Well readers, it has been a while: prepare yourselves for a super long post. The spring semester and the first half of summer were pretty intense- it was probably the busiest period of my life thus far. I feel like it was really transformative too- going through so many different activities at such a rapid speed helped me learn to manage my time better, as well as tackle academic or social problems with more efficiency.

As is my tradition, I have selected a quote to start things off:

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.
Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson (also penned title quote)

Some of the wisest and clearest advice I've found throughout my life can be attributed to the Transcendentalists, such as Thoreau, Emerson, Muir, and Whitman. I often read their works when I need to "recenter myself". I chose this quote because not "fretting over the yesterdays" is something that I've been striving for recently. I've adopted an attitude of flexibility, which has opened many doors for me- doing things exactly right is no longer my goal, I aspire to do things for a reason. Cutting down on perfectionism has done wonders for me- I feel more relaxed, I'm less nervous about what I say and write, and I can produce work that is more meaningful to myself. The ability to "move on" and not get fixated on things was a major driving force that kept me going throughout the past few months. 

My assorted jottings to encapsulate February through August as best I can are sorted by activity:

Start of Semester 2

Academics

Cartwheels by Eric Robertson

• Second semester was a lot busier academically than first, simply because I had four classes rather than two. My free time was in the morning, which was nice because I could get some work done before I went out. In early afternoon I'd bike to class (I'm chronically early to things, so would usually have to wait a bit for lectures to start). Around 4 my classes finished, and I would either go home, study, run errands, or participate in a club activity.

• I went to the The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art by myself in February- it was supposed to be a class field trip, but I went early because I planned to go kayaking on the set date. The painting that struck me most (which I ended up writing a paper on) was a work by Scottish artist, Eric Robertson, called "Cartwheels". It was a really interesting blend of abstraction and figuration.

• Sustainable Development this semester featured a lot of group work- luckily I was in a group with a couple friends. During the first half of the semester, we had to plan a seminar presentation- the topic we chose was economic, educational, and governmental practices in ecovillages.

• We also went on a field trip in SD… to the golf course in St. Andrews. It was really interesting seeing the grounds, it's a huge part of town that few people really visit unless they golf. Unfortunately, they kind of failed to show us the sustainable practices at the course- they focused more on the history and every so often would interject with things like, "Oh yes, and we are making a shift to hybrid vehicles" (came across as a second thought).

• Philosophy was tough but intriguing as usual.

Design Team

• In Design Team, we continued to run our weekly movie nights and photoshop classes. We also did a couple of workshops, including a T-Shirt workshop for "Refreshers".

Canoe Club

Koi Cake for Canoe Club Bakesale

• I let go a bit of canoe in second semester, not because I disliked it, but because I felt I needed to spend some more time with my other activities. The main event I did in early spring was the SSS Wild Water Race, which I ended up just taking photos for- I was worried about my shoulder and I was feeling ill when I got there. I also went to the Canoe Club Ceilidh, which was fun as always, and helped out at our bakesale.

• I ran for Gear Officer, and got the position for next year (you can see my fellow committee members here: Canoe Committee Page)

Ents and Mermaids

Ivanov Tech Position

• I got to be the technical officer for the Mermaids show "Ivanov", so was in charge of setting up and running lighting and sound for the production. It was the first time I'd worked in the Barron Theater since the first week of Freshman year, so I had my friend Fraser reacquaint me with it before I started. I worked mainly with the director and producer, trying to make technical reality out of what they envisioned from the script. Overall it was a great experience (though frustrating and nerve-wracking at times), I'd love to do something similar again.

PhotoSoc

Snow Angel

• I was lucky enough to have my photo of Bridget in Tahoe shown at PhotoSoc's "How was Your Break" exhibition. I really enjoyed seeing all the other contestants photos and meeting people interested in photography at St. Andrews.

• I also went to a PhotoSoc movie night, which was nice. We watched "The Bang Bang Club", about combat photographers during the apartheid in South Africa.

Life About Town

• For my birthday, I planned a somewhat elaborate treasure hunt around the town (I wanted to have a celebration- 20 is a pretty significant year!). I made a sheet of clues which led to various magnetic tokens around town. I split my friends in two teams, and I drifted between the two, sometimes offering extra hints. We met up at The VIC for dinner, and I let the team with the most tokens choose a little prize first (then the losing team got second choice). Overall I think it was one of my favorite birthday celebrations!

Birthday celebration at the VIC

• I did a couple fun little photoshoots. In January I took my Brownie 2A camera around town, and developed the film in my bathroom using a tutorial I found on this site: www.chromogenic.net/develop/ In March I decided randomly to go shoot the stars one evening, and had a few nice results.

Spring Break

Mississippi Trip

• For Spring Break we took a road trip from New Orleans all the way to Boston. You can view our blog here: http://www.sixteendayssixteenstates.tumblr.com/ 

16 Days, 16 States + Canada

Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Iowa, Illinois, Alabama, Michigan, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Arkansas

Continuing Semester 2

Academics

Collage Report Images

• I'd have to say my favorite class was "Art, Culture and Politics, from 1900 to Now". I was really scared I would hate it, because I generally dislike modern and contemporary art. Instead, it gave me an appreciation for those blank white canvases or funky installations- I still prefer older works, but I am more open to new pieces now. My least favorite class was "Rationality and Action". I was so confused, and each lecture drove me into further befuddlement rather than clearing things up (philosophy… ahem). Strangely enough, that was the class I got the highest grade in!

