Welcome back! This year will be my final(!!!!!) year as a college or university student for a while, and I can't believe how fast the last four years have gone. Seems like just yesterday I was a stressed-out twenty-one-year-old FVA at NBCCD--and now I'm just days away from my last first day of school for a while (NSCAD's year started on the fifth, but I don't start until the eleventh because my one course this semester, Advanced Photo Critique, is on Wednesdays).
I tried--and failed--to get a job this summer. However, I entered a couple photos in the Chocolate Fest's Artist Showcase (a new event this summer). There was a lot of awesome work, but I'm not sure how successful the Showcase was, as it was badly managed. I hope they get it right next year. I'd hoped to volunteer in addition to submitting work, but although I expressed interest, I was never contacted so I volunteered at the local SPCA again (I need to keep my references current in order to get a job next year). I also went to three awesome concerts: the Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony, Trond Saeverud and Greg Biss (both in St. Andrews, NB) and Stepping Out (a local oldies group in St. Stephen). The PBSO concert was amazing, and was the first time that that orchestra brought me close to tears (about time, as I've been a fan for four years and this was concert number seven). Here's part of what I wrote in a comment on the orchestra's Facebook page: "Just when I thought the PBSO couldn't get any awesomer--you do! And just when I thought I couldn't fall any deeper in love with said orchestra--I do. Yesterday's concert was well beyond amazing--whatever that is. I don't think there are words to describe it. I was close to tears by the end of the Sibelius [second symphony], it was so overwhelming. I think I'm going to have to find a recording of the second symphony on YouTube and listen to it again--it's that sort of piece. Once just isn't enough to really process it." The orchestra did an open dress rehearsal prior to the concert, which I really enjoyed: "I love seeing what goes on before a performance: rehearsals, practice sessions, etc. THAT'S where the story is: in the mistakes, the conductor's/dance master's or mistress'/director's/person in charge's remarks, the going-over-a-section-multiple-times."
Almost exactly three weeks later, I was back in St. Andrews, this time for Trond and Greg's concert. From a couple of emails that I wrote to Lynn: "[After the concert,] I told Trond how much I'd enjoyed the Sibelius at the last PBSO concert and how it had almost made me cry. Because the symphony was so beautiful and it affected me so deeply, I wasn't happy just telling some of the musicians: I wanted to tell the guy in charge of the orchestra--Trond. I'd been kicking myself since said concert because I didn't get a chance to tell him then, as I spent the time in between the final note and heading home talking to first you and then Mishona [a French hornist in the PBSO and childhood friend]. He was very touched and thanked me for telling him. I also asked him where in Norway he's from. I wasn't surprised when he said Bergen, which is where his dad and grandfather are/were from. When I got back to the car, I couldn't hold in my excitement anymore and did a happy-dance: I could finally stop kicking myself!"
"As is typical when I go to ridiculously awesome concerts, I didn't come down from Trond and Greg's concert (and the fact that I could stop kicking myself because I'd told Trond about my reaction to the PBSO's last concert--it was kind of like a reverse PBSO Fiasco, in that I'd resigned myself to not being able to tell him until next year. The main reason why I took the PBSO's 'no' so hard at the end of my one and only rehearsal with them was because I hadn't made any room in my head for that answer.) until about two days after said concert."
The day before the PBSO concert, I played the French horn for the first time at an instrument petting zoo hosted by Sistema New Brunswick (from the Bangor Symphony's website: "This interactive program is a great opportunity to play and hear the different sounds from the wide variety of musical instruments. Have fun discovering your musical talents."). I sounded pretty decent, too (I wasn't sure what would come out when I blew into the mouthpiece: squawks or actual music? I lucked out with the latter.). Before actually playing the instrument, I was given a lesson in how to blow into the mouthpiece, which took some practice, but I got the hang of it.
In early August, Mom and I went to Halifax to look at apartments for my final year, as I couldn't afford another year in a university residence as it's too expensive. Besides, I figured it was time to branch out on my own and try apartment living (I still have a roommate--a fellow NSCADian, though she's doing an interdisciplinary major and art history minor).
This summer I got rid of about a hundred books that I no longer wanted. During the last school year, I realized just how little I could live on (after paying NSCAD and the residence, I had about $1,000 left for the entire Fall semester, and it was a similar situation in the Winter semester), and it made me realize just how little I could survive on--though $1,000 was pushing it. I wanted to bring the live-on-less approach to the rest of my life, I wasn't reading those books and I was running out of shelf space, anyway, so it was a good thing. When Mom saw the piles (there were six by the time I left for school) she got the idea to have a book sale with them for a cat trap/neuter/return (TNR) group she volunteers with.
Toward the end of the summer, my favourite radio host, Suzanne Nance, left MPBN. She'll be starting at WFMT in Chicago on October first and I'll be listening via iTunes--I'm not going to let her go that easily. The final broadcast was beautiful, and emotional on both our parts: I cried several times--and whenever she teared up I wasn't far behind. I was a sobbing wreck by the end, tears dripping off the end of my nose as I lay on on my bed, "curled up around my pocket radio, listening to those words and knowing that I [would] never hear that voice on that station ever again, giving her all my attention, nodding at various times, eyes closed" (from yet another email). I knew that once she went off air, that'd be it: no more Suzanne Nance on MPBN. Here's the playlist from that morning and an article from the Portland Press Herald, which has a video of the final minutes. I dare you not to cry. I'd posted a comment on the Morning Classical Music Facebook page and got a few replies from other people who were also listening and had posted a few replies myself, so by the time the big sob-fest started I knew I wasn't the only one crying their eyes out.
