Karen Moen's blog

Final Portfolio

Posted April 29th, 2008 by Karen Moen

Portfolio

This is my final portfolio. It includes all of the projects and edits I have done this term. I enjoyed working on each one of these immensely, even though, they each had their moments. Take one painfully slow laptop, add to that software that takes eons to load and then attempting to learn a software program as you use it. This all adds up to some very frustrating evenings spent hunched over a computer. But I have prevailed and I've completed each of them. The endless hours of editing and re-editing my video, adding effects, taking out effects, swapping around slides. Oh and don't forget scouring the archives for a song that would fit. All in all, the final outcome was worth the hours of work. It was also very nice to get good feedback from the class.

I will admit though, that some of the feedback I received I didn't agree with. When creating our collages, I think we each had a vision of what we wanted. Some comments on fine tuning or removing unnecessary items, changing around wording or making things clearer is helpful. But, when you're told to change something that you think is integral to the very concept it can be a dilemma. What if you liked the way it is? Regardless, I tried the suggestions anyway. Some worked, some didn't.

This was a great class to take. It was absolutely nothing like what I expected. I enjoyed the discussions and the readings a lot. I liked the easy flow of the class and looked forward to going each time. I liked our group efforts and presentations. Although, I did not like doing podcasts, they were enjoyable to listen to. I learned to look at fiction in a new light. I've noticed that when I read a book now, it takes me a little longer. I look deeper into the characters and try to find out more about each one. What meanings has the author hidden for me to find? I also have a new found respect and interest in some computer software that I would have never, ever used before this class. KUDOS!

Contents

I. Playlist
a. original draft version
b. revised version
c. reflection

II. Character Collage
a. original draft version
b. revised version
c. final version
d. reflection
e. references

III. Poem Collage
a. original draft version
b. revised version
c. final version
d. reflection
e. references

IV. Video Project
a. original draft version
b. final version
c. reflection
d. references

V. Group Podcast
a. podcast
b. reflection
c. resources

VI. Yelllow Wallpaper
a. glosses
b. reflection
c. references

VII. Intro to Fiction participation
a. comments
b. refection

This is the original draft of my playlist:
Playlist first draft

This is the revised and final version of my playlist:
Playlist revised

Reflection
This was a hard project to do in many ways. First for some reason I chose to write my own story. Second, choosing songs for the different scenes was really hard. I don't have access to a lot of music. I have cd's and I still have a couple of albums, I don't have an IPOD or an ITunes account. I have an MP3 player that is filled with all of my favorite cds. This all made finding songs difficult because I had to listen to the radio for inspiration. I found myself trying to use everything I heard. There are still a few songs that I would like to replace. I am going to continue to look for inspiration for this project. I am also going to try and expand on my story. Now that I have time, I want to add more dialog and make it into a real story not just a base for my play list. I am looking forward to writing my first short story.

This is the original draft of my character collage.
Character collage first draft

This is the revised version of my character collage.
Character collage revised

This is the final version of character collage
Character collage Final version

Reflection
I feel like this collage came out perfectly. It really brings across exactly what I was thinking when I thought of that story. I love the clock, the color is so rich it just speaks to you as soon as you look at it. My GIMP skills suffered just a bit because I hadn't used them in a while. I found the old frustrations, just lying in wait for me, when I went in to make the final edits. I was finally able to input the new, larger NYC cab. At first, I hated it. I like the original version so much, I didn't think it needed to be changed. But then I moved the cab off the side of the collage, remembering what Dan had said about doing that. It worked, it looks great. The piece is now much lighter, it has a fresher feel to it. The previous one was dark, almost had a batman feel to it. I liked the idea of Gotham, but now the cab brings light to that side of the collage. It tells the story of the guy with no time much better.

References:
Sleephailing http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sleephailing
NYC cab http://www.flickr.com/photos/snlfreak5104/2145621188/
NYC clock http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielcanoott/2040143936/
British Airways http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdlike/257194315/
Bling http://www.flickr.com/photos/murtasma/297794658/

This is the original draft of my poem collage.
Poem collage first draft

This is the revised version of my poem collage.
Poem collage revised

This is the final version of my poem collage.
Poem collage final version

Reflection:
I liked this collage from the very beginning. This tribes story is the United States true history. The story they don't tell you in your early social studies classes. This is what Joni Mitchell was writing about when she wrote the original song. Changing this collage wasn't something I was interested in. But, for the sake of learning I opened my mind to others perspective. I moved things around, removed things, added pictures, etc. Nothing seemed to work. I couldn't understand where I could possibly put that flag other than where it was. I then removed the AIM symbol, because really it was there for me, it had nothing to do with the song. Once I did that, moving the flag down was much easier. I also moved the text up. I am happy with the outcome of this collage.

