no class

so i was wrong, i didn't have class today - they were both canceled. i did, however get another paper back. i got an 'a', which makes me happy going into my weekend.

today was so lovely - i went to campus this morning to make my tuition payment and then picked up my paper, then i went to the park and had lunch. it was just such a beautiful day out, with the breeze and the clouds moving in and out - it was sublime. i love picnics, well basically anything that gets me outside. i love to be outside and enjoy the day, i think this is mostly due to my upbringing. being raised in a bohemian- home school environment in the gorgeous location of sedona, az, it has fueled a desire in my life to have a strong connection to nature.

i feel so happy and at ease with my life right now, i have adjusted to my environment (denton) and i feel really strongly about the course work i am undertaking. i am looking for some sort of a part-time job, but if one doesn't turn up i am not going to sweat it - what will be will be, i cannot control what happens in life, i can just enjoy the ride.

one more class

i have class tomorrow, and then i am free for weekend fun! i'm going down to the photography exhibitions at the amon carter on saturday, the purpose of going does fulfill a requirement for a class, but i am excited to see the shows.

i need to get some things done around my house this weekend as well, i need to organize some things, do laundry, get grocery shopping done, ect. i don't, however, have a lot of homework this weekend, so that is a nice breather. i think the bulk of work i need to do for class is reading.

lately i have been trying to decide what i want to make my official minor. currently i am a french minor, however i am really interested in international studies - focusing on regional studies of europe. i think that, coupled with art history, would be a really great combination. i have to think about it...

the birds

tonight outside of the art building they were shooting off canons to scare away the massive amount of birds that have taken up residence there. it was creepy...i was walking to my car and there were hundreds of black birds swarming and scattering about with each blast of the canon. it was defiantly a hitchcock moment.

i was at the art building tonight after dinner, a salad at subway (that was quite good by the way) to work on a project for history of photography. the assignment was to find an image, historical or contemporary, that plays with the notion of trickery in photography. it was an interesting assignment, it got me thinking about photographs represent in mass media, and how more often than not, what is shown to the consumer is not reality, which, i suppose i already knew on a subconscious level, but i am more aware of it after this assignment.

in topics in latin american art we got our formal analysis papers back - i must admit i was quite nervous to see how i did on the assignment, but i got 100, so now i have a little bit of a high off of that, now i just have to control the butterflies about the other two papers i have floating out there waiting to be graded.

paris

slowly the day to day life that i am leading is beginning to make more sense. my efforts to organize things that are going on around me and that i am directly involved with are starting to pay off. i am really thrilled with some of the prospects i have on my horizon in regards to future study opportunities, such as the chance to study at parsons paris as a visiting student. i mean, the chance to study art and fashion history in one of the world's most beautiful and culturally significant metropolitan cities is the experience of a life time. through the program i would be able to enroll in courses that would be taught through a combination of lecture and site and museum visits. there is that tangible element of actually being given the access to the works being learned about that i find so appealing. what more could a girl ask for? there is a hinge in funding, but if i were to be awarded a scholarship i would back my bag in ten minutes and head out to the city of lights.

wanting more

i was sitting in my topics class this morning, and was looking at the catalogue for spring '08 classes, and i am a little unhappy about the small number of art history classes be offered. i wish that there was a more diverse range being taught next semester, i think there are only five different courses, two of which are being taught this semester...it just doesn't make any sense to me, i really want to be able to take more advanced art history. i will keep my fingers crossed and perhaps they will add more classes.

more sleep needed

i have had a very tiring weekend, ending with staying up extremely late last night finishing up my homework. i am sleepy and it makes me even more tired to think about all the work i still have left to do. i am taking the art history entrance exam this friday which i am not worried about per say, simply nervous...i think that it will be alright, i just need to study and get some rest. i am wanting also to pursue either study abroad or to do this visiting student program offered through columbia university. i will have to see which program will benefit me more. well...back to work

i need some sleep

i have an abundance of work to accomplish this weekend. i have three small papers to write, several substantial readings to peruse, and a large section of history homework to complete. i am glad that i am not just sitting around without anything to occupy my days, however, i am simply exhausted. i feel as though my days are spent running around and my head is still spinning when it hits the pillow at night. in addition to the regular course work i have to get done, i really need to start work on some other projects. i am doing a honors contract this fall with one of my 4000 level art history courses, which i am really excited about. the project i am doing for the contract is a catalogue that will be a mock-up of a fictitious photography exhibition dealing with native american portraiture, past and present. so i think that the work will be interesting...i just need to find the time to get it all done. and oh yes, i forgot, the art history entrance event is a week from today, so i need to find time to study for that as well. so rest and relaxation are not so much on the horizon for at least the next week-week and a half...i really need a vacation.