I've been reading a lot about Russia's law that makes distributing "gay propaganda" to minors illegal--meaning that it's illegal to do things like wear pride pins. As a result, I plan to almost completely ignore the Sochi Olympics (the exception being keeping an eye on when and how that law comes into effect, though I won't read about it from official broadcasters, e.g., CBC, BBC or NBC) and I'm going to listen to as much Tchaikovsky as I can on the days of the opening and closing ceremonies, as not only was he Russian but he was also gay, which I've known for several years (he was fairly comfortable with his sexuality, too, which is awesome). I recently found out that his brother, Modest, was also gay. That means lots of Nutcracker, Swan Lake, his violin concerto, etc (I've never been a fan of The Sleeping Beauty, so I'm leaving it out). It didn't surprise me when I read that the Kremlin tries to cover up the fact that Tchaikovsky wasn't straight. A couple weeks ago, I watched a really good documentary about him.
I moved into my apartment on the first and have spent the week unpacking and deciding where everything should go. Because my roommate, Loana, and I are both art students, many of the walls are covered with our work. I fell in love with the place when I viewed it over the summer, and have continued to fall deeper in love: the location's perfect, the people in the rental office are awesome and there's lots of space (including plenty of storage)--though I'm still operating on a "cram everything into as little space as possible" mentality, which has been my life for the last four years, with last year being the worst of it.
I went to Table Day on Wednesday, and then another event that wasn't really well explained and that was completely different from what I thought on Thursday. However, as I'm interested in joining the Queer Collective and Feminist Collective, I asked about both groups and was directed to their respective Facebook groups. While I will go to general assemblies--which will be easier, as A. I don't have evening classes in either semester and B. I don't have to worry about needing to be back at a residence before the meal hall closes so I can technically stay at school as late as I want (NSCAD has twenty-four access). Although I will go to as many general assemblies as possible, I don't plan on running for student council this year.
As you may remember, last year I split my last eighteen credits nine and nine, having realized that eighteen would be too much for me (I'm organized but not that organized). So this semester I just have Advanced Photo Critique, which is an all-day class. The rest of the time will be spent working on my project, doing readings for the course, doing other fun things (like going to GAs and collective meetings, dancing, watching movies, photographing for personal projects, etc.), doing grownup things (paying bills, grocery shopping--which I already do), etc. Mom wants me to get a job, as I'll have more free time, but we'll have to see about that: student jobs are scarce in Halifax, as they are everywhere except Alberta--maybe even more so, because there are students from six universities competing for jobs. Minus Saint Mary's University and the Atlantic School of Theology, for which I couldn't find numbers, that's almost 24,500 students--just over 18,000 of which are from Dal, the biggest school in Halifax--competing for however many jobs are available to them in this city. Some find employment on campus, while others expand the search to other places in Halifax.
This week I'll continue to get stuff done that needs to be done and my first class is on Wednesday.
just when I thought I had it all (or 95% of it) figured out...
losing faith in the Olympics one nutty move at a time
PS
PPS
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Monday, April 30, 2012
once a Photog, always a Photog
I'm home for the summer.
Monday: My final class at NBCCD. That day we all presented our final projects, but we didn't critique so much as we analyzed the finished work.
I put the finishing touches on the first card that I then handed out on Tuesday. I made one for each of the Photo Studio faculty, telling them about some of the things that I've learned over the two years (e.g., video is awesome), and thanking them for what they've taught me. I handed the cards out individually after each assessment.
Tuesday: For several months, I've wanted to take the audio from a video that I shot of the Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony's performance of Beethoven's violin concerto and make it into an mp3. iMovie doesn't allow you to separate audio and video, so I tried Final Cut, which worked after I tried a few different things. After making a few tweaks to the audio, I exported the resulting file as an mp3.
In the afternoon, we presented our finished videos.
Wednesday: A few days before, I had asked Karen about assessments, as she hadn't said whether or not she'd be doing them. She agreed to meet with me around 11 that morning. We talked about my writing, what I need to work on, and my experience of the course and what I learned from it.
That afternoon, I had an assessment with Drew. He gave me my mark sheet, and as I expected, I did well in both his courses. We talked about the marks, and about my plans for the summer and fall, and even had a look at the Banff Centre website.
Thursday: My final day at NBCCD--and Peter's birthday. Because Peter hadn't scheduled assessments, I was at the school around nine. I spent much of the morning just hanging out, but around eleven Karen enlisted my help, along with that of a few of my fellow Photogs, in preparing a surprise celebration for Peter.
While they were decorating the classroom, I had my assessment with the birthday guy. He critiqued my project, and turns out there are a few more kinks I have to work out. Thankfully, the current version of Final Cut Pro X is backwards-compatible (the original FCPX wasn't, and as a result video editors were screaming at Apple), because Tom has FCP 8.
Finally, Peter was allowed in the classroom (we had a close call during my assessment: he didn't know why the door was closed, went to open it, and I panicked and somehow managed to stop him from ruining the surprise). One of the first-years, Loana, took photos of the whole thing, and the smile on Peter's face is absolutely priceless. I'd brought pasta, which was very well received. Karen had hooked her computer up to the TV, and had a YouTube video of Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday (to JFK) on. Peter loved it.
