getting used to this thing called college

Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge (St. John River)

I handed in my first college paper (a one page, double-spaced reaction paper for Communication and Student Success) on Tuesday. No comments from Adam except to include a cover page next time (oops).

I'm still trying to get situated: I don't have my NBCCD student ID yet (which I need to check out books from the school's library) and I couldn't buy print credits here at MJC (I need those to use their printer). ...and I don't have my college email set up yet (darn technology). But I'm starting to relax.

A couple of days ago I had a look in Tony's Music Box. I've been by that store a gazillion times but never had the chance to look around. They sell sheet music (none of which is for violin, sadly), CDs of local groups, guitars (electric and acoustic), pianos, keyboards, and percussion instruments--including a lot of different Sabian cymbals. I don't play any percussion instruments but I love them, I love the sound, and since Sabian is not only the maker of some of the best cymbals in the world, but is also based in Meductic, NB, I get really excited when I see the logo. I had a blast looking around and listening to people try out the instruments (even with the doors between the rooms open the soundproofing was really good).

Yesterday morning my art history class went to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery (which is conveniently located on the same street as the college). We split up into pairs and had to identify art in several categories (said categories were talked about in history class the night before). I've been to the Beaverbrook many times throughout my life but it was a different experience going with a class and identifying whether a work was meant as self-expression, for everyday life, for worship, etc.

Normally they don't allow cameras in the gallery so I knew something was up when I saw a couple of TV cameras being set up. As we were leaving I asked one of the crew members what was going on. She just said that it would be on the news at five (national news) and six (provincial news).

I ate lunch in the student lounge (which is in the basement) and checked my email. One was from Tom, who emailed me the link to a story on CBC.ca called Fredericton gallery wins appeal over Beaverbrook collection (they filmed the TV version at the gallery) I clicked on it, skimmed the article--and cheered.

A few years ago the gallery had an exhibit which Mom and I saw called Art in Dispute, in which they displayed a couple hundred of the paintings that were in danger of being taken from the gallery.

In Creative Process I got one of my first major assignments (worth five per cent): come up with a memory, write twenty words that correspond to it (both of which were done in class--I chose my first BSO concert and the aftermath of said concert, which took place in late May of '06)--and then create images to go with all twenty words (one for each word).

For my ceramics class I had to find an image of an African mask (either online or in the NBCCD library--I chose the latter because I want to explore the library which has tons of books on art and every time I enter I feel like a kid in a candy store) and make a replica using a paper mould. I stayed after school for the first time yesterday afternoon and made the mask (the class is tomorrow afternoon).

The mask looked good, except for the fact that the face isn't centred, which I didn't realize until it was too late.