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Why Is the Crow Black-Coated
2008-10-03 11:39:00
Why is the Crow Black -Coated is the first Chinese animation in color produced at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio by Wan Laiming and Wan Guchan. Story The story is about an arrogant bird that enjoys life. He sang and dance in the forest in China, showing off his beautiful tail to everyone. Autumn would come and the other animals in the forest are busy preparing food for the winter. The bird continues to live life leisurely. The winter would come instantly with a heavy snow storm. The bird is now homeless in the cold without preparation. To warm up, he found a random wild fire in the forest. The bird accidentally burned his tail and also lost his singing voice. From there on, the bird is no longer beautiful and is known as the black crow. Background Two of the Wan brothers took part in the production. The film was created right before Shanghai Animation Film Studio became a government sponsored division which would later be affected by the cultural revolution under Mao...
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Warrior (2007 film)
2008-10-03 11:39:00
Warrior is a film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. Background Shanghai Animation Film Studio produced the film as its sixth animated feature, to mark its 50th anniversary. It took four years to produce and cost 15 million yuan . . Story Based on a Mongolian folklore, the story begins with a young warrior Barter coming to Balin Grassland. He rescues a young girl from a herd of running horses and finds out she is the daughter of the wrestling coach working for the grassland lord. Barter starts learning wrestling while working for the grassland lord as a coolie. Barter falls in love with the girl he saved. However, there is a reason for his coming to the grassland ? he is looking for the man who killed his father.
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Uproar in the Studio
2008-10-03 11:39:00
Uproar in the Studio is a black and white Chinese animation made in 1926 by Wan Laiming and Wan Guchan. The mini-film helped the Wan brothers become recognized as the official pioneer of the animation industry in China. Translations The film was combined with live footage. It is about an artist in his studio working and suddenly he is disturbed by a small paper person jumping out of the page causing an uproar. The artist in the footage was Wan Guchan History The segment was created for non-commercial use by the Wan brothers when they were working at the Great Wall Film Company. The animation ran for 10 ~ 12 minutes in black and white to showcase the technology. Controversy In 1985 Marie-Claire Quiquemelle's essay "The Wan Brothers and 60 years of Animated Film in China" in stated that there are really 2 separate films produced in 1926. "Uproar in the Studio" is modeled after the U.S film Out of the Inkwell by Max Fleischer. The "Paperman makes Trouble" is called ...

The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam
2008-10-03 11:38:00
The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam is a film produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is also referred to as ''"Snipe Clam Grapple"''. Background It is based on the Chinese proverb concept of when neighbors fight, nobody wins. It was shown as a short at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 1984. Story A clam was sitting out in the sun when suddenly a snipe flew down to peck at the clam. Suddenly the clam slammed the shell shut, gripping the snipe's beak in between. The snipe said, "If it doesn't rain today, and it doesn't rain tomorrow, I shall see a dead clam on the beach." The clam said, "If I don't open today, and I don't open up tomorrow, I shall see a dead snipe on the beach." While they were still grappling with each other, a fisherman passed by and netted them both.

The Proud General
2008-10-03 11:38:00
The Proud General is a featurette produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio under the master animator Te Wei. It is also referred to as ''"The Conceited General"''. Background The film was heavily influenced by Disney from the perspective of character design, movement and storytelling point of view. The music are derived from Beijing Opera. The clothing, architecture, and props do have a strong sense of influence. It was one of the first films to use the art of water ink painting in a lengthy production. Story After a victorious military campaign, a general returns home to glory and prosperity. The king rewards him and claims that all enemies will be intimidated by the general. From then on, the general no longer practice martial arts. He eats, drinks, lives the glamorous life, and didn't bother anymore with sharpening his weapons. When the enemy one day returns, his own arrogance led to his defeat and eventually to the downfall of whole nation. DVD The DVD has ...

