Humanities 220

Stuff about my college class II CSU Chico II

[m-sci-blog-blog]

Post 6 Response

The posts that I chose to reblog for this final post response are “Open”, Keyword, and Freedom.

The post “Open” first caught my attention just with the title.  I was curious to see how the blogger related this word to their space.  She related the openness of her space to the nature of and around her space, and how her space is open to one and their friends to just come and enjoy whenever they pleased.  She referenced Focault and his idea of utopia.  She believed that in her eyes, her space was indeed a utopian space, a space of perfection.  In addition to the openness of her space, she described her space as possessing a sense of freedom of well, a freedom of mind and spirit to anybody who was in her space.  She preferred to possess an open mind, not to live in self-confinement, and expressed that in her blog.

My second response and reblog was to the post Keyword.  The title of this post also initially caught my attention.  The blogger described that they did not have one word to accurately encapsulate or match with his space in its entirety.  He instead expressed his new-found insight towards both his space and other spaces from now on, due to the requirements and the assignments given in this course that focused on the observation and interpretation of our everyday spaces.  The blogger connected his train of thought to much deeper subjects, referencing deep connections and attractions that we feel to things though we may never know why, it’s just something we are born with.  He described his place as a place to achieve euphoria for himself, and therefore explained his sense of strong connection with the space, saying that it was natural to feel connected to a space that made you feel pleasure and excitement, and genuine enjoyment of being there.  This post referenced the spaces of other students as well, describing them as similar in many ways, but also very different in the different connection each space holds with that particular individual, making them all very unique in ways only that student can connect with.

My final reblog was of the post Freedom. Upon reading the post, I was interested in the imagery of freedom the post conveyed through its descriptions of the space the blogger had chosen.  The blogger described not feeling confined in their space, and felt freedom to be themselves and do the things they wished while in their space.  The blogger also mentioned running through the orchards of her space, a description that related to my space, naturally, in that my space is a running track.  The blogger related to my previous posts as well, stating that the space allowed you to be free in mind and body, whether you were relaxing, observing, or even running through the orchards.  Referencing Boethius and James I, concluding that your own personal freedom lies in your own choices, and only you can confine yourself, and in order to be free, you need to choose to be so.

[marissacervantez]

“Open”

The key word I chose to focus for my last observational post is open. I thought about this word because throughout this semester I considered my space an open space; a space where one can go and enjoy themselves with friends and all the scenery of nature. I suppose the text that is...

[blaineball-humn]

There’s no one particular word, text or phrase from the course that pairs perfectly with my space. However, the class and the various discussions of spaces and our readings have challenged my insight of my personal space. For example, prior to choosing my space as the topic from these course...

[rebeccabailey13]

When I think of my space I think of freedom. Being outside gives me a feeling of openness. I do not feel confined while I am at the orchards. I feel like I can run for miles, which occasionally I do. The wind surrounds me as I jog through open land with no worries. I do not worry about cars or...

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THE TRACK From My Point of View

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Post 4 Response

For my post four observational response, I reblogged two posts: My Space Through My Eyes

(Ok, through my IPhone), and one more from a blogger that forgot to title hers.

  In My Space Through My Eyes (Ok, through my IPhone), the space is similar to my space in several ways.  Not only is it in the Wrec, and just directly below my space, it is also a place where one can come to strive for physical fitness and achievement, and have fun while doing so.  Just as in my space, this post shows low attendance, and it is explained in the caption that many times the rock wall is just the opposite, clamorous and full of activity. Despite the seemingly low activity at the wall, however, you can still get a very strong sense of the energy in the space.  The music brightens up the mood of everyone there, and the examples of the genuinely happy nature of everyone there really allows one to experience the good vibes even through a video.  One thing that particularly interested me about this post beyond all its similarities to my posts and my space, is the point of view in which the video is recorded.  When one thinks of the rock wall, they think of being on the wall, climbing, but this video represents a spectator’s view, from the ground looking up.

The second post I reblogged, (the one without a title so I’m unsure how to refer to it), caught my eye for various different reasons.  Despite the physical activity depicted in the video while her and her friends are walking to her space, it has little in common with my space. However, it was different from the other posts in a specific way, in that it wasn’t a video of her space, as described in her caption, but instead it was a video of the route traveled to get to her space.  This really interested me, because it left the space open to the viewer’s own interpretation, based on the surrounding area in which she was walking to her space, and from previous observation posts of her space.  This little twist in the recording set it apart from the other posts for this assignment.  Another unique thing about this post, as well as the other post I reblogged, is that there was no narration, and the viewer was able to appreciate the sounds of the surroundings, with only the occasional interjection from the recorder and her friends.  This leaves the viewer to rely solely on the noises from the surroundings of the video, as well as the caption of the post to be able to relate to the video’s representation of the space.

