the final push toward The End

The Mister Rogers obsession continues (at least in its current form--I've been a fan since I was a kid)...

Monday: This half of the semester I have had to work harder than I've worked since FVA. In some ways I love it (I don't like it when things are too easy--which probably explains some of my love for the violin and French horn, though I was initially attracted to those instruments because of their sound), but in others I hate it, the stress that results from times like this being one of the main reasons. And when I get stressed out like that, I begin to doubt myself and whether I'll get everything done on time (thankfully, since finishing FVA, I've managed to pull through times like this beautifully).

This time, I was stressed out about my midterm paper for Contemporary Indigenous Arts, which I just barely managed to proofread and print before dashing off to class.

Tuesday: Tuesday was one of those days where I planned to get stuff done, but due to various appointments that were higher on the priorities list, most of the other things didn't get accomplished.

I did have my appointment with Joan. An hour after that I met with Jayne to talk with her about my midterm. I'm going to have to work like you wouldn't believe to pull off the rest of the semester and offset my crappy midterm mark.

While watching Mister Rogers' Emmy interview (during which I found out that he was colourblind) that evening, I found this quote that really speaks to what I've been through this year and the support I've received. It is one of several things that have appeared over the past week or so (starting with the documentary that triggered the current obsession). Yet another reason why I don't believe in coincidence.

"It's the little epiphanies of life that matter most. It's those moments when somebody will tell you, 'you know, you really did help me in a way that you could have never known, just by being there, and just by being you.'"--Mister Rogers

The quote is from this video.

Wednesday: Readreadread, writewritewrite.

Thursday: I emailed The Fred Rogers Company (formerly Family Communications, Inc., which distributed Mister Rogers' Neighborhood), sharing with the people there (many of whom worked with Mister Rogers and have been with the company for decades) my experiences of watching the show as well as how Mister Rogers and his message continues to play a huge role in my life, especially as I'm champing at the bit to finish university. I also quoted part of last week's post (the last two paragraphs in the Saturday section) and included the above quote and how it is relevant to the support that I have received. As the thought of writing to Mister Rogers didn't occur to me until after he died, this was a way of making up for that.

When Alex came into the computer lab to turn off the computers that night, he asked me how I was. I let loose and told him about the fact that I'm more than ready to be done school, both because of what I've been through and because I'm just ready to be finished school, which I wasn't when I graduated from NBCCD (the final day was incredibly bittersweet and when I got back to my place I burst into tears). He said that that's often the case: either students aren't ready to leave or they're champing at the bit like I am.

When I came home that night, I found out that my internet had disappeared and I couldn't get it back.

Friday: More reading.

That night I called EastLink. They did everything they could on their end and... nothing. It's a problem somewhere in my computer, which is both good (it's limited to only one computer) and bad (no internet on my computer).

Saturday: Because I had to read and write so much on a fairly tight deadline, I had to forego my weekly dose of the Met (sorry, guys) as this week's opera was in English and I can't read or write and listen to singing in a language that I understand at the same time (meaning that Italian's out, as I understand enough to have a rough idea of what's going on, as is the Habañera, as I have that song memorized in French and roughly memorized in English). I'm not much of a fan of Baroque opera, but I loved The Enchanted Island when it premiered a few seasons ago (it's a fairly new pastiche--i.e., a mashup--that the Met commissioned).

Sunday: This week I have to do a presentation with a couple of my classmates on two current art shows: one local (we picked the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia) and one national. We met at school on Saturday and made our picks and then then met again on Sunday, this time at the AGNS (home of Maud Lewis' teensy little painted house). We had initially chosen one of the shows there, but ended up choosing a different show (also at the AGNS) that grabbed our attention right away and that made the initial pick seem dull in comparison. That means that we have to come up with a new pick for the national show, as the initial pick for the national one tied in with the show at the AGNS that we'd picked and then decided not to profile.

Afterward, I went back to the college and wrote for the rest of the afternoon and finished the gallery review for Twentieth-Century Art.

That evening, Tom called me on my cell and we tried to troubleshoot my internet problem. No luck.

I spent the rest of the evening--you guessed it--reading and writing. Currently, all I have to be concerned about is my midterm for Topics in Modern Canadian Art (due on Thursday--I'm so glad Carla gave us an extra week to do it) and possibly another response paper for Contemporary Indigenous Arts (I wrote one this weekend, which is number three--that means I have to write at least two more by the end of the semester). No rest for this university student.

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!

when I said I wanted my last year of university to be one for the books, I didn't mean this!

Another interesting week, for better and for worse.

Monday: I shot stuff for my APC project and voted at the advance poll at NSCAD. I'm now registered to vote in two provinces as well as federally. I was concerned that I might not be able to vote at school, as my apartment is outside Halifax - Needham, the riding where the Granville Campus is, but they had a second ballot box for people voting outside said riding. I panicked momentarily when I blanked on how to spell the candidate's last name, but was told that I could just write the name of the party. The ballot was put in an envelope, which was put in another envelope, which was put in yet another envelope before finally being dropped in the out-of-riding box.

