Forum Thread: Explore - Kayci Thomas

Exploration #2:

MY FIRST TIME IN SANTA BARBARA

September 12, 2010

12:30 PM - Park in downtown SB. First thing I notice is how much it looks like Walnut Creek, which is near where I'm from. Similar shops and feel. It's colder than I expected it to be.

1:30 PM - Lunch at Palazzio. I'm disturbed by the projection of the Peter Pan musical, and the weird animatron Italian chef hanging from the ceiling. But I'm easily distracted by the good smell and taste of the food.

3:00 PM - Park at SB City College. My boyfriend used to go there. He shows me where his classes use to be, and we stare at the beautiful ocean with the clear blue sky. What I remember most is how many boats there were! I can't imagine having to get one in and out of there.

3:30 PM - We begin the 30 mile drive up the mountain toward the Chumash Casino. I was told that along that drive is where the Neverland Ranch is. Sadly, I didn't see it.

4:00 - Went to a casino for the first time! Played penny slots and blackjack, and we walked out with an extra $20!

5:30 - Walked around Solvang for a little while. It was such an odd looking little town. And nothing at all like what I expected it to be. A lot of little danish stores and bakeries. We walked around the whole place in about 30 minutes. Wasn't much to do other than eat. It reminded me a lot of a place I'd been in Wisconsin.

Great Sounds and Smells.

Exploration #3:

OBJECTS FOUND IN MY KITCHEN THAT REFLECT LIGHT

Clear plastics:

-Animal cracker container

-Dishwashing soap

-Ziploc bag

-Plastic of apple slicer

-Handle of fork

-Tape

Metals:

-Tinfoil

-Knife

-Keys

-Tongs of fork

-Whisk

-Keys

Glass:

-End of flash light

-Cup

-Worchister sauce

-Phone

Exploration #4:

ITEMS FOUND WHILE WALKING AROUND CAMPUS AT CONVO

-Lots of leaves

-Fallen construction tape

-Empty snow cone cups

-Fraternity flyers

-Trash from the Lair

-Empty coffee cups

-Empty Jamba Juice cups

-Cigarette butts

-Dead flowers

-A frisbee

-People!!

-Grass

-Foam finger

-Soccer ball

-Empty pen

-Lair receipts

-Abandoned magazine

-Random flyers and announcements

Exploration #5:

THINGS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO LMU

-Frat flyers

-Lair trash

-LMU brand coffee cups

-Frat frisbee

-Foam finger

-Lair receipt

-Random flyers and announcements

Really well done.

Exploration #6:

CHILDHOOD "TOYS"

My brothers and I had plenty of toys while we were growing up...toys inside, toys outside, electronic toys...pretty much any toy we wanted I'm sure we had. But really, when I look back at my childhood, I don't remember any of them. I remember moving trucks. We moved all the time. I think of my childhood and I remember being able to recognize every moving company. Seeing the big sweaty men loading all of our stuff into trucks. I remember the sound of packing tape being pulled off the roll, and I remember the sound of all the paper being wrapped around breakable things. I remember the smell of the cardboard boxes and all the sharpies used to mark the boxes. I remember all the empty houses and walking alone into a new schools. But the toys that were in those houses, and the toys I played with at those schools... That I don't remember.

Exploration #7:

PAINT CHIPS

My scanner didn't do the greatest job capturing the actual color, but it tried :)

Exploration #8:

PAVEMENT CRACKS IN THE HANNON PARKING LOT

My favorite one:

Exploration #9:

I used to have a phobia of little tiny things when I was younger. I would have nightmares that I was surrounded by all these tiny things. It was strange. I was a little frightened by this activity because of it :)

-Random buttons

-Random beads

-A rivet from some old jeans

-A wayward chapstick cap

-A screw and nut my dad left behind after building my apartment furniture

-Plastic piece from a shopping bag

-Some lint

-A piece of thread

-A lone mint

-The little plastic things that attach tags to clothes

-A thread

-An old mickey charm for a necklace

-A sequin

Good job! :)

Exploration #10:

OBSERVING MY TIVO REMOTE

The top...