[blaineball-humn]

My Space Through My Eyes (Ok, through my IPhone)

Unfortunately, while rock climbing (indoors or out) holding on with one hand and recording with the other isn’t permitted. My original idea was to do so but it’s slightly frown upon in a sport so regulated safety-wise. Therefor I had to walk around to show a glimpse of what life under the walls is like. The rock wall area is either quiet or extremely busy. On the particular night of the video is a slower and laid back night where a few people are either seen bouldering or top-roping their way to happiness. As climbers continue to reach for the next holds, music plays in the background to ensure a pleasant vibe is always at hand. Everyone that works at the rock wall carry themselves professionally, yet very friendly. As seen in the video, my friend Steph says hi in her usual energetic manner as she sees me walk by, much like the other workers or frequent climbers may. It’s an extremely comfortable area for friends and athletes alike to laugh, work out and to just have a great overall time. It’s open til 10 on weekdays and there’s no maximum limit to how long you can stay. The rock wall area is easily my home away from home.

[marissacervantez]

I chose to take a video of myself and some friends walking to my space rather than of my actual space. I did this to show what one might have to go through to get to my space. While walking to my space as you can see there are so many rocks you have to jump over and climb. All the jumping and climbing is hard work for some people like me but it is fun. While walking you can hear the water flowing by, I did show some parts where you can look over and see the actual creek; I did this to show that walking to my space is not all rocks and trees. It may not look as nice but once at the actual spot of my space it’s a beautiful view. The couple that passed by were actually really nice people. As I said before my space is a good place to hang out with friends or just relax, you can meet people and have a good time. Right after I stopped recording we met more people and we all just hung out swimming and having a fun time altogether. 

P.S. I had to cut the video because the file was to large.

[m-sci-blog-blog]

Mapping My Space From The Sky

Seeing my actual space is impossible from this view, you can only know where it's located in the building, this view helps one to visualize the enclosed area where my space exists.  Being inside the building and on the track, you are limited to the sounds offered solely by the activities within the building.  This sky-view also includes the outside scenery of the building, what surrounds the space that surrounds my space.

[sfgiants]

A rousing ovation for the man behind ‘The Catch’.

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Spatial Observation Post: Response 2

The three posts I chose to reblog for this second response were, Roaming through nature, Silence is Golden, and Listening In at THE WALL.

For my first post reblog, "Roaming through nature", i viewed it as a strong contrast to my own post.  My post focuses mainly on the activities of humans, in an enclosed environment, where human-generated noise is ever-present.  In this post, it represents the sounds of nature, bringing to life the relationship between humans and nature.  It’s easy to envision a symphony of noises created by nature and humans alike.  In this space, a perfect co-existence seems to exist.  It truly let’s one envision a peaceful space, a real-life “utopia”.

My reblog of “Listening In at THE WALL” was simple once again, due to its direct relationship with my past two posts.  In both this post and mine, the two spaces exist in very close proximity of one another, creating a kind of intermixing of sounds in both spaces.  In my vantage point on the track, I mentioned being able to hear the music and voices from the up-beat atmosphere of the climbing wall, and in both posts, a cacophony of various noises are described.  Outside of the similarity between our sounds, our posts share a likeness as a space to achieve self-peace and self-enjoyment.  Both spaces are the meeting place of athletes, bystanders, and strangers alike.  The blogger mentions this wall as his way of “zoning out”, and as he achieves his goal of reaching the top, the surrounding noises seem to dim out in light of his achievement.  This relates to my post as a similar space where one strives for success, strives to reach that “peak of success” (literally, in the case of the wall).

My third and final reblog was one whose title caught my eye, and upon listening to and reading it, I became very interested.  “Silence is Golden” has appeal in just the title alone.  A stressful mind, used to the loud buzz and chaos of the world around, always has a strong desire for those golden moments of peace and silence.  It also presents itself as a strong opposite to the listening space I used in my own space: my space being loud and full of activity, never ceasing to bring new noises to a listener, while this space being oh-so-quiet and peaceful.  With the mention of the train and San Francisco, as well as the jingle of a dog collar, the post evokes a sense of nostalgia, bringing to mind my own memories of San Francisco, and memories of my own dog.  It is very easy to find yourself in this space, the images are very clear in both the audio and the reading.  Our two posts represent the difference in “public and private spaces”, a contrast that Focault described in his essay, and I think this serves as a perfect example: one space quiet and peaceful, the other loud and busy.

