Things I've Learned

I'm taking a few Art History classes and I've learned some random, but interesting facts in there!  I just thought I'd share a few.

1- In medieval times, one of the styles for women was to have a very high forehead.  This was so popular that some would even pull out hair to get the desired effect.

2-St. Luke is the patron saint of the arts.  He was a physician and an artist in his time.

3-Uma Thurman was named after a Hindi goddess.  Her siblings are also named after figures in Buddhist mythology.  Her father is one of the nations foremost scholars on Buddhism.  He was ordained a Buddhist monk and the Dalai Lama was an occasional guest at their house. 

4-Leonardo da Vinci had a lizard brought to him that was said to look like one of his dragon paintings.  He liked it so much he made wings with scales painted on, glued it on the lizard, and then used that to scare his friends and family.

More, I'm sure, will follow.  I've only been in classes 1.5 weeks.  I'll try to share some more interesting facts!

Camping Trip

The weekend before school started, David and I decided we wanted to go on a camping trip.  I don't have a lot of experience going camping so I didn't know quite what the whole drill was, but it ended up being pretty fun!  The night before, David and I went shopping so we could prepare our hobo dinners (as David calls them, although I've heard them referred to as a few different things).  We got some hamburger, potato's, onions, carrots, and garlic and mashed them all together!  That's my kind of cooking!  Here is what they looked like while in the preparatory stage.

And this is David, very excited to get his picture taken!

We had a little trouble finding the campground we wanted, and ended up here.  It was a nice little area, kind of secluded and out of the way of everyone else.  We did get a nice little soundtrack for about 2 hours after sundown because the people across the way from us were blasting Adelle (gross....).  We cooked our dinners (very tasty!) and I had some s'mores (David says I'm addicted to them) and then we headed for bed.  The ground was lumpy, slightly sloped, and we didn't have an air mattress or any kind of padding, so it wasn't the best night's sleep.  We both woke up with pretty bad back aches the next morning.  Here is a picture of our camp!

One of the things David did to entertain himself was by practicing throwing a hatchet.  By the end of it, he was pretty good!  I was not.  This is his first successful attempt!  You can see the hatchet in the tree on the far right.

He's very proud of himself!  (don't worry Mom, nobody was behind the tree or in any danger of getting hit)

So we had some hangups, and we had a lot of fun!  Overall, I think I like camping, but now I know what we need to do for next time.

First Day of School!!!!!!

David and I started school on Monday, the 12th.  It's going to be a busy semester!  So far, David has had 2 auditions, is currently in 4 symphonies and a chamber group, and taking 14 credits, one of those classes is going to keep him very busy throughout the semester.  My schedule isn't as bad.  I'm only in 1 orchestra, but this is my last semester and I'm taking 3 different art history classes.  I am most excited for my Far Eastern Art class (covering art from India-mostly Hindu and Buddhist, China, and Japan).  I'm also taking Art of Near East and Egypt (not my most favorite, but still interesting) and Art History II which covers the western art like Europe and America.  There are so many interesting things to be learned from art that I'm sure I'll share some of those things on here!  I know history is one of the most boring subjects for most people, but I like it.  I guess that's what I get for having a dad who teaches social studies.

Well, on the first day of school David and I were trying to get up to campus early so David could practice his cello before his first class.  Right before we were about to leave, I yelled at David to stop, I grabbed my camera, and got a BEAUTIFUL first day of school picture!  I think it really expresses how excited David is to start school again!  Just like old times!

David's first day of school outfit (complete with cello on his back) - 2011

After I took this picture of him, he said if he had to get his picture taken I had to get mine, so here it is!

I really do like going to school and learning new things.  I don't know what I'm going to do when I graduate in December!  I guess there's always community classes....