I don't know where to begin tonight.
Writing has always be an emotional outlet for me.
My thoughts spill out on paper, spiraling into the corners of...spaces untouched.
Art.
What would the visual art be without the written...without the words that allow us to feast upon it and devour its intention.
The pyramids, scalped with serpents, reminds me of dragons...or is there a scientific answer to their mastic creatures, Gods.
Maybe they were finding the great remains of dinosaurs and interpreting their remains.
My mind is so tired, spinning in circles about an essay exam I have tomorrow.
There is a fight inside me, pulling me in all directions.
Do I write...or do I continue to prepare until I've answered every possible question that might be asked, demanding my precise answer.
write...exam...write...exam
Its not a hard decision, but it is so sad to leave my writing and continue my preparation for tomorrows exam.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Mastering the Art of Being a Student
I know I'm not the only one who wasn't able to access the quiz tonight. Yet I felt concerned and frantic when I tried to log on and take the quiz and it wasn't available. We shall see what happens tomorrow. For those that did complete the quiz early and not wait until the last moment, I envy you. I'm normally really good at getting things done early, but I've been supper busy with my other 15 units, my daughter, my fiance, work and well life, that lately that I feel like I have been rushing to get everything done. I wonder if others feel the same way. For those that attend class on campus as well as online, what do you find easier? I graduate in the spring and by now I should have mastered the art of being a student, yet each semester I find a new challenge, a part of me that needs improvement, that needs to change in order to enhance my future.
Change for the Future!!!
Wow!
On election day I drove to a polling place near my apartment and dropped off my absentee ballot.
From 3:30 to 10:00 pm I was fixated to the news, flipping back and forth between different stations to hear what different commentators were saying. Most astonishing were the live feed comments from McCain supporters, announcing that we now have a terrorist in the white house. It is amazing what people will believe. Even if Obama is a Muslim, which there are no facts to support, Muslim does not equal terrorist. Since September 11, 2001 the media has projected this false image onto Americans that people from middle eastern decent should be feared. This is the same thing that happens in the past, with world war one and Japanese Americans being forced into containment camps. You would think that we would learn from our past as a nation and try not to regress, but America is still a young nation and it seems to need to be continually reminded through the same hard lessons before as a collective we demand change. Electing Obama, the first African-American Male to hold office as chief executive officer is a monumental notion of progress. African-Americans weren't secured the right to vote in all states in the United States until the 1960's movements demand for equality. I am both cautious and excited. I know Obama cannot undo all that havoc that has been strategically imposed on America in the four short years of a single term but I do believe he is a sign that people want change. I cried when Obama exceeded the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. It is now time for grass roots organizations to step up and push policy makers to create new legislation that serves the people. It is up to all Americans to fight for change, to fight for public policy, to fight for social welfare. I wasn't sure that I would live to see the day an African-American would take control of the white house, but I am forever grateful to have been a part of this historic moment. As the expectant mother of a bi-racial (white/African-American) child I am excited for the implications of the future.
On election day I drove to a polling place near my apartment and dropped off my absentee ballot.
