Glamor Shots

Back in January, I had purchased a Groupon for a professional photographer; I thought that a set of flattering, professional photographs would be an invaluable keepsake, and would provide a nice ego boost. I finally decided to cash it in this September. I scheduled a one-hour shoot, got my friend Haley (a professional makeup artist who works for film and TV) to do my makeup, and made other preparations for the one-hour shoot.

The shoot was scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Barnsdall Art Park, on Saturday, September 17th. I thought Barnsdall would be a great location, since it was close to my apartment, and had a variety of different areas which could serve as backdrops for photos. At first, the photography company wasn't certain that they could take photographs there, and suggested some alternative locations. Happily, things worked out, and I was able to shoot at Barnsdall after all.

Haley came to my apartment about an hour and a half before the shoot to apply the makeup, which ended up looking very nice in a natural way, and, importantly, photographed well. After picking up a few "costume changes," Haley (who would be there to touch-up my makeup when necessary) and I headed to the park.

Once I had gotten to the meeting place at Barnsdall, I noticed that people were beginning to set up for a Thai festival. I briefly worried that the booths could interfere with the photos, but, fortunately, it didn't create any problems. We were even able to take advantage of the hammocks that had been set up.

The photographer and his assistant (who held up screens to reflect or diffuse the light, and intermittently gave me suggestions) appeared on schedule, introduced themselves, and started taking photos.

During the hour, we wandered through the grounds in search of locations which were interesting, but not too distracting. Once we found a setting, the photographer worked at capturing a bunch of different poses and expressions.

After the hour was over, the photographer told me that he would be sending a CD with the 100 best pictures and that I could chose 20 to be retouched in Photoshop. I have the CD, but I'm still debating about which photos I would like to have cleaned up.

I had a fun time, and I'm very glad that I went ahead and had these pictures taken. There are several that I am quite fond of, and it'll be wonderful to keep these photos around and share them with friends and family.

Flight from Amsterdam to Copenhagen

So, after a somewhat difficult airport security experience, I made it onto my flight.

On Thursday, I started by going over to the Amsterdam History Museum, which was not yet open. I then headed down to the nearby Begijnhoff, which contained the sole remaining wooden house in the city (the rest had burned down in a fire), and the "English Church," where the Pilgrims worshiped before heading off to America.

Afterwards, I headed to the Leidseplein looking to get on a semi-secret boat tour (Guild of St. Nicholas) that had been recommended by one of the hosts at my Bed & Breakfast. One had to arrive in-person in otder to make reservations, and the tour reservations were operated through the Boom Chicago comedy club, which had not opened yet.

So, I went down to the Van Gogh museum to finish my visit (fortunately, I was able to complete the audiotour without repurchasing it). The museum was noticeably more crowded than it had been on Wednesday, when I arrived shortly before closing time, so I'm glad I was able to make it out on Wednesday, In addition to the Van Goghs, which I had mostly been able to see on the previous day, I was able to see works by Van Gogh's contemporaries (which were in the permanent collection) and a temporary exhibition of posters and other artworks about Montmartre).

A String of Random and Disorganized Observations

Today has been another lazy day. I managed too get a little done, but it wasn't really much compared to the things I need to do. My weekend will not be a fun one.

For whatever bizarre reason, I've been in the mood to listen to all of the old CDs from the 'Broadway phase' I was in a few years back. Heh, I never says I was a normal person, did I?

My muscles have been sore from yesterday's fencing class. And it's not just the usual leg muscles, but also the stomach muscles. In fact, my stomach muscles hurt more than any others.

I've started editing page 3 of my comic, but I have 23 pages drawn out. The last few pages have gotten somewhat complex. I just hope I'll be able to complete this 'epic'.

