Daily practice

This week for my daily practice i decided to write, for at least 15 minutes at time but more if neceessary. I tried throughout the week to alter the viewpoints, perspectives, attitudes, an voices in my writing. The method I found that i really liked was to write from the perspectives of people i had recently interacted with. For example, after a welding demo with my professor, i could write form his perspective and discuss how frustrating it is to teach students skills that one must really learn for one's self. Or I could continue a conversation starting from the last thing said between us, from the other person's perspective of course. Anoher way would be to narrate inside that person's head for the next five minutes after we say goodbye.

This practice is extremely illuminating because it forces me to focus more on the other person when i'm actually interacting with them so that i can observe them more closely. when i write, it forces me to reflect on my own actions from outside my body. But more importantly, as i write i become immediately aware of my immediate thoughts as i write them. Being aware of how the change in perspective changes my thoughts is more valuable thatn the change itself.

Wednesday night, DP 9/23/09

Wednesday night I sat in my dorm after class and shortly afterward my roommate and his girlfriend walked in. I knew they had been fighting. I can always tell by now. Anyway the whole half hour they were in the room they only said one sentence each. After they left I tried to write what their conversation would have been if I had not been there. I used third person view. I found it very dificult to come up with dialogue though I had no trouble writing about manurisms and actions. THis is probably beause i never hear the things they say when i'm not there though i can always observe action. Still, hte process was a little frustrating. But i got some good momentum.

THis is my wallet. Its very old. I've had it since I was 8 though i've only been using it for the past five years. It was made by my sister Elizabeth . She bought a small leather crafting kit with patches and plastic twine and she tied together the seams until she made me a wallet. Complete with a snap-shut pocket for my guitar picks.

When I look at the wallet. I usually think of my sister. I think of our house. I think of my dresser, where I kept the wallet for so long. Whenever I open my wallet I think of the things its contents represent. The picture of my family, the photo f my nephew, the chinese fortunes i refuse to throw away, and much more.

I love the way it looks. Brown exterior, green and blue interior. It used to be suade, but much has been rubbed away now so that the leather is smooth ans shiny in several places. It has also stretched and bent over time to conform to its back pocket resting place. Its small, its subtle, and its comforting.
It's soft to the touch, and fits remarkable well in the palm of my hand.There is also a loose bit of plastic twine that tends to come undone from its spiral which gives me something to play with while i'm waiting for transactions to go through at checkout counters.
It's actually become a bit of a comfort object for me. If i sit down for a long period of time i will typically take my wallet out of my back pocket and set it on the desk to look at or hold in my hands while i read a book. I even know how it smells. One side smells always like sweat, and the other always like leather. Its one of my favorites.
When you through it down on a table it always makes a satisfying smack. Its also very easy to throw at people ant the contents do not usually fall out.
My least favorite aspect of my wallet is the fact that it holds money.

Reading Sideways

On Sunday I read the excert of Betty Edwards book about Drawing the Right side of the brain. While I was reading I found it very difficult to concentrate, as I often do when reading material that is easily understood. I find that sometimes if the reading does not occupy my entire capacity for attention, my mind will try to fill the empty space by paying attention to something else, making it very difficult to digest the reading properly.
Sometimes I play music to fill the empty space. This time i was in the library and had no music. Moreover, while i was reading about left brain and right brain and about turning things upside down, I realised that there was more than one way to read a book. At first I flipped the book upside down and continued to read. I found that i was capable of reading the words aloud, but I was not able to retain them to any substantial degree. So i turned the book sideways. This was perfect. This allowed me look at written words from a new perspective, reading down the page instead of across, similar to chinese maybe. I say the words and the lines for the shapes they made, as well as for their literal meaning. The extra strain on my brain was also just enough to keep me focused.
The next day monday, I attempted to go the whole day reading sideways. I found that i became much more aware of the language being used, because it was so much more difficult to read. Big words stand out a lot more. And poor writing techniques tend to trip you up. I found that very often I would try to anticipate words before reading them and frequently i was wrong.

Brushing My Teeth Left-Handed

Last night I brushed my teeth left-handed. Though I brush my teeth at least two times a day, I've never really put much thought into the process itself. How long do I usually brush for? Where do I usually start? How do i hold the toothbrush? What muscles do I use? Before switching hands last night, I probably could not have answered any of these questions.

To begin with, brushing one's teeth with the opposite hand is a lot harder than it seems. I thought that if I tried everything with my right hand and then mirrored the exact motion with my left hand that I would suceed. But right from the get go I found that I couldn't even hold the toothbrush the same way. The muscles in my left hand have just developed differently. I could't hold my fingers to the same spots. I couldn't make the same back-and-forth motions with my wrist. I kept fumbling and dropping the toothbrush. Needless to say it was very difficult to get the job done and it took much longer than I would have liked.

The next morning I tried it again. This time I realized that although I had been mirroring my hand gestures, I had never thought about my stance. Normally I put all my weight on my left foot to brush with my right hand. So this time I put all my wieght on my right foot. It made a big difference. I still had trouble making my motions fluid, but each individual action was easier, all because I shifted my weight

The Beginning

This is my first ever post of my first ever personal blog. I've had a few other blogs before for various art classes but this is the first one that I'm really going to use for me.
I title it "Syracuse Round 2" because this is the fall semester of my sophomore year. Being at school here is a kind of ongoing struggle for me to get the most out of my time at college. Last year I don't think I really lived up to my expectations. This year I hope to do more and to do it better. Starting now.