Undirected blog from Assignment #2a Reading

I don't know if we were supposed to do an undirected blog this week but I want to be safe rather than sorry. On page 61 if you are using the 4th edition, there are a pair of statues that look like a man and a woman. The pair relate to my everyday life because we used to have a sculpture in my house that reminds me of them. The sculpture we had was of a little person, I always remembered him as a man but I can't be sure. He was made of terra cotta and had a rough, grainy texture to him. His features resemble those of the statues in the book in the sense that they look loosely sculpted. There are not a lot of sharp angles or edges and there is not a lot of detail in their features but you can tell where their nose and feet are. Our little man had huge nostrils and small feet that did not fit his body. I remember one of his feet being loose, probably because a mover broke it but that could just be the memory I have created so I wouldn't admit to snapping it off. I don't know where our little man is now but as soon as I saw the statues in the book, I thought of him. We have many forms of art in our home so I wouldn't be surprised if our little guy is still in the house somewhere but I've gotten so used to him that I don't see him anymore. 

Undirected Blog from Assignment #2 Reading

From this week's reading, the piece of art that caught my eye was on pages 64 and 65 is you are using the 4th edition. The piece if of Olmec gods bringing offerings and they are wearing traditional costumes. This applies to my life because as soon as I saw this in the book, it reminded me of this huge painting that is in my favorite mexican restaurant. The painting is of Aztec warriors fully decked out with all the head dresses, loin cloths, and feathers one could stand and of course doing the usual stance of one of them being freakishly muscular holding a girl that has passed out from it all. The restaurant is in Texas and we only eat there when we are in town to visit relatives. It is special because it is not like we can go there all the time and when we are there we know we are there to see family. It is part of the trip and and must stop place. The giant painting is something that we always check to make sure is still there and it is part of the whole experience. 

Frida Kahlo Exhibit Blog

The two paintings I found most interesting at the Frida Kahlo exhibit were Me and My Parrots and Self-Portrait with Monkeys. I liked these two the best because I like the animals in them. When I got to see the paintings up close the brush strokes really looked like feathers and fur. The colors in the paintings are warm and even though she is not smiling, she seems at peace with her animals. The parrots and monkeys are positioned on and near her reminded me of how kids would be lovingly by their moms. Meso American art influences can seen in these two paintings as well as the majority of her work. Her traditional hair style and dress is present in two paintings in particular. The influences seen in her other work are the figures that are depicted like Mayan or Olmec stone gods, the indigenous plants and fruits, and her ever present traditional braided hair with decorations and dress are all Meso American touches. My overall experience at the exhibit was great! I went on the weekend so it was very crowded and it took a while to get close enough to see the paintings. However, luckily for me I was short enough to be ushered into the front along with the many children in attendance because people could easily see over us. It was amazing and haunting (in a good way) to be so close to her art knowing that she touched them. She was once as close to the paintings that I was then so close to as well. It really gave me a lot of questions like where was she when she made this? What was she thinking? What was the weather like? Just all sorts of things. I feel like I got to see a very personal side to her with all of the extra photographs from her collection that I would not have been able to see otherwise. The paintings and the photographs help to explain each other in a way. It was really a great opportunity to see so many of her works in one place and to be able to experience even 1% of her was a gift. 

Images that represent me

These are the five images I choose to represent me. The qualities they represent are perseverance, determination, loving, resourceful, and diverse.

Andy Warhol's Marilyn picture represents diversity. It is many different versions of Marilyn but you can clearly see that it is still her. I identified with this because I enjoy many different things. I like to eat different types of food, my ipod has many genres of music, my style it not defined as one look, and I love to experience new things. I am many different things wrapped up into one and I like that because it makes one well rounded and interesting.

MacGyver represents being resourceful. In the show, he would have a used wad of gum, a shoelace, and a battery and somehow make a t.v. out of it. Every week it would look like no way he can get out of this and he always did by making things out of objects he had with him. I am always trying to make the best out of the situation and I try to salvage what I can and make it into a good experience some how. With the experiences I've had, you had to be able to take what you were or were not given and make it work. You had to be creative and be able to pull from many different places to figure things out.