-light scratches on the bottom

-the little bump on the "5"

-the "R" trademarks on the thumbs up and down

-"Clear", "pause", and "rec" are the only indented buttons

-the fingerprint below the "slow" button

-there is a 'slope' between then arrows on the "vol" and "ch"

-the return arrow isn't actually a circle...it's curved in a random way

-the circle of buttons around the "select" key can actually be pushed anywhere, not just where the 4 arrows are

-"TV Pwr" and "rec" are the only buttons with painted circles on them

-the majority of the top surface reflects lights

The bottom...

-there are 3 different pieces

-the bottom half is "ribbed" unlike my last TiVo remote

-the top part is red if you hold it in the right light

-there are scratches on the top where it normally rests on the night stand

-the indented part on the top reflects light differently than the rest of it

-there's a vertical scratch that starts at the bottom on the indent

Exploration 9:

Haha. Thanks Vince.

yeaaa....idk it wouldn't let me delete it ahhah

Haha. I know! Casey was still logged in to my computer so I posted stuff under his name. Wouldn't let me delete that either. So I just turned it into a comment. Annoying :) But now I get to see my besties name when I'm explorin!

Exploration #11:

COMPARING A BUNCH OF PENS

Some of the differences...

-the material they are made out of (clear plastic, frosted plastic, colored plastic, metal...)

-the color of the outside

-the color of the ink

-whether they have a clip or not

-the type of ink they have

-how they write

-the tip they have (fine, medium, etc)

-the logo/company they're advertising

-whether they have a cap of they click open

-some have grips, some don't

-the level of ink remaining

-what the ink does as it gets used (some bubble up - 7th from the left)

-where I got the pens

-the sentiment behind them (some came from my dad's companies, some from friends, some found on the street...)

-some of the pens are all the same color, some have multiple colors

-some caps have been chewed on

-some pens have been scratched up from use, some have never been used

-the size of the pen (the green one is clearly bigger than the rest)

-the bottoms are different - if they have them (some are square, some are rounded)

-the purpose each pen has - I use colored pens and black pens and different all for different things in my planner... And I'm probably the only one who would notice or understand it

-the prices of the pens

Exploration #12:

TRIP TO BRISTOL FARMS (in random order)

-gas light/beep in the car

-seatbelt warning beeping when passenger didn't put the seatbelt on right away

-stuff in my trunk rolling around as I backed out

-change rattling in my cup holder

-the metal on my purse hitting against itself

-the streaks on my windshield from the windshield wiper

-fluffy white dog being walked on the sidewalk

-a woman wearing jeans and high boots (crazy in the heat!!)

-people crossing the street (almost got hit...not paying attention to the lights)

- a man on a motorcycle weaving through lanes

-lots of colorful fruit stacked inside

-aisle 7 had the most people

-a man sweating, carving meat wearing a checkered uniform

-flowers that smelt good

-macaroni and cheese that looked really good

-fresh baked cookies that also looked really good

-cupcakes with way too much icing

-the stuffed bear I got my BF when he was sick

-an old lady reaching for a vinegar bottle that she couldn't reach (we helped her)

-a random Santa's house behind the store (Santa wasn't there)

-cars honking at each other as one almost backs into the other

-3 teenagers riding very tiny bikes

-a kid's size shopping cart

-no one is outside, as it's 108 degrees

-the outside seating at CPK is empty

-the most populated parts of the shopping center were the frozen yogurt shop and Starbucks

-an annoying kid running away from his mom

-we wanted to jump in the water fountain since it was soo hot out

-we saw a mexican restaurant that made us think of where we want to go for dinner

-apparently there are new stores in the shopping center my BF had never seen

-we noticed light poles in the parking lot for the first time

-the Wells Fargo ATM was beeping at us

-an ad for Dexter reminded us that it starts tonight!!!

-there was a spider inside the car which totally freaked us out (we threw a Gatorade bottle at it...it still didn't die. Then I flung it out with a nickel)

Exploration #13

PROMENADE SHOPPING CENTER FONTS IN WESTLAKE

Some of the different shop logos/fonts...

This one reminds me of the font Disney uses. And was the only food place there without some sort of little icon mixed in with the font...

