Classes seem to be in full swing now. I actually find myself enjoying it so far. It possibly has something to do with the fact that I am only (only!) taking six classes this semester and most of them are fun, or at least, interesting. I think the only one I'm really not excited about is the Mechanical Systems one, but that's mostly because it's so early.
I had a most pleasing day yesterday. For studio, we had to make that occupancy poster. So I made mine. I might post it, but basically it's a big grey word (Occupancy) going diagonally across the page, and I altered a few letters and turned them into the phrase, "Occupancy - function of habitation." There was actually no hyphen, it's just implied. And then I made little red silhouettes sit on the words or around them.
I was quite worried in class when everyone hung up their posters and basically all of them were chock full of words or images. And then there was mine. Four words, four silhouettes. So I started to worry and then continued to worry as the studio progressed and went on for an hour where it seemed absolutely no one noticed my poster. Finally, my professor says he's been waiting and waiting and I guess he just didn't want to wait any longer, and he wants to know all about the Russian Constructivist poster. I felt like a bad student as I wondered what the heck that meant, and felt even dumber when I realized that he meant mine. And what's worse is when I started talking about it, he thought I was talking about the wrong poster because I didn't turn my head all the way to look at it. Yes, everyone, my eyeballs are quite flexible too. So I just muttered about the poster a little bit, basically saying that there's not much to say and then he says he really likes it. Then Stephanie chimes in and says she likes it too! Yay! So I guess I wasn't a complete idiot.
Then my day became especially pleasing at bookbinding. Passion-wise, I think I've found my calling. I love books. I love reading them, I love making them. I do think that I would willingly sit at a table for hours and work on a book until it was perfect. When the professor mentioned that one of his former students is in NY with her own firm specializing in letterpressing and bookbinding I got to thinking, maybe that's all I really want to do. Maybe when I'm all done with school and have worked for a few years, I'll just start a little business where I can make pretty books for gifts, cards and whatnot and even do custom binding and such for those who want fancier portfolios. It wold be like Kinko's except that the employees would actually have brains. Sounds like a credible business, maybe? I think it might work, though mom wouldn't approve because she would probably think that it wouldn't have much in the way of customers. Who knows?
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
The Rising Tide of Doom
Every year on the first day of classes, I always feel waves of dread as the teachers, who act as if they were going easy on us, assign one assignment after another.
Still, the day went well.
I started out the day by going to my Mechanical Systems class where the teacher talked about how he intends to go easy on us. Then he gave us our homework. We have to go to a fast food restaurant and stare at the vents, and hold our cheeks against the cracks between doors. As silly as it sounds, there is a point to it. I'm going with a couple of people today so we don't look like complete idiots.
Then, I sat around with some people for three hours since we don't have any studio space.
Studio consisted of an hour long lecture by Laura Lee and various higher ups in the department. Apparently our school is hosting the AIAS northeastern quad conference. I wonder what that's going to entail. Then we went to our new studio and stood around for what felt like another hour until our professors decided to show up. They all gave really long course descriptions, but fortunately, all of them sound good (in comparison to last year, anyway). I'm looking forward to whichever Professor I end up with.
I ended up the day with a ballet class at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. The thing about dancing there is that most of the people there have been dancing there, with the same teachers, for years. Many are professional ballerinas. So, needless to say, with basically five years of spotty ballet lessons, I felt horribly ungraceful and fat. Still, I felt great walking out of class, so I'm going back for more torture on Thursday, hopefully with a classmate in tow.
Now I have to figure out how to define "Occupancy." I looked it up in the dictionary, but somehow I doubt that the teacher was going for the exact definition. I see a big word on my 11x17. A big diagonal "Occupancy" and probably a smaller "Habitation." We'll see where I go with that.
Still, the day went well.
I started out the day by going to my Mechanical Systems class where the teacher talked about how he intends to go easy on us. Then he gave us our homework. We have to go to a fast food restaurant and stare at the vents, and hold our cheeks against the cracks between doors. As silly as it sounds, there is a point to it. I'm going with a couple of people today so we don't look like complete idiots.
Then, I sat around with some people for three hours since we don't have any studio space.
Studio consisted of an hour long lecture by Laura Lee and various higher ups in the department. Apparently our school is hosting the AIAS northeastern quad conference. I wonder what that's going to entail. Then we went to our new studio and stood around for what felt like another hour until our professors decided to show up. They all gave really long course descriptions, but fortunately, all of them sound good (in comparison to last year, anyway). I'm looking forward to whichever Professor I end up with.
I ended up the day with a ballet class at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. The thing about dancing there is that most of the people there have been dancing there, with the same teachers, for years. Many are professional ballerinas. So, needless to say, with basically five years of spotty ballet lessons, I felt horribly ungraceful and fat. Still, I felt great walking out of class, so I'm going back for more torture on Thursday, hopefully with a classmate in tow.