From 3:30 to 10:00 pm I was fixated to the news, flipping back and forth between different stations to hear what different commentators were saying. Most astonishing were the live feed comments from McCain supporters, announcing that we now have a terrorist in the white house. It is amazing what people will believe. Even if Obama is a Muslim, which there are no facts to support, Muslim does not equal terrorist. Since September 11, 2001 the media has projected this false image onto Americans that people from middle eastern decent should be feared. This is the same thing that happens in the past, with world war one and Japanese Americans being forced into containment camps. You would think that we would learn from our past as a nation and try not to regress, but America is still a young nation and it seems to need to be continually reminded through the same hard lessons before as a collective we demand change. Electing Obama, the first African-American Male to hold office as chief executive officer is a monumental notion of progress. African-Americans weren't secured the right to vote in all states in the United States until the 1960's movements demand for equality. I am both cautious and excited. I know Obama cannot undo all that havoc that has been strategically imposed on America in the four short years of a single term but I do believe he is a sign that people want change. I cried when Obama exceeded the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. It is now time for grass roots organizations to step up and push policy makers to create new legislation that serves the people. It is up to all Americans to fight for change, to fight for public policy, to fight for social welfare. I wasn't sure that I would live to see the day an African-American would take control of the white house, but I am forever grateful to have been a part of this historic moment. As the expectant mother of a bi-racial (white/African-American) child I am excited for the implications of the future.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
past and future
November 1st was the first day of the priority filing date to apply for admissions at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I have spent this entire last week working the the grueling process of writing a personal statement that will make me stand out from all the other applicants and put me in the front running for scholarship consideration. As I wrote I was often brought to tears by the remembrance of the difficult and emotional experiences I have overcome. I began to reflect on the importance of our history. On the deep implications our past can have on our futures. I am often reminded at how far I have traveled when I have contact with old friends. In my mind I travel back through time and explore the memories of our interactions. Most of the individuals I grew up with are incarcerated in some form and those that aren't, those that still claim freedom, are trapped in the self oppressive life style of selling drugs and the government imposed condition of the "War on Drugs". Prior to begin my studies at WVC I spent an entire year in a women's correctional "rehabilitation" facility on a conviction for sales of crack cocaine. As a first generation college student, and the prospects of graduating becoming more of a reality each semester, I look forward to walking across the stage in May of '09 and accepting my Women's Studies, AA. I don't know how exactly I will feel in that moment, how Proud and excited I will be. I do know that I will be just one, one individual that was able to escape the cruel reality of poverty. I will be just one former foster child that made it into college and graduated.
Our history, even if dark and ugly like mine, has rich implications for future potential.
I'll let you all know if I get accepted into UCSC.
Our history, even if dark and ugly like mine, has rich implications for future potential.
I'll let you all know if I get accepted into UCSC.
Imagine
Each week I read, listen, and see (pictures, sculptures, architecture) of the many great wonders of Mesoamerica. I am in awe of the magnificence of the Teotihuacan site. The murals are just beautiful. The pyramids are amazing. The size of these massive structures and there implication of societal importance of beliefs and practice stands out to me. I would love to time travel and view the significance of these structures to the inhabitants of Teotihuacan. I can imagine standing at the top of the Sun Pyramid and peering out at the landscape. What is the claimant like? I imagine a tropical plush forest, rich soil, the sun standing over the massive city.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
embarking on the journey
This is my first online class. I've enrolled in others but always drop them. I really like reading other classmates blogs. It helps reunite the connection that we are all embarking on this journey of both historical understanding and the influence of art as a form of expression throughout time and it's implications on examining culture. I enjoy the insight provided by others which normally is lacking from online courses.
My favorite art form of art is photography (maybe that's because my dad was a professional photographer). I enjoy all the pictures in the text. It really helps make the subject come to life. The reading is a different story. I can never read the assigned reading just once. I feel like I miss so much the first time I go through it, it isn't until the second and sometimes third that I really start to paint an image in my mind.
My favorite art form of art is photography (maybe that's because my dad was a professional photographer). I enjoy all the pictures in the text. It really helps make the subject come to life. The reading is a different story. I can never read the assigned reading just once. I feel like I miss so much the first time I go through it, it isn't until the second and sometimes third that I really start to paint an image in my mind.
impressions of a five year old
When I went to the Frida's exhibit I brought along my mother-in-law and my five year old daughter. Aside from my own interest in Frida's work and perceptions I was amazed at the comments my five year old made. She was purely honest which is a quality that children posses until they are jaded by the intrusion of the worlds opinions. She was curious of the implications of death in Frida's paintings. She loved the animals, the birds and monkeys. On the way out of the exhibit we stoped and bought a kit which allows you to color Frida's paintings. My five year old has colored every picture and continues to ask for more. She is my little artist and I think that she was inspired by Frida's work. Even as such a young child she spends every waking moment we are at home drawling, painting, coloring, and writing. I wonder what she will decide to be when she grows up?
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