Exploration #14:

SOUND OBSERVATION OUTSIDE JAMBA JUICE/STARBUCKS

Sat down at 3:30 PM...

(some of the sounds we heard over the hour)

3:32 - Chairs moving

3:35 - The guy in the white shirt's dog started barking

3:40 - A girl walking into Starbucks, annoyingly talking on her phone

3:42 - Same guy in white shirt starts coughing from his cigar

3:46 - girl in black shirt stands up from the table (chair moves)

3:49 - BF says "ow" from brain freeze

3:50 - AC unit kicks on from somewhere above us

3:52 - airplane flys over head

3:56 - birds "yelling" at each other in the tree by us

4:00 - car tires/car engine as it drives by

4:03 - BF slurping empty Jamba Juice

4:06 - random duck in the street quacking

4:10 - annoyingly loud motorcycle drives by

4:13 - stupid kid driving his M3 by, as loud as possible (revs his engine as someone tries to cross the street)

4:16 - a dog barks from the window of a passing car

4:17 - the loud birds are back

4:20 - empty drinks being thrown in the trash

4:22 - my cell phone vibrates on the metal table

4:23 - cell phone rings since I ignored it before

4:26 - door opens to Togo's behind us

4:30 - we get up to leave the table

Exploration #15:

ITEMS CONSUMED ON 9/26/2010

My breakfast/lunch...

-some guacamole my grandma made, with the chips she gave me

-a quiche from Trader Joes

-a cup of water from the Brita

Snack...

-a 16 oz Caribbean Passion Jamba Juice (while doing the sound exercise)

Dinner...

-chips and salsa

-lemonade

-bean and cheese burrito, with guacamole, lettuce, and salsa

Non food items...

-water for a 10 minute shower

-soap/shampoo for shower

-water to brush my teeth

-toothpaste

-face wash

-cotton ball

-dime sized amount of hair product

-energy for hair dryer

-an application's worth of make up

-4 gallons of gas to drive to/from Westlake

-energy to watch TV

-energy to have the lights on

-energy to run the AC in Westlake (where it's like 110)

-battery to run my computer

-battery to take these pictures with my camera

-lots of text messages

-cell phone minutes

-energy to run the fan in my room

-contact solution to put my contacts away

-battery to run my remotes

-power to run my TiVo

Exploration #16:

QUICK SURVEY

Questions...

1. Favorite form of communication: text, email, phone?

2. You have 2 free hours, you: watch TV, watch a movie, play a video game?

3. Website you use most in a week: Facebook, google, email?

4. What kind of pet is best: small dog, big dog, cat?

5. Favorite kind of bed sheet: cotton, jersey, flannel?

Initial answers...

Creative display...

Awesome collection of type, and that is just from one center.  Its really interesting when you go into other neighborhoods what the type trends are.  As always, on top of your stuff and well thought out.  great job.

Thanks! I actually enjoyed the font exercise. I noticed that even after taking the pictures, while we were driving I was still looking at the different fonts in different shopping centers. It's interesting how it varies with different areas and neighborhoods.

Exploration #17:

KITCHEN SCULPTURES

Animal cracker "heart"

Banana and spoon holder...?

Banana/lettuce/battery "flower"

Banana and Spoon Holder...? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Exploration #18:

IGNORED PARTS OF MY APARTMENT

Hangers

Corner of closet

Corner made by dresser and wall

Close up of dusty floor fan

Bathroom

Kitchen under dishwasher

Corner made by stove and fridge

I've often wondered what kind of creatures live in those lost hidden corners.  The lint ball king.

There was some kids show I used to watch where the lint were all alive, and were little living creature kids. I remember being a kid laying on the floor and trying to see the lint playing. Never did see them... :)

Exploration #19:

ITEMS FROM CHINESE FOOD DINNER THAT COULD BE USED AS PIGMENT

-Lemonade

-Soy sauce

-Broth from soup

-Orange chicken sauce

-Crushed red peppers

-Kung pao chicken sauce

Exploration #20:

RANDOM THOUGHTS

What should I eat today?

I hate traffic.

Why is it so damn hot?

I need to get gas.

Get off your cell phone.

Thanks for cutting me off.

I need a hair cut.

I need a job before I can even think about paying for a haircut.

