the adventure has come to an end

The End is officially here.

Monday: One season ends, the program for another is announced--gosh, you're fast, BSO! And although I can get ridiculously excited about that orchestra (see my previous post and that insanely long paragraph on Sunday--according to the Bangor Daily News, that was "the first time in more than five years" that the BSO had a full house), in my almost-ten years(!) of being a fan (the anniversary's next month), I've never been this excited. Next season, the orchestra will be playing many of my favourite pieces--now I really wish I could go to a concert (or five). Again, why, BSO?! As if that isn't enough, their YouTube video announcing the season is possibly the most exciting one yet (and yes I'm biased). I am more proud than ever to be a fan of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. Also, it's a good thing that I don't plan on going to the first concert because I'd have exert a lot of self-control--otherwise I'd be dancing down the aisle, probably ending up in front of the violin section (it's all about the violins).



Because I'm so excited, I made a YouTube playlist of my favourite works that the orchestra will be performing (in chronological order). Enjoy. I listened to the playlist a lot this week.



Also from the BDN review: "Not only was every seat full, but every inch of space on the Collins Center for the Arts stage was taken up--by nearly 100 singers with the University Singers, the Oratorio Society and the Bangor Area Children’s Choir, and an orchestra full to bursting with extra percussionists, keyboardists and other musicians rounding out its ranks." Looks like you've got competition, Wagner (he liked big orchestras)!

That day was also my final class. Instead of meeting in our usual classroom, we met in the Split Crow Pub that's also in the Historic Properties buildings, where the Granville Campus is located. However, I thought we were meeting in said classroom and headed up there, only to find the door locked and the lights off. I tried checking my school email, but it was on the fritz (what's new?). I met a classmate who also didn't know what was going on--though she'd heard something about meeting at the pub, so we headed over--and there was the rest of the class! I handed in my final for that class even though it wasn't due until Wednesday because it was originally due on Monday--until Carla changed the due date, though the original deadline was firmly stuck in my head by that point. However, having it done a couple days early meant that I could focus completely on my final for Topics in Modern Canadian Art.

And although I planned to focus on that last final Monday, I ended up not doing a whole lot: making the above playlist was about as productive as I got, post-last class. Then again, I've gotten pretty good at banging out a thousand or more words in a day or two--NSCAD has done wonders to improve the speed of my essay writing (NSCAD has you write longer essays than NBCCD does--even at the first-year level).

Tuesday: I had my final appointment with Joan, and this time we met at Dal, where's she's based. Unlike the room where she meets with students at NSCAD, her office at Dal has a huge window, which means that said office gets lots of sun on days like Tuesday (sunny and +19˚C according to the thermometer at the IWK building that I passed on my way to NSCAD).

I spent the rest of the day churning out the first of two essays for my Topics in Modern Canadian Art final. Mom arrived, and I was surprised when I saw her walk into the computer lab at NSCAD, where I was, as I'd planned to meet her in the lobby, the Granville Campus being a bit of a maze (though Photo isn't too difficult to find).

Wednesday: Once again, I spent the day feverishly churning out the finals for Topics in Modern Canadian Art, and finished the last one late that night. They also happened to be my final projects for my degree, and I was more than happy to be done.

Thursday: I had to hand in my finals, so Mom and I went to the school, where I took care of those tasks (printing off the papers, stapling them and handing them in) and said good-bye to the techs (and got a hug from Alex), thanking them for all the support this year. It was nice knowing that I could come to the photo dept. and be safe from the abuse that I was dealing with.

Afterward, we went back to the apartment and packed almost everything in an hour or two. I always find packing stressful, but this time it went really smoothly.

Friday: I was up at 7:00 AM and we finished packing. Mom had a run-in with the person who's made my life hell this year--but Mom had a strength in her that I never had this year and she firmly told that person to "stop." Well done, Mom! After packing the last of the stuff into the car (as I said in my homecoming email to Lynn, "by some miracle, everything fit") and returning my keys, we drove home, stopping at Starbucks for breakfast and coffee. I drove a little ways, until my eyes started to droop too much.

When I got home, I erupted with shrieks and yells: I was safe. I spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

Saturday: I was still very tired from the previous day and, although I wanted to do something (like study the Nutcracker score), I didn't have the energy. I didn't even listen to the opera (R. Strauss' Arabella).

Sunday: I've finally started to regain my energy and do some stuff related to unpacking.

---

With this, my college/university career comes to a close, as does this blog. I will still write when I have something to say, but unless I go back for another degree, it will no longer be used as a place to write about school.

I think this calls for some more awesome music as a send-off, and I can't think of anything better than the Finale and Apotheosis from my favourite ballet, The Nutcracker. Enjoy, and thank you for following my adventures these last five years.

Bangor Symphony, why must you be so awesome?!

This will be my final post as a college or university student: the next time I write, I will be home cuddling cats, hanging out with my parents and healing from a brutal final year. This blog will continue, though I have yet to figure out what sort of form it will take.

Also, I can never pass up an opportunity to gush about the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. Brace yourself.

Monday: This was one of those field-trip classes: we met at the Dalhousie Art Gallery to view that part of Beat Nation, which is a show that has been toured around, having originated in Vancouver. It's so big that it's normal for the show to be split between two galleries--in this case, the Dal Art Gallery and the Saint Mary's University Art Gallery. The show is about First Nations peoples and hip-hop, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

That day was so warm that I took my coat off on the walk back to NSCAD--and treated myself to a gelato at Humani-T Café (they have some of the best gelato that I've had outside of Italy).

Tuesday: Exam Day for Twentieth Century Art. To quote an email to Lynn, "I wrote more than last time (not writing enough was one of the things that led to me getting a D on the midterm), I tried to make my definitions as thorough as possible (another thing that set me back last time), and overall I'm happy. I've done my best. Since my appointment with Joan, I haven't done much that would qualify as work [...]--and nothing that would qualify as schoolwork (I plan to do some work on my independent project this evening, as it needs attention and most of the time I enjoy editing photos), which feels weird. Though both Kathryn--a family friend who lives in England--and Mom said in comments on Facebook to take a break."

Wednesday: I took that day slowly as well, but managed to do some work on my independent project.

Thursday: Being able to sleep in that morning felt weird (I can sleep in? Great! But are you sure about that? Positive?). During the afternoon class I found out that that was my penultimate university class: with the exception of the last Contemporary Indigenous Arts class, there's nothing this coming week--all we have to do for Topics in Modern Canadian Art is drop off our finals to Ken Rice's office, which is a minute or less from the Photo Dept.

Friday: I spent the day working on my final for Contemporary Indigenous Arts and checked out Reel Injun from the Visual Resources Collection, as I'm doing one of my final papers for that class on the film that had the deepest impact on me, and that one was the first that came to mind.



Saturday: I got a very late start to the day--and I wasn't thrilled about that, as I had finals to write for Monday. However, I did get a fair amount of stuff done, including finishing the gallery review and starting work on the paper about Reel Injun. Bonus: I got to watch the movie while I wrote (I had to pause it every now and then to write things down as they occurred to me)!

I didn't realize that the BSO had a concert coming up on Sunday until I saw this photo. Go violins! Even better: the orchestra would be playing to a full house--exactly what the BSO deserves, especially when performing Carmina Burana, which is a very powerful, knock-your-socks-off piece. Mozart's thirty-fifth symphony (the Haffner) was also on the program (it was the first half of said concert), a fact that I'd completely forgotten. But is it any wonder, given how much of a show-stopper Carmina is?





I love how the audience erupts in applause at the end. And who can blame them? They've been holding it in for just over an hour!

