Macbeth

          Naked Shakes presented us with their own unique interpretation of the Shakespearean play, Macbeth. I attended the Saturday showing of the play. The play itself was OK during certain scenes. For example; I really liked the way they actors used their bodies to create the set itself, like when they created the throne for the king, or like in the last act of the play, when Macbeth has been decapitated, and it looks like only his head is being held up. The dialogue was very hard to follow, since I’m not too fond of the Shakespearean language. Reading the plot summary that was handed to us before-hand helped me understand the story as it progressed; had I not read it, I don’t think I would have followed the plot of the play at all. Overall, I didn’t like the play all that much, mostly because I am not a fan of Shakespeare; however I would be interested in watching a different play from the Naked Shakes, and seeing how they perform in a non-Shakespearean play.

Apple Lecture

          Professor Erwin Apple’s lecture was pretty interesting. I really enjoyed listening to his life story, and I was pretty surprised at times. He attended Princeton University, and as if that wasn’t enough to impress me, he later told us how he attended Juilliard, which is a very competitive school to get into (it currently has about a 7% acceptance rate). This is where he began his acting career. After he graduated, he began to travel across the United States, performing in different cities along the way. I understand why he felt like settling down after some time; would get tired of being on the road, too. Overall I enjoyed the lecture, and I might consider taking one of the theater classes; either playwriting or set design. Sounds like it would be a cool, new way to explore my artistic abilities.

Dr. Lubach/Library Visit

          What I liked most about the presentation by Dr. Lubach was the way he connected with the audience. It didn’t seem at all like he was talking at us, but rather, with us. Though we weren’t so responsive when he cracked his jokes, I feel we got more comfortable with him as the presentation progressed. My favorite teachers/professors are those that are able to relate to us; who we can talk to openly in a laid back manner.

          Anyway, most of the lecture was spent talking about critical thinking, and how its important for us as college students to master this skill. He compared the methods of critical thinking, to the scientific method, and how there are steps you take. He derived this idea from the concepts of Bloom's Taxonomy: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Getting familiar with this process will allow you to become a better critical thinker, and you will be more successful in college if you do so.

          I honestly don’t think the library visit was all that useful. Much of what she covered was simply how to navigate the school’s library website, and that's something I could have figured out on my own; which made the presentation rather dull. No offense to the librarian; she seems like a nice lady... 

          One last thing I wanted to mention. Two weeks ago I attended the “Native Plant Restoration” wellness field trip, which was essentially a walk around the lagoon. I enjoyed this much more than the Beach Hike I attended the previous week, mostly because I learned more on this trip. The ecologist that led the trip—Darwin Richardson—was a really cool guy, and he taught us about the different types of trees and wildlife found around the lagoon, as well as restoration projects that are currently underway.