#4: Trip to the Arboretum

The H.O. Botanical Gardens at the Penn State Arboretum, in my opinion,  is by far the most beautiful part of the Penn State Campus. I had been there once before but had not explored it quite as thoroughly as I did on this trip with our English class.

I may have really bad allergies, but I am definitely a nature lover. I truly appreciate nature and everything it has to offer; it is beautiful. I took photography for four years and I haven't had a chance to take exceptional photos in quite a while. Going to the Arboretum was a great experience for me because it gave me a chance to get back into photography and take some really nice pictures of the landscape and the flowers.

I would definitely come here again and even bring friends because it is a completely different aspect of Penn State, aside from football, academics, and the arts. It represents the naturalistic beauty of the school and the astounding landscape that surrounds us.

The Arboretum has many alluring aspects to it. When you first walk up to it there is a path layered with flowers and shrubs on each side of the walkway, drawing you in. This path leads you to many different paths that either take you to fountains, sitting areas, or the Overlook Pavilion. The Pavilion is enticing with its unique pointed arch, stone walls and white canopy. The design is very modern and simple; It has neutral colored bricks for the walls but the building itself has an interesting design. It reminded me of an awning that you would see at a wedding (I heard some people have actually gotten married here!). If you are standing underneath the edge of the canopy, you will look out and see a dazzling mountain range and a forest of trees. There are several hiking paths that you can take if interested in exploring the mountains of Penn State even further. The design of the Botanical Gardens is very tasteful overall.

I felt very relaxed and calm when I was exploring the different paths and plains of the gardens. It is a peaceful area, a good distance from campus but not too far, so one knows they are still part of Penn State but in a more serene environment. It was very easy to get lost in my own thoughts.

When I was younger there was a small reservation of land next to my house. There was tall grass and vines that connected into natural archways. There were rabbit homes, which look like domes made out of sticks and twigs, and they covered a huge portion of the land. All of this was incased in trees and vines which gave it the feeling that it was nature's creation of a house. The best part was that it was right next to a highway, but you could neither see nor hear the cars passing by, which made it seem like it was in a whole different part of the city. I would go there with my dad and explore because I loved going on adventures and discovering new things. It was beautiful and peaceful and I never saw anyone else within its boundaries so I believed it was mine. It was my small, secret world. Not long after I had discovered it, construction began on the site and it was soon turned into a parking garage. I could not believe that no one understood what beauty that small patch of land held, and to turn it into something that seemed like a waste of space. The Arboretum reminds me of this area in a way. They are both reserved, peaceful, and beautiful; I believe I can really go here and just think.

#3: Arts Cultural Response: Rock the Vote Concert

I've been to many concerts in the past but they have never been free. Going to the Rock the Vote Concert starring ALO, G. Love and Jack Johnson, was one of the first impulsive decisions I've made since I've been here and I wouldn't have gone if I had to pay for it. I didn't know any of Jack Johnson's music BUT I figured I would give it a shot and I'm so glad I did because it was awesome!

The concert was Wednesday, September 19 at 7 PM in the Eisenhower Auditorium on campus. The room was packed with people and it was a really great atmosphere. I would say there were a couple thousand people in the room and every one of them was excited and energetic.

The first band to come on stage was ALO, who I had never heard of before. I expected them to be a mediocre, average band but they were incredible. Their music was very upbeat and easy to dance along to; at times the entire room was moving their arms back and forth simultaneously and singing along.

The second act was the singer, Garrett Dutton, who is known as G. Love. His music was also really great but many of the songs sounded alike and after the 3rd song I could tell the crowd was getting bored. People started to talk and the music turned into background music but it was still nice to listen to.

The final and most important act of the night was Jack Johnson!! When he walked onstage the entire crown went wild and jumped out of their seats. Even though I'm not a big fan, I still got the butterflies because of the overwhelming atmosphere of the room. His music was very calming and he had great lyrics.

At the previous concerts I've been to, there was a huge mob of people right in front of the stage, dying to get a closer look at the performers. It usually gets sweaty and uncomfortable very quickly and extremely claustrophobic. In the Eisenhower it was relatively comfortable; we got to sit in chairs and did not have to worry about people pushing us around to get a good view. It was extremely loud, but that was expected.

It was not my first time at a Rock the Vote concert because my high school used to have them as well. This past year, TimeFlies and Third Eye Blind performed at my school and in 2008 Gym Class Heroes performed. However, it was my first concert at PennState.

My expectations for the concert were low because going into it, I didn't know what kind of music I would be hearing. I figured I would be bored most of the time because I had never heard the songs, but it surpassed my expectations completely and I found myself not wanting to leave. When I talked to my friends about it, they felt the same way. In fact, we all went back to our dorms and downloaded the music that we had heard that night!

