the urban hunt

i know it may be early to be thinking about apartments considering my lease isn't up until september, but i can't help myself. when i find a break from doing thesis research and other school work, i have been browsing craigslist.

craigslist is a great resource for finding pretty much anything your looking for, especially apartments! right now i am keeping all of my options open, but i'm thinking about cambridge or brookline. im thinking that i would like to live in a studio apartment because i wouldn't mind living on by my self, but like i said it's still early, so i have lots of time to make up my mind.

another great and very easy way of finding an apartment is through Suffolk's Off Campus Housing Office (OCHO) They are a great resource for finding not only an apartment but also a roommate. Check them out for all your housing needs.

Gotta jet.
blog ya later
-j

one week under my belt

well the first week of classes went swimmingly...well almost. i attended all but one of my classes because for some reason i read my schedule wrong. i had been anticipating going to my photojournalism class all week (thinking it was on thursday) and very excited to meet the professor and get started with the class. to my surprise, when i arrived to the room on thursday, there was no one to be found. i asked around and eventually had to double check my schedule online. i was disappointed to find out that the class runs on tuesdays not thursdays as i had originally thought. so, i not only missed the first day of class and was very disappointed, but it counts towards one of my three allowed absences. needless to say, today (tuesday) i will be attending photojournalism and am very excited about it. my other classes(the ones i attended..haha) include senior studio which is an independent design studio, and internship class and the art of india which is an art history class. i have to admit that i wasn't looking forward to the art of india class because i don't particularly enjoy art history classes, however the class was very interesting and the professor is extremely knowledgeable. we will be doing a lot of museum visits and discussions so i am excited to physically see the art we will be learning and studying.

gotta run...blog ya later!
-j

a new year...a new attitude

2009, the year i graduate, has arrived. as cliche as it sounds i feel like it was only yesterday that i began school here at Suffolk and thought to myself, 2009 seems so far away. But alas, the time has flown by and now i only have one semester until i graduate.

the feeling of only having 15 weeks between now and the end is bittersweet. i am excited to be done with school and get out in "the real world", but i am sad to be leaving school, a place i have become so comfortable and accustom to over the past four years. i am also nervous i won't be able to find a job, considering the current state of the economy and the fact that people are being laid off more than anyone is being hired.

one of the requirements before graduating from the interior design program is to gain work experience from an internship. this is something that i have been searching for and have had no luck. now that the semester has begun, the pressure is on to find one. i have to take the bull by the horns and get one asap!!

i have also started my senior studio thesis, which is the hardest class i will ever have to take. it is a culmination of everything i have learned the past four years, all put into one, extremely large and detailed project. at the same time of it being quite overwhelming, i am also very excited to dive right in. we are given almost free reign of the type of project we wish to design as well as the building we wish to use. i can say i am almost positive that i will be designing an art school, that houses all types of arts and studio space, as well as residence living, cafeteria, galleries and much more. i will need to devote as much time as possible to this project, while still working and taking 3 other classes and doing an internship. i have told myself over and over again not to procrastinate, and i really have to stick by it this time. a new year, and a new attitude. work hard and play later. this is the most important semester and i need to make certain i don't get too stressed. i think keeping myself organized and not putting things off will ensure a semester that could potentially be quite hectic may actually be enjoyable.

i will be reporting about my progress and stresses throughout the semester.

blog ya later
-j

Busy as a Bee

It's been a while since my last post so let me catch you up...

I went to New York City last Monday for my first time ever!! I have lived in New York state my entire life and traveled abroad twice, and had never been to New York City before. I was only there briefly, for two days (which for New York is not enough time), but I was able to visit many of my friends and see so many sights. I Started at Rockefeller Center and saw the Christmas tree and the skating rink, saw Bryant Park, the Library, Times Square, 5th avenue, SOHO, Grand Central Station, NYU and walked the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn. I even saw the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building while on the bridge. It was a brief tour, but a full one nonetheless, then I headed to Connecticut with my Boyfriend for Thanksgiving. For a week of "vacation" it sure was a busy one with all the traveling, touring and visiting but a nice break from the loads of work I have to finish before next week for finals.

The looming stressing of finals is here and I will be spending the next week at school until 11 every night. I am not looking forward to that, however I am anxiously awaiting the completion of the school year and my birthday on December 9!! Then a week off and I'm heading home for two weeks to rest and relax with the family.

Happy December 1st!!~~**Let it Snow~~**

November Already!!

I cannot believe it is already November 4th, election day and Halloween has come and gone! I went to Salem for a Halloween party and as I mentioned in a previous blog, I went as Waldo. Check out the dorky pic!
Salem is such a cute, quaint town and it was so cool to see how many people were there dressed in full costume. I took the commuter rail train and it was so packed people were standing in the aisles. Luckily it is only a half hour ride.

Today marks a milestone in my schooling, as the last time I will ever be registering for classes. This morning I registered for my final four classes as an undergraduate student. I cannot believe how quickly four years flew by and that I will be graduating in only a few short months. It is bittersweet because I really love school however, I am so eager to get a job and start working in the field I have spent four years preparing for. I am currently in search of an internship at an interior design or architecture firm for the spring. I need to have some work experience to put on my resume before I graduate so that I will have better luck landing a job once I'm out of school. I have to say though, finding an internship requires a lot of additional work aside from going to school, like preparing cover letters, and resumes writing emails and making follow up phone calls as well as always trying to network. I often get stressed about not finding an internship or even worse, a job after graduation, but I have to keep telling myself to persevere and keep working at it.

As for now, I have to get back to work here in the office and then head home to make some internship follow-up phone calls.

Blog ya later
-j

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