Fall Semester: Done!

A 3-D Snow Globe Card From Phyllis!

Well, as of right now, I just turned in my LAST assignment of the semester! A rough-draft of my first draft of my Plan B! I was able to use my Intro to Research class End of the Semester assignment and use it for my first draft of my Plan B. Pretty great to 'kill two birds with one stone.' But yes, I'll be definitely fixing it up for my first official turn in to my chair at the end of the month. Any who... Officially Done with the Semester! Now, I can pack for the East, prep my apartment, and get going home! Cannot wait!!!!!!

See You on the Atlantic!

TheChristyBel

One Last Gus Moment Before the New Year

Stopped by Ana's today to grab her vacuum to use on the apartment before I head home. Want to have a clean apartment to come back to Laramie to! But when I stopped by the house, guess who was sitting on the chair! My favorite Laramie feline...Mr. Gus Murdock! Got a great snapshot of him before the year comes to a close! Enjoy!

TheChristyBel

He Just Screams 'I'm the Best Cat Ever!'

A Bonfire With a Wonderful Cohort

This evening, the Science Methods crew and I had one last hurrah together before the semester ended. Off to Happy Jack we went to have a bonfire up in the Medicine Bow National Forest. Super fun.

It was great to be up there; majority of the night we were able to enjoy some drinks, a campfire, relax, and view over a few dozen shooting stars during the meteor shower. The shindig at Happy Jack lasted only a few hours before the sky became very dark and cloudy. As the sky grew darker, the wind began to pick up and we knew that snowstorm that many people were talking about was approaching us.

So we packed up our stuff, put out the fire, and headed back to town. We ended up taking the party over to the Library. This semester has been really hectic, frustrating, fun, different, and everything in between, but I know I would not have been able to survive it without these people! Thanks for a wonderful semester!

TheChristyBel

Laramie & The Nutcracker

This evening, my neighbor, Holli, and I went to see The Nutcracker here in town. This was such a treat. We went with a bunch of her colleagues in the Law School to the College of Arts & Sciences' auditorium. I have not seen The Nutcracker in ages, so I was super pumped! Brings back memories of dance. The performance was great - there's a lot of dancing talent in Laramie. However, I am not sure if the cast was just small, but the choreography seemed more basic than usual. I did not notice anything more difficult than a double pirouette and not that many lifts. It was interesting. But nevertheless, the whole show was beautiful. Also, they made the show 'Laramie-themed.' The mice were dressed up as cowboys and Mother Ginger definitely appeared to be from the west as well with her guns, cowboy hat, and a flask of whiskey! It was interesting, but very clever to make it feel like the story took place here in Laramie!

TheChristyBel

Survived to the Last Day of Fall Classes!

I am pleased to announce I have survived up to my Last Day of Fall Semester Classes. This does not include all my finals. As of today, I have one final left (next Tuesday) and a paper to turn in by next Friday. So, I am soooooo close to being done with this semester! I cannot wait! Below is a photo of the NSTA (National Science Teacher Association) - UW Chapter! This group consists of my Methods I cohort and a few additional individuals. We had a meeting and a luncheon right after our Methods I course, so we got a group photo together to celebrate the end of the semester! I absolutely love my Science Secondary Ed Methods Cohort. What a great group of people to work alongside with - so thankful Kate Welsh introduced me to Dr. Burrows and this wonderful bunch of people!

Now onto studying for my last final!

TheChristyBel

NSTA - UW Chapter 2014/2015

Ceramics II: The Final Critique

Bowls & 

After four-months of grinding my hands on a spinning-metal wheel, multiple 20-lb bags of clay, lots of flopping, wedging, and recycling clay, I can confidently say I have successfully completed a semester of one of my first formal art classes, and in a medium I am not too comfortable in! Below are photos of my last problems of the Ceramics II class: a variety of bowls, a few 3/4 forms, and a composite. 

