Collaborative Final Project

I think Andrew and JD did a great (and very important) job by taking an immediate tour of the "guts" of the ceiling. Glad to see that there were not a whole lot of guts to be found. I think something that would make me feel a lot more comfortable about this process would be to make a timeline of when we plan on getting these tiles made and wired and how we plan to delegate the work. Personally, I think that this will turn in to a much more major construction project than what we are imagining right now. Without a plan, timeline and agreed upon work schedule this project could very well turn in to a mess. Tomorrow in class I would like to brainstorm and come up with a timeline that I think should accompany our proposal. I would be more than happy to put this timeline together once we collectively agree on a plan of action.

As a side note, I think it would be wise for everyone to take a look at Andrew's sketch over the photograph denoting the task lighting and accent lighting. I think this is the most effective and doable amount of work for us to complete together within the given time frame. I hate to be the group downer/pessimist but I honestly think that replacing the ceiling in its entirely in one month, wiring, and programming it on top of all of our loaded and different class schedules will end in disaster. We might want to consider this drawing as an option for how to approach the project. I think that it makes the most sense.

Not much to do with the midwest but....

Here is my animation final that I have been working on for awhile. I felt like i needed to post it on here after working on it for so long....enjoy.

Chain Restaurants

I have impulsively purchased a ticket to Los Angeles and am leaving next Tuesday and will be traveling around the southern California coastline for a week. After buying the ticket, my roommate and I were joking about how we will survive since we are practically broke, and we sarcastically decided that In N Out burger sounded like the best way feed ourselves. I began to think about fast food restaurants and their similarities and how certain ones can only be found in certain locations. The Midwest, like most of America, has a plethora of fast food. So, here are a couple restaurants that I can think of that are similar but are generally located in different regions of the U.S.

Taco Bell (Everywhere), Del Taco (West)
Hardees (Everywhere), Carl's Junior (West/South)
White Castle (Everywhere), Crystal Burger (South)
In N out Burger (West)
Jack in the Box (West)… The list goes on and on.

In conjunction with similar fast food restaurants, here is a clip from the opening of super size me, a documentary on Fast Food. Maybe trying to survive on fast food for a week isn't the greatest idea...you should check out the whole thing if you haven't seen it already. You probably will never want to eat McDonald's again, i quit eating it for six months along with most fast foods after I watched it.

Random Side Note

Just in case you are on your computer a lot and have not found a free radio station or music source that fits what you are looking for, my friend recommended this to me today. It runs really smoothly and works a lot like lastfm, but it fit my style a little better. Give it a try if you want to

Pandora Radio

Baby Animals: Why do people think they are just "Sooooo Cute!"

This is a topic I plan to research more, but nonetheless I find this topic to be great for discussion. Why do most people think baby animals are so cute? What separates the infant from the adults, and cute species from "ugly" once...Why do some people coo over baby rabbits and gag when they see a baby snake? I found an interesting article talking about certain parts of this question. I always find it odd when I wake up in the morning and my dog Lucy is sleeping next to me and I think to myself, wow there is an animal in my bed. Why do humans allow and deny certain animals love and appreciation?

http://hubpages.com/hub/BabyAnimals

Slow Down

Sometimes I wish that I could just slow life down for a single second. I know this blog looks like it's intent is to completely bash the Midwest, but lately I have felt compelled to talk about a few positive things concerning the lifestyle that I live here. One of the things that I do like about the Midwest is that life is seemingly slower (most of the time). In Ohio (specifically in my hometown of Lima) sometimes it seems life time moves at a glacial pace, and for once in my life, i miss that slowness. I have been so busy this quarter (in a good way, by that I mean with completing artwork), but the one thing that this area reminds me to do, is to slow down for just a second. Enjoy the snow, enjoy the air, the farms summer, and so many other things. I think that the big city life elsewhere find's those things to be less important than paper pushing...but the one thing I do like about it here, is that it seems most people take the time to take a few seconds to just really enjoy their life and what surrounds them.

