VJ Fleet is back in business and this time we are headed to Pullman Washington to represent the Vancouver campus of Washington State University in a university wide research showcase. Faculty, alumni, and undergraduates come together on the 27th of March to show off recent work and talk academics and advancement.

At 3:25pm, my 96 Ford Taurus crept daringly up from the back roads behind the WSUV campus, parking behind the client services building, a place a student would normally not dare.  However, it was a Saturday and the students of the DTC475 class were coming here today to perform, so if that was not adequate authorization then what would be?

Simon was the first person I saw, he was on his way to find someone at the faculty who could unlock the garage doors for us.  Several of my fellow students were milling about the back lot, and Julie was supervising.    At 3:30pm sharp, Simon arrived in one of the WSUV club cars (essentially a retrofitted golf cart) with a girl who had access to open the garage for us.

Then, it was time to get this show started.

There was special recognition of the significance of the day: today would be the main rehearsal of the VJFleet [redux] performance.  Slowly, the students assembled out of the cold late afternoon air and into the classroom.  It was a little breezy, but the light overcast indicated we would at least likely have a rain-free rehearsal.  Once again, Dr. Grigar and Dr. Barber were in brief but welcome attendance as they discussed VJFleet arrangements with Julie and Simon before releasing them to attend the FA435 student body.

As I was considering this, I noticed the classroom briefing of the VJFleet [redux] business had begun.

I slogged my way out of the murky wet of the advancing Winter to our 4:10 class in time to see Dr. Grigar already heavily involved in discussing the logistics of our Saturday performance at the Grand Central Shopping Center with Julie and Simon as the class looked on.  Once again, a congratulations was passed to Bryce over his excellent broadcast presence, and then Dr. Grigar and Dr. Barber were swept away to attend other matters fitting the early pioneers of the Vancouver Digital Technology and Culture program.  Julie took front stage and preparations resumed.

It was a day of great anticipation as I walked into the garage to discover that additional sensors had been attached to the cars, including a large microphone to the outside of car #2.  This was outside the normal class time we would meet, but we were all in attendance. 

(A large sensor placed on the outside of car #2.)

Today, Friday the 14th, we would be taking our first drive with the Honda CRV SUVs on loan from Dick Hannah.  The weather was excellent, and that was good news, but we had received orders that we were to stay within state lines, and therefore our plan to take footage of the bridges in Portland needed to be rethought - we would largely be staying in the Vancouver, Washington area.

The Pacific Northwest weather is asserting itself with ever-increasing audacity.  The gray skies, ever-present rain, and winds slyly attempted to steal my umbrella, bringing about a certain feeling of youthful nostalgia in me, a long-time Washington resident.  The weather seemed to have slowed some of our students, many of whom showed up five to ten minutes after the classes' appointed 4:10 starting time.  A few, such as Bryce and Ben, were in the lab early so that they could work on various video projects.  Laura bravely showed up on time, a cold lodged noticeably in her sinuses.

A weekend had passed, and Tom and Sugi were noticeably absent to Monday's class this day.  As class comes underway, various mumblings pass about the students as we wondered how many would be able to attend our walk tomorrow with our previous artist in residence, Will Luers.  The last three weeks of semester were causing the predictable crush of time, and the weather was becoming miserable.

As the first point of business as the VJFleet resumed operations, Julie politely broached that part of our participation here is to answer emails that were sent to us outside of class.  If we are not getting emails from Julie, we should send her an email so that she'll know who to email be able to reach us.   Things were coming down to the wire, we had but two weeks before we will be expected to be ready to perform.  We hoped to have the cars prepared and logistics worked out well in advance, with preparatory drives occurring soon.

The presidential election had settled in Barrack Obama's favor, and there was a certain anticipatory energy in the room and about the student body.  Change was in the air.  It seemed this energy had infected Tom, a usually mild-mannered canine, who would break into the occasional spontaneous barking fit for every other mysterious noise to pass outside our classroom.  Unfortunately, given the open-air construction of the VMMC building, this would likely lead to Tom's expulsion from our otherwise tolerant faculty.

Business today was to begin with a recap of our schedule.  Among other things, we were to tweak our VJ Fleet [redux] decal to be appropriate with the DTC programs' involvement.  In using the vehicle, we choose a local vehicle depending on where were performing the project.

It was November 3rd in which the DTC students in the Interactive Media class first met Julie Andreyev and Simon Overstall along with two special guests: Tom and Sugi, faithful wire fox terrier companions.  Tom was happy to trot from desk to desk to meet the students in the class, while Sugi preferred to stay near Julie and Simon. 

Sugi and Tom (left to right) snowshoeing.

It was in this friendly atmosphere, with Dr. Grigar and Dr. Barber overseeing, that Julie and Simon prepared the students for the the VJFleet [Redux] operation.