The bowls represent simple dipping and pouring techniques in which each set (a different color) is provided with a small, medium, and larger bowl. The 3/4 forms are more decorative pieces where I wanted to use them as blank canvases for a variety of the application techniques we learned throughout the course. Some applications that I tried and really liked were the Xerox transfers (where I can take photo copies of my own drawings and apply them to vessels; very cool and different than the underglaze pencils I tried earlier in the semester) and Graffito (where you apply colored-slip to leather hard glaze, let is dry a smidge, and then carve out designs exposing the white clay underneath). My fourth set of bowls had to be decorated by a 2-D artist inspiration. So I chose, David Sibley, a well-known birder, naturalist, and artist. I copied one of his drawings, made a silk screen of an EASTERN Northern Flicker and applied it to my bowls. I also used a variety of underglazes to recapture his water-color and accurate color distinctions in his bird drawings. I was very impressed with that. My composite has been bisque-fired, glazed, and fired in a reduction atmosphere. I am pretty pleased with the outcome result. A little bit too dark than what I anticipated, but I keep envisioning a morning hike and seeing a tree emerge from the fog of a cloudy, fall morning. I like that gloomy-at-dawn impression it represents. But my work is up for interpretation...

Stay tuned: I'll post photos of my 3/4 forms closer up for more viewing.

Ceramics has definitely challenged me as an artist, and I really enjoyed my progression and journey. I know I have a lot to learn about this medium and know I still have not made my 'best' pieces with clay yet. But I'm interested to see if I continue with this medium and excited to see what my hands will create next! Overall, very impressed with successfully surviving my first formal art class and what I have been able to create. It's nice being back in a studio (even though I was not dancing in this one). Hopefully I can get into another art class to clear my insanity for the spring. 

TheChristyBel

'Mother Earth'

Some Quality Time with Gus-Gus

This past weekend, I was able to spend some quality time with my favorite Laramie cat, Gus. These past two weeks have been really stressful as far as accomplish end-of-the year projects, papers, and tests. So, hanging and relaxing with this furry snuggle was exactly what I needed. I hope you enjoy these photos taken of him snuggling in bed with me, as well as the video of him drinking out of his vessel! Enjoy!

TheChristyBel

A Well-Written Article?

Can we just talk about how well-written this article this is?
How many times can the term, STEM, be incorporated into an article?

Apparently, not enough!

Literature Review Funnies!

Enjoy!

TheChristyBel

Making a 'How To' Video

For our Methods I class, we were assigned to make a video that portrayed: an issue within science education, introducing an engineering career, or a 'How to' video. Working with Ceira, we decided to do a 'How to' video. Since it is getting close to the holidays and thanks to Pinterest, we found a 'How to Make a Mini Robot' and we jazzed it up to being 'How to Make a Mini Robotic (Dancing) Elf! 

Enjoy! Sean, what do you think? Do I have a possible career in making robots? Haha

TheChristyBel

Feeling the Stress

I do not ever bombard my blog with complaining or negativity, but I just need to scream this out. Since I've been back, I have felt absolutely and incredibly in desperate need to be anywhere but Laramie. Being home for less than 36-hours was an absolute tease for me. My body, my mind, and my heart ache for the smell of the Atlantic, more home-cooked meals from my family, time with my brother, snuggle sessions with my besties, and hikes on my Ashland floodplains. I do not connect with Laramie in any way, shape, or form with how I connected with the Tetons or home. Maybe I am just stressed from the craze of the fall semester, but I am pretty much over my Year 2 (as of right now). How do TSS folk try to complete their Year 2 in such a short period of time? I want to literally slit my wrists on how stressed I am, well on how tired I am. The next 11-days cannot go by any faster. I just want to be home, be with positivity and a sense of place that I feel most 'me.' The light at the end of the tunnel is packing up my bag and flying back East to a sense of 'community' and 'place' that makes me feel like the true ChristyBel. Right now, its not Laramie, that light is back east, it is Delaware. Please, hurry up, there's no place like home.

I apologize for the word vomit. I'm just feeling the need to be home. So soon, CBel, so soon.

TheChristyBel