the bike came back (as did the internet)

Wednesday:

Nets down. Again. Writing now so that I don’t have to write later.

6am alarm for my only 8am class.

Ran into Bekka on the way to History of Laughter. She is in the class with me! Whooo. The class is full with a few waitlisted. Diana is in there. Gavin and Taryn as well. A guy named Marshall is in the class. He went to School of Visual Arts in New York. Really nice. There are a few MFA’s in the class. They mostly kept to themselves. There are about 25 people in the class.

Discussion went all over the place. Barry talked about how comedy is better than tragedy because comedy includes tragedy. The origin of the word laughter is unknown. It was also a sum up of his lecture from the day before. I listened but didn’t take notes. I learned in 10th grade that if I focus on just writing what the teacher writes, I won’t learn anything.

I can’t wait to get into the discussions. First reading is some Freud. It’s an interesting crew. Next class I will sit next to Marshall. Well, I will sit on the side of the table facing the white board. And try to sit next to Marshall. Seems nice.

We used the whole class and off I went to 207 for History of Printmaking. Cherish, Daniel, Robin, Diana, Antonia, and Danielle are in that class. When Morgan entered, he declared the room unsuitable for class and went to claim 204 instead. We sat on the floor and had printmaking story time. We tried to narrow down a definition of printmaking. Talked about Durer and the Bible. Our first reading is Revelation. The syllabus he gave us is genius. Very minimal but very Morgan. The date that we take off for Thanksgiving is simply listed as, “Bird”. There is one big project for the class and we also have to read two books. Any two. I was thinking Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch for one.

Lunch came and we were told not to return after it. Diana and I went to Laughing Planet. Mmm burrito. We sat on the roof of the building (there is a dining area up there). Very warm. I picked up my TBA tickets and we walked back.

I was very sweaty upon my return and took a second shower and relaxed. I got my mail and my package. After that I wheeled my poor bike to Bike Gallery. The tire deflated not 6 blocks out the door. The tube fix and brake pads came up cheaper than I expected. Occasional repairs > constant gas money. I now have my precious bike! I have to attach my brake pads myself but I’m sure I can do it. The tube was a bit beyond my comprehension.

Now I get to sleep in 30 minutes more and go to Trader Joe’s.

Katie and I made a Safeway run. Halfway through I experienced a sharp pain in my stomach. Very sudden and very much ouch. In 10 minutes the pain was gone but it sure did suck. Bought a pile of Granny Smith and some bagels and some crème cheese spread. Emergen-C is on the Trader Joe’s list.

I haven’t been productive these nights. I have a four day weekend so I’ll be productive then. Friday and Saturday I have TBA shows but Sunday and Monday I have nothing. Lots of reading to be done!

Thursday:

Night two of no Internet. You would think that they could figure a way to resolve this within twenty four hours. Booo!

Final class of the week is Illustration. It’s the biggie. It is why I am here.

Danny, Kristen, Madeline, Sonoma, and Chase are in my class. And about 5 others with names I can’t recall. It’s a cozy little size.

Martin talked about the market and his experiences and how hard you should work yourself (the hardest possible). He asked us about the first images that inspired us and if we had any initial questions. We broke for an early lunch. I sat the commons and waited for Mel (I am loaning her my History of Design texts). Kristen joined me, as did Katie for a bit. Later Madeline came and Katie went. We girls talked about hair.

The last half of class was a character assignment. There was a list of archetypes and we had to select one and create a portrait of a character taking the archetype in a new way. I made a triad formed by a prophet, her twin brother the messenger, and a warrior who protects them (who is a lady). The initial designs I liked, but the final wasn’t to be desired. I didn’t have my good ink or my good brushes. Only my crummy ink and my gunked up brush. Still, I finished it before 5pm.

Bryan gave me his TBA pass and I gave it to Kristen to give to Natalie. Nats will get whatever she wants to see, and I will use what is left. I’m pretty fine with the five shows I have picked out.

Went to Trader Joe’s. The kitchen and cupbards seem to be finally rounded out with enough food to last me a decent while. Hurrah!

Made myself some udon with two eggs. Later had a banana dipped in chocolate. Mmm. Watched Shallow Grave. Definitley not the movie I thought it was. The apartment is a good piece of set design.