Tuesday: Once I finally got going, I did some grocery shopping and printed off my notes for Wednesday's presentation on my previous work.

Wednesday: This week was my group's turn to walk the class through the week's chapter of Of Cigarettes, High Heels and Other Interesting Things (we still went around and everyone discussed said chapter). We then did presentations and mine went very well.

That evening was the opening of #Keji at the Port Loggia Gallery, which I went to. The work was from a summer course in which students spent four days camping at the Kejimkujik National Park and then created art in response to the experience.

I also put together a schedule for my APC project. After five independent projects for Peter's classes, I'm used to having to come up with a schedule as part of the project proposal.

Thursday: Once again, I planned to get lots of homework done, but virtually nothing got accomplished.

Instead, I went to my first pro-choice counter-rally. Even though we were mic-less (unlike the pro-lifers across the street--they had a full-on sound system), I think we drowned them out. I shouted slogans until my jaw ached, took a break and then got right back at it.

Friday: I finally got this week's reading done.

Saturday: After planning to shoot for my project since Thursday, I finally got it done and did some editing.

Sunday: The issues of two weeks ago resurfaced spectacularly and painfully today. I spent much of the afternoon and into the evening at NSCAD, editing photos and writing this post.

we're thisclose to the end

This week was the peak of the stress, but at last it's all over. It was one of those weeks where, if I were taking eighteen credits, I probably wouldn't have slept much.

Monday: We met at the Atrium at Saint Mary's University and then went to the university's data cave. Afterward, we went over to the Granville Campus and worked on our projects.

Tuesday: Welcome to the busiest day of the semester. I met with Anna at Port at ten that morning to go over my final piece for her class and then headed up to Granville where I worked on my paper for Obsolescence until my meeting with Bernadette to discuss my change in plans. When I initially split my course load, I split it twelve credits in the fall and six credits in the winter. Bernadette told me that because I'd be a part-time student in the winter, I would only get loan money for tuition--not other expenses. She advised that I split it nine and nine, which means doing all my history credits in the winter.

Afterward, I printed the test strips for my final for Reconfigured, which was my first time printing on matte paper EVER. This particular paper is about two or three times thicker than the regular Epson Enhanced Matte paper that both NSCAD and NBCCD stock.

Wednesday: I spent the afternoon doing everything that I needed to do that didn't get done on the weekend or Tuesday.

That evening we again split into groups and critiqued each others' work and then could leave. After class, I went to Staples to talk with them about printing my final project, which is a brochure of my work. I'm printing on legal-size paper in colour and double-sided (none of which I can do in the Photo Dept.).

Thursday: I met with NSCAD's registrar, Shawna, to discuss the changes in my plans. After my meeting with Bernadette, I'd moved the extra course that I was taking in the fall (Survey of Twentieth-Century Art) to the winter semester, and when Shawna and I went over my courses she was very happy with how I'd set it up and told me that I was "setting [myself] up for success." She agreed that my original plan of doing all eighteen credits in one semester would've been brutal (I'd been very worried about burnout). I came out of the meeting with a huge smile on my face. My graduation date is now officially Summer '14, meaning that a year from now I'll be doing my last set of finals and graduating with my BFA in Photography. It also means another year of reading about my shenanigans and adventures as a university student.

We spent the second half of class watching The Matrix. I'd found out a couple days prior when I'd met a classmate at OSAS that the final paper for Obsolescence was supposed to be 3,000 to 4,000 words long (Bob had made no mention of this). I only had 2,000 words (still a respectable number--and my longest college/university paper ever). I'd emailed Bob, and although he'd replied I wanted to talk with him about it in person, which we did after class. Afterward, I successfully found my way back to G-block from S-block (which has taken several tries that always ended in defeat, so this is a major accomplishment). I'm finally at a point where I feel reasonably comfortable navigating parts of the school that aren't G- or D-block (where Photo is). By the time I graduate, I should be completely adjusted to the maze that is Granville. The fact that all four of my classes are at that campus (currently--that could change, as was the case with Writing for the Arts, which was supposed to be in Granville until it got changed to Port) helps.

On my way home I stopped by the SuperStore to pick up stuff for the next day's potluck.

Friday: Yay for end-of-the-semester potluck brunches--and for meeting at ten instead of eight-thirty. One of my classmates--who was supposed to present last week, but didn't--presented, and we watched an episode of The Twilight Zone, which I'd heard about for years, but never actually seen. The episode? The Obsolete Man, of course!



Bob had brought a cake--with "Obsolete!" written on it. Us being photography majors, most of the class crowded around the cake, taking photos (because, honestly, how many times in your life are you going to see a cake with "obsolete" written on it?).

WftA had a potluck as well. Several of us (including me) read the journal entries that we had edited. You can read mine (about my journey from being a timid artist to one who's not afraid to use her art to stand up for what she believes in) here. When I was reading it, I couldn't help but think about how much it benefited from being read aloud. Anna told us tearfully about a couple of students who'd been raising funds for a new computer for her (her previous laptop was stolen).

