Extra Credit - Memento

I will attempt to proceed in giving my review without revealing any spoilers or giveaways.. In case anyone besides Annemarie reads these.

I want to start off by saying that my perception of what this movie was going to be like and what I actually witnessed last night are two completely and utterly different things. By the end of the tumultuous two hours, I was angry, baffled, and incredibly impressed.
Leonard (not Lenny, he hates that) suffers from short-term memory loss after the tragic death of his beloved wife.  Leonard cannot create any new memories and forgets where he is / what he is doing every few hours.  To combat his condition, Leonard writes constant notes on polaroid pictures he takes himself.  It is especially important that he does so given that his entire objective is to kill the man who raped and murdered his wife.  The movie is skillfully projected from in reverse from the end to begging, slowly giving the audience more and more clues as to why and how Leonard does the things he does.
The fact that the story is told from end to beginning is genius.  I was very confused at first, and I was worried I'd be lost during the entire film.  However, as the movie progressed and I learned more, I became more enthralled into Leonard's story.  I found myself squinting at the screen, making sure not to miss a single detail that would help me to solve the mystery of Leonard's case.  The plot is absolutely wonderful, and it had me writhing on the couch in shock and disbelief at its twisted characters.  The actors were fantastic throughout, and I hated each and every one of them.  When I say that, I mean that they sold the story so wonderfully and had me totally invested in the plot.
If I had to list my grievances about the story, I would say that the actor for Leonard was aesthetically distracting.  He is obviously a natural brunette, and his hair is blonde the duration of the whole movie.  I expected some reasoning as to why his hair was blonde.. He dyed it to cover his identity perhaps?  I don't know why, but his hair was obviously bright bleach blonde and it bothered me the duration of the entire movie..
In summation, I was not expecting this movie to be as fantastic as it was.  When I checked it out at Library West, someone actually stopped me to tell me how amazing it was.  I thought he was crazy, thinking it was a simple thriller.  Christopher Nolan did an amazing job with the cinematography of the film, shifting from color to black and white to segregate past and present.  The scenes cut off at just the right moment to keep me invested in the plot.  I could babble for days about this movie.  It really is as wonderful as people say it is.  Bravo.

In-Class Assignment 8/27

 

I got up and walked up the stairs nearest to me.  I had no idea what was up those stairs and now was a good of a time as any.  Five steps, hulking mass of spanish moss, five steps, platform, turn, eight steps.  Is there any architectural rhyme or reason as to the number of steps before the turn?  Lo and behold: an educational library sits atop the eighteen steps.  Automatic doors unleash a refreshing breeze of air conditioning.  I hit the second shorter swinging door with my belly.  Lord knows how many hands have touched it.  There is a vending machine to the far corner.  I am starving.  Alas I have no money.  Stairs lead up to more books.  Seven.. Four.. Eight?  I usually count but now my memory fails me.  There are 3 rows of tiny lockers lining the ledge of the second floor.  They remind me of the ASPCA and look like I could fit tiny puppies inside of them while the Wings of an Angel plays in the background and Sarah McLoughlin guilts me into donating money to sad neglected animals.  I really have to pee.  I stop to pee.  I tell Ashley to go on without me so I can pee.  The floor has tiny maroon tiles.  Like tinier versions of what is at Bagels and Noodles.  Again I am hungry.  I wash my hands.  My notebook touched the nasty bathroom floor.  My notebook touched the nasty counter.  I exit and sweep the perimeter of the remaining library.  There is a section taped off as "caution."  What would happen to only THAT side of the library so that they would block it off?  It doesn't bother me enough for me to investigate.  There are little study cubicles that are shaped like swastikas.  Do the little ledges turn left or right in a swastika?  The study cubicle ledges turn right.  Back down the stairs.  Eight.  Four.  Seven.  Eight.  Ten.  I circle the giant tree that reminds me of the one in Pocahontas.  Four.  I pass by people and pretend to look at something else.  I don't like to stare at people passing by wondering if they'll say something.  Also I check the time.  Time passes by so slow.  Around the tree.  Up four.  Past the nasty bench.  Down five.  I meet Ashley again as I double-check the number of steps.  I walk past the classroom and down the hall.  The AC now revolts against me and hits me with the scent of cleaners and old people.  Old people have an odd smell.  The hall turns into a hospital-esque look.  Shiny flooring.  Maroon hand rail sits lower.  Turn.  Turn.  The halls take a small greener tile.  The hall opens to a small room.  Low ceiling.  Little faces are drawn onto some of the tiles (pictured).  About face.  Green tile. Hospital.  Smell of the elderly.  Aaaaand Time.