Three Monks
2008-10-03 11:38:00
Three Monks is a feature film produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. After the cultural revolution and the fall of the political Gang of Four in 1976, the film was one of the first animation created as part of the rebirth period. It is also referred to as ''"The Three Buddhist Priests"''. Background The film is based on the ancient Chinese proverb "One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will share the load, but add a third and no one will want to fetch water." The film did not contain any dialogues allowing it to be watched by any culture, and a different music instrument was used to signify each monk . The film also tell the story from the aspect of the bhikkhu. Story A young monk lives a simple life in a temple on top of a hill. He has one daily task of hauling two buckets of water up the hill. He tries to share the job with another monk, but the carry pole is only long enough for one bucket. The arrival of a third monk prompts everyone to expe...

Thru the Moebius Strip
2008-10-03 11:38:00
Thru the Moebius Strip is the first - feature film, made in mainland China. The original story is based on a sci-fi adventure from comic book artist Jean Giraud. Plot The story is about the coming of age of a 14 year old boy who grew up refusing to accept the loss of his father. He reaches the planet Raphicca 27.2 million light years away to find that his father is prisoner in a kingdom of giant aliens who believe in magic and a medieval code of chivalry. In the midst of a raging battle between good and evil, Jac rescues his father, his new found family of aliens, the planet of Raphicca, and ultimately, the universe. Background The film was financially backed by "GDC Entertainment" in Hong Kong and rendered in Shenzhen, China by the Institute of Digital Media Technology . The project began with 200 animators in 2000 and grew to employ more than 400 by the end of production. Unlike traditional Chinese films, the movie was dubbed into English first. Previewed at the Seco...

The Warrior (2006 film)
2008-10-03 11:38:00
The Warrior is a feature film produced in Hong Kong by famous director Tsui Hark. Background The film is an animation adaptation on the legendary story of kungfu master Wong Fei Hung in a fictional sense. Story Once upon time, a war was waged and Huang Di defeated Chi You with the mystic power of the sacred stone that was used by Nu-WQ mended from the heavens. After the war, Huang Di created 4 treasures to seal the stone and ordered 4 Guardians to look after them. Yuan Boo led a group of hitmen including the legendary kung fu master Wong Fei Hung. Driven to protect the sacred stone, the party would eventually find the treasure only to be seized by the westerner Patton. Now the world has fallen into a catastrophe and only Fei Hung can save it
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A Deer of Nine Colors
2008-10-03 11:37:00
A Deer of Nine Colors is a film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is also referred to as ''"The Nine Colored Deer"''. Background The original story is based on the Buddhist Jataka tale of the same name, which were discovered as cave paintings from the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China. The animated plot is essentially a spinoff. Story In ancient times a Persian trade merchant was lost in a windstorm. Suddenly a spiritual deer with 9 colors appear to guide the man with directions. Later on the deer would rescue a man drowning in a river. In exchange the man makes a promise not to talk about the deer's whereabouts. The man would reach an imperial palace. The king insisted on hunting down the spiritual deer down to make clothes out of the deer skin. With an army of warriors, the man could not resist the profit opportunity and led them to the same spot as before. He falls back into the same water, hoping the deer would show up to rescue him. This time all the warrio...

The Cowboy's Flute
2008-10-03 11:37:00
The Cowboy's Flute is a short film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio under the master animator Te Wei. It is also referred to as ''"The Cowboy's Flute"'', ''"The Cowherd's Flute"'', ''"The Buffalo Boy and his Flute"''. Background The film did not contain any dialogues allowing it to be watched by any culture. The animation is essentially Chinese painting in motion, with a heavy emphasis on the flute melody. Story The story is about a relationship between a young cow herding boy with an extraordinary flute playing ability. He is accompanied by his faithful , and falls asleep in a tree. Soon he was dreaming that he has lost his buffalo. The dream sequence is delightfully whimsical, beginning with falling leaves that turn into butterflies and gradually lead the cow herder to a beautiful mist-filled valley. Here the buffalo refuses to budge from his hiding spot, leaving the cow herder to find an alternate musical solution to his problem. DVD The DVD has...