Laziness

I've been more lax with this journal than usual; to be honest, I haven't been able to concentrate on a lot that I usually work on. I don't think it's depression, really. I just have been letting my mind wander, and it's hard to reign myself in when I'm being capricious. I have over twenty pages of my "Castle Sturmundrang" comic drawn, but I have to actually play with them all in Photoshop. Since it's more complicated than the island series, I worry that I'll never get around to doing the more tedious work that is necessary. And, of course, there's the actual schoolwork I have to do. I'll hopefully be able to get a bit more self control this weekend, but I've spent the bulk of the week just daydreaming and listening to music. Bad me.

The Saga Continues

Of course, on the day that Thursday class wasn't held, I got up bright and early. How typical.

Anyway, after wasting my time, I headed to the Barnes and Noble and Acme (yes, there are Acme supermarkets here, but they don't sell anvils) to get a 'bedtime story' book for tomorrow night's hell week tradition and some alcohol for trials (seniors were requested to bring some). I got 'Make Way For Ducklings' as a nod to the Saturday duck pond run. On the way, I bumped into the infamous 'Barnes and Noble Guy', who was working at the counters. Here's the BANG (don't you adore acronyms?) story... I used to go to Barnes and Noble a lot during my freshman year, but this guy who worked there kept on following me, and asking if I needed help or about the books I was looking at. Needless to say, I learned to take the longer walk to Borders eventually, and didn't see him after my sophomore year (on Halloween, appropriately enough). I figured that he eventually found a job somewhere else. Well, I bumped into him today, and he observed that I hadn't been around lately and asked whether I was a student. I tried to be polite, but it was a weird, uncomfortable situation. Heh, poor guy.

I then went to the Acme; however, I learned something about Pennsylvania state law that day. Apparently, they only allow liquor stores to sell alcohol. I guess my lack of knowledge just goes to show what a party animal I am. I didn't have the time to get the alcohol, so I just decided to let it be. I rushed back to my fencing class. Because of Hell Week, the frosh were dressed in different outfits according to their 'home dorms' (such as the Denbigh Debutantes, the Rhodes Rodents, the Rockefeller Rock Stars, and, most famously, the Pembroke East 'whore corps' - the legend is that the dorm used to be a brothel or that the women living there, uh, sold themselves to get money for the war effort). During class, one of the girls had to say a Three Musketeers line whenever the teacher uttered the word 'fencing'; she learned to spell it out pretty quickly.

Doing Work

I had another late start today, but I managed to pick up my film, finish my reading, and do some work on my math project.

I got a gift basket from home today. It's nice that they think of me, but half of the things in the baskets are things I don't eat and end up giving away anyways. And it's kind of funny that my mom will harp on my weight and then give me a basket with lots of food in it. Ah, hypocrisy...

Most of the Rosencrantz... photos didn't come out very well, but I have enough good shots to work with. Shooting photos of productions is difficult, since there's limited light and a lot of action, and it's not really appropriate to use flash. Even though I was using relatively high speed 800 film, it's difficult to take good pictures. On the bright side, the photos of the production I was in came out well; they were taken after the production and were posed, plus there was more light.

It was difficult for me to get down to doing my reading at first. I sometimes have trouble finding a good place, where I won't be distracted or uncomfortable. My room's a bad place to study, since I often get tempted to use the computer or rest. Libraries aren't always the best place to study either. Dorm lounges and the space immediately outside my room are better, but there's the noise problem.

Anyway, after finishing with my reading, I did some math project work... the bulk of which consisted of counting lots and lots of little blue squares. I'd be hard pressed to think of something that could be more of a threat to one's sanity.

I was also able to order the plane tickets for my Seattle trip this evening. I can't wait until school's out!

Chilly Sundays

I started late again this morning. Oh well.

This afternoon, I walked to the local pharmacy to develop the rolls of film I had used the other night. I was hoping to spend the hour it took to do some reading in a nearby coffee shop. However, they were running late, and the photos wouldn't be ready until 5 o'clock. I went to the coffee shop for a little reading, but I wasn't about to stay until five, and the weather's starting to get cold, so I didn't want to walk all the way back later. I'll get the film tomorrow.