10 Minute In Class Assignment

Sitting Down -

 

       

Walking Around -

 

        My walk starting off wandering around the courtyard where I listened to the crunching of the dead leaves underneath my feet. I love that sound. Then I headed toward the back of the building, where not many people traveled through. I noticed that I tend to gravitate towards places that are secluded and quite, (even dark) where I can just be by myself and daydream. I walked in the back, toward where it was really dark and found a dead end. Then I traveled a loop around the front of the building and found many students there. It was very noisy and I didn't like it. Too many people gossiping and playing on there phones. I had to pay attention to my surroundings in order to not crash in to people; I couldn't get lost in the environment. I went back to the secluded parts of the building and looked at all the greenery. I loved the soft breeze that blew throughout the area. While I was wandering, I noticed the same pungent smell I was around when I sat on the bench earlier. Quickly, I walked away.

8-27 In class activity - Leanne Sheth

In-Class Meditations

Julian Farmer - 10 min walking/sitting

walking- 10 min.

• walking behind a guy
• he turns right down sidewalk
• waiting to cross paths with girl
• person walking behind me then passes me
• two guys on bikes pass by on the street
• can hear construction in the distance
• guy and a girl pass by
• a guy crosses my path
• see a guy with a ladder, puts ladder in van
• pass by bike rack
• guy unlocking his bike
• another guy locks his in
• guy and girl walk by
• can hear car traffic
• guy with drink walks by
• can see caution sign to cyclists near tunnel
• walking down stairs
• open door
• quiet inside building
• odd smell (old building smell)
• sea-foam green tile
• walking down slanted hallway
• scuff feet on carpeted floor
• guy studying at table
• guy walks up to a door but doesn't open it
• open door when I'm down the hall
• check timer
• walking back to room
• guy who is studying packs up his things to leave
• see lab tech guy at computer
• walk into classroom
• say "I'm back" to prof.
• sit down

Sitting- 10 min.

• Intense sun
• talking in the distance, cant understand it
• bug rustling in bushes
• slight breeze
• guy walks by
• found out it was a lizard rustling in the bushes
• dragonfly flies by
• more talking, sounds like its coming from the hallway
• two girls walk by
• someone says out loud "that's so rude" I don't know the context
• clouds are moving north west, slowly
• i hear a cicada or saw from far away
• girl walks by
• woman walks by
• very hot
• hands are sweating
• someone opened a door
• door closed
• wind picks up, moves some leaves
• it on my chest
• people talking upstairs, cant see who
• girl talking about her schedule and the Labor day weekend
• girl walks by with loud keychain

Michelle Koehlmoos - 10 minutes

Sitting 10 minutes

• the toilet requests to NOT flush tampons down it
• a sink is dripping water very rhythmically
• said sink is out of my view, since i am sitting in the far stall on a toilet. 
• i imagine the way that the faucet may look.
• i ponder turning off the water all the way... but i like the sound and the assignment was to sit somewhere for 10 minutes... not get up and distract myself.
• its strange crossing my legs while on the toilet, i typically don't use toilets for leisurely sitting.
• i hear a constant hum coming from the inside of the wall behind me
• now that I've noticed said hum its distracting me from the pretty sound of water droplets splashing down the drain.
• usually background hums don't bother me, but this one is.
• i imagine that the drain is one of those old ones that is missing the plug, one that i could very easily lose one of my rings in. 
• I'm surprised that no one has come to use the bathroom yet.
• this stall is fully stocked with T/P and has no writing on the walls
• someone with on of those rolling backpacks just wheeled in 
• i feel strange writing while she's peeing
• she wheeled her bag out without washing her hands.
• not a bad smelling bathroom
• another person just walked in
• times up
• flushing the toilet before leaving....

Walking 10 minutes:

• there are many plants in this courtyard
• each area has a different smell, ranging decomposing/ earthy to fresh and flowery.
• had no clue that there was a time capsule for the education school here
• the huge oak tree in the middle of the courtyard is much bigger than i previously though, and has pieces of metal that attempt to brace the branches and I'm assuming to help them grow upwards over the building instead of sideways into the building..
• lots of spiders and spider webs when you look up under the walkway. 
• we live in a jungle
• lots of little ants in the cracks in the cement
• its hard to remember little descriptive details after the fact.

