I am sooo glad to have my groups project finished...and it went off with out a hitch. I was pleasantly suprised at how well all ten of us worked together as a team...it was very impressive! I am forever thankful to all of them for their hard work and diligence to see this project through to the end.
Over the course of this class I have been challenged in ways that I myself never imaged. The first day of class gave me anxiety like no other, but me and my stubborness decided it would be good for me to tough it out. I am so glad I did! I have to say that this has become one of my favorite classes because of the challenge. Over the last couple months I have gone from the most un-technologically savvy person to someone with confidence and eagerness to learn and use all the new gadgets required to use in this class.
The final project was my opportunity to jump in head first and really use all the new skills I've attained. So I signed myself up to be apart of my groups five media people. After sitting in the media center for hours upon hours...asking numerous questions and putting all the material together and seeing what we were able to create was very satisfying!
I want to make more videos now...guess I'm gonna need to go and by me a video camera since this is my last quarter. I can now see the purchase as a good investment. I also would like to have the software to use...that will come later I hope!
I'm gonna be sad when it's all over...too bad I can't come back and use all the equipment.
All in all, this class has been good for me and my creative side...I think I'd forgot that I had one.
THANX!

Reflection on the last couple months of "My" everyday life

So, I sat down and looked through my binder today to see what I needed to do for class on Monday and realised that, that was it. I had finished everything I had been assigned this quarter by my professors...i'm sure i'm forgetting something! And I am!...I still need to reflect on my group project. But, I also thought back about all the different prompts we'd been given as a class and found myself smiling because I am "almost" done. The journey through this class has most definatley opened my eyes to new and different things that have been introduced into my everyday life. The readings, the picture taking, video making and the audio prompts have all pushed me to become better at accepting technology and I am no longer freaked out or get anxiety because of it! I only hope I can continue to push myself as much as I have been once the class is over...I will at least be more aware!

Synecdoche, New York

A film continuous in the everyday life of a man...a director. Death and the coming of every new day leads him to the play of his existence. Through the passing of individuals, both family and friends lends a way into seeing his own life through the eyes of a play. His Sick, betrayed, misunderstood, non-existant life moves endlessly towards an end, which he has trouble seeing with his own sight. It is played out through the eyes of others. The future is stagnant and frozen in his re-ran life of nothing but him and his problems, that no one really wants to know, but he tells. The film opens eyes to see what we see in our own selves, and our own lives what others may see, but not want to. The dark drama is refreshing in a way i'm unable to explain.

DOG PIECE I,II & III

PIECE I

Walk a dog.
Run a dog.

PIECE II

Run dogs.

PIECE III

Walk a dog by yourself.
Keep on walking all day long.

2008 Fall

CYBERSPACE PIECE I

Talk through air waves to one another.
Tell eachother to talk in cyberspace.

The Palace of Projects point of view

After reading through this article I began to see that this is "my" life. I read through each story, if you will and uncovered different ways of viewing things. Through out life, we ofter take the most beautiful things for granted, with out any recognition. The whole idea of "breaking away" was something I was able to experience on Wednesday while I was capture footage and taking pictures of some of the most amazing art. It took me somewhere else, both physically and mentally, everything around me had been transformed. I wanted to see inside the minds of the artists work I was seeing. As I read through the article I also stopped to take time and critique the pictures that followed each story. They had so much to say about what the author was thinking.
The way we, "people" view this world we are encompassed in and how we make it what we wish is prevelant and reinforced through written text and visuals. The Trust of Others project stood out to me, most. It reveals the truth in all people about our deepest weekness'. It both, exposes and strengthens the doubt so many of us feel with this gift we hold. The inexpensive mechanism of lowering a basket with money and a note to whoever below and trusting that they will follow your request is in itself a very marvelous and beautiful thing. That is art! And this type of project or act are easily taken for granted in the everyday life, so it is nice to take time out of a buisy day to reflect and learn from wise and wonderful things "I" have available to me, because it is after all "My" life.

