cause/result

outside of my dorm is union square, where every monday, wednesday, friday and saturday there is a farmers market and everyday of the week there are small stands / tables that sell a variety of odds and ends / bric a brac / political messages. this rather popular stand features six different pro-barack obama shirts and one anti-palin. new york is not a swing state. it's very firmly an obama state so i wonder if these stands started because of people who wanted to promote their firm beliefs and spread them to others (turning new york into an obama state) or because being pro-obama is a clever marketing strategy and in new york is bound to be financially profitable. and if it's the latter, is it fair to take advantage of political leanings to make money?

what i've been doing

in 2d integrated studio i've made a number of digital value scales. these are my favorite. in the last two months i've learned to reproduce in adobe illustrator the things i doodle / draw in real life on paper. which is an accomplishment for me and my (former, but no longer) technological illiteracy. i'm fond of the fact that i can operate with material things and my keyboard and mouse as well.

laundry

losing socks in the dryer is not a myth

what you eat

i've discovered that having complete choice over what you eat is a surprising freedom and responsibility to yourself. i can choose to learn to cook or i can choose to make soup out of a can every night. the former still gives a sense of personal achievement despite its necessity now while the latter is instant gratification with an msg lashback. i can choose to snack or not snack, satisfy midnight cravings or not because now what my kitchen is stocked with falls completely in my hands. it's a strange power.

things critical reading and writing taught me

1. october 2 is gandhi's birthday
2. mole day is october 23 because of something to do with 10^23
3. pronouns are extremely resistant to change (as is America according to my prof)
4. the road to hell is paved with good intentions
5. and poverty is the parent of revolution and crime

what i learned

today (yesterday) i learned that having friends over is incredibly fun and exhilarating and busy and happy but intensely time consuming and energy draining. you would think that this would be fairly obvious but until you have two girlfriends over for four days and five nights and your boyfriend around for a full day you're not aware of how things build up.

i also learned that having black hair requires intense bleaching and multiple dying in order for color to appear properly. trying to defy your natural hair color is also time consuming.

a note from my art history teacher

"But writing as practice should be part of the tools of your trade, art, science etc. In other words, not only will you use writing in the greater world out there after you graduate and of course while you are still in school, but you will begin think differently about, let's say, how to make a painting, or shooting a photograph, or designing a collection. Conversely, writers absorb a myriad of material outside of the written word. Do you think that succesfull artists, designers etc are only involved with aspects of their profession??NOOOOO WAAAAAYYYY; inspiration comes from many fields of visual culture, literature, philosophy and so forth (even TV?). Your education, should never be approached singularly, i.e. like a trade or vocation, but expansive, encompassing, and thankfully, endless. There, I feel better now that (I've) plugged the importance of education.....(seriously)"

to be watched: burn after reading

basically about how something small snowballs into something huge and massive and uncontrollable. contains all star cast including george clooney and brad pitt with completely unique characters crafted and executed well. is hilarious, quirky, satirical and the perfect dark comedy and despite all the oscars is the more enjoyable cohen brothers film in comparison to no country for old men. odd similarity to the latter is the lack of a soundtrack and the fact that you only register that after the movie's over. extremely quotable. promotable to all except for young children.