After getting back and doing a little slacking, I did some more reading. Once I finish this book, I'll be done with all the reading for the semester, which is a relief but a bit scary as well. I can't believe that I only have two weeks before I go back to California.

Stark Raving Sane

Last night, as I was about to turn off the computer and go to bed, I got a call from my sister. She was a little down and in need of reassurance, and her friends at school didn't cut it. We joked around, and she seemed a bit happier when we ended the conversation. I ended up getting to bed really late, though.

Unsurprisingly, I woke up rather late the next morning. Once I had finished with my usual procrastination routines, I did some work on my Chaos project. I worked on the poster, which contains 5 iterations of a Koch Snowflake. So I basically spent the bulk of my day drawing lots and lots of tiny triangles.

This evening, I went to take Yearbook photographs of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. It was pretty good, especially for a student production. More importantly, at least for my purposes, I was able to get nearly three rolls of pictures, so I should have at least a few good shots to use for the Yearbook.

After I got back, I called my sister (she had asked me to call back last night). Unfortunately, we didn't get much of a chance to talk, since she was about to meet a friend for a movie.

Meetings

I put off my homework until the last minute again; luckily it was easy enough that I could finish it fairly quickly. I then went to class and lunch, after which I relaxed a bit. At around 3, I met with the Yearbook editors and turned in some pictures. One of the editors liked some computer graphics stuff that I did for the book last year, so she asked me to do something similar for the color section. I was also able to turn in some photos; they particularly seemed to appreciate the Halloween photos I took.

Later that evening, I went over to meet some of my fellow history majors; we had previously arranged to meet as a group to go out to a bar. Unfortunately, only two other people showed up. However, they were people I knew pretty well and got along with, and we had a fun time gossiping and talking about our lives. It might have been harder to handle with a large group anyway. In any case, it was enjoyable and I'm glad I went.

Anass Athena Thea...

Today I woke up pretty early. I spent most of my morning getting grad school applications together, a long overdue task. I got sort of lazy in the middle of the day, though.

Tonight was Lantern Night, one of Bryn Mawr's traditions. Luckily, I was able to get a ticket, so I made my way to Thomas Hall, where the ceremony was being held. I had a ticket for the roof, so I had to climb through a window to get there. I also tried to take photos, but I think things were so dark that it was futile, despite the 1600 film I brought. After waiting a while, all the lights in the building were turned off, and things were almost silent as the frosh proceeded onto the courtyard. The songsmistresses chanted a song in Greek as sophmore 'runners' ran and gave the frosh their traditional Bryn Mawr lanterns. This year's class has red as it's class color, and consequently gets red lanterns; my class color is dark blue (what a fun fact!). The songsmistresses led everyone in another Greek song as the frosh proceeded off. Next is step sing, but I opted out of that because I was cold and wanted to go back to my room.

Party Hopping

Today I woke up rather late (1 pm), so my plans to be productive were somewhat shattered. I did go on the library website for some thesis sources and also typed up my Sure Thing lines so I could memorize them more easily.

This evening, I got in my costume and went to two Halloween parties. It was okay; I'm not really much of a party person, though. I think I enjoyed making the costume and taking Yearbook photos of people more than actually being at the parties themselves. Parties bore me for the most part; I feel awkward and I find things a bit superficial for my tastes. I'd rather do something with a small group of close friends or work on an interesting project. Nonetheless, it was good to get out of my dorm, and I got some compliments on my costume (I'll have to post a picture once I develop the roll).

So sleepy...

I started the day with math homework, went to math class, and, after a break, did more math homework. Fun, huh?

This afternoon, I made some alterations to my costume. Since I got it at a thrift shop, I couldn't exactly be picky, and it's slightly big on me. So I got a curtain and fashioned it into a ruffle for the shoulders. It came out alright, though not spectacularly. After all, I don't have any model besides myself, so I have to sew and model at the same time, an especially difficult thing when the fabric is on my shoulders and I have to keep my arms relatively still.

I then went to take Yearbook photos for an acapella concert. It was short, and they served good snacks, so that was fun. I then got to watch some TV, since the lounge was empty.