I spent the rest of the afternoon putzing around, emptying my locker, getting most of the rest of my stuff out of my drawer, and saying good bye. I even paid a visit to Michael Maynard's office, as I didn't want to leave without saying good bye to the principal because, let's face it, the guy's pretty darn awesome. He asked me what I'm doing this summer, and I told him about applying to the workshop at Banff (he said I'd love it, and that he had spent some time at the Centre) and doing more photography locally and researching places in NB and Maine where I can get stuff printed. He also asked me a technical question relating to photography: how to scan slides. I told him about the Nikon negative/slide scanner that the photo studio has, and we went over to the studio (which shares a wall with Administration) and I showed him the scanner and told him a bit about using it. He then asked if he could give me a hug. I said yes. And then he went back to his office.
Because A. I didn't want to leave without saying good bye to Peter, and B. Peter had assessments, I waited a bit longer to say good bye to him. Eventually I did, and it was incredibly bittersweet for me. We talked about the differences between NSCAD and NBCCD (the faculty aren't as close to the students, for example, and you won't find them swearing as much as Peter does--to which I replied, "shoot!") and the stuff I have left to do (PACKING) among other things. He, too, gave me a hug--two, in fact--which I needed, and which made leaving a bit more bearable.
And then I was off, carting home the last of my stuff. I went out via the gallery entrance, taking one last look at the current show (Context/Texture). All the way home, I fought back the urge to cry, and when I finally got back to my room, I let loose.
After a massive case of procrastination (thanks, brand-new Pottermore account), I started packing my clothes, and I filled two duffle bags. Because it was Peter's birthday, and Peter likes music by Satie (as well as jazz), I put on my CD of Satie and listened, hummed and occasionally danced while I packed. When Gnossienne No. 1 came on, I had to stop because it made me miss the studio so much that I started crying again. You may remember that Peter played two pieces by Satie at his birthday party last year--and knocked my socks off in the process. Ever since, I have associated that piece, as well as Gymnopédie No. 1, with that party and with Peter.
I started writing this post that evening, as I wanted to write about the experience of my final day at NBCCD while that experience was still extremely fresh in my mind.
I considered myself a Photog until midnight that night (11:00 PM EDT). I didn't realize that I'd gone from Photog to former Photog until about five past. Even though I know that my life is just beginning at this point, changes like that always feel like a death: the old me dies, but a new me is born. In this case, "Annapurna, the NBCCD student" died, and "Annapurna, the NBCCD alumna and soon-to-be NSCAD student" was born.
I couldn't have asked for a better last day. The experience of leaving NBCCD was sad, yes, but in a way, it was incredibly beautiful.
Friday: I spent the hours before Mom arrived packing as much as I could, and when she arrived with more bags and boxes (yay!), I packed some more. Sometimes, I find that packing to go home takes forever and can be a bit stressful, so I was surprised when packing and loading the car went really smoothly.
Because Mom was going to do the farmers' market the next day, we had to unload the car--and then load it with stuff for the market.
Saturday: Market Day. I helped Mom set up, and then went to one of my favourite cafés in search of breakfast. I took my time, eating a blueberry scone and a cheese croissant, drinking a hazelnut latte (homecoming weekend = splurge) and reading a bit of Friday's Telegraph-Journal. I chatted with one of the owners, Angela, about my plans for the summer and fall, and people-watching.
I then did a bit of shopping, before heading back to the market. Once there, I made the rounds and bought a few treats before settling in at Mom's table.
The Met performed Die Walküre that afternoon, so I wanted to record the Ride of the Valkyries. I'd been meaning to since the '08 - '09 season, but somehow I never got around to it. I recorded most of the Ride, only missing a bit at the end, which isn't surprising because Wagner doesn't put any gaps between songs/arias, and each melody flows into the next.
Sunday: The craziness of Friday and Saturday finally caught up with me that day, and although I woke up and had coffee and brunch, I was extremely exhausted. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, and I went back to bed.
After I got up, I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my parents, reading and cuddling cats.
Monday: Today, I'm finally starting the process of getting info on stuff that I need for NSCAD. I emailed the university about applying for a student loan, and now have that info. I also emailed the university where I hope to stay (I'm going the residence route again), as they asked me to fill out a form that as far as I know I don't need to fill out. I'm going to call NSCAD's registrar either today or tomorrow and talk with her about which courses I'll need to take at NSCAD, as the university takes a slightly different approach to art education (at NBCCD, darkroom stuff and creativity are dealt with in different courses, but at NSCAD they're lumped together), and I will need to pick up a few courses from previous years.
---
In the coming weeks and months, I'm going to:
The next time I write, it'll be from Halifax!
Monday: My final class at NBCCD. That day we all presented our final projects, but we didn't critique so much as we analyzed the finished work.
I put the finishing touches on the first card that I then handed out on Tuesday. I made one for each of the Photo Studio faculty, telling them about some of the things that I've learned over the two years (e.g., video is awesome), and thanking them for what they've taught me. I handed the cards out individually after each assessment.
Tuesday: For several months, I've wanted to take the audio from a video that I shot of the Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony's performance of Beethoven's violin concerto and make it into an mp3. iMovie doesn't allow you to separate audio and video, so I tried Final Cut, which worked after I tried a few different things. After making a few tweaks to the audio, I exported the resulting file as an mp3.
In the afternoon, we presented our finished videos.
Wednesday: A few days before, I had asked Karen about assessments, as she hadn't said whether or not she'd be doing them. She agreed to meet with me around 11 that morning. We talked about my writing, what I need to work on, and my experience of the course and what I learned from it.
That afternoon, I had an assessment with Drew. He gave me my mark sheet, and as I expected, I did well in both his courses. We talked about the marks, and about my plans for the summer and fall, and even had a look at the Banff Centre website.
