Cannon Center Dada

Yesterday in my French class, we talked about the Dadaists and their artistic movement after WWI. According to my professor, they were disenchanted generation of young people. The War wasn't as glorious as they had been promised, and when they got back, no one could understand what they had been through--or even conceive their war in the trenches when machine guns and tanks and gas had barely replaced horse and cannon warfare.

And thus began the Dada movement, with the goal of making nonsense. The world didn't make sense, reality was disconnected from language--therefore disconnect language from any reality, the Dadaists figured. It was a primal scream and a hatred of civilization when what they saw of "civilization" was rotten to the core.

But it's also that disconnect when someone just doesn't understand. When there is a gap that doesn't get crossed. Like I wrote in my notes: that frustration when you're trying to communicate something, and there is something dividing that communication. The other person hasn't had the same experiences as you, or they are too young, or too old, or you are afraid of hurting them my telling everything, or they don't understand the words you are using, or, or...

But that's not why I'm writing about Dada. During my freshman year, I was sitting in the cafeteria with some friends, and one of them brought up talking about it in on of her classes, and the other friend knew what she was talking about. I didn't have any idea what they were talking about, and didn't pay much attention--I was so distracted with my delight in the word. Dada. This delight elicited the beginning of a poem using all the phrases that I thought were lovely that we used in our conversation that night.

So yesterday in class, I was delighted [I think I've overused this word, but it is the only one that fits the way I want it to] when the professor said "dada," and even more so when I found out my Cannon Center version pretty much fits with the description (I think) because it is absolutely nonsense. But it sounds pretty. So maybe it doesn't count.

Cannon Center Dada

I have a strait-laced spoon on a Welch bed of grapes
The cult of Katie Couric and the dreaded Spanish drapes.
Chips on ice and an empty plate for dinner

Count or not, it needs additions, so feel free.

For Your Reconsideration

I got back to school Sunday after being home for the Thanksgiving break. I was rather melancholy Monday--components of which likely included being re-surrounded by 30,000 unfailingly smarter and more beautiful people, having my range of mobility once again reduced to the time I have to walk to my destination and back, and the fact that my statistics midterm didn't actually just go away while I was gone. All this brought upon a reconsideration of several things in my life--and then a list of other things that I think we should all reconsider:

1. Pedestrian Crossing Flags

Who thought of this in the first place, anyway? I think it is an idea that would appeal naturally to the eight-and-under crowd, but after that, you just look silly. I think we should figure out if they actually make it safer to cross the street, or if all they do is give you a few moments as an honorary member of the Utah Color Guard.

2. Tax Returns

Doesn't this system seem incredibly inefficient to anyone else? Granted, it is a huge country, and we have to manage taxes some way. But couldn't there be a more efficient ways? Perhaps starting with public education about taxes would help--learning a little less about Colonial America in high school history, and a little more about how to maneuver living in this country today.

3. The New Utah License Plates

I saw one out of the corner of my eye yesterday and thought it was an ad for Marlboro cigarettes. That's all.

Please feel free to add to the list.

Stop Motion

I'm thinking the video won't look so choppy if you view it here. CLICK!

Only Time (alt. title: The Worst Video Quality That Could Possibly Exist)

My friend Natalie and "Only Time" by Magnetic Fields

This looked a whole lot better in iMovie than it does here. But I spent such a ridiculous amount of time on it that I am posting it. It looks awful. Take it as visible evidence of my technological incompetence.

Things I overheard on campus today:

“…and I asked my roommate about that recipe, and he actually does cook it in the marinade for about two hours.”

“I just got done writing a 10 page paper in less than five hours.”

“I don’t remember your name, but I totally recognize you.”

“…once a year. Maybe twice.”

“He’s indifferent right now. But he’s not partying.”

“I’ve seen it with him more than with the family,”

Halloween on Campus: a deeper look

This being my twentieth Halloween, I feel qualified to discuss the classification that exists among Halloween costumes. These patterns have become evident to me through years of observations.