3 Line Novel Sequence

The National Toy Hall of Fame has a new toy
taking the place of Mr. potato Head and Crayons is
the Stick. (Herald, 11/7/08)

The Acura TL SH-AWD
threatens to put these guys out
of their shiny suits. (Seattle Times, 11/7/08)

Intending to shut down the free classified ad
Craigslist.com will require users who post ads
under "erotic services" to pay a fee. (Seattle Post, 11/7/08)

Last Sunday Julian Peterson knew
as soon as her left his feet
he had broken "The cardinal rule". (Herald, 11/7)

A draft plan to help rescue Puget Sound
requires a wide ranging campaign
expected to cost at least an extra $100 million a year. (PI, 11/7)

Automotive paint supplier PPG Industries
issued its annual popular car colors as
vibrant, richer, complex blues. (Times, 11/7)

4 the LUV of it
kicks off its break-dancing show
Saturday. (Times, 11/7)

Downtown Seattle's Fourth and Pike building
sells one-of-a-kind rings, necklaces, earrings and brooches
from a tiny rectangular Venetioan jewelry box. (Times, 11/7)

Seattle area home prices lower than they have been
in years,
many see it as a good time to buy. (PI, 11/7)

Family Files (Three Line Novel)

A genealogy Web site is launching

Ancestry.com, the worlds largest collection

Featuring Millions of historic Jewish records.

Dinosaur Jr. and Kid Sister

When we were given the prompt to do an audio blog I immediatley knew I had to record my dog Lulu and her bff, Beene. Whenever these two get together they usually end up conversing in their own lingo so they have been nick named Dinosaur Jr. (aka Lulu) and Kid Sister (aka Beene) If you didn't know the recording was of two dogs...you may think it was someone eating some chicken or something. The one thing that gives it away a bit is the jingling of Beene's collar. I need to video record these guys during their lingo sessions..I think it would win America's Funniest Home Video!

Dog Audio

Everyday Hallows Eve

Think about it, whatever age you are now represents how many Halloweens you've grown up dressing for...or not. I woke up this morning forgetting it was the 31st of October, but when I was reminded I became reminiscent of all the costumes I've been over the years. What do you feel like being today? It changes...at least for me!

Writing like Warhol and Goldsmith

Warhol:
Halloween…time to costume.
Looking, staring at the front page of an online webpage wanting to see one thing. Too many things portrayed to know. I want to be what everyone is, but nobody chooses. This costume is a wardrobe of things put together. Lace, cut-off pants, wigs…I loathe wigs. I can see myself wearing one in a Judy Garland ensemble, but only if I have a drink in my hand. A Greygoose martini, dirty with two olives…but not drunk; I will most certainly have a stumble. I won’t go to any parties of people I know. I know too many people. The one I’m going to will have a costume prize. Girls, boys, men, whatever. I went to a birthday party once where I thought everyone was wearing a costume… One knows when they are in the presence of glamorous. I think Gwen Stefani was there, she was ten. I loved the shoes my friend was going to wear, they were dirty and brown. Will anyone notice me? I am going to a party. I do know too many people…they will. I’m walking there. In heals. Blue stilettos by Bivel..with a dress to match. Devil in a blue dress with fishnets riding high. My friend doesn’t know it’s me when I get there. It’s in the city. I get my drink right away; I order a Stoli and coke with three maraschino cherries. I need sugar, I need sugar. Block Party is the noise thumping behind me…I go to get a better listen. There are stairs down to the chaos. Nobody knows me…I know nobody…we all look good…a little too good. I need another drink, maybe something bland…like the person sitting down in front of me. I sit down; I order my drink and get a vodka and soda. I never thought, maybe once that, I would come all this way for a party where I knew nobody and nobody knew me. When does this happen? I do go out…in the city with people sometimes. Humphrey Bogart and the Hamburgler are break dancing on the wood floor. Why do people stare? Do I know the Hamburgler? He is taller than I would have expected. Why would I expect anything..that is odd.

