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

Annie Leibovitz Exhibit

Going to the Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the Wexner Center was a truly interesting experience. This was the first time that I had experienced a gallery that was more than a single roomed shop with a few dozen pieces in it. It was a funny experience because I felt out of my element in the gallery. Even though it was on a college campus I thought the show had the feel of a New York gallery….or at least my best guess of what a New York gallery was like. At first I was overwhelmed by the amount of photographs that were on display, after I was able to get past the sheer volume of work I started to recognize some of the photographs, especially the photos of famous actors and athletes. For some reason I really liked the pictures of Arnold Shawrtzeneger, I found it interesting to see how he had transformed of the course of 15 to 20 years. I was shocked to see how long of a span of time the pictures in the gallery covered; the earliest I remembered seeing was 1968 or ’69 all the way through 2008. If I had to describe all of Annie Leibovitz photographs in one word it would be timeless, I say this because I really had trouble distinguishing when the pictures were taken. Most of them seemed like they could have been taken anytime in that 40 year span of her career. It is clear that Annie Leibovitiz has covered some of the biggest stories in the last half century.

On a side note after reading Nipple Jesus I was just as cued into the people at the exhibit as I was to the featured artwork. Unfortunately, I went on a weekday afternoon so most of the people viewing the pieces were other students such as myself sent to observe for some sort of assignment. I think it would be interesting to go back at a time when there would be more experienced gallery goers to observe.

Kaprow

Honestly I can’t say I gained a lot from this piece of writing. The one sentence that I found interesting or insightful from this piece was the line where they said that an artist who focuses on making lifelike art is not actually making art at all. I thought that this was interesting because a lot of things we would consider traditional art would actually not count as art by this definition. For example in many photographs the photographer is trying to capture the moment in its most pure state. I would consider that to be art but from my interpretation of what the author is saying I don’t think that they would consider it to be art.

After reading it a couple of times I cannot say that I completely understand what the author is trying to teach the reader about what qualifies as art, I know they are saying that their work has always been right on the fringes of what many consider to be art. I think if they consider  every human activity could be considered an art form, which in a way makes sense if each activity is a form of expression I guess. Personally I don’t understand how watching yourself brush your teeth in the mirror is art, in any way, shape or form. For me to consider anything art, I believe that something has to take talent to perform. If everyone can do it well, it just is not art for me.

My Journey To Class

As I walked out of my apartment to go to class it was a perfect early autumn morning, nearly 70s without a cloud in the sky. Every morning my journey to campus starts with me unlocking my bike, and carrying it down a flight of stairs. The next picture I included was the picture of the homeless man looking for cans in the alley behind my apartment. While this is not something that I see on a daily basis I wanted to include it in the map because it stuck out to me. Having never lived near a big city before coming to campus, I am not used to seeing poverty like this up close and in person.  As I ride through the alley that the homeless man was in I usually smell trash because there are dumpsters every 50 ft. for the length of the alley. The next picture was taken while riding down Lane, at this point in my ride everything is usually a blur because I am so focused on keeping up with traffic and not getting hit by a car. During this period I am not usually to aware of what is going on to either side of the street. The next picture was taken as I turned off of Lane, I am not sure what street it is but I always take a left when I get to the JO North. The final picture was taken as I approached Ohio Stadium, my final destination. Once I get to the point in my ride that I can see the stadium I start to imagine the stadium on game day, on cue I can hear the band playing in my head. I thought this was interesting, but it does not surprise me that after watching Ohio State football for as long as I can remember, the stadium reminds me of game day.  To make my piece look more like a map then just clippings of random pictures I made a line from where I start my journey to where I arrive at class.