Undecided Architecture Major: Blowing the minds of students across the board

•September 13, 2010 • 1 Comment

Is it wrong to be in it for the challenge?

According to my university, I am recognized as an architecture major. By my own judgment and classification I am an ‘undecided architecture major’. Meaning that the one thing I was passionate about, coming out of high school, was something I would, in very few cases, I could see myself being very happy at doing in the long run. In lieu of registering as a directionless undecided student, I chose my next best alternative – architecture.

I had to convince myself to hike all the way up to this chilly city to try architecture, without any real reassurance that I would enjoy any part of the process. In fact prior to my arrival I had already begun to admit that I lost the passion for drawing sometime around my 8th and 9th grade years at school. This is when I started studying graphics arts, which suited my perfectionist personality when it came to my art. I knew the first year of the architecture program focused on hand rendering with a Photoshop tutorial here and there and I knew I’d just have to accept that, convincing myself it would get better as I continued in the program.

Second to telling family and friends where I was to attend college in the fall and receiving lip biting warnings about the snow and winter depression was the response to my chosen major. There was never a failure to mention the sleepless nights and stress I was expected to encounter. Thanks for the encouragement everyone.
However, in that dilemma I found my inspiration. A challenge that only someone who has already lost his or her mind would find amusing. I set out to prove them all wrong. Yes I admit I have had late nights, but I have never slept less than 3 hours a night. I have yet to miss any assignments, regardless of the class and I am not stressed out about project deadlines. I know my schedule and my limits.

So here is my question, is it wrong to be in it for the challenge and not for the love of the art? So many of my good friends in the department slave over their designs striving for perfection, giving up sleep and nourishment that their bodies desperately need, in order to have a design they can be proud of come studio?

Maybe I’m just too intimidated to study the one thing I can guarantee myself I have a passion for because I do not have the level of developed skills and natural talent in the field, like I arguably have in the architecture field. Sounds sad and yet here I am, doing very well in a subject that I was expected to struggle in and I am doing it for the challenge and the satisfaction that I can achieve more than I may have thought I was capable over at one time or another. As for my feelings toward architecture having been in the program almost three weeks now – well that’s a whole over soap opera.

Off topic and totally unrelated but here is a shout out to the Treanor Family. Thank you so much Shari, Michael, Ben and Nick for the awfully generous care package. What a great gift, all the best comfort foods from home!

And the letters from the boys, Ben and Nick were so thoughtful. Both are hanging up next to all the other cards I have been receiving from great family and friends like Grace E. Benz, Candi Treanor and family, and of course my loving parents, who are always keeping my mailbox full!

Thank you.

bodash

The College Experience

•August 27, 2010 • 1 Comment

I would call this article “Independence Day” but I couldn’t exactly justify that to be a true statement because I do have a very trusting relationship with my parents and therefore have almost always been treated as an equal with quite a lot of responsibility and independence. I have to say that the journey started out well with a ridiculously well and tightly packed jeep. I am still amazed I managed to fit it all in there and still have a reasonable space for myself to sit in the back seat for a good part of the road trip.

So here I am writing a little blurb about my 5 minute experience as a college student, well it’s actually my second day and I’ve already been up to my neck in information, assignments and introductory classes and exercises. Today, August 27, I had the delightful experience of setting and waking up to a 6:30am alarm in order to get ready for the long day ahead and get to class on time. Boy do I have to stay motivated to keep this up!

Anyway for all of you friends and family that are dying to seem my room and know all about my life, I have to disappoint you and let you know ahead of time that there is no way I have the mental ability to focus on reenacting my past two days in their entirety. I do however have to say that despite how busy I have been things have run pretty smoothly for the most part and that I am extremely psyched to get started on my studio work come Monday when regular university classes begin.

So far I seem to be settling in fairly quickly and have rediscovered my substitute for Trader Joe’s considering the closest one is over 90 minutes away. My parents have even stocked my fridge with a care package from Wegmans and decorated my hutch with fresh organic apples and a potted plant to add some colour to those winter months.

I managed to get really lucky this year and was assigned a single room! Unheard of I know, but everyone in my hallway, the Andrea’s and Amanda to name a few, are also in singles and in the same year. Nicely decorated and fortunately to my liking thanks to my family and my extended family down in the D.C. area.