The Deer's Bell
2008-10-03 11:37:00
The Deer's Bell is a film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is also referred to as ''"Bell on a Deer"'' and ''"Lu Ling"''. Story An old man and his grand daughter rescued an injured young deer. The girl and the young deer would develop a close relationship. After the recovery, the deer returned to the wild. Feeling sad the girl put a bell on the deer. Disappearing into the mountain valley, the deer's bell continues to echo. Awards * The film won best animation in the 1983 Golden Rooster Awards. * Awarded the best fine arts piece prize in 1983 by China's Ministry of Culture. * Won the outstanding movie prize at the 13th Moscow International Film Festival animated cartoon special prize in 1982.

DragonBlade: The Legend of Lang
2008-10-03 11:35:00
DragonBlade: The Legend of Lang is the first - feature film from and directed by Antony szeto. It was produced by ''"DCDC"'' and ''"China Film"'' company, and is also considered the first 3D rendered martial arts film. Background The reigning all-China champions gathered together in Shandong where the director and animators flew to learn more about the diversity of martial arts for the film. Although DragonBlade was completely made in Hong Kong the film was originally animated and lip-synced to English first. This is because it is technically easier to dub from English to Cantonese than the other way around. The transportation service promoted the movie with a Dragonblade octopus card. Since this movie is the first 3D-CG film fully rendered in Hong Kong, the card is now a rare collectible item. Story A town is attacked by a deadly creature, it can only be stopped with the Dragon Blade. The one person who knows where the blade is won't tell Lang, and even if he d...
More About: The Legend

Emperor's Dream
2008-10-03 11:35:00
Emperor's Dream is a puppet film produced by the in China. Background In October 1, 1946 the Northeast Film Studio was merged with the Yan'an Film Studio . The film is known to be produced in 1947 when the northeast company was being disintegrated from the Japanese company Manchukuo Film Association. The new studio would later be renamed to Changchun Film Studio. In the midst of all the changes, Emperor's Dream is considered the first puppet film made after the declaration of the People's Republic of China. Story The story is about exposing the corruption of the Kuomintang nationalist party using puppets in an exaggerated fashion.

Feeling from Mountain and Water
2008-10-03 11:35:00
Feeling from Mountain and Water is a short film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio under the master animator Te Wei. It is also referred to as ''"Love of Mountain and River"'', ''"Feelings of Mountains and Waters"''. Background The film did not contain any dialogues allowing it to be watched by any culture. The only noises are that of the sound of the wind or other earthly elements. The film is considered a masterpiece at the artistic level, since it was essentially a landscape painting in motion. Artistically, it uses a Shan shui painting style through out. Story The story is about an impoverished elderly scholar and a young girl who cares for him briefly in return for guqin lessons. Awards * Won the Best animated film prize at the Golden Rooster Awards in 1989.
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Fishing Child
2008-10-03 11:35:00
Fishing Child is a featurette produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is also referred to as ''"Fisher Boy"''. Translation The title in Chinese is closely translated to "Yu Tong" or the Fishing Bowl. The story supposedly takes place after the Opium War when the imperialists occupied China's sea port. Story An old fisherman who usually earns a living by fishing at the river risk of his own life to find this white jade fish-jar. On the fish-jar is engraved a tiny fisher boy. The fisher boy can become alive and grow and, with his fishing-rod, can hook the fish which are engraved on the bottom part of the fish-globe and which also can become alive and grow. The oldman is later accused of stealing the fish jar from the pastor.
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Chuang Tapestry
2008-10-03 11:35:00
Chuang Tapestry is a film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is also referred to as ''"Chwang Tapestry"''. Story Once upon a time the Chuang family chopped firewood for a living. Mother Tanja spent three years day and night weaving this tapestry. One day a wind storm came and the tapestry flew away. Kam Tong, one of the children, would venture off to the dangerous Tibet mountains to try to get the tapestry back. Very few have ever survived the cave. DVD The film has since been republished on a DVD along with other animation movies. Awards * The film was nominated in the Czech Republic 1960 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Lao Mountain Taoist
2008-10-03 11:34:00
Lao Mountain Taoist is a produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio with stop motion-animated puppets and . Background The production was finished in 1981, and in 2006 the film was voted as one of the most popular domestic animations. Numerous novels and publications have been released under the same name in the past. The story, characters and contents are based on the ancient Chinese folklore story collection Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Story A long time ago, there was a young man called Wang Qi. When he heard that there were many immortals in Lao Mountain, he went there at once. There was a who still looked young although he was very old. Wang Qi became one of his pupils. During the first month, Wang Qi went to the hills for woods with others every day and listened to the instructions of his teacher patiently. In the second month, he felt that he could not stand the hard and tiring life, but he still waited for the teacher to teach him the magical skills. ...

