Cinderella

I couldn't have been more excited for this past weekend. I have been waiting to see Cinderella performed by the Boston Ballet since I ordered tickets almost a month ago. I went on Friday with my boyfriend to the Wang Theatre to see the ballet and was blown away.

First of all, it was my first time seeing a ballet so I was dying with anticipation. It was fun to get dressed up and go on a fancy date. The ballet was beautiful, the costumes were so fun and the score was wonderful. I loved to see how they interpreted an old fairy tale into a modern, roaring twenties era version of the classic. My favorite characters by far were the stepsisters. They were very silly and quite animated, even though they didn't speak. My favorite part of the ballet was when Cinderella came down from the ceiling in a giant pumpkin. There were also men in the ballet dressed up in tuxedos that had pumpkin heads. They were quite funny.

The show ran for two weeks and closed on Sunday so if you didn't go, you really missed out on a great show. Playing next at the Wang Theatre is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the Boston Ballet will be presenting"The Nutcracker" at the Boston Opera House. Get tickets before they're gone. Student rush tickets are only $20 so rush to the theatre an hour before they show to try and snag some good ones.

Blog ya later

-j

Admissions on the Weekend

So this Saturday I had to work at Admissions for an info session event called 'Students to Students'. The event is smaller than an open house but larger than a regular tour and is basically run by the student ambassadors like myself. A casual, informal event were the student ambassadors sit on stage and talk to the audience of prospective students and parents about life at Suffolk. They discussed classes and dorm life, off-campus living, applying, study abroad, sports and other topics prospective students needed to hear about. After that we gave campus tours. We have another one next weekend which I am also working at. If you're interested in seeing the campus and hearing more about the university from a students perspective, sign up to come visit this Saturday.

Other than working at the admissions office i watched the Red Sox game's. Saturday night I went to a friends house to hang out and watch them win! Last night I stayed and watched the game and was so sad that they lost. On the other hand, they had a great season and a good run. Guess baseball season is over and time for football and hockey.

gotta run- blog ya later
-j

Busy Bee

This weekend my parents were in town to visit me. They flew in from Buffalo on Friday morning and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. We had such a great time but were very busy. I wanted to show them some parts of the city they hadn't seen before during other visits and to share some local hot spots with them. Since the weather was so great this weekend we did tons of walking.

On Friday I took them to Harvard Square since its such a great spot to walk around and people watch. We also walked through Harvard Yard and went to The Harvard Museum of Natural History. I wanted to show them the glass flower exhibit they have there, which is comprised of over 4000 hand made glass plants and flowers which are exact replicas. If you've never been you should check it out, the exhibit it amazing and it seems impossible that the specimens are actually glass because they appear so life-like. We also went to the Border Cafe, a great spot for amazing Tex-Mex food in Harvard Square.

Saturday I took them to the Barking Crab for lunch because it was a beautiful; sunny fall day, great for lunch on the patio. They have the best seafood there and the best part is you can eat with your hands. When you order crabs or lobster, they bring you a rock to crack the shells instead of a claw cracker. They even have live music all summer and on weekends in the fall.

After a filling lunch we headed over to the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) which is only a few steps from the Barking Crab. The building is a piece of art and an architectural feet. If you haven't seen it, you should go now!! On Thursdays they have free admission so take advantage.
There is a new exhibit that just opened on October 10 which is absolutely amazing. Tara Donovan uses conventional manufactured materials like plastic cups, straws and scotch tape and uses them in unconventional and unexpected ways. You have to see the exhibit to really understand how amazing her work is.

If you're looking for a trendy new spot for dinner drinks and live music, check out The Beehive int he South End. We went there for dinner on Saturday and it was very fun. The entertainment that night was Deva Mahal, whose voice is a powerful cross between Aretha Franklin's and Ella Fitzgerald's...An amazing combination.

We spent Sunday night in the South End too, having dinner at Masa, the best south of border food around. The restaurant itself is really nice inside and the food was soooo good.

On we took the T to Coolidge Corner for breakfast at an amazing Jewish style deli, Zaftigs that has the best breakfast and sandwichs. They even have homemade pickles that are out of this world.

Monday, which was Columbus Day we took the water ferry to the Boston Harbor Islands to explore what they had to offer. Only two of the many islands were open because it was so late in the season, but we went to Spectacle Island which had hiking and walking trails, a beach and a visitor center. We also went to Georges Island which is home to an old war fort, Fort Warren which you can wander and explore on your own. It's really cool because you're allowed to go in any part of the fort and there are no rangers telling you what to do or where to go. The fort is a little eerie, but cool. I took some great photos which I'm planning on using in my print making class. If you're looking to visit Georges Island, they are having a haunted Halloween party at Fort Warren on October 25th and 26th. Boats leave from the Long Wharf so check the website for more details.

Needless to say, I had an amazing, delicious food and fun filled weekend with my parents and saw so many great sites around town. I feel like I need a nap just to catch up from this busy weekend.

Gotta run- Blog ya later!
-j

Playtime's Over

Well I have to say that I have been kind of coasting the past few weeks, doing my work and having time to play; however this week it feels like all that coasting is coming to bite me in the butt. I have tons of work due this week and next and I'm running out of time to get it done. I'm sure that taking this weekend off to go visit a friend (a former ambassador, Cordelia) didn't help my work situation. However I have to say that even though I'm feeling a little stressed about getting everything done, it was well worth it.
Cordelia and I celebrated Halloween a little early since she is going to be out of town for the actual holiday. We carved pumpkins, cooked pumpkin seeds and even went apple picking and got cider. I'm planning on making an apple pie sometime this week. It was so nice to spend a weekend in the country, especially this time of year. The air was so crisp and fresh and the hills were lined with a rainbow of different colored trees.


Carving pumpkins with Cordelia above.


Our finished pumpkins (mine is on the right)


Well, I will be going now. I have to get some work done here in the office, then do some reading and then head home to do more homework. Blog ya later!
-J

October 1

Happy October!! Today is the first of October which means that we have been in school for almost a month. Midterms are rapidly approaching and the end of the semester will be here before we know it(or are ready for it). I feel like the first month just flew by as I was keeping my schedule full, between school work, admissions and working as a waitress at a restaurant near my house. At times it's a bit overwhelming to squeeze everything in, but I feel better knowing I am busy and making time for things rather than having so much free time I don't know what to do with myself.

This semester I am taking a senior studio elective in which I was able to choose what kind of studio I wanted. Most people in my field, Interior Design, chose electives that were related to their field, however I decided to choose something that would allow me to have a little bit more freedom and expressive ability. The class is a printmaking class where we experiment with all different types of printing processes. The first two weeks we worked on linoleum cut prints, where we carved designs into pieces of linoleum and then rolled them with ink and printed them. I really enjoyed experimenting with different cutting and printing techniques. The next technique that we learned is called a gum arabic transfer. This process is really cool and so simple but sounds complicated. The interesting part about this technique is that you can use any image imaginable, a photo from your travels, a torn page from an old book, memorabilia, a self portrait...the sky's the limit. You take any image and make a photo copy of it and then cover it with a solution of gum arabic then roll it with ink, put it through the press and you've transfer your copied image onto your paper with ink. It's pretty amazing. I think the best part of the class is the professor. His teaching style works really well with my learning style because he teaches us the formal and traditional printing methods and then allows and encourages us to experiment and take it in our own direction. That process of collaborative learning allows me to come up with new ideas and methods that compliment my working style.

I will take some pictures of my work and post them as soon as I can get around to it. Leave me a note if you want to know more about printing or the processes I discussed.

Blog ya later
-j