Fridays I only have class until noon, so can start my weekend early. First thing on the weekend agenda was Perry County Health Department for a swine flu vaccine. They were offering them to students and those at risk. I figured I'd better hurry up and get one since I'll be shadowing doctors. I also have absolutely no time to get sick!
I raced out after the shot for a quick Tuscaloosa trip to visit a friend who goes to the University of Alabama. I thought I'd have to pick up some books at the UA library for a 10 page Painting I Alice Neel paper (Judson library cards can be used there), but Dr. Washburn, the reference librarian at Judson, called my cell right before we went to the library. The ones I'd ordered via interlibrary loan had already arrived! This weekend will be spent buried in Alice Neel books.
So far I'm enjoying it. Alice Neel seems like a pretty neat painter. Most of her portraits are pretty abstract with vibrant colors, almost Picassoish. Coincidentally, Alice Neel was a graduate of a women's college. In an interview with Cindy Nemser, Alice Neel explains why she chose an all girl's school:
"Now the reason I went there was, well, boys were very attractive and I thought that if you really wanted to paint you had to concentrate and not think of anything else."
-Alice Neel, Nemser, Art Talk: Conversations with 15 Women Artists, 1995
When I chose Judson, I was mainly thinking about the quality education, convenience, and strong science department, but focusing is probably easier at a women's college. There's really no need to dress up in the mornings unless it's a special dress day or a day you'll have your photo taken. I can't stand looking at myself in the mirror and having rat's nest hair, but there really isn't any reason to waste time dressing up normal days, except for practice dressing myself.
Oh, big news..My quail eggs arrived for my biology honors project. More on that to come! I was way excited to see them! They're already sitting in a Lowder incubator. If all goes as planned, they should hatch around December 6th.