• In SD we did Poster Presentations- my graphic design skills came in handy! It was a continuation of the seminar presentation on ecovillages, so was with that same group.

• I wrote an essay on interwar collage and photomontage for Art History- it was one of my favorite essays of the year to research. I especially enjoyed finding out more on Hannah Höch, Max Ernst, and László Moholy-Nagy.

Design Team

• After Spring break, I had my interview for Design Team Convenor. I was super nervous, and did quite poorly. However, I got the position, and am thrilled to be in charge of running the team next year. It will be a lot of responsibility, but it will be a lot of fun! We also held our AGM, so there is a new committee.

Outgoing Design Team Committee

• We held a series of artistic workshops led by Sarune, a member of our committee. One that I particularly liked was a matchbox workshop, where we painted, marked, cut, glued, etc. matchboxes into little creative art pieces.

• We also continued to hold design movie nights, which were largely unsuccessful due to peoples' busy schedules.

• Our final event of the year was an exhibition featuring the work of Design Team designers, as well as some pieces from ArtSoc. It was a nice little gathering- there was wine and music, so things were pretty relaxed.

Canoe Club

• One of my first jobs as a new gear officer (we begin at the end of the semester) was to start fixing up the boat shed. My fellow gear officer and I decided to start with making new racks for the buoyancy aids and doing some general cleanup. The past officers showed us how to repair boats, "welding" together cracks in the plastic with a heat gun. I'm looking forward to more tinkering next year!

Kinnessburn Clean Up

• We did a beach clean up, as well as a clean of the Kinnessburn stream. Among our more interesting finds were 3 umbrellas, half a bicycle, a wringer roller, a friend's wallet, and road signs.

• I attended the Aqua Ball again- it was an exciting night out with other watersports clubs!

• I did the May Dip with Canoe Club, like I did last year. We stayed up all night, then went out to East Sands in the morning to run into the water. Unfortunately, even though the previous days had been beautiful, the day of the dip was dreadful. There were big waves, and it was pretty windy. The police also had giant floodlights for safety, which I didn't remember from before. That made things a little awkward for stripping down and going into the water. Anyways, it was fun, but definitely not the same experience as Freshman year.

• Our final Canoe event of the year was a bonfire, which I was excited to attend since I missed it last year. It was fun seeing the paper plate awards for the year's accomplishments and failures.

Canoe Club End-of-Year Picture

Ents

• I was lucky enough to attend a sound training session by a professional from the industry. I felt like it really clarified and helped linked some concepts which I did not understand (I still have a long way to go!). I was a bit embarrassed because my alarm did not go off, I was late, and had a very bad hair day, but I ended up having an excellent time with my ents crew friends and learned a lot.

Sleepy Nat at Sound Training (pic credit Ryo)

• I went to the end of year meal, which was a nice way to conclude the year and say goodbye to people before summer vacation.

PhotoSoc

• PhotoSoc ran a darkroom workshop, led by my friend CJ. I had been looking forward to it for months because I missed the previous workshop in winter. It ended up being a lot of what I had learned from the website tutorial, but it was really helpful because I learned why certain steps are done, rather than just how.

KnitSoc

• KnitSoc had its AGM, and I ran for publicity officer again. Which reminds me, I really need to get on those Freshers Fayre flyers!

• I also had a Eurovision night with a few friends from KnitSoc. I'd never head of the Eurovision song contest before, but it is very big in Europe, and has been running since 1956. Honestly, it was a bit too tacky for my taste, but I think it is kind of supposed to be that way. It was fun finally seeing what people were talking about.

Life at Home

• I did a design project from afar for the Rocky Horror Show- my high school theater teacher Mr. Holme's retirement show. I wish I could have attended, it was an alumni cast, and sounded very amusing!

A graphic I made for picnic invite- features musical characters

Life About Town

• I went out with a film camera for a second time- this time my Imperial Reflex camera. I tried to capture a juxtaposition of the ancient and new, and was very excited that my pictures of motorcyclists near the Pends Arch came out.

• I went to my first "soaking". A soaking is another odd St. Andrews tradition in which you pour water (and sometimes glitter) over a final year student who has just finished their last exam. It was an exciting way to say farewell to my friend Alison from Design Team- I felt a little guilty since it was so cold out though!

• I had a nice little get together with my friends Lavin and Ryo. We were supposed to teach Lavin how to ride a bike, but ironically on my way over my tire got a flat. It was pretty embarrassing! Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun, and I hope we'll get a chance to do something similar over the next year.

• My bike in general started to fall apart towards the final weeks in St. Andrews. I had to replace the tube on the wheel that got a flat, the leather on my handlebars came off (still need to resew), the chain got very rusty (hooray for WD40- which, yes, I know is not good for bikes but it works!), and I had to change the break pads. The outer part of my helmet also fell off and the spring came out of the inside of my bike lock- I just bought replacements for next year.