Linguistic Characteristics- “My Dad Bought Me a Bagel In A Black Bag”

I am sure that many of you (well, I’m not sure that I can say I have a readership of too many people) are all from different parts of the Midwest or elsewhere. I want to talk about speech and accents. From a young age I always thought that my cousin’s had a strange ‘twang’ if you will, to their speech. They only lived an hour north of my hometown in Toledo. Not really a large enough distance to really signify major lingual difference, or so I thought. Since beginning college, I have realized that most northern Ohioans have a different accent than myself (and there is nothing wrong with that), and quite frankly I find it fascinating. Everyone asks me if I am from the South, or if I grew up on a farm, and while spending three years here in Columbus, I understand what they mean. Often times when I go home to visit my parents, I realize how crude our English can be…most of my friends tell me that I talk like a hillbilly. I think its funny, because I think they sound like they are from up north. When I lived in the dorms, we used to play this game to try to guess where people were from. The person in question had to say “My dad bought me a bagel in a black bag” and by the way they said their A’s determined whether or not they were from northern Ohio--- and if they possessed what my hometown friends and I like to call “The Cleveland Accent” When I pronounce my A’s, they are very flat, but when people from other northern parts say their A’s, they come out with a nasal sound. At any rate, I thought that it was interesting on Wikipedia (not the greatest source of info) that someone had discussed the lingual differences in Midwesterners:




Wikipedia: Linguistic characteristics
Main articles: Inland Northern American English, North Central American English, and Yooper dialect
The accents of the region are generally distinct from those of the South and many urban areas of the American Northeast. The accent of most of the Midwest is considered by many to be "standard" American English. This accent is preferred by many national radio and television broadcasters, who go so far as to actually have potential broadcasters receive training in speaking "Midwestern."[citation needed]
This may have started because many prominent broadcast personalities — such as Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Tom Brokaw, John Madden and Casey Kasem — came from this region and so created this perception. More recently, a National Geographic magazine article (Nov. 1998) attributed the high number of telemarketing firms in Omaha, Nebraska due to the "neutral accents" of the area's inhabitants.
However, many Midwestern cities are now undergoing the Northern Cities Shift away from the standard accent.
In some regions, particularly the farther north into the Upper Midwest one goes, a definite accent is detectable, usually reflecting the heritage of the area. For example, Minnesota, western Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula have strong Scandinavian accents, which intensify the farther north one goes. Michigan accents closely resemble Canadian ones across the border. Many parts of western Michigan have noticeable Dutch-flavored accent.
Also, residents of Chicago are recognized to have their own distinctive nasal accent (the Chicago bark), with a similar accent occurring in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Northern Indiana, Cleveland, and Western New York State. Arguably, this may have been derived from heavy Irish, German, Polish, and Eastern European influences in the Great Lakes Region. The most southern parts of the Midwest, generally south of U.S. Route 50, show distinctly southern speech patterns.

My Final Piece in My Series "Possible Prosthesis"

Escaping The Midwest To My Favorite Cities

Being a poor college student, and an artist no less, I am broke. Escaping the harsh Midwestern Winter is no easy task. Spring break is coming up, and I wanted to share with you the places that I enjoy to escape the monotony of the Midwest and why I love them so much. Don't get me wrong , the Midwest has some great cities, but sometimes its nice to break away from the mold from which you were made, and escape your home, even if its just for a couple days. I love to travel, even if its just to another city for an hour in Ohio, nothing makes me happier than to just pack up and experience the beauty and possibilities that come with exploring a new place.

#1. San Francisco

I find San Francisco to be the most beautiful city that I have ever visited. Its such a wonderful break for tired Midwestern eyes. Quite frankly, I am in love with California, and have traveled to about ten different cities there, but I find this one to be the most inspiring. San Francisco has the edge that I am looking for. Laid back, great art scene, beautiful scenery, diversity, and it rains there (i love the rain too, and some parts of SO Cal don't see too much of it)...I find it to just be a great place to get away. San Francisco is so eclectic. I might be heading there in two weeks for Spring Break! I was just there in September. My friend and I drove up the California coast from San Diego, slept in the car on the first night at the old army base in a parking lot and woke up to the golden gate bridge hanging over our heads. It was so great, we spent the rest of the week walking the city and sleeping in a hostel. One of the greatest vacations of my life.