In the evening, we had the closing of the WftA shows. I went home between class and the closing to eat supper and dump my backpack and then went back to Port. Here's the photo of my piece that I promised.

I spent the rest of the evening adding to my Obsolescence paper.

Saturday: Saturday is usually the day I spend at home, but this time I spent part of the afternoon at NSCAD, printing my final for Reconfigured and giving my final for Graphics a once-over. Once I got home, I spent some time cleaning my room and then finished off the Obsolescence paper--for real this time. The whole time, I listened to Die Walküre, and was reminded just how awesome that opera is (something I keep forgetting). I'm not a Ring-head, but Walküre is almost enough to convert me. Almost.



Sunday: Today I didn't have much to do. I finished the project that I'd photographed for the WftA show (sealing all those envelopes--I just have to mail them now), proofread the paper for Obsolescence, watched an episode of a New Zealand TV show that I've been watching on YouTube (The Secret Lives of Dancers, which is about the Royal New Zealand Ballet company) and read a bunch of the tabs that have been accumulating in Firefox since at least January (college/university = very little time to read).

Mom will be coming over on Tuesday to help me pack and then we're outta here next Friday.

well, that's over with

Like the one that I wrote on February 11th, this post is dedicated to FUNSCAD--this time to the members of Unit I.

---

This week has been incredibly stressful, and from Tuesday to Thursday I wasn't sure where one day ended and the next began. They all blurred together in my mind and it was only when I went back and reread my Facebook statuses on Friday evening that I managed to sort it all out.

Also, correction: last week I wrote, "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." This would only apply to faculty members who aren't employed by the school during those months.

Monday: We watched an NFB movie about Marshall McLuhan.

After class I picked up Anna's Instax camera at the Port Campus.

Tuesday: I spent the afternoon doing homework, including visiting the Saint Mary's University Art Gallery to take notes for the second gallery review.

That evening we had another GA. I went early because I wanted to photograph for my project for the WftA show. In addition to photographing the quirks and other things that make NSCAD special, I'm going to try to photograph as many of the departments as possible. This is a daunting task because the departments are spread over three campuses, and Granville is a maze. Also, I don't know where many of the departments are--I probably only know a quarter of Granville, if that.

The GA was a long one--two hours--but we decided our next direct action. We're going to wrap the NSCAD lions--a gift from the NS government--in red fabric (representing the school's debt, which is less than other NS universities, though we're being bullied more), à la Christo and Jeanne-Claude. We're also going to tie pieces of red fabric to the Province House fence, in a sense tying our debt to the government. And we'll play Red Rover and call the government over.

Wednesday: That day FUNSCAD I's strike became legal at 1:30 PM. I went to school early and stopped at the SUNSCAD office to see if there was any news. The strike vote would happen at 4:00 that afternoon. More waiting. Ugh. I spent the afternoon doing more homework and waiting impatiently. I also came up with a plan, should FUNSCAD go on strike: get as much work as possible done (due to no classes, I'd have a bunch of free time that I'm not used to right now, and I'd need a way to fill it, even though the year would be extended to make up for lost time), and spend as much time as possible on the picket line in solidarity. When 4:00 rolled around, I started checking my school email obsessively. I finally got a message from SUNSCAD's president, Sarah, but it was rather cryptic, so on my way out I stopped by the student union office.

Graphics was cancelled that evening. No reason was given. While I love that class, due to my homework situation I didn't mind: that was three more hours in which to get stuff done.

Thursday: We presented our second projects for Reconfigured Image. This particular crit had us going all over the photo dept.: the finishing room, the classroom and the computer lab. Mine went very well.

That evening the previous two days caught up with me and I snapped: "[I am] going to be VERY happy to sleep in this weekend. All this strike-related stress has taken its tole, as has the homework. I will be SO glad when I get the final word about Funscad from either them or S.U.N.S.C.A.D. I don't want the teachers to go on strike, but at this point just KNOWING either way is good enough." Not long after that Facebook status update, the news started coming in: a tentative agreement between the school and the faculty union had been reached. At first the news (posted on the university's Twitter account and copied and pasted to the SUNSCAD Facebook group) was a bit cryptic--knowing how unions work, I had a feeling that it meant that there wasn't going to be a strike, but I wasn't sure. But then the university's Facebook status was updated with a clearer message: "Breaking news! NSCAD University and FUNSCAD Unit 1, representing faculty members and librarians, have reached a tentative agreement, subject to ratification." When I read that, I started crying out of relief and joy. By that point, I was up past my bedtime and I knew I'd be exhausted the next morning, but I celebrated by dancing around my room to Sham Rock's version of I'll Tell Me Ma.

Friday: And yes, I was tired. The fact that class started at the time listed on the schedule (8:30 AM) rather than 9:00 didn't help matters. Class was devoted to research presentations for our final focus papers.