Sunday: Carmina Burana Day. I listened to part of it as I walked to school, and, for the first time ever, zeroed in on the violin part. Usually I take the orchestration for that work as a whole, not focusing on a specific instrument--but because I knew a couple of people (Lynn and Trond) who would be playing it about two hours after said walk to school, I focused on what they would be playing. Verdict: the violin part alone is impressive. July sixteenth, when that concert will be broadcast on MPBN radio, can't come soon enough. After finishing Reel Injun, I listened to the Mozart, which, at about twenty minutes, is incredibly short for a symphony. It's the exact opposite of the Orff in that it's very tame. As I wrote in a Facebook status update, the Haffner "[allows] the Bangor Symphony Orchestra to give it their all in knocking the audience's socks off with the Orff. Brilliant. To whoever chose the music for today's concert, well done!" How I wish I could've gone to the concert--if I were going to school in the Bangor/Orono area, I definitely would've gone, especially if I were a student at the University of Maine (the orchestra's home, the Collins Center for the Arts, is on the UMaine campus). Blow off studying for finals for two hours and get my socks knocked off by the BSO in the process--wonderful (double that when you add in the strong violin part in the Orff and the BSO's violin section's habit of taking an awesome violin part up a few notches). Bonus: student tickets (you have to be a full-time student) are USD$13, including the $3 processing fee that's applied to all tickets--and, unlike regular-priced tickets, student tickets are the same price no matter where you sit. Wonderful! I'm so jealous of students in the Bangor/Orono area right now. How I wish I could've gone. Bangor Symphony, why must you do this to me? Why?!

Okay, I think that's enough gushing about the BSO. **scoffs jokingly** Typical favourite orchestras and violinists. Bangor Symphony Orchestra, I love you--and I can't wait to hear today's concert on MPBN on July sixteenth (START THE COUNTDOWN!). Go violins!

In the midst of all this BSO-induced excitement (which is all in a day's work for me), I wrote my final essays for Contemporary Indigenous Arts.

barely enough time to catch my breath

So much for wanting to be done school...

Monday: Another one of those nonstop studystudystudy days--when not in class.

Tuesday: I had my usual appointment with Joan--and then spent the rest of the day studying.

For several years I have wanted to take a music history course. I know a lot of music history, but it's all through my own research (which has been ongoing since I was a little kid watching Beethoven Lives Upstairs--a kids' movie that I highly recommend for anyone, regardless of age. In fact, I'll post it below and you can watch it right now.)--I've never taken a course.



Part two (embedding has been disabled).



Part four (once again, embedding has been disabled).



After the hell that I went through this year, I wonder if I'd be able to live with him, given his temper (which was due to lead poisoning, as was his deafness). However, unlike the person who's been so nasty to me this year, Beethoven was genuinely sorry once he cooled down, admitted where he went wrong, sought forgiveness, worked to smooth things over--and didn't hold grudges.

Wednesday: More studying.

I found out via the BSO's FB page that, like the Met, their broadcast schedule is available online. I plan to listen to the concerts titled Appalachian Spring (which also features Beethoven's sixth, one of my favourite symphonies) and Carmina Burana (who am I to miss out on the knock-your-socks off power of the BSO combined with that work??). The first concert, which was performed earlier this month, will be broadcast on June fourth and Carmina will be performed on April thirteenth and broadcast on July sixteenth--two days before my twenty-sixth birthday! BRING IT, BSO! If you've never heard that orchestra play, you should. I don't just gush about it because I know a couple of the musicians--I gush about the BSO because it has my socks knocked off. If you're outside MPBN's broadcasting range and want to listen to the orchestra (or anything else), click here.

Thursday: The afternoon class was more of a marathon viewing of short movies than anything else.

That day, I found a course that was what I'd been looking for. It's through Guelph University (Ontario). I won't be taking it for a little while, though.

Friday: You guessed it: more studying.

Saturday: As the Met was performing an opera by Alban Berg, one of the few composers whose style I don't really care for, I had to look elsewhere for my Saturday music fix. I opted to gorge myself on Carmina Burana, which I think I listened to three times in a row. Thanks, BSO! I hadn't listened to it in far too long, anyway.



Sunday: I worked on a surprise for those who helped me through this year and, yes, studied.

I also set up an appointment with someone who's interested in subletting my half of the lease at my apartment. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day between that, an appointment with Adrian, class, and a friend's MFA thesis show opening--in that order. **whew!**

for the love of Tchaikovsky--and the Bangor Symphony

Despite the fact that I'm only doing nine credits this semester, I've hit that point where I'm randomly freaking out about how little time is left between now and the end of the semester.

Monday: On the way to school, I got my bus tickets. The bus will be boarding at 7:05 AM, and it seems that every time I get tickets the boarding time is earlier than it was the previous trip. On the plus side, I can snooze on the bus (I never sleep in moving vehicles) and I'll get to see my parents and cats sooner.

I returned Helvetica to the VRC and as usual I discussed the documentary with Rebecca Young (the librarian--and a former NSCAD Photog). While it was well-made, I found the documentary boring. Though I'm amazed that one could do a whole eighty-minute film on a font.

The NSCAD Queer Collective is doing a project on the accessibility of NSCAD's bathrooms (in general, NSCAD is up to its eyeballs in accessibility issues, especially the Granville Campus). That day I finally found the time to fill out the lists for the two bathrooms that I'd been assigned to do.

Tuesday: When I had one of those freak-outs that I mentioned in the intro on Monday night, I was really glad that I'd scheduled some time in the Academy computer lab for Tuesday. A couple hours there and I was back in control (I find that the best stress-reliever is just buckling down and getting 'er done--never underestimate the satisfaction of crossing stuff off of a to-do list).

Wednesday: Class was devoted to work-in-progress (WIP) crits and studio time. We also had meetings with Adrian. He and I discussed editing my contextualizing statement (I'd written two hundred and twenty-seven words more than I needed and this was one of those times where I would look at what I'd written, think, "what's not important? What can I cut?" followed by, "IT'S ALL IMPORTANT!" I needed someone who wasn't as emotionally attached to the statement to go through it and cut out the unimportant parts.). I spent the rest of the afternoon applying Adrian's edits to the statement. Several of us hung out in the computer lab, figuring out the title for the show (we'd gotten confirmation that we had a spot in the Port Loggia gallery in January the day before).

During my WIP crit, one of the things mentioned was that a couple of the pieces needed more photos. One of those pieces meant braving the cold at night with my camera. Because I wanted to get it done with ASAP, I took the photos as soon as I got home that night, downloaded them to my computer and got rid of the worst of the bunch.

Thursday: Another cooking day. And as a result, I didn't get over to NSCAD until late-afternoon. I didn't do much in the way of schoolwork, though I did edit the photos.

Friday: I took more photos for another series that needed different photos (the ones that I had were too similar), edited them and added them to the slideshow. I also bought a 2014 calendar at ViewPoint Gallery and checked out Food, Inc. from the VRC (you never know what you're going to find there). And I added another goal for this year: watch as many movies and documentaries from the VRC catalogue as possible between now and April. Bonus: although the usual limit for DVDs is three at a time for two days (the whole weekend if you check them out on Thursday or Friday), students are allowed to check out more than that and take them home over breaks, which I might do when I go home next month.

On the way home I took some photos of the Waverley Inn's Christmas decorations.

That day, a judge in NB ruled in favour of SWN, "ordering protesters not to interfere with the company’s shale gas exploration [on Elsipogtog First Nation] and giving police power to enforce that order." Reading those words still makes me incredibly sad and angry: the land is Mi'kmaq territory--the Mi'kmaq are the ones in charge of it. Also: whatever happened to freedom of peaceful assembly? Whether settler or aboriginal, we all deserve that right. The way the case was handled was crappy, too: the First Nation "had no time to hire lawyers." I can imagine how it would feel for the people of Elsipogtog: I'd be angry, too, if some company wanted to come drill for some resource or another on my land and wouldn't take no for an answer.

This documentary, which I watched recently, is a really good overview of what aboriginals have had to deal with over the last few hundred years. The things we settlers have inflicted on our fellow human beings--who were here before we were--makes me so angry and sad--and ashamed to be white. This is my own race that has done these things and if I could somehow make it all go away, I would. The fact that I have the tiniest drop of Mi'kmaq ancestry (one person) intensifies those feelings.

Saturday: Once again, I spent a few hours in the Academy computer lab. I also edited the photos that I took Friday night.

