Well, that's what really matters after all.

Labels: news

Guys, I am totally staying ahead of the game for my art history class. Go me. I am a badass. Doing responses and essays days early? Yes that is me! I even think I did a pretty good job on my first essay. Go go go me.

Ok that's of no interest to anyone who reads this, but BAM I'm pleased.

Labels: arth, school

Purple hair simply will not do. Redye it promptly.

Labels: purple hair

So today for my art class we took a field trip to Pilsen to check out their totally sweet culture of murals. I was not very excited going into it, but aside from it being a sweltering hot day, it was pretty great. I took lots of pictures, and I think they are worth sharing. Here are a few of my favorites:


This dude is playing the accordion.



There is a big big movement against the gentrification of Pilsen, and this was done by some college-age guys:
This is a self-portrait of this absolutely brilliant artist done on the side of his house:


This was done by children. There is an effort to keep mural painting in the Mexican American culture, and so they encourage kids to participate. This girl hearts math!



If you want to see more I put up about 20 pictures on facebook. I'd argue that they're worth checking out. Click here to see them.

Labels: art, pilsen

Neither aliens nor obnoxious teenagers are making crop circles. Actually drugged out Auzzie-Animals. Seriously, stoned wallababies.

Labels: amusing, news

Question:
WAS THE HANGOVER A TERRIBLE MOVIE?

I thought it was, of course, but then Sreya disagreed with me. You see, Sreya and I have exceptional taste in movies, but one of us is terribly wrong. However, upon further reflection I am considering her opinion is not unfounded. See, maybe I'm missing the bigger picture. Ok yes clearly it was terrible, but maybe this is the deal: it knows how terrible it is, and it appreciates that and runs with it. It takes its terrible-osity and decides it is going to go further, making a movie you are laughing "at" instead of "with," but in fact also "with" because as already established, it knows how bad it is. Really, whether "at" or "with," you are laughing a whole hell of a lot. Maybe that is to be appreciated.

Opinions?

Labels: movies

Labels: awesome

SO I'm finally a student again. Alright well I will be on Wednesday anyway. I was finally approved to register for summer and fall quarters, and I proceeded to do so, like a total badass.

This summer I'm taking an art history class called "Art in Unexpected Places":
This course studies public art (including murals, commissioned public sculpture, and experimental installations), art collections, and independent art centers located around the "peripheries" of Chicago--outside the Loop on the south, west, and far north sides, but with a particular focus on Hyde Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Classroom discussion is supplemented by multiple site visits. Readings include studies of the recent history of the arts in Chicago and theoretical works on public and community art. Assignments include an ongoing journal and a group project as well as critical essays.

Sounds relatively interesting. Relatively, since my interest in art history is about none. Maybe that will change.

But that's summer, more fun is fall, when I will be a full time student again.

Because all the linguistics requirements got shifted around, there don't even exist course descriptions for what I'm taking.

• Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology - this should be easy enough, LING 202 last year was basically all about the good old phons. I beasted that quarter with my "LOL" essay, so I figure I'll be all right. Also, Nick might take this with me, which would be pretty solid.
• Language and Communication - I think this will just be your standard linguistics elective. Sounds pretty general. I guess as opposed to Language and Keeping Your Mouth Shut.
• Topics in Japanese Grammar - Yeah. I'm serious. I'm taking a class all about Japanese. It is an elective. I am electing to take a class about Japanese. I'm told no knowledge of Japanese is required (which is good, since I don't have any). I told Lauren she better get ready to hear me start complaining about Japanese again.

I also emailed the ASL prof begging to be in her class, but that was a week ago and I haven't heard back, so I'm guessing that's a no go. If this ends up being my schedule, I'll probably get my PE credit out of the way this quarter (Social Dance, because I can't deal with the woman who teaches ballet/jazz/modern, and Pilates is at 8:30am three days a week). That means I will have M/W/F totally free. So badass. I feel like a badass just thinking about it. Of course, if I had the chance to take ASL I would jump at that shit even though it would mess up my little M/W/F badassness.

