No This is Not an April Fool’s Joke

Drawing Structure and Expression II:

Finished the two-session drawing and started a three-session piece. For that, I’ve continued change my compositions. Before, I focused on head and torso. Now I’m trying out extreme cropping and paying more attention to the still life. Right now, I’m focused on a right leg and a weirdly shaped vase. Also continued to pick my own color palettes. Gabe’s been pretty respectful and has left me alone to muddle through it.

Also, one of you commented about there being a lack of pictures. You’re right, so I’ll try my best to get some in the next two weeks.

Advanced Painting:
Had out midterm. As expected, it was like a crit. Linda had us present five of our paintings and talk about them, where you thought you were going, what you accomplished, what you need to work on, etc. Also, you get feed back from the professor and you’re peers, so then you start to see stuff that you weren’t conscious of doing and give you suggestions on who to look at or how to improve your work.
For instance, Linda concluded all my pieces were night pieces, dream-like, and seemed to have something to do with the apocalypse (which I still think is really funny). I was so focused on trying to create the illusion of space that I didn’t consciously think of anything else.
After the midterm we started another piece. That one was pretty much cave like. Yesterday, Katia had me come upstairs to give her some feedback about our current painting. She also looked at mine and confirmed the suspicion that, yes, it’s too dark. Hopefully, I can get my butt out of bed early tomorrow morning and paint before lecture starts at ten. I have to leave at five tomorrow anyway, so I’m really constrained with time (friends are coming to stay for Anime Boston this weekend ^________^).

Western Art II:

Our midterm results came back. I didn’t fail (I saved myself by being an attendance junkie. I’m a visual and tactile learner, so taking notes really helps). Nor will I have to write an extra credit paper to raise my grade. Still, I’m rather pleased- I went to the Durer exhibit taking place in the MFA currently. It’s impressive. If you live nearby you should definitely check it out, especially if you like fine details. During the same trip (I went to both the MFA and Gardner on Sunday) I found about six different pieces I can use for my research paper. I think I still have to retype my thesis statement, but I’d rather make my last museum trip and pick the pieces before I do that.

Social Ethics:
On Tuesday, I noticed we had one section left in the Aristotle book we’re reading. So, to get ahead, I read half the chapter. Then I walked into class and found that isn’t next week’s homework. Instead, we’re reading four different essays on capital punishment and perhaps giving a presentation…? That will freak me out-my rhetorical skills are pretty terrible. See, I have the luxury of actually seeing what I’m writing and making revisions before I post (I do about two or three drafts before posting). Speaking, you can’t do that. Nor can you erase your mistakes. Instead, you have to focus on keeping your language completely fluid and trying not to ramble. Unfortunately, ramble is pretty much all I do, so this should be an interesting experience…

English Literature II:
I had a doctor’s appointment today in between Western Art II and this class. I was frantic to get to English, not because I was worried about my attendance, but being I really wanted to discuss the S.T. Eliot poem we read “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. I went over it in high school and pretty much dismissed it. However, I re-read it and my jaw dropped. I found it more likable than Virginia Wolf’s rambling anyway. I’ve also been listening to the Crash Test Dummies song “Afternoons and Coffeespoons” which was inspired by the poem, so that might be effecting my judgment too…
Katia also suggested some reading material for me based off of it: Crime and Punishment and Diary of a Madman. I’m most excited about checking out the latter, but currently I’m on a ten book series. Hopefully I’ll get them all read before my summer classes start. Or maybe not. I keep thinking I have a month, but it might only be a week between spring and summer term. I’ll have to go check again…

Apartment Hunting:

My potential roommate seems to have her heart set on an apartment in East Boston. Yes, it looks like a dream come true: it’s a short commute to the main campus (and she goes there primarily), the bedrooms are huge, there’s laundry in the unit, plenty of storage space, fully furnished, it has separate leases.
However, the area is really bad. I checked the crime statistics-there’s been tons of assaults and at least one shooting in the last three months. The realtor said it was safe at night, but I’m really starting to think it was sweet talk. They were renovating apartments too (the last two apartments were basically construction sites)-She also wants us to tell our friends-so I think she’s trying to get people in there fast.
But, my roommate seems totally snowed. She doesn’t have furniture, so the place seems ideal. This is also her first apartment-she’s a freshman moving out of the dorms-so she’s new at this. I’ve done it for two years already-this will be my third time. During my freshman year, I saw an apartment in Southie-beautiful inside-but it was in an extremely scary part of town. Personally, I’d rather live in a safe area.
I’ve contacted two more realtors to look at other places and I’ve asked her when she’s available about three days ago. I haven’t heard back. If I don’t hear back by tomorrow, I think I’ll be asking them to show me studio apartments instead of two bedrooms. Honestly, I’m really starting to believe dealing with roommates isn’t worth it. Only do it if you’re certain to get along with the person.

(And please excuse spelling mistakes. I’m trying to write this and scan slides at the same time. There isn’t enough time in the day to do everything, I swear…)

(EDIT: And then again, I just talked to Tim who happens to live in East Boston. He says its pretty safe, so maybe I’m just paranoid…)