Every area of the world is bound to communicate in a certain way to the inhabitants of that area. The style, size and specific use of the area influence what the place communicates as well as what kind of information is communicated there.
A college dining hall is place where many people gather at one time in order to eat and catch up with their fellow students. More specifically, the Flagler College dining hall is where many students communicate with their friends and neighbors while eating. While this dining is more lavish and intricate than most other college dining halls, the function is still the same. However, the message that this dining area say to its users could be quite different.
The style of this dining hall communicates a message that makes dining in this area seem more formal than dining in the student center (for example). The lavish decorations on the walls, the formal chairs, and the ornate ceilings all make dining there seem like you should almost be dressing up in order to eat, although no one ever does.
Based on the other people I see in this dining hall, I don’t think that they feel any obligation to act as they would in a restaurant, but the old look of the room gives me that impression.
The hallway that leads to the dining hall also gives it a more closed off feeling, as though it is a secluded part of campus that is only for students. It is also very dark on the inside, making it feel very closed off from the outside.
The communication between the people in the dining seems to be purely social. It