Em’s Blogtime Fun

     Final week is coming.  I am not stressed out about final week really.  Compared to last week, it will be a breeze.  They really should warn you about pre-final week too.  It’s not fun, but at least it is over.  I am so excited to be finished with the fall semester.  This was my first full semester at Iowa Western and it was a complete success.  It was a positive time for me really.  I attended classes, did the homework and recieved all of the credits I signed up for.  I am very happy.  However, a few final tests still await.  We’ll see how they go.  I should be fine, but sometimes I think I am fine and I end up not being fine at all.  In regards of test-taking, I mean.
     With all of the homework I have been doing, I have been listening to a lot of music.  I have comprised a playlist fo you to listen to if you want to hear some very good music.  Click here to be linked to it.  It includes some of my favorite bands, songs and also some good homework-doing music.  Check it out.
     I took a trip to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, NE this morning.  It is free before 11 AM on Saturdays.  It’s a good deal, let me tell you.  Until January 18th they are hosting an exhibit of Diego Rivera’s work.  It includes Rivera’s work from the collection of the Museum of Art of the State of Veracruz.  There are a lot of drawings and watercolors as well as some oil paintings he has done.  It is very interesting.  I reccommend it to anyone and everyone.  There is something that is so neat and inspiring about looking at a work of art that the artist had once been physically creating.  Kind of like a convergence of time and thought between you, the viewer, and the artist.  I love the Joslyn.  I am very grateful to have an art museum with such a beautiful and extensive collection right here at home.  You should browse their website at http://www.joslyn.org.  It includes any information you would like to know about their galleries, exhibitions (current and upcoming), events, and more.  It’s worth taking a look at.

Diego Rivera, Segadores (Harvesters), 1956, dibujo al carbón y acuarela (charcoal and watercolor), Collection of The Governor of the State of Veracruz, the Veracruz Institute of Culture, and the Museum of Art of the State of Veracruz

Good luck with finals!

     It is the day after Thanksgiving and I know I am not the only one who says, ‘THANK THE HEAVENS IT IS BREAK.’  It’s not that the work load is too much, it is just that I need a break from the monotonous routine.  I don’t know how I did it in highschool.  I guess I was a little bit of (or a lot of) a slacker when it comes to school then too, but it was year-round without the awesome break between semesters.  I appreciate the breaks more than I could ever say.
     I have some very good news.  I don’t know if you remember an older post of mine (if not, scroll down and look!), but I posted a video project that me and two other students at IWCC did.  It was for a competition where we had to make an environmentally friendly and creative product out of plastic bags.  I found out on Wednesday that we won second place!  Not only did we get a very incrdible prize, but our video is entered in the national competition.  I’m not sure if we’ll be as successful in that, but I am very proud that our work was worthwhile.  I will post the video again for anyone who missed it in my earlier post and for those who don’t want to scroll down to find it.  Just click on the image below to be linked to the video.
                              
     The next two days of break will be spent working on the annoying amount of presentations that I have due next week.  Why do all instructors insist on giving power point presentations as final assignments?  I have 4 power points to complete.  It is not that they are hard or anything, it is just annoying that I have so many.  What happened to just giving lots of tests at the end of semester?  Or maybe I will have those too.  Break is awesome.
                                                       

     Semester is nearing and that means a barage of assignments and presentations is too.  I think those few weeks where I had very little homework and easy assignments was just some sort of sick foreshadowing of what is to come.  It’s a bad form of teasing really.  Just when I think the work load is thinning and I can see the light at the end of the dark, dismal tunnel that is school, the tunnel collapses and kills me.  Makes me think of a classic war scene in the movies; when the underdog has eliminated all of its opponents in sight and when they begin to rejoice an endless flood of more opponents comes rushing from over a hilltop or something.  It’s sad and disheartening.  Will the underdog that is me ever win against its opponent that is homework?  I believe it is a losing battle.  However, I must be courageous and fight ’til the end.  It has to do with pride, or something.  …Or the desire to not fail and not waste my money and time.
     Other than school work, I have been drawing a lot lately.  I have had this unignorable itching to sketch portraits.  So far I have drawn six different pictures.  I strayed from the realistic approach with my art for the past few years and I felt like it was time to venture back into it.  I really enjoy it.  I like taking realistic photos and manipulating them somehow and giving them a sense of endless identity.  I’m not sure if you understand what I am saying, most people I try to explain it to usually don’t.  Maybe you will understand it better by looking at the pictures I have posted below.  Click on the thumbnail to be linked to a larger view of the picture.
                            