Anna gave us the rundown of what's left and two groups presented.

Understandably, both she and Bob were both super-relieved that they didn't have to be on the picket line that afternoon: Bob said that he was very happy about the fact that he'd be in his office that afternoon and at the end of WftA, Anna told us to enjoy the weekend--"and no strike!" That got applause from some of us, including me, and I threw in a cheer.

Saturday: As for me, I was very happy to sleep in that day: the previous three nights I'd gotten eight or fewer hours of sleep, and by Friday night I was exhausted.

I spent the day listening to opera and studying.

Sunday: More studying. I somehow managed to get everything crossed off my to-do list by Sunday night.

That evening, I hunkered down with Jack, a biopic about Jack Layton produced by the CBC. It brought back many memories, both happy and sad, of the Orange Crush and Jack's death. While I'd heard about some inaccuracies, the movie was very well done: well-directed, -acted and if you didn't know better, you would've thought that that was Jack (in real life, Rick Roberts doesn't look anything like him). The movie reminded me why I was so proud to cast my ballot for the NDP in the '11 election.



I also struggled to write this post: when it was just about ready to be published, something happened (I'm blaming Blogger) and I lost everything and had to start from scratch. Two hours of writing--gone. This has never happened before, and I've been writing this blog for four years as of today (yay!). I managed to rewrite pretty much everything in about an hour, but by that point it was almost two AM, I was wiped and I needed to get up reasonably early today, so I put off proofreading and posting until now.

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!

happiness is being home

Reading Week snuck up on me this year--probably because I'm so used to NBCCD's first-week-in-March break.

Monday: Bob and one of the MFA students gave us a rundown of our printing options, specifically paper. The papers that both NSCAD and NBCCD use (Epson Premium Lustre and I can't remember which matte paper because I rarely use matte) are proofing papers: they'll get the job done, but they won't last as long as higher-quality papers.

On my way home, I finally bought my bus ticket.

Tuesday: I spent much of the day at NSCAD, but didn't get as much done as I'd planned. Instead, I spent most of my time there wrestling with my Graphics project. I then took it over to Staples and printed it (Staples will print on a variety of papers, whereas the Cage will only print on the pre-loaded paper).

Wednesday: I tried to make up for Tuesday, and I almost succeeded. This week we had to write another focus essay for Obsolescence as well as a proposal for the final, I had to finish my presentation and write the usual journal entry for Writing for the Arts and finish the project for Graphics. This meant that I barely had any free time.

I started packing for break that afternoon.

Graphics was mostly a critique of our projects. Mine went fairly well, though I have to redo some things and resubmit the project.

Thursday: I went to school a bit earlier than usual to finish and print stuff for Friday.

We talked more about paper options and decided which two to get.

Friday: This week's discussion took a decidedly science-y turn.

There were supposed to be two presentations as per usual in Writing for the Arts, but because the first one ran really long and we had to decide the show theme for the Wednesday class, I will be presenting in the first week after the break. And that theme is "No Hands". The theme that the Wednesday class decided for us is "Envelop(e)". When I first heard that we were going to do a show at the end of the year, I decided that whatever the theme, my submission would be photo-based because that's what I'm majoring in.

Saturday: I was not happy about waking up at 5:45 AM/4:45 EST--but because it was to catch the bus, it was worth it because I'd get to see my parents and cats earlier. And besides--I could snooze on the bus, which I did.

Mom and I talked the whole way home, as usual.

That evening, Tom had a couple of surprises for me: two books on opera. Although I have a kids' book about opera, I didn't have any grown-up books on the subject. One is a book of the synopses of the popular (repertoire) operas and the other is about the history behind those operas. I was about as excited as if he'd given me tickets to a performance at the Met.

Sunday: I'd planned to be productive, but those plans went out the window.

I spent Saturday and Sunday evenings watching La Bohème (the performance that the Met simulcast a few seasons ago)--and sobbing through the latter half of Act IV. I never want Mimì to die, and I always mutter, "no, no, no, no" at various points throughout that act, as though it'll change the ending. Unlike many other operas, La Bohème is very real to me: although they're fictional, Mimì, Rodolfo, Colline, Shaunard, Marcello and, yes, Musetta are my friends by the end--I relate to them. I love them all, and I know that if they were real people they would be my friends. So seeing one of of them die breaks my heart. It's the same every time, but I always come back for more.

NSCAD rocks!

After a week of stress, with a little bit of homesickness for NBCCD thrown in for good measure, my life is finally starting to feel normal again. I'm happy this weekend.

Monday: I didn't have class that day, but I still ended up at NSCAD. I needed to finish filling out the Confirmation of Earnings (CoE) form for my student loan, but I wasn't sure about how to answer some of the questions, so I met with Bernadette Kehoe (the financial director), and not only did she answer all my questions, but she also faxed the form for me.

Tuesday: We spent that class in the darkroom--and I found out that I had to redo the assignment for Intro Photography.

