BikeSnobNYC is taking the week off

I read the BSNYC blog every weekday. He's funny, dark and anonymous. This week he's taking a "snobattical". There goes my week.

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Last week was the first week of classes and here is a report:

My Japanese class is every day and 4 of the 5 days it's taught in Japanese. Generally everybody leaves class staring at the ground. It's really difficult to tell the difference between syllables, and the language is so fast. Luckily, the instructors are incredibly nice and don't mind repetition. Repetition. If you wanted to eat the last bit of gristle on your coworker's plate at a company dinner, you might ask - Tabemasen ne?

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My design class is a rudimentary 3D design class. The projects seem fairly simple and aside from requiring a fair amount of time, they shouldn't be difficult. I can't help but think that the vocabulary is so much better at OCAC with regard to discussing art and critiquing anything at all. For example, somebody thought it would be nice to drop a pile of dog shit, I think it was dog shit, on the third floor sky bridge at school. Dogs don't wander up there. At PSU one might react to that pile of shit with the expression "eww, gross" and proceed to avoid stepping in it. At OCAC on the other hand, one would first examine the shit, then smell the shit, then walk all the way around the shit before saying something like " I find the smell and the form rather repugnant. The attraction value is nil, and while I find myself repulsed, I can't help but engage in an exploration of this shit's juxtaposition to the outside world. I want to understand, how shit is introduced to the third floor skybridge. Very engaging piece, to be sure." and then they would skip to class.

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Tuesdays and Thursdays are a bit longer for me. I have Art History. We're looking at Baroque art and the Rococo. This is all very boring for me. I know that it's important information, but there is a reason most people don't paint like that anymore. Louis XIV, however is very interesting. I'd like to know more about him. His use of art as propaganda is impressive. It impressed the French as well. After the 30 years war, though, I think they were happy to just be done fighting for a bit.

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My Welding/Casting class is a sure bet. That was what I thought until we got to class and the studio was under construction. It seemed pretty messed up, but Tif and I stopped in this weekend and they had accomplished quite a bit. I started modeling this weekend, which means that I might even finish my final by finals week. We'll cast bronze and aluminum. . .

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kinoo tukurimasita flash cards, so I had better stop blogging and start studying.

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