Mar 31, 2010

It was early morn when we did board that bus to New York City with cream cheese bagel in hand and camera slung around my neck.

The bus ride was actually pretty fun, as they tend to be on field trips. We had to decide which of three groups we would be joining in the morning and afternoon as they were all splitting up and going to different studios and museums.

We went with Jan in the morning to C & G Partners, a graphic design firm on the tenth floor of an unassuming building in Chelsea.

We were led to a conference room, where a power point was waiting and Steff Geissbuhler was there to tell us about what they do. Steff is an awesome person. He created the NBC logo and many other designs that he showed us. He is also just a really nice and funny guy. He told us how he got started and gave us suggestions on how to succeed, which was basically just "stick with it!"

Once we toured the design offices we took the elevators back to the street. Katie and I split off from the group and went to Cheep's for a delicious (and cheap..) falafel. The pita bread was so good and the falafel tasted fresh. I wish it wasn't so far away..

We went across the street to get a Vanilla Chai Frappe from a coffee shop that Katie had been to before as well. It was a tasty treat for the walk back to Union Square where we got on the subway to head uptown.

There was some confusion (aka Jenn didn't answer her phone) when we got to Moma. We took matters into our own hands though and I got all the tickets for the group so we could get into the Tim Burton exhibit on time.

The place was incredibly crowded and the line of people shuffled along very slowly as people examined each drawing of Burton's that all showed a clear progression to the films we all know. Several strange sculptures stood in the center of the room and there were also short films that he had done at various points in his career.

The back room was full of all of the stuff we know: Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, etc. It was cool seeing a lot of the models used from the films but overall I think the crowd and my high expectations left me wanting more. It's a great exhibit for any die-hard fans but I had to get out of the mass of people.

William Kentridge was also on display in a special gallery. I've enjoyed his work since I discovered it a few years ago. He does stop motion videos of charcoal drawings, mostly commentary on the working man and industry. There were a bunch of his videos on display that I had never seen. He does amazing work.

I had never seen this before but I really loved this piece. We walked through this gallery for a while and then checked out a little more of the museum before meeting back outside to wait for the bus to pick us up.

The ride home was a slow one at first but it wasn't too bad once we got moving. I fell asleep very briefly and then I was wide awake just after. I came home and did a few things before happily getting into bed.

Mar 30, 2010

I worked in a math class at Lakeside in the morning. The first class was good but the others were a little insane. I could have done without that. The teacher came back from her field trip a little early though so I got to leave.

I came home and finished my automatic drawing for class and then went to Modern Art. In Graphic Design, we gave our presentations on our first set of designers. We decided to order pizza while we listened to each other talk about art. It didn't make it much easier to listen to the poorly executed power points that most of the class had.

I met Shannon and went to Landmark for some drinks and Quizzo after class. These are all mine. Ok, so they actually belong to the other people at the table. Some of Shannon's friends sat with us and we worked together on two teams. Good thing I knew what SWAT stands for and don't know that much about the ninth amendment!

After the game we went to see how Joanna was doing on the box. She is painting letters on the walls like a giant word find. It was coming along nicely but she had a lot of work left to do.

I didn't stay too long because I needed to get some sleep before the Graphic Design trip.

Mar 29, 2010

I went to Art History in the morning and then wasted some time until Photojournalism. We went to get some food on our break which we ate during the documentary of Gordon Parks. He is an amazingly interesting person. He did some really awesome things.

We talked about our ideas for the next assignment in Sculpture and then I cleaned up the box so Joanna could start on hers. It didn't take long at all to take all the stuff down.

Later I worked on Graphic Design work and helped Katie study for her test until pretty late before coming home to sleep.

Mar 28, 2010

Ryan and I took advantage of the nice day by playing some tennis at the college. We had some really good games and the points stayed pretty close. After our game I went for a run at Parvin's for the first time in a few months. Welcome back to Spring.

My grandmom and I went to Applebee's later to get some dinner. It was really crowded but once our food finally came out it was good. I had a jalapeno veggie burger.

I went to Katie's after dinner to work on our projects. I did some things for mine but we mostly ended up working on her stuff. The list of things to do is daunting.

Mar 27, 2010

Ryan and I got up early and drove to Tyler State Park for our second Johnny Boge Classic disc golf tournament.

We met Stu, our other player, and took the long walk to our first hole. The game ran pretty smoothly except that we had to wait for the group in front of us on a few holes.

I was all over the place as far as my shots. I had a few really good shots, like this one where I scored a two, and some very poor shots. I had no consistency. I ended out the round with a 90, which is just a few over par so not too bad. We took a much needed lunch break in the car and then threw some discs around until it was time for round two.

I was placed with two other AM2 players for the second round, Todd and Tim. They were nice guys so the round went pretty quick. Unfortunately, I didn't do great. I improved on a few but mostly I did a little worse. The out of bounds hurt me.

I finished with a 64 for a grand total of 154 overall. It could have been much better but it's a six stroke improvement from last year and I tied for fourth place, earning me a Pro Wraith. It was definitely fun and hopefully we'll be able to play some more tournaments this year.

Once I had a chance to go home and clean up I met the guys at Rowan for the battle of the bands to find out who would open the big show in Spring.