socratic cafe

tonight i went to digital photography: beautiful or sublime - it was a great lecture. i thought that dr. waligore's work was very interesting. i always find it interesting to hear a fellow artist explain his/her work, and what has inspired them to create in the first place. i highly recommend attending lectures when they are offered, because they give such an unique avenue of perspective that you would other wise be void of.

in history of photography today we met in our small groups to discuss the sontag text in plato's cave. i think that the discussion that we had was really stimulating and i think all that contributed to the conversation gave really thought provoking points of view. i much prefer when a class is run in a socratic type atmosphere, with in depth discussion as apposed to lecture format. i mean, i do enjoy a good lecture, when the subject matter is captivating and the instructor keeps things moving...but it is nice to have that interaction with fellow students in the classroom atmosphere.

procrastination nation

procrastination is the name of the game...a game that i often find my self playing. there has never been an assignment that i have missed, turned in late, or failed to complete...but for some reason i procrastinate until the last minute on almost everything, there are very few exceptions. perhaps it is some sort subconscious reflex that i revert to because there is a part of me that likes to work under pressure. i think for me, working under pressure produces higher quality work.

tonight i am plowing through in plato's cave by susan sontag, so far it is excellent reading - it is for history of photogrpahy, which by the way is turning out to be a great class.

also, tomorrow night there is a lecture in CHEM 109 - digital photography: beautiful or sublime. the lecture is being given by marilyn waligore, associate professor of aesthetic studies and photography at university of texas, dallas. the lecture beings at 5pm. it should be very interesting.

that day

today, as i woke up and got ready for class, i could not help but stop to take a moment to reflect upon what happened on this day six years ago. i remembered what i had done that morning, when i turned on the television and saw what was happening. i had gotten up, just like any other morning, had my breakfast, and gotten ready for school...the television was on in the living room, and at that point everyone was still thinking that is was an accident...that is was a plane crash and not terrorism. i went to school, i was a freshman in high school, and the school i was going to was a very small private school - only about 86 students total, so they gathered us all up and we went into the student lounge where we all sat in horror as the second plane hit. it was such an awful thing, so hard for everyone to accept as reality. even today, it is hard to accept that the events of that day were a reality and not a movie, or a television drama...my thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones that day, i am sure that their wounds are far from healed even now.

bob makes me smile

tonight i was sitting watching a little tv, something that i don't do very often, and the bob newhart show was on. there is no one as funny as bob newhart, i mean he just has this unbelievable ability to make a joke out of something mundane without making it inane. so watch bob newhart if you want to smile...because he is brilliant.

these are the days

its sunday night, and i cannot seem to be able to accept that it is the beginning of the third week of classes. the fall term always seems to go by so quickly, i mean yes, it is shorter in actual length than the spring semester...but it does seem to pass at a faster rate. i am really looking forward to the weather cooling off, i love cold weather, and whereas it doesn't get 'cold' here, i am in anticipation of 'cooler' days.

is it just me or is the fall simply the best time of the year? i mean, i love going back to school, and then there is halloween, and thanksgiving and then it has the grand finale of Christmas! i mean, the fall is simply my favorite season...the changing light and the way it effects my mood, the crisp breezes, the grey days, the crunchy leaves in the sidewalk...there is no better time than the fall.

western landscapes

the photography show tonight was really great. the work was so interesting, it all was focused on the concept of western landscapes. i just find it so interesting to see the way certain individuals interpret the same subject matter. i defiantly recommend going down to the UNT artspace in ft. worth and checking it out. it is worth the trip!

artspace

saturday night there is a photography exhibition opening at the UNT Artspace in ft. worth. the exhibit is a collaborative show with work by unt photography faculty - dornith doherty, and tcu faculty - luther smith. the reception is free and starts at 5pm and should last until around 8pm. the show should be really excellent...i highly recommend attending. the show will be up through the 21st of october, but the reception is a great time to see it because you have the opportunity to meet with the artists.

the UNT artspace is in ft.worth across from the kimball art museum on camp bowie blv.