The end is near

Wow i can't believe that we have only one class left. Although four weeks ago i was so ready for this day now that we only have one project to work on and i am not so overwhelmed i am a little sad for the class to be ending. I really enjoyed my saturday's and as much as everyone would look at me in disbelief when i told them i had a 6 hour class on saturday's, i loved it!

Favorite Words

Elliptical
Juxtapose
Centrifugal
Couture
Narcissistic
Menagerie (thanks chris for reminding me)
Jezebel
Quixotic (thanks marianna)

Visionary Museum

So i just went to this museum for the first time on Thursday and it was amazing. You must go if you haven't already. There i found my absolute new favorite artist, totally obsessed. His name is Fred Kahler. I am trying to upload one of his images but it does not seem to be working so instead i will just out in a link so you can see for yourself.

http://www.fredkahlerart.com/

Flash

So I was excited to see everyone's flash projects today! I liked mine for the most part, but see the critiques that were given, although i must admit that the thought of re-working it seems overwhelming. Unlike are other project which seem easier to manipulate and make changers to this almost feels like I have to start over. I know that this is not truly the case but still there is much work ahead. I can;t believe that we are winding down this semester because I still feel like there is a lot of work to be done. the booklet for example i have barely even touched since the rough draft. Anyway hope everyone else enjoys these next two weeks!

What type of traveler are you?

What type of traveler are you?

For some traveling is about relaxing while for others it is about exploring. There are many different reasons to travel and just as many traveling personalities to match. Not everyone is as organized or calm or prepared as they would like to be. So it is important to understand what type of traveler you are before you start planning a trip to ensure that you are getting the most out of your vacation.

Check out these four categories to see what kind of traveler you are. Learn about how you function and how you can make traveling easier and less stressful. Also check out destinations and airlines that would fit your personality as well as must have items that will make your traveling experience more enjoyable.

Organized/systematic
You plan your trip months in advance, purchasing airline tickets, booking hotel rooms and creating daily itineraries. By the time that you walk through the metal detector, with your 3oz. bottles in their appropriate Ziploc bag, you know exactly what you will be doing for every minute of your whole trip. If you are this type of traveler, traveling alone is preferred unless you have another organized person to travel with, as traveling with anyone else may cause a lot of tension.
AIRLINE: American or United. You should stick with what you know and love best. Don’t try something new. Both of theses airlines are good for the organized type because you can book well in advance and you can choose the seat you want.

DESTINATION: Large cities are great destinations for you because there is a lot to do and see, this means a lot of planning is involved, and what organized person doesn’t love that? Also cities have the most cultural diversity and as someone who is organized you enjoy learning and experienceing new things.

MUST HAVE ITEM: Having a multi-functional travel wallet that can fit plane tickets, a passport, as well as your itineraries is a must. No matter how organized you are if you don’t have the proper item to keep everything in you will not feel organized.

Laid-back
It may take you a little longer to get things together, like finally booking your flight, but that is just your style. You are never rushed and know that everything will come together in the end. Showing up to the airport just in time and floating through security just as your plane is boarding always seems to work for you. You can be a good person to travel with as your calming attitude can mesh with other personality types.

AIRLINE: Virgin Atlantic is a good airline for you because they appreciate putting fun into traveling. Your easy-going personality would fit well with the mission of this airline.

DESTINATION: You would be most at home in warm climates, beach towns and other places where they take relaxing seriously. No matter where you choose to go though you will have a great time because of your optimistic mood and the ability to make the best in any situation.

MUST HAVE ITEM: A beach tote, or some large bag is a must. In the morning you will be able to throw everything in that you might need for the day, this way you are not limited to what you can do. You may happen across some excursion you didn’t know about, so good thing you had that extra gear in you bag.


Un-Prepared
For you getting everything organized and ready by your day of travel is the hard part. But to your benefit you can often get great deals by booking things last-minute. As long as you can enjoy the excitement of last-minute travel it can actually be quite fun. You will most likely want to travel with a fellow un-prepared travel type to maximize the enjoyment of your trip.

AIRLINE: Southwest is a good airline for you because you can check in on-line 24 hours in advance and print out your boarding pass. This will cut down a lot of time for your actual travel day, especially if you only have a carry-on as you can go right to the security check in.

DESTINATION: You would do well to spend your vacation at an all-inclusive type place, whether it’s a resort, cruise, or even some set-up guided tour. These types of trips cut down on the amount of planning that you need to do so you can relax.

MUST HAVE ITEM:
Having a good carry-on rolling suitcase is a great item for an un-prepared traveler. You can fit a fair amount in these bags, they are easy to maneuver and they cut out the step of checking a bag.


