Our filmmaking troop is recently talking about trying to raise money and produce a feature this upcoming summer independently, but I’m still hoping we can sell an idea to a production company. I’m also helping some of our guys with their webesodes on www.vidshadow.com. I’ve been uploading some stuff from my past to that website too. Here are the Holiday specific ones:
Twas the Night before Christmas
Santa Pranks
Santa Pranks 2
2) Yes.
3) What has changed since last year? Well… I was 23 last year but now I’m 24… other than that… I’m not sure. I guess I was on TV; CLICK HERE if you missed it.
4) And definitely, Merry Christmas.
-David May