The desk is a reasonable size for the majority of my course work but I do not expect to be doing many models and scale drawings/sketches on the thing. My studio drawing table’s surface area is at least 4 times the size.

And lastly I have made a whole bunch of friends so far in all different majors and all from different backgrounds, however and probably most importantly I have brought with me a little piece of home and a reminder of all my really good friends that I miss and wish all the best of luck to. Oh! and coming soon to the family of comforting reminders, as soon as I figure out how to get to Target using the bus system, which may take a little while…

Keep in touch and I’ll keep updating as long as you keep requesting.

Love,
bodash

A Sudden Inspiration: Dream Journal

•June 29, 2010 • 1 Comment

For a long time now I haven’t written, and even as I write now I begin to lose the words that had inspired me to write this evening. I reflected upon a idea book, rather a “dream journal” I had put so much work into years before. It was a artists way of self expression when no words could describe those feelings like magazine clippings could. Colour, composition, and form speak well to my senses and bring memories rushing back through me. Goals I had set, places I wanted to go, and people I wanted to be like. Until tonight I had never understood the value of keeping a journal and even of taking hundreds of photographs no matter how annoying and invasive in the moment. It is not for the sake of your future family, or your (potential) children, I have come to believe there is no great satisfaction than self satisfaction.

Every page and every clipping have a story that sparks a memory and for a moment it made me smile but then that moment turned bitter sweet. It was interesting to see how much I had changed and how differently my life had gone since I worked on the journal. However, I was a little disappointed in fact that I had sold myself so short, that I had at one point or another, I suppose like most little girls, wanted to be like someone else. Still nowadays we look at these perfect models in the pages of magazines and these perfect families on television and in films that brainwash us into thinking we as women and as mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles have many more flaws than any other human being on the planet. To me it is a shame that we can be defined by the few symmetric and proportionate people, the perfect citizens shall we say.

I dare not sound like a cliché promoting individuality and embracing our differences, because I’m sure that the world would in fact be a perfect peaceful place if we could all just get along and love one another, but lets get realistic. I found that its very hard for other people to love and care about you, approach you, learn from you and about you, befriend you and accompany you if you, yourself, are not able to understand who you are, what you like and dislike, and where your dreams take you to. After all your thoughts and opinions and the way you view the world are what make you interesting.

Coming back to the Dream Journal, I reminded myself that I love the process of growing and learning more about who I’ve become, because I believe that it’s more about the journey than the destination or even the current location. I believe that those who struggle to find the words to express how the feel about themselves, those who want to document a list of dreams and ambitions, whether its travel or redecorating, perhaps even a fantasy lifestyle, should keep a scrapbook-like journal. Write, draw, cut and paste, its up to you, but its always nice to remind yourself and/or like I have just done earlier this evening reflect on the goals and dreams I once had only to learn something new about myself.