Thursday: My final day at NBCCD--and Peter's birthday. Because Peter hadn't scheduled assessments, I was at the school around nine. I spent much of the morning just hanging out, but around eleven Karen enlisted my help, along with that of a few of my fellow Photogs, in preparing a surprise celebration for Peter.
While they were decorating the classroom, I had my assessment with the birthday guy. He critiqued my project, and turns out there are a few more kinks I have to work out. Thankfully, the current version of Final Cut Pro X is backwards-compatible (the original FCPX wasn't, and as a result video editors were screaming at Apple), because Tom has FCP 8.
Finally, Peter was allowed in the classroom (we had a close call during my assessment: he didn't know why the door was closed, went to open it, and I panicked and somehow managed to stop him from ruining the surprise). One of the first-years, Loana, took photos of the whole thing, and the smile on Peter's face is absolutely priceless. I'd brought pasta, which was very well received. Karen had hooked her computer up to the TV, and had a YouTube video of Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday (to JFK) on. Peter loved it.
I spent the rest of the afternoon putzing around, emptying my locker, getting most of the rest of my stuff out of my drawer, and saying good bye. I even paid a visit to Michael Maynard's office, as I didn't want to leave without saying good bye to the principal because, let's face it, the guy's pretty darn awesome. He asked me what I'm doing this summer, and I told him about applying to the workshop at Banff (he said I'd love it, and that he had spent some time at the Centre) and doing more photography locally and researching places in NB and Maine where I can get stuff printed. He also asked me a technical question relating to photography: how to scan slides. I told him about the Nikon negative/slide scanner that the photo studio has, and we went over to the studio (which shares a wall with Administration) and I showed him the scanner and told him a bit about using it. He then asked if he could give me a hug. I said yes. And then he went back to his office.
Because A. I didn't want to leave without saying good bye to Peter, and B. Peter had assessments, I waited a bit longer to say good bye to him. Eventually I did, and it was incredibly bittersweet for me. We talked about the differences between NSCAD and NBCCD (the faculty aren't as close to the students, for example, and you won't find them swearing as much as Peter does--to which I replied, "shoot!") and the stuff I have left to do (PACKING) among other things. He, too, gave me a hug--two, in fact--which I needed, and which made leaving a bit more bearable.
And then I was off, carting home the last of my stuff. I went out via the gallery entrance, taking one last look at the current show (Context/Texture). All the way home, I fought back the urge to cry, and when I finally got back to my room, I let loose.
After a massive case of procrastination (thanks, brand-new Pottermore account), I started packing my clothes, and I filled two duffle bags. Because it was Peter's birthday, and Peter likes music by Satie (as well as jazz), I put on my CD of Satie and listened, hummed and occasionally danced while I packed. When Gnossienne No. 1 came on, I had to stop because it made me miss the studio so much that I started crying again. You may remember that Peter played two pieces by Satie at his birthday party last year--and knocked my socks off in the process. Ever since, I have associated that piece, as well as Gymnopédie No. 1, with that party and with Peter.
I started writing this post that evening, as I wanted to write about the experience of my final day at NBCCD while that experience was still extremely fresh in my mind.
I considered myself a Photog until midnight that night (11:00 PM EDT). I didn't realize that I'd gone from Photog to former Photog until about five past. Even though I know that my life is just beginning at this point, changes like that always feel like a death: the old me dies, but a new me is born. In this case, "Annapurna, the NBCCD student" died, and "Annapurna, the NBCCD alumna and soon-to-be NSCAD student" was born.
I couldn't have asked for a better last day. The experience of leaving NBCCD was sad, yes, but in a way, it was incredibly beautiful.
Friday: I spent the hours before Mom arrived packing as much as I could, and when she arrived with more bags and boxes (yay!), I packed some more. Sometimes, I find that packing to go home takes forever and can be a bit stressful, so I was surprised when packing and loading the car went really smoothly.
Because Mom was going to do the farmers' market the next day, we had to unload the car--and then load it with stuff for the market.
Saturday: Market Day. I helped Mom set up, and then went to one of my favourite cafés in search of breakfast. I took my time, eating a blueberry scone and a cheese croissant, drinking a hazelnut latte (homecoming weekend = splurge) and reading a bit of Friday's Telegraph-Journal. I chatted with one of the owners, Angela, about my plans for the summer and fall, and people-watching.
I then did a bit of shopping, before heading back to the market. Once there, I made the rounds and bought a few treats before settling in at Mom's table.
The Met performed Die Walküre that afternoon, so I wanted to record the Ride of the Valkyries. I'd been meaning to since the '08 - '09 season, but somehow I never got around to it. I recorded most of the Ride, only missing a bit at the end, which isn't surprising because Wagner doesn't put any gaps between songs/arias, and each melody flows into the next.
Sunday: The craziness of Friday and Saturday finally caught up with me that day, and although I woke up and had coffee and brunch, I was extremely exhausted. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, and I went back to bed.
After I got up, I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my parents, reading and cuddling cats.
Monday: Today, I'm finally starting the process of getting info on stuff that I need for NSCAD. I emailed the university about applying for a student loan, and now have that info. I also emailed the university where I hope to stay (I'm going the residence route again), as they asked me to fill out a form that as far as I know I don't need to fill out. I'm going to call NSCAD's registrar either today or tomorrow and talk with her about which courses I'll need to take at NSCAD, as the university takes a slightly different approach to art education (at NBCCD, darkroom stuff and creativity are dealt with in different courses, but at NSCAD they're lumped together), and I will need to pick up a few courses from previous years.