                      
     If you look at these, you should leave me a comment and let me know what you think.  One day I will have an online portfolio, but until then, I will have to beg your thoughts on blogs like this.  I will post some of my other stuff on my next blog.  I would do it now, but I don’t want to overwhelm you.  And, that is also my secret ploy in order to get you to come back and read my future blogs.  And that is assuming you might actually have some sort of desire to see more of my work…

     This has been a terrible week for me.  Mostly because of today’s events.  Let me tell you about them.  Last night I went to see the movie Wall-E at the local dollar theater, The Omni 4, and I accidentally left my wallet there.  Let it be noted that my wallet contains very important things, for example my credit cards, contact cards, personal information, etc. etc.  It is my own fault for leaving it there and I realize this.  I spent the entire day having mini panic attacks when I would think about what could result of it ending up in the wrong hands.  However, I knew it was there.  I waited for five hours and missed a class so I could meet the person opening the store so I could get it right away.  I got it and immediately checked if anything was missing.  Low and behold, all of my cash was gone.  I went to the last showing of the night and the only people in or out of the building were the two closing employees.  It was undeniably one of them who ripped me off.  I am upset about losing the money, naturally, but I am more upset at the fact that people can be that dishonest and be that lacking in morals.  I would never do that to someone.  Never.  Sometimes I encounter very nice people that will help me say, change a flat tire or give me directions, and I gain some faith in mainkind.  You know, that they really aren’t terrible, but then I encounter people like these.  And my faith is smashed.  I just want to let local readers know that the Omni 4 has some very dishonest employees and they cannot be trusted.  I am sad because of this.  I am also sad because I missed my class, of which, I did all my homework for.  I don’t know if losing a wallet is a good excuse for missing class or not.  I mean, considering I did not have a license or anything, I had no legal way to get there.  So, I guess we will see.

                                                    The theives make Andrew Jackson sad.

     On another more uplifting note, the movie Frida was fantastic.  I reccommend it to anyone and everyone.  The story was so engaging and interesting.  Not to mention the filming was beautiful.  I have always thought Frida Kahlo’s life story was interesting, but this movie brings it to life and lets you see into it on a personal level.  It gives her and her work a whole new meaning.  It is a sensational movie.  Please see it.

     Oh yeah, and sometimes on this blog I get comments from robots posting spam comments, and I got a funny one on one of my previous blogs.  It was from Ganzalo Estevez at ilovechocolate.com.  It reads:
“Hello webmaster. I am going to check it, since I saw a comment in another site regarding \”\”. Someone related to candy from mexico. Thanks anyway.”  …I have no idea what this means, but it makes me laugh.  Clearly it’s spam, but not very good spam.

    Did anyone else see the snow flurries the other day?  I want to say that it is too early for winter, but then I look at the calendar and realize it is already November 10th.  In previous years it has already snowed several feet by now, so I should be sending my love to the skies.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the snow very much, but I am just not ready!  I dug my winter coat out today.  I believe I put it off for as long as I could.  It has become necessary.  It is far too cold to bundle up with just a couple hoodies and a scarf.  The thing that makes me resent winter a little bit are the illnesses it brings.  I was miserably sick all of last week with a cold.  I am getting better, though.  Is there some sort of rule that says you can only get sick once every few months?  I sure hope so, because I have done my time.
     Another thing about the winter months is that the days seem to drag.  I love the cozy, laid back-ness of them, but I hate how long the days are.   It leaves to much room for me to lose focus from important things, like school for example.  I think that I have been slacking way too much.  I missed several classes last week due to my cold, but I really did not mind.  I always find other things to do instead of homework.  I shouldn’t do that, though.  I missed a lot of a homework that I now have to make up.  Along with other assignments that I put off.  I feel very congested with school.  In reality, though, I do not have that much work to do.  It just is so much less fun in comparison to say, video games.   Maybe if they made homework into a video game I would do it.  But, then again, how fun could that game really be?  I should just buckle down and do my work.  Afterall, it is my education, my time, my money and my future.
      A few friends and I recently participated in a competition.  We heard about it through Iowa Western and thought it might be an interesting thing to do.  We had to use a plastic bag in a creative way that is also environmentally friendly.  We also had to create a 3 - 5 minute video about our creation.  Click on the picture below to watch our awesome video!  Everyone cross your fingers that we win something!  Maybe the combined wishing of everyone will make us succeed.

     Tonight I will be spending my time working on homework.  I am very excited.  (Not really.)  However, I am watching the movie Frida for an assignment.  I’ve always wanted to see that movie.  It is about the life of the artist Frida Kahlo.  I learned a lot about her during my high school years in art class.  She’s not my favorite artist, but I think her life story is very interesting.  I don’t know much else about the video, but the cover shows that it won some stuff.  I don’t remember what stuff exactly, but hey, it won.  So, somebody somewhere thought it was good.  After watching it I have to write a movie review.  I hope I love it and can write a very sincere and passionate response.  It’s always more fun when you either really like or really dislike something you have to write about.  I will post what I think of it in my next blog.

(The Frame by Frida Kahlo.)

At sunset on Halloween, take a second to see the best treat you will get all night!

The crescent Moon will sneak up on Venus for a close encounter.  The gathering is best seen just after sunset, when the sky glows orange.  Look southwest and you will see Venus, the brightest light in the sky, and the slender Moon will creep in a few degrees below.
  

[Venus and the crescent Moon. (c) Dan Bush.]

The fun isn’t over.  The next day,  November 1st, the Moon and Venus will be side by side.  If you look closely at the moon, you will see a ghostly image of a full moon inside the horns of the crescent.  This phenomena is called “Earthshine” or sometimes “the da Vinci Glow.” 

Catch these great sights before they slip away into the night!

