Micro Project 4

For my Identity and Sound Micro-Project I decided to capture the sounds of my apartment, I choose this because my tiny little apartment is my place of relaxation, it is home. Last year while living in the dorms I felt like that was “home” for the time being but I knew I always had my childhood home to go back if I was feeling homesick, but after my family moved this past summer this apartment has an added feeling of home to this apartment. To capture the sound I sat on the couch in my living room, I choose this specific spot because a vast majority of my waking hours are spent on this couch. In typical college student fashion I eat most of my meals, do most of my homework, and spend most of my free time on the couch. I know this probably makes me seem lazy, but it is the truth. While record I knew I wanted to have SportsCenter playing in the background. Between my roommates and myself I am guessing SportsCenter is on our TV at least 4 hours a day. In the background you can hear one of my roommates doing the dishes as well as the air conditioner kicking on.  I think that our air conditioner is one of the world’s loudest and runs almost constantly.   I would say the sound of the loud air conditioner is the one sound that I identify more than any other with my apartment.

Micro Project 4 

Cathedral

I enjoyed reading this story because it was pretty light in content. There was nothing too complex about what it was trying to get the reader. I think that the author simply was trying to teach the reader not to fear the unknown. In the start of the story it was almost funny how fearful the husband was of a man simply because he was blind man, it was almost as if he thought he could catch Robert’s blindness.  I also wonder if the husband felt challenged by Robert, like maybe Robert was here to steal his wife or something. Another interesting was how alcohol and drugs were able to connect the group; it was almost as if they were at a college party or something. Soberly the situation was kind of awkward but after drinking and smoking they seemed like old friends.

The one question I had throughout most of reading this story was when is this story was taking place? After the first page I figured it might have been pre 1950 because the husband was so uncomfortable with a blind man coming to stay with them. After reading more I figured it has to be sometime during the 1960s because I know that color TV’s came out when my dad was a kid. Realizing that that this story was supposed to take place more recently than I first thought made it even more shocking how much the husband feared Robert for being blind. I would have thought there would be more tolerance than that in the 60s.

This is Water

This article gave a very interesting perspective on the on what it means to liberal arts education, the idea of teaching students how to think had never really made sense to me. As Wallace said in the beginning I had always thought that I knew how to think. I always thought I had always earned pretty good grades and was accepted into a competitive college therefore I must be able to think. Later when he talks about how to think being a way of actually saying to control how you think or what you think about made a lot more sense to me. If this is the true meaning of a liberal arts education I think I could really benefit from one. I always suffer from a wandering mind; I can never stay on a single train of thought for more than a couple of minutes before my mind is somewhere else.

Most of the article made sense to me up until the last couple sentences where the author says “This is Water” twice. I understand that he is trying to close with a statement that ties into his parable from the first sentence but I am confused about what it means.  I think he is trying to say “life is what it is and is,” or it is what you make of it. This is how I translated the ending but I am not sure that I am on the right track with that way of thinking.

Micro Project 3

In ancient Egypt the people created pyramids to protect and honor past pharaohs, gods, and treasures (all things that are important to the people). I chose to set up my items in the shape of a pyramid because each of the objects that make up the pyramid has value to me.

My Keys-             I chose my keys to set atop my pyramid because it is the one thing I cannot leave to go to class without. In a literal sense the keys are my way to lock up and protect my property when I cannot be there to physically guard it. On a more personal level I have always thought that keys represent responsibility, therefore more keys means more responsibility.

                                Responsibility

Stick of Gum-     Compared to the rest of the stuff on my pyramid the stick of gum may seem pretty unimportant to most, however what makes it important to me is not its monetary value. I always carry around a pack of gum because chewing gum is one thing that helps get me through my classes. Something about chewing gum helps keep me relax and able to stay on focus on the subject at hand during class.

                                Attention

My Iphone-        Just like most of my peers I am completely lost without my phone, the immediate access to family and friends as well as information makes the Iphone an invaluable tool that I could not live without. It is really weird to think about how attached I am not an inanimate object but it is honestly something that I can say shapes my daily life

                                Knowledge and Power

Locker Lock-       I use my lock almost every day at the Rpac or other recreation facility here on campus. This lock allows me piece of mind knowing that things like my laptop, phone, shoes, and clothes are all safe while I am working out.

                                Peace of Mind

G-Shock-             My G-Shock watch is important to me because it is a tool I use daily to fight one of my biggest personal downfalls. I am one of those people who are always unintentionally late to almost everything. I find this embarrassing and I know it is a problem that must be corrected before I enter into the professional world. My watch has vastly improved my sense of time and has helped me become more responsible.

                                Professional Behavior

Wallet-                 A man has a very personal relationship with his wallet. For me my wallet is a security blanket when all else fails. As cliché as it sounds money can buy anything I truly believe that. Having money with me makes me feel safer, while obviously I don’t have the money in my wallet to pay off a would be kidnapper (unlikely), I would be able to use its contents should smaller issues arise such as paying a cab if I get stranded or buying a sandwich if I am hungry.

                                Security

BuckeyeID-         This final possession for this pyramid is my BuckeyeID. In one sense it gives me access to some of the perks of being and OSU student such as Rpac access, free Cota rides, and Athletic Event Access. In another sense if you think about how many years of work it takes to make it to the college level it is mind boggling. My BuckeyeID is a way of validating to the world that I have put in the work and able to call myself an Ohio State Student.

                                Proof