boDash

A Students Dilemma

•June 14, 2009 • 3 Comments

Ah the lovely task of crunching down on school assignments and making a final decision on a college major before spending another couple thousand dollars here and there on basic education.
By the end of my Junior year I was sick of the so called organization of the school system. Education is like a chore in these modern times, like clock-work the youth of America gets up and gets to school by 7.30am and rushes out the door a.s.a.p. at 2.20pm. How depressing. I lost a lot of hope and enthusiasm for my favorite class this past year when my physics teacher blaitently told our class that we learn near to nothing worth remembering in school because all of the teaching is geared toward a certain test. The youth of American is learning material for a test, and when the test is over the bits and pieces don’t form a concept. Instead the bits and pieces of material fade with the dormant-minded summer months and fail to resurrect upon return to school.
Now prove me wrong that college will be different! I am looking forward to my college experience and education, but I find it hard to imagine a college experience that is extensively different to my high school experience. As it is my parents have always been lenient with and trusting of me and a good number of my friends are older than I am, I find sometimes that I have more in common with the “adults” than with the “kids”. A misfit I guess you could say. So tell me… after that and the AP and college courses I already take… what am I waiting for? Paying for that same experience? I hope not.
I love to help people in general and if I find that I take a liking to law or business, I’d really like to start some sort of organization to reform the school system. I almost agree with President Obama to an extent regarding the lengthening of the school years. After all the original reason children are given an entire two and a half months break in the summer was with the intention of helping out with the harvest and the crops in the fields. Now since our economy is rapidly changing from a manufacturing and agricultural economy to a service economy, the summer camp business is the only preventative to lengthening the school year.
However I do not agree with lengthening the school day in addition to the year itself. It is my strong belief that teachers these days are getting lazy as are the students and classes are getting easier because there is no effort from either side, ultimately destroying the educatuon system. I believe that schools should not be giving Hw. Some nights, especially closer toward May and June and the end of the school year, teachers are rushing to get through the course material and pile on the Hw, giving students hours of work to bring home with the expectation that the students will complete it all over night and then come back the next day wide awake. This may be fine once in a while but not when students have up to eight or nine different teachers that give Hw five nights a week!
A students dilemma… how does a student make a stand and voice their position when the adults that we need to help us change the system will not take us seriously!? So many adults automatically assume that all teens are up to no good and treat them with little to no respect because we as teens are all pre judged by the few mischevious teens that define our gereration. How does a student who can not legally vote, drink, or fight a war tell an adult how corrupted and disfunctional the eductaion system is when the last time they went to school was in the 70′s and 80′s? The principals and deans have no time, and yet the “suggestion” box is over flowing. It is so frustrating to be a person who struggles to be on time and yet can still show up to a school function twenty minutes later than her procrastion causes and then still have to wait another half hour for it to begin…
Is it just me or this this happening elsewhere?

Looks like we need to reform the educational system. Even The News York Times has an understanding of what I am trying to point out.
Click here to check it out!

The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

•November 10, 2008 • Leave a Comment

The Twilight Series, originally a trilogy, took the New York Times Bestseller’s List by storm upon being published. Though Stephanie Meyer is a new author to the public, her vampire saga novels are a must read among the teenagers. Typically it is the girls who had fallen for Edward Cullen’s charming and mysterious ways and his damsel in distress who seems to always need saving, however in resents weeks there has been a growth in the number of boys reading Twilight. At this I am puzzled. After all Twilight is a book and there is nothing stopping guys and girls alike enjoying the series but tell me please, what in the Twilight series is of much interest to guys? I understand that there are vampires and small doses of magic here and there but what is intriguing about a love sick and clumsy protagonist, Isabella “Bella” Swan? Not to mention, although Stephanie Meyer has developed an amazing plot with detailed and mysterious characters that spark the readers interest and curiosity, the dialogue and writing itself is not held in such high regards. Stephanie Meyer’s writing style is not one that flows well. Her words and phrases do not always follow the same structure and style. There are some longwinded chapters that strain the stories brilliance and take almost too long to make a point or establish a scene.

Based on the Twilight movie trailer (opening November 21th 2008), I expect to be very disappointed. Trailers show scenes of Edward Cullen hoisting Bella Swan onto his back and racing through the forest which is obviously an impossible task for anything or anyone human, however with today’s amazing computer rendered images and graphics (special effects) I was expecting something that looked A LOT LESS fake! I am in fact so disappointed that I am hesitant about even spending $10.00 to go see the film in theaters opening weekend and will maybe just pick it up on Netflix when it comes out on DVD.

[Youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNW5A0HfzDM"]

Still I give props to Stephanie Meyer though, I had no intention or desire to read a novel based on vampires and magic especially after J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series but Twilight was truly the first book I read back to back and one that I couldn’t put down (and still have trouble putting down after all I am currently reading it for the 4th time), and I hear her lastest novel “The Host” is also a must read. Here goes another trip to the bookstore.

And for those of you who love and appreciate Stephanie Meyer’s imaginative stories of the Twilight series give this a read: Stephanie Meyer’s unpublished Midnight Sun, which is the Twilight story from Edward Cullen’s perspective.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions of other reading material leave me a message (comment). Let me know how the movie went but please don’t leave any spoilers for New Moon or Eclipse without stating so in the first lines of your comments.