Goldsmith:
Action Figures..
How does one get smart with an action figure?
An action figure, an action figure, an action figure.
Does action represent itself within a costume?
Does Halloween allow for action in its costumes?
Certainly numerous individuals would hope to portray action through their costume, their costume!
Would the President wear a costume, would the President want a costume?
See it on-line somewhere and I’m sure it’s possible.
Exciting times, beautiful rhymes singing a song all day long of what was seen of the war machine.
Knowing what’s right and uplifting a fight for what one wants, a costume or not.
Representing oneself in wardrobe, in stealth freeing oneself to start presenting.
Where can we find action heroes now?
It is Halloween time, time to prowl the gardens, tha gardens, those gardens where the pumpkins must grow; carving ones way out of an old.
Secret stashes of clothes ones held onto, for times like these, times for cheese, times for we’s and threes and more to explore.
Making up a costume to roam and play as we may into the moonlit night, we can dance and be gay, if we choose, we may.
The time is now, the time is then, the time is men and women making a choice.
See what you like, what you want to be for this hallows eve.
Trick or treating with the greatest of ease through eyes that spy on pumpkin thieves.
Make your way to the place you call home after hoarding candy that is not your own, in fact it was someone else’s, but you brought it home, it home.
Think carefully what you place in your cheeks because it could posses something other than sweets.

The Last Clean Shirt and News From Home

1.)

In _News From Home_, the function of the letters sent back and forth between mother and daughter is communication. The entire film carried different forms of communication within it. For example, the different lines that were filmed against the NewYork buildings explaining to the audience that they were in downtown. The different lines created other shapes, like triangles of blue sky up high with the buildings surrounding it. There was also footage of many streets and sidewalks with "don't walk" signs lit up, but people were still crossing, thus communicating a city atmosphere. During the subway footage, there was the obvious graffiti, but also at the stops the film honed in on each particular stop i.e. "Christoper St."

The mother, through her letters as well as the film footage was also able to bring across to the audience how she was feeling. She was not well through out many of the letters..she had dizzy spells in her first letter and as she read, there was footage of a fuzzy sign that was not readable, thus creating a sense of dizziness for the audience. It made watching the film surreal. The subtle effects were just enough to get the mothers points accross through the use of visual communication as well as audio...and as mentioned previously, it opened up for the audience to acutally feel how the mother was feeling.

The letters were an open door for the creator of this film to bring accross to the audience other forms of communication, to show the issues of race, class and gender all while keeping the audience intrigued in the frequent letters from mother to daughter. Very creative, and subtle.

Andy Warhol

I have read through half the book and am fascinated with the language. This book reminds of one long run on sentence. It is an easy read with the use of very different language...but it is interesting. I want to know more...It makes me want to be alive during that time to know what these people like "Taxi" looked like. I'm just jealous he knew people from the Velvet Underground!..

l'acte

This clip of "To Kill a Mockingbird" was very strange...Not quite sure what to think about it. I understood the concept of sound, but why that clip? It is very random...so I would have to say that it would parallel with "Nadja".

Every day Tuesdays

Every day Tuesdays in October consist of carving someones face out of a huge, oversized and crooked pumpkin. Then sitting it on my door step with a candle inside and lighting it!
It turned out pretty good!...I think

Starting Nadja

I am slowly getting through the book and find it quite random and a little hard
to follow...I am however interested in seeing what the entire book has to say. I love the pictures of all the random places the person has stayed way back in history...It's almost like a play...we'll see...will keep you posted!

Un Chien Andalou

I think the whole film was full of random acts, but the one thing that did catch my attention was the small box carried by the man who looked like the flying nun. It was odd I thought how the young girl ended up carrying it into the street and was ran over as she clenched it tight... I will say though, that the eye ball slicing was really disturbing! Not a good image to have stuck in your head.