Now I have to figure out how to define "Occupancy." I looked it up in the dictionary, but somehow I doubt that the teacher was going for the exact definition. I see a big word on my 11x17. A big diagonal "Occupancy" and probably a smaller "Habitation." We'll see where I go with that.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
The Unfairness of it All
So, since the non-major jazz class in the school of drama stopped for good last semester, I worked with the class president (or whatever his official title is) to put together a good, technique based dance class together. Today, I found out that there will be a class (yay), but, like all the other classes I want to take, it's during studio (curses!) So, yes, I'm feeling very put out about that.
On the upside, I contacted my landlord the other day, who just happens to be a former ballet dancer for the PBT about dance classes. Today I talked to him on the phone about it and he is good friends with the head of the ballet department at Point Park, which I hear is very very good. So maybe I won't have a technique-less year. After trying to get back in shape this summer, having a year where all I do is forget how to keep my hips aligned is horrifying. Here's to Point Park.
On the upside, I contacted my landlord the other day, who just happens to be a former ballet dancer for the PBT about dance classes. Today I talked to him on the phone about it and he is good friends with the head of the ballet department at Point Park, which I hear is very very good. So maybe I won't have a technique-less year. After trying to get back in shape this summer, having a year where all I do is forget how to keep my hips aligned is horrifying. Here's to Point Park.
The Unfairness of it All
So, since the non-major jazz class in the school of drama stopped for good last semester, I worked with the class president (or whatever his official title is) to put together a good, technique based dance class together. Today, I found out that there will be a class (yay), but, like all the other classes I want to take, it's during studio (curses!) So, yes, I'm feeling very put out about that.
On the upside, I contacted my landlord the other day, who just happens to be a former ballet dancer for the PBT about dance classes. Today I talked to him on the phone about it and he is good friends with the head of the ballet department at Point Park, which I hear is very very good. So maybe I won't have a technique-less year. After trying to get back in shape this summer, having a year where all I do is forget how to keep my hips aligned is horrifying. Here's to Point Park.
On the upside, I contacted my landlord the other day, who just happens to be a former ballet dancer for the PBT about dance classes. Today I talked to him on the phone about it and he is good friends with the head of the ballet department at Point Park, which I hear is very very good. So maybe I won't have a technique-less year. After trying to get back in shape this summer, having a year where all I do is forget how to keep my hips aligned is horrifying. Here's to Point Park.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Cow?
Today we had a family outing. Yay! Where did we go as a family? Grocery shopping! Yay!
The main reason for shopping today was that we're going to be having a big barbecue tonight and there's a lot and lot of people coming over. So we went to Stew Leonards, a local supermarket where everything is extra fresh, and mom and dad stared at different cuts of steak for what must have been twenty minutes. While they were doing that, the oddest thing happened.
The thing about Stew Leonards is that it's a family friendly place, so it has little robotic things that come alive at a push of a button and do something cute, like lay an egg or sing a song. Occasionally, there's people in cow or duck costumes that walk around and play with kids. Never grownups, occasionally teens, but mostly kids. Which is why it was really odd when a cow came up to May and me while we were waiting for our parents. We were talking in a corner and all of a sudden, there's a cow...standing...right...there... My first response is, "O my god." It waves and then holds its hand in mid-air, and I wonder why, and then May gives the cow-person a mid-five, because it certainly wasn't high enough to be a high-five. Then the cow turns to me, so I respond with another uncertain mid-five. And just like that, cow-person turns around and walks into the back room.
Random. Very odd.
So we stood there for the rest of the time trying to figure out what the deal was with cow-person. At first I thought maybe it was someone I knew. Then we theorized cow-person was sent as an undercover cow-scout to figure out why we were just standing in the corner for twenty minutes. As if I would take that long if I wanted to shoplift...
The main reason for shopping today was that we're going to be having a big barbecue tonight and there's a lot and lot of people coming over. So we went to Stew Leonards, a local supermarket where everything is extra fresh, and mom and dad stared at different cuts of steak for what must have been twenty minutes. While they were doing that, the oddest thing happened.
The thing about Stew Leonards is that it's a family friendly place, so it has little robotic things that come alive at a push of a button and do something cute, like lay an egg or sing a song. Occasionally, there's people in cow or duck costumes that walk around and play with kids. Never grownups, occasionally teens, but mostly kids. Which is why it was really odd when a cow came up to May and me while we were waiting for our parents. We were talking in a corner and all of a sudden, there's a cow...standing...right...there... My first response is, "O my god." It waves and then holds its hand in mid-air, and I wonder why, and then May gives the cow-person a mid-five, because it certainly wasn't high enough to be a high-five. Then the cow turns to me, so I respond with another uncertain mid-five. And just like that, cow-person turns around and walks into the back room.
Random. Very odd.
So we stood there for the rest of the time trying to figure out what the deal was with cow-person. At first I thought maybe it was someone I knew. Then we theorized cow-person was sent as an undercover cow-scout to figure out why we were just standing in the corner for twenty minutes. As if I would take that long if I wanted to shoplift...
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Pirouettes
It's been bothering me to the point where I literally dreamed about it last night.
Last summer, I took dance classes in New York and all of a sudden, bam, I could do pirouettes. Singles, doubles, triples, I could nail them every time, ending exactly where I should end, staying up in a passe. I started off the school year nailing the turns just like that, every single time. Then, all of a sudden, I just...forgot how.