By the way, NSCAD spoils their photo students: they have a machine that develops the prints for you. They still have trays (tray processing is more archival), but the machine is faster--and the prints come out dry!

Wednesday: Rise and shine! I had my first bookbinding class that morning. And for NSCAD, "morning" means 8:30--not 9:00, which is the case at NBCCD. Most of the class was devoted to introducing us students to the printing studio. However, at the end we each made a small, basic book, not unlike one that I made during Media Explorations (Textiles) in FVA year.

That afternoon, I reshot the assignment for Intro Photography.

Thursday: I think I'm going to like Photography Beyond the Frame about as much as I liked Peter's second-year courses. Yay for independent-study courses taught by the studio head! This week Bob asked us what sort of equipment we use, and many of us (including yours truly) still own at least one film SLR. He also bombarded us with a slide show--using real slides--of ideas for our current project.

That evening, I had an appointment at the Apple store because I did the stupidest thing ever and spilled orange juice on my laptop's keyboard a week ago Friday. The computer still works, though about a quarter of the keys are unusable. The guy who I talked with said that although Apple could replace the keyboard for about $200, nothing can be done about the internal damage, which will get worse over time, and eventually my computer will die. Because I still want to type at my usual forty-five-to-fifty-five words per minute (WPM) speed, I bought a USB keyboard, which is more than a hundred bucks cheaper than replacing the built-in keyboard.

After the appointment, I went back to NSCAD and processed a roll of film that I'd shot on Wednesday (a re-do of my Intro to Photography assignment), and developed some prints from the negatives. Let's just say that agitating a reel of film is the best therapy in the world (after each period of agitation, you bang the canister on something hard to break up any bubbles that may have formed, and I took out a lot of frustration on that canister). Once I was done, because it was about ten at night, I called a cab. As I waited outside the main entrance, I could hear You Feel the Same Way, too by the Rankins being blasted on the second floor. I couldn't help but think about the fact that the male lead, Jimmy Rankin, is a NSCAD alumnus (BFA Class of '88).



Friday: I got to school early, so because the visual resources collection is housed just a stone's throw away from the photo studio, I had time to kill and I'd never been in that room, I decided to explore. The collection is made up of a sizable DVD collection, tons of slides, some video tapes--and a whole bunch of NFB movies on reels. Apparently, when the NFB moved shop in Halifax, they didn't want the reels anymore, so NSCAD took them.

That afternoon, we handed in our assignments, and I found out that I had to do mine over again: although I've been trying, I've been having a difficult time understanding the assignment and getting it right. Adrian also did an overview of photo history, and I loved the fact that he mentioned a few women--which is no easy task because photography was invented at a time when if a woman discovered something, a man (e.g., her husband) would get credit for it. They say that history is only what gets written down, and that couldn't be more true for photography. Since I've already taken two photo history courses, this was more of a refresher for me, though there were some names and facts that were new.

When my work was critiqued in class, Adrian said that he wanted to meet with me to go over the assignment. He suggested during his office hours, but we ended up talking about it after class. When he'd told me to do it over again during the critique, I thought, "oh, shoot...," and no doubt it showed. He made a semi-humorous comment about it, so I told him what was going on: the fact that negative stuff just seemed to be happening one thing after another, about my computer, and about the fact that I honestly couldn't take any more stress in my life.

That evening, I put almost all of the important files on my computer on my external hard drive. By the time I went to sleep, I was at a point where, if my computer had died the next day, I would've been satisfied with how much I had saved.

Saturday: I took the day as slowly as I could, while still getting work done. After beating the crowd to the laundry room (note to self: do laundry in the morning, rather than in the afternoon, which is when everyone wants to do it and you have to compete for the machines), I finished most of my project for Bob's class and did some shopping since that day was a tax-free day at the SuperStore.

Sunday: I got the last of my homework done (a reading for Intro Photography and putting the finishing touches on the images for my independent-study project) while listening to CBC Music's Orchestral channel and Skyped with my parents.

Tomorrow I'm going to redo the assignment for Intro Photography, and SUNSCAD is having a teach-in about the future of NSCAD University, which is going through some major financial difficulties, as well as hosting a couple of speakers from CLASSE (a student organization from Quebec. They were one of the groups that organized the Maple Spring protests last March.).


Here are the blog posts that I wrote this summer:

thank you, Maurice
carrément dans le rouge
Freude, schöner Götterfunken*
Graduation Day
remembering the attacks in Norway
bring it, NSCAD!
Letter to the FVAs: one week and counting

oh, the stress

Due to last week's storm, my plan was to go home this weekend. However, on Tuesday Karen went over everything we had to do for History and the upcoming show at City Hall, and by the end of class I'd decided not to go home until the end of term (the twenty-ninth).

Last Sunday I came down with a cold. However, said cold has been unbelievably mild, and I haven't missed a single day of work (which is very important right now).