---
In the coming weeks and months, I'm going to:
- contact the dance photographers that Karen told me about
- tour NSCAD
- photograph in St. Stephen and St. Andrews
- make a series of videos that I've wanted to since '06
- get a job (hopefully)
- research places where I can print photos in Maine and New Brunswick
- write
- Hopefully spend a week in Banff
The next time I write, it'll be from Halifax!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
summer in a nutshell
I start my final **sniffle** year at NBCCD a week from tomorrow (I don't have class on Tuesdays), and once again it's time to restart the blog. Or at least redirect it towards school because I've written a lot this summer. I've written about everything, from the artists who inspire me (thank you for the inspiration) and the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001 (memories of 9/11), to the bombing/shooting in Norway (Norway), and the death of the Hon. Jack Layton (one of a kind), who was the MP for the Toronto-Danforth riding, leader of the NDP, and leader of the Opposition until his death from cancer on the twenty-second (he was sixty-one, by the way).
I watched and listened to Jack's state funeral on CBC.ca and CBC Radio One, respectively, this past Saturday, and it was beautiful: while it was a sad occasion, there was humour and happiness mixed in. Click here to listen to, or download, an audio podcast of it--I highly recommend it. I cried for almost three hours straight that afternoon: from the moment the police officers lifted Jack's flag-draped casket onto their shoulders and carried it out of Toronto's City Hall for the last time to the theme from the largo from Dvorak's ninth, played on bagpipes, until the end of the funeral (which was at Roy Thompson Hall). My eyes were stinging by the end, but it was worth it.
If you do listen to the podcast, check out Stephen Lewis' eulogy, which was not only about Jack, but also about social democracy. Naturally, the mainstream media was all over it (even CBC News, which said that the eulogy was "at times highly partisan"). "[As] if you could separate Jack's personality from his politics, and as if politics played no role in why people mobilized in such large numbers." (rabble.ca.) Commenters on the CBC website and Facebook page were also divided about the eulogy. Some said Lewis used the eulogy to advance his own political views, but when I listened to it I didn't get that feeling. Jack was one of those people who lived and breathed politics 24/7, and as a New Democrat his views were a lot further left than, say, Prime Minister Harper's (who's a hard-right Conservative), so I had no problems with the eulogy (check out this article on rabble.ca, which talks in detail about why the eulogy was appropriate).
During the week, people wrote messages and made drawings in chalk on the sidewalk and walls in front of and around Toronto's City Hall. The messages washed off in the rain once or twice, but the next day, people were back writing and drawing. Naturally, the content of the messages changed over the week, as people came to terms with his death (my own grief has lost a lot of it's bite, and now feels like the emotional equivalent of a dull ache).
Late last week, as a way to deal with Jack's death (he was, and is, one of those rare politicians who's referred to by their first name), I wrote him a letter, which I'll ritually "mail", probably tomorrow. Half of me also wants to publish it here, but the other half--the sadder half--says that no, it's too soon, and besides: the letter is very personal, so I think it should stay between me and Jack for a while.
Like many students this summer, I wasn't able to get a job, so I might apply to places in F'ton--we'll see what my workload at school is like.
However, I did manage to get some photography done: this summer I worked on a project that ended up turning into a poster (24"x36"), which I'll see about getting printed somewhere in Fredericton.
I also did a canvas for Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, Inc.'s second annual Guess Who? fundraiser. However, although I have a photo of my creation, I've decided to keep it under wraps and not post it here until after the auction, which will be on October first. I will say that unlike last year, this year's canvas was a bit of a struggle. Coming up with an idea was easy, but it was the question of how to go about representing that idea that had me pulling my hair out. However, I eventually got it done and delivered to the Centre.
This summer I went to three concerts: the PBSO, the Malloy Boys, and Stepping Out. I wasn't really into the second concert, but the PBSO and Stepping Out knocked my socks off. The PBSO played Beethoven's violin concerto (see celebrating ten years of owning my full-size violin for a video of the third movement) and Sibelius' first symphony, which was nothing short of AMAZING. I'll let the music speak for itself--here are my two favourite movements:
Number one:
Number three:
Stepping Out was a lot of fun, and it was the first concert since my last André Rieu concert (May 25th, 2006) where I got up and danced. The two singers were very funny, and traded jokes about the music all evening. And if you got up and danced, they really took notice--especially David Humphrey (one of the singers), and encouraged you. Since the concert was in the arena due to rain, I took advantage of the fact that I had a lot of space in which to move around, and threw in some jumps and pirouettes every now and then, to the delight of the audience and band. And during one of the pieces, I even got to dance with David--'nuff said. And then there was the time they did Hound Dog, and David ran through the audience, stopping to sing for a few of them--including me (for a couple seconds)!
In case you're looking at my Blogger profile pic and thinking, "her hair looks a lot shorter," you're right: it's now the shortest it's ever been, and it comes down to an inch or two below my ears.
This past weekend my family got hit with Tropical Storm Irene. Except for some of Mom's sunflowers coming down, a lawnful of leaves, a few inches of rain, fifty Km/h (thirty MPH)--and higher--gusts, no internet for most of Sunday, and the lights flickering a few times, we survived.
I'll be back to blogging full-force either next week or the week after that (when I've got the first week of school under my belt, and have something to talk about).
well, hello again!
thank you for the inspiration
Hojotoho!*
photography geekdom--bring it on!