Travel

• I finally got a chance to go out and visit the Rock and Spindle formations along the Fife coastline. They were incredible! Way cooler than I thought they would be. To get there, you walk along a relaxing and scenic path, with excellent views of St. Andrews. The area surrounding the formations was almost otherworldly- it had a very alien feel to it!

Journey to the Rock and Spindle

Summer

Travel in Scotland

Canoe Trip

We started near Aviemore and ended in Spey Bay

• At the end of the year I went on a 4 day canoeing trip on the River Spey from the Cairngorms to the ocean. I'd never paddled a canoe before- only kayaks- and I really enjoyed it! It was a very relaxing river, there were not many rapids. We were lucky to have some sunshine as well. We wild-camped alongside the river each night- we were surrounded by nature 24 hours a day (it was quite frightening to step in a Tesco Superstore on our way home!). Overall it was a great experience, I have many cheerful memories from the trip.


Here's a little movie I made with clips from the trip- song choice is not quite as cheerful as it should be, but I wanted to show the "power of the landscape"- will probably recut with a different tune.

Northern Isles Trip

• After my canoe trip I went on my much anticipated journey to the Northern Isles. Unfortunately I got a little mixed up and missed my first ferry, so I had to cut out the first few days of the trip, and did not get to visit Fair Isle (I MUST go someday). However, things went very smoothly after that. I headed out to Lerwick (capital of Shetland) on May 31st via overnight ferry. The ferry was awesome- I'd always wanted to see what it was like to sleep on a boat. Coincidentally, I shared my cabin with a very nice girl from St. Andrews.

• The next morning I set out on foot to explore Lerwick. I decided to take a boat tour with Seabirds and Seals (which I highly recommend) out to the cliffs of Noss Nature Reserve where gannets and other seabirds live. On the way I had spectacular views of the harsh and dramatic landscape (that type of landscape was the main reason for my visit to the north- second reason: knitting!). Being at the cliffs was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life- thousands of birds had nests on the rocky outcrop, some dove to get fish, some preened their feathers, some flew overhead. There were also seals and clever skuas that followed the boat. In the afternoon I went to the local museum, which was sensational (newly redone). I also went on a stroll through Lerwick's main street, making sure to go down interesting closes along the way. In the evening I went to Clickimin Broch, an iron age drystone structure.

• The next day I met up with James, a guide from Island Trails. Nobody else signed up for the tour, but he was nice enough to take me around the island by myself. We started out going through what was once a crofting township, then went to Sumburgh Head. Sumburgh Head is the southern tip of mainland Shetland, which has a beautiful lighthouse and is a wonderful place to spot seabirds such as puffins. There were quite a few intense birdwatchers there (or "twitchers"- the not so nice term), some had cameras with the most heavy duty long lenses I'd ever seen, so I felt a little pathetic with my dinky little kit lens! We managed to spot some puffins, which were actually a lot smaller than I would have thought- they had a lot of personality to make up for their size though! Going to and from Sumburgh Head we drove right through the landing strip of Sumburgh Airport- it is set up in the same way as a train crossing!

Next we visited the house of Doreen Brown, a friend of James who is a knitwear designer. She was the person who made the sweaters for the Shetland ponies in the commercial to promote "Natural Scotland" in 2013. I loved seeing her workshop, with all her Fair Isle samplers and her knitting machine. She also showed me how to use a traditional knitting belt, which I had never heard of before.



After that, we went to the Old Scatness archeological site, which had various types of roundhouses used over time for different purposes. Nearby we saw the house of Betty Mouat, whose mishap adventures you can read about here: Betty Mouat story.

Next we went to the Dunrossness Croft House Museum, which was simply beautiful. If I were ever brave enough to abandon all my modern accoutrements, I would take up residence in a house like that!

Then we drove to get a view of St. Ninian's Isle, an island which is connected to the mainland by a tombolo, or bridge of sand. Treasure was discovered on the island in 1958.

Lastly we visited Scalloway castle, and looked around for a few minutes before it closed. In the evening I took a ferry to Orkney, and got to my hostel around midnight.

• I spent my first day in Orkney exploring Kirkwall- St. Magnus Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, and a couple smaller museums. I also took a short bus ride over to the town of Stromness. Stromness had a much sleepier feel than Kirkwall, almost like it had been lost in time- going there felt like entering a dream.

• On my second day I took a tour with John of Tour Orkney. It was a one-on-one tour again, so I got to personalize some of the places we went. We started out at Maeshowe, a neolithic chambered tomb. Though a little morbid, this was one of the most amazing spots on my trip- here are a few fascinating facts about it:

• Each year at winter solstice, a beam of light filters through the tomb's entrance and hits the back wall
• The tomb contains one of the largest collections of secular Viking runes- graffiti written when they used it for a shelter. One of my favorites is, "These runes were carved by the man most skilled in runes in the western ocean"- here's a link to some others.
• The rocks used to build the tomb are up to 30 tons in weight!
• The entrance passage is 36ft long, but only about 3ft tall, so we all had to duck to get inside

Next we went to the Standing Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar, stone circles which are likely older than Stonehenge. There was a certain unidentifiable power standing within the circles- perhaps from the fact they had stood the test of time and "seen" so much, rather than something supernatural. Power also lies in the fact that nobody knows how the stones got there. In Easter Island, it is often theorized that they used trees as rollers to move the Moai. However, trees were a scarce resource in Orkney. John told me about a plausible theory, which is still practiced in some parts of the world today- laying out beds of seaweed, throwing on water, and pulling the stones along the slippery surface.