Go After an Easy Prey
2008-10-03 11:34:00
Go After an Easy Prey is a film in black and white from 1948. It is also referred to as ''"Turtle Caught in a Jar"''. Translation The title of the film is a phrase describing something as easy to catch as a turtle. The off English translation maybe "shooting fish in a barrel". Background The film was produced by the Northeast Film Studio during its transitional phase with the downfall of the puppet government Manchukuo. Story The film is believed to be more of a documentary view of in the 1940s when Chiang Kai-shek was considered to be favored and aided by U.S imperialism. He was metaphorically described as trapped like a turtle by the People's Liberation Army. This is possibly China's first use of animation directly as a propaganda tool.

Legend of Sealed Book
2008-10-03 11:34:00
Legend of Sealed Book is a feature film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is also referred to as ''"Book Which Came from the Sky"'', ''"Tales about the Heavenly Book"'' and ''"Secrets of the Heavenly Book"''. Background The film was produced with rigorous dubbing, fluid combination of music and vivid animations. The story is based on the classic literature Ping Yao Zhuan meaning "The Suppression of the Demons" authored by Feng Menglong. Story Yuangong, the deacon, opened the shrine and exposed the holy book to the human world. He also carved the contents of the book on the stone wall of white cloud cave in the mountains. He is now punished to guard the book for life by the jade emperor for breaking heaven's law and betraying the holy secret to human. In order to pass this holy book to human beings, he would have to get by the antagonist fox. DVD The movie was republished on two disc DVDs. The first disk contains the movie, the second contain o...
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List of Chinese animated films
2008-10-03 11:33:00
This is a list of Chinese animation produced in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan sorted by year then alphabetical order. 1920s {|class="wikitable" ! English Name ! Alternate English Name ! Year ! Chinese Name |- | ''Shuzhendong Chinese Typewriter'' || || 1922 || ???????? |- | '''' || || 1924 || ??? |- | '''' || || 1924 || ?? |- 1930s {|class="wikitable" ! English Name ! Alternate English Name ! Year ! Chinese Name |- | ''The Camel's Dance'' || || 1935 || ???? |- 1940s {|class="wikitable" ! width=30%|English Name ! width=30%|Alternate English Name ! width=18%|Year ! width=22%|Chinese Name |- | '''' || || 1941 || ???? |- | '''' || || 1947 || ??? |- | ''Go After an Easy Prey'' || ''Turtle Caught in a Jar'' || 1948 ||???? |- 1950s {|class="wikitable" ! width=30%|English Name ! width=30%|Alternate English Name ! width=18%|Year ! width=22%|Chinese Name |- | || || 1952 || ???? |- | ''Little Hero'' || || 1953 || ???? |- | ''Pigsy Eats Watermelon'' ||...
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Little 8th Route Army
2008-10-03 11:33:00
Little 8th Route Army is a puppet film. It is also referred to as ''"Little 8th Route Heroes"'' and ''"Small 8th Route Army"''. Background The film was produced and released under the term of chairman Mao Zedong when the cultural revolution was still ongoing. The plot backdrop is based on the , when it was under the control of Communist Party of China instead of the opposing Kuomintang. Despite numerous movie adaptations, this is the only animation piece ever produced on the subject. A story book was also released as a companion to the film. Story The story took place during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The imperial Japanese army entered a northern village in China where young Huzi was involved in the anti-Japanese movement. His sister was taken as part of the village sweep. Huzi went on the revenge and was rescued by an 8th Route Army chief named Yang. After Huzi and the party restored the grain supplies and went on the offensive against the Japanese force...