Monday: This is where the Photoshop class breaks with that program: we're putting a magazine together in conjunction with the Nova Scotia Community College's photography program, using Adobe InDesign (a layout program). It'll be published via MagCloud, and could possibly become an annual thing. The magazine will be available as a PDF download (free), and as a hard copy magazine ($$). This is a two-week project, and we're to have a mock-up done for this coming Monday.

Each of the students has six pages to play with, and we're to include a bio and artist statement as well. I'm using four of the photos from the Holga assignment from back in the fall (a photo of the stop sign at the corner of Brunswick and Church Sts., with Cathedral Memorial Hall in the distance; a photo of Church St. taken across from Christ Church Cathedral; a photo of King St. from the block in between Carlton and Regent Sts.; and a double exposure of NBCCD and the Barracks), which I scanned on Thursday morning with Drew's help (he even installed the software for the studio's scanner on my computer).

Tuesday: Here's where things started to fly out of control. The morning class was okay, and I even managed to get my homework done right then. However, during History, Karen went over everything we have to have done for her in the next two weeks, including both stuff for History and for the show at City Hall. Oof. The next two weeks are going to be one heck of a roller-coaster ride. However, I'm not alone: all the students (both FVAs and first- and second-year diploma students) are feeling the crunch.

Wednesday: This week, Re-Presenting Ideas wasn't so much a class as it was a group meeting to talk about our projects, and the photography program as a whole. Peter put us into two groups, left the room--and the students discussed the photography program, and how it can be improved.

When he came back in, we went over the things that had come up. He also asked us how we were doing. My main issue as of Tuesday is end-of-year stress and time management, which I mentioned. Peter reassured me and the rest of the class that he's there for us, and if we're having problems and need to talk/vent, he's one of the people we can go to.

This week, the Professional Practice class overlapped with prep for the show at City Hall: our assignment is to create a poster (11"x17") and an invitation (5"x 7"). Since the City Hall show is coming up and Karen wants us to make our own individual invitations for it, Peter decided that the invitations/posters should be for that show. Oh, and said class was a field trip to the UNB Art Centre (to meet one of the guys who works there, who's a former Photog).

Since we ended early, I took the opportunity to print some photos on cotton sateen for my independent study project. Hour-and-a-half = done (three photos).

Thursday: Workworkwork. All day. That morning I scanned the negatives for the InDesign assignment, and since I'd never used the photo studio's scanner, I had Drew help me out. Not only did he help me, but he put the (free, downloadable) software on my computer. So I can now hook up my laptop to the studio's scanner and scan to my heart's content.

Late in the afternoon, I had a photo-shoot at Backstreet Records (for the "shopkeeper" assignment for History), which is a music store about a block from the school. And when they say "records," they mean "records": pretty much all that's sold there is vinyl. I signed out two of the studio flashes, umbrellas, and related gear a few hours before the shoot, and then lugged everything over shortly before five.

Eric (my "model") was really cool to work with, and we talked music throughout the shoot. Since there are music posters and stickers everywhere there, I made sure to use them in my photos. This was my first time using the studio flashes outside the studio, so I had to pretty much relearn how to use the flashes. But neither of us minded.

I actually find the studio too predictable and easy sometimes. Yes, learning how to get the results that I want has taken a lot of work (I'm just now getting the hang of it--just when the year is winding down), but at the same time it has that air of predictability, which I don't always like. What I really like is using natural light as often as possible because it's so unpredictable: there could be some gorgeous light at 5:00 PM--but it might be gone by 5:10 PM.

Friday: My group is almost done the furniture project--one more week should do it. Next week is the presentation, and I still need to pump out a few hundred more words in notes.

After class I peeled the backing from, and ironed the photos that I'd printed on Wednesday before meeting Mom for lunch (I was supposed to go home this weekend, remember). After our visit, I went back to work until about seven, including printing my tablau vivant for the City Hall show (which has been aptly titled tablau).

This weekend I'm pretty much living at the college, working on assignments (I'm heading over after I take a shower) and listening to the opera (there are some things that I will not compromise. This week's opera is Le Comte Ory by Rossini, with Juan Diago Flórez in the title role. **swoons**). All I need now is a Therm-a-Rest, sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries and a change of clothes--and then I could actually stay overnight (now that would be an experience).

PS: After a couple of years of thinking about it, I'm now the proud owner of a point 'n' shoot camera! Thanks, Tom!

PPS: Good luck, FVAs! As a reminder, during the next couple of weeks, please remember to BREATHE (a reminder that I think we all could use right about now)! And though I'm stressed right now, I'm still cheering you on--I remember what it was like last year (one word: PORTFOLIO).

The to-do list that I taped to my dorm-room door. The blank spaces are for assignments/assessments that haven't been talked about yet. This was one of the first photos that I took with my new camera (this is actually a cropped version).

here's to a better week

Oh. My. Gosh. What a week. I'd say that this week was the second most stressful week this semester (the title of "Most Stressful Week" goes to the week of January twenty-sixth, when I was applying for the scholarship). It all boiled down to that wonderful (and important) thing known as TIME MANAGEMENT. And getting enough sleep: from Tuesday until Thursday I was very sleep deprived--and when I get less than eight hours a night you really don't want to be in my shoes--it ain't pretty.