Lastly, we went to Skara Brae, a neolithic settlement (sometimes called the "Scottish Pompeii" for its excellent state of preservation). We also visited the nearby Skaill House, home of the people who discovered the site. We ate lunch at the visitor center, and had a fun time people watching-"classifying" various types of tourists. I spent my afternoon going to places I missed in Kirkwall, then caught the overnight ferry back to Aberdeen. I was astounded over summer to find that the August edition of National Geographic highlighted all the places I visited in Orkney- I would really recommend reading it if you want further detail!

Boston

• The day after coming back to St. Andrews, I flew to Boston, to attend my summer program at Harvard. I was very nervous, but the trip to the Isles made me a bit calmer, and it also helped that my parents met me in Boston to help me get settled (on their way to Bermuda for their 25th anniversary).

The Career Discovery program was excellent- I won't get into too much detail, but I will write out the basic structure of the course. It was centered around three projects, the first a week long, the second two weeks, and the third three weeks. We were split into studio groups of about 12 students- the landscape program had about 40 students total, and the whole program had around 200. Our first lectures were at 9 in the morning, then we'd have a small break, another lecture, lunch, then studio work all afternoon and evening- often not leaving till the building closed at midnight.

I found that I really loved landscape architecture, here's a little list of things I like about it:

My final project presentation board

• Design discipline- creativity for a cause
• Focused on the outdoors and nature
• Focused on people and how they interact with the environment
• An emphasis on sustainability, which you can take as far as you want to
• Designing for "the greater good"
• Using a number of mediums- from physical miniatures to computer software
• Can relate back to history or focus on the future
• The things you create you can be proud of, and will often look better (rather than worse) as they age
• Solving or reducing problems and doing research
• Interacting with people of all different disciplines, and not sticking to one discipline yourself

I really enjoyed meeting new friends with similar interests, and from so many different backgrounds. Overall, the program was very beneficial for determining my next step after St. Andrews.

LA3- my studio group (holding our instructor, Hope)

• I also explored all around the city of Boston (especially the neighborhood of Cambridge)- you can see my photos below:

Home

• I hadn't been home since December, and coming back in July marked the longest time I'd ever been away from Santa Barbara. I arrived right in the middle of our annual Cousin Camp, so got to see my extended family. It was refreshing to come home to perfect weather- not too hot (Boston), not too cold (Scotland). I am always overjoyed to see the Southern California landscape again- the Pacific, the Santa Ynez Mountains, the Channel Islands, the dry Mediterranean foliage.

• I've been working on various projects around home- some personal, others for clubs and outside things. Craft-wise I've been working a bit on my dollhouse, doing some small woodwork, trying a bit of spinning, and finishing my knitting project. I've been working on designing logos for a couple of societies, and redesigning the Design Team website and our backyard lawn.

• I'm starting to get into the grad school application process, which is really a pain. I haven't fully decided on the schools yet, but I know that I will need to be writing essays, taking the GRE, making a resume and portfolio under specific requirements, filling out forms, and getting letters of recommendation. This is going to be so fun... not.

• I had fun when my sister's fashion instructor invited us to do a photoshoot for a documentary during Fiesta. We were dressed in old Spanish style, though I think Bridget and I were supposed to be Irish immigrants or something (it wasn't very clear).

• My family and I went up north to go to the annual car show, visit some colleges, and visit my relatives. I really enjoyed spending time with everyone, as well as attending the various events.

• We just had our family garage sale, full of all the things around our house we wanted to get rid of. It actually went quite well- we had many customers and it was pretty fun!

• Today I picked up my new laptop at the Apple store! The cost made me cringe, but I know it will be worth it- I spend so much of my life in front of the screen, the more efficient it is the better. I'm hoping the speed will allow me new freedoms in my design work- I'm currently constrained by the length of time it takes to render things.

Photos from Summer in California:

So that just about brings you up to the present moment- next week I leave to go back to St. Andrews. I can't make any promises, but I'll try to be more consistent next year with my posts!

It is almost Week 8 of the "Martinmas Semester", an extremely busy time of year for us St. Andreans. I cannot believe how quickly time is passing! There is a definite chill in the air now and it has been raining for a little while almost every day. We've had a time change as well, so now it starts getting dark around 4:30. Like Emily Brontë I welcome these seasonal transformations-

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night’s decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

I think the easiest way to share what I've done over the past weeks is to list events by activity rather than chronologically… here it goes!