Little Soldier Zhang Ga
2008-10-03 11:19:00
Little Soldier Zhang Ga is a feature film from mainland China. It is also referred to as ''"Zhang Ga, The Soldier Boy"''. It is a non-fictional piece based on a true story. Background Two films with the same name precede the animated version, with more mature contents in 1963 and 2004. The animation version was a 12 million investment , modified for younger audiences. The production crew also consist of about 600 people. This version aims to target audiences of all age groups. The film was made in a collaboration between "Ai Yi Mei Xun Animation Production Company", an unnamed US-funded Chinese company in association with BTV, and the Youth Film Production Unit at Beijing Film Academy. The students and faculties from the academy contributed to keep production costs down. It is the first film created entirely with private investments. In the cinemas, it was shown due to the 60th anniversary of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese in 2005. Story The story is...

Lotus Lantern
2008-10-03 11:07:00
Lotus Lantern is a feature film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. Plot The story is based on the traditional Chinese about a boy named Chenxiang. His mother is a goddess and his father is a mortal. His uncle Erlang Shen, punishes them by killing the father. The mother escapes and gives birth, but the little boy grows up without knowledge of his ancestry. His mother possesses a magical Lotus Lantern whose light can scare away evil. When his uncle, a strict and powerful god, kidnaps Chenxiang, his mother fights to save her son. Unfortunately, his uncle is victorious and Chenxiang is forced to live in his palace on the sacred mountains. Erlang Shen then imprisons his sister beneath a mountain for her crimes. Although he is quite young, Chenxiang manages to escape from the palace, taking the magical lotus lantern that his mother lost during the battle. After surviving adventures with many beloved characters of Chinese mythology, Chenxiang finally matures into a courag...
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Magic Brush
2008-10-03 11:05:00
The Magic Brush is a stop-motion film produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. There were 2 versions of the film. In 1954 the first film was called ''"Ma Liang and his Magic Brush"'' . In 1955 the second film was called ''"Magic Brush"'' . They are also interchangeably referred to as the ''"Magic Pen"'' or ''"Magical Pen"''. Background The story is based on the folklore story tale. Story In a village, there lived a boy called Ma Liang, whose family was so poor that he could not go to school. But he loved painting and worked very hard at it. One day, he got a brush, which had a magical power -- if you draw anything with it, it will become reality. So he started to help everyone in his village with his magic brush. This information reached a local officer. He put Ma Liang into the prison and confiscated his brush. The officer found that the bush did not have any power when it was in his hands, so he forced Ma Liang to draw a golden mountain. Ma Liang ag...

I sure know how to pick them.
2007-06-16 23:05:00
Although I've blogged about CS, I haven't really mentioned his flaws. I blogged about why he's a jerk for not calling, but not his basic flaws. Not too much. I didn't want to be mean.Anyway, I went to a party last night, and the guy I picked out had some uhh similarities. I'll get into that later.So, I totally wasn't expecting to party at all last night, but I guess it was appropriate that we did since it IS the end of the school year/beginning of summer. So, Pimptress, Best Friend, Pimptress's cousin and I got all dressed up, (in our new very cute summer dresses) to go party. I wasn't in the mood to go out, but I'm glad that I did. I honestly haven't partied that much this quarter, so it was nice just to have some fun.The party was suprisingly good. I've been to more than my share of uncomfortable & awkward "parties", but this one had tons of people & alcohol, which I guess is the essential for any college party. I wasn't planning on drinking, but decided, "what the hec...
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I'm DONE!
2007-06-15 20:58:00
I just took my last final of my second year yesterday...yay!! Being free from school is an amazing feeling. Although I can't rejoice in this feeling for too long because I will be taking summer school the whole summer, and I'll be starting in about two weeks. Also, I'm going to be working a 40 hour internship (which actually is NOT an internship, but a temp job-which is fine with me because it's not the field I really want to go into, but it's definitely good for experience & a summer job). Also, I'm looking to get a second job for the evenings in the summer at a retail store like Macys or something, just so I can get some extra money, get out of debt, start to pay my parents for the car, and still have some money for me. I want to make a lot and save up so I don't have to work as much during the school year.I actually have one more shift at my current job today, and I'm not sure if I'm going to be returning to it in the fall, but we'll see. My boss is keeping me attached ...
More About: Done

John Mayer, I LOVE YOU
2007-06-13 22:12:00
So, last night was amazing, because Wifey and I went to see John Mayer in concert! This is my third John Mayer concert, and my second one with Wifey. John Mayer is my favorite musician EVER, so it's always amazing when I get to see him perform live!!He's seriously just so talented. He is so GOOD live, and he never disappoints. Actually, I was a little disappointed with the set list he played last night. He didn't play my favorite song ever, "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room", or a lot of my favorites like "Comfortable", "My Stupid Mouth", "Split Screen Sadness", etc. He didn't even play "Your Body is a Wonderland", which he ALWAYS plays. Oh well.Our seats were relatively good. We were in the 13th row, in the closest section, but I really wanted to be in the first five rows. At his last concert, (which he played right on the bay in downtown SD-it was gorgeous!!), Wifey and I were like 3 or 4 rows back because it was all first come, first serve, but we had to stand the whole time.I...
More About: Love , I Love You

Consequences (I guess)
2007-06-09 01:40:00
So if the last post left you craving specifics & anticipating a really interesting blog post, I'm sorry. I don't know how interesting this will be, but I figure I might as well blog about it now.So...the guy. I don't really have a nickname for him, so we'll call him CS. I was really hesitant about hanging out with CS, because I know myself. I know that I tend to get creeped out/turned off by guys really fast, depending on how weird/creepy their personality. Don't get me wrong, I think weird is hot, especially at first. But after I get to know them, that soon fades away, and either I'm REALLY attracted, or REALLY repulsed.With CS, I was expecting to be repulsed. Not because he's some hideous dog or something, (although he's definitely not conventionally cute, unconventionally-yes), and not because he's some weird creeper guy (although he is really weird & unique, but I find that endearing). I just...get turned off easily. Anyway, I tend to find out whether or not I still lik...
More About: Guess , Consequence , Sequences , Consequences , Cons

Finals Frenzy
2007-06-07 03:35:00
So...I haven't posted in awhile but there have definitely been some things going on in my life. I really want to get into the habit of blogging daily, but sometimes there's just too many things going on and any free time I get, I use to sleep.Fina ls are coming up and you can definitely tell just by walking in the library. It's SUPER crowded, noisy, etc, and I honestly don't even know how you could get much studying done when the library seems like just a place for socialization during finals. I never go to the library anymore to study, I'm only there so often because I work there a few days a week. I don't think I really could get much done in the library, but then again I don't get much done to begin with. I'm definitely a huge procrastinator, but saving things for the last minute is the only way to kick my butt into gear.For finals, I only have one actual in class test. My other classes are just two take home essays that I have to turn in by Tuesday. I haven't even read ...
More About: Frenzy

Yay
2007-06-02 09:26:00
So...after obsessing over whether or not to call, I decided to just CALL since I could tell I was starting to drive my friends crazy. I'm usually not the type to obsess over things like that. Anyway, I called him with a restricted number, left a voicemail with my number, and basically said I wasn't calling about the car, but was calling to hang out. I'm a pretty forward person, and I feel that's the way to go, because I'm one of those people who would rather know than not know. Not knowing is worse than rejection, because it consumes me entirely.Anyway...he called back in ten minutes. He sounded really nice & genuinely happy that I called. So yay! I called him back and we talked for a little while, trying to set up a day to hang out...it turns out he's always busy with work, and then I'm busy with a project that's due on Wednesday...plus finals are next week. So he said he'd call back in a couple days. He called back later that night and asked if I was free that same night,...