lots of circling and gypsying and promenading and balancing and swinging and messing up :)
The problem with dancing is two things:
- a) you often need flexibility and coordination. The need for these two is pretty minimal in contra dancing.
- b) sometimes with partnering there is the awkward sexual tension ect. but here there was so much jumping around and switching partners that its all just like...fun and friendly and awesome.
so it's the perfect dance.
Also went to a lecture by Robert Bernasconi called "Race, Slavery, and the Philosophers of the Enlightenment". It was really interesting, and also he's British.
But at the same time it's one of those lectures that left me with a feeling of 'but i can't really DO anything' and it sucks, especially since so much of this started a while ago and hasn't really broken down.
After having two days in a row with all my classes canceled, Thursday was definitely a rush. It was my 2nd printmaking class, my third creative non-fic. class, and first chamber singing rehearsal. I chose classes this semester partially based on who teaches them (ratemyprofessors.com =savior) & moderation requirements. That seems to work.
(Rembrandt, Prodigal Son)
Printmaking: it has a lot of steps. right now we are using zinc plates, covering them with grounds, etching that, and then putting them in the acid bath for 20-30 min. We have to have two prints and the first proof for next class. I was really worried at first, and I thought my etch was really bad ect. But first off, other kids are either seriously behind or their etchings aren't waaaay better, and 2nd, I think mine would look rally nice as an illustration in a childrens book (about Toby, the cat). My teacher is Andrew Mockler, who is a professor at Hunter College and comes down to us by train. I like him, I he mostly just shows us the steps, makes little witty/sarcastic jokes, and then tells us what he expects to have done for next class. Which leaves a lot of flexibility in terms of what to do, and I'm having fun studying a new medium, figuring out its strengths.
I'm just really excited to be doing something more serious than doodling in my sketchbook.
Creative Non-Fiction: Celia Bland has a presence. She has a specific..almost airy way of speaking that keeps the class hushed and attentive as we go over the techniques and effects of the hw readings. We do a lot of free writing, and are supposed to do that every day at the same time (which I have yet to start, unfortunately). The only assignment we've handed in so far was to write a discription of a place without our own presence in it, 3 pages. And then we put ourselves back in later. It was much harder than it sounds, and also very satisfying. I've never been challenged with creative writing before, in highschool those assignments were just easy A's.
Fysem: Megan Callaghan is a much much much better teacher than Varity Smith, partially because probably most anyone is (anyone that doesn't disrupt the flow of their own class by interpreting students to go off on tangents about how Inferno is like the LoTR). We have some...chatty people in the class, but she has a handle on them, and I like the way she has organized the readings/lead discussions so far. She teaches anthro., which I figured would work for the books we are reading this semester (started with Pascal's "Pensées", and now doing Rousseau's "Political Writings")
Health Psych: Is a normal class-class, and by far my largest one. One of our books is "Why Zebra's Don't Get Ulcers". It's funny. And Sarah Katey is much more into the subject than Frank Scalzo was for Intro. (sh's another non-Bard professor, Stony Brooke).The fact that she's done both social/behavioral psych as well as neuro makes her that much cooler.
Chamber Singing: I was so nervous for this, and James Bagwell doesn't use his bard e-mail so I couldn't figure out how to get an audition. I came to rehearsal, sang with everyone (Brahms Requiem!), and he let me saying that he can tell I'm fine. Yay! The class is supposed to be 35, but its 42, I think in part because there are many Seniors and he's letting in Freshman so that there will be enough next year. We will be singing with Vassar and in NY, so I'm excited to have signed up to DO stuff. There are a lot of music and voice majors.