Canoe Club

• The Freshers Trip- The Freshers Trip as a second year felt vastly different. Not only was I more confident in the kayaking itself, but I also knew people in the club, so was way more relaxed than last year. On day one, I went in the first car so I could help set up tents at the campsite before meeting the others to paddle. Like last year, the day consisted of paddling from Loch Tay to Aberfeldy, stopping along the way to practice skills and play games. I got to try out my Contour camera on the river, so have a lot of fun footage of the trip (below is a short clip of us doing the wave).

• The second day we went from Aberfeldy to Grandtully, and paddled a couple of exciting rapids. You can see another clip of my group going down the Grandtully rapids below (sorry for the funky music!):

• In the evening we went to an all-you-can-eat chinese buffet and then back to St. Andrews. The official club blog post here: STAUCC Blogpost

Safety and Rescue Scenario

• White Water Safety and Rescue- I did a weekend course in white water safety and rescue a few weeks ago. The first day we learned the acronym CLAP (Communication, Line of Sight, Avoidance is Better than Cure, Position of Maximum Usefulness), which became the overarching theme of the course. We did many different activities throughout the day including shallow water wading, throw bagging, and defensive vs aggressive swimming. We also learned about principles of safe equipment and how best to obtain mechanical advantage. In the evening we got dinner in Aberfeldy and camped at Grandtully- it poured for most of the night!

• The second day we examined rescue situations in further detail, using the phrases "Shout, Reach, Throw, Row, Go" and "Self, Team, Victim, Equipment". We set up several scenarios for foot entrapments, boat capsizes, and getting caught in "strainers" (trees, logs, etc.). It was a very informative course- now that I know some safety basics I feel a lot more comfortable on the water.

  

  WWSR group

At the Perth Show

• Perth Show and Stanley Paddle- Every year there is a large canoe and kayak expo up in the city of Perth which coincides with the Tay Descent, a race down the river Tay. Last year I missed the show, so I was really looking forward to it. The expo was really overwhelming- I'd never seen so much kayaking kit all in one place! After much debate, I ended up investing in a buoyancy aid which I had researched online beforehand. It has many of the good safety features which I learned about during WWSR. After shopping, we went to two inspiring talks by Jonny Hawkins and Callum Strong- friends of the club who went on pretty intense kayaking expeditions in Borneo and Ethiopia. I was enthralled by their tales of riding to a river by handcar and stumbling into the path of a hippopotamus. In the afternoon we paddled the Tay at Stanley, a section which I'd never done before. Due to the recent rainstorms the river was very full- there were a lot of fun waves. The paddle was quite short, but it was getting dark by the time we finished anyway.

• Pool Sessions and Surf Sessions- Pool sessions have started back up, so we can practice in warm water again! I've only been to one so far, but I was very excited because I remembered how to roll after not getting to practice for several months. The surf sessions are great for practicing skills as well, and the games we play in the harbor are quite entertaining!

• Adrenaline Ball- Friday night was the Adrenaline Ball, a dance for some of the "extreme sports" clubs. I went to a potluck beforehand, as I opted out of the fancy dinner, then headed to the Golf Hotel for the event. The first part of the dance and the best part of the evening was the ceilidh (see my past post for more about ceilidhs). My favorites dances this time were the Gay Gordons, The Virginia Reel, and St. Bernard's Waltz. After the ceilidh was the discotheque part of the evening- something I'm always hesitant to partake in. Luckily I was persuaded to join in, and I ended up having a lot of fun. After the dance was over we walked to the Union and got drinks before heading home. All in all I had a wonderful evening!

  

  Potluck (Photo Credit: Patsy)

Design Team

• Tea People Design- The girls from the Design Team committee were offered an internship from Tea People, a tea company that donates 50% of its profits back to tea-growing regions. We are working on designing new packaging, as well as planning a photo shoot for the the redesign of the website and to promote a holiday pop-up shop.
• Photoshop Classes- I've been helping the Design Team head teach classes in Photoshop on Sunday afternoons. It has been great for reinforcing my Photoshop and public speaking skills, and I enjoy helping budding designers unlock their potential in the program. Last weekend I ended up teaching a class on the Heal Brush and Clone Stamp by myself- it was very exciting!

Ents

Poster for Comedy Show

• I've been much more involved with Ents this year than I was last year. I'm glad to be surrounded by techie friends once again- it is something I missed very much from high school. Below are some of my favorite events of the past weeks.
• Laser Tag- We got to set up a "maze" in the union for a laser tag company using trussing and fabric, then got to try out the course ourselves. It was fantastic fun even though I stink at laser tag and got the lowest score. When the event was finished we took everything down about three times as fast as we put it up. My friend and I got very good at folding fabric quickly.
• Bops- I have teched at a couple of Friday night bops, mostly practicing lighting. I find live lighting a bit strange coming from a theater lighting background- you really have to have a knack for matching lights to the beat of the music. It is a little nerve-wracking trying to decide how much smoke to release from the smoke machine and when or how long to leave on the strobes, but I am starting to get the hang of it.
• Ceilidh and Bubble Bath- Two fellow Ents and I have formed a trio for certain events. We did a ceilidh together a couple weeks ago, and Bubble Bath last week (Bubble Bath is a reoccurring comedy panel show which I've stage-managed twice this year). We are a great little team!