I want new shoes.

That would be a cool picture, wish I had my camera.

Why can't someone rich adopt me?

I need some motivation.

I should go to the gym.

Why would you wear that at the gym?

The entrance to the gym is awkward.

Why was the hot tub so cold tonight?

Are jet streams really chemicals being dropped?

I wonder if my mom will clean my bathroom when she comes down next weekend.

Did my TiVo record my show for me?

Why am I doing these on a Saturday night?

Why did I eat so much at dinner?

My head itches.

So does my leg.

Whyyyyy must my neighbor play drums all day. SO loud. And bad.

Why is someone shooting a paintball gun outside at 4 AM?

Why can't I get this stupid song out of my head!

I need to do laundry.

My computer battery is dying.

Exploration #21:

FAVORITE STREET

My favorite street is the downtown street of where I'm from, Pleasanton, CA. It's exactly what you would picture "downtown" to be in a city called Pleasanton.

-there are lots of little coffee/pastry places

-kids stores

-small bookstores

-little clothing boutiques

-Pete's coffee with outdoor seating

-there is a street fair the first Wednesday of every month

-fun restaurants

-the place that we would hang out a lot after school. I have a lot of memories going there with my friends, and my family, and always seeing people I knew

-it gets decorated for every holiday

-there is a drive through dairy where everyone goes to get cheap ice cream cones

-the sign lights up at the night. It's the location of many high school "jumping" pictures

-memories of restaurants I've gone on dates too, and the restaurant my parents go to every week

Exploration #22:

PEOPLE WATCHING

For my boyfriend's birthday, we went to Casa Vega. We were thoroughly entertained by the people at the 2 table's surrounding us. We tried taking pictures sneakily with our phones, but it was too dark inside.

So I made a diagram instead to show where the people were...

A/B: Casey and I

C/D/E/F:

We spent dinner trying to decide whether it was a really awkward double date, or just some friends hanging out. The girls (D and E) basically talked quietly to themselves the whole time. The guys (C and F) kept trying to awkwardly talk to the girls, but they weren't having it. We also thought F was gay, but maybe not. C was drinking too many margaritas and making "jokes" to the waiter that just sounded rude. E was wearing flannel and had a really big gap between her front teeth. But after watching America's Next Top Model where they made a girl go to the dentist and get a gap purposely drilled between her teeth, I thought maybe she liked it. They talked about the Social Network movie, which we had just seen, so we were silently comparing notes. F also had a really ugly cell phone cover on his phone, which was clipped to his belt. He kept trying to massage E, which was way awkward. F also kept talking about how he's a producer, and kept name dropping, which no one found cool. And at the end of the dinner, D paid for everyone's. So we really have no idea what their relationship was.

G/H/I/J:

We have already been seated, and their table is very close to ours. We see 3 old men and an old women on crutches walk up and sit next to us. J warns me that his cane is between us, so don't get out that way or I'll trip. From his demeanor and mannerism I realized it was a cute little group of olddd gay guys and their female friend. After a good 10 minutes of H staring down Casey, he whispered to me that it was actually a guy. So that was a fun surprise. G was very a sexy gold foiled shirt that made us feel very unstylish. They each ate about 3 bites of their salad, then yelled at the waiter when he tried to take them away, since they had planned on taking them home. They also ate all of their very spicy salsa right away, but barely any of the chips. It was impressive. J had coffee with his mexican food, which I thought was a strange combination. H didn't talk at all, except to complain about his drink not coming on time. They were just really entertaining to listen to.

Exploration #23:

WHAT IS A JET STREAM

1. The Mystery

When I told my boyfriend about this Exploration, he asked if I knew what a jet stream was. I told him what it was, and he said that there are a huge number of people who are convinced they aren't what they seemed. Apparently people believe that when you see a jet stream in the sky, it is really the government dumping chemicals (including brain washing and global warming chemicals) on all of us. So we set out to find the truth!