References:
http://www.jonimitchell.com/musician/print.cfm?id=Lakota
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakota_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_bull
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Indian_Movement
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrawoods/1202257847/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephanie-campos/1347940678/
http://www.aimovement.org/ggc/history.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hbpeggy/517702037/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55983774@N00/2106342159/

This is the first draft of my video
Video first draft

This is the final version of my video
Video final version

Reflections:
The video was fun but hard work. I had to learn the windows moviemaker software, I had to figure out how to search the music archives, find a song that matched my concept, and then download it to my computer. Windows moviemaker is pretty easy to use though, its basic point and click. I did not have the courage to try out some of the other programs that folks used. I was very impressed with the work that I saw. I still have no idea how half of you did what you did. I felt my video was pretty basic, almost like a powerpoint presentation. I like it a lot, but compared to the rest of the class I'm not so sure mine can compete. Keeping track of all of my resources became somewhat of an issue. I was working on three different computers at one point. I collected so much information that I wanted to put into my video, but I had to scale back. I wanted to keep it to a "watchable" time frame. The editing process can go on for days if you let it. It's fun though, knowing you have something creative to go home and work on.

Here is the group podcast I did with Syanne, Marie and Jessica. Our theme was Identity and Change. The two stories we worked from were The Red Convertible and A&P.
Podcast group

Reflection
This was one of my least favorite projects. I don't like sitting up in front of class and speaking. Nerves cause you to forget what your saying, say umm a lot, lose your train of thought, etc. The idea that you're being taped makes things even worse. I did like the subject and the stories we chose. I have recently purchased Louise Erdrich's "Love Medicine" and cannot wait to start reading it. Our group met at a coffee house on a Sunday to hash out what we would say. But, unfortunately, that still was not enough time to lock in ideas. The very idea of doing a podcast is nerve wracking, it's worse when you are trying to think of interesting points to make and you have nothing. Looking back I wished our group had been more prepared to speak. It would have helped to bounce ideas off of eachother.

References
The Hudson Book of Fiction, 30 stories worth reading published by McGraw-Hill Company, copyright 2002, pgs 272-279

Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. "The American Indian Fiction Writers." Nothing but the Truth. Ed. John Purdy and James Ruppert. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. 23-38

www.suicidewall.com

Here is a link to my contributions to the Yellow Wall Paper Wikipedia project:
Yellow Wall paper contributions

Reflection:
I enjoyed the wikipedia project on the Yellow Wallpaper. This story definitely hit a nerve with me. I have taken a few Womens Studies classes so I can appreciate why Gilman wrote this. I think woman of her era had to deal with a lot of patriarchal manipulation and control. The only outlets for this were the ones that the women themselves created. Some would write under pseudonyms even just to get published. It must have been very frustrating.

Learning about wikepedia was very interesting to me. I had always wondered how that site got updated. I actually found some inaccuracies on issues I researched on the site and plan on going in and correcting them. I thought the class participation was great, everyone really got into it. The discussion online and in class was insightful. We could probably have discussed it well into the night a couple of times.

References:
http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/gilman3.html
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/androcentric

My online Into to fiction comments:
Comment1

Reflections:
I really tried to step up the number of comments I made. I tried to make sure I was doing at least four a week. I don't know that I reached my goal. I feel like I looked at everyone's video, but I didn't always have something constructive to say. I could have done much better though. I admit it.

Final Video

Posted April 28th, 2008 by Karen Moen

This is the final version of my video project. After reading all of the comments I decided to slow down all of the text slides using the video effects. I also had to lengthen the music track in order to have it mesh with a longer video. I was really surprised by how fast I was able to pick up using this software. Its actually quite easy, I have since made a couple of movies from pictures for family. I just can't seem to stop now. I enjoy telling the American Indian stories that I know. I feel strongly that they should be told whenever and however they can.

I realized half way through creating this that what I was doing wasn't very "literary", so I had to do my best to find mediums that would support my concept. I wanted to show the similarities between the original Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 and the 1973 siege. To show how the US government deals with it's Indian problem. There is a painting of "The massacre". There are references to Joni Mitchell who is one of my favorite singers of all time. She's an icon! She did a song called "I am Lakota" it's a very moving tribute. There is a reference to the book "Bury my heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown. This book should be taught in schools as far as I'm concerned. Buffy St. Marie was a very popular folk singer in the sixties and seventies. She wrote and performed the song "Bury my heart at Wounded Knee".
Its on youtube:

I enjoyed doing the video and now understand the joys and the horrors of the editing process. I learned how to find music in the archives, and how to download it to my computer. This is all new to me. I'm proud of the work that I put into this piece.

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Video Project

Posted April 15th, 2008 by Karen Moen

Here is my video project. I did my best to blend a lot of different works together. There is art, non-fiction and song included in this video. This is a subject that I am very passionate about. I have gone to many potlucks, marches and rallies for justice. I really enjoyed working with windows moviemaker. I learned so much, and actually had more fun than I thought. Using the effects and changing it around is why it took me so long to post. I just kept editing......here it is finally!

Everyday Use

Posted March 25th, 2008 by Karen Moen

I enjoyed reading this story and listening to the podcast we had on Tuesday. There was a lengthy conversation about whether or not Maggie should have kept the quilt and if it represented her heritage should it be used or not. I think the mother was right to give it to Maggie. Dee had been given everything all of her life, and should have shown appreciation, "done the right thing" with all of her education and success. The fact that the mother stepped in and said no to Dee was a very important part of this story. The mother talked about her youngest daughter's impression "that no is a word the world never learned to say to her (Dee)". I think the mother resented Dee for the way she made Maggie feel, but also for the fact that the mother DID all of these things for Dee and she never showed an ounce of appreciation for it. I think this mother made a choice to educate one of her girls. Maybe she could only afford to educate one? Dee was the "obvious" choice because she had the social skills Maggie lacked. The mother expected Dee to come back and take care of Maggie and herself and she didn't. In fact she spurned them, this is obvious when Dee tells her mother that she would never bring friends to visit her home. Dee makes it clear that her family is beneath her now, she disassociates from them. To make matters worse when she does come visit them, she actually brings a friend and they both act like Anthropologist studying some long lost tribe. Dee at one point was actually collecting artifacts (the dasher and the churn top). When "the barber" asked if Uncle Buddy had whittled that too, Dee didn't know. Maggie was the one to respond to that question. I think the mother is realizing how much she underestimated Maggie, and how much she over estimated Dee.
The title puts this story into perspective for me, Everyday Use. To me it defines how Maggie and the mother live. They actually still use the churner, its not a conversation peice. They don't see the quilt as an artifact, they see it as a quilt to use to keep warm with. And if it gets old or torn then you make another one. They don't need to hang it on the wall to proove to others where they came from. They already know where they come from because they are still there. Dee is too, only she refuses to recognize it. She thinks by changing her name it changes who she is. It doesn't. Its like that old saying "actions speak louder than words".

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Revised II SoundtrackPlaylist "The Train"

Posted March 10th, 2008 by Karen Moen

Playlist

This is a story about Jean and her weekend binge. Jeans friends have gotten hold of a timeshare downtown and have planned a crazy weekend. Jean lives in the city, she is barely scraping by. Jeans friends are professionals in every aspect of their lives. They party hard, and can afford to do so. Jean is a very insecure girl. She works as a secretary for an insurance company. She hates her job but doesn't know what to do about it. She is in her twenties and is experiencing a personality crisis. She doesn't know how to fit in, and she drinks to much to help her with her anxiety.

In the beginning Jean is getting ready for work at her house. She is contemplating what is going to happen this weekend and is a bit worried because she doesn't have a lot of money and the group she is going out with are notorious big spenders. As she is walking out the door, the first song I chose is called "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider. th The reason is the mood and frenetic sound of the song as well as the lyrics:

"Lunatic fringe
In the twilight's last gleaming
This is open season
But you won't get too far
We know you've got to blame someone
For your own confusion
But we're on guard this time
Against your final solution"

When Jean looks at herself in the mirror she isn't happy. She feels small. She wishes to herself that maybe just maybe something big could happen to her. "HAH!" she says and rolls her eyes "nice try" she says silently.

Jean is at work now and she wants to leave early so that she can meet up with her friends. She is very nervous and has been fidgeting for hours. Jeans job doesn't make her very happy at all. Jeans boss is supposed to be working on her promotion, but has every excuse as to why it hasn't gone through yet. "Well now you know Jean, I've been pushing so hard for you for such a long time" her boss Connie drawls out all her as she is eyeing Jeans scuffed heels disdainfully. Patronizingly she says "I just don't understand why they haven't called me back yet. You know how those boys can be over at HR". I chose the song "One thing leads to another " by the Fixx. Here are some of the lyrics:

You run for cover and there's heat, why don't they:
Do what they say, say what they mean
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long
But then one thing leads to another
One thing leads to another
Then it's easy to believe
Somebody's been lying to me
But when the wrong word goes in the right ear
I know you've been lying to me
It's getting rough, off the cuff I've got to say enough's enough.

The lyrics fit with how Jean is feeling about her job, her boss and pretty much life itself. Jean is so insecure and she doesn't ever speak up for herself. Jeans boss Connie is the typical insecure corporate woman, with a small amount of power. She uses it to make other women feel bad. She is incredibly jealous and sees most people as a threat to the small space she has been able to eeck out in life. Even though the "boys" don't really give her that much power she tows their line. She glories in making Jean feel smaller than she already is.

Jean is finally at the bar and has met her friends for Happy Hour. She's trying to pace herself because she's had a bit of an episode the weekend before. For this I chose AC/DC's "Have a drink on me". This song is about the camaraderie of friends getting together and binging on alcohol. It describes the good time people have binging, but also states that there is hell to pay for it. It relates to the story because Jeans friends are young and have disposable incomes. They have no money woes and the most common form of entertainment for them, besides eating at great restaurants, is getting absolutely blind drunk. It also reflects the alcohol binging scene that is so prevelant in todays culture. Here are some lyrics:

So don't worry about tomorrow
Take it today
Forget about the cheque
We'll get hell to pay
Have a drink on me
Dizzy, drunk and fightin'
On tequila white lightnin'
My glass is getting shorter
On whiskey, ice and water
So come on and have a good time
And get blinded out of your mind

After the bar, the group heads to a local dance club. Jean is worried that she won't have enough money for the cover charges if the group decides to bar hop. She's hoping that they'll soon end up at someone's house. She wants to avoid using her credit card to pay for drinks. The song I chose is Mary J. Blige "Dance for Me". I like the line where it says "Leave all your troubles and your cares behind, Don't you worry 'bout a thing, not tonight, no Don't drink too much because we have all night. Don't you rush because it's all night long". It's also a great dance song. Jean lets go at the bar and dances with her friend Ellen.

Jean and Ellen are dancing and laughing, they're having a great time. Ellen yells to Jean over the music "Have you met Stacy's new boyfriend yet?". Jean responds that she hasn't and Ellen says conspiratorially "I heard he's a loser with a capital L! Leave it to Stacy, she's so insecure". Ellen giggles and Jean nods and says "Yeah, do you remember that other guy, how many girls did he have on the side? God you'd think she'd have some pride!". Jean nervously grabs another cigarette and lights it.

The group has not heeded Mary's sage advice. They are drunk and someone has started a conga line. Jean finds herself joining event though doesn't want to, she is forced by Ellen. "Come on Jeanie, don't be a party pooper!". At some point a guy joins the line behind Jean, he's making her very uncomfortable. He's having way to much fun holding onto her. Jean would like nothing better than to turn and knock him on his *$*! I chose the song "Are you gonna be my girl" by Jet. The mood flows with a party scene, as well its speaking about a guy who sees a girl and just assumes he knows her and that she should be his:

The group is at Mel's house now. It's 2am and the drinking continues. At some point Jean is introduced to Stacy's new boyfriend Gary. Ellen and Jean recognize him as the guy from the conga line. Jean wants to tell Stacy but Ellen doesn't want Jean to start trouble. "Jean! You can't tell her, she won't listen" Ellen says. Jean is drunk and getting excited "Yeah but, like I'd want you to tell me if my boyfriend was loser! She's one of my best friends Ellie. He's so freaking gross!". I chose the song "Would I lie to you" by The Eurythmics. The song is about a strong woman leaving a man for disrespecting her. This is who Jean really wants to be, a strong woman. Maybe somewhere she has it in her to be this woman. Jean is mad at Stacy because she is allowing this guy to play her. Jean sees a little of herself in Stacy and is bothered by it.

Jean wakes up and she is underneath a table at the timeshare. She has been partying since Friday, it is now Monday. Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. Jean wants to go home in the worse way. She feels terrible! The song I chose is "I want a new drug" from Huey Lewis. Its a playful song about the woes of abuse and love. "I want a new drug one that won't make me sick, one that won't make me crash my car or make me feel three feet thick. I want a new drug, one that won't hurt my head, one that won't make my mouth too dry, or make my eyes too red. One that won't make me nervous, wondering what to do, one that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you, when I'm alone with you. I want a new drug, one that won't spill, one that don't cost too much, or come in a pill".

Jean sneaks out of the timeshare before anyone else has woken up. She is at a bus stop waiting for a bus to take her to the train station. Its quite a commute for someone in her condition. "God, the suburbs are for old people" she thinks. She realizes that this is going to be a long morning of travel. She sits in the sun and waits. Thank god she bought those sunglasses the other day. She's nauseous and hungry at the same time. She just wants to go home! Some guys come along and sit down. One starts to chat up Jean "Hey, you wanna come to a picnic, theres gonna be hamburgers, franks, beans and slaw. You know all the food you can eat. Its gonna be fun girl!". After awhile she finds out that it's an AA picnic. Jean is not sure if this guy is just trying to pick her up, or if thinks she's an alcoholic because she stinks of booze. I chose "In the Air tonight" by Phil Collins. Its a foreboding song. The song is slow and melodic and the lyrics tell the story of someone being uncovered, found out. Jean feels the possibility that people can see through her. Hang overs and alcohol poisoning can cause the blues set in. Jean is praying she hasn't embarrassed herself again.

Jean has finally made it to the train. She falls deeply asleep. The train conductor is calling out her stop when she comes too. She gets up and grabs her stuff. She is about to walk off the train when she notices there is no platform. She doesn't know what to do. She looks this way and that way. All she can think about is going home. What should she do? The next stop is 20 minutes away. She does the math in her head and it seems like a million miles. She'd have to get off at that stop and then wait for another train back. God knows how long that would take. It seems to Jean that this trip has already taken her hours. As she is arguing with herself the doors start closing. In a moment of panic and quite possibly insanity Jean throws the doors open and jumps down into the gravel. For this scene I chose "Jump" by Van Halen. Simply because of the lyrics. I just thought it was funny. "Go ahead and jump, might as well jump".

Jean is now clinging to the fence. The train is a mere 5 feet from her. She thinks and decides that she will just hold onto the fence until the train moves away. She has no choice because getting back onto the train would be impossible. "God, what an idiot I am! Oh god I hope no one notices me....GOD!! Please..... let me blend into this fence!". At that moment she hears someone calling to her. She doesn't want to look, but the voice gets more and more urgent. She finally looks up and sees the conductor yelling to her three trains down. "Young lady, come here! What in gods name are you doing you're going to get killed. Holy mother of god these kids, you just can't trust any of them...they're all on drugs FOR CHRISSAKES!". Jean reluctantly walks towards him. As she is walking she looks and sees passengers staring down at her from the windows. She knows they are wondering if she is insane. I chose "Eleanor Rigsby" by the Beatles.

The lyrics are about a very lonely woman, who is a bit mad: "Ah, look at all the lonely people. Eleanor Rigsby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been, Lives in a dream. Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is it for? All the lonely people, Where do they all come from ? All the lonely people, Where do they all belong?" Jean is walking past all of these people staring at her. She knows they think she's insane. She feels she has a good reason for doing what she did, but she won't ever get the chance to explain it to them. She feels judged.

Finally, after what seems like days Jean reaches her house. She has come inside and is now looking in the mirror. She is assessing the damage done to herself, possible rips in her skirt. She met her roommate and the boyfriend at the front door. Her roommate shrieked when she saw her. The boyfriend laughed and ruffled her hair. She couldn't figure out what their problem was. Now she realizes what they were looking at. She's completely covered in soot, from head to goddamn toe. She now realizes why the guy on the train looked at her so weird. "OH MY GOD!!!!!!!". She is dizzy and hungover, contemplating throwing up. She regrets so much right now. I chose the song "Alcoholic" by Fishbone. Firstly because of the lyrics, but as well because of the dizzying affect the song has. I think this is somewhat how Jean feels right now.

Mid term Portfolio

Posted March 6th, 2008 by Karen Moen

Portfolio

This is my mid term portfolio. It links together the different projects we have been working on in class and at home. These projects are vastly different from what I expected when I first signed up for this class. I like to write and was expecting to be compiling many papers for this class. I don't always love to write papers, I will admit, but it's not one of my biggest fears. I was pleasantly surprised after I got over my sheer horror at the idea of having to learn how to use scary new software. To say that I am not technology savy is at the least being kind. In a very small amount of time I have learned a lot. This has boosted my confidence with regards to computers tremendously. Integrating these new technologies with an English class is definitely a different experience for me. Its exciting and keeps me on my toes. It is so much better than read, discuss, write paper. The online discussions keep the material fresh. It makes you invest into the material in a way I have not experienced in other classes.

I must discuss learning the software program GIMP. This was the source of many hours of just sheer frustration. I had absolutely no idea how to use this program. I haven't used photoshop before and so I felt a bit behind the rest of the class. I downloaded instruction upon instruction to no avail. I learn by doing, not reading. Dan was good enough to give me some outside class instruction which helped a ton. Suddenly I found myself sitting at my computer creating this really cool piece of art. I do consider it art and I have never ever fancied myself an an artist.

The projects we have had to do are so interesting they really got my mind going. The collages are very technical and I liked creating them. I liked the challenge of learning GIMP. The collages allowed me to not only interpret a reading, but to creatively draw it out for the reader. I also realy enjoyed the playlist. I like the idea of taking the in class discussions (podcast sessions) to a whole new level. To find common themes linking the story with song. The playlist taught me how to set a story to music. This was not an easy thing to do but was absolutely satisfying when you hit the mark. The use of music and pictures as a medium to interpret stories is the perfect blend of creativity and learning. I love to read and I am always analyzing the nuances of the story. The creation of the collages and the playlist introduced me to a new avenue of exploring these nuances. I will say that I am not a huge fan of the podcasts as I find it a bit daunting to talk in front of a video camera. The idea that other people might watch it is a little scary. But, it is a great forum for discussion. It motivates you to organize your thoughts. I really enjoy our online discussion even though this is the area that I need the greatest improvement. I realized that I don't like judging others work. I found it the hardest with the collages. But, reading others comments to me was very helpful. You get to see another perspective, to see with different eyes. I will make sure to be much more active online for the rest of the class.

In short, this has been one of the best classes I've taken so far. The class discussion is open and honest. Respect is shown for others thoughts and ideas. I appreciate the laid back approach of this class. I have always known that I have some sort of a writer in me, this class has inspired that person up and out. It has realy started the creative juices flowing. I see that in my classmates as well.

Contents

I. Playlist
a. original draft version
b. revised version
c. reflection
d. references

II. Character Collage
a. original draft version
b. revised version
c. reflection
d. references

III. Poem Collage
a. original draft version
b. revised version
c. reflection
d. references

IV. Yelllow Wallpaper
a. glosses
b. reflection
c. references

V. Intro to Fiction participation
a. comments
b. refection

This is the original draft of my playlist:
Playlist first draft

This is the revised version of my playlist:
Playlist revised

Reflection
This project was a lot of fun to do. I had no idea what story to use so I wrote one. It's loosely based on a true story. The reason I chose to write my own story was because I couldn't relate to soundtracking something that had already been soundtracked. It almost seemed like cheating to me. I also could not think of a short story to use. I honestly can't remember many short stories I've read (except for the ones in class).

I have always enjoyed writing and have been told many times that I should "write that down". This gave me the opportunity to do just that. Finding the songs to go with the scenes was not easy. I'm still not exactly sure about some of my choices. I think I will keep looking and possibly replace the Phil Collins song, and maybe AC/DC. My biggest problem was that the only tool available to me with regards to song ideas was the radio. I don't do Itunes and I still use CD's.

The story itself is a work in progress. I did add more more dialogue and I tried to explain the bus to the train incident better. I can definitely add more dialogue and scene description. I need to use more adjectives as a friend said. I've always felt that this must be the hardest part about writing, I mean how can some authors go on for pages and pages just to describe something small like a feeling, thought or a smell. It amazes me. Maybe this will inspire me to try to write more.

This is the original draft of my character collage.
Character collage first draft

This is the revised version of my character collage.
Character collage revised

Reflection
Once again I had a hard time coming up with an idea for this collage. Then I remembered a story I had read in an online news journal back when I lived in Seattle. I swear, I remember it taking place in NY, although I've searched and searched and cannot find the article anywhere. The reason it stuck in my head was because I was living in Seattle and had made it a habit to read local NY news. I missed home and this made me feel a bit connected. This guy in my mind was such a NYer. Everywhere I go, people remark how impatient us "East Coasters" are. It was realy fun to try and depict this guy. I found this great picture on FLICKR called "Sleep hailing". It totally fit what I thought this guy's state of mind may have been at the moment he was hailing the cab.

The one thing I found hard was to avoid a 9/11 comparison. I had to figure out a way to remove that thought from peoples perception. When I first showed friends and asked what their first thought was they all said 9/11. Then I got the idea to point the plane away from the buildings. That small adjustment made a big difference.

I like the revised version much better now. I think moving the cab made all the difference. It doesn't seem so cluttered now. Also making the dollar sign smaller and adjusting the hue was a good call. I think it looks great. I might attempt to lighten the skyline to see what it looks like.

References:
Sleephailing http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sleephailing
NYC cab http://www.flickr.com/photos/geotra/1224928218/
NYC clock http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielcanoott/2040143936/
British Airways http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdlike/257194315/
Bling http://www.flickr.com/photos/murtasma/297794658/

This is the original draft of my poem collage.
Poem collage first draft

This is the revised version of my poem collage.
Poem collage revised

Reflection:
This was much easier to do compared to the first one. Learning GIMP was great but really frustrating. There were times when I would work on the first one for hours and not get anything done at all. This collage was easier because I had more skills with the program.

Another reason it was easier was because of the subject matter. First I love Joni Mitchell. I find her poetry and songwriting to be realy moving. She writes from a real life perspective with purpose and integrity. This song was written about a people pretty much forgotten by everyday society. There are a lot of songs about being Cherokee and glamorizing the whole "Native American way". But there aren't many that speak about the tribes of today. What kind of socio-economic issues they face. Just having the opportunity to discuss this issue makes me feel good.

As I look at the revised version I see some things I might still want to change. For instance I might change the color of the words, because they seem out of place. But all in all I like this collage a lot.

This is the first draft of my video
Video first draft

Here is a link to my contributions to the Yellow Wall Paper Wikipedia project:

Yellow Wall paper contributions

Learning about wikepedia was very interesting to me. I had always wondered how that site got updated. I actually found some inaccuracies on issues I researched on the site and plan on going in and correcting them. I thought the class participation was great, eveyone realy got into it. The discussion online and in class was insightful. We could probably have discussed it well into the night a couple of times.

References:
http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/gilman3.html
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/androcentric

My online Into to fiction comments:
Comment1

Reflections:
This is one area where I definitely could have done more work. I need to get in there and keep the dialogue going with my classmates. This is not to be in judgement but to hopefully give creative ideas and opionions. I realy enjoyed reading peoples perspective on my collages. I wished more would have looked at my playlist.

1 comment

Playlist

Posted January 28th, 2008 by Karen Moen

I wasn't sure what story to use so I wrote one. Its a story about Jean and her weekend binge. Jeans friends have gotten a hold of a timeshare downtown and have planned a crazy weekend. The story is still in the works, but is written in draft form. Every time I look at it I add or delete something. I really was just trying to write a short story to use for this assignment, but its begun to morph. If you'd like to read it, I'm willing, but slightly terrified.

In the beginning Jean is getting ready for work at her house. She is contemplating what is going to happen this weekend and is a bit worried because she doesn't have a lot of money and the group she is going out with are notorious big spenders. The first song I chose is called "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider. The reason is the mood and frenetic sound of the song as well as the lyrics:

Now Jean is at work and she is trying to leave early to go and meet her friends. Jeans job doesn't make her very happy at all. Jeans boss is supposed to be working on a promotion, but has every excuse as to why
its not going through. I chose the song "One thing leads to another " by the Fixx. Here are some of the lyrics:

The lyrics fit with how Jean is feeling about her job, her boss and pretty much life itself. Jean is very insecure and she doesn't speak up for herself.

Next we find Jean at Happy Hour. She is trying to pace herself, as she has had a bit of an episode the week before. For this I chose AC/DC's "Have a drink on me". This song is about the camaraderie of friends getting together and drinking/binging. It relates to the story because Jeans friends are young people with disposable incomes. They have no worries and the most common form of entertainment for them, besides eating, is getting drunk. I also like the party edge that this song gives off...

After the bar, the group heads to a local dance club. Jean is worried that she won't have enough money for cover charges if the group decides to bar hop. She is hoping that they will soon end up at someone's house so that she won't have to use her credit card to pay for drinks. The song I chose is Mary J. Blige "Dance for Me". I like the line where it says "Leave all your troubles and your cares behind, Don't you worry 'bout a thing, not tonight, no Don't drink too much because we have all night
Don't you rush because it's all night long". It's also a great dance song.

The group has not heeded Mary's sage advice above. They are drunk and someone has started the infamous conga line. Jean finds herself joining in, she doesn't want to, but is convinced by Ellen. At some point a guy joins behind Jean, he is making Jean very uncomfortable. He's having way to much fun holding onto her and Jean would like nothing better than to turn and knock him on his *$*! For this scene I chose the song "Are you gonna be my girl" by Jet. The mood flows with a party scene, as well its speaking about a guy who sees a girl and just assumes he knows her and that she should be his:

The next scene is at Mel's house. The drinking continues to the wee hour of the morning. At some point Jean is introduced to Stacys new boyfriend. Ellen and Jean recognize the guy from the conga line. Jean wants to tell Stacy but Ellen doesn't want Jean to start trouble. I chose the song "Would I lie to you" by The Eurythmics. The song is about a strong woman leaving a man for disrespecting her. This is who Jean really is, a strong woman, even if she doesn't know it. Jean is mad at Stacy because she is allowing this guy to play her. Jean sees a little of herself in Stacy and is bothered by it.

The next scene is Jean waking up underneath a table at the timeshare, two days later. She has been partying since Friday, it is now Monday. Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. Jean wants to go home in the worse way. She feels terrible! The song I chose is "I want a new drug" from Huey Lewis. Its a playful song about the woes of abuse and love. "I want a new drug one that won't make me sick, one that won't make me crash my car
or make me feel three feet thick. I want a new drug, one that won't hurt my head, one that won't make my mouth too dry, or make my eyes too red. One that won't make me nervous, wondering what to do, one that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you, when I'm alone with you. I want a new drug, one that won't spill, one that don't cost too much, or come in a pill".

The next scene Jean is at the bus stop waiting. She has to take a bus to the train station over on the other side of town. Its quite a commute for someone in her condition. She realizes that this is going to be a long morning of travel. She sits in the sun and waits. She's nauseous and hungry at the same time. She just wants to go home. Some guys come along and sit down. One starts to chat up Jean and asks if she would like to come to a picinic with them. Jean finds out that it's an AA picinic. Jean is not sure if he thinks she's an alcoholic because she stinks of booze, or if he's trying to pick her up. For this scene I chose "In the Air tonight" by Phil Collins. Its a foreboding song. The song is slow and melodic and the lyrics tell the story of someone being uncovered, found out. Jean feels like its possible that this guy can see through her. She is worried about her excess. She is also very hung over, her thoughts are processing very slowly. As well, sometimes when your that hung over the blues set in. You start to remember things you said and did. You start to worry that you've possibly embarrassed yourself.

The next scene finds Jean on the train. The train has stopped and her stop has been called. When the doors open, there is no platform. Jean doesn't know what to do. She wants to go home in the worse way. What should she do? The next stop is 20 minutes away. She would have to get off and then wait for another train. This trip has already taken her 2.5 hours. As she is trying to figure out what to do, the doors start closing. In a moment of panic Jean throws the doors open and jumps. For this scene I chose "Jump" by Van Halen. Simply because of the lyrics. I just thought it was funny. "Go ahead and jump, might as well jump".

Jean is now clinging to a fence. The train is a mere 5 feet from her. She decides that she will just hold on until the train moves away. That is until the conducter yells to her from three trains down. He tells her to come to him. Jean reluctantly goes. As she is walking she looks up to see people staring down at her, they are watching her from the windows. She thinks they must think she is insane. For this scene I chose "Eleanor Rigsby" by the Beatles.

The lyrics are about a very lonely woman, who is a bit mad: "Ah, look at all the lonely people. Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been Lives in a dream. Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is it for? All the lonely people, Where do they all come from ? All the lonely people, Where do they all belong?" Jean is walking past all of these people staring at her. They think she is insane. She feels that she has a good reason for doing what she did, but she won't ever get the chance to explain it to them. She feels judged.

The last scene is Jean at her house. She has just come inside and is looking in the mirror and assessing the damage. She met her roommate at the front door of her apartment. Her roommate and boyfriend laughed at her. She couldn't figure out why. She is dizzy and hungover. She is regretting a lot right now. I chose the song "Alcoholic" by Fishbone. Firstly because of the lyrics, but as well because of the dizzying affect the song has. I think this is somewhat how Jean feels right now.

That is the end of my playlist. I will attach the story tomorrow, but please remember it is a work in progress.

Something Literary

Posted January 15th, 2008 by Karen Moen

Hi, I wasn't in class on Thursday due to a schedule mix up. As the others have said prior to me, please bear with me. Something literary to me seems to be something that moves me. When I read it or see it I say to myself "Yes, I agree with that" or "Yes, those lines, the structure of that piece is correct in my mind". This website is near and dear to my heart so I will share it. Leonard Peltier is a Native American AIM activist who has been in jail for the last 25 years or so. He was convicted of murdering two Federal Agents during a time of siege on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The two men tried before him got off on self defense. There are many angles to this story, and I have read pretty much all of them. My opinions have changed many times. But the one constant is the dedication his supporters have shown to secure his release. He himself has become quite the poet and artist.

Here is the link to his website: http://www.leonardpeltier.net/

I love the poem on the main page. It talks about action, responsibility and individuality. As well, the statement "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" has always moved me. I hope this is somewhat what you are looking for.

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