Tomorrow's going to be a busy day. I only hope that I can get all that I intend to get done finished.

Fumbling Around in the Dark

Last night the power went out, and, since I made a mistake and thought it would happen an hour later than it did, I was in the shower when it started. Fumbling around in the dark for shampoo and soap is not fun.

After taking my shower, I noticed some people playing Trivial Pursuit in the hallway (the hallways were left semi-lit for most of the night). Though I didn't really know any of them all that well, I had a fun time.

Later that night, I tried to turn on my laptop so I could go to chat for as long as the battery lasted. Unfortunately, for some reason I could only get into Windows in 'Safe Mode', and, after restarting my computer a few times, I decided it was futile.

I was finally able to get on my computer this morning. After checking my email, I went to the local camera store to pick up some film. I then stopped over at the supermarket and made my way back to my room. I ate lunch and then called up my mom. We seemed to come to an understanding, which is really a relief.

The rest of my day has been relatively uneventful, but hopefully I'll be able to get some work done, including some studying for tomorrow's (gasp) GRE. Fortunately, I won't have the same transportation problems that I did with the LSAT; the GRE takes place during the afternoon and the testing center is accessible by train.

Monday Madness!

It seems like fall has finally arrived; today, the weather has been quite cool lately. It's very pretty though, and I was able to take several pictures of the campus today.

Last night, Fred invited me to come to San Franciso for the next weekend. I'm really excited about it. I'm a bit annoyed with Travelocity though; I can't seem to get the information on the site. I emailed them about the problem, so it should work out.

In other news, I worked with my partner on the write-up for the archive visit. It went pretty well, and we were able to finish within 45 minutes. I also met with my partner for the Senior Sem presentation to talk about the readings. Other than that, I didn't get much done.

The cast of the production I'm in had arranged to meet tonight, but only three of us ended up coming. Rehersal was canceled, but I didn't really feel like working on the skit, so it's almost a good thing.

A Very Quick Entry

I tend to think of Thursdays as my 'marathon days'; I have four of my five classes, and I don't have much of a chance to catch my breath. Since I will have to be off to my Senior Seminar (Thesis) class soon, I'll try to keep this short and sweet.

I got up early to do my weekly Senior Sem paper on the week's reading. Fortunately, I was able to get the work done relatively quickly and didn't stall as much as I often do. I then had three classes: 20th Century Russia (at Haverford), Chaotic Dynamical Systems, and Intro to Film. Luckily, I don't think I missed much when I skipped CDS on Tuesday besides a True Basic lesson. I also got a CDS homework paper back with a big red 'excellent' written on it, so that made me happy.

After class, I was able to pick up some film I dropped off; the roll included shots of the acapella benefit concert and my room. I posted the pics of my room up on my site, so you can now see where I'm living this year. I also met with a partner about the Senior Sem presentation we'll have to give next week.

Anyway, I must be off; I don't want to be late to class!

::Tries to think of witty subject line::

Today was pretty lazy and uneventful. Since I did all of my Real Analysis homework yesterday during the problem session, I didn't have to scramble to do any homework before class. So I got to nap and goof off until 11. I was able to finish a graphic for GirlSite, which is good because I've been sort of lazy sending artwork for the site for the last two weeks.

After class was finished, I met with Rachel, who's my partner for the archive visit. We scheduled an appointment to visit an archive on Monday afternoon. It should be interesting, so I'll have to write about it when the time comes.

Finally, this evening I went to an acapella concert; since I'm editing the Arts section of the yearbook and wasn't able to get someone to cover for me, I had to go and take pictures. The concert was a benefit, with all donations going to the red cross. All of the Bi-College (aka Bryn Mawr and its 'sibling school' Haverford) groups were there, along with an Indian-American group from Penn (to clarify, the group was not Native American, but from India). It was enjoyable and lifted my spirits quite a bit.

I was also able to get some sketches done this evening, which is important if I want to consider applying to art schools. I think they came out pretty well.