#2. New York City

I love the excitement of a large city, and talk about diversity, New York has it all. If you love to feel alive, and experience a city that literally never sleeps, you must visit. I would say that New York is a city that everyone should try (if it is possible) to visit at least once in their lifetime. Just a really incredible place to experience and so rich in history. Great museums, great everything.

#3. Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach, home of Bike Week, many Mtv's Spring Break (used to be), and one of the few public beaches that you can drive your car on. Now for all of you environmentalists, I know driving a car on the beach isn't the most environmentally friendly thing, but this beach is actually pretty clean and well patrolled. Daytona is just a relaxing place to get away. I think I have been here about 5 times. Some of my family resides here. Its not a huge city, and it doesn't have ton's of exciting things to do, which makes it a great place to just relax.



If you don't want to travel a huge distance to escape your home town/wherever you are in the Midwest, try visiting some interesting Midwestern cities. Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati to name a few are all great places to see located right here in the Midwest.

All images from this post are from http://www.sxc.hu/

Final Project Mode

I have to admit, I feel a little lazy posting my artwork, however I feel like it fits the topics at hand. I am definitely in final project mode with this being the last week of the quarter for me. By next week I will have a fully developed series on what I like to call my " Possible Prosthesis: A Land of Broken Bones" in which I have created several prototypes for farm animal prosthetics. The horse leg prosthetics I feel are the most realistic. I know a limited amount of prosthetic parts for horses are available, but I think that more are necessary. Because so many race horses have to be put down for injury, I am hoping that in the future prosthetics could be a solution to what I see is a problem. Enjoy.

Cow Utter Model

I am very 'project focused' right now with it being the last week of the quarter. I will have more on the Midwest soon, but until then, I hope you enjoy my artwork. I will have the specs on these pieces up soon.

Pig's Foot Model

Sorry it took so long to upload this model. I will be finished with them in their environment attached to the pig by the end of this week. Enjoy.

New Work

After spending the entire weekend trying to face a piece, that I feel I was convinced into creating, I decided not to do it, and continue working in the way that I have felt to be the most rewarding for myself. I had proposed a project for an independent study class, and when the time came to create the work, it seemed like people had talked me into something I did not want to do. So here is my latest animal piece. You have to look really closely at this one. Pig's feet to come later today.

A Random Discussion of Fear

1. TORNADOES

2. SCORPIONS

3. SHARKS

Fear. What is it, what causes it? Fear is defined online as “ a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.” This definition fits well for what I consider a fear. As far as how they are generated throughout our life, I guess through different experiences. I am going to tell you a story about my three biggest fears. In order they are: Tornadoes, Scorpions, and Sharks.

1. I think my fear of tornadoes comes from living in Ohio, where in the summer time, they are pretty frequent all around the state and all across the Midwest. Nothing scares me more than the idea of a giant funnel coming out of the sky, destroying my home and possibly quite literally sucking my life away. The movie Twister did not help me get over this. Ever since I was little I have hated thunderstorms for the sheer fact that I feel like every time the sky turns black, I am going to get sucked into oblivion by a funnel. Two summers ago, while working for a paper, I had to go storm chasing, and while standing in the middle of a cornfield facing my greatest fear, the clouds began to spin, and here one came…the funnel made it about half way down through the sky, and instantly sucked itself back up. I have to admit I have never felt so small and insignificant as I did then. What scares me the most about tornadoes is our complete inability to stop them. I have recurring dreams of Tornadoes all of the time. I feel like half of the people I have ever met either love or hate storms. I put myself in the latter category.