Lydia Chapman - In-Class Assignment

Sitting




















Walking

10 minutes walking and seating

Walking

I realized people would judge u easily when you pass them 3 times in a matter of 10 minutes. Walking around was really nice, I got to see new areas of the building. Which has a beautiful architecture. Actually all colleges have a great architecture. It’s a matter of when they where done that specify if it is a great architecture or an amazing one. Walking down the halls of the building bring me back to the different activities I have done here. Class and Recruitment were great freshmen activities I really enjoyed. This girl followed me for a bit, until I realized I know her and she wanted to see if it was me or not. I really enjoyed the walk. I should spend more time outside, maybe I will be able to not look so pale and I will relax. I do keep on going back to the thought of my major and what my future looks like. I am a junior, this is my last chance to get in. its getting to my nerves, I need to know.  I might have done the right thing and chose these classes. I also, realized that I know too many people in Norman and trying to walk calmly is really hard when every 2 mins someone calls my name. but still I would do this again. Maybe that’s the reason I love walking to class so much more than driving or taking the bus.  I like when things are changing and not everything is the same, because it does relax me too much.

Seating

At first, its feels really nice but once you settle down, you start feeling the true heat of Florida. However, with the breeze it helps my headache go away.  i hear a bus pulling up and a girl running to class. i sometimes forget that it is summer and that there are bugs around. as soon as i sat i got like 5 ants on my paper and arm. all of these bugs on my personal space!!! but its really relaxing and beautiful outside, i should do this more often. i could fall asleep. i wish there was more breeze to bring the temperature down. next time i need to choose a spot not under the sun.it really has been a long day. i ca not wait till i go home and sleep. however, it just go on and on and on. 10 minutes have not passed? well time really goes slow. i just realized how much i hate writting. i prefer just thinking since i do not have to make any sense or spell right. ahh!! bugss! they are bothering me too much! that reminds me, i have to clean my car. i got a bug infection. you can hear the construction by Yulee! i wonder what they are building there? i never really figured out. its probably not a parking lot, although it should.

10 minutes: Sitting

Pen just ran out of ink when I was writing the title. Good. Great. That's fine.

It's so hot outside. Like I'm walking around in someone's mouth. It's not a pleasant visual, and not a great experience either. Note to self: hair is an insulator. Ah-- shit, ants on my legs.

Let's try to stop complaining for 10 minutes.

There's this big oak tree in the center of the courtyard, vines of some sort of ivy racing up the trunk and entwining themselves in the bark and branches. The sun shines down through the oak leaves and reflects off of the ivy leaves, casting them in a white-green transparent glow.

Huge knots are in the sides of the trunk, long healed over. How old is this behemoth anyway? When were its low-hanging branches shorn off?

A light breeze drifts through the yard, above me, and the Spanish moss swings with it. I can see a spiderweb highlighted in the sunshine where the tree trunk splits into tall, towering branches.

Classmates write at the benches, hands traveling across the page.

It is hot. Too warm. Thirsty. Rolling my shoulders back, stretching until they pop-- there.

A cloud moves over the sun. The leaves turn gray, the spiderweb vanishes into bark, students leave.

(At least it's cooler out.)

[Sent from my iPhone]

10 minutes: Walking

Go back to class— oops. Was supposed to stay out. Put down my things, laugh, exit. It’s funny what friends do to my head; after putting myself in solemn and serious mode, I walk back out into the hall, ready to quietly observe the world around me, then my friend comes down the hall doing the same assignment. Boom. I don’t have the names for chemicals in the brain that fire up when I see a familiar face, but it makes me giddy, smile, something in my head lighting up like a string of Christmas lights and makes my eyes crinkle at the familiarity there. We give each other a nod and continue on our way after walking in stride for a few seconds.

Exit the building, and get ready for some exploring. (My back hurts) (my feet are sore) (I’m tired) (why did I stay up so late last night) It’s still hot, the sun is back out now. I duck into the shade, make my way up the staircase.

I had absolutely no idea there was a library here. Ok.
Go in, and the temperature drops. There quiet is almost tangible, it’s so thick. It’s not uncomfortable or out of place, the silence has made its home here. I make my rounds on the first floor of the library. It’s nice and cold here, I could roll around in it. The wooden tables are cool to the touch, and I sweep my palms and fingertips across them. I drag myself up the staircase and into the shelves and towers of books. It feels secure here.