Sunday: I've spent the afternoon and evening whittling down my contextualizing statement. The whole thing is supposed to be seven hundred and fifty words. Four years ago (in '09) I would've looked at that number and said something along the lines of, "**gulp** I'm supposed to write how many words?? HELP!!!!" and freaked out. Now, I think nothing of a thousand-word essay. Some of my blog posts have been around two thousand words. And I'm still ridiculously proud of the three-thousand-word monster that I cranked out for my Questions of Obsolescence final this past spring. The thing with the statement that I'm currently editing is that my project combines three things (music, dance and photography) that I could talk about for hours and easily write a thousand to two thousand words on. Art means everything to me, and the way I write about it, including how many words I could devote to writing about it, reflects that passion.

Today the Bangor Symphony did a Totally Tchaikovsky program. They started with his Coronation March, which features a passage also heard in the Marche Slave (which at times sounds like a mashup of other works by Tchaikovsky, which I really like). Brace yourself for awesomeness.



The concert also included one of my favourite concertos for any instrument, by any composer: Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto. What I would give to have the BSO knock my socks off with that piece. Bonus: the violin part is pretty awesome.



I finished Saturday night by listening to Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony, which I'd never heard before. It was the last piece on today's program. My verdict: it's awesome. Thanks, BSO! Also: Bernstein. Need I say more?



As you've probably noticed by now, I usually only post one or two pieces when posting works that the BSO's performing. Today is an exception: all three pieces have that "oh, my gosh, wow!" factor. Why must your music be so wonderful, Tchaikovsky? I've been listing to nothing but his music all day. This is your doing, BSO!

I found out yesterday that students at the University of Maine get two free tickets per semester to events at the Collins Center for the Arts. The Collins Center is the BSO's home stage, so if I went to that school I'd save at least one ticket each year for a BSO concert. Dear UMaine students: I'm officially jealous. And for non-UMainers, student tickets to BSO concerts are $13 including the processing fee--and it's the same price no matter where you sit. Talk about an awesome deal!

computers: awesome when they work, frustrating when they don't

This week was one of those where I blinked and it was over.

Monday: I've been having problems accessing the school proxy server from my apartment (one of the books we're reading in APC is Of Cigarettes, High Heels and Other Interesting Things: An Introduction to Semiotics, which is available through the NSCAD server), so I took my computer to the Port Campus to try to get the issue fixed. Unfortunately the server was down that day, so the IT guy, Tim, had his hands full and told me to come back the next day.

I then headed to the Granville Campus and to OSAS on the second floor: I desperately needed to talk with someone about the stuff that happened last Sunday. And this was one of those times when talking with Mom just wouldn't do (she's awesome, but there are times when I need to go to someone else). I met with Christina Warren, who replaced Bernadette Kehoe when Bernadette accepted a job at NSCC in Dartmouth this past summer. I started whimpering immediately as I told Christina what was going on. That turned into full-on sobbing which came and went throughout much of my time in her office. By the time our conversation turned to other things, I was feeling much better. I also told her a bit about myself--turns out she's an amateur violinist, too, so she completely understood me when I made a music analogy (I do that: because I've studied so many different performing and visual art disciplines, I see connections between them and will sometimes point out said connections)--and signed my page of the 2012 edition of Free Coffee. Christina wants to meet all the students who contributed to the publication last year, and I was the first. As someone who's never been asked for her autograph before, it made me feel like a star.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the student lounge and the SUNSCAD office.

Tuesday: I went back to Tim's office. Turns out, the port number in the URL was wrong.

My student loan had finally come in that morning. However, it was only the federal portion, which is way smaller than the provincial part. I didn't notice the memo saying "320 CANADA" in my online account info, so I thought that that was all I was getting for this semester--and that I needed to redo my budget, which I did.

Wednesday: The week I've been waiting for: after going through the week's reading we presented our ideas for our independent study projects. Mine will be about the importance of dance in my life. I'd originally planned to print the photos out, but because music is such a big component of the project, Adrian suggested showing the photos on a screen or with a projector and include the music with each photo. So a photo inspired by The Ballad of Revolt would be accompanied by that work. As someone who doesn't have anything to show photos on besides her computer, I was concerned about the logistics of displaying the project that way until Adrian said that NSCAD has projectors and monitors that I can use. He also talked about the cantankerousness of the NSCAD proxy server. Apparently it only lets up to twelve people log in at one time and it's less cantankerous on-campus.

That night the internet suddenly disappeared and there was nothing I could do to get it back.

Thursday: That morning I still wasn't able to access the internet, so after calling the NB student loan office and finding out that yes, I would be receiving more money in a couple days, I called EastLink (my service provider). They had me try a few things and then suggested that it might be the router, which I then replaced (free). I went back to my apartment, got the router activated and... still nothing. They then got a guy to come over to my apartment that evening. There went my plans to attend the Queer Collective meeting at NSCAD... He tried just about everything possible, and couldn't get the internet to work.

That afternoon, I visited the campaign office of Labi Kousoulis, who's the Liberal candidate for Halifax Citadel - Sable Island. I'd recently found out that yes, even though I'm a New Brunswicker and all my government ID has my NB address, I can vote in the NS provincial election. I just need to provide two pieces of NS ID, and my apartment lease, EastLink bill and student ID card count. I told one of the women there about the things that I'm concerned about, mainly education, NSCAD and the NDP's treatment of both. I also told her how impressed I am by the Liberals' education platform: this is the kind of stuff the NDP should be doing. I left with a magnet, brochure and an election sign--my first (it's totally fine to put them in apartment windows, though because my apartment's so high up it's more for my own enjoyment than anything else: soon after I taped it to my window, I looked up at said window from outside the building. All I could see was a white shape. However, when my building is casting a shadow on the side that I live, I can make out the red on the sign.).

Friday: I called Apple Support to sort out my internet problems. Because the AppleCare expired on my Mac earlier this month, I had to fork over some cash (less than a hundred, thankfully) and because I don't have a credit card, they made an exception and accepted my debit card. The issue was remedied by deleting a folder and then restarting the computer, and I wrote down the procedure just in case this happens again--and because I hate having to ask other people to solve simple tech problems for me.

I spent the afternoon at my favourite coffee shop, reading the chapter for APC, which at times was well beyond awesome.

Saturday: Another afternoon spent at my favourite coffee shop. This time I started putting together the playlist for my APC project. Whittling a playlist down is not easy when it contains so many awesome tracks.

Sunday: I finally started photographing for my project, having set a deadline of tomorrow. I also edited the photos, which presented the usual challenge of how to translate what I see in my head onto the computer screen.

Today was the BSO's first concert of the season--their one hundred and eighteenth, which at times is hard to believe--until I remind myself that they're the oldest community orchestra in the US. Congratulations, guys--and go violins! The first piece on the program was Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, which is one of my favourites.



This video, Maestro Richman's breakdown of what's going on this season, makes me ridiculously proud to be a fan of the Bangor Symphony. By the way, next May marks ten years since I became a fan.

I am artist, hear me roar

This week was extremely busy, crazy and rather stressful, but I think I'm mostly recovered from it.

Monday: Monday was the beginning of Assessment Week at NBCCD (this week is their March Break).

When I got to school that afternoon, Keven, NSCAD's daytime security guard, told me that the reason why NS' "spring" break is at the time that it is is because that's the week in which students where committing suicide the most. So while it makes sense to have the break during that week, universities (including NSCAD) are still in midterm mode, so students come back with a few more exams or midterm projects to do. I like NB's break schedule a lot better.

We watched another movie during class: Blade Runner (I can't remember which version).

Tuesday: I spent the day tweaking the first project for Graphics, coming up with ideas for the second one and doing the readings for Obsolescence. I finished the afternoon by taking the files to Staples and getting them printed (which was an adventure).

We had another GA that evening. FUNSCAD I (the teachers' union) could go on strike on Wednesday. If they go on strike, SUNSCAD will hold a rally on Friday. One of the issues that FUNSCAD I is fighting is the fact that the administration is trying to prevent part-time and regular part-time faculty (part-time has three different levels, and from there it gets rather complex) from being on-campus outside the regular semester, which doesn't bode well for students who want to meet with a part-timer in the summer. If this is anything like FUNSCAD II's almost-strike, Tuesday night is going to be a sleepless one for me: I, like my fellow students and the faculty, don't want the strike to happen.

Wednesday: I went to school early to put my book together (Jeff wanted them bound).

He met with us individually to critique our first projects and discuss our ideas for the second project. My crit went very well.

