1. Professor Highlight of the Week
2. I never knew this was going to be part of my job as a UA
3. Plant Party for Lynn
4. Church Retreat

1. Professor Highlight of the Week
Sometimes I forget that professors are not only teachers but also creators- and usually pretty impressive ones at that! In my 3D studio class, we have begun working with clay to capture the poses of a human model. It is so refreshing to work with another medium after two years of graphite, ink, and colored pencil. Well, I guess last spring I could also include Illustrator and Photoshop as mediums, but it is nice to go from 2-dimensions to 3. Actually, according to my 3D studio professor, Paul Shao, there are 4 dimensions with modeling because we can include time- seeing something from the past, configuring the image in our mind, and creating a replica in the future.

Professor Shao is by no means boastful, but after asking about some landscape models in the back of the room, I found out he was the designer of the Asian garden park along the river in Des Moines. He also has artwork in the Smithsonian's American Art museum and was a photographer for Vogue in New York. The College of Design wanted to cut the 3D studio, but he felt very strongly that this course was important. Professor Shao turned an old room next to the boiler room of the Lab. of Mechanics into a studio space, and now among the plants, classical music, and pattering of rain against the basement windows, I get to play with clay, metal, and glass.

2. I never knew this was going to be part of my job as an UA
For the retreat in October, each FHP section will present their themes or something about their group with a 15-30 second chant. To give the leaders some idea of what we were looking for, Jake, Tessa, and I came up with one and persuaded some of the Honors Staff to join us. Please be kind. Remember, Glee is a TV show and normal people cannot create an amazing song and dance routine on cue.



3. Plant Party for Lynn
To continue Friday Night Dinners and celebrate my friend Lynn's birthday, Julia and I threw her a plant party. She is getting agronomy and genetics majors and loves plants- it's fitting, trust me. Anyway, we encouraged people to either dress up like plants or wear floral materials. Although some people apparently missed the memo in the invitation, we had a mixture of floral prints, a carrot, a gardener, and me- an ear of corn. It was fun to catch-up and enjoy pasta, sauteed veggies, salad, fruit, and of course, cake before a couple of games of Apples to Apples. It is pretty amazing to think how dependent we are on plants in every aspect of daily life. In the book Omnivore's Dilemma,Pollan writes, "There are some forty-five thousand items in the average American supermarket and more than a quarter of them now contain corn." This not only includes food (chicken nuggets, mayonnaise, vitamins, frosting, canned fruit, etc.) but also items such as plastic bags, matches, magazine gloss, the wax on vegetables and fruits. . . Oh, Plants and People class, how I miss you!

4. Church Retreat
I have joined the Collegiate Presbyterian Church college group, and this afternoon we leave for an overnight retreat at Camp Hantessa in Boone. I have to admit, I am super excited! I thought my days of squeaky bunk beds crammed into a spider-infested cabin with the smoke from a campfire clinging to my sweatshirt, still slightly sticky with runaway marshmallow were over. Ahh- perhaps some of you might think this does not sound appealing, but I sometimes wish life was like summer camp. I love being surrounded by woods. I love having a close-knit group to live with and a wider group on the outside to keep things interesting. I love going on nature walks and creating arts and crafts, eating and cleaning communally, and trying new things like rock climbing and archery. I love how rejuvenated you feel when you go home even though you barely slept the night before and are covered in sunburns and mosquito bites. I love being led in an environment created to grow and learn and love. Summer camp, summer camp, summer camp. . . hmm, maybe I should go pack.