I would definitely go back to one of these events because even though I'm not old enough to vote, it's a great way to get together and listen to great music.

#2: Art at the Palmer

Adoration of the Magi- Oil on Panel
Attributed to Jan de Beer (1475-1528)
Netherlandish

This painting depicts the very popular biblical scene of baby Jesus receiving gifts from the Three Kings. Jesus is placed on Mary's lap and the Three Kings surround them each holding different valuable items. 


I've traveled all around Europe and been to many museums that have this type of Renaissance art and I find it the most interesting, so I chose this piece to show you what kind of art speaks to me most. A lot of people I know today like more modern art than Renaissance art but I'm a little old fashioned :)


The rhetorical situation of this piece is important because in the mid 1400s in the Netherlands, the paintings were famed for landscapes, portraits, and altarpieces. In my opinion, this specific painting serves as a symbol of all three. The portrait of the Kings giving their offerings to Jesus, which also serves as an altarpiece because of its religious value, and the landscape portrayed in the background of the pice. There are many artistic representations of this biblical scene, done by many artists all around the world, but this particular portrayal is interesting because according to the bible this event happened inside of a stable. In this specific painting this event is taking place in what appears to be a large building with hanging tapestries and a beautiful landscaped view. I believe the painter portrayed "The stable" scene this way to imply that this is what he believes is the proper way a child of such superiority should be approached, even by Kings. Another detail I noticed was none of the Kings are looking Jesus in the eye and this is no accident. To further emphasize the superiority this artist feels toward baby Jesus, he portrays the Kings as uncomfortable in his presence as if they are not worthy. The artist altered this biblical scene to accentuate the importance of the religious character and to demonstrate how he is worshipped, even by Kings.

This painting intrigues me because there are many details intertwined within the simple biblical reenactment. As for pathos, I don't feel "sad" or "happy" when I look at this painting but more curious. I want to know more about why the artist felt the need to change the scene and what his reasoning was. 

This piece of art contains credibility because it refers to a famous scene from the Bible. The Bible deems credibility because it is the most well known collection of stories in the entire world and millions of people worship what is written inside. The artist, Jan de Beer, is credible as well because he was a well known Netherlandish painter, a master of the Guild of St. Luke and then became a dean of the Guild (credible in Christianity which is the subject of his painting).

I believe that the claim of this piece is Jesus is an important figure, contrary to many beliefs. The Kings are purposely portrayed as a lower status than baby Jesus and the setting suggests royalty and superiority rather than the original farm setting portrayed in the Bible. This claim is definitely persuasive because it is illustrating the argument that Jesus is more distinguished than the Kings who were considered of the highest superiority. Even though Jesus is not the center of the painting, he is the main focal point of the scene which helps persuade viewers that the placement in the painting is insignificant to his status.   


My experience at the Palmer was okay. I love art but my favorite genre is renaissance art and there were only a couple of pieces in that era. I would definitely go back, it has a plethora of interesting pieces and I wouldn't mind going back to explore and learn more about them. 

#1: Just getting started

Template: I chose this specific template because I like when web pages are straight forward and simple to understand. It doesn't have any pictures, animations, or crazy fonts which would distract you, as a reader. I also enjoy the format of my blog because it's easy on the eyes and all of the tabs for separate pages are listed neatly across the top. I want you to be able to come to my blog, read what you are interested in and not be distracted by unnecessary affects.

Title: The title "Entertainment for the Average Person" fits my blog because I am not only here to get a project done, but to entertain you so you enjoy coming to my page. I addressed my audience as "average" to emphasize that it is for anyone. 

Color: My blog is brown (I know, very boring) but even though I love colorful things I thought it would be best for my blog to be a neutral color. I don't want you to come to my blog because it's "pretty"; I want the words to be the color on the page and the reason that you're here. 

Font: The font is very plain and simple (sensing a theme here?). When the font is crazy and hard to read, it becomes distracting and frustrating and then you'd lose sight of the material I want you to read. So this is it! Just a normal font. 

Pages: I only created an About Me page because I feel it is necessary for you to know who's writing to you! The pages are easily accessible and neatly aligned across the top of the page. Blogs get confusing when too much is listed on the same page and then it becomes hard to focus on the actual material, so I made it simple!


I believe my blog characterizes me well because I seem simple on the outside but once I start talking I am very outgoing and humorous. I characterized my blog similarly in the way that it is very neutral and simple but the text within it contains the entertainment and the "color" of the blog.

Overall, this is just another simple average blog but I hope you find yourself coming back for more.