2. Scorpions. The movie “Hook” with Robin Williams (honestly one of my favorites) has a scene where hook feels that someone has betrayed him, so he throws the man in what is known as “The Boo Box.” If you aren’t familiar with the film, it is a casket like box filled with poisonous scorpions. I am now terrified of the small creatures. If you actually look at one, they are really quite beautiful little creatures, but that is as far as I will go, and even looking at them makes me squeamish. Let it be known that I am not a girl who is afraid of bugs/small creatures; in fact I am working on a sound sculpture right now that incorporates live Madagascar hissing cockroaches. I don’t have much to say on the matter other than I would prefer to not live somewhere where they are in abundance.

3. My final fear. Sharks. This fear has nothing to do with Jaws II, III, or I. This is the one fear that I have no idea where it stems from. But I’m not big on the ocean to begin with. The sand gets in your teeth, if you lay in it, its all over everything, and the unknowns of the ocean just make me not what to venture in it to find what has not been found yet. I think that is why sharks are on my top three lists of things that I am afraid of. Don’t get me wrong, I have been to the Ocean, and I love it, but I don’t like to interact with it. I love walking the beach, it’s relaxing, but lurking around in the waters of the ocean is the farthest thing from relaxing that I can think of.


What are your fears? Are they physical things, or emotional, or situational? I know many people fear things like death (or things that lead to death, which most of mine are), or are they more like the fear of embarrassment, failure etc…I know this was more of a discussion rather than a story, but it has been on my mind all weekend. Until next time

Pickled Pigs Feet

How many of you out there have had the joy of consuming a pickled pigs foot? (I use the term 'joy' very sarcastically). In my high school health class five years ago, our instructor brought in various types of foods for an investigation on taste. All in all it was a really fun assignment, we tasted kumquats, caviar, tofu....etc. but when we got to the pickled pigs feet part, I was more than disgusted. Many people find them to be a great treat, and more power to those people. The reason I bring up this topic is because I am currently working on a pig's foot prosthetic in a conjunction of prosthetics that I have designed for farm animals that I will soon be compiling into a book. I will be posting the prosthetic soon. Just some food for thought that I thought could be interesting.

Pickled Pigs Feet

Midwestern Ranting/Defense

I love reading other people's opinions of the Midwest. Because it is such a vast region encompassing all walks of life and culture, it is interesting to compare the views of others with my own. What are yours?

Hating the Midwest

I'm beginning to notice a pattern in my own artwork, I mean I have made the choice of many of my photographic composite imagery to be black and white, but it very much reminds me of the way I feel about winter right now, and how i feel sometimes about living in the Midwest. Life for me seems to get 'cold' here, gray, boring, and sometimes static. But hey, its home.

WInter Blues (Winter Grays Really)

Well here we are in the midst of another typical Midwestern winter. The 'winter' weather always finds a way to somehow put a damper on one of my weekly plans, weather that be delaying my travel due to snow/ice or the rain showers that soaks me while walking to class, the Midwestern winter weather is usually not a treat. Don't get me wrong, I love the snow, I love to snowboard and its beautiful and a wonderful break from the green of spring and summer, but my problem with the weather here is its inconsistency. Last week we had freezing rain coating the streets and highways and yesterday it was 65 degrees and raining. Its enough to make you go crazy. However, this winter, I must say we have been graced with an unusual amount of sunny skies in the month of January (in Columbus anyway). Its nice when it is cold but still sunny. A lot of people in my classes who are from out of state (mostly from the south or west coast) complain about getting seasonal depression here in the winter time. Its not unusual to not see the sun for weeks. I guess after 2o years I am used to it...but this week the gray skies have seemed to make my days just a little bit mundane.

I managed to have a few extra minutes the other night and caught an episode of Cash Cab on the Discovery Channel and was amazed that two people missed a question in which they had to identify a llama. I guess I am so conditioned to knowing of so many different types of farm animals from being a product of the rural Midwest that I didn't even consider it possible for other people to have never seen these creatures. 

A Good Forum Discussing Many Different Opinions of The Midwest

Here is a really great forum of different people responding to the topic "Why do so many people hate the Midwest?"


Why Do So Many People Hate The Midwest?