Snuggle the bear represents loving. He is very warm and inviting and looks to always be ready with a hug. I stereotyped him as a typical teddy bear. I love being around family and friends and being involved in my loved ones lives (involved, not to be confused with nosy). Keeping in touch, calling for birthdays, and sending holiday cards is very important to me. I try to always let the people in my life know that they are appreciated and loved. Family is one of the most important things to me. Nothing goes in front of my sibling and I will always do whatever I can do help them out. If your dating me your really dating my family too. Their acceptance of the people in my life is important and loyalty is big. I enjoy taking care of those who I love and I pride myself on being compassionate enough to overcome those negative times in life and still being able to believe that overall people are good.

The movie Toy Story's main character Woody represents determination. In the film, he is so focused on making his goal of being reunited with his little boy Andy. Little plastic, green, claw machine aliens or a disturbed boy with an appetite for pop-tarts and blowing up toys can't stop him. Things might happen but I will not let them grab me and keep me down. Speed bump people may pop up in my journey but after I have given them fair warning to step aside I will run them over. Graduating from college and doing the things that will help me to become the woman I want to be are non-negotiable. I am very focused on getting what I want from life and achieving my goals and I will not allow anyone to get in my way.

The photograph of a dustbowl mother with her children by Dorothea Lange represents perseverance. One of my parents has an ongoing substance abuse problem and that whole situation has shaped the way I handle things difficult or not that happen in my life. When things happen that are less then desirable in life, I have learned that yes I can acknowledge that it is sad or upsetting or whatever it may be but, I can not let it slow me down. I have to keep going and I have to pull up my boot straps and keep pushing through. I don't just lay down and let it take over my life, I do still cry and get angry but I refuse to let it takeover me. I have survived bad situations and they do not define who I am. They are a part of me in the fact that each one made me grow stronger and helped me to become who I am today. Although the situation with my parent is not my ideal parent daughter deal, I have been able to get the undying perseverance out of it.

My Image of Mexico

Being a Mexican-American, these are the images of my Mexican family. These are the images that describe what I feel is important to us.

The first is family. Since my immediate family are the only ones living in a different state from everyone else of both sides of the family, Christmas is our big holiday. We travel back home and of course we have to make the rounds to relatives. Holiday parties and gatherings are always happening and everyone is always very inclusive and offering you a plate and a place to stay whenever you need it. Respecting your elders and keeping in touch with Grandma is a big deal to us. We really like to keep the people we love involved in our lives. P.s. this is not my family, I just liked the picture.

Religion and prayer also comes to mind when I think of my family. My immediate family is not religious as in going to church but some of us are spiritual. Prayer has always been a part of our lives whether we personally choose to participate or not. Most if not all of the older members of our family are very religious and are always willing to send a prayer your way if your going through a hard time or just need a little extra something. It is something that I always associate with my Grandmothers. Whenever we would arrive it would be a prayer to thank God for our safety. When we were leaving to go back home, it was the same. Even though I am not religious in the way my Grandmothers were, I do still incorporate prayer into my life as a way to remember them. I don't know if people can read the prayer but it is the Our Father prayer on tile.

I think that to people that have not experienced what our families do or if you are not familiar with an ethnicity and their activities, you refer to it as a culture. To me these things are more of our traditions. For our family, the mecca is Christmas. The special foods that are made at this time of year are only made for Christmas and they are very hard to come by during the rest of the year. Homemade tamales (done right for me are hard to come by other then south Texas) and pon de polvo cookies are two of the top special foods for me. There always present at all the relatives homes and parties and must be homemade and prepared in ridiculously big numbers. Fun and scary stories of the chupacabra, the cucuy, and la llorona were told so you wouldn't sneak a look at presents early or jump in the pool unattended. Mariachis at weddings, the songs, food, and stories are all part of good memories for me that remind me of my family. The image above is of tamales. For those of you who don't know what they are I will try to give my best explanation but don't quote me. For us it's masa which is corn meal flour spread inside a corn husk with meat in the middle of the masa. It's then wrapped up and in the corn husk and steamed to cook them. To eat it you unwrap the husk, throw it away and eat the cooked masa with meat in the middle. They kind of look like a fat cigar.

Sorry for the weird layout of the pictures. I have not blogged before so bare with me as I figure out how to format my blogs better for future posts.