Oh, right...the other option. The reason I want to take ASL (one of the reasons) is because a year of it would count for three of my remaining five electives. But sign language is not the only language that does that. My options are:

• Modern Greek
• Kazakh
• Modern Hebrew
• Georgian
• Hittite
• Swahili
• and of course, American Sign Language

ASL is the only class that's full, so I could take any of these others. Do I dare try Greek? It would be kind of cool...but would it be like Japanese? Don't know. I really like the idea of doing another language for a year and only doing two electives. Maybe I'll just sign up.

Labels: art, asl, greek, linguistics, school

If a mother was Sacrifice personified, then a daughter was Guilt, with no possibility of redress.
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Now you know something more personal about me than my distaste for fake pockets.

Labels: fake pockets, quotes, the unbearable lightness of being

OK SO YOU KNOW WHAT...

I don't think I'm that stupid for not knowing about fake pockets. I think actually I'm more intelligent than whoever came up with the brilliant idea to sew pockets halfway shut, thereby confusing innocent pants-wearers like myself.

I'm taking a stand: FUCK FAKE POCKETS.

Labels: fake pockets

Ok I'm not an idiot. And yes, I've owned nice pants before. I had just gone 21 years without experiencing the fake pocket phenomenon. I get it now. I ripped them open. Now they are regular old pockets.

I swear I've had nice pants before.

Thanks to Aisha and Lauren for letting me know that I'm a pants moron. I am so embarrassed that I'm considering deleting the post before this, but I'm not going to. I'm leaving it up so that YOU now know about the fake pockets phenomenon.

It's like Bill Nye...

NOW YOU KNOW.

Labels: fake pockets

My pants have fake pockets. What? Do your nice pants have fake pockets? Like, not no pockets. That I can deal with. Not even seams where the pockets should be. Not little tiny pockets that are too small to put anything in. No. Genuine fake pockets. As in, the material for the full sized pocket is there ready to go. Pockets have been made, but then they are sewn up. And they are not sewn up all the way. They are open far enough to stick a pencil in or something and have it awkwardly stick out of your pocket. If you put something small enough to fit into the pocket, you'd never be able to get it out.

I don't approve of fake pockets.

Labels: disapprove, fake pockets

Nattily got revamped. UBallet got a little pepped up, too, but that's not as interesting. Just added some videos, Cinderella photos, and changed some of the banners.

So work is going well. Things are looking a little more interesting, though I have less opportunity to play with kids now that schools have ended for the summer and there are no more field trips.

Also, I finally got approved to take an art history class this summer. Dean Art was not a fan of the idea of me coming back to school so soon, but I am too classy for this not-in-classes nonsense. So I'll get my second art credit out of the way this summer and then officially be done with the core. Hellz yeah.

Meanwhile they completely ridiulified the linguistics curriculum. It went from:

• 3 quarters intro
• 4 quarters core classes
• 0-3 non-Indo-European language (depending on testing)
  
• 3-6 electives

to this:

• 1 quarter intro
• 3 core
• 0-3 non-Indo-European language
• 6-9 electives which can include up to three further languages in linguistics credits

That's not all that exciting. The point is that next year, if I can wiggle my way into a completely full ASL class, I'll have only to take 3 ASL, 3 core, and 2 electives. That means I am in such awesome shape that I can actually be a part time student for two of next year's three quarters...after having taken a full year off school.

How much of a badass am I?

Labels: ccm, nattily, school

Dudes! I am 21! I can do 21 year old stuff now. You know. That, uh, stuff.

Also, would you like to experience the not so great part of my job? Probably. This is what you do...
Go to this website, visit the web page of every single children's museum in the country, search the (usually painfully constructed) site for some sort of guide for chaperones coming to the museum, copy and paste that url, and steal the best ideas from it.

Ok so you don't have to do all that, but seriously, click that link and witness how many terrible web pages I searched through today, to find a total of only fifteen guides.

Rough.

But I'm 21!

Labels: birthday, ccm

When you're roommate compliments your shirt and you realize suddenly and respond "it's inside out," and you both understand the circumstances, there are just so many reasons to laugh.

Labels: amusing