Academics

• I just turned in my main Art History essay of the semester on photography and painting in the 19th century. I focused mainly on the Pre-Raphaelites, one of my favorite groups of artists. It was really wonderful to do a project on a topic that I am passionate about- I ended up doing way more research than was probably necessary just because I was interested.
• I also had to do a presentation for my Art History tutorial on the same topic, though less specific to the Pre-Raphaelites. I made a Prezi for the talk, which you can see here if you are interested: New Visions, Public and Private

Pomona, Julia Margaret Cameron

• Right now I'm supposed to be studying for my Visual Analysis test, which involves memorizing about 70 works of art and their background information so when they show us three comparisons, we can write about each for 17 minutes. The artworks we are studying can be found in my Quizlet flashcard set.
• For sustainable development I am working on a project about invasive species with two other group members, as well as an essay on the plight of the bees.
• Finally for my online course, I have done a lot of short exercises that are meant to get you to think out of the box. I'm looking forward to seeing what else they have in store for us as the year goes on.

Life at Home

• I've been trying to keep up my ballet muscles by practicing at home every so often. Stretching and listening to Tchaikovsky is a great way to unwind after a day of work!
• I'm determined to finish fixing up our garden before winter- I want to at least plant some bulbs, so we have nice flowers in the spring.
• I've been baking a little, not as much as I would like, but had an especially pleasant Halloween morning baking focaccia, dinner rolls, and banana nut muffins.
• Speaking of Halloween, I had a much more subdued holiday than usual this year. Instead of going out I ended up watching a scary movie on my own. Admittedly it was a little sad, especially since Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I love dressing up, but it just felt like a stay-at-home evening. However, I did put my Mary Blair pumpkin out, and received a couple trick-or-treaters!



My Mary Blair Pumpkin



Bicycle Repairman

• I've been Miss Bike Repairwoman lately- I have to keep battling the wear and tear which comes from riding a bicycle everyday. Fortunately, Youtube is very helpful, and bike tune-ups are quite easy if you have some hex-keys!

• I attached my Contour camera to my bike a few weeks ago and got some pretty awesome results! I hope to make another video sometime soon.

KnitSoc

• I haven't done much with KnitSoc since the beginning of the year, mostly because I tend to have things going on at the same time as the meetings. I'm working on a hat right now, but progress is rather slow- I'll let you know how it goes!

PhotoSoc

• I joined PhotoSoc, and have been to a couple of their events- in the first we took photos around town and in the second we woke up early and met to take sunrise photos at the pier.

• I've also been trying out my Brownie camera around town on my own- I still have to develop the photos.

Travel

• Since I last wrote I've been to Edinburgh twice- once for a day of photography and geocaching, and once to tour Stills Photography Center. On the first occasion, I had a lot of fun exploring the zoo and the botanic gardens, neither of which I'd been to before. You can see my photos here:

• My trip to Stills was different than I had hoped but it was still fun and informative. I went with the intention of learning to develop film, but realized when I got there that I had signed up for a tour of the facility rather than a class. The lady was really nice and showed me around the digital and analogue processing areas- I hope to go back sometime soon.

Today is Raisin Sunday- though unfortunately I'm not planning on doing much this year. I'll try to write again soon!!!

The end of the school year went well. Unfortunately, I was so busy I didn't have time to write a decent blog post! Of course, I forgot to write one when I got home, so now I have some catch up work to do. Today is my last day in Santa Barbara before I head back to Scotland. The weather is sensational so I'm sitting on a bench in our yard with Henry, our wire fox terrier. I'll do my best to describe most of the important events of April through August (yikes!), so sit tight for an incredibly long post...

•  On April 26th I attended the "Aqua Ball", which was put on by the Swimming, Canoe, and Lifesaving clubs (I designed the tickets- see below). I chose to go to the potluck beforehand, rather than the dinner, and brought a cake and a salad. The ceilidh was fun, but everyone who went to the potluck was a bit late, so missed a few dances. All in all it was a great night!

•  The next day I got to try out doing some event photography with my friend at TEDx St. Andrews. It was a nice challenge to deal with a lighting and setting I wasn't used to. It was exciting to listen to the TED talks as well- the ones I enjoyed most were about medieval manuscripts, musical theater, and a childish approach to life.


•  The day after that, I took photos at SSS Wild Water Racing, a kayaking competition put on by our Canoe Club. I snapped photos like crazy during the event, and ended up with about 1300 shots. My favorite races to watch were the duos. Overall, it was a very busy weekend!

•  The next few weeks were revision and exams, which were generally uneventful except for the following occasions:

•  I made sourdough, which involved making a starter of yeast and water, "feeding it" and caring for it for a week, then making the bread. The end product looked nice, but unfortunately I did not like the taste as much as I had hoped (I tried two more starters over the summer as well- still haven't found perfect one).

Sourdough

•  I went on a couple outdoor excursions to take a break from studying. I paddled in the sea with Canoe Club, which was great for exercise, but it was very windy. On the way there I was towards the front of the group, but on the way back I really lagged behind due to the fact I had to paddle against the wind predominantly with my bad arm. I also went to the botanic gardens to do some reading for philosophy and take some pictures.

