Mixed Reviews

Well, my classes end Monday, and I only have two finals after that. I had a critique in my "Drawing Fundamentals II" class, and I wasn't surprised by my luke-warm review. Most of my classes haven't exactly captured my interest for quite a few weeks, but I've stuck it out til now. While I obviously wasn't thrilled by the final critique in my conceptual drawing class, I'm still a little stuck on my sculpture professor's comment the other day.

We've had really no assignment at all for about a month and a half, so we've had pretty much total leeway to do our own thing. I started in a sort of Rachel Whiteread feel, casting corners of boxes out of plaster, and then connecting the different corners to each other. Somehow, I changed the object of my casting to hemispheres and pie wedges. I then spray-painted and hand painted them in primary colors, and then several pieces in blue and silver. So far, my professor has shown interest in my work, but pretty much left the topic alone. Then, the other day, he came up to me individually, and began raving about my work. He told me I could "steal everyone's attention and really be the darling of the sculpture studio". I don't think I really even knew how to react. So far in school, I haven't heard a lot of great reviews of my work, and I have to admit, other than a few of these sculptures, I really was becoming frustratingly uninspired by my own work.

So, I guess I will just take the review as one more opinion, and move on, but it was a nice relief from my other classes. Sorta makes me want to just live in the sculpture studio...this comment was great, becuase for the first time in quite a long while, I felt like I had potential to do some really cool stuff, and that I was on that track and not just feeding my professors what they wanted with none of my own interest. I actually felt more like an artist than a freshman...

Things I Learned From Living in the Styx:

1. Tulips come in EVERY shade.

2. Roads can go miles and miles with no posted speed limit.

3. Corn grows shorter in the shade.

4. There are sink holes that defy the weather. They are dry in a rain storm. They grow weeds in the winter.

5. If snow comes before the snow-fencing goes up, there are the most incredible snow drifts and gales.

6. You can see five different colors of lightning in almost any given thunder storm, and nothing's scarier than driving in these storms.

7. After sundown, you can find any small water body by listening to the frogs' chirping.

8. Lambs and baby Billy goats can be the best of friends.

9. It's easier to find the Orion constellation than either of the Ursa Major/Minor (Dipper) constellations, as Orion stays more or less above the tree line all night.

10. Fresh corn must be eaten within about 5 hours of being picked, or else the gluten stiffens and taste changes completely.

11. Sometimes little black birds fly in swarms so huge, crossing the road, that you have to stop the car because you can't see through the birds. Then, you have to catch your breathe because, even after seeing it before, this sight is stunning.

12. You can smell a charcoal fire, clear as if it were from your grill, from neighbors towns away.

13. Dust can hide the color of anything, and looks like smoke when a tractor plows a large field.


I love where I live...

I love College

I now love college, and it has really nothing to do with college, and more with the fact that I really have grown up a lot in a year. I often, especially in transition times, get quite paralyzing depression, and this year I fussed about it, and moped, and decided to join a gym. Fabulous idea! Every time I go I feel good, I make friends, I feel like I'm spoiling myself just by working out! My depression is nowhere to be found, which is probably also somewhat Spring being here. I just love it. I also have let myself just be ok with how everything is right now, and I've given up trying to figure out whether I want to stay at my school, or where I want to live, or what I want to study. I just give up, and I'll figure it out, I guess. I feel like an entirely different person. And with all these new decisions, I have been eating healthier, and been less grouchy and tired.

I love college. And I may have a shared studio with my best friend at school next semester! How much would that rock?!

Like Terry?

I've started to remind myself of Terry, a really amazing man who used to be in my life, because of my social life. He would always have friends, a ton of them, but they would always be dispersed over the world. He'd have a couple friends in Sao Paolo, in Turkey, in Dublin, in Spain. It was always ridiculous, and it was always great to go visit, cuz we'd have somewhere to stay. On the other hand, other than his kids and my small family, he didn't really have friends near home. I think there should probably be some balance, and I totally worry that I'll be the same way as T. I have so many friends elsewhere, who I do in fact keep in touch with, but I have to worry that some of those ties take time from my friends actually still in NJ. Who knows, I think I just need to give myself a break, as I'm only a freshman...besides, I guess I could always go traveling...and being like Terry would not be worst thing...

Spring and the Phoebe

Now that I had my first taste of real spring, I've got my flee instinct I get every year. I always need to get the hell out of wherever I am, and go somewhere else. In the summer, I'm constantly moving, and typically, and I admit preferably, on my own, whether it be in NJ or abroad, or even at my grandparent's, at the beach. I love love love the Spring, and I definitely enjoy it, but it's like now I'm done with sitting around and inside, and I want to escape the doldrums by going somewhere else.
Now is when I love to go to Spain, or Germany, or even just Long Island, and sit outside until like 8:30 and just listen, or ride my bike. I love that calm feeling of being in a completely removed culture from the usual, and having no one know you're there, or having anyone be able to contact you. Surprisingly, I hate camping. I love having resources, and being able to feel secluded and living somewhere away from the people I know, even in the middle of a big city. I love even more when I don't have to speak English, and I can completely escape and be seen not as an American teenager. Love It Love It Love It. I need to find something to do this summer, even if it just gets me out of my town and my house...anything! I get really antsy seeing airplanes, and butterflies, and anything that can leave here. Maybe I'll try to go to Boston or DC at least.

And I googled a new bird today. The Phoebe. And wrote a poem with it's mention. It's my new favorite Spring creature! Have I mentioned I love birds?? Well, if I haven't, I do. And this one's adorable...

Family Morning

Pajama Pants.
Warm Sweater.
Spring Rain.
German Oven Pancake.
Melted Butter.
New Music.
Cute Date for the Queer Ball.

Nothin' better. Spring can really rock sometimes!

Sums up my semester so far...

I seem to dig myself deeper and deeper. 4 weeks. 4weeks. 4 weeks. plus finals, but shhhhhh, I'm ignoring that...