On Monday, I managed to trip and fall down half a flight of stairs while running down to the Senior Haus lobby to pick up the Indian food I ordered. Three hours later, I tripped over my own shoes and fell up a flight of stairs in the Haus when I ran to look at the Rocko's Modern Life-inspired mural of a sad crying clown in an iron lung. Oh, and I was singing songs from the show on my way upstairs before I fell flat on my face.

Let me remind you that I am getting a degree in June.

It is my final term here, I finished nearly all of my course requirements over a year ago, and there is one lab class standing between me and an S.B. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT. I can see the light. I CAN SEE IT. IT IS SO SO CLOSE.

Of course, my classes are impossible this term and I haven't slept in a while.

Case in point: I am working on the following assignment due tomorrow in 21M.840:

Create a text for a 3-5 minute performance. This text must be composed of no less than five different source materials. No single source may comprise more than 20% of the whole. Try to assemble your "text" from a combination of media--prose / dialogue / recorded conversation / poetry / sounds / still images / transcript / moving images / television / etc.

Your piece must include the following:
-5 entrances and exits
-2 extended close-ups (at least one so close, we aren't sure what we're looking at)
-1 example of partial view (only part of the performer is visible, other parts available by technology: mic, camera, monitor, etc.) (partially seen, partially screened)
- at least 1 moment eating, drinking, or both
-1 example of gravity
-1 example of lack of gravity
-1 short dance number
-1 radical change in shape, silhouette, or something like that (costume, something more abstract, take your pick)

Clearly, Rocko's Modern Life is the first thing that should come to mind when I have to develop experimental performance art pieces. It's the king of all weird cartoons.

Captain Compost Heap approves.

Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)

oh my gosh, someone else reference sad crying clown in an iron lung. the only other person I have ever known to get that was Dugan.

Posted by: Sam on February 10, 2010

Hey. From your blogs, I get the impression that you trip and fall quite a lot. I trip a lot too, I'm just lucky that I hardly fall but I hurt my toes many times. Plus, it's embarrasing everytime.

Unfortunately, I also bite my tongue (or lips) more often than the average person (I think). I've never mentioned this to anyone before but it sometimes, though very rarely, happens as I sing!

I think my anatomy is just weird.

Posted by: D on February 10, 2010

That 30 Rock episode was the best.
Rocko's Modern Life? What about Adventure Time?

Posted by: E. on February 10, 2010

Ordering Indian food? YUMMY!
Falling flat on your face? OUCH!
Not sleeping in a while? NOTHING NEW!
All part of life at MIT. You are so funny!

ReCaptcha: designer Lance (I didn't know they made them any more!)

Posted by: genius ('18) on February 10, 2010

To be perfectly honest, I think that would be a really awesome assignment to have, even if it was due in less than 24 hours...I wish we could do more of that sort of thing here. Although some of our recent English AP assignments have gotten pretty interesting. Case in point: remaking a famous piece of artwork with yourself (and any other real people necessary) in it, with as little Photoshopping as possible, and absolutely no copying of any graphics besides the background...(I did "Proserpine" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti )

Posted by: Amethyst ('14?) on February 10, 2010

Oh, genius ('18)...

Posted by: Emilio '13 on February 15, 2010

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