A day in the Diet

What’s in my kitchen?

Basic foods: Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Cheddar Cheese, Feta Cheese, Apples, Avocados, Nectarines, Carrots, eggs, rice, lentils, honey

Processed food (self): Whole wheat pasta, Ramen, whole wheat bead, Oreos, peanut butter, cous-cous, granola bars, Tortillas

Processed food (refrigerated): yogurt, marinara sauce

Frozen Foods: Broccoli, Spinach, Ice Cream, chicken, veggie burgers

Condiments: mayo, salt, pepper, mustard, pickles, Salsa

Beverages: Orange Juice (100% juice), Seltzer, Red Wine,

Eating with Sydney for a day
The following includes everything I ate last Thursday from when I woke up until I went to sleep.  This semester my Thursday dietary schedule is based entirely around my class schedule since I am on campus all day.  After “sleeping in” until 9am I made myself breakfast around 10am.  I started the day off with 2 eggs scrambled with (frozen) spinach, tomatoes, and feta cheese, an apple, and half a glass of calcium fortified orange juice.  I thought about making toast instead of the apple but decide against it because a)the apple is healthier and b) I knew I would be having bread later in the day.

I did not eat again until my late lunch later that afternoon I had back to back classes until 2:30pm but went to do work in the library, I was hungry and would have liked to eat a little earlier but homework was calling and I was at the library computers so I couldn’t eat while I worked.  Finally at 3:30pm I pulled out the sandwich I made that morning: turkey lunch meat (low sodium), with mescaline greens, and mustard on whole wheat bread (whole wheat is the first ingredient on the package!) and also ate a granola bar.  At the time I thought my breakfast and lunch were both pretty healthy.  I had eaten whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy so far!  The only negative was the granola bar, but on the bright side it was a healthier options than something like chips or a cookie.  After our last journal assignment on ChooseMyPlate I realized a healthier snack would have been nuts but haven’t gone shopping since then– I also think healthier nuts (specifically almonds– my favorite!) would be more expensive than granola bars but it’s worth investigating.  Although I had feta cheese with my eggs and my orange juice was fortified with calcium a little more dairy with my meals would have been better, this is sometimes a problem for me because

The next time I ate was around 7pm during the break in my block class, here I are a granola bar and a nectarine that I brought from home.  I could have only eaten on or the other because I was not starving I decided to eat both because I was didn’t want to be hungry while I went to Zumba straight after class.  After Zumba a got home around 9:40pm I was starving and had plans to meet my friends later that night so I wanted to do something quick so I made myself a garden salad and microwaved a personal side frozen lasagna when I got home.

I was also drinking water throughout the day, although I never included drinking water at any of my meals I carry water with me throughout the day.  I ate my breakfast, lunch, and dinner alone mainly because my Thursdays are so crazy.  However, the benefit of this is that I can (and did) eat when I was hungry rather than when other people are.  Since I wasn’t snacking throughout the day I felt pretty energized after each time I ate, particularly after lunch and dinner when I was so hungry.

All in all I felt my meal choices were pretty healthy, balanced, and practiced moderation.  However, the night wasn’t over and after I had my three fairly balanced meals I can’t say my habits for the day maintained their healthy characteristics.  My only regret was that I ate a prepackaged lasagna– which I almost never due, but I figure if I eat a frozen meal once or twice a month it can’t be that bad…right?  I had made plans earlier in the week to meet a group of friends I hadn’t seen yet at a bar…let the empty calories begin!  I indulged myself with a few drinks- 2 vodka sodas, and a beer over the course of the evening, and then some salsa and tortilla chips when we got home.  Clearly not a nutritious ending to my day.

When comparing my diet to table 2-5 on page 43 of the textbook I have mixed feelings about my diet.  If we look at everything I ate before I went to meet my friends I would say my diet was not perfectly balance, but it was not terrible.  According to the textbook my fruit, vegetable, grain, and protein intake were close to what is recommended for a 2,000 calorie diet.  However, I was short on calcium in my diet, and not half of my grains were whole grains.  However my going to Zumba I engaged in over the recommended amount of exercise by the American College of Sports Medicine listed on page 37.  However, my post meal actions cannot be ignored and my drinking 3 drinks that night was not a case of moderation (page 36) and the salsa and tortilla chips I are were not a balanced snack.
Tracking My Diet
The analysis of my meal according to MyPyramid Tracker had a similar finding to the analysis I developed myself according to chapter 2 of the textbook.  The only “sad face” the tracker gave me for dietary guidelines was for my dairy intake of food groups, meaning my grains, vegetable fruit, and protein intakes were at appropriate levels.  However, it also informed me that my sodium and cholesterol were too high.  I often start my day off with eggs for a good source of protein but now that I see my cholesterol intake is more than it should be, I might want to reconsider.  The Harvard Health Publications say eggs contain approximately 212 mg of cholesterol, so two eggs put me over my daily limit.  Assuming I ate approximately 425 mg with my eggs at breakfast, that meant I only are about 70 mg the rest of the day (my total was 497 mg).