Thursday: Thursday was a working class, which made me very happy because I wasn't as far along with the project as I would've liked.

I finally finished my homework for Friday that night (the usual readings for Obsolescence--this week's set was the last for that course--and writing for Writing for the Arts).

Friday: The usual discussion of the week's readings. At the end of class, Bob went over our proposals for the final focus essay (two thousand words, which will make this essay the longest I've written for a college or university assignment--bring it) and suggested ways in which we could take the essay further.

I did my presentation for Writing for the Arts, and I think it was one of my best presentations at either NBCCD or NSCAD. My theme was Marcel Duchamp and readymades. I gave a biography of him and then branched out, talking about the Fountain, his paintings, and artists who do similar work: Gene Nichols (who'll use just about anything to create rhythm: "I am addicted to sound, all sound. That's what gets me to thinking about everything as music.") and Andy Warhol (who used cheap, readily-available techniques to churn out multiples of his works). I couldn't help but get excited: this is the kind of thing that I live for. This is why I'm an artist.

After class, I discussed my idea for the WftA show with Anna. My idea was to take a bunch of photos around NSCAD, print them, arrange the prints with an envelope and take a photo of that. Title: Love Letters to NSCAD. While my idea was good, Anna felt it could be a bit stronger. She suggested actually mailing the photos to the Board of Governors (BoG) and NSCAD's acting president. We both got rather excited about the project, and Anna was thrilled that I was taking on a project like that: it couldn't be more timely.

That evening, I posted on the SUNSCAD Facebook group, explaining my idea, asking who's on the BoG and how I could contact them. I got the info, and then another comment suggesting that I send photos to the HFX Chamber of Commerce, as business organizations would be negatively affected in a big way if the university went under and the municipal government, as they have been silent throughout the whole mess at NSCAD.

One of the things I love about NSCAD is how they encourage students to be political. To quote the manifesto, "NSCAD's ability to nurture critical, political and philosophical thought continually sets us apart. It cultivates the artists and critical thinkers needed in today's society." I noticed that atmosphere right away, and while I soaked it up last semester, it was only in my finals that it really started to worm its way into my art. My approach to my education at NSCAD was always as another set of tools in my creative toolbox, and as someone who's become more political in the last four or so years, I appreciate the university's contributions to my art practice. Thanks, NSCAD!

Saturday: After such a crazy week (I was up to my eyeballs in homework every evening and stressing about whether I'd be able to get it all done on time), I tried to take the day as slowly as possible while still getting work done--and listening to Parsifal. By the way, the Met's current production was directed by Fraçois Girard, who directed The Red Violin. Oh, and he's a Canuck!

Sunday: I spent the afternoon working on my Graphics homework.

The BSO played a concert today. Feels like they just did one, but it was back in January. You know you've been busy when... Today's concert was the one that, if I lived in or around Bangor, I would've gone to (the cheap tickets are fairly affordable on a student budget--and yes, I'd put up with the crappiest seats in the world if it meant a couple hours of listening to one of my favourite orchestras). They played Vaughan-Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (one of my favourite pieces), Suite No. 1 from Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances and Vivaldi's Four Seasons (another favourite). All three pieces are rather strings-heavy, which makes me happy. I love a full orchestra--and when the BSO is going full-tilt, they can knock my socks off--but there's just something about a beautiful string section. The fact that the BSO's violin section is beyond awesome, reminds me why that instrument is one of my favourites and makes me proud to play the violin doesn't hurt, either. Long story short: BSO, I love you!

never a dull momement at NSCAD

Well, hello there, almost-free weekend! Long time, no see! I thought you were going to be MIA for the semester.

Also, as of last Sunday, I'm sick again. But this cold is one of those "why-can't-every-cold-be-like-this" colds: it's an extremely mild one. Mild sore throat, I only started sniffling a few days into it and said sniffles are all but gone now, a handful of coughs every now and then... Even the sneezes are mild.

Monday: A working class. I got most of my project done for Reconfigured Image.

That evening, I watched the NY Times' video of Obama's inauguration. If you haven't read/heard his speech, please do! Sounds like the Obama I (and many people) got excited about in '08, and I'm glad to hear that sort of tone from him again.



Tuesday: I spent the day reading and writing for Writing for the Arts and Obsolescence.

SUNSCAD had called an emergency, extremely important GA for that evening, which I went to. The manifesto had been edited for the final time, and we needed to pass it. FUNSCAD had already stated their approval of the manifesto. And... It passed--to the sound of applause. I then headed off to the movie theatre to see Les Misérables. As I watched the students' fight on the big screen, I couldn't help but think about our own (nonviolent) struggles at NSCAD. You can read my review here--and you can read SUNSCAD's manifesto here.

Wednesday: I spent the day doing homework.

Class was devoted to discussing our ideas for our projects.

Thursday: I went to school early so that I could proofread and print my focus paper for Obsolescence, and the gallery review and the rest of the citations for Writing for the Arts.

The latter half of class was a working class, and I ended up finishing my project and printing it out.

That day, the NSCAD Board of Governors met. When the manifesto came up in the meeting, the students were there to read parts of it aloud and to put some major pressure on the BoG (which is decidedly not in solidarity with the struggles of SUNSCAD or FUNSCAD, and is extremely out-of-touch with our needs and desires) to vote in favour of it. As expected, they didn't, and "half the BoG left almost immediately (including chair and NSCAD interim president) and remaining BoG tried to guilt students for taking direct action" according to Alani Caruso-Fitterer (SUNSCAD's VP Cultural). Because of my class that afternoon, I didn't attend the action--but I supported it. The next day SUNSCAD put out a press release, which you can read here. You can also see photos from the action here and here.

Friday: When writing my blog posts, Obsolescence is always a difficult course to write about. We discuss the week's readings, five of the students present stuff that they've found that's related to the readings and I try to wake up (a 7:30 AM/6:30 EST wake-up call is a bit too early for me, especially on days when the windchill dips to -25˚C/-13˚F). This week was no different, except for the fact that we handed in our focus essays and this week was my turn to present. In one of the readings the author talked about the fact that back in the early days of digital cameras, the cameras didn't look like their SLR cousins--and I couldn't help but think about the fact that my first digital camera was one of them. I pulled up the DPReview page for that camera (a Nikon CoolPix 995) and also showed a couple of photos that I took with the camera within a few months of getting it. I also talked about the QuickTake, which was a digital camera by Apple (as in computers). That camera was, in some ways, similar to a film camera in that you couldn't see the photos until you downloaded them. The camera was mentioned in one of the readings and me being me, I stopped what I was doing and googled it.

Rebecca Young visited and gave us another rundown of the university's resources, and Anna did a workshop on semiotics.

Saturday: Because I had very little homework (nothing for Reconfigured Image, work on the cover for Graphics, nothing but the usual readings for Obsolescence and the weekly journal entry and starting research for a presentation that I have to do in about a month for Writing), I spent much of the day being lazy, though I did get some stuff done. After two weekends of working my butt off to the point that I'm surprised that it's still there, I have to admit that I'm used to the stress, and my brain couldn't quite process the lack of stuff to do. Which meant that I felt a bit guilty about taking most of a day off.

Sunday: A mix of work and fun. And more work.

This weekend the BSO took on Mahler's fourth symphony (as well as Bach's Brandenberg Concerto No. 3 and Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate). I came across an article about the concert yesterday on the orchestra's Facebook page, and it got me really excited for the BSO, and made me fall in love with the orchestra all over again. This is why I'm a fan, and have been for eight years (nine in May). Well, that and the fact that the musicians are so awesome--especially the violinists.

back to (school) work

NSCAD kinda kicked my butt this week, but thankfully the homework is down to a dull roar at this point.

Monday: We spent part of the class looking at recent work. I showed my final projects for Intro and Beyond the Frame.

That evening, one of my former classmates had a show opening at the Economy Shoe Shop (which is actually a bar). Having seen her stress over the photos, which were her final for last semester's view camera course, I loved seeing them printed, matted and framed on the walls.

