Monday, October 29, 2007

life values assignment

Life values assignment.

Top Five Values.

Security

Loyalty

Friendship

Personal development

Ambition

Today I lost my student ID card when I went to get tickets. Instead of getting all angry about the situation I decided to do something for myself. I got off the couch, went to the ID office and got a replacement ID. Then I got back in line and got a ticket. This seemed like so much work and time wasted on just to go see a football game, but I believe it was my ambition that drove me to accomplish what I set out to do this morning. I ended up giving the ticket up anyway to my buddy who had never been to a game. This I supposed showed that I value my friendships, and am willing to do things for others. My loyalty to my everyday values made me give up the ticket. My mother would have told me to of she was down here and my mother is always right. I went to all my classes during the rest of the day. I stayed focused while the guy next to me was falling asleep, I figure since I’m paying 50$ per class, and have really nothing better to do, I should pay attention. I will all come in handy in the future I hope. That is my dedication to my personal development. Then during lunch I read the business section of the wall street because the world of business is by far the most interesting thing ever. My ambition drives me in every aspect of my life. I love to succeed and feel that unless I am actively pursuing things that will benefit me in the long term I am not sticking to my core values.

My goal is to change my value of wealth. The more I think about wealth being a core value, the more I realize how ridiculous that thought is. Wealth as in the value of money should drive my ambition very little; family and friend wealth will continue to grow into a top core value for me.

Friday, October 26, 2007

adornment




Personal adornment

I might as well be naked compared to the amount of jewelry I wear on a daily basis. I did wear a watch a while ago, but the battery ran out. Then since my wrist felt lonely I bought an automatic watch that winds up as you wear it. That watch is too nice to wear on a daily basis so now I wear nothing except the bare necessities (clothes and shoes).

In my family pretty much all types of body adornment are looked down upon. I can name only one of my many cousins that have their ears pierced. Of course this is different for girls, most of my family and cousins who are girls have their ears pierced, but that is all. Tattoos are out of the question and I’m sure that I would have to defend myself from a full frontal attack from my father if I ever showed up at home with one.

My family has a long history of being very clean cut, presentable, and approachable. The other weekend I walked up to my front door when I went home and my father’s first words where “go get a hair cut.” I turned around promptly got the hair cut and everything progressed the rest of the day like nothing every happened. That is just how it has always been for the Stearns boys.

I have thought about getting a tattoo and my ears pierced, but something inside of me told me not to. I would contribute that to the environment in which I grew up. When I was younger I used to think the tattoo was something really cool. I still don’t think that tattoos are all that bad I just don’t think that in the business world they are highly regarded even today. I like business and want to have the best chances I can get when I get older so that is why tattoo are not for me.

The group of friends I grew up with was never really into any kind of body adornment. I think we all thought it was for more of an undergrounds society type thing and we all kept our noses clean. Our views have all changed slightly, there is one who got a tat, and then there is another who got his ears done. That’s about the extent though.

Friday, October 19, 2007

El Bulli chef

El Bulli chef


This article talks of a stir that happened over in Europe when one of the finest chefs Ferran Adria was invited to one of the most influential art Jamborees ( Graham Keeley). This chef, whose restaurant is in Spain, was just named the number one in the world was invited to this prestigious festival, but was met with a good amount of opposition from none other than his own countries art community. The Spanish art community said that Adria’s invite to this art festival is a “banalisation of art”. One Jose de la Sota wrote in the daily EL Pais (Spanish news paper) “Adria is not Picasso. Picasso did not know how to cook but he was better than Adria at art. What is art now? Is it something or nothing? (This paragraph is mainly taken from Graham Keeley).”

"True, I am no Picasso, but what is art in times like these? Many people act as if I should apologize for participating. I am not going to” Adria.

Adria is in a tough position because he cannot just come out and say whatever he wants and risk upsetting others in the art community. The position that he should take is the position that Elizabeth Telfare ends up taking and that is that art is a minor art. I would have to agree with Telfare that cooking food is a minor art in the fact that it lacks one of the greatest things that makes art a ‘work of art’. That great thing is contemplation. None perishable art has the ability to appeal to masses and generations. Food art really does lack in this area. Telfare also makes a good point when talking about how recipes have the ability to stand the test of time but there are so many variables that go into cooking that cannot be controlling on cooking a recipe.

Jose from the first paragraph was a little over the top in his critiques of Adria in my opinion. I’m guessing that Adria knows that he is no Picasso. And the true is that the Jose is comparing apples and oranges in that fact that you can judge a Picasso painting along the same lines as a plate of food.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2548749.ece

Is Food Really Art?

Is Food Really Art?

There is a great article written by Susan Smillie that argues in favor of food being an art. She enjoys how some great arts get all enthused when the question of what is art comes about. She says “In art and particularly in contemporary art, what is worthy to some will probably be so much nonsense to others, and all these ruffled feathers and assertion over what does and doesn’t constitute art put me in a mind of that most controversial of all our arts.” This article discusses why there is so much hypocrisy in the art world over the question; “what is art”.

In the readings from this week Telfare does a good job opening up the table for discussion on where food is a craft or art. On page 18 of Telfare’s article she discusses classifications. There are many different types of Art, from sculptures to carving, the all fall into their own version of art.

The article by smillie has a quote by Jones where concludes that food can never be art, because chefs are cooking to please the customer. Until people go to a restaurant to think about death, cooking won’t be an art. That is a very bold statement by Mr. Jones.

I believe that Mr. Jones is an artiste and feels that he is in some kind of elite group, and doesn’t want others, especial cooks, to be in his little group. Yes, chefs are cooking for people, but they do not cook for people all the time and quit often experiment with new and creative dishes that expand their artistic culinary abilities. How does any artist make money? They have to be able to sell whatever they create. So, saying that a cook is just working for others and therefore his work is shit holds no weight and even in my opinion makes him look foolish. Almost every time that I go out to a non generic place to eat (McD’s) the dishes are usually very different in sight, smell, and taste. The aesthetic reaction is slightly different and original at most locations. Just like there are art works that resemble others art work, there is also food that may do the same. Just as cooks put time and energy into creating something that makes them stand out from the regular chef there are also painters who do the same. In this constant originality where be some concession from someone that says yes food is an art, it is actually in some cases more of an art that anything else.

In a kind of unofficial manifesto, these architects of 'new cookery' wrote of their craft: "The act of eating engages all the senses as well as the mind. Preparing and serving food could therefore be the most complex and comprehensive of the performing arts." Said by Susan Smillie.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/05/theatre_of_food.html

Monday, October 1, 2007

is this really all art?

What are peoples thoughts about those big red flat rocks outside the LLC? does anyone else find them a little irrelevant?