[marissacervantez]

Since the space that I have chosen is a communal space I am not only able to hear the sounds that nature gives off but also other people talking having a good time. As I hike towards this space I hear the talking and laughter of my friends’ right next to me. I noticed how each step we take our...

[jessicahumn220-blog]

Silence is Golden

As I sit here and evaluate the sound of my space I notice the slight rumble of a train passing by. I hear the constant buzz of the fan and it’s soothing in spite of the slightly awkward feeling that sitting in total silence leaves me with. The train makes me happy because it makes me think of trips to San Francisco. A jingle of my dog who is visiting and it’s time to snuggle up on the couch. Despite the non existence of music or Netflix in the background I am surprising comfortable and content with the quiet.

[blaineball-humn]

Last night I went to my space and took a few minutes to listen in on my surroundings. I then realized that the ground wasn’t my space, but the side of the wall was. So I strapped in and headed over to my favorite route and began to climb. On most nights there’s loud music playing, fellow climbers...

[m-sci-blog-blog]

Listening in at The Track

In my last post, i described the track as a space that serves several different purposes, specific to those who are using it.  By taking time to really listen to the various sounds heard from the several activities occuring around the track, you can truly begin to get a feel for the many uses of that space.  The most prominent noise from any place on the track is the sound of many basketball games being played on the courts below the track.  Whether it's a pick-up game, a shoot-around, the bouncing of the basketballs and the squeak of shoes work in symphony with the voices of the players calling for a ball or grunts of effort and frustration. In several places on the track, you can hear the working of machines (treadmills, ellipticals, etc.), and occasionally the pounding footsteps of a runner passing by.  A sound ever-present is that of music, whether it be music emanating from the climbing wall or the personal trainer's area just below, or music from personal devices, played through the headphones of runners. Just faintly in the background, if you stand in just the right place, you can here the slap of a paddle and the returning ping of the ball striking the table from the games of ping pong occurring below the track.  In my first post, i eluded to the track being a space where one can get lost.  By listening to the noises of these activities occurring both on and around the track, it is easy to get lost again, paying attention to sounds from different areas, tuning in to whatever catches your ear.  For most anyone attending the track, the most rewarding sound of all is that of one's own heavy breathing, proof and reward of a hard workout in their strive for physical fitness.

[m-sci-blog-blog]

I reblogged the posts: "Got books?", THE WALL, and Fear, Power, Control and the Prevalence of the Black Sheep

The post "Got books?" interested me in the way the picture was taken.  The long stretching aisle adds another dimension, rather than just a picture of the library as a whole.  This view of the aisle serves as a direct representation to the massive amount of information the library has to offer, in several different shapes and forms.  I liked the connection to our status as college students as well, showing the importance of studying.  It invites a view of college as a particular space, and us as students being components of this space.  This relates to the space of a library, how it is seen as "scholarly" and/or "studious".  However, it is ironic, because how often do college students really visit the library?

"THE WALL" was a post i could very easily relate to, because i spend many days out of the week at the gym, and several of those visits are spent at the rock wall itself with my best friend.  This post utilizes mental images of fatigue, and the hard work required to reach your own reward.  Though this post is very obviously about the wall itself, it can serve as a metaphor for many aspects of life, physical endeavors or not.  Many of our conquests in life require us to climb until weak, lured by the success of victory looming over our heads (literally & figuratively).  And just as in this post, the reward can be solely one of mental achievement, a self goal per say, but yet achieving one's goals is the greatest reward.

"Fear, Power, Control, and the Prevalence of Black Sheep": Now i wouldn't be completely honest if i didn't say that my initial interest with this post was the title itself.  I immediately connected with the picture of the gun shop, making many visits to gun shops myself.  I did understand this title and it's relationship to the gun shop.  The post describes the shop as a combination of several different spaces, each at a sort of juxtaposition of each other, yet each related in their own way.  It relates each space as specific views of the shop, depending on which reason you are there for.  This post also makes references to Focault's writing with the description of a deviant heterotopia, a view that society has sought to make of the gun shop.  With the references to several uses of this space, this post relates to my post as well also.  We both described different uses for the subject of our observations, depending on the choice of those involved in that space.

[brownhumn220fa2014]

Fear, Power, Control, and the Prevalence of the Black Sheep

These words describe this space in a way that may not be obvious to most. these words resonate each time I enter and fail to dim out after I exit. A public space, a workspace, and place of leisure all into one. Society has formed it into a deviant heterotopia of sorts however it’s true purpose is a matter of opinion. The Gun Shop