My Week

Sorry for the lack of blog posts this week! I think that this has been the worse posting week since I have been here! For the first time since I have been here I have had a lot of work all condensed into one week so not only was my life boring to write about, but I had to time to write! This week was “finals week” in a sense. I had my final end of year exam (which sounded much scarier than the end of the semester tests that I have been used to) and my critical review paper needed to be done by today. Nothing compared to my final weeks that I am used to (4 finals, papers, projects etc on top of the normal course load!) but still I had my hands full!


First thing to do was to study. I did that all weekend and Monday night. I crammed all sorts of information into my head! Styles, Dates, Artist and their dates, general history, paintings, furniture, ceramics, and silver! It wouldn’t have been bad except for that I needed to know the history of painting, furniture, ceramics and silver since 1500-1850 in England, France, the Netherlands, Italy and a bit of Spain. That is a lot of stuff! By Monday night I just didn’t care anymore and wanted to take the test then just to get it over with!

I had the early test slot on Tuesday for the test. I was so SO happy that I got LT1 with Rebecca and Paddi. It was JUST like my mock exam which was awesome! I was the third person in the door and the first thing I see is a chair. Score! I had hope! Chairs were the easiest in the furniture gallery. My excitement went as soon as it came. The only thing I knew about the chair was that it had a horizontal splat. Ok… not doing the chair. I found a seat and listened to the instructions. The first five minutes is looking and no writing. It is a good exercise because you can just look, but I like writing down my first reactions. Gah!

Lets sum up the 2 hours… Print was easy. Durer 1471-1528. Old Master Painting: Dutch Harbor scene after 1648. Ceramics: Italian Maiolica 1520ish? Silver: supposed to be easy and they kinda threw us a curve ball. Well at least me. I came out feeling pretty good and glad that it was over. Basically my term was over as I walked out that door. Beautiful.

After the test I wasn’t free though. I had to go to the exhibit that I had to review. Who thought? I actually had to go to it? Gah. So I went all the way to Greenwich which really isn’t aht far. It just feels far when you are in somewhat desperate need for a toilet. We weren’t allow to go after our test because we were escorted from the building so we wouldn’t see/talk to the other group. Extreme. Anyways I got there, found the potty at the visitors center (thought of you Dad and your shattered hand!) I walked over to the National Maritime Museum and was thinking about how it was just as cold today as it had been in April. I was cold and my nose was running by the time I sought refuge inside the museum. The exhibit was actually really good, although I didn’t appreciate having to pay 9 pounds to see it!

Wednesday was a super easy day. We had a museum visit to the Tate Modern. I was so SO lucky and got put into Paddi’s group. Phew! We looked at some modern stuff. The first pictures made me think of Rome because we had gone to an exhibit of the artist’s work in Rome for class. We wandered around the Tate and I was reminded why Im not a fan of post WWII art. Paddi let us go after only an HOUR! Woo! I came home and somehow wrote my entire review for my exhibit. Im officially finished with my assignments for my masters! (minus my thesis of course!)

Thursday nothing much happened. Class was complete torture. The woman knew what she was talking about (I think) but the class was basically an advertisement for her book and a laundry list of ideas. Not impressed and I barely stayed awake. I was very fidgety!

Today was a LONG day. This morning’s lecture was by Peter (who went to Venice with us) so it was a really good lecture, I just hate Dada. The end part about Duchamp was interesting though. It was all about sex basically, and shopping. It was weird, but I understood it for the first time ever. It made me appreciate him some. Not much, but some! This afternoon’s class wasn’t until 2:30 because the undergrads had their slide test. It was not worth the wait. I learned nothing about the Bauhaus except that it was a school.

The answers from the test were pinned up on the back board. The print wasn’t St Jerome… it was Samson tending the lion or something like that. I didn’t know Sampson had a lion! Is it the same Sampson that Delilah tricked? Anyways I got the title wrong on that. The dutch painting was dutch but I didn’t see that it was initialed in the boat. GAH! So I missed a signature. The ceramic I dated 30 years too early but hopefully that won’t count much against me! The silver… stupid thing. It was supposed to be the easiest! I had it right and then I changed it. Awesome.. so the date it wrong. Oops. So I had something wrong on everyone, but I think I still did well because I nailed the formatting and my justifications.

Ok well that is the quick rundown of my week. Ill be better now again at posting and hopefully they will be more interesting than this post was! Off to watch some football! (soccer!)

P.S todays picture is of Coop because I miss him and because I got Mom's mail today and inside was his picture enjoying the dog treat that I had gotten him in Venice!