Bothell Video Clips

Pictures of bothell

Apples to Apples

The game I chose to play was Apples to Apples! This has got to be one of mine and my friends favorite games...and it just so happened that last night we had enough people to make the game interesting. The more people the better! We can play this game until everyone gets tired of playing because you really don't keep tract of winning, which is exactly what we did. It really interesting to me because this game helps you learn a lot about the other people by the cards they choose to show. This is a guessing game, if you haven't figured out yet. To see how people react to the different cards put down is strange because you learn what other people think about and are use to..., just a glimpse into their everyday lives and how they live. All games have different strategies; however, they all prove the amount of knowledge a person has at any given subject. It is truly fascinating to me to learn so many little details about my friends and the things they know...things they deal with in their everyday lives!

Five seconds of video

So, the group I was in today did a really good job checking things off our list...we got everything but the motorcycle in motion and the two strollers w/babies. All of our videotaping seemed easy...all while I was learning how the video camera worked. That part wasn't so bad, but that sense of anxiety starts setting in because now that the fun part is over and I've taped the stuff, I am required to post in on-line...this is where my anxiety starts. Does anyone have any helpful tips?
If not, it's ok...I am slowly learning all this stuff one mistake at a time.
It really is good for me! I've done more in three weeks than in...WOW!

Quoting from "Everyday"

The first 47 pages of "Everyday" were very thought provoking. There were actually a bunch of things, or quotes I thought of using in my blog. There were many great descriptions of what each individual "thought" everyday life was; however, I think Maurice Blanchot in his Everyday Speech from 1962 said it best on page 38:

"For the ordinary of each day is not such by contrast with some extraordinary; this is not the 'nul moment' that would await the 'splendid moment' so that the latter would give it a meaning, suppress or suspend it. What is proper to the everyday is that it designates for us a region, or a level of speech, where the determinations true and false, like the oppostions yes and no, do not apply-it being always before what affirms it and yet incessantly reconstituting itself beyond all that negates it."

It is with this idea of a "level" that has me convinced that he knows what he's talking about... a level of life lived differently by each individual, never to be relived or the same again.

Blanchot also ends his piece nicely by summing up everyday life as he says, "For in the everyday we are neither born nor do we die: hence the weight and the enigmatic force of everyday truth." pg.42

I will leave you with that to chew on...it's pretty heavy stuff, yet thought provoking!

I think I am confused

So, I started putting together my powerpoint slide show, which by the way is very new for me...but I like it! What I wanted to ask, is what are we basing our slide show off of?
Is it the readings...Debord, Smithson, ect? Some clarification would be great!
~Thanx

An agonizing Friday

Today has been a tough day to stomach. I had to take my car into the shop yesterday
and am still waiting to get it back. I got the call last night that, unfortunatley for me, my radiator
needed to be replaced on top of the other work the shop was doing...ouch!
I am staying inside from the rain, trying to make the best of the day. Dreading the bill that is coming my way... man...I haven't even paid my tuition yet! I guess that's life...hopefully not everyday though.

Twenty Minutes of nothing...

For me, twenty minutes of nothing consisted of me laying under my down comforter with my dog Lulu, trying to fall asleep last night. The rain was pounding down on the roof top with nothing else better to do, as I lay there trying not to listen to it. The kick of the furnace as it turned on did not help any as I layed there trying to reach a tranquil state. As I tossed and turned, so did Lulu. Sixty-five pounds of muscle rolled next to me, not helping either. Lulu had a time falling asleep as she kicked her legs out and sighed, also trying to get comfortable and sleepy.
I never have trouble falling asleep...last night was an exception. I think I was also trying to compute everything that had happened during the course of my day...being that it was the first day back to school and all. I just needed my brain to turn off, but it was working overtime. At least I had my eyes closed and didn't have to move.