Monday: Mondays being Mondays, I was thrilled to actually be awake that day. 'Nuff said.

Tuesday: Here's where things started to go downhill. However, there was a bright spot: in a little while we'll be doing self-portraits for History. I both love and hate selfies, though: I love looking at them, but I kind of hate doing them, mostly because I don't own a wireless remote. Yet. (I don't mind being in front of the camera.)

Wednesday: This was a rather exciting day: one of the things we're going to do in Re-Presenting Ideas is independent projects. Mine will be on alternative processes (developing photos with coffee, doing in-camera cyanotypes, trying different ways of transferring images--to fabric and/or paper--etc.).

Every year the photography studio does a display in Westminster Books as part of Freedom to Read. I'd somehow forgotten about it until Peter mentioned it this week. I immediately started coming up with ideas and did the shoot this morning (after trying out a couple of different ideas, I ended up giving Nineteen Eighty-Four some serious love).

That evening we went to the Bridgestone photo contest awards ceremony at the Crowne Plaza hotel. This was the first time that the awards ceremony was held in Fredericton, and the first time that NBCCD actually showed up. Yes, really. My classmate Jessica Pattison won both first place for the college and the national honourable mention. There was an article about her in Friday's Daily Gleaner. Click here to see all of this year's winners. Some are really good, but others make me go, "why the heck did that one win?" A couple of examples: the photo that won first place for the Western Academy of Photography (when I saw it at the awards ceremony, I noticed that the lighting on the tire/engagement ring was coming from the wrong direction), and Algonquin College's third place winner (the light is going in different directions on each of the tires that make up the inukshuk).

Thursday: That day I finally started to catch up and make sense of the homework pile, thanks to the fact that I didn't have class (we officially have Lab Techniques in the morning, but it's pretty much a free study period). Later, I did the first of three (count 'em) re-shoots for a lighting assignment that I messed up.

Friday: Usually design classes are held in the Design Studio on the third floor of the school, but this time we had class at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Greg (who works at the BAG in addition to teaching at NBCCD) talked about designing shows and even took us "backstage" to the part of the gallery that the average visitor never sees. That part of the class was unbelievably cool: we got to see the crate that the Santiago el Grande was packed in when it toured for six months last year, and Greg showed us where and how all the paintings are stored (they're hung on metal walls that kind of look like chain link and that can be wheeled out when a painting is needed). He also talked about the cataloguing system that the BAG uses, and even took a request from one of the students to find a portrait of Wayne Gretzky by Andy Warhol. He then brought out a portrait of Karen Kain, also by Warhol.

I'd lugged my serial planes project to the gallery, which was a big mistake: thanks to the wind, that thing acted like a sail. The fact that I'd used pushpins to hold down the pieces of foamcore that I'd cut didn't help matters: they're too short for the job, and a couple of pieces fell off (I stuffed them in my coat pocket). However, because I'd brought it to the gallery, I was able to discuss a problem that I had with the assignment: trimming the bottom of the shapes on an angle. I'd tried it, but the results were so crappy that I threw them out.

Originally the assignment was due this coming week, but Greg pushed the deadline to the following week: this week we're to finish cutting out the shapes--and I'm to leave the bottoms of mine alone: Greg will help me to cut the angles.

After class I went back to the college. I decided on my independent project (alternative processes), did the second re-shoot for the assignment that I'd messed up (using myself as the model this time), and did my Tuesday assignment and one of the ones that's due on Wednesday (at the same time--I'll just divide the photos among the two classes).

Saturday: I'd planned to get a lot done yesterday, but somehow that didn't happen. However, I did start the research for my independent study project, and I did the third and final re-shoot for the assignment that I messed up. And I listened to the Met Opera (Nixon in China, composed and conducted by John Adams--one of only a handful of times where a composer has conducted their own work at the Met).

time to play catch-up

This is the first time that I've fallen behind with my blog this year (breaks don't count). Let's see...

First and foremost, the photography studio has decided on the theme and title of it's Spring show, which will be held at Fredericton's City Hall. The name escapes me, though. We're also going to have a show in Saint John next Fall called "Shallow," and we can interpret the word however we like, e.g., shallow depth of field. All this was decided by Karen this past Thursday, which made for a very exciting morning, as she was coming up with ideas left, right, and centre.

I've been working on my application for the ArtsNB scholarship (the submission deadline is Tuesday). If I win, the scholarship would cover all but a hundred bucks of my tuition for next year. Unlike the other scholarships that I've applied for, this one is juried, which means that I have to submit samples of my work and get two people to write recommendations. I've been working on it almost nonstop for the last week--I even chose to stay in F'ton this weekend instead of going home, which was the original plan. I will be so glad when the whole thing's over with (dance party, anyone? How about the Hunter's Chorus as performed by the MOO's horn section?). However, I've had a lot of help and encouragement from my teachers, especially Peter (who's one of my references), which is wonderful because at times I've been unbelievably stressed--to the point where this past week could challenge my stress levels in FVA. Yikes.