Gaudie

•  On the eve of May 1st I participated in the traditional May Dip and Gaudie activities. As the sun was setting I walked with some friends to Younger Hall wearing my red gown. After everyone had gathered we went in a procession (with a bagpiper and a choir) towards the pier. We were given torches, which, I'm not going to lie, were quite dangerous- the flames were very big and there were many sparks, not a good combo with the red gowns, wind, and cobblestones. On the pier we did the normal loop, going towards the sea on the wide part, then up a ladder, and away from the sea on the skinny part. The torches at night reflecting on the water looked unbelievably beautiful.

•  After that, we went to the canoe club castle and then over to a house party. The party lasted the whole night, though many were very sleepy by the end. I won the cereal box game, in which you have to bend over to grab a cereal box (which gets cut progressively shorter each round) in your mouth without using your hands. We also played a celebrity name game and Ring of Fire, neither of which I am a big fan of.

•  As soon as the sun started to rise, we walked out to the beach, stripped off our clothes, and ran into the sea. The North Sea was so cold that the second I went in I couldn't feel anything (I can't imagine what it would be like for those who went in completely nude). We ducked underwater, then ran shivering back to the shore. Afterwards, we went to someone's house to get hot chocolate- a perfect ending to the event. See a video to the right (not exactly the best footage, but gives you the idea)

•  Finally, I finished a sweater with owl motifs on it. The pattern is by Kate Davies, my favorite knitwear designer.

•  In the last few days of the semester I spent some time packing up my dorm. My mom arrived on the 22nd, the day of my last exam. She is an ultra "packer", so I got her approval on my boxes of belongings before sealing them up and giving them to the storage company.

•  My mom and I had a great couple of days in St. Andrews, I really enjoyed showing her all the sights and sounds of the city I had experienced throughout the year. Now that my mom and dad have visited, I'm hoping Bridget will come!

Last night in St. Andrews

•  After St. Andrews, my mom and I took the train up to Inverness and explored around the city for an afternoon. I think the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery was what we liked most. The next day we took a bus to the Isle of Skye, which I'd been wanting to visit for several years. The bus ride over was wonderful, there were waterfalls, lochs, wildlife, and beautiful mountainous landscapes. Even my mom, who doesn't enjoy road trips, marveled at the scenery. We got to Skye just as the sun was setting, and it felt like driving into another world.

•  We stayed the night in Portree, the largest town on the island, and wandered throughout its streets in the evening and early morning. At around 9, we met with our tour guide, a man born and raised on the island. My favorite places we saw were: 

Faerie Glen- mysterious small hills with terraced edges that were not man made

The Old Man of Storr- a mountain that looks like an old man

Kilt Rock- a cliff with the appearance of a kilt

Staffin Beach- a beach where the last man in Scotland to swim his cattle to an island annually to graze did his crossings (see link here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-12430571)

Quiraing- a landslip near Meall na Suiramach with one of the most picturesque views I have ever seen

Lealt- an area of cliffs, the sea, and waterfalls
Red Hills- a panoramic series of hills

•  In the evening we went back to Inverness, and then in the morning on to Edinburgh. I showed my mom some spots that I love in Edinburgh, like the Scott Monument, Grassmarket, and Arthur's Seat. We also went geocaching in Greyfriars Kirkyard and found the the Heart of Midlothian. My mom suggested we go up to Carlton Hill, as neither of us had been there- the monuments were really spectacular! We liked the Nelson Monument the most, which had a time ball.

 

•  The next day we flew to Belgium, and were in Bruges by early afternoon. We stayed in Bruges for three nights- our hotel was beautiful and historic, picked out by the ultimate trip planner, Mark Mitchell. Bruges was a wonderful town, but was incredibly touristy. We found the difference between the "tourist streets" and the almost empty streets if you went a block down really strange. However, we didn't let the crowds get to us too much. Here were my favorite locations in Bruges:
The Groeninge Museum- a museum with a fantastic selection of Flemish art

The Basilica of the Holy Blood- a chapel containing a vial of holy blood, which has an interesting ceremony
The Sint-Janshospitaal Museum- a museum with art, archaic medical equipment, and an awesome ark-like ceiling

The Belfort- a large tower in the center of town with wonderful views
The Historium- I only like the memories with my mom here- the experience itself was odd. It was a Disneylandesque recreation of Bruges during Van Eyck's era and was kind of over the top

The canals- our favorite spot was a little ways away from Blind Donkey Alley

The sweet shops- the best cookie I tried was called a Dentelle de Bruges

The alleyways- they were pretty picturesque and well kept

Fast food pasta places- perfect for Nathalies
Dill and Camille- a store with very cute gardening and cooking supplies, like a better version of Sur la Table 

 

•  The next city we went to was Ghent, which was mainly to visit Jan Van Eyck's famed Ghent Altarpiece, which I had studied in art history. With all its detail, you could stare at it for hours (see this awesome site: http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be/). We also went to a museum called the MIAT or Museum of Industrial Archeology and Textile, which doesn't sound very interesting but is one of the best museums I have ever gone to. I love anything industrial revolution related, and am currently very into textile production, so I found it fascinating. Afterwards we went to some great antique shops.