2/3. Research & Following "Links"

"The chemtrail conspiracy theory holds that some contrails are actually chemicals or biological agents deliberately sprayed at high altitudes for a purpose undisclosed to the general public." -Wikipedia

"The term chemtrail is derived from "chemical trail" in the similar fashion that contrail is an abbreviation for condensation trail. It does not refer to common forms of aerial spraying such as crop dusting, cloud seeding or aerial firefighting. The term specifically refers to aerial trails allegedly caused by the systematic high-altitude release of chemical substances not found in ordinary contrails, resulting in the appearance of supposedly uncharacteristic sky tracks. Believers of this theory speculate that the purpose of the chemical release may be for global dimming, population control, weather control, or biowarfare and claim that these trails are causing respiratory illnesses and other health problems." - Wikipedia

"Various versions of the chemtrail conspiracy theory have circulated through internet websites and radio programs.[2] In some of the accounts, the chemicals are described as barium and aluminum salts, polymer fibers, thorium, or silicon carbide.[7] In other accounts it is alleged the skies are being seeded with electrical conductive materials as part of a massive electromagnetic superweapons program based around the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP).[19] Those who believe in the conspiracy say the chemtrails are toxic,[20] but the reasons given by those who believe in the conspiracy vary widely, spanning from military weapons testing, chemical population control, to global warming mitigation measures" - An official article from the Airforce, Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025, that began all the hysteria.

4. Get involved

Pictures we found to demonstrate the conspiracy theory. These are time elapsed as the jet stream spreads out...

This chart also shows that they are chemical dumps and not contrails, because contrails only happen in certain weather conditions, yet planes always leave them. Maybe?

And their final proof... "X" marks the spot.

5. Final Conclusion (Re-Creation)

I think people just like to look for conspiracies when they get bored. I highly doubt the government would be dropping chemicals on us. I've taken flight lessons before, and had jet streams explained to me, so I tend to believe the science behind it. But is that just because I've already been brainwashed??

Contrails.  Who knew you were a conspiracy nut.  What about HAARP?

I'm generally not much into conspiracies, but I do think it's fun to look at the crazy ideas that people come up with, and really convince themselves of. HAARP looks like another interesting one to look into! I had never heard of it. Pictures look cool though!!

Exploration #24:

COMBINED COLORS

Folder

Shirt

Placemat

Paper clips

Thumb tacks

Bathroom counter

Shower curtain

Pillow case

Wall in my room

Exploration #25:

WATER SHAPES

Water running in parking garage

Janitor's water

Water ring left by cup (look hard!)

Bathroom sink

Hard water stains on shower handle

Kitchen sink ON

Kitchen sink OFF

Exploration #26:

OBJECTS FROM MORNING ROUTINE

1st step: Shower

2nd step: Brush teeth, wash face, contacts, etc...

3rd step: Pick out clothes

4th step: Put on makeup

5th step: Eat breakfast

Exploration #27:

STAIN ART FOUND IN PARKING GARAGE

Where I spilt tortilla soup over the summer

Looks like rust, but can rust stain a cement floor?

Paint and crazy stains

More rust looking ones

Nazi paint? Almost!

Looks like cave paintings

Exploration #28:

POCKET OBJECTS

Objects going into pocket...

...objects in pocket

-cold

-smooth

-pointy

-round

-rubbery

-metal

-metallic

-rough

-sharp

-bumpy

-curved

Exploration #29:

TACTILE BOARD

The board...

1. Part of a latex glove

2. Napkin

3. A sample of Roscoflex reflector (#3803 if you're curious)

4. Painter's tape

5. Pennies

6. Powdered Crystal Light drink mix

Me touching the napkin and reflector...

My mom feeling a penny...

My roommate elbowing painter's tape...

Exploration #30:

MY TRAVELS OF OCTOBER 8, 2010 

11 AM: Go to LMU to pick up sound equipment

12 PM: Meet Casey downtown at 4th and Main for a photo shoot he's doing

Parking receipt

Some of the awesome pictures he took!!!