Blog vs Tracking
I think neither the blog nor MyPyramid Tracker was better for analyzing your diet.  In fact, I think using both tools together is the best way to analyze a person’s diet.  I think the strength in the blog was that it forced you too look at everything, it also takes a less scientific approach, a person knows that eating fried potatoes is not the same as eating a salad.  The blog tool also makes the eater realize if enough of his/her gains are whole grains opposed to enriched grains.  On the other hand the Tracker sees a vegetable as a vegetable and a grain as a grain– the specifics are not differentiated.  On the other hand the tracker was useful for me because it helped me realize how much cholesterol was going into my diet.  My own recording thought of if as a protein, but the nutritional breakdown from the trackers sees it as a high cholesterol protein, I would not have figured it out on my self.  The two together are the optimal way to analyze a diet but if only one can be done I would suggest the blog.  That way a person can know make differentiations amongst food that a computer may not be able to.

If I am what I eat….
I think my diet is moving towards the right direction but still needs some work.  At this point my eating habits are not perfect but the definitely are not awful.  After my analysis, my only regret for the day was the chips and salsa, the drinks, and the lack and dairy.  The drinks, chips, and salsa are not typical for me, it was because I met with friends.  And now that I recognize the lack of dairy, I can make a point to fix it.  If I had to be a food it would be a food that is good for you but not particularly nutrient dense– not unhealthy but not the healthiest.

Final Project— When the Tourists Go Home: The Things Left Behind

I used the rule of thirds and the repition of lines to set up this photo. Choose to take a picture of this building because of the contrasting colors or the building and all the surroundings.

I used the rule of thirds with the placement of the barrel and horizon. I wanted to angle the grapevines in a way where I could have straight repeating lines in the photograph.

Although I originally used the rule to thirds to compose this photograph I ended up liking this better, the couple walking in the photo adds an additional focal point.

I used the rule of thirds in the compsition for my photo, the complimentary colors of everything except the loberster being gray gives the photo it’s sense of abandonment.

I wanted to get the repetition of lines from the trees and sign.

I tried to form a path of view from the swingset to the sun.

When capturing my photograph I looked at the repetitions of the vertical lines on the dock and sign.

I used the rule of thirds when deciding where the house should be placed in the photo and where the horizon should be. I decided to take the picture towards the light to give the building a silhoutte effect.

A Confusing Day…

Our video was inspired by Edward Hopper’s Hotel Window.  As you will see my group (Steve, Bonnie, and I) interpreted the painting in a non-traditional way!  Hope you enjoy the movie.

Here is our shot list:

1. MCU      Static           Jamie looks at flier, 3 sec
2. CU           Static            Flier about costume party, 2 sec
3. WS        Static           Jamie walks toward door, 6 sec
4. OS        Static          Jamie invites Alex to party, 20 sec
5. MCU        Static           Jamie’s feet, 2 sec
6. MCU        Static            Alex’s feet, 4 sec
7. MCU        Pan right    Jamie’s feet, 3 sec
8. MCU         Pan left       Alex’s feet, 3 sec
9. MCU         Static            Jamie and Alex, 4 sec
10. MS          Pan right     Jamie and Alex leave, flier, 10 sec
11. WS            Pan right     J. and A. in Anderson, 8 sec
12. WS        Static            J. and A. looking into room, 5 sec
13. WS            Pan left         Room with students, 7 sec
14. WS            Static            J. and A. leave room, 6 sec
15. MS       Static             J. and A. decide to try Letts, 6 sec
16. MS         Pan right     J. and A. look into GARC, 11 sec
17. WS         Pan right     J. and A. sit on a bench, 30 sec
18. WS-MS  Pan left       J. and A. walk into lounge, 31 sec
19. WS        Static            Students walking to elevator, 17 sec
20. WS        Static            J. and A. look frustrated, 11 sec
21. WS          Static            Painting, 1 sec