BoDash

iPhone Tips n’ Ticks No.1

•November 10, 2008 • 1 Comment

Taking iPhone screen shots is simple. Screen Shot A First and most obvious is finding or choosing the screen of which you want the screen shot. Then hold down the home button and press the on/off button and the screen will flash signaling that the screen shot has been taken.

Then go to your camera roll you will be able to view the screen shot and upload the photograph into iPhoto when you sync the iPhone with your MAC or PC. img_0004 Screen shots work with any application but careful how long you hold down the home and on/off button because your iPhone could take you to the home page or “turn off” which may result in you loosing the screen you want the photograph of.

These screen shots feature a free iPhone game application called Tap Tap Revolution, which has a similar concept combination of Guitar Hero and DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). For more iPhone reviews, tips, tricks, and discussions visit: slapphappe.

BoDash

The Perfect End to the Perfect Summer

•August 17, 2008 • Leave a Comment

After my last hugs and goodbyes to the crew I find myself revisiting all of the most amazing experiences and adventures I have had with the staff and the other interns. From learning tons of new tricks and information to great laughs and stories we shared over the summer. And through all the heat, humidity, rain, thunderstorms, cuts, scrapes, and bruises, I have to say this has been one of the greatest summers. Jeff's Moped

And it amazes me that I have yet to loose track of the days so I just want to thank everyone for such a great time. Heres to the new friends I’ve made that I’ll never forget, to the duck we domesticated, to the knowledge I’ve gained, and to Jeff, Mike, Nate, and John, who taught me the most and took the time to explain to me how and why things worked the way they did. Mike thanks so much for the time you set aside to have “girl talk” it was great fun and something I’ll probably miss most about the summer. And thanks to Jeff, for he might not know it but he has not only made the effort to teach me something about theater tech. but he has also gotten me to actually use my email, a battle that has been fought for years. Duffy safe travels to Oregon and Jeff enjoy New Zealand. I wish everyone the best for the year. I look forward to seeing you all around and next summer back at work.

Just remember this life lesson, CAKES (though delicious) can sometimes be dangerous!

BoDash

“I’m with the Band”

•July 20, 2008 • 1 Comment

So after yet another awesome day at work and taking partial control of the lighting board with Sam and John and learning to use the Genie for gel changes and then going up into the towers to refocus lights even though I’ll openly admit I’m not great at that just yet (i.e. coming away with 3 cuts from rusty nuts and bolts and 2 scrapes) I’ll give great credit to John for explaining lots about lighting to me in a way that actually makes sense. Thnx. However Jeff I’m not so sure about. He’s never really taught me anything but I decided I like him anyway. And I’m mentioning him because he felt left out not having been mentioned in my previous blogs. So heres to Jeff.

BoDash

The New 16GB Apple iPhone 3G

•July 18, 2008 • Leave a Comment

So my father and I are Apple and MAC product obsessed and went to the nearest mall this morning to pick up the new 16GB Apple iPhone 3G in white that was released just last week. This Is intact what I am using to write this blog and although the new iPhone does not feature select cut copy paste the speed and used friendlyness of this iPhone is actually impressive. I’m a little jealous infact. The new shape resembles the style of the MAC air laptop computer and though the new iPhone is large in depth than it’s original the curved shape gives the illusion of a thin and more stylish design and fits nicely in the palm of your hand. I’m no beta tester like my father but I’m looking forward to trying out all the new applications and testing to see how easy it is to use the iCalendar with the iPhone which my main concern.

For more information on the New iPhone 3G visit slapphappe

BoDash

Not Again!?!

•July 11, 2008 • Leave a Comment

My father works in the city and last night over a cup of tea he told me that a third person had been reported to have climbed the New York Times building, he only made it to the 11th floor (loser) but I mentioned that the guy who signed off on the blueprints of the building and okayed the architectural design must be kicking himself in the face right about now. He laughed at me but all I could think of was what must have possessed someone to scale a skyscraper for crying out loud. Okay maybe the first person was just passionate about climbing large and ridiculously tall buildings but the second and third person? Come on if some guy jumped off the New York Times building would more idiots follow? Maybe that’s the solution to the worlds problem. On that thought maybe more people should scale buildings!

BoDash

 
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