1 PM: Get a call saying I have an interview for the Ellen show at 6 PM

Quickly scribbled directions

3 PM: Researched the website for the interview

5:30 PM: Arrive for my interview

Shirt I frantically bought, lot passes, and my resume

Exploration #31:

THINGS IN MY ROOM THAT MAKE NOISE

-the "bloop bloop" of the TiVo

-the noise of the fan blowing

-the noise of the fan rotating

-the water sloshing in the water bottle

-the annoying "chirping" the water bottle makes when you suck through the straw

-the "ting" that's made whenever the aluminum bottle hits something

-the sound of the water running

-the sound of the water going down the drain

-the sound high heels make when walking on anything

-the sound all the necklaces make when the fan blows them and they all hit each other

Exploration #32:

MAGICAL REMOTE

This magical remote is not a DVD remote as it appears. It controls people! It does what you think it would do... The power button turns a person on or off (basically makes them go to sleep and wake up), the volume button controls how loud they talk, the play/stop/fastforward/and rewind can make them do all of those things. You can even record what they are doing and play it back. The coolest thing that this remote does is what the number buttons do. Each person has their own programs for certain numbers. So maybe "1" makes them bark like a dog, and "3" makes them walk around doing a hand stand. That is where the most enjoyment comes from...personalizing the number button on the people remote.

Exploration #33:

ARRANGING OBJECTS

All the coins I have in my room...

Stacked...

Covering our book...

In a shoe...

In an umbrella...

Making a path to my door...

In an empty cup...

In a cup with water...

Exploration #34:

GARBAGE IN MY ROOM

Some of the things this trash can contains...

Fruit snacks wrapper

Napkin

Empty paper towel holder

My project from Broadcast News Production

Bag from the Target pharmacy

Part of my cable bill

(I realized the majority of my trash is paper products that I should be recycling. Oops!)

Exploration #35:

MAGICAL CITY

I really couldn't think of what a magical city would look like, or how I would go about creating one. So instead, I googled "magical city" and these are some of the really cool/pretty images that came up...

Exploration #36:

INANIMATE OBJECTS

These are my 3 stuffed animals that live in my room. Lexi (the big dog) and Baby Dangles (the monkey) are best friends. They live together on my bed, and gossip all day long while I'm at school. Lexi is more well behaved, and during the night he stays on the bed with me. Baby Dangles, however, is very rebellious and always ends up on the floor. He likes to throw parties with all of the dust creatures that live under the bed, but he can never get back on the bed before I wake up. He's definitely the partier. Furston (the little dog) lives on top of my dresser next to my TiVo and DVD player (as you can see in some of the other pictures). He keeps an eye on my TV and makes sure that the other guys don't change the channel when I have shows recording. Sometimes he gets bored and hangs out on the bed, but for the most part he stays up on the dresser watching out for everyone else.

Exploration #37:

WATCHING TIME PASS

Some of the ways I can watch time pass while in my room...

The clock on my computer (I can see the date change, the time change, and the battery life on my laptop go down)

My iPod alarm clock (the time and the date)

The level of the juice as time goes by and I drink it

The levels of the perfume as the days go by and I use them

The bar from TiVo showing how much of the show has passed

The way it gets darker outside my window as it gets later in the day

Exploration #38:

GROCERY SHOPPING

Some of the things I found at the Ralphs next to my apartment. Mainly the colorful things...

Good stock of water in case of an earthquake

Apparently its cheese sale day!

Juices!

Popcorn sale too

I didn't realize grocery stores had so many cleaning products!

A bunch of fruits!

Exploration #39:

COOKING?

I don't cook. Ever. I don't even have food in my apartment TO cook. Sooo. I made instant oatmeal!

Step 1: Take the box out of the cabinet

Step 2: Take out a packet and a bowl

Step 3: Pour the dry oatmeal into the bowl

Step 4: Measure 1/2 cup water

Step 5: Pour the water into the bowl

Step 6: Microwave for 1:30

Step 7: Stir

Step 8: Have a friend feed it to you, and enjoy!

Exploration #40:

ALTERED VIEWING

Seeing only green...

Green trees as blue...

Seeing only purple in my mom's flowers...

Yellows and greens in the old swing set in the backyard of my house...

My upside down puppy...

My brother and dad with altered features...

Exploration #41:

FACES AROUND MY APARTMENT

Latch on our coffee table/chest...

Magnets on the freezer...

Animal cracker container...

Electrical sockets...

Halloween card...

Pot top...

TiVo guy...

Something about the faucet made me think of a face...

Scary face I found on the floor!

