Explorations

Exploration # 32, pg. 93: World of Magic

This exploration involves creating stories about the magical qualities of ordinary objects. I chose to write about this mystical guitar slide:

Upon a first glance, this guitar slide in its cold plastic package appeared to be the same as every other ordinary metal tube in Guitar Center. But some strange glimmer radiated from it that only Casey could see, like a vague recall of a dream telling him that this one was different. He snagged it from the stand where it was hanging and rushed out of the store in such a hurry that he forgot to pay, not in an attempt to steal but out of his dire need to use this slide and discover its mysteries. Even if the staff had not been too distracted to notice, they would have been too frozen in awe of Casey’s determination to try to stop him. He was clearly seeking a higher purpose than saving a few bucks with a five-finger discount to play some new tricks on his guitar.

What Casey did not know about this guitar slide is that it was made only for him. Every guitarist has a special slide, and serendipity guarantees that the slide will cross paths with its destined owner. The metal of the slide merges with the invisible energy holes in the finger of a guitar player, allowing the magic to slip into their blood through this hole and making them the best guitarist they can be. Any melody floating around in their head can be effortlessly portrayed on their instrument, while the players without their own slide can never reach the exact notes they imagine in their minds. If the guitarist fails to realize the slide’s power, they will not have the ability to bond their energy with the metal. But the gifted ones – like Casey – always know.

Exploration # 17, pg. 63: Instant Sculpture (10/10)

When I saw that we could make a sculpture out of whatever is within reach, I was happy to finally have a use for all of the junk on my dresser that collects dust while I refuse to throw it away (this represents maybe one-fourth of my lotion/body spray/hair product collection) as well as some of the things I do use. Notice the bottle of (pricey) perfume balanced atop a flimsy pack of incense.

Exploration # 16, pg. 61: Survey (10/3)

I thought of some interesting questions and did a survey of 5 people. The answers were initially a little strange to me, but I don’t know how great of an answer I would think of on the spot if a stranger asked me these crazy questions. Enjoy

What fictional character would you want to be best friends with?	Zeus	Obie-Wan Kenobi	Hermione Granger	Edward from Twilight	Simba
If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be?	leprechaun	Chinese dragon	Good witch	unicorn	mermaid
What power do you wish you could have?	telepathy	Super strength	Talking to dead people	flying	flying
If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be (disregarding nutrition)?	Chicken alfredo from Olive Garden	barbeque	Shrimp fried rice	pizza	Anything from Taco Bell
Where’s your favorite place to relax?	At my house	My apartment	At Shakespeare park by the pond	On the beach when I can go	church

Exploration #40, pg. 108: Altered States (9/26)

For my experiencing and observing exploration, I chose to “alter my state” by plugging my nose while eating for a day. I wasn’t sure at first if this exploration could be classified as experiencing and observing, but once I started I knew for sure. Eating with your nose plugged is definitely an experience you have to observe! You might think that it’s the same as eating when you have a sinus infection or something similar, but I learned in Psychology the other day that the reason you can still taste nasty cough syrup when you’re sick and can’t taste anything else is because the bitter taste receptors on the back of your tongue are the last to lose their senses. My teacher told us about a study that found when you’re blindfolded and hold your nose, you can’t tell the difference between eating an apple and a raw potato (although I’m sure the people who conducted the study skinned both, since the skin texture would give it away). Pretty crazy, right? What an aftertaste.

The first food I ate for my exploration was a Greek yogurt parfait with blueberries and granola oats. The yogurt without its flavor was a little unbearable in all its thick, gloppy sliminess. In case you didn’t know, Greek yogurt is thicker than other yogurts, and this make its texture all the more disgusting. If it weren’t for the granola oats on the top, I don’t think I could have finished eating it. The oats were a mix of crunchy and stale – kind of gummy at times. They got stuck in my teeth. The blueberries were a nice change. They weren’t fresh, but in a sauce layered under the yogurt. I could feel the sugar in the sauce, the syrupy texture sticking in my mouth. That’s the best I can describe it; you should try it for yourself so you know what I’m talking about.

I even tried drinking water while closing my nose, even though water has no taste. It almost seemed like the water was colder this way. I only did that once and didn’t bother closing my nose for water the rest of the day since I felt pretty silly.

For dinner I had whole-wheat rotini pasta with peas, mushrooms, and turkey sausage. (I’m on a diet in case you couldn’t tell.) The pasta was extra-chewy since it was whole-wheat. It’s surprisingly easy to mess up pasta. Don’t cook it long enough and that will be all you notice in the dish: the chewiness, lack of al-dente perfection, a flavor overpowering other elements. Cook it too long and the noodles will disintegrate, leaving you with more of a casserole than pasta. The peas reminded me of little bubbles bursting in my mouth, like the little bubbles of liquid bath soap you can buy and just drop in your tub under running water and eventually they will dissolve. White mushrooms – the ones used in this dish – don’t have much texture. They’re just mushy, and sometimes little strands will get stuck in your teeth. The olive oil that the vegetables and sausage were sauteed in left a filmy texture in my mouth (I’m pretty sure that was from the olive oil.)

The thing I noticed the most about this exploration was how much depth of texture a food can have, and how easily this depth can be overlooked. I’m no Top Chef, but I always thought I knew about food texture (at least enough to be able to follow the show Top Chef). Unless you make a conscious effort to notice the different textures in food, you’re missing out on a completely new art form. Textures can make or break a dish. But noticing textures is much better when you can taste the food… This exploration was kind of gross. Trying extra hard to notice and feel things in your mouth without being able to taste it and recognize it’s food (even if you know it’s food) can be pretty disgusting. I’m more grateful of my taste buds now. I wonder if there’s a disorder in which people can never taste food?

Exploration # 9, pg. 47: Case of Curiosities (9/19)

For this exploration, I collected some small objects, some of which I do not understand what they are (and therefore I don’t understand what their purpose is). Here’s a picture of my collection so far:

So, as you see, I have 3 buttons, 2 really awesome army men, a fly pin, and 2 snap buttons. The rest of the items are the ones that I have no idea what they are or what their purpose is. To sum it up, I wrote a haiku:

Army men stand guard

As the what-nots find meaning

The fly stays golden

Exploration # 18, pg. 65: Stuff in Corners (9/14)

For my first exploration, I chose to document corners. I found a pattern in what was in the corners and how often those things are used. Naturally, things that we forget about get shoved in the corner. It makes sense, doesn’t it? So here’s a list:

In My Room

a short table holding candles, incense, a vase of dead flowers, various knick-knacks, and a ‘Happy Birthday’ balloon on a stick

a container with dog grooming supplies

a guitar

In the Closet

a stack of very large framed pictures

blankets, sheets, and 2 Pillow Pets

In the Bathroom

a trashcan

a tub of exfoliating scrub that fell on the floor – I wondered where that went…

a wet towel

In the Living Room

a few laundry baskets

a floor lamp

cable modem

a broom

an empty, dusty DVD rack

a sleeping cat

In the Hallway

a Guitar Hero controller

laptop bag

In the Laundry Room

Smithsonian rock tumbler (kit to make cool rocks)

cobwebs

empty Blue Bunny gallon ice cream container holding random screws and nails

ant poison

garden gloves

a can of laquer

paint rollers

paint tray

weedeater line

stack of wire hangers

This is all I have so far. I plan on looking in the corners of other places to see what I stumble upon.