     Firstly, let me get this out of my system: MIDTERMS ARE OVER.  I am very glad to report that midterms went smoothly and I think I did well on all of them!  I wasn’t really stressing over them or anything, but it is nice to have them out of the way and off my mind.
     Lately I have been doing a lot of doodling, especially in class.  I don’t know what it is, but classtime just puts me in the doodling mood.  I think I am bad at listening.  Either that or the speaker’s voice is just good background noise for my thoughts.  Or I just get bored.  Probably the latter.  Whatever it is, though, it makes me doodle.  I have put some of my doodles online to share with you guys.  Click on the thumbnails below to see the full doodles!  Some of them are actually very neat.  However, I might be biased.  At any rate, click click look.
                                            
                                            
                                            
     On another note, I might be buying a car!  I am very excited to be driving something new.  We’ll see if I can get the right price.. that is the tricky part.  I am not a wealthy college student.  I really don’t think many of us are.  So I am sure some of you can relate.  I am considering just buying a bike and using the rest of the money on fun, new art supplies!  Or maybe a scooter and art supplies.  Or a segway.  Yes, I think I will buy a segway.
   

     I have been meaning to post about this since I started my position as a blogger here at IWCC.  One thing that can always tick me off, and has since I’ve been a little kid in elementary school, is working on group projects in school.  I remember being about nine or ten years old and being stuck in a group at school.  Now, it’s not the social interaction that I disliked, but the fact that I could never trust the other kids in my group to do their work.  It’s not like I hadn’t tried to trust them to do what they were suppose to do; they have failed me time and time again in many ways.  Which is why I am so bitter.  Bitter bitter bitter.  All because of some little kids who can’t cut in straight lines and don’t color their parts of the project.  Bitter.
     I’m not really bitter because of the kids.  It was just the beginning point on the line of group-project-hatred.  It seems that whenever I work in groups, I somehow get stuck with the students who really don’t want to do anything.  And, you know, that would be fine if we weren’t graded as a whole.  That is where the problem really lies, I think.  Too many teachers grade the project as a whole, giving everyone in the group the same grade.  Which, would be fine, if we lived in some sort of utopia of scholars and every person felt like giving the project the same amount of attention and care.  But, that does not happen.  There is always that one member who doesn’t want to do anything, or doesn’t come to class, and then there is another student who is persistent on what they want to do– no compromises, and then there are others who just float through.  Any way you look at it, the members aren’t doing the same amount or quality of work.  Most of the time they aren’t even collaborating correctly or producing something a 2+ group should.  Mostly, what I am saying is that a grade cannot be based on the group as a whole; it would be best to divide the duties and grade on whether or not that specific duty was filled by the designated person.
     In college, I don’t think group projects should even be an option for teachers.  I pay my thousands of dollars and spend countless hours of my time to get the grade I deserve for the work I do.  I don’t think I should have to depend on others for my grade.  It’s all too common to have someone in your group that doesn’t come to class, doesn’t care about their expenses, doesn’t try because those of us who care do the work, etc.  It just isn’t fair to give someone like that a free ride.  If teachers were considerate of that fact and graded on an individual scale, then it wouldn’t be as bad.  However, when you’re in a group, you can’t do what you want to do to your potential.  I was talking to my friend who is working on a group project, and her teacher told her that group projects ‘help prepare them for the real world.’  That might be so, however, I do not think that is something the teacher can do in regards of group projects.  I think the teacher’s position is to give the student the tools to do what he or she wants when they leave the school.  Meaning, the teacher teaches.  I don’t think it is their place to put you in a position that holds you back from what you want to achieve in your own academic career.  You are not in school to help others succeed.  Just as you are not there to ride on others’ success.  College is an individual process, and I think that group projects take away from that.
     Mainly, I hate group projects.  Nothing ever gets done to the extent or quality I want it done, and it isn’t fair to be graded on it.  On another note, though, I got a new film editing program and tested it out tonight.  Below is a cartoon I made about group projects and a personal experience of mine.  You know, minus real people and stuff.  Just click the picture below to be linked to the cartoon.  Watch it.  Love it. Down with group projects.

     So I was reading my weekly NASA newsletter and I stumbled across something wonderful!  NASA has an archive where they post a new picture of something every day!  You can check out the archive here.  Shortcut it, bookmark it, write it on your hand– whatever you do to remember things.  They call it the Astronomy Picture of the Day.  It’s really cool.  Looking at it and reading the short description is like having a delicious snack between meals.  You know, not enough to make you full, but enough to make you satiated and happy until later.  So, you should sign up for the NASA weekly newsletter.  Here’s the analogy: the NASA weekly newsletter is to a meal as the Astronomy Picture of the Day is to a snack.  Sign up, sign up, sign up!  You will be happy you did.  You can sign up here.  Below is a piece of the picture posted on the archive for today.  Just a little taste for you.  Now go have the whole snack!  Do it.
 

     If anyone is bored on October 10th or 11th at 7 P.M. there is a fantastic art show (+ music) that you should attend!  There will be a lot of great art, including some by me, fitting a “ghost stories” theme.  Spookily fun!  Come and check it out.