•  The last place we went was Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and the "capital of Europe". I made a map of all the places in the city I wanted to see, and planned the most efficient schedule for our single day there. First we went past the Art Nouveau Musical Instrument Museum building, and to an underground museum called the Coudenberg. Then I sneakily took my mom past the Mannequin Pis, which she did not want to see because she thought it was vulgar. After that, we headed to the central square, which had some of the most amazing building facades I have ever seen. I fell in love with the statuary on the outside of the Grand Palace. Next, we went through the very long Saint-Hubertus Royal Gallery building and stopped in a couple bookstores to look at Tintin comic books. Then we took the subway to Victor Horta's house, which was what I wanted to see most in Brussels. Horta was an instigator of the Art Nouveau movement, and his house was stunning. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside, but there is a picture I found online to the right. Lastly, we visited the Atomium and "Mini Europe" in a kind of jumbled together theme park called Brupark. Mini Europe was cool, but pretty weird, and admission was overly expensive- I thought they should have given me a discount after their creepy turtle mascot grabbed me and tried to get us to take a souvenir photo- yikes!

•  When I got back home, we had just about a week before leaving for Marin county to go to my cousin's Bar Mitzfah. The ceremony was very nice, though it was kind of sentimental seeing the last of the five of my aunt's children "become a man". I also got to go to one of my favorite shops, Susan's Storeroom, and see my friend Victoria who was working up north over the summer.

•  We then went down to Stinson Beach, a pretty remote foggy beach town 35 miles away from the Golden Gate Bridge. I had a really wonderful time playing with kayaks and paddle boards with my younger cousins. We ended up making a silly video about the crabs we caught in the lagoon with my new underwater camera.

•  On the way back home we visited San Juan Bautista, a historic California town with a great mission, view of the San Andreas fault, old-fashioned downtown, and awesome antique stores. My dad says that he wouldn't hesitate to move there if Santa Barbara didn't exist.

 

•  Sometime in June or July we went to the Mullins Car Museum, and got a "private tour" from my dad. I got to see the kind of car my dad almost owned in his story of the "one that got away"- a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic he saw in a garage that was stolen or moved the next day when he came to get it. I also saw a 1925 Bugatti Type 27 Brescia Torpedo that was found on the bottom of Lake Maggiore in Italy- according to legend a man put it on a float in the lake so he could get out of paying taxes, but the chain broke and it sunk.

Cucumber I grew

•  I went to a permaculture lecture at SBCC to aid in the creation of my garden at home. I really liked the speaker, Christopher Shein, and ended up getting his book. My garden did really well over the summer- I moved the box and raised the bed an extra foot to allow for more growing room. I also made a bench, sunshade, and trellis on the sides with the help of my dad. I grew many lettuces, two types of basil, several varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers, a bell pepper, chives, parsley, and cilantro.

Poodle Parade

•  I also went to the annual French Festival and Greek Festival with my friends and family. I really liked the dancing and desserts at the Greek Festival and entering our dogs in the "Poodle Parade" at the French Festival.

At Bridget's Birthday Party

•  Bridget's 16th Birthday was on July 26th, and she celebrated by having an elaborate 1920's Around the World themed party. Almost everyone dressed up and they played musical chairs and bagels on a string, had a dance party, and watched the movie "The Fall" which is about a stunt performer and a little girl in a hospital.

•  Another fun thing I did was to glean oranges at an orchard in Montecito through the program Food Forward. We picked over 3500 pounds!

•  Bridget and I also planned a lemonade stand, to support research for Colony Collapse Disorder- unfortunately we didn't get very many customers, perhaps because we were too old or the spot we chose was difficult to park in.

•  We went on a couple of side trips over the summer- my favorites were to the Getty with my dad to visit the Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future and Gardens of the Renaissance exhibits, and to downtown Ventura, where there are many antique stores and new up and coming shops. I also went to a few garage sales and swap meets- which we Mitchell's always enjoy. The best things I got were several vintage cameras, including a brownie camera which someone gave me for free because they thought it was "gutted" and could not be used. It is in perfect working condition.

•  In February I woke up with a terrible crick in my neck- to the point where I could not turn my head to the left for an entire day. For the next week, I had to sit on the left side of the lecture rooms so I could look right. Slowly it got better, but by April it started getting worse again. Over the summer, I decided to have it checked out, and went to a spine clinic. After X-rays and an MRI I learned I had strained my trapezius muscle (goes from shoulder to neck). I was advised to go to physical therapy, which I doubted at first, but helped phenomenally- I would definitely recommend Hayashida if you are in SB!

•  I just got my driver's license, which is very exciting. I'm glad that I waited, as I feel much more confident now than when I began driving at 16. My parents are happy that they won't have to "chauffeur" me anymore, and I am happy I won't have to take the bus all the time (though I do love public transportation).






•  I also helped my dad do a few projects in his garage including inventorying Alfa Romeo books/manuals and photographing and posting items on eBay.

•  Last, but not least, I experimented with pinhole photography over the summer, which you should hear more about in my next post!