Tuesday: My day off--from classes, at least. I filled it with getting a few things straightened out with my account at the school where I'm staying (I'd received a note about my fees being overdue, but it had been sent in error, as I'd suspected--whew!), meeting with NSCAD's financial adviser and the assistant registrar to get things sorted out for my final semester (the loan and Advanced Photo Critique, which is a mandatory fourth-year course) and sending off my student loan papers. I also found out that I'm actually between the third and fourth years (I thought I was a fourth-year).

Wednesday: I spent the day finishing the reading for Obsolescence and doing little things around my room.

That evening I had my first evening class since FVA: Graphics for Artists and Craftspeople I. I think I'm going to like it. We'll be working with Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

Thursday: We met in the Photo Dept. computer lab and Bob went over a bunch of under-the-hood computer things and passed around an opened SATA hard drive.

After class SUNSCAD hosted a meeting between the students and FUNSCAD 1 and 2 (the faculty union--FUNSCAD 1 is the teachers and FUNSCAD 2 is the techs). As I mentioned before, there's a possibility of a strike next month, so FUNSCAD gave us an update on the situation. If there's a strike, it would likely happen in early-February (FUNSCAD 2) and late-February (FUNSCAD 1). As I wrote in an email to my parents, "the next few weeks are not going to be good for my nerves."

That day NBCCD had a ball hockey game in the courtyard between the main building and the Barracks. Two of the second-year Photo students (Class of '13) took photos and one shot a video. You can see the photos from one of the Photogs here, and here's the video. LET'S GO, PHOTO, LET'S GO!



The photos and video made me miss NBCCD, the Photo Studio and the faculty like crazy. As I wrote in a Facebook status update, "NSCAD may be awesome, but nothing can replace you [the Photo Studio, fellow students and faculty]. Nothing."

Friday: That day was one of those days where I wasn't happy about the fact that I had class all day.

Obsolescence was mostly devoted to discussing that week's reading.

Writing for the Arts met in the Granville Campus that day and Anna (our teacher) introduced us to the library and the Visual Resources Collection (VRC) and gave us the rundown of the assignment that's due next week, which is a scavenger hunt involving both places. We then went to two of the galleries that are in the same set of buildings as NSCAD: Gallery Page and Strange and the Anna Leonowens Gallery, which is one of NSCAD's three galleries. We also have to write a review (either on a body of work or on an individual piece), so we took notes for that.

That afternoon there was an Idle No More protest at the Halifax Grand Parade, and although I'd planned to go, by the time I was done class the protest was over. I spent part of the evening catching up on the meetings between Harper, Governor General David Johnston and the First Nations chiefs. The meetings weren't as successful as the chiefs would've liked, and Chief Theresa Spence will continue her hunger strike.

Saturday and Sunday: I spent much of the weekend doing homework as NSCAD doesn't take as easy an approach to homework as NBCCD does in the first couple weeks of the semester (NBCCD lets you slowly get into the groove of the semester over the course of the first three weeks).

On Saturday evening I stumbled across a video of the BSO from '08. I think I've seen this video before, but this time it really had an effect on me--so much so that it brought me to tears. I then decided to look up the entire piece. Here's the BSO's version. It's from an open dress rehearsal, so there are some mishaps, but there's still that take-charge, "let's-see-how-many-socks-we-can-knock-off" attitude toward their part from the violin section. There's no messing with those guys, which is one of the things I love about them--and why they make me proud to play that instrument. Brace yourself for awesomeness.


The Bangor Symphony Orchestra - Sneak Peak, January 31st, 2008 from Luke LaBree on Vimeo.

And here's a recording of the whole piece:

NSCAD: fun/awesome things happen here

This weekend was my first time celebrating Thanksgiving away from home. But it wasn't too bad.

Monday: I spent most of the day in the darkroom, reprinting yet again for Intro Photo.

That evening, SUNSCAD held a general assembly (GA), which I went to. The main topic was the Framework for Sustainability and voting no confidence on the Framework (which FUNSCAD 1, the teachers' union, has already done. FUNSCAD 2 is the studio technicians' union, by the way.). It involved a lot of debate, several amendments and amendments-to-amendments of the "be it resolved" part of the motion, but the GA and participating in democracy without the unfairness that is prevalent in the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system that Canada uses (it's also used in most American elections) gave me a rush. This is what democracy looks and feels like.

Tuesday: We all reread this week's handout in class, making notes on things that we wanted to talk about, and then discussing them. We then watched a movie about the Nazi concentration camps and discussed that.

Since starting classes at NSCAD, I've been thinking about running for SUNSCAD, as I've been very inspired by what they do. The Student Union of NSCAD isn't afraid to get their hands dirty: they will fight for their school and the rights of their fellow students. Since I got my first taste of SUNSCAD on Orientation Day, I've been thinking about getting involved in the union--of actually running in the election, which is something that I've never done before. Prior to this year, I've never taken much of an interest in school politics (NBCCD's Student Representative Council, while they did an excellent job of representing their fellow students, wasn't exactly interested in challenging the status quo, which I understand because NBCCD is doing very well--they haven't had to deal with people not doing their jobs or a lack of money), so it's been a surprise to me as well.

So that day I told one of the executives that I was interested in running, and she gave me a nomination form. There are a bunch of positions that I could run for, including Media Arts rep (the division that the Photography Dept. is in) and Mature Students rep, so I chose randomly: Students Living in Residence rep.

Wednesday: We finished the perfect binding books. Mine didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, binding-wise, but they could've been worse: getting the width of the spine of the cover just right is a pain. Too loose and the book will fall apart (everything's just held together with PVC glue), too tight and the pages won't fit.

After class, I walked back to my place, as I hadn't packed my SLR and I wanted to shoot a roll of film. I shot the roll on my way back to school.

That evening was the first meeting of the NSCAD Dance and Movement Club where we actually danced. This meeting was more about exploring and experimenting with different ways of movement.

Thursday: Bob had planned to take us to the Dalhousie Arts Centre (home to Symphony Nova Scotia, FYI) last week, but we ran out of time. This week, we were able to make the trip. The show (which is a group show) blew me away, and I felt that if I were to truly appreciate it, I'd have to stay there much longer than I did. It was very avant-garde, modern and cool, and was comprised of many different media: photography, fluorescent bulbs, sound, glass, video...

Friday: That day was a working class, and I'm finally getting the hang of NSCAD's Saunders/LPL enlargers. After three years of working with NBCCD's Durst enlargers, I'm used to working with that brand and know what settings to use in order to get the results that I want, and I've had to transfer those three years of experience with one brand to another brand that works in a completely different way. I've learned that I have to use a higher-contrast filter than I did with the Dursts (I generally used either a 2.5 or a 3; with the Saunders/LPLs it's more along the lines of a 3 or a 4) in order to get the same results.

Due to all that work, I was late to the SUNSCAD election meeting. The meeting was mandatory, but only a handful of people bothered to show up, so the fact that I showed up was good enough. We were given the rundown of what's going to happen over the next few weeks and what we need to do.

Saturday: I spent most of the day migrating all my data from my old, orange-juice-filled computer to my new one with Tom's help.

Late in the afternoon, I started to feel the early signs of a cold. Me being me, I tried to deny that I was getting sick.

Sunday: Okay, yeah, it's a cold. Thankfully, I was still well enough to do homework.

I spent much of the afternoon shooting the final roll for Intro Photo and developing it and roll #2. I plan to print the photos on Wednesday afternoon.

That afternoon was also the Bangor Symphony's first concert of the 117th season. As a result, I had An American in Paris (which was on the program) going through my head for several hours. Here are some (more like three hundred and eighty-nine) photos that were taken during rehearsal and the concert. Most of them are good, especially given the fact that stage lighting is extremely high-contrast, and therefore very difficult to photograph in, but a handful of the photos left me wondering, "why did that photo make it into the final batch?" For some, it was the technical aspect that was missing (metering issues/blowout, motion blur that didn't look deliberate, occasional incorrect-looking white balance), but for others, it was more the artistic side that was lacking. Yes, it's documentary-style photography, but there's still an art to it.

But as a proud New Brunswicker, I love the fact that the BSO uses Sabian cymbals. Sabian is based in Meductic, NB, and they make some of the best cymbals you can get. Unfortunately, since there isn't anything written on the BSO's cymbals aside from the Sabian logo, I can't tell which model they are.