All Halloween attire falls into one of three broad categories:
Category A: Every-day attire uninfluenced by the observation of Halloween
Category B: Attire that clearly acknowledges Halloween but that cannot be classified as a costume
Category C: Halloween costumes

Category A: Every-day attire uninfluenced by the observation of Halloween
Generally of little note. Ambiguities, however, arise in several cases, which can be sorted into several classifications.

Ambiguity #1: Specialized attire
Example: an individual’s attire identifies him or her as a “professor” not because it is Halloween, but because that is the individual’s profession. Similar confusions arise with professions such as doctor or firefighter.

Ambiguity #2: Lifestyle
Potential confusion arises from such habits as skateboarding or excessive studying/fondness for pocket protectors.

Ambiguity #3: Personal preferences.
While individuals utilize social cues to signal they are wearing a costume, these signals are sometimes falsely triggered when what would be an extraordinary choice for one individual (appropriate for Halloween) is in fact an ordinary choice for another. Potential “false-trigger” attire include bright colors or patterns, retro-styled clothing, or unexpected use or fit of an article of clothing.

Category B: Attire that clearly acknowledges Halloween but that cannot be classified as a costume


Individuals in this category wish to acknowledge the event of Halloween, but perhaps are unwilling to invest themselves to the full extent seen in Category C [see below]. The manifestations that characterize Category B Halloween attire often include a limited number of the following elements:
-The presence of unordinary colors, particularly black and orange, and, to a lesser extent, purple and bright green
-Motifs that include cats (typically black), pumpkins and/or jack-o-lanterns, and the stereotypical witch
-Attire components and patterns that would typically be considered irregular, such as pointed shoes, headbands with antennae, and broad stripes
Category C: Halloween costumes
The costume, worn in traditional observance of Halloween, accounts for only a minority of attire choices. Though the minority, it is perhaps the most notable of our three categories.

Costumes are first sorted into two broad categories
C.1 Living Things
C.2 Inanimate Objects

These categories can be broken down further:
C.1.1 Generic
These costumes do not represent one specific person. They include the categories:
C.1.1.1 Generic Ordinary People



Includes professions and stereotypes.
Common manifestations: member of the army, nerd



C.1.1.2 Generic Extra-ordinary
Common manifestations: which, ghost

C.1.2 Characters from works of fiction and pop culture
C.1.2.1 Characters from works of science fiction

This major category accounts for a major proportion of Category C
Particularly notable manifestations: Characters from Star Wars, Harry Potter
C.1.2.2 Characters from other works of fiction
C.1.2.3 Characters from pop culture
Manifestations: Uncle Sam, Miss Mary Mack

C.1.3 Figures from real life
This category encompasses the emulation of actual figures
Manifestations: Marilyn Monroe, the current president

C.2 Inanimate Objects

A relatively unlimited category, including such varied possibilities as an iPod, the Rorschach inkblot test, a Lego, and “God’s gift to women” (for which the individual wears a gift-wrapped box with a tag that reads ‘To: Women From: God’)

Ha Ha

As of about three this afternoon, I no longer have wisdom teeth. A few reflections:

Nitrous Oxide: Ug. no euphoria, just a sense of things being distant and muted, and of feeling lethargic. I was telling this to my mom, who then told me nitrous oxide belonged to the “dissociative” class of drugs. Appropriate. It’s there along with ketamine. Wow, lots of fun. The whole experience only reinforced the whole “it’s hip to be drug free” mentality in my mind. I felt like I could still think pretty clearly during what I was awake for. I think. I really don’t like the idea of being separated from yourself. I wouldn’t want to ever intentionally mute how I think or, well, just my sense of being me.

One of my biggest fears about this whole thing was saying stupid things under anesthesia. When I woke up, I wanted to ask the nurse if I had said anything. I also wanted to ask how long I had been out. I went with the latter first. My mouth was numbed and stuffed full of gauze, so after a few moments of concentration of yes, I am thinking clearly, and then of a few silent practice runs of forming words with a mouth that wouldn’t move, I came out with, “Howlonaibo?”

“Yes, it went just fine, dear,” said the nurse kindly. She must go home with a lot of funny stories.