Day 51 | Friday, February 20 | 2009

Hair...

I feel a little remorse for not posting this in real time but Caitlin and I spent the night in Lake Hope State Park last night in a wooden cabin that does not have internet access.  Caitlin's family and my family paid for the cabin, as it is a part for us to celebrate our 1 year anniversary of dating.  Caitlin is sincerely my best friend I have ever known and I am so lucky to have her in my life.  She has been there for me -- in good times and in struggle.  She is so loving, sweet, goofy, gorgeous, and loyal.  I love her so much.

Friday also marked the day of 1 year without a haircut.  My last haircut was on February 20, 2008 -- exactly one year since friday.  It has been an interesting experience growing out my hair.  I thought that I wouldn't last -- give in, buckle, and have it all shaved off.  Sometimes, I feel like doing that still, but I think I am going to keep on growing it.  I hope to keep on growing it at least until June -- for and past my brother's wedding that takes place on June 12.  We'll see.  For sure, I won't cut it before or during my Ecuador trip.  

Which brings me to my next topic -- Ecuador.  This week has been hard, mainly because I have been toiling over writing my independent study proposal.  Below is the abstract of my proposal.  Forgive me for grammatical errors, as I had written it probably at 4, 5, or 6 in the morning:

"For photographers, the best way to capture the essence of a foreign culture, of a foreign country, and of a foreign environment is to photograph it.  The reason why I request to conduct a field study in Ecuador this spring is because I want to take pictures too.  I want to take pictures, but not in the way a photographer would use a camera -- I want to take pictures with a microphone.  Instead of visual images, my study will focus on the collection and analysis of sound.  By using a high quality portable digital recorder, the sounds that I collect will aim to transport the listener directly into the context of the recording -- whether it be a sample of indigenous music of Ecuador, natural sounds of the tropical rain forest Amazon basin, sounds from Cajas National Park, sounds from la Costa (the Coast) and southern region in Ecuador, or sounds from the populated and bustling cities of Cuenca and Quito.  This collection of sound images will serve to raise cultural awareness for the listener -- it will give the listener a chance to experience some of the music that takes place in different locations and among different populations in Ecuador.  Also, this study will aim to raise the listener's awareness of noise pollution and how human-generated industrial sound affects the natural systems of our world.

I plan to artistically create a representation of these field recordings by writing a musical composition that incorporates various recording samples from this study.  I will submit this composition or group of compositions to be premiered at SEAMUS (Society of Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States) Annual Conference that will take place in the spring of 2010.  Additionally, with the guidance and participation of my mentor, Jeff Redefer, I plan on presenting my study in coordination with Arts for Ohio in an event setting that would be analogous to a lecture."