The end is nigh! ...or not.
proud of my country--but not of my government
memories of 9/11
all hail the crap camera!
my review of "HP7: Part 2"
Norway
celebrating ten years of owning my full-size violin
welcome to NBCCD--where awesome creative mischief happens
one of a kind
I watched and listened to Jack's state funeral on CBC.ca and CBC Radio One, respectively, this past Saturday, and it was beautiful: while it was a sad occasion, there was humour and happiness mixed in. Click here to listen to, or download, an audio podcast of it--I highly recommend it. I cried for almost three hours straight that afternoon: from the moment the police officers lifted Jack's flag-draped casket onto their shoulders and carried it out of Toronto's City Hall for the last time to the theme from the largo from Dvorak's ninth, played on bagpipes, until the end of the funeral (which was at Roy Thompson Hall). My eyes were stinging by the end, but it was worth it.
If you do listen to the podcast, check out Stephen Lewis' eulogy, which was not only about Jack, but also about social democracy. Naturally, the mainstream media was all over it (even CBC News, which said that the eulogy was "at times highly partisan"). "[As] if you could separate Jack's personality from his politics, and as if politics played no role in why people mobilized in such large numbers." (rabble.ca.) Commenters on the CBC website and Facebook page were also divided about the eulogy. Some said Lewis used the eulogy to advance his own political views, but when I listened to it I didn't get that feeling. Jack was one of those people who lived and breathed politics 24/7, and as a New Democrat his views were a lot further left than, say, Prime Minister Harper's (who's a hard-right Conservative), so I had no problems with the eulogy (check out this article on rabble.ca, which talks in detail about why the eulogy was appropriate).
During the week, people wrote messages and made drawings in chalk on the sidewalk and walls in front of and around Toronto's City Hall. The messages washed off in the rain once or twice, but the next day, people were back writing and drawing. Naturally, the content of the messages changed over the week, as people came to terms with his death (my own grief has lost a lot of it's bite, and now feels like the emotional equivalent of a dull ache).
Late last week, as a way to deal with Jack's death (he was, and is, one of those rare politicians who's referred to by their first name), I wrote him a letter, which I'll ritually "mail", probably tomorrow. Half of me also wants to publish it here, but the other half--the sadder half--says that no, it's too soon, and besides: the letter is very personal, so I think it should stay between me and Jack for a while.
Like many students this summer, I wasn't able to get a job, so I might apply to places in F'ton--we'll see what my workload at school is like.
However, I did manage to get some photography done: this summer I worked on a project that ended up turning into a poster (24"x36"), which I'll see about getting printed somewhere in Fredericton.
I also did a canvas for Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, Inc.'s second annual Guess Who? fundraiser. However, although I have a photo of my creation, I've decided to keep it under wraps and not post it here until after the auction, which will be on October first. I will say that unlike last year, this year's canvas was a bit of a struggle. Coming up with an idea was easy, but it was the question of how to go about representing that idea that had me pulling my hair out. However, I eventually got it done and delivered to the Centre.
This summer I went to three concerts: the PBSO, the Malloy Boys, and Stepping Out. I wasn't really into the second concert, but the PBSO and Stepping Out knocked my socks off. The PBSO played Beethoven's violin concerto (see celebrating ten years of owning my full-size violin for a video of the third movement) and Sibelius' first symphony, which was nothing short of AMAZING. I'll let the music speak for itself--here are my two favourite movements:
Number one:
Number three:
Stepping Out was a lot of fun, and it was the first concert since my last André Rieu concert (May 25th, 2006) where I got up and danced. The two singers were very funny, and traded jokes about the music all evening. And if you got up and danced, they really took notice--especially David Humphrey (one of the singers), and encouraged you. Since the concert was in the arena due to rain, I took advantage of the fact that I had a lot of space in which to move around, and threw in some jumps and pirouettes every now and then, to the delight of the audience and band. And during one of the pieces, I even got to dance with David--'nuff said. And then there was the time they did Hound Dog, and David ran through the audience, stopping to sing for a few of them--including me (for a couple seconds)!
In case you're looking at my Blogger profile pic and thinking, "her hair looks a lot shorter," you're right: it's now the shortest it's ever been, and it comes down to an inch or two below my ears.
This past weekend my family got hit with Tropical Storm Irene. Except for some of Mom's sunflowers coming down, a lawnful of leaves, a few inches of rain, fifty Km/h (thirty MPH)--and higher--gusts, no internet for most of Sunday, and the lights flickering a few times, we survived.
I'll be back to blogging full-force either next week or the week after that (when I've got the first week of school under my belt, and have something to talk about).
well, hello again!
thank you for the inspiration
Hojotoho!*
photography geekdom--bring it on!
The end is nigh! ...or not.
proud of my country--but not of my government
memories of 9/11
all hail the crap camera!
my review of "HP7: Part 2"
Norway
celebrating ten years of owning my full-size violin
welcome to NBCCD--where awesome creative mischief happens
one of a kind
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
well, hello again!
Just when I thought I was done blogging for the summer... Turns out, I still have thoughts and opinions galore that need to be written down. I'll admit it: I'm now about as addicted to writing as I am to the Met Opera (this coming Saturday will be the final radio broadcast of the season--Die Walküre).