Spontaneous
You are the type who wakes up one morning and decides that you need to get out of town, be it for the weekend or even longer. Although it may be last-minute you are a pro at getting everything together because that is just how you travel. You are a seasoned spontaneous travel and love adventure and trying new things.
AIRLINE: For this type of travel the best thing to do is go to sights such as Orbitz or Expedia. You can check out last-minute deals as well as be able to compare prices for multiple carriers.

DESTINATION: Take advantage of your travel personality and try something new and exotic. You can really travel anywhere just keep in mind that you want to travel to places that have lots of activities and things to do. You can’t stand being stuck in a hotel room or on a beach all day.

MUST HAVE ITEM: A large back-pack is a great item for you to have. It leaves you hands free and you can cram a lot of things in there. Also works for you type of destinations as you won’t have to worry about rolling your suitcase on gravel, or up mountains.


Sidebar:
Must Have Items

Laid-Back
Because you never know what the day will bring you need to have the bag that can carry it all. Having one large tote that you can throw everything into that is durable and waterproof is a must for the laid-back traveler.

Organized
This item is great for carrying around everything you could possibly need. With specific compartments for airline tickets, passports, money, pens and itineraries. A dream for organizers.

Spontaneous
Large back-pack is great for you. Leaves you hands-free and works with the type of adventure travel you do.

Unprepared
Having a carry-on that can do it all is a must. This way you can pack last minute and minimally but can fit a surprisingly large amount in this rolling carry-on.

Flash Project

I am getting so into this flas project, i spent all night doing my illustrations and just want to get it all into flash and see the real thing played out with music and everything. Then i realized that i really need to be spending time on doing the other assignments that are actually due this saturday. I am coming up with a lot of process ideas, it seems like anything can be made into a process, but I want one that is in inventive and informative. I am going to look into how big of a process becoming president is. I think that it could be made into something more fun, and you know we are always told as children that we could be president one day, so let's check out what this process really involves. Who know things may change by saturday.

Good Natured Realist

This is my personality based on my previous post.


Good-natured Realist (GR)

The good-natured realist is a warm-hearted, helpful personality. He does his work conscientiously and has a pronounced organising talent. He often feels he is committed to traditional values. The family in particular is extremely important to the good-natured realist. His greatest pleasure is making himself useful and taking care of other people. But he does not like pushing himself to the fore; he prefers to fulfil his tasks out of the limelight. The good-natured realist is a real workaholic; he is very reliable and nothing is too much for him when it is a question of completing a project. Thoroughness, conscientiousness and sense of duty are his strongest points. He prefers established and familiar situations to new and unknown situations.

In dealing with others, the good-natured realist is considerate and obliging; he is always happy to put aside his own requirements in the interest of his family and friends. His home is mostly very well cared-for, cosy and tidy. His perfectionism on the one hand and his aversion to delegating tasks on the other hand often lead to him taking on too much both professionally and privately. He cannot stand discord; conflicts make him very unhappy. One could almost describe him as being harmony-addicted - and this sometimes leads to him strongly neglecting himself and his own wishes because he is unable to bring himself to put up a fight.

The good-natured realist dreams of a stable and trusting relationship for life. Marriage and family are very important to him. He takes care of his partner attentively and lovingly and puts up with a lot for a harmonious relationship. He is also a loyal and reliable friend. However, he can be very hurt if his interpersonal commitment is taken for granted for too long.



Adjectives which describe your type
introverted, practical, emotional, planning, tradition-conscious, good-natured, self-sacrificing, caring, devoted, friendly, loyal, considerate, reliable, conscientious, loving, quiet, reserved, modest, helpful, objective, hard-working, warm-hearted, communicative, painstaking, altruistic

These subjects could interest you
cooking, animals, family, music, trekking, camping, hiking, craftwork, nature, drawing/painting, astrology, spiritual matters, meditation

Something Fun

I am continuing to do research for types of travelers for this categories project and i came across this website. I love things like this, taking little quizzes and figuring out what your personality type is. I thought that this one was particularly good and thought i should share it. Hope you enjoy.

FA-LASH

I must say that my brain has been going non-stop since i left class on saturday. I have come up with many ideas, and am listening to all my music to maybe help direct me. I think that I have my story down at this point, music i am still working on. I wanted to illustrate everything, but am playing with the idea of cut paper as well, i will most likely do a combo and i love the collage affect. My story is about H, he feels like he is missing something and decides to go in search for it, on the way he makes some friends who join him in his search. The more who join him the more complete he starts to feel, until finally at the end there is the final friend who makes him see what he was missing all along. That is the basic idea of the story. I will most likely just have music in the background, i might have some text in the piece. I am a little nervous about putting it all together but I like my idea, I was going for the cute factor.