Speaking of Peter, in Re-Presenting Ideas (my Wednesday morning class) we're having a competition: a week and a half ago the class was split into several groups, given a list of words, and told to brainstorm three and shoot two. My group shot mystery and discovery with one of the Surface Design students at the Old Government House. During the shoot we bracketed each photo (mine were -1, 0, +1) and then opened them in PhotoMatix Pro, which is an application that makes HDR images (Photoshop does HDR, too, but apparently it sucks). This past week we submitted our first set of photos. ...and after we looked at all the photos from all the groups during class, my group has the best chances of winning. Yippeee!!! We did a second shoot this past week, again at Old Government House. We've offered to give the staff a copy of the final photos.

Oh, yeah: the prize. It's a really good point-'n'-shoot film camera (35mm) (and again the name escapes me--grrrrr). Yes, you read that right: a FILM camera. And yes, that was me swooning. It's up to the winning group to decide what to do with the camera (who gets it/how we're going to share it, etc.).

On Friday I found out that I've officially been switched to the morning Design: Shaping Space class. Previously I was in the afternoon class, but that class was huge, so some students moved to different classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, some of us (including me) wanted a Friday morning class. And although I knew that I would eventually be switched, I didn't hear about it until I sat down in the Design Studio that afternoon. Greg was cool about it, though.

I spent this weekend studying up a storm because due to all the time that I spent working on the scholarship application, I hadn't done as much homework as I usually do. So I was stressed out about that, too. Though I think listening to Tosca helped--there's nothing quite like a weekly routine to remind me to take a deep breath and relax--and get 'er done. Thank you/grazie, Metropolitan Opera!!!! And BRAVISSIMO (this particular performance was incredibly beautiful)!

Earlier this evening I had a look at my planner--and found out that I'm ahead in my assignments. All I have to do for the stuff due Monday through Wednesday is (get ready for this) submit it!!! (Though the stuff for Lighting: Professional Lighting Studio--due Tuesday morning--has to be made into a web gallery in Adobe Lightroom and then submitted. But these days I could do that in my sleep.) Hello, FREEDOM!!!!!

Personally, I think this calls for a little celebration. Here are two versions of one of my favourite pieces: Franz von Suppé's Light Cavalry Overture. Enjoy. And I dare you to not dance during the speccatto parts.

First, the not-so-traditional version (Adya Classic):



And now, the traditional way:

the stressful side of college and letting loose

Beaverbrook Feline

I hadn't realized how long it's been since I updated.

My college work-load has increased: last Tuesday I got three assignments (two major) in Communications and Student Success alone.

That night as I was working feverishly on one of them (the mock-up for a poster) I started thinking about all that I had to do and the stress started to overwhelm me to the point that I was doing homework and crying at the same time. I thought, "I need to talk to someone now! SALLY!" (She's the education proctor.)

I went downstairs and found her in the kitchen. She asked me how I was and between small sobs I told her about the stress that I was feeling. There was one little problem, though: the kitchen wasn't the most privet place in the world and we both knew it so she suggested that we go to my room.

Once there the first thing she noticed was the lampshades (I have two of Mom's and one that I made). She asked how they were made and I told her.

Then we got down to business and I started to cry again. Sally did most of the talking, including reassuring me that I'm not the only one who's going through this (I know that, but I still need to hear it). She suggested that I see a councillor, which I'll do at the first chance I get. NBCCD's councillor is away until either December or January (BOOOOO!!) so she said that she'd see if I could go to someone at UNB.

During UNB's Orientation Week (the week before Labour Day) the proctors, don, etc., told the newcomers that they are here for us if we need to talk and that whatever's said will be kept private unless the person is in danger of injuring themselves or of being injured. That doesn't apply to lampshades apparently--when I came down from doing homework last night Andrea (hall proctor) asked me about giving a "tutorial" about how the shades were made before I could say anything. I was surprised and flattered and agreed to do it. Only thing is, I don't know when this is going to take place or who it's for (just a few people? The whole residence?).

This weekend is the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival (which involves more than just those two genres) and there are concerts going on all over downtown. There's even a tent on the NBCCD campus. Although I'm not going, I've been listening to the concerts from my room and in passing while I'm running errands. I might go next year--the music's really good.

Last night we celebrated Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish new year. There were construction-paper posters up for about a week beforehand, including one in the lounge saying that it was MJC's second year celebrating (thanks to Tori).

We danced the hora around one of the posts in the lounge. Tori taught us the lyrics to Hava Nagila but I was so focussed on the steps that I didn't bother singing. Nonetheless I had a blast.

The celebration was extremely short (due to the fact that MJC wants to make everyone feel welcome, regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, etc., and doesn't want to shove religion down our throats).

...and almost twenty-four hours later I still have that song going through my head!