And because it's Thanksgiving here in Canada (happy Columbus Day to my American readers), here's this year's list of what I'm thankful for:

• SUNSCAD
• NSCAD
• The fact that SUNSCAD is very political and not afraid to get it's hands dirty
• The cool things that NSCAD students and supporters do (e.g., ANNAmotion LOGOmotion)
• The liberalness of Halifax
• The Bangor Symphony (and their awesome violin section)
• The Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony
• NBCCD
• My three years at NBCCD, what I learned there and the experiences that I had
• The NBCCD faculty, especially the photo faculty
• My knowledge of B&W film photography
• The fact that film photography is still taught (alongside digital) in art colleges and universities even as digital takes over more and more of the world
• My desire to learn
• The high quality of my artistic education
• My interest in Canadian politics

home sweet home

I applied to the Bachelor of Applied Arts program this week. That degree is a collaboration between the University of New Brunswick's Fredericton campus and NBCCD: two years at one of the schools and then two years at the other. That means that you only do the first year of the diploma program at NBCCD--though one of my classmates, Anne-Marie, is doing the second year of the diploma because she wanted to.

Monday: I applied to the BAA program. I then emailed NBCCD's registrar, asking her to send a copy of my transcript to UNB's admissions office, though she probably won't check her email until tomorrow. After that, I emailed UNB's registrar, asking whether or not I'd be issued a new student ID number, as I have been living in residence for the last three years, and at the time that I applied the student ID section said that my number was "not yet assigned." I assumed that the number wouldn't change, but I wanted to be sure. The answer: it won't.

Karen emailed my classmates and me the poster and press release for our show that opens this coming week. I emailed it to my parents and a few friends. As I said in my email, "we Photogs are definitely 'Not from Concentrate'."

That evening, I watched about half of a movie that Tom bought recently: The Way, starring Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez (who also wrote, produced and directed it).



Tuesday: Everyone in the Photography Diploma program has to have a website up and running by the end of the year. I started work on mine that afternoon. Once the site's live, the address will be annapurnamoffattphotography.weebly.com (I'd link to it, but that link wouldn't go anywhere right now). I'm really happy with it, though when I get back to Fredericton, I'll have to get a few people to sign model releases so that I can use portraits that I took of them on the site.

In the evening, I shot a few tests for a personal video project that I plan to do this summer, and watched the second half of The Way.

Wednesday: Mom and I went cross-country skiing that afternoon.

I emailed Larry, one of my classmates, and asked him to do my portrait for the "about me" page on my website. I have one there--a self-portrait that I took last year--but I want a better one. Sometimes handing over the task of taking the photo to someone else is the best thing one can do. I'm familiar with Larry's work, and I know that I'll get a good result.

Once again, I curled up with The Way.

Thursday: Résumé blitz day. Mom and I had dentist appointments (the usual every-six-months check-up) that morning. I took the first appointment, and then left my résumé and cover-letter in as many places as possible. Let's hope I get a job this summer: I really need a new camera (and money for university).

That afternoon, I had an appointment to get my hair cut, and it's now similar to Emma Watson's and Michelle Williams' pixie styles. And it's the shortest it's ever been. And I love it.

I watched The Way for the last time--for a little while, anyway.

Friday: Although I'd done bits and pieces of homework earlier this week, I really dug in and got stuff done. Meaning, I finished the story-boards for my independent-study project.

Yet again, I curled up with a movie that evening. That time, I dug out Amadeus (director's cut), as the Met would be performing Don Giovanni, which was featured in the movie, on Saturday. Besides, I hadn't watched Amadeus in way too long.



Saturday: I spent part of the afternoon writing the gallery show review for Gallery as a Market Place--due on the twenty-eighth--and I'm officially a little more than half-way done (I have to write about eight-hundred words).

Sunday: Today's been a hodge-podge day, as I've been getting little things done. Amadeus: finished, laundry: done, website: critiqued by Tom. I'll pack this evening.

Because a. this piece is nothing more nor less than EPIC, and b. the BSO is playing it today, here's the fourth movement from Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony. I would give just about anything to have Lynn, Trond, and the rest of the BSO's violinists blow my mind with this piece. And to hear them rock those high notes. I think it should go on the list of reasons why the violin is one of my favourite instruments--right next to the Bangor Symphony's violin section itself. Okay, I'll stop gushing. Enjoy.

Bangor Symphony + Star Wars = awesome

Just when I thought Star Wars couldn't get any cooler, it did--with a little help from the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. There's a reason why I love the BSO as much as I do.

Monday: All I had to do that day was meet with Linda, so I hung out in the Photo Studio for most of the afternoon. We Photogs are a pretty funny bunch, but that day it felt like the humour was ratcheted up a couple notches, and I was howling with laughter before you could say, "Peter."

It turned out that I had the wrong time written down for my meeting: it was supposed to be in the 2:00 - 3:00 hour, but I had 3:00 - 4:00 written down. However, it was one of those times where just showing up is good enough, as I was one of the few students who actually came to their meetings. I showed her the photos that I'd taken of my experiments, and we decided on the best one, which would be used for the final version.

Tuesday: My independent Photoshop project is to design a business card, and this week I had my rough-draft version critiqued. This isn't the first time I've done a business card--I did one in first-year Photoshop class--but this time around, I wanted to end up with something that I could actually use in real life.

Turns out, the Røde directional mics aren't as nice as we thought they'd be--and as they pick up sound even from the side, they aren't exactly directional. Oh, well--at least we know now.

Wednesday: We've officially hit crunch-time in terms of prep for our Gallery as a Market Place show. It opens in almost three weeks (March sixteenth), but we lose a week due to March Break (the week of March seventh). This week, we did a lot of work in class: writing bios, tweaking descriptions of our work, writing the press release... We'd planned to visit Ingrid Mueller Art + Concepts, but A. we had enough on our own plates, and B. Ingrid had enough on her plate, as there's a show coming up at that gallery.

That afternoon, we presented our research. I talked about what I'd found out about digital portfolios--which ranged from an Adobe Bridge web gallery to a PDF portfolio (note to self: include a title page next time!).

I spent the evening doing prep for my next Still to Motion (Tuesday afternoon) assignment. My plan is to film myself singing some of my favourite songs (I'll be listening to them on my iPod and singing a cappella). As I went through iTunes, picking out pieces, I landed on MPBN radio, which is in my library. I caught the tail-end of Neptune, the Mystic, which is the final movement in The Planets (Pluto hadn't been discovered yet, though because it's now classified as a dwarf planet, I wonder if Holst would include it if he wrote that work today). I listened, and then got back to work. But somehow I ended up back on MPBN--and was treated to the Main Theme from Star Wars. I'd read the Bangor Daily's review of the BSO's last concert, and wished that I could've heard the concert in person, so I was ridiculously excited. Because I hadn't tuned in earlier, I didn't know that it was the BSO until the end of the broadcast, but I knew that they'd performed the Main Theme as an encore thanks to that review, so I immediately started putting two and two together, and thought, "could that possibly be the BSO?" I jumped up and danced around my dorm room, revelling in the sound of one of my favourite orchestras and one of the most beautiful violin sections I've ever heard. The performance was so thrilling, spectacular and beautiful that I cried as I danced (not the first time the BSO's gotten that sort of reaction out of me). A couple times I slowed down in places where I wouldn't normally slow down, as I wanted to take in the beauty of the violin section. After the last chord had faded, and I found out that yes, it was the BSO, I let go and sobbed with indescribable happiness.

After all that, I had to listen to the theme again, so I searched YouTube. I threw in the Imperial March for good measure. Thanks for starting something, BSO! By the way, this was my first time listening to that orchestra on the radio since the 2004 - 2005 season. A lot has changed since then: new concertmaster, new conductor, new logo, new slogan... But that orchestra is still awesome.

Thursday: This week was the final week of our independent projects. For me, that meant that I played teacher for a few minutes. And then Peter and my classmates critiqued the project (I still need to make changes).

During our meeting, Peter and I discussed my next project--and I showed him the file of notes, ideas and resources that I'd been feverishly putting together for the last couple weeks.