Struggling

First thanks to those who threw out some ideas for my "I need your help post" although at this point i have sorta changed by direction. That always seems to happen. I wanted to agree with Stacey on the overwhelming feeling that I have for getting all this work done. I love this class but I must admit that there will be some relief in May when it is over, just to have a little bit of down time. I am excited about this flash project though. I have never worked in Flash but hopefully my good planning skills will make the process a little easier.

Bang Exercise

Project Four: I need your help

For my project on categories I was thinking of doing four regions of the U.S. (Northeast, south, midwest, west) and talking about how there are such differences in personality, vocabulary, style and other things that make each of these places within America unique. If anyone has some ideas as to some differences among these places it would be a great help. Most of these may come out in stereotypes, but as they say there is a kernel of truth in stereotypes. Thanks!

Midterm Reviews

Overall things are going well half-way into the semester. I agree with a comment made by Stephanie and it is something that I am always telling myself as well, "this isn't under-grad." I find this issue arising most in my writing. In under-grad i always felt that i had a talent of being able to write good papers, (my teacher's always gave me A's, so i figured they were good) in under 3 drafts. I prefer the method of typing everything in one go and then going back to edit, but in under-grad this meant type it in one go and then turn it in and get an A, this obviously does not cut it anymore. Although i see the benefits of editing and making my pieces ever stronger, i am finding that i still struggle with editing. As we all know when you change one things it is bound to change everything else. I am working on it.

Campaign issues

So i took more than a week i guess, but hey we are all allowed a break once in a while. I am having some struggles with the campaign, i know what i want to say but it is not coming across how i want it to. I think that there is too much that i want to say and i am having problems with editing. Also my layout feels so blah... I can't seem to get the text to be engaging without it feeling messy. I hope that these issues get resolved as saturday is approaching and fast... Just needed to do a little venting now back to making it work.

Profile Text

“Like an addict coming off drugs, you don’t know how good you can feel,” says raw foodist Mike Lippy. His journey started twenty-two years ago when, as a high-school swimmer, he noticed what he ate affected his performance. A clean diet meant an efficient, fast body so he became a vegetarian. In college he spent time as both vegetarian and vegan and once did a ten-day water fast. The more he learned and experimented with different ways of eating he saw that eating raw was the only way to optimal well-being. He admits its not always easy and he has “fallen off the wagon,” claiming, “coffee and cheese are addictive and evil,” but he just hits his reset button.
As Mike talks about his experiences and discoveries his passion for health is palpable. “The more educated you become with your eating the harder it is to live in the dark, there should be a law against calling most of what people eat ‘food,’ it’s a travesty.” Raw food contains enzymes, which aid in digestion and absorption of food but are lost in processed foods. Eating raw helps him maintain an alkaline body in which he says, “no disease and no cancer can live.” Mike views everything he puts into his body as a “possible pollutant,” but says its “from pragmatism not fear.” His mission started as a personal one, but when he moved to Baltimore he opened Liquid Earth, a vegetarian café and juice bar. He works hard at serving his customers nourishing food that helps them find the path to a clean body.

Flash Drive users beware

Yesterday when I woke up and was planning how to organize my work for the day I did not factor in the possibility that other plans had already been made, just not by me. I arrive at the computer lab and unpack all of my things. After checking my email i plug my flash drive in to start work on project II. Nothing pops up on the desktop, i think that maybe i just didn't plug it in firmly enough and try again, still no icon. I start to freak out a little but reassure myself that it is just this particular computer it's not working on.
I ask the lab monitor if he has been having a problem with this particular computer, he says no. I frantically try two more computers but nothing. Now i am freaking out because in an ideal world I would have everything that i have created over the last couple of days backed up somewhere, but this is not the case. The lab monitor tries his flash drive just to prove that it is not to any fault of the computers in the lab, his icon pops up right away.
I look up and ask why? what did i do to desereve my day starting this way. Tears start to well up as i realize due to my inabilitliy to consistently back my work up that i will have to start all over for the magazine layout. Fortunately i thought to check the computer i had last used to work on this project in the lab and was able to recover some files that were still in the trash. I had to go to Best Buy and they basically said they weren't sure what happened but they had to wipe it clean and re-format it. As of now it seems to be working fine, and although i lost a lot of stuff nothing was irreplaceable. Last night after a rough start to the day i went home and backed up everything from my flash drive to my home computer. Let this be a lesson to all without actually having to go through that horrible heart dropping feeling of it actually happening to you. Always back your work up.

