A Case of the Jitters

Over the weekend we ventured out to Penn to support Julie's boyfriend, Eric, sing in an Acapella show. Not only can Eric sing, but he also has red hair and is 6'5''... so it's like walking with a red-headed version of my brother. Click to hear Eric sing the solo to Jitterbug with the rest of the Pennchants. 

Inked.

2D Project: Linoleum Cut Prints and Folder. 

-We had to take an Iconic image or idea and make multiple prints of it. Then we had to make a response and modern take on the original image. I chose Kathe Kollowitz's Mother and Dead Child print. I wanted to play with the idea of a child's death as being one of a parent's biggest fears. For my modern response, I flipped it and had the child loose the parent. We then had to construct a folder to place the multiple prints in so that they could be interchangeable. I used the string as a border to show how delicate and fragile the line between life and death can be, especially among loved ones.

This is a view of a few of them hanging in the hallway. 

Keepin it "Reel"...

Just got my camera back. It is pouring in Philadelphia. Lightning and thunder too.  So what better time to update my blog!?

Caitlin is cooking a lot. And I'm lucky enough to be one of her taste testers. Believe me... I'm not complaining. Her chili is sooooo good. She seems to have an uncanny knack for soups and stews, which is nice seeing as it's finally starting to get colder.

We had a J&H dinner. Which was nice because I seriously hadn't been there in weeks... I don't mind eating by myself at the SAC, but there's just something weird about going to J&H alone. So it was a super nice change to finally get a bunch of us together to eat and catch up. I think we are going for lunch tomorrow too.

This was the face I made when I got my camera back. After I came to the realization that she was taking photos all dinner long with my camera.

I'm not even going to try and deny how much of a creep I had to be to take this photo... from Cait's bed. In a separate room. Here she's making a spiced apple/pear pie. Which hopefully I'll get to try too. I ate all the apple peels before Cait told me there were like three with stickers on them. I only saw 1...

In other news a bunch of us went to see District 9 tonight. SOOO SOOO SOOO good! Seriously. I loved that movie. I seriously couldn't stop thinking about how it was such a Dan Dunn movie. Intelligent with a compelling story, while still maintaing action and good visual affects. Well worth my $2. And I'm finally starting to take more advantage of our campus movie theater, the Reel. I attended a Temple Student Film Festival and a midnight showing of HP.

They are pretty much the most enthusiastic group ever.

(When they aren't yelling at me for taking their pictures.)

One Fine Day...

This is my latest 3D project. Everyone in the class was given the name of a body part and an adjective to describe it as a sort of starting point and it was our job to create a response using video.  My words were "Bubbly Fingertips" and I chose to do stop motion because I really enjoy the overall quality of the frames and how sporadic they can be at times. I also like how in control of the piece you are, dictating what each and every frame looks like. My friend Megan recorded herself guitar tapping on youtube and was nice enough to let me use it in the video. I definitely think it makes the video stronger as a complete thought. She is seriously talented.

"Double Tank"...

So here is my Tank Man Photo edited for the mosaic project in Computers. I wanted to keep it looking sort of simple so I just scanned in a bunch of swatches I painted, arranged them in a mosaic pattern, and drew over them in photoshop with the pencil tool. All the photos from my classmates will then be arranged and re-arranged to match up with each others.

Mamma Mia...

Mom,

I'd like to say I know you pretty well. 

After all it has been over 19 years. 

So I know that you are at work while I'm typing this, even though I always ask you your schedule at work. 

I know you secretly miss Trey and not so secretly miss Mike and I. 

I know that you are relieved you don't have to wake me up in the morning, but still wonder how I manage to do it myself. 

I love how your cheeks suck in when your angry, 

or how you use to point to our rooms when you were on the phone.

And when I go to take a picture of my artwork, you are always the first person I send it to. 

You are the one I look to for advice. 

The one that calms me down and makes me think levelheadedly. 

The one who convinced me I got my red hair from a strawberry overdose.

and to stop wearing turtlenecks in the summer.

Your smile.

Your laugh.

The way you never once forgot to ask me how my day was...

And 9 times out of 10 you had some sort of baked good waiting for us when we got home from school.

You taught me how to cook...

I miss dancing with you in the kitchen... just because we can.

And no one can even come close to your twice baked potato.

You are filled with so many talents, I'm slightly envious.

And as much as I hate weeding... I know that the garden is beautiful because of how much time and effort you've put into it.

And I secretly love when all my friends tell me how pretty you are and jealous that you aren't their mother.

No--You are my mother. And today is your birthday. And even though I can't be there with you to celebrate, know that I am always thinking of you! I love you and I hope your whole week goes amazingly!!! And when I come home... we are going to dance in the kitchen.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!! 

Fiesta Time!!!!!!!!

Gotta love Spanish dinner nights! I happened to have two in a row! The first one Brielle made me delicious black beans, peppers, and onions over rice with cheesy bread and ice tea. It was soooooo good. A little spicy, but not overpowering.

Next the 1300 gang was treated to a plantain feast when Mercedes decided she'd cook up the 8 plantains she got at Cousins with me a few days ago. 

Which just so happens to be one of the coolest grocery stores ever! It is mostly hispanic and Muslim based so it has a lot of ingredients that you can't find at other grocery markets. And the prices are great! Almost cheap as free! Plus it is a nice 5 minute walk from my apartment, so I'm pretty sure we'll be frequenting there a lot more in the semester. 

The Day the Dead Danced...

So I'm not really a big party person. I don't know what it is-- I think maybe the large crowds make me claustrophobic. But sometimes I just can't pass up a good dance party. Especially when Julie's boyfriend, Eric, and his housemates invite us to their house to dance till dawn. 

So the Temple crew and I headed on over to West Philly and had such a good time dancing and laughing and scaring all the Penn kids. Seriously... I love Halloween. Costumes and an excuse to act crazy and awkward. Plus I love that even though we're in college, my friends and I all dressed in costumes. It wasn't even a question of whether we would or not... it was more along the lines of, how are we going to transport this on the subway and will the bathrooms in Eric's house be available for us to change in and do our makeup?!

And let me tell you... I don't care what anyone says, I think Temple definitely brought that party to its next level. We were the only ones dancing in the beginning. Not to mention the fact that we didn't care about making fools of ourselves... (see above photo).

Tank Man...

For computer class we were asked to write a paper in response to the 2oth anniversary of Tank Man who was part of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Sam then asked us to put a brief summary on our blog... We are centering our next project around the iconic image.

I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. Sitting in music class at Holy Name of Jesus school. I was in the sixth grade. It was cloudy out. Sister Rita knocked on the door to the music trailer early.  We still had over half the class left, but were dismissed from music early and went back to homeroom. The television was turned on and we watched reruns of one of the planes crashing into the second tower. Looking back on it, I do not think I could have imagined the impact one singular event could have on a person let alone an entire population.

            Twenty years ago a similar incident occurred that would change the way people perceive freedom. Redefining human rights, bravery, and and the idea that all it takes is one voice.  Not to mention that it would all stem from a country where most of the rest of the world would least expect, China. On June 5, 1989 several military tanks would be stopped by a lone man holding two small plastic bags.  The man refused to let military forces enter the square filled with protestors and with it refused to give up. The photos taken of this brief moment in time would stand as a testament to the bravery and impact one person can have. Not to mention the power behind the idea that it can be relived and retold through a singular image. 

Photo 1 taken by: Jeff Widener of the Associated Press.

Photo 2 taken by: Terril Jones also of the Associated Press.