Because I wanted to share my experience with her personally, I emailed Lynn (who's the BSO's co-concertmaster), telling her about the night before.

I also printed my photos for the show, and one of my classmates cut mats for me.

That evening, Helen and I had our usual Skype meeting. In between tech problems, we discussed the project that I'm finishing and the one that I'm about to start. She also talked about paintings that she's working on.

Friday: I'd planned to shoot my Still to Motion homework that day, but as one of my classmates signed out the studio's only Zoom H4N mic for the weekend, there went that idea. Hopefully, I'll get it done tomorrow, but if not, then I'll try to double up this week. But because it's something that's completely out of my control, Rod will probably understand.

However, I managed to get other stuff done that day, including starting my log book for Imagery (my Monday class). And I started the final report for the independent project that I'm finishing, and the proposal for the one that I will start after March Break--and got more than a little fired up about it. Watch out, Harper!

Because my last project was so uneventful--there weren't any serious changes or mishaps, just improvements to stuff that was already decent--I had problems getting up to the five-hundred-word mark. So I consulted with Peter, and he came up with some slightly different questions for me to answer.

I also put together the final version of my Imagery assignment.

Saturday: I spent a large chunk of the afternoon researching the ins and outs of combining Photoshop with Final Cut Pro X (I'm going to use Photoshop to give the different segments of my video their look, and then import those videos to Final Cut). I also edited my final report and project proposal, and made smaller versions of my photos for the show (to be used for publicity). And I did it all while listening to opera (Ernani, by Verdi).

homework? What's that?

This week was the last week of classes. I spent today doing the last bit of homework--though I still have to arrange my independent study prints in the portfolio that I got for the project. Hello, homework withdrawal...

Monday: Most of Output was devoted to looking at everyone's website designs. This assignment was mostly a trial-run for me, and I now know that when I put together my professional website (which will be within the next year), I absolutely will not use iWeb. That program is decent, but it has some major shortcomings, and I found it really frustrating to work with. The fact that I couldn't change the colour or font of the "Play Slideshow" and RSS "Subscribe" buttons in image galleries bugged me the most. I wanted that text to match the other text that I had on the website. Also, I found out via Drew that iWeb websites aren't compatible with smartphones. Huh? But... iWeb is made by Apple, which also makes the iPhone, which is one of the most popular smartphones! That makes no sense. I don't have a smartphone, but still: STEVE JOBS! Why?!

Drawing was once again devoted to self-portraits. Mine was better than the one that I did at the beginning of the year, though I'm not thrilled with how I drew my nose. I hate drawing noses from the front, anyway--they're really difficult. After that class, I felt so free, knowing that that was my last long day--for a while, anyway. We'll see what next semester brings.

Tuesday: I'd planned to print that day, but we were out of the Premium Luster paper, which I'm partial to (although it's not as archival as the Enhanced Matte). We wouldn't get our next supply in until later that week, so that meant that I wouldn't have anything to show during Thursday's class. However, Peter was aware of our lack of lustre paper (and the fact that I'd have nothing to show on Thursday morning), and within a couple days said paper was ordered.

I spent the afternoon working on the last bit of stuff for my business plan (the final product is due tomorrow at assessment).

Wednesday: Because I was pretty much done my Photoshop project but still had a week before it was due, I had Drew critique it. I then made the changes, and submitted it.

My final lighting project was to try out every flash modifier that I had yet to use: the octobox and the gridded softbox. The photo studio's snoot is meant for the Speedatrons, so I tried once again to get those things to slave. No such luck. However, even just turning on the modelling light gave me a pretty good idea of what the snoot does (it focuses the light in one little spot)--I just didn't have the photos to show for my efforts (I told Drew about what I'd learned). And because I didn't really know what the gridded softbox does, I asked Drew and he showed us. When in doubt, draw.

Thursday: During class, Peter updated us on the situation with the Winter electives. Although Book Binding will be offered, I think I'll probably choose either Painterly and Mixed Media Drawing, which is taught by Jen Beckley (my old drawing teacher), or Imagery: Sources and Development, which is taught by Linda Kelly (my old first-semester History Tutorial teacher). I think in the next week or so we'll be getting info on what the courses actually involve.

Peter's and my meeting centred around what I want to do post-NBCCD and my next independent project. One of the goals with the projects is to explore things that we may be interested in doing post-graduation. One of the possibilities that I'm considering is teaching (though I'm not even considering K-12: the North American public school system and said system's treatment of the arts as "less important" than math and reading drives me nuts, and I know that if I taught at a school like that that I'd be fighting the system from Day One--and that I'd drive the higher-ups nuts), and possibly teaching at a place like Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre. So Peter suggested that my next project could be to design a course for the Centre. Project: decided.

I also began the process of cleaning out my locker. Rolls of paper: gone.

Friday: I spent the morning being as lazy as possible, but finally made it to the school and ran some errands. I printed a test for my independent project, which was a good thing: it needed more contrast. And I needed to fiddle around with the size of each image, because I wanted them to be 11" x 14", and although I'd resized them in Photoshop Camera RAW, I found out that they weren't the right size--yet. I also started the proposal for the Sunbury Shores course project.

Saturday: My earbuds finally started to really bite the dust, and I was forced to replace them. Although they still work, the rubbery casing that protects the wires leading to each bud was disintegrating. So I packed my backpack, went downtown, and bought a new pair at Tony's Music Box. The new earbuds sound even better than my old ones, and the old ones were better than the set that came with my iPod Nano (which make the bass sound rather dull).

That meant that I had to miss a sizable chunk of the Met's broadcast of Faust, though I managed to catch the Opera Quiz (which is always fun, and I learn a lot). And I didn't miss the Jewel Song.

I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening working on the proposal for the next independent study project, adding a bit to the final report for my last independent study project, and getting the photos for my business portfolio and the independent project ready to print (double-checking size, sharpening them, etc.).

Sunday: This morning was gloriously lazy, but this afternoon wasn't: I had to proofread and send the final report and project proposal, both of which are due tomorrow at 9:00 AM (8:00 EST), print my photos (I booked the printer for two hours this afternoon), print the final version of the business plan, and skype with my parents and my mentor.

Because I have nothing other than my assessment tomorrow, and I know that after a semester of eleven-hour-long Mondays tomorrow is going to feel really bare, I'm going to do my Christmas shopping after my assessment. And I'm going to clean out my drawer in the photo studio.

And because the Bangor Symphony plays The Nutcracker next weekend, here's the battle scene and the Journey to the Land of Snow from that ballet. Journey to the Land of Snow is one of my favourite pieces from The Nutcracker: the violin part is so beautiful and powerful. What I would give to hear the BSO play that piece...

celebrating ten years of owning my full-size violin

A photo that I took of my violin in '08.

Sunday, July 31st, 2011 marks ten years since Tom bought me my full-size violin. To mark the occasion, I thought I'd post some videos of my favourite music featuring either a. a gorgeous violin solo (e.g., a concerto), or b. a strong violin part (Grieg, anyone?). Enjoy.

First up, a video that I shot at a Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestra concert in June. The soloist is their conductor (and Bangor Symphony concertmaster, and one of my favourite violinists) Trond Saeverud. Bravo!



Another classic: Mendelssohn's violin concerto in E minor, op. 61 (played by another favourite violinist):



Part two:



In the Hall of the Mountain King, which has one of the most thrilling violin parts ever!



Roman Carnival Overture. I have to admit that I compare every version that I hear to the BSO's October 22nd, '04 performance (it was broadcast on the radio about a month later, and I had Tom tape it for me. The tape has since been made into an mp3 and burned to CD.), which should've come with a warning: "When the violins start, HOLD ONTO YOUR SEAT!" **swoons**



And how can I forget Beethoven's Romance in F, No. 2? André Rieu, back when he was awesome (meaning, 2006 and earlier):



The Nutcracker has been my favourite ballet since I can remember, and I've listened to it so much that every note feels like an old friend.



One of the most awesome pieces from the LOTR soundtrack (and one of the most awesome scenes), The Lighting of the Beacons from The Return of the King:



Salut d'Amore. Gorgeous.