This past year has really made think about my writing. Until a couple of years ago, I didn't like writing at all--and when I did like writing, I only liked it when I was writing for fun: on my old blog (on JournalSpace.com), emails to friends, etc. But I wouldn't admit it, and in fact, I didn't realize how much I loved that kind of writing (even though I wrote a lot). And I had to be pushed to write stuff for school (I'm homeschooled--and proud)--some of which I didn't even finish (I also had a bunch of unfinished fiction--and yes, I liked starting things, but was horrible with following through). When I was about ten or so I wanted to be a writer and/or illustrator, and then just a writer. Weird, huh? I think what excited me was the idea of writing, rather than the act. In the past, a lot of things were like that for me: the idea sounded really cool, and then when I actually did the thing, I realized that, hey, it's work.
Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last month or so, you might know that here in Canada we had an election last week (May 2nd). I started off the night listening to CBC Radio One's coverage, and had the webpages of the CBC and the National Post open. And although Radio One was reeling off results as they (slowly) came in, CBC.ca didn't start listing results until 11:30 PM due to a law saying that no one (Elections Canada included) can release election results online until the polls have closed in British Columbia (11:30 PM Atlantic Time). Even so, people found cleaver ways to talk about results on Twitter and Facebook. I heard that on Twitter people were talking about the results in code: oranges = NDP, strawberries = Liberal, apples = Green Party, blueberries = Conservative. Some people were asking their friends in the US for results--and then posting those results to Twitter or Facebook.
I was prepared to stay up until the wee hours, but the election was called just after one in the morning: Stephen Harper (Conservative) had won. And after two elections that had both produced a minority government, he'd finally won a majority. To say that I was less than thrilled is an understatement: I can't remember the last time I was that angry (I cried when the election was called). Harper has already taken advantage of the fact that Canadian politics can come off as boring to do things behind the citizens' backs. Some of them are known, like trying to ditch the long form census, but others, like "weakening regulations so that more pesticide residue could be left" on food, might've passed by without us ordinary Canucks knowing. Which isn't a good thing.
As a result, I've decided to try to follow Canadian politics a bit more than I have been.
Last Tuesday I decided to take the anger that I felt towards the election (and Harper), and channel it into something productive. The result was a triptych with the caption, "Remember, Harper: The citizens of Canada are watching you." I shot the photos (self-portraits) with my computer's built-in camera, which resulted in small, low-resolution images. But I didn't mind: I liked the look and feel of the photos. It gives them an up-to-the-minute feel, since everything, from computers to cellphones, has a camera built into it (and those cameras keep getting better). Though the original photos were JPEGs, I opened them in Adobe Camera RAW and edited them there to take advantage of the control that RAW gives (JPEG just doesn't compare). Once I was happy with the results, I posted it on my Flickr photostream and set up the Creative Commons license so that it's legal for people to download the photo, but not make their own changes, not use it for commercial purposes, and as long as they credit me as the artist.
The dark, desaturated look represents what I feel, as a young Canadian woman whose political views have shifted from agreeing with the Liberals no matter what, to being much further to the left than even the NDP in the last couple years. To me, Canada post-election feels very bleak, and my only bit of political hope is the fact that there will be another election in about four years. Start the countdown!
On Saturday, Mom did the farmers' market in St. Andrews. I spent most of my time down there photographing. I hadn't done any photography to sell in St. Andrews in two years, so I was long overdue. I want to try to introduce to the people of St. Andrews the part of me that doesn't exactly play it safe: I've been doing mostly nature photography, and all of my photography has been almost completely SOOC (straight out of camera--i.e., with no post-processing). This time, I want to try more urban photography around St. Andrews, and I want to do more post-processing than I've done in the past. My work won't be as crazy as it was at school, but I want to bring some of that edgy, urban mentality that I discovered this past year to my work this summer. I don't want to feel like I have to lie to my customers, or feel like I have something to hide from them (I went through a really bad lying phase between the ages of twelve and fifteen--give or take a year--and since then I've moved in the opposite direction: these days I try to be as honest as possible without being brutally honest, à la Simon Cowell). Look out, St. Andrews!
This past year has really made think about my writing. Until a couple of years ago, I didn't like writing at all--and when I did like writing, I only liked it when I was writing for fun: on my old blog (on JournalSpace.com), emails to friends, etc. But I wouldn't admit it, and in fact, I didn't realize how much I loved that kind of writing (even though I wrote a lot). And I had to be pushed to write stuff for school (I'm homeschooled--and proud)--some of which I didn't even finish (I also had a bunch of unfinished fiction--and yes, I liked starting things, but was horrible with following through). When I was about ten or so I wanted to be a writer and/or illustrator, and then just a writer. Weird, huh? I think what excited me was the idea of writing, rather than the act. In the past, a lot of things were like that for me: the idea sounded really cool, and then when I actually did the thing, I realized that, hey, it's work.
Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last month or so, you might know that here in Canada we had an election last week (May 2nd). I started off the night listening to CBC Radio One's coverage, and had the webpages of the CBC and the National Post open. And although Radio One was reeling off results as they (slowly) came in, CBC.ca didn't start listing results until 11:30 PM due to a law saying that no one (Elections Canada included) can release election results online until the polls have closed in British Columbia (11:30 PM Atlantic Time). Even so, people found cleaver ways to talk about results on Twitter and Facebook. I heard that on Twitter people were talking about the results in code: oranges = NDP, strawberries = Liberal, apples = Green Party, blueberries = Conservative. Some people were asking their friends in the US for results--and then posting those results to Twitter or Facebook.