Times up.

I skip down the steps and go through the double doors. Heat sinks back into my skin and I race back to class.

Time Observations - In class (Brianna Palmer)

end walk 16:00, 2014-08-27 W, Inside NRNA and outside NRNA

I continuously tried to rehearse in my head what I would write, what I would say about my walk. I do this. This is something I do a lot, and it keeps me going. Typing is more comfortable than writing by hand. I walked to the bathroom first, and the toilet didn’t flush. I thought that the sound of my feet on the tile of the hallway was interesting. I didn’t like walking around other people for this, even though I’m usually fine with it. My mind went into a rehearsal haze. I read things when I saw them on walls and on benches. I looked at people when they walked by me and did little but smile because I was trying to retain the experience. This made it more difficult to retain, I believe. I’m more used to recording my thoughts on the spot when it matters to me. I thought things like poor dead leaves when I was walking on them, the thought just popped in my head. But then a branch bent up and scratched my ankle and I didn’t think it anymore.
Too many thoughts in my head to sort them out.

end write 16:06

Ashley Long - Time (Sitting & Walking) 8/27

Walking (Ten Minutes)

       Time went by a little slower this time. I walked around with Alyssa Dulay for a while, but I kept checking my phone to see the time. I'm pretty sure that was my mistake; watching time seems to make it go by slower. We explored the library for a short while. It's pretty expansive and impressive, much larger than my high school library. Some people were studying and I saw a few of my other classmates. It's funny when two people share a glance and you're pretty sure you're both thinking about the same thing. After exiting the library, we checked out some parts of the Norman building, the area just ahead of our class to be exact. I kept thinking about things I needed to get done, especially getting a hair cut, then got a few songs stuck in my head. It smelled almost like, and forgive if this sounds rude, but it smelled as if someone sprayed something to try to cover up old people smell. I think doodling last time also helped make this go faster, but I had to walk and therefore was not able to draw. The last two minutes were the worst, most likely because - again - I started checking the time. The image above was actually found on one of the walls in the far back, or what I felt like was the far back, of this building.

Michelle Koehlmoos - "Arrow of Time"

The origin of the universe is relevant in our everyday lives because we are very much still a part of that moment. If space is ever-expanding, then everything is a part of that endless expansion. This is one of the aspects of time that he talks about, that time only moves forward, things naturally won’t revert back to the way they were. Though change as an aspect of time can be random and chaotic, time also requires repetition and consistency. We can always rely on having 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year etc.. this reliability allows us to use time as a constant measurement while the chaos and impossibility of changing the past or of seeing the future categorize our perception of time and the universe.

Julian Farmer - Homework 1

Arrow of Time




What is Carroll's argument in Arrow of Time?
- He argues that through repetition or change, time is expressed, removing the human bias from the concept of time. Change increases the entropy (disorder) of an object creating a perpetual forward flow making it impossible to see the past. I'm so bad at explaining myself.. it reminded me of the process of radioactive decay in rocks and how an element changes over time into a different element.




Why is the origin of the universe relevant to our everyday lives?
- When the universe is described as ever expanding (changing) it creates the basis for how we understand the concept of time and use it. This constant expansion creates the idea of past, present and future.




What are the two different aspects of time? Give an example to illustrate each.
- Repetition is one aspect of time. Through repetition processes become apparent for example the rotation of the earth causes the sun to rise and fall in the sky because this is repeated  it creates a time block, from sun up to sun down is one day.
- Change is another aspect of time. Through change we can observe the entropy of the universe, objects and ourselves. We age through our lives thus because we are changing and becoming older, time is occurring.




Quick and the Dead


- My favorite piece is Steve McQueen's, Running Thunder. Though I couldn't find any clips of the piece online the idea behind the piece was strong enough to stand out to me. The piece is a 16mm silent film that runs for 11.41 min. In the video a horse is seen laying in grass. As we were told the film really on captures the movement in the grass. I believe when I would watch this I would focus on the movement of the grass and with time notice that the horse is not breathing or moving and is in fact dead. The connection of death and time are used constantly but the subtleness of this brings to mind that time makes us aware.



please excuse the bad photo.. this is a drawing I did for my figure class. Its 3ft by 3ft drawing with a ball of male figures in the center. this was quite an under taking as I've never drawn this many figures in one piece before. Still working on it though.