So, the last Tuesday I was in China, I took a ballet class. At the barre, of course, I sucked. All the other girls had great turnouts and great extensions and I was just rusty and overall unimpressive. Then, when we went across the floor doing pirouettes, all of a sudden, bam, yet again. Every single time, single, double or triple, abolutely on point, I could feel myself absolutely on center for both left and right pirouettes.
And now, I can't do them anymore. Again. I strongly suspect it has something to do with taking ballet classes (pulling up, elongating the spine, keeping the hips aligned, all that stuff we ignore in jazz) except that, o, of course, the selfish school of Drama won't open any classes for people who aren't drama majors. So, I'm left looking at ballet classes that are off campus and horrendously expensive. Except that the schools around CMU only seem to offer ballet on Tuesday which is when I have to teach statics recitation. Curses!
Last summer, I took dance classes in New York and all of a sudden, bam, I could do pirouettes. Singles, doubles, triples, I could nail them every time, ending exactly where I should end, staying up in a passe. I started off the school year nailing the turns just like that, every single time. Then, all of a sudden, I just...forgot how.
So, the last Tuesday I was in China, I took a ballet class. At the barre, of course, I sucked. All the other girls had great turnouts and great extensions and I was just rusty and overall unimpressive. Then, when we went across the floor doing pirouettes, all of a sudden, bam, yet again. Every single time, single, double or triple, abolutely on point, I could feel myself absolutely on center for both left and right pirouettes.
And now, I can't do them anymore. Again. I strongly suspect it has something to do with taking ballet classes (pulling up, elongating the spine, keeping the hips aligned, all that stuff we ignore in jazz) except that, o, of course, the selfish school of Drama won't open any classes for people who aren't drama majors. So, I'm left looking at ballet classes that are off campus and horrendously expensive. Except that the schools around CMU only seem to offer ballet on Tuesday which is when I have to teach statics recitation. Curses!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Treadmills
Back in Connecticut and enjoying it. I've done pretty much nothing but eat, sleep and play video games since I got home. Well, I also hung out with Marlen at the mall where I bought a very very pretty pair of shoes. I can't wait to wear them. When did I become so obsessed with those things?
Anyway, I just had to share this music video. Best treadmill workout ever!
Anyway, I just had to share this music video. Best treadmill workout ever!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Home Sweet Home
I'm back in Connecticut! Yay! Happy, happy, happy. I always forget, but it's so nice to be utterly surrounded by just trees and sunlight, where the only sound is my parents talking and the birds. No cars, no smog, just "the country."
So my plane ride was a little uncomfortable. This time around, the seats didn't have footrests and there were entirely too many babies on board for my comfort. I sat next to an adorable little old lady who I felt quite bad for because she started throwing up halfway into the flight. And the airline attendants didn't have anything for her tummy which made me feel double bad for her. Other than that, though, the flight was good. I watched a few good movies - "Something New" and "Take the Lead." "Something New" was much better than I had anticipated, and somehow the movie made toenail painting look incredible kinky. INCREDIBLY. It also made me slightly suspicious as to how many men actually go for that kind of thing. As for "Take the Lead," obviously I loved it because there was dance. I didn't realize until the end credits that the girl who does the menage-a-trois tango at the end is my former piano teacher's grand-daughter. Go, Jenna!
So yes, my entire family met me at the airport and I told them all about my trip. I pulled out the big sack of candy I bought for daddy and he was very pleased. I also told mom about how I took a ballet class in modern shoes and ended up getting huge blisters on my feet from all the turning I did (but I've suddenly regained the ability to do perfect turns, so it's worth it). Then today we went out and did grocery shopping and dad seemed to be mocking me and my new aversion to NorthEastern Chinese food by buying pickled cabbages. Bad daddy, no peanut candy for you.
So my plane ride was a little uncomfortable. This time around, the seats didn't have footrests and there were entirely too many babies on board for my comfort. I sat next to an adorable little old lady who I felt quite bad for because she started throwing up halfway into the flight. And the airline attendants didn't have anything for her tummy which made me feel double bad for her. Other than that, though, the flight was good. I watched a few good movies - "Something New" and "Take the Lead." "Something New" was much better than I had anticipated, and somehow the movie made toenail painting look incredible kinky. INCREDIBLY. It also made me slightly suspicious as to how many men actually go for that kind of thing. As for "Take the Lead," obviously I loved it because there was dance. I didn't realize until the end credits that the girl who does the menage-a-trois tango at the end is my former piano teacher's grand-daughter. Go, Jenna!
So yes, my entire family met me at the airport and I told them all about my trip. I pulled out the big sack of candy I bought for daddy and he was very pleased. I also told mom about how I took a ballet class in modern shoes and ended up getting huge blisters on my feet from all the turning I did (but I've suddenly regained the ability to do perfect turns, so it's worth it). Then today we went out and did grocery shopping and dad seemed to be mocking me and my new aversion to NorthEastern Chinese food by buying pickled cabbages. Bad daddy, no peanut candy for you.
