More catching up...

Rething Thinking Article

So...after reading this article, I began doing some thinking of my own. I realized that since my freshman year, I've been getting weird looks and tons of questions asked everytime I say I'm double majoring in environmental science and drama. This article talks about how thinking through impulses and gut feeling is just as important as thinking through equations, formulas, policies, etc. I guess I'm ahead of the game, since the training in the drama dept. teaches to act on impulse and the environmental science field teaches how to work with math, science, social policy and communication to deal with environmental issues. This seems pretty well rounded to me so I don't see why people are so surprised by it. The best example I can think of on how all this actually comes together and works is through sports. It was during my first year in the drama dept. when we learning viewpoints, being aware of the space we were in, being aware of the other people in the space, reading the people's movements and actions, that I found myself applying this viewpoints stuff to volleyball. It was as if I had become psychic and I knew what the other people on the other team were going to do before they even did it. I found myself reacting to things without even really thinking. Volleyball, and sports in general had become an overall different experience, in a good way.

Ghosts of Seattle

When I first came back, I realized that some people had picked certain areas of seattle and had done some research on how they can be considered "ghosts". I felt a little left out so I thought I'd put in my two cents with something I saw the other day on my way to get a haircut. Over in the wedgewood area, there are some older buildings that have been around for quite some time. On these buildings are some advertisements that were painted on sometime in the 40's or 50's. One in particular is for a new york style pizzeria. Although these businesses no longer exist and have been replaced, the community seems to have intentionally left these paintings, perhaps to create a sense of good ol' american goodness and hospitality that most people tend to relate to the 50's. I took a social geography class my sophomore year, and I learned that Seattle is actually known for leaving behind certain aspects of areas that have been remodeled or rebuilt. For example, Gasworks park. The area was turned into a park, but the gross, rusty facility was left behind. If I remember correctly, the philosophy behind this is that people find places to be more pleasant when there's some visual indicator of the history of that place.