I was prepared to stay up until the wee hours, but the election was called just after one in the morning: Stephen Harper (Conservative) had won. And after two elections that had both produced a minority government, he'd finally won a majority. To say that I was less than thrilled is an understatement: I can't remember the last time I was that angry (I cried when the election was called). Harper has already taken advantage of the fact that Canadian politics can come off as boring to do things behind the citizens' backs. Some of them are known, like trying to ditch the long form census, but others, like "weakening regulations so that more pesticide residue could be left" on food, might've passed by without us ordinary Canucks knowing. Which isn't a good thing.
As a result, I've decided to try to follow Canadian politics a bit more than I have been.
Last Tuesday I decided to take the anger that I felt towards the election (and Harper), and channel it into something productive. The result was a triptych with the caption, "Remember, Harper: The citizens of Canada are watching you." I shot the photos (self-portraits) with my computer's built-in camera, which resulted in small, low-resolution images. But I didn't mind: I liked the look and feel of the photos. It gives them an up-to-the-minute feel, since everything, from computers to cellphones, has a camera built into it (and those cameras keep getting better). Though the original photos were JPEGs, I opened them in Adobe Camera RAW and edited them there to take advantage of the control that RAW gives (JPEG just doesn't compare). Once I was happy with the results, I posted it on my Flickr photostream and set up the Creative Commons license so that it's legal for people to download the photo, but not make their own changes, not use it for commercial purposes, and as long as they credit me as the artist.
 |
| Download here. |
The dark, desaturated look represents what I feel, as a young Canadian woman whose political views have shifted from agreeing with the Liberals no matter what, to being much further to the left than even the NDP in the last couple years. To me, Canada post-election feels very bleak, and my only bit of political hope is the fact that there will be another election in about four years. Start the countdown!
On Saturday, Mom did the farmers' market in St. Andrews. I spent most of my time down there photographing. I hadn't done any photography to sell in St. Andrews in two years, so I was long overdue. I want to try to introduce to the people of St. Andrews the part of me that doesn't exactly play it safe: I've been doing mostly nature photography, and all of my photography has been almost completely SOOC (straight out of camera--i.e., with no post-processing). This time, I want to try more urban photography around St. Andrews, and I want to do more post-processing than I've done in the past. My work won't be as crazy as it was at school, but I want to bring some of that edgy, urban mentality that I discovered this past year to my work this summer. I don't want to feel like I have to lie to my customers, or feel like I have something to hide from them (I went through a really bad lying phase between the ages of twelve and fifteen--give or take a year--and since then I've moved in the opposite direction: these days I try to be as honest as possible without being brutally honest, à la Simon Cowell). Look out, St. Andrews!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
first year of college = DONE!!
Yesterday was the last day of classes. Yes, I can finally say it: I MADE IT THROUGH MY FIRST YEAR AT ART SCHOOL!!
Since it was the last day I decided to treat myself and have breakfast out, so that meant that I could leave MJC later.
I got my passport photos taken during lunch. And after Photography (my last class) I finally submitted my portfolio! Yay!
Okay, let's back up a bit: last Sunday I came down with a cold (I probably got it either at A. school, B. the bus, or C. somewhere in the Regent Mall), so that shifted my schedule around a bit: I'd planned to develop some photos in the NBCCD darkroom on Monday, but I was so sick that day that I decided to do it Tuesday afternoon, since I just had my Drawing assessment that day.
On Wednesday I had my assessment for 3D Design, which I just barely passed, and then presentation of my final Colour Theory project. In between the two I worked on a card for the teachers, which I left in the library taped to the mailboxes the next day.
Thursday was my final History class, which was more of a group meeting with Janice, with all of us discussing the past year and how far we've come, and our hopes for next year (including the expansion of NBCCD into the old soldier's barracks in front of the school).
Back to Friday afternoon. Mom met me as I was finishing up and getting ready to submit the portfolio. We then went to MJC to pack up (which took about three hours), and then over to UNB to hand in my keys.
And then we drove home (I drove part-way).
Here are my plans for this summer:
HAPPY SUMMER!!
Since it was the last day I decided to treat myself and have breakfast out, so that meant that I could leave MJC later.
I got my passport photos taken during lunch. And after Photography (my last class) I finally submitted my portfolio! Yay!
Okay, let's back up a bit: last Sunday I came down with a cold (I probably got it either at A. school, B. the bus, or C. somewhere in the Regent Mall), so that shifted my schedule around a bit: I'd planned to develop some photos in the NBCCD darkroom on Monday, but I was so sick that day that I decided to do it Tuesday afternoon, since I just had my Drawing assessment that day.
On Wednesday I had my assessment for 3D Design, which I just barely passed, and then presentation of my final Colour Theory project. In between the two I worked on a card for the teachers, which I left in the library taped to the mailboxes the next day.
Thursday was my final History class, which was more of a group meeting with Janice, with all of us discussing the past year and how far we've come, and our hopes for next year (including the expansion of NBCCD into the old soldier's barracks in front of the school).
Back to Friday afternoon. Mom met me as I was finishing up and getting ready to submit the portfolio. We then went to MJC to pack up (which took about three hours), and then over to UNB to hand in my keys.
And then we drove home (I drove part-way).
Here are my plans for this summer:
Get a job.(Done.)- Relax.
- Take violin lessons?
- Go to PBSO concerts (there's one coming up on Mothers' Day that I can't wait for).
- Transcribe the version of The Hunters' Chorus that's on Metropolitan Opera Brass
- Get up in the middle of the night and stargaze at least once.
- Read.
- Go swimming at the Milltown pool at least once.
- Photograph.
- Make a collage.
- Compose a piece of music that's been going around in my head for about five years.
HAPPY SUMMER!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)