urban plunge

because classes started after labor day this year, student activities organized a series of community service options for students to participate in that monday (it's called urban plunge, kind of like the trash clean up i did last year with tara at the jones falls watershed.) i took a group to the bolton hill nursery school up the street. it was too cute inside. they wanted help with things like re-painting furniture and making bulletin boards (which i realized in retrospect was always my favorite thing about playing school when i was young: decorating the "classroom.") oh, to be five years old again. and to go to a school with bright yellow chairs.

edit: these posts are pretty delayed. but i figured i'd cheat and put them up anyway...

a day in d.c.

part of the mica orientation program is a day trip to d.c. tara and i went on this one last year, so tradition's sake we had to sign up for it again. it was so nice to get off campus. and neither one of us had any "need to see" things. we just took it slow. starbucks at union station. lounging on the mall. lunch at potbellies. perusing the national gallery gift shop. sticking our feet in the fountain at the sculpture garden. just lots of relaxing and soaking in the last bits of summer. felt so nice.

last time i was in d.c. i had my eye on this book titled "the accidental masterpiece: on the art of life and vice versa" by michael kimmelman. for whatever reason, i didn't grab it. but this time around i made sure to buy it. the concept is perfect, "that art provides us with clues about how to live our own lives more fully ... how creating, collecting, and even appreciating art can make living a daily masterpiece." sounds good to me. the book jacket goes on to say that "the accidental masterpiece encourages us to live life with eyes wide open, because the drive to live life more alertly is instinctive, and, whether you are an artist by trade or by desire, the art of seeing well is one that can be learned." and "you don't have to be an artist to experience art's truths and consolations because art is not just created, it is also discovered. kimmelman contends that art can be found almost anywhere and everywhere, if only our eyes are trained to see it." i'm looking forward to reading the rest.

edit: these posts are pretty delayed. but i figured i'd cheat and put them up anyway...

how an art school does orientation

a group shot of all of the orientation leaders post extreme bingo. (my green sequined thrift store dress ended up being perfect for the occasion.) this is one of those traditions that makes you realize mica is like no place else.

edit: these posts are pretty delayed. but i figured i'd cheat and put them up anyway...

exploring baltimore

"we live everything as it comes, without warning, like an actor going on cold." (from "the unbearable lightness of being." a book that is basically my life right now. thanks for that one, jackie.)

one of my focuses during orientation (besides answering any and all questions mica related and getting freshman to dance at freaky tiki) was working with a group of 3 other mica sophomores on redesigning the hour long "charm city slide show" presentation that essentially welcomes the new freshman class to baltimore. this was quite the undertaking, and we had been meeting and discussing our approach since last spring. summer email communication was fairly successful, but once ol training hit it was hard to get the time to take to reconvene and finalize things. which, realizing the magnitude of the message we set out to convey, made me nervous. i like improvising and tackling things as they come. but when it is something really important, i like knowing that it will happen without a hitch.

much of our message (actually all of it...) rested on andy's mad scientist map creation (something he was working on pretty much the entire school year.) what it really came down to was wanting to provide the freshman with a tool that would give them the resources to explore baltimore on their own. so instead of listing off ten random places to visit, we would break things up into categories and corresponding modes of transportation. this is something he is still working on, so you can imagine how much more can be done with it. it's huge. this is something that not only hasn't existed (especially in such an interactive form) at mica, but doesn't exist in baltimore, either. the focus now it to highlight locations that are essentially dubbed "mica student approved," but imagine if it becomes a resource for an entire city of residents...

here's the website: www.aneighborhoodcalledbaltimore.com/map

even if you are miles away in michigan and may never visit baltimore, check it out. make sure you mess around with all of its features (there are both transit and walking maps.) and if you happen to call baltimore your stomping grounds, don't hesitate to email andy, andymangold@gmail.com, with more places and addresses. (or to tell him how amazing his map is!)

edit: these posts are pretty delayed. but i figured i'd cheat and put them up anyway...

ride the ducks

a year long dream came true during orientation leader training the other day. i finally got to ride the ducks. and it was everything i had hoped for and more. captain al was such a treat. and i was a total tourist with my camera and duck bill "quacker."

edit: these posts are pretty delayed. but i figured i'd cheat and put them up anyway...