My Campaign

So since I am reading the Food Revolution and getting all revved up about the issues it brings to light I have decided to do my campaign on being a vegetarian. I guess it could be the positive effects of being a vegetarian, and I am not even going to do saving animals as one, since first it is overused but secondly i believe Stephanie mentioned something about no harming animals this year, understandably. So I am thinking of how being a vegetarian reduces your risk of disease, helps in our efforts to combat global warming, helps the environment, helps end the world's food shortage, helps stop wasted resources. As you can see I have to narrow things down and get a more streamlined concept. As i have noticed in some other's post I too am nervous about the large size of the poster and also having three different elements to work on. There is a lot to do...

Show and Tell

These are both from The Food Revolution by John Robbins, which i recommend everyone to read! These are examples of compare and contrast. He uses this throughout the book, taking a quote from someone in the meat/dairy industry and then comparing by contrasting it to a quote for a person who is in the health profession/science, animal rights etc... As i read this book there are many things that are upsetting about it. How eating meat effects animals, our world, our environment and our health. What upsets me the most though is that these people who are in the meat and dairy industry can put out information as if it was fact. That is what I find wrong with this picture, how can they say things that are not even remotely true? You can't blame people for making choices when they don't have all the facts. Either way this has inspired me for our third project, which i was a little overwhelmed with at first. I will save it for my next post.

INEEDSPACE

ITISAMAZINGHOWWHENYOUTAKEAWAYSPACE
MEANINGISMUCHHARDERTOFINDYOUNEEDSSPACE
TOHELPUNDERSTANDTHEWORLDAROUNDYOU

six-word memoirs

Check it out for some awesome six-word memoirs!

http://www.smithmag.net/

How to Write

Between Sin and Syntax and Revising Prose I have never thought so much about every word that I put down on the page. Even as I am reading other's writing I find myself over thinking. I admit that I do not come from a writing background and that in fact my grammar skills lack, but reading these books makes me see that I can change this and I will. I would like to recap here the Paramedic Method that is outlined in Revising Prose, it is fundamental to good writing.

THE PARAMEDIC METHOD

1. Circle the prepositions.
2. Circle the "is" forms
3. Ask, "Where's the action?" "Who's kicking who?"
4. Put this "kicking" action in a simple (not compound) active verb.
5. Start fast-no slow windups.
6. Write out each sentence on a blank screen or sheet of paper and mark off its basic rhythmic units with a "/"
7. Mark off sentence lengths in the passage with a big "/" between sentences.
8. Read the passage aloud with emphasis and feeling.

GOOD

I have chosen the publication GOOD for this profile project. I interviewed a raw foodist and I think that this magazine can use a profile like that as well as the other elements I am adding. I was debating on doing it in Saveur or Bon Appetit or even VegNews, but Good was one of the choices and the more I thought about it the more I realized that it would work. Good is interesting in it's design and layout, it tends to do 4/5 column grids but it uses lines to denote the separate areas. It creates a less glossy, finished look, but it fits the style of the magazine, it is not trying to be high-class.

Profile

This is a profile that I looked at from Nylon. I liked it because of the different elements on the page and the profile is nice and short which is what we need for this assignment.

Show and Tell

I brought in a book of Letters and Alphabets that inspire me due to their design aesthetic. I also have always been fascinated with the alphabet and one can find it scrolled in all of my notebooks. I have the tendency when I am bored or on the phone to write the alphabet. This book makes me feel better about being obsessed with letters.

Interviewing

I found a great book called, The Art of the Interview, by Lawrence Grobel, although he seems to interview celebrities he notes in his book that his lessons work for interviews of all types. I just got it today so as of now the best piece of advise I have read is to go into the interview as confident and studied as you can. The interviewee will respond to the confidence and will be impressed that you have done background research prior to the interview. I know that I am a little nervous about interviewing my person because I have never conducted one before but I hope that reading this book helps.

Quote

"But why should discrepancy possess an interest? I believe the answer is this, that discrepancy of size is a form of distortion, and all forms of distortion shock us into attention: The inattentive and jaded eye, passing through a world without interest, helplessly perceives that something in the bland panorama is not as it should be." - Steven Millhauser

Found

Walking down the street today i saw this and decided to take a picture, i love seeing street art and find that aesthetic pleasing and inspiring.

Bon Appetit

I just spent some time at Barnes and Noble and am excited now that I have reason to give into my obsession of buying magazines (since it is now my job to become proficient in them). I must say although I have always loved to buy, look at and read magazines, I think that I have for the first time read a magazine cover to cover, (every word) in one sitting and I must say I loved it! Although the magazine that I chose was Bon Appetit and was initially being used for another purpose (class) I found it very applicable to my words and images class as well and this blog in particular since I found that it inspired me in both design and writing. In particular it is the first time that I have thought of working for a food magazine. I have always imagined working for an art/design magazine, like Print or Juxtapose, but now I see that there is much more out there that interests me and I am very excited!