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[in an email that went out to the Harvey Mudd student body...for a better backstory, visit here]

Howdy,

Did anyone steal the Caltech cannon Monday night/Tuesday morning? They called and said it was stolen and were hoping it was here.

Chris

Chris Sundberg
Associate Dean of Students
Harvey Mudd College

happy thought

I have so many reasons to be happy right now….I’m really starting to see the light, even though I still have quite a bit of thesising to do these next two weeks. But still…I think it’s all coming together now. Things are finally making sense.

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Joey: what else is goin on? I saw the schedule for graduation…you guys really go all out. IIT is one night, and you only get like 5 invites.
Talya: Schedule for graduation…?
Joey: Yeah….you are graduating this semester, right?

wow, go me!

Susan sent us an email with this memorandum attached to it, and I can’t help but feel excited. If anyone else is presenting that day, let me know because I would love to attend!

To: Maureen McCluney, Scripps College Office of the Dean of the Faculty

From: Susan Rankaitis, The Fletcher Jones Chair in Art

March 23, 2006

Re: 2006 Johnson Senior Forum Recommendations

Ken Gonzales-Day asked me, in my capacity as senior art seminars professor, to forward to you the recommendations of the Scripps College Art Department (formerly studio art) for the 2006 Johnson Senior Forum. We have a very large class of fine seniors and are recommending three, the first two of whom may (or may not) choose to do a joint presentation, which could include the two senior art projects and the research involved in creating the artworks and concurrent papers. The third we nominate as a double major with the support of Prof Chaderjian of the math department. They are listed in alphabetical order.

Johanna Breiding, a senior art major from Zurich, Switzerland often uses herself as model in a compelling series of photographs, which examine the performance of gender and the construction of gendered identity. Often heavily costumed and made up as she performs and photographs herself and others, Ms. Breiding utilizes decayed and burnt out forms to frame and structure her work into a compelling installation, which challenges the viewer to question the male/female binary.

Jessica Duffet is a senior art major from Portland whose senior project has evolved from photographic imagery of skin into luminous sculptural mixed media pieces made from glycerin. As one peers into her fragile and translucent forms, traces of skin and transparent photographic imagery of skin can be seen, just barely noticeable until close scrutiny of the work. Her sensual, subtly colored installation addresses complex issues of the body and the fragility of life.

Natalya St Clair is an Art and Math major from Tucson, Arizona and is one of the truest “doubles” that we have worked with in years. We believe that her senior project truly emerges from an intersection of the two fields. The algorithms of pattern formation inspired her multi-faceted video installation and while theoretically complex and involving a great deal of computer programming, her video projected images will stream onto viewers in the Williamson gallery and allow them to enter into a provocative space that will be entertaining as well as intellectually stimulating. Engulfed in her work, we ponder the structure of nature.

All three of these fine seniors are candidates for graduation with honors in art and the full time art faculty who choose to mentor senior art majors voted unanimously that all three should be thus honored. I would ask that each artist recommended above have the opportunity to rewrite her statement in the program (rather than using mine) so that it accurately reflects what she feels to be the most important aspect of her senior project and research. All will make visual presentations and need to be in a smart classroom.

It is with great happiness that I submit the nomination of these three Scripps fine women on behalf of the Scripps Art department.

guess I owe you an update

I don’t have much to say right now, but I guess I owe you an update.

Spring Break was amazing; Kevin and I went roadtripping up the Pacific Highway for a few days…saw a few sites along the way like Santa Barbara, Madonna Inn, the Monteray Bay Aquarium, and we stayed at Morro Bay and Big Sur for two of the nights. After that, we visited Eva and Ernie in Berkeley, so I met Dante and got some quality time in with family. Dante’s adorable…you’ll all get to meet him at graduation. After that we were going to go to Yosemite but didn’t make it since it was snowing there, so instead we camped at Big Basin for a night and then went skiing in Mt. Baldy. All in all it was a good break and a restful change of pace. Pics are to come.

School is going alright…April always seems like such a busy time of the year, what with final projects and trying to make summer plans. This time us seniors have to make future plans, so that’s been hairy. I feel sorry for some who are waiting to hear back from grad school and employers, but I’m confident everyone will be fine and get to do what they set out to do. In my last few weeks here, I’ve been noticing that Scripps is a beautiful place…awesome people, a world-class campus, and I’ve made life-long friends.

So, I guess to sum things up, I’ve been very reflective lately, meaning I haven’t read as many articles as I usually do. I’ve been taking time to soul-search and try to make the best of everything as my peers and I prepare for a pretty huge transition into the real world. 50 more days until graduation!

American Pi

Happy Pi Day (3/14)! Here are some lyrics by Larry Lesser. Enjoy!

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Lisa: We should do something awesome, to celebrate our having good job days. My interview going well, your interview getting scheduled…” [Lisa trails off]
Talya: We should have a treat during the movie!
Lisa: We should have popcorn! And chocolate.
Talya [eyes gleaming with divine inspiration, running to her closet. She pulls out a large squishy bag labeled HERSHEY'S and hands it to Lisa]: This is fudge that I forgot to put in a cake but decided to save for a great night, and Lisa my friend, TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT.

that’s love

In dynamical systems I work with a Keck graduate student who is a very kind young man by the name of Nicolas. He is an international student from Canada, and I guess the part that makes me feel for him is that his wife lives in Vancouver while he’s in school here in Claremont. In the last two years he had seen her for a grand total of six months–while he goes to school she waitresses at her hometown. She has to live in Canada in order to sponser her mother and brother getting out of Africa, where a lot of social turmoil is going on at the moment. I don’t fully understand the program, but the bottom line is in order to get her family out, she has to stay in Canada for a few years so they can live there too.

Spring Break is coming up, and he’s going to Vancouver to visit her. Tonight he was acting so happy, and we were working on the problem set until 6a. But he was just enthusiastic the entire time; he had such an euphoric look on his face. It was really beautiful to see first-hand someone in love getting to see her soon. Something about it just made my night, long as it was.

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[Priya and me on AIM, a couple of nights before thesis is due]

Priya: okay i named one of my sections “the return of ideals”
Priya: which garnered no comment
Talya: ?
Priya: i’m just sleepy enough to want to change it to
Priya: “the revenge of the ideals”
Priya: i mean i
Priya: it wouldn’t be inaccurate…
Priya: because the ideals go, haHA! WE ARE UNIQUELY FACTORIZABLE AND YOU ARE NOT
Priya: suck on that, elements!
Priya: so, back in Z you thought you were all cooler than us
Priya: but nooo…who’s unique NOW
Talya: I think you’re getting delirious
Priya: am not
Priya: delirious is in two minutes when i email this exchange to [my thesis advisor,] chris

[she did]

mmmm, raman

I always feel a little better when I smell raman noodles cooking or hear someone walking down the hall this late at night. It means I’m not the only one pulling an all-nighter or feeling screwed.

Math thesis is due Friday (3 days from now). Today Professor Jacobsen told me he’s going to use my thesis to give to future students researching pattern formation, and he wants to use some of it as a teaching tool in his PDEs class too. So, I should probably go into more depth in some areas and polish the writing a lot.

But I’m so excited! And the fact that I’m learning to write math really well these past few weeks makes me happy, so there’s no rush with that euphoric feeling. Anyway, I’m off to TeX some more and then cram for an astronomy midterm. I’m wondering if a good night’s sleep of a four hour nap is a better idea though. Maybe I’ll kick more soccer walls and hurt my other foot.