Exploration #42:

DOCUMENTING "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA"

I went to "Phantom of the Opera" at the Pantages tonight as part of a theater class I am in...

We stood in the lobby after the show and listened to people's reactions...

"The fire and explosions were all that kept me awake."

"This was the 4th time I've seen it, and it was definitely the best production."

"It was kind of scary!"

"It was no Lion King."

"It was winner winner chicken dinner for them!"

"Incredible voices."

"I would have liked it if they just sang without all the opera. Sounded like nails on a chalk board."

"The Phantom definitely had the best voice."

"I couldn't understand it. What happened?"

...Those are just a few of the things we heard. General consensus: great production!

Exploration #43:

COLLECTING PAPER

I have had a bag of trash in the trunk of my car since I got it cleaned this summer. I finally decided it was time to take it out and actually throw it away. But before I did, these are some of the papers that the trash bag had been collecting...

-directions to a theater we went to for class

-a brochure for the Pantages

-Quiznos coupons

-a copy of the rental agreement we had to give to P-Safe

-the tag from when I took my car to VW over the summer to get fixed

-mail about senior portraits

-PepBoys discount card from when I bought a new car battery

-flyers from when we went to the Grand Canyon

-Ikea catalogue from when I moved into my apartment

-parking receipt

-random receipt from who knows where

Exploration #44:

TITLE POETRY

A poem using only the titles of books on the NY Times Bestsellers list (http://www.hawes.com/2010/2010-10-24.pdf)...

"The Reversal"

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. Fall of Giants. Freedom.

Don't Blink, Painted Ladies. Promise Me.

Assholes Finish First. Getting to Happy. Legacy.

The Moral Landscape. The Grand Design. At home.

Growing Up Laughing. Is It Just Me?

Exploration #45:

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Times I blinked in 1 minute: 16

Times I would blink in an hour: 96

Times I would blink in a day: 2,304

Times I would blink in a week: 16,128

Times I would blink in a month: 64,512

Times I would blink in a year: 774,144

Times I've blinked in my life: 16,450,560

Exploration #46:

PATTERNS AT HOME

I came home to Northern CA for the weekend, which gave me a whole new area to explore!

My comforter...

A quilt my friend's mom made me when I was younger...

Hand towel in my bathroom...

My brother's comforter...

My brother's quilt...

Wood floors...

Chair in living room...

Carpet in dad's office...

Part of driveway...

Grass...

Siding on our house...

Flower pot...

Rake...

Exploration #47:

STAINS

(still finding!)

Exploration #48:

DIFFERENT COMPOSITION

1. ?

Seam on my brother's Starbucks Apron!

2. ?

Decorative pumpkin!

3. ?

Brother's motorcycle helmet!

4. ?

Dad's lawnmowing shoes!

5. ?

Garden hose!

6. ?

Dad's Disney store display!

7. ?

Halloween candy!

8. ?

Mom's potpourri bowl!

9. ?

Flower waterer!

10. ?

Decorative soap!

Exploration #49:

OVER HEARD CONVERSATION

In order to get home this weekend, I took the airport shuttle from the Custom Hotel (since I live right next to it). It was semi early in the morning, so the only other people on the shuttle were a young couple and their baby. As soon as the shuttle took off, the husband remembered something he had forgotten to tell his wife. So for the rest of the ride (all of like 4 minutes), I eavesdropped on what he was telling her...

So the husband had left the room earlier in the morning (I'm guessing around 6) to go to Pete's and get coffee. Not wanting to go back to his room and wake up their baby, he went to Ralphs to buy a newspaper. He was saying there was only one line open, and it was really slow. He got curious what was taking so long, so he looked at the front and just saw the back of a lady, who was wearing a fur coat and had long blonde hair. She was buying a bunch of cigarettes, and every US Weekly magazine the store had (I think that was the magazine). The girl would turn around from time to time, and he said she looked semi familiar, but that she just looked really old. Apparently Tara Reid lives in the Marina (how he knew this I don't know), so he was pretty sure that's who it was. His wife said he should have looked at her boobs since she had the botched boob job. The husband said he did look, but couldn't see anything (unless she was naked I'm not sure what either of them expected to see). Anyways, he said the girl eventually left, and he asked the cashier if it was Tara Reid, and she said that it was, and that she comes in there a lot. This story took him like 3 minutes to tell, then the rest of his time was spent telling his wife how old she looked. And how most celebrities look different in person, but he was shocked at how bad she looked. 