The Lark Ascending, which Lynn introduced me to (and knocked my socks off with) ten years ago as of September tenth this year when she played it on my full-size violin. thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! BTW, in the Beethoven violin concerto, Lynn is stand-partners with concertmaster Rosa Bragdon.



And because Beethoven's awesome, let's end with yet another piece by him (bookend, anyone?). This time, my pick is a chamber piece: The third movement from his ninth violin sonata, which is another piece Lynn introduced me to (she and her daughter Daphne--who plays piano--played it at a family concert. Daphne's sister Molly and their dad/Lynn's husband, Gene, also performed. That night, Gene became one of my favourite composers, but that's another story.).

March Break

I spent March Break as I'd planned: being lazy (I spent most of last Saturday and Sunday in bed), doing homework (I just finished off a roll of film this afternoon and will drop it off at Harvey Studios before going to class on Monday afternoon), hanging out my parents, cooking, listening to opera (Rossini's Armida last weekend, with Renée Fleming in the title role--brava!--and Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov today), grocery shopping, reworking the week-by-week plan for my independent study project (originally I hadn't planned to shoot photos for it, and I'd forgotten that the first week of the project was the week before March Break), finishing my Photoshop homework, doing a résumé blitz in St. Andrews, and writing. I also won the lottery (I won twenty bucks today--not much, but it's the first time I've won anything. I bought the ticket in F'ton before going to class the Friday before March Break.).

Today was the encore simulcast of Nixon in China at the Empire Theatre in F'ton. I thought about getting tickets for it, but I'm glad I didn't, since I'm an hour-and-a-half away right now.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning I made the serious mistake of checking my Blogger Reading List before going to bed: since there was a "new" (written last Sunday, but I hadn't read it yet) blog post by WhiteFeather, I just had to read it. She's moving closer to ditching the music in Fantasmagorie. While I think that the movie is strong enough to stand on it's own and doesn't need the music, if she does get rid of the music, the music should either be used for something else or released as a separate work, because except for the breathing the piece is too beautiful to scrap.

One of my friends who's currently in FVA posted a Facebook status a few days ago saying that she's submitted her portfolio and application for the diploma program (she hopes to get into photography). In light of that, I want to take the opportunity to once again cheer on the FVA Class of '11: I want to wish those who are applying for the diploma program the very best, and I hope that you get into the studio you've been eyeing for the last few months. Applying is unbelievably nerve-wracking, and I will never forget it: choosing what to submit (I still have the list that I made of everything that I wanted to submit and where those things were), finding those things (if your room isn't as messy as mine was, congratulations--FVA year and small bedrooms do not mix), prepping said things (taking photos of stuff from Design and Creative Process for example--thanks for the help, Drew), filling out the submission form, putting it all together--and then taking it to the registrar. And then taking a deep breath--and fidgeting with nervousness about whether or not I got into my first choice--or whether or not I got into the diploma program at all (I was rather concerned about that--my GPA at the end of FVA was around 2.25, and my marks were really dismal in 2D and 3D Design and Creative Process).

But in May I finally got a letter from the community college (not from NBCCD) congratulating me on getting into the diploma program. As soon as I read it I started laughing and crying because I was so indescribably happy. Just over two weeks later I got my FVA certificate (I didn't go to the graduation ceremony--I fully intend to go to the one in 2012, though), my transcript, and a note from Peter--who, along with talking about what would be needed for the coming year (like a laptop--Mac preferably--with as much RAM as possible), wasted no time in acquainting his future students with his sense of humour (which is awesome).

Since the Bangor Symphony Orchestra will play Beethoven's second symphony tomorrow, I thought I'd include a movement from that work. It's not my favourite symphony--I prefer the sound that Beethoven started to develop with the third symphony (the Eroica), and which continued to grow and change until his death. Even though Beethoven was always thinking a few steps ahead of his time, the second symphony still feels very tame--especially when compared with something like the third, which right from the first movement (allegro con brio--fast with vigor) is very Beethoven in terms of how he constructs the melody. But it's not surprising: he studied with Joseph Haydn, and for the first few years of Beethoven's composing career Haydn's style clearly influenced Beethoven's (he didn't start to go off on his own until the Eroica).

The second symphony was written largely in 1802, which was a very dark time in his life: he was going deaf (he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament that year--BTW, it's a very good read: yes, it's long, all one paragraph, and, as I recall, is made up of only three sentences--which makes it feel even longer--but it gives the reader a glimpse into what Beethoven's life was like and what it was like to be him at that time), and when I did some research into what else went on that year, the Testament and his deafness are pretty much all that come up. However, he also wrote three piano sonatas (nos. 16-18, op. 31), the Seven Bagatelles for Piano, op. 33, Six Variations on an Original Theme (piano), op. 34 and Fifteen Variations and a Fugue for Piano on an Original Theme ("Eroica" Variations), op. 35.

Where I got all this info (a.k.a. the bibliography):

Article about Beethoven's second symphony on Wikipedia (dissects the different movements, as well as talking about the history behind it)
Article about Beethoven's second symphony on All About Beethoven
Life of Beethoven PowerPoint Presentation
List of compositions

You've been waiting long enough: here's the video I promised earlier. The fourth (and final) movement (allegro) of Beethoven's second symphony. Dedicated to the BSO, and the musicians that make up the orchestra--especially the violinists. Now, BSO, go be awesome--especially you guys in the violin section.

drawing to a close

Earlier this week I wrote an open letter to the FVA Class of '11, which you can read here. I can't begin to say how much I sympathize with the FVAs right now: I know what it's like, as I was an FVA last year and will never forget it (and if I ever do, I'll hunt Adam down and beg him to do his worst to me because forgetting the FVA experience is not an option).

I'm gradually getting assignments done, and I'm glad I don't have to spend the weekend ploughing through the entire 2D design section of Launching the Imagination. Instead I have to write a couple of papers: a critical review for Communication for Visual Artists and a paper on Julia Margaret Cameron for Photo History (I also have to do a five-to-ten minute PowerPoint presentation based on the History paper). Both are relatively easy, though. I have a few other things to do, but I'll accomplish them at school starting on Monday.

This coming week will be a bit wacko: due to three of my teachers doing assessments this week instead of the week of the fifteenth (happy birthday Mom!!), I won't have class on Tuesday (though I'll go to school to work on stuff), Wednesday (though I have my assessment for Creativity in Photography in the afternoon), Thursday afternoon (Film and Darkroom Techniques and Photoshop: Tools and Techniques assessment), or Friday. Yow. The next week is the official assessment week, so I won't have any classes. I'll have assessments on Monday (Communication for Visual Artists), Tuesday afternoon (Lighting: Available Light and On-Camera FlashTech and Photographic Digital Imaging, which I could've done this coming week, but I want time to do the final assignments with as little stress as possible), and Thursday (History, though I don't know what time). And then I'll go home some point Thursday afternoon.

Yesterday I handed in my final Photoshop assignment, which was my entry for the Bridgestone Photo Contest (which, I believe, is worth twenty per cent of the final grade for that class). Drew printed the entries off yesterday afternoon on the studio's big Epson photo printer (he'll mail them on Monday). I'm really happy with my entry.

Also yesterday, I found out that the Met Opera Brass has released a new CD: Waltzes, Songs, and Festive Scenes, which I've asked my parents for. Check out the video--and prepare to have your socks knocked off. GO MOO FRENCH HORNS!!! (In a couple of clips you can even see my favourite hornist--at two minutes in and three minutes, three seconds in. The first time is a still photo, but the second time you get to see him in action--with a strong horn part to boot.)



Speaking of the Met Opera and the MOO, there are now exactly two weeks until the first radio broadcast of the season (Don Carlo by Verdi)--which also happens to be Nutcracker Weekend for the BSO. BRUBAKERS FOR THE WIN!!!!!! French horns! Violins! Favourite musicians (who happen to be siblings)! **swoons**

I also got my schedule for next year this week: I have no class on Mondays (YAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!), class all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then one class on Friday afternoon. I'll be taking Lighting: Professional Lighting Studio, Photographic History: People, Representing Ideas, Professional Practice, Lab Techniques, Photoshop: Professional Techniques, and Design: Shaping Space. Here's to an awesome second semester for all of us (diploma students and FVAs alike)!