A Night of Hell

A Night of Hell

by bonnie, steve, and syd

A man is in a common room looking at fliers. He sees one that says “Costume Party Tonight, Anderson Formal Lounge! Best Costume Wins a Prize!” The man, Jamie, walks up the stairs and knocks on a door. A girl answers and Jamie says: “Hey Alex, there’s a costume party tonight. We should go as opposites! You be a man and I’ll be a woman!” Alex says: “That would be hilarious! Let’s do it!” Jamie says: “Be ready in an hour and we’ll go to Anderson Formal together!” Jamie returns to his room.

Jamie and Alex emerge dressed in costume: Jamie is in a red dress and hat, Alex is wearing an oversized suit and tie, and has a fake mustache and sideburns. As they leave the elevator, the camera shows the flier with a location change. It says: “Costume Party New Location! Hughes Formal!” Arriving at Anderson Hall, Jamie and Alex receive strange looks from everyone around as they walk to the Formal Lounge. Arriving there, they find a few students studying in the lounge. Jamie and Alex exchange confused glances, and simultaneously leave the room. Alex says: “Are you sure it was in Anderson? Let’s try Letts.” They walk to Letts Hall and stare into the GARC. Finding no costumed people here either, they sit down on a bench in the Quad utterly perplexed. Jamie says: “I’m in a dress.” Alex says: “Yeah, and I’m in a suit. Let’s go back to Leonard. I’m tired of getting stared at all night.” Jamie and Alex walk back to Leonard. Jamie says: “Sorry to drag you all over campus to a costume party that didn’t exist. But this dress does make my butt look good.” Alex says: “It really does!” Then, a group of students walk by in costume, talking excitedly about the costume party they were just attending. Alex and Jamie look at each other in exasperation, and Jamie turns to look forlornly out the window.

The Bicycle Thieves

After Ricci Tries to Steal A Bicycle

Shot# Shot Type Timing Movement description

1 WS 10 sec Ricci paces along the sidewalk around the bike he is considering stealing

2 Pan Left 2 sec Ricci jumps on bike and starts to pedal away

3 WS 2 sec Crowd is chasing after him

4 WS 8 sec Crowd is chasing him around a corner

5 Track  9 sec Crowd continues to chase him

6 Zoom/Pan Right 5 sec Focus on the son’s reaction to watching the crowd continues to chase his father

7 Track 5 sec Son continues to watch him being chased

8 Track 7 sec The mob knocks Ricci off his bike

9 MS 4 sec Focus on son’s face then he leaves the shot to run to his father

10 MS 2 sec Bike owner picks up his bike and walks it towards Ricci and the crowd

11 MS 5 sec Men in crowd are hitting Ricci

12 MS 8 sec Son is trying to get to his father

13 MS 5 sec Men in crowd are hitting Ricci

14 WS/Zoom In/Track 12 sec The trolly is coming towards Ricci in the crowd, they all move out of the way and the crowd dissolves

The film I decide to watch was The Bicycle Thieves (Lardi di biciclette), an Italian Neo Realism film released in 1948.  Neo Realism films are known be filmed using natural lighting, to be filmed on location, to have dubbing of dialogue, and use non professional actors.  The plots of Neo Realism films are usually focused on the poor and working class.

The scene I chose takes place toward the end of the movie.  Ricci has spent the entire day with his son trying to find his bicycle.  Finally he gives up and realized there is no hope of ever finding his bicycle again.  Then, he and his son are outside of a stadium where there are hundreds of bicycles.  Although Ricci never states it; it is clear that he is thinking about stealing one.  Ricci sees a bicycle near the stadium separated from the rest of the bicycles.  He tries to send his son away so his son cannot witness Ricci’s thievery and then the scene takes place.

Like most Neo Realism films this scene take place on the streets of Italy, the lighting appears natural and it is clear that the scene was not filmed in a studio.  The way the scene was shot and edited contributed to the plot.  As you can see by my outline several times within one action in the movie there were several shots taken.  However, they were each taken at different angles.  I think this helped to portray the emotion within the scene.  This technique made it a more interesting way of showing the chase and the fear that the son was feeling.  Changing shots and angles and when same action was going on emphasize the intensity of the chase and the son’s emotions.

Visual Literacy Scavenger Hunt

Here is my group’s video, enjoy!

Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can

A title sequence that always stood out to me was the opening title sequence for the movie Catch Me If You Can.  Although people who are seeing the title sequence without seeing the movie first would not know it, the title sequence summarizes the movie’s plot.  The main character of the movie is constantly changing from one scam to another and going in and out of different environments– this is what is happening in the title sequence.  Someone who has already seen the movie can tell you that the title sequence tell just about the entire movie’s plot.

With the title sequences mysterious music and ambiguous silhouette figures, it does a good job of communicating the cat and mouse style chase that is ongoing throughout the movie.  Furthermore, the fact that the ending does not show whether or not the protagonist is caught gives an additional air of mystery to the title sequence.  The viewer gets an idea of what the movie is about without the ending being given away.

A word I would use to describe Catch Me If You Can’s title sequence is “orderly”.  The graphics are very geometric, even the people are not organically shaped.  Rather, they are made up of geometric shapes.  It is also very simple; most parts are limited to black, white, and one color.  Color changes to denote that the protagonist’s setting has changed.  The texts within the title sequence tie into the “orderly”/geometric graphics, this way they are seen but fit into the lines within the graphics.

I think this title sequence is successful because it follows the less is more theory.  If the graphers were more complicated and there were more elements within the title sequence I think the air of mystery would be missing.

VOTE YES TO PRESERVE THE NORTH FORK!!!

I designed this poster for the North Fork Environmental Council, a group that advocates for the preservation of the environment on the North Fork of Long Island.  I specifically made this poster to urge local resident to vote yes on a budget vote that would increase funding to the NFEC which they would spend towards protecting the North Fork’s environment.

National Equality March

What originally stuck out to me on this flyer was the logo on the top (the Capitol, rainbow rays, and title).  I had seen these elements of the flyer on their own on T-shirts and buttons and really liked the logo.  Therefore, I thought it would be an interesting idea to see how the flyer of the event look compared to the event’s logo on its own.

As I had predicted the flyer did contain the logo, and I think the flyer’s designers were right to do so.  It not only says what the event is, it gives people a certain connotation about the march.  The Capitol and rainbow rays give a sign of importance to the event: the Capitol emphasizes that the march is not just any equality march, but the National Equality March.  Furthermore, the rainbow rays give a sign of hope as well as the rainbow colors being a known symbol for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights.

As for the remained of the flyer, I am somewhat conflicted in my opinion.  The flyer included all the appropriate information and furthermore placed an emphasis on all of important information such as the date, time, place, and where to find out more information.  Despite the good emphasis I think the flow of the flyer could use some improvement.  I think the word Sunday would be better placed on top of the date.  I don’t think it flows correctly because you are reading small font on the left and then all of a sudden it say Sunday on the right.  Other than the title Sunday is the only word on the right hand side of the page.  Although the title is also on the right side of the page I do not think it disrupts the flow of the flyer.  The title is far enough away from the other words and is separated by an image so it balances the flyer rather than disrupt the flow.

Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

For my museum trip I went to I saw the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest at the Smithsonian Castle.  The photo collection is excellent, although the fact that they were all photo contest winners and finalist, I would expect nothing less.  Rather than explain the how great the collection was as a whole I would like to describe the photos that stuck out to me and explain why.  The first was the winner of the Natural World category, it was of a starfish.  It was taken by Brandon Pendred with a Cannon Powershot SD110 in October 2006.

Although the subject is a simple starfish, the photo is not simple.  The photographer used the rule of thirds so the focal point is the front of the picture.  Additionally, due to the time of day the photo was taken, the sand seems to blend into the sky.  The photo was taken after a storm when starfish were starfish were washed up onto the beach.  This particular starfish has one leg sticking up as if to say, “do not step on me” or it was crying for help.

Another photo that particularly stuck out to me was taken in New Mexico, it was taken of a wall damaged in 1847 of the original San Geronimo Mission.  It was taken by Dan Monakil in October 2007.  The wall contains a doorway and through the doorway you can see another building.  The picture’s way of setting up focal point is what makes the really like the picture.  When you first look at the photo you see the wall, then your eyes are drawn from the doorway.  Lastly, when you look in the doorway you notice the other building which ends up being the viewer’s main focal point.  Additionally the doorway if off centered, which is more complementary.  One last point about this photo is that the adobe colored wall and building combined with the blue sky make the photo very bright, it creates a sense of optimism in the photo.

for more info here’s the website