So that was my conversation I listed to. Whether or not it was her, I don't know. Especially since later that day I saw on Perez Hilton that she was in NY attending a Halloween party. But maybe Tara Reid lives near us and shops at the same grocery store I go to!

Exploration #50:

SMELLS IN MY HOUSE

The potpourri bowl...

The smell of soil in the potted plant...

The lasagna cooking in the oven...

The smell of this stuff in my room after my mom cleaned up dog pee...

This incense thing in one of the guest bathrooms...

My dog's bad breath every time he yawns...

The smell of popcorn from when my brother used this last night...

The smell of clean laundry from my mom doing their laundry...

The lingering smell of the perfume I used this morning...

Exploration #51:

DAILY ACTIVITIES

Blink

Breathe

Brush teeth

Class

Climb stairs

Clothes

Computer

Create

Drink

Drive

Eat

Explore

Gossip

Homework

Laugh

Listen

Microwave

Play with my hair

Pop my knuckles

Question myself

Read

Shower

Sleep

Smile

Sneeze

Stress

Talk

Take notes

Text

Walk

Watch TV

Exploration #52:

WATER COLLECTION

The 3 sources of the water...

Pool at my apartment

The fountain at my apartment

The sink at my apartment

The water samples...

Sadly there is no visible differences or growing organisms. The water from the fountain was a little more yellow, but not enough that you can see in these pictures.

Exploration #53:

WRITING SAMPLES

The utensils used

What they look like on paper

Exploration #54:

PARTS OF A CHRISTMAS TREE

On Saturday I went down to Newport with some of my family to Roger's Garden. Every year they do a Christmas tree decorating workshop. You start off with either a empty Christmas tree or a wreath, you are given a bag of all kinds of things to decorate, and over the next 2 hours you are instructed how to decorate the tree. So here are all the parts of the trees before and after!

The blank tree...

My mom and cousin with their naked trees...

The bag of goodies...

My mom's ornaments...

Some of the ribbon and dried berries...

More ornaments...

Trees halfway done, displaying ornaments and garland...

My mom with her completed tree!

Exploration #55:

TRANSFORMING LIFE

For a few hours at work, I had my computer set to the negative colors. Cool for awhile, then just really annoying. I did learn that when the colors are inverted and you do the screen shots, they look normal.

So I had to take pictures with my phone...

(Facebook)

(Twitter)

(Perez Hilton)

(Google)

(WonderHowTo)

Exploration #56:

HEADING IN AN UNKNOWN DIRECTION

I met my cousin at Downtown Disney yesterday for lunch. After I left there, I realized I had nothing to do for the rest of the day, and didn't feel like just sitting at home. So I decided to just drive. 2 hours later I ended up in Glendale. Then I turned around and went home! I really wasn't going anywhere, just kind of letting my GPS tell me where to go! I took a few pictures as I was driving around. Which, PS, isn't the best idea!

(lights from the Staple Center...hard to see)

(traffic on the 405)

Exploration #57:

WATCHA THINKIN?

What if we could understand what our dogs are saying?

What if fortunes came true, and every birthday wish was granted?

What if you really could dig a hole to China?

What if money grew on trees?

Exploration #58:

SCAVENGER HUNT

Mailed envelope:

Something that was growing:

An overheard story:

My neighbors talking about the Cowboys game today...

Footprint:

Something meaningful: 

A smell:

Something blue:

Exploration #59:

RANDOM COLLECTION

I work in the computer lab in the basement of Hilton, where my boss is a real life hoarder. These are just a few of the things I collected...

-Floppy disks (none of our computers have floppy drives)

-Receipt tape (we have no receipt machine, nor reason to use one)

-Someone's keys (which have been here for weeks)

-A pen

-Some staples and tape

-A flash drive

-A little calculator

-Old postcards (where they are from - no idea)

-1 butterfly earring

-A wall charger for some Palm phone