We played third and we hadn't practiced so we really didn't know what to expect when we got up there but everything just seemed to come together.

I think we played really well and we all had a great time. The band that played after us was really good as well and they ended up winning the battle. I thought we had a chance at one point but I wasn't upset about the decision at all and I think we all left with smiles on our faces after our performance.

It was a long and tiring day but I had a great time with everything. Sleep is my next reward.

Mar 26, 2010

I slept in since I went to bed late but I ended up getting a half day job at Lakeside. It was quite an easy job too. I had one double period class and then one class with three kids and I was done.

I went up to Glassboro to look at some cars that were suggested to me. They didn't turn out as good as I had hope so I checked a few more dealerships with one car that seemed nice and I might go back to look at.

I had food at Joanna's and hung out there watching TV and looking at classes for next semester until she had to go to a meeting. I headed home and watched some things for a while until Ryan was ready to meet up for some night tennis. We played until the lights died on us. We had some good points.

I went to Katie's after tennis so she could help me out on my poster project. We made some good progress and I had some yucca and spicy sauce before I left. It's such a strange texture but so good for some reason.

Mar 25, 2010

I substituted for a math teacher at Lakeside in the morning. I always like the math classes because I can actually do something. I went around helping kids with their problems and I feel like I actually teach them things sometimes. It also helps pass the time.

I brought the car I was interested in to a mechanic and was told that it was probably a bad deal because it was in an accident. The search continues. I had Modern Art and then in Graphic Design we critiqued our logo designs.

Once we finally got to take a break, I went down to 207 to Steph's senior show to shoot the gallery opening and have some food. The pictures are beautifully but they are intentionally distorted by car headlights to express how we as a country tend to see the natural wonders. We see them in photos or from car windows without ever using our other senses. It is intended to inspire people to get out there and see these things for themselves. Experience it!

I went to Rowan After Hours for a bit after class. Mary Kay had a personality test things where you put on lipstick, kiss a paper and learn about yourself. It turns out I'm very adventurous and in touch with my femininity. True story. I was also given a free chap stick that is apparently worth fourteen dollars.

I went to Katie's to work on some design things for a while. I was helping somehow, I'm just not sure exactly what I did besides eat a vegan bologna sandwich.

Mar 24, 2010

Not much sleep but up early to Art History II so I can do better on the next test. I try to take better notes (I'm a good note taker) but he tells us useless information about things we're not going to be tested on so what do I write down???

During my "break" I ran back and forth across campus getting supplies and food before constructing my other project due for sculpture just before Photojournalism. I made a picnic basket with cut up stuffed animals in containers inside. It had to do with the kind of animals we're okay with eating and the ones that make us go, "aww, why would you eat that?!" We looked at those projects and then critiqued my box.

Everyone entered, zipped up the tent and had a seat on the log.

I wanted everyone to feel like they were secluded in the forest and sitting somewhere very peaceful and serene, away from the city and school.

I think (and everyone else agreed) that it worked out really nicely. The space felt and smelled like a dark forest. The blue lights gave it a nice campsite feel and I had s'more for everyone to construct when they got in.

After critique we talked about our next project and then got out to enjoy the weather by playing frisbee on the lawn in front of Bunce. I can throw the disc one hundred feet directly to Joanna but I can't hit a basket from ten feet sometimes. I don't get it.

I really like this picture for some reason. I was trying to shoot myself catching the disc but it wasn't that easy. This just seems cool though.

We got something to eat before meeting Shannon at the Student Center to watch Sherlock Holmes. The audio was pretty terrible though so we only stayed for a short time before ditching.

Mar 23, 2010

I worked at Memorial in the morning for an Accounting teacher. It looked really nice out of the stairwell window so I grabbed this shot. I had travel/break time after the first class so I went home for a bit before I had to go to the Senior High for part two of my day.

I came to class after work and learned me some art history before more super fun exercises in Graphic Design. Like usual, I had to leave early to go shoot an event.

I went to Pfleeger to shoot the Stephen Lynch event with Heather. Chuck and Diebra came to watch the show as well.

Stephen Lynch came out and played to an enthusiastic crowd. He played a lot of hilarious songs that I can only assume were on a CD or previous special since people cheered when he described what they would be.

Towards the end of the show, Dave Berg came out to accompany him on a few songs and do a skit or three. Overall it was a pretty hilarious performance. I got some good pictures from the wings and the high seats and I basically just got to go for free since I offered to take shots. Win.

After the show I went right to the Sculpture room to start working on my box due the next day. I had to find some supplies and bring in some things to hang up.

I went out into the woods near Westby quite a few times to gather branches and twigs.

I brought them in to hang up all around the walls of the box to start closing in the space like a forest.

I dragged rocks inside and created a fire pit in the corner. I was tempted to start a fire in there just to be cozy but I was pretty warm from all the hauling and such.

I nailed up a bunch more sticks around the outside edges, hung up the tent zipper door, spread leaves all around the floor, added the log seat and lit up the lanterns and called it a night by 2am. Much earlier than I expected. It worked out quite nicely.

It was a successful night and a pretty fun/hectic day. More to come..