Something New

Do you ever do something that is out of your comfort zone and in doing so, realize what life might be like if you were a different person? Just, like, a little snippet of a potential existence?

This morning, I was thinking about my final project for my Film Music class. We have been put into groups and as a group, have to score a five-minute film clip. We can use preexisting music, we can compose, we have to go into a recording studio in about three weeks and put whatever music it is we do want to the clip, add any other sound design we think needs to be there, mix it, and have a clip ready to present on the last day of class. The neat thing is that on that day, we will see three completely different versions of the same clip, since each group is working with the same one. But we don't know what the other groups are doing.

This film clip is strange, to say the least. But it's growing on me. Black and white, ghostly, people who are there one second and gone the next -- very odd. But the thing that I got to experience this morning was neat. I'm sitting on the floor, leaning against my bed and have my guitar. I just watched the clip two or three times and improvised on the guitar, playing to it. And I found something - not sure if I would call it a melody - that goes with a certain character. I focused on the notes I was using, found some new ones that went along with it. I was composing to a film clip. And I just had the thought that there are some people who do this for a living. I'm nowhere near good enough and I have serious doubts that that's a direction I will ever go in, but - it was fun to try it out. I'm not sure if the rest of my group will like anything that I've come up with, and it's okay if they think it's nothing special or if they think it doesn't fit. I'm just glad to have had the experience of it so far.

First Experience of Cinema Modernism

Next week, I'll have my exam on realism in my film class. To "clear our minds" before then and give us something completely new (which I actually do think can help the brain study, or better analyze what it already knows), our professor showed us Persona tonight, our first example of modernism, - written, directed, and produced by Ingmar Bergman.

Oh. My. Goodness. So, this film is quite well known or at least heard of for those who have studied film, but I'm not sure about the rest of the world. I feel like an older generation would know it better - but even so, it's not a blockbuster type movie. Not at all. It deals with the question of whether there really is anything within an individual person that makes them an individual, that informs their actions, that is specific to that person. Is there anything that makes me different from you, from my professor, from an enemy of mine? How much influence do we have on each other? Can one person make another person do something?

I highly, highly recommend it. 83 minutes that will feel like 10. Yes, it's weird -- it's modernism, people -- but it is absolutely worth it.

In case you didn't see the full Halloween costume:

The real thing up there, and then me...

Not bad, right? :)

I'm not sure how many of you were privy to the ongoing struggles between me and Mills to get all of my credits from my year abroad, but finally, they trusted me enough (trusted me that I wasn't just goofing off last year in Mainz and that I did actually go to some classes, even if the grades aren't here yet) to let me register for next semester. My last registration here. And there were still open spots in the Tango class: without a doubt, the class I am most excited for next semester.

No, my credits aren't here yet. No, they still aren't giving me my financial aid because of that. BUT - they have let me register. Little victory.

"Obama hat es noch einmal geschafft" - tagesschau.de

Thank goodness.

In a turn of events that is very, very "mills", I was in class during most of the exciting bits of the election today. I sent in my vote about a week and a half ago and got a text message from my father about two hours into class saying that PA had gone for Obama, and that was the first victory. By the time my class ended, it was pretty much certain that he would take the country again - I have to admit, I was a bit bummed I couldn't join in a tense atmosphere that would (in my head) have a miraculously sudden turn for Obama at about 10:00 in the Student Union room where a party was going on. Instead, as I left my lecture, from across campus I could already hear the cheers coming from that room. Erin and I popped in for a few minutes (a friend of ours who was running the tickets for this event ((3$ apiece, to pay for food, etc.)) saw us, smiled, and when I took out my wallet simply said "It's on Obama." and waved us inside) but not long. Then, we trudged back up the hill where we watched the live coverage on youtube and google and tried to understand the electoral college just a bit better.

Yes, I'm excited. Quite excited, actually. But really -- I can't help thinking that we've just managed NOT to be a complete laughingstock. Hooray, we managed to NOT elect a leader of this country who would send us backwards. Maybe that's a bit too pessimistic, but it's how I'm feeling at the moment. It still makes me concerned that someone like Romney has so much support in this country. Concerned, but unfortunately not surprised.

BUT - support or no, undeniable charm or no, it wasn't enough. Thank goodness.

Also, two more states (Maine and Maryland) voted yes on marriage equality tonight. :)

The servers here are so overrun I can barely get my blog page to load, let alone listen to Obama's speech, so I think it's bedtime for me and I'll catch a rerun in the morning. Well done, USA. See you again soon.

Back

Hey.

It's been forever, I know. I had a whirlwind of a weekend - car, plane, plane, car, home, out, home, out, and then do it all over again in the other direction. It was a fantastic weekend for so many reasons. My reason for going home - attending a dedication service at my church to a lovely 8-month-old, at long last officially adopted by two women who mean a lot to me - turned out to be one of several things I did while I was there. I also saw my father in a play, heard my mother play music, visited a friend I hadn't seen in a very long time, and had some nice inner revelations on top of that. Plus, all the time on the plane meant that I finally got the time to read my most recent book and listen to some of another book.

Meadville, as you can see below, was beautiful in late autumn. My body is still confused at the transition from mildly chilly Oakland when I left, to hovering-around-freezing with snow/rain/sleet in Meadville, and now back out 80-degree Oakland. Here at Mills, this week is the calm before the storm of the downhill race to the end of the semester - nothing due this week, no exams, but starting next week? At least one paper or one exam due each and every week until the end of the semester -which is only five weeks away! Someone told me that yesterday. I still don't quite believe it.

Travel Day

A few gems from Southwest:

1. "Alright... flight attendants, prepare for blast-off." - Captain on first flight
2. "Welcome aboard this B2-400 and-- oops. 300.  Umm...yes, welcome aboard..."  - flight attendant on first flight
3. "Paging Mr. Mark... everyone is boarding except you! Come to your gate, please!" - announcer in terminal in Phoenix

Also, it was stunning this morning on campus before I left: