Two men got on the subway after work one day. They looked at each other and noticed they both had black eyes. One man looked at the other and said, "Hey man, how did you get your shiner?"

The other man responded, "Well, it was a misunderstanding. This morning I was riding the subway and there was a lady sitting beside me with these crazy looking boots on. I was going to say, 'Nice boots'. But instead I accidently said 'Nice boobs'. So she slugged me."

"Gotcha," the other man replied. "That's sorta the same way I got mine."

"Really? What happened?"

"Well. This morning I was eating breakfast with my wife and kids. I looked up from my paper to ask my wife if she could pass the OJ. But instead I accidently said, 'You ruined my life you fat bitch'."

A horse walks into a bar.......the bartender says, "why the long face?"

This baby seal walks into a club......

Two atoms bumb into each other.
"Are you okay?"
"I think I lost an electron."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."

A pirate walks into a bar, and strolls up to the bar for a drink.
The bartender looks at him and says 'Did you know you have a steering wheel sticking out of your pants?"
The pirate looks at him and says "Arrrrrrrr, it's drivin me nuts!"

a man walks into psyciatrist's office wearing nothing but saran wrap underwear.

the psyciatrist says: "I can clealy see your nuts"

Why couldn't Helen Keller drive?

Because she was a woman

Art Experience

The piece Nighthawks by Edward Hopper strikes me as a lonely representation of one mans evening. The setting is a cafe with a single man sitting near the end of the counter, while in the corner is a couple enjoying coffee. The single man is centered in the image and you can also see the street that the cafe is located on and it looks baren and empty. Also there is a server who looks preoccupied with his work but not at all displeased to be doing what he is doing. Both men sitting at the bar are dressed alike in a suit and a hat, and I can't help to consider that the man with the lovely woman is a representation of what the single man could have been. The entire scene looks very realistic in every detail, but it appears almost dreamlike due to the very open feel the view provides along with the appearance that nothing else in the world is happenning but that within the cafe. It makes you feel like you've been there before.

Having read about the artist Edward Hopper and this piece I have a new awareness for what it displays. Hopper said that he painted what he saw and had a distinctly realistic style. This explains his attention to detail, and reading more into this piece it is appearent that the contrast between the empty street and well lit cafe was to give "the sensation of the interior and exterior of a building simulataneously". Although more information about the pictures subjects is not given, Hopper does say that he intentionally simplified the scene, so one must wonder why these few people are the one's he chose to keep. Even more Hopper says, "I was painting the loneliness of a large city" indicating that the lonely street was simbolic to the single man who contrasted with the couple then simultaneously contrasting the brightness of the cafe to the dark desolate street to create a circle of symbolism. It certainly is more interesting to view art with a background of knowledge to draw from.

An Artist Impression

Art:
Aesthetic
Emotive
Creativity
Natural
Intuition
Captivating
Suggestive
Passion
Beauty
Animated

Mobile Technology

Artistic expression comes in many different forms. Cell-phones have provided the opportunity for mobile art forms. One technology allows users to mark their territory and for others to recognize this by observing the placed "Yellow Arrow". The yellow arrow contains a computer chip that interacts with other cell phones and indicates what its placer placed it there for. This allows for annonymous long distance interactions to exist while simultaneously engaging personal interactions at the place where the yellow arrow was placed. This type of communication is known as psychogeography and it is expected that in the long run could become more game-like. What this technology does is enable people to know more about a place or the significance of that place, so it is an enriching experience.

The Yellow Arrow project defies conventional thought on art and communication. It enables masses of people to participate in an interactive display of symbolism and importance. The cool thing about this technology is that it is in the public and the public help create the project. It is interesting to consider this dynamic because its similar to the internet in that everyone can use the information as well as provide the information, but in this case it is on the street and can be accessed on the fly. Taken from the computer graphics article, this type of mobile interaction may not foresee what it is truly capable of or what it will become similar to electricity and its potential within a computer. Mobile technology will continue to evolve and it will be interesting to see what kind of a role it takes in our lives.

Periman, Stacey M. The Art of Mobile Technology. The Boston Globe. 2005. retrieved on November 18, 2007 from http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2005/04/18/the_art_of_mobile_technology/

Virtual Reality

Reading the article Virtual Reality Art: Beyond Technology I thought about how we can live in a world of virtual reality. This is in fact pretty amazing and a testament to our technological capabilities. From the beginning the article discusses how virtual reality challanged the common way of thinking. Appearently, the word is only a couple centuries old and essentially means "in effect". Many people spend much of their time in an altered state of reality, within mediums like videogames, computer interactions and role playing games, more commonly known as RPG's. Millions of people between the ages of 18 - 35 are participating in this cultural shift. According to the article virtual reality is the art of illusion, and is designed to look artistically appealing and also believable and interactive. Artist have the ability to use this medium for relatively reasonable prices these days and that is why the common understanding of virtual reality players has shifted in recent years. The ultimate virtual reality experience is the 3-D experience where the entire body is engaged. Much of the technology has been moved along or designed for military strategists and not the layperson. The artist of the virtual reality has a particularly difficult tast because it is not art in the common sense of viewing it, but the new sense of living in it. One artist describes it as "a small world that evolves and changes with its own rules." The take home point of the article is that the technology is available and its up to the artist to truly free all that it is capable of.

Similar to the article Computer Graphics: Effects and Origins this article discusses the symbolism that is utilyze in many artistic works. Also, its interesting to consider the evolution of the use of the technology. Most mediums of art require a period to iron out the kinks and understand what that art form is really capable of, it is a growing up period. The class article emphasises how art forms are dependent upon their predecesors and may even be limited by them. That is why the Virtual Reality article was interesting in its take on "freeing" the art of technology to see all that it is capable of. Art is a fickle creation, styles come and go, but technology like computer graphic art is profound enough to truly alter the way art is seen and created.

Rush, Michael. Virtual Reality Art: Beyond Technology. Herald Tribune. 2006. retrieved on November 18, 2007 from http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/06/news/rush.php?page=2

A Spiritual Reflection

My definition for spirituality is a practice or experience of divine proportions. It is a focused and intense pursuit of universal understanding as well as personal growth. It allows one to put things into perspective and gain insight into how to better oneself as well as his or her surroundings. In special cases spirituality can reveal itself as a euphoric and enlightening experience.

Religion, in my opinion is a particular set of guidlines for spirituality. Depending upon history as well as practice the spiritual process can vary, and this is what we have categorized as religions. Religions provide a foundation and criteria along with a community to share the spiritual pursuit. By distinguishing these pursuits as separate and different, many strong feelings have been elicited which has lead to countless problems and a lot of violence. To me this appears ironic, because in reality I believe all religions share the same core principles as well as goals. Hopefully, one day more people will begin to realize this.

Creativity is a form of expression that is unrefined and not previously formulated. It is an organic construction unimpeded by guidlines or preconceptions. It is a novel creation that could be said to have been inspired by a thought or concept and in turn could have symbolic implications. With creativity as a component, that creation would have to be unique and thus captivating. Creativity is a tool and an outlet that gives a form of artistic freedom and benefits society by providing new and interesting creations.

Creativity itself is kind of a catch-22 in that to form something that is unobstructed and organic one must throw out all preconceptions and experiences out the window, but by being a human mind this is not only innefective but impossible as well. This begs the question of what is the source of creativity? Sometimes creativity manifests itself by intention other times it occurs spontaneously. With intention the creative process will certainly be influenced by the persons beliefs and experiences, while the organically inspired creation could be by the suggestion of the subconcious and potentially have some deeper meaning. For believers this may indeed be devine inspiration stemming from a spiritual revelation. Though creativity can be manifest from a variety of sources.

Horror, A History

In this article the author recognizes that horror most likely has been around as long as stories have, but as a genre it is more of a recent hapenning. Similar to the assigned reading "History of Horror" the article attributes the witchcraft and stories of as contributing to the beginnings of the horror style. Also, Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelley, and Robert Louis Stevenson had a part in the origins of horror. Most horror stories were in the short story or novella form and not until the 1970's then the thriller novels caught on. It was Stephen King who really brought popularity to the horror novel. But when considering the horror genre it only makes sense for it to be relatively young in its appeal. Horror is made-up terror. Up until recently there was plenty to worry about in regards to survival, so intentionally scareing oneself didn't really come up. Fear was a normal part of daily life, so not much entertainment played on fear in those days. Today, we lack ever feeling truly afraid if anything, or we fear different and less substantial things. Survival is no longer a driving force of what we do for the day, therefore a certain amount of amusement can be derived by creating visual or textual situations that replicate horrifying times. If anything horror will continue to evolve as the times change, but our fear will always be an inherent part of our complex matrix of feelings.

North, Anthony. 2007. 'A History of Horror Fiction'. WordPress. retrieved November 4, 2007 from http://beyondtheblog.wordpress.com/2007/03/06/a-history-of-horror-fiction/

Freak Show

The article "Why People Love Horror" illistrates many reason why people are drawn to terrifying images. The author suggest that its fun to be scared. That is when you are sitting comfortably on your sofa. The author also poses the question of what is scarier, that which you can see or that which you cannot. Horror comes in two different forms: psychological horror concerning the thoughts and scary plots that occur, and then there is physical horror dealing with gore and freakish looking things. Another aspect of enjoying horror is the fact that we can place ourselves into the characters situation and wonder what we would do differently. Similar to the "do not go in there" we sometimes think when watching a horror flic. Perhaps, we feel the need to watch horror so as to best be prepared when a scary situation does arise. This might be our inate survival mechanism that allows a hightened sense of awareness when fear is in the air, and thus we may need to scare ourselves to replicate that feeling of being fully alive. This is similar to the question "How can horror audiences find pleasure in what by nature is distressful and unpleasant?" that the Why Horror reading assignment proposed. So certainly a good number of people have wondered about the paradoxical nature of horror. Furthermore, the thrill of the chase also draws a lot of people to the theatres, because not knowing whether they will get away brings a greater level of anxiety than an abrupt shock that occurs at some moments in horror films. So there you have it, the fear of the unknown, the novelty and the adrenaline rush all bring people to like horror as this author suggests.

Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc. (2006). 'Why People Love Horror'. AuthorsDen. retrieved 11/4/07 from http://www.authorsden.com/categories/article_top.asp?catid=52&id=25283

Distress About Dress

When I consider how I dress I generally consider myself to have good fashion sense. However, sometime I intentionally wear wardrobe flaws just to avoid being too normal. And in many ways this expresses my values. Now don't get me wrong, I don't dress innapropriately, but when the opportunity presents itslef I like to be a little wacky. Halloween is a great time for people to wear item of clothing they would not normally consider. I find this to be a good thing because too often people stress about what to wear and Halloween allows you to let loose a little or a lot a bit.

Upon looking in my closet, I quickly notice one obvious quality of my wardrobe; diversity. Particularly in the colors department. I'm not afraid to wear virtually any color evene the bright or neon ones. To a certain extent this shows my eccentricity, but it also shows my openess to a variety of things. Though I don't always like falling into the category of a jack of all trades but a master of none, it is usually fitting for me even in the style department. I have even tried sporting an earing the last couple months after gettign my ear pierced at the Lane County Fair. I didn't really expect to be able to pull it off, but it ended up working for me and I now have multiple types of earing. I started to appreciate the concept of body adornment, after previously looking at it as a worthless pursuit. In reality fashion, fashion as well as body adornment are both art-forms, and as someone has callied it "art you can wear." I really like this consept, so much so that I've actually considered getting a tattoo. Growing up I felt that tattoos destroyed one's body and hence their image. This is due in part to the beliefs my parents instilled in me. Now after opening my eyes to a little bit more of the world I am increasingly fascinated by body art and more willing to try it myself.

This puts the choice in my hands now. I am still concerned about the permanence of certain forms of body adornment. But now, having friends with tattoos I respect the sort of commitment and significance a tattoo requires. My friends have also influenced my brand taste. Especially during middle school is when everyones styles began to change. In elementary school no one seemed to care what everyone else wore, then immediately in middle school things changed. People were instantly aware of what they looked like. Although this created some problems overall it was probably for the better. People were finally responsible for what they wore as well as what they did. But this also meant more freedom to do what you want. Fashion is continually evolving as well as body adornment and I hope to evolve with it.

Appetizing Art

The article "Appetizing Art" offers a little bit of the history as well as varieties of artistic food. It mentions Egyptian banquets being among the first arrangements of artistic food to the more recent use of food as a medium for art. The article goes on to describe a food-art exhibit that has attracted the attention and admiration of many people. People were spending as much as $15,000 on these pieces of food-art. The organizers enjoyed watching the people reactions to the art because they had the choice of looking, smelling or eating the pieces. Also, there is apparently a chocolate lion that has remained intact since 1971. They also suppose that food is another way of communicating to a populace that obviously participates in the act of eating, so each can relate to the food-art in their own way.

Now food is for more than just the stomach, as the article suggest, but for the eyes as well. In some cases food-art is not even to be eaten but simply admired. This brings a level of curiosity to the viewer when they consider that a certain piece of art is made from all edible substances yet is intended for the sole purpose of being appreciated as aesthetic in nature. This brings an interesting contrast to the "Food as Art" view that it is food first and possibly art second. It also takes a different approach to analyzing food as art by putting it in the perspective that food is art especially when presented as such. Furthermore by recruiting top artists along with top chefs artistic decadence can be achieved. However the article does mention the transiency of the food-art but views it as a good thing because its closer to real life and it makes each piece more unique given its short life span. Irrespective of ones view of what constitutes art, everyone can enjoy something that looks good, tastes good and probably makes you feel good as well.

Silberman, Vanessa. May 2002. Appetizing Art. Art Business News. Retrieved October 19, 2007 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HMU/is_5_29/ai_85916888

Is Food Art?

In this article that author doesn't ask if food is art she wonders "why not?" Since virtually anything can be considered art why wouldn't food be given the same respect. Furthermore the author also inquires into what is art itself and she acknowledges that it will be different for different individuals. She also pokes fun into the seriousness and snobbery that some show when debating art. Someone suggests that food can't be art because the chef creates it in order to please the costomer even though this is not always true. She does acknowledge that often chefs put added emphasis on what critics have to say, but the same can be said for artists of different modes. Towards the end of the article she mentions that eating is one art that engages all of the sences as well as the mind and for this reason would elevate food to a more substantial art-form. She also mentions a chef who has literally brought some to tears of joy and shows that eating and food can be an emotional event. This brings new meaning to the term emotional eating and this also contrasts with the "Food As Art" position that food doesn't bring about any emotional connections and as a result implies that food is only a minor art because of it. This article shows for many good reasons food is an art-form unique and fulfilling in many regards and should not be dismissed as a minor variety of the arts.

Smillie, Susan. May 2007. Is Food Art?. The Observer Food Monthly. Retrieved October 2007 from http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/05/theatre_of_food.html

Life Values

Friendship
Family
Health
Wisdom
Enjoyment
Location
Leadership
Loyalty
Personal Development
Security
Community
Wealth
Expertness
Service
Personal Accomplishment
Prestige
Power
Independence
Integrity
Creativity

This sums up my life values in a nut-shell, but it certainly doesn't tell the whole story. Especially when I consider my activities for today. I spent time with both my family and friends and I definately enjoyed that time. I lifted weights and ate generally healthy then I went to work anf fulfilled my duties as a manager at the rec center. Now I am doing homework and increasing my knowledge base. So obviously some of these values were directly integrated into my day, however others were more subtlely appreciated. Since I was working, wealth was a consideration, as well as the convenience of my location. Offering a beneficial service at the rec center displays a sense of community along with service.

Focusing primarily on the top five values I quickly recognize that my days like today I always surround myself with family and friends, mainly due to the enjoyment I receive by spending time with them. Since my family enjoys family time we all have a mutual appreciation for this value and would be something I would like to pass on to my kids. Although studying and working out are not always the most enjoyable activities they do serve a purpose in maintaining my health as well as increasing my knowledge and thereby raising my quality of life. In the past, I would have placed a greater importance on wealth and power, and although these do serve a purpose, they are no longer a focus in my day to day living. As for the future I wish to pursue a career that would enable me to teach in a location near to Eugene. But I have yet to commit to a particular career or field of study for fear of failure and/or missing out on an alternative option. One of these days I will have to make that decision, but for now I can only stay true to my values.

Man and His Values

When reading Man and His Values by W.H. Werkmeister I came across a section that describes humans as simply being composed of atoms and a series of chemical reactions just like any other creature or substance within the universe, and this is certainly something to consider when thinking about what really makes us human. Especially when it has been suggested that man processes through every cell and atom within his/her body every couple years as I have read elsewhere. When one thinks of this from an objective standpoint, we would think that everything about us would change significantly as time goes on. But as most have realized by now, change happens slowly, especially when it comes to our physical body or our personality. Nevertheless, this makes us consider what we do to our bodies and its effect on our future. From our diet to our activity level we are not simply seeking an immediate consequence to our actions because our activities as well as our nutrients will effect us for years to come. Therefore with everything we do, we are investing in our future...for better or worse.

The Runners High

Ah, the joys of a natural high. A state experienced when all the body's systems are in rythm. Very rarely do they get better than the runners high - a feeling of pleasure and content that can be replicated in very few other ways. The runners high is especially rewarding in that it is generated in pursuit of a fitter and healthier body and not in the pursuit of a synthetic alteration to ones biochemisty. Still, the cause of this altered state is the byproduct of chemicals that are produced during long-term and/or strenuous exercise. They are known as endorphins...
...But not so fast, apparently endorphins are not the only nor primary cause of this wonderful feeling. Although endorphins like cousin chemicals opiates certainly dull pain and cause euphoria, they cannot claim credit for a runners elation after an easy 10... miles. Endorphins are limited by their innability to cross the blood-brain barrier, thus preventing them from fully activating opiate recepters. Therefore it must be another substance causing the elation. Anandamide turns out to be the drug of choice for the endurance athlete. And it just so happens that this chemical triggers the same receptor as that of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana). Interestingly enough this receptor would have never been discovered had it not been for a research study on the effects of marijuana. Nevertheless, runners and stoners have one this in common and that is the desire for a bliss producing chemical known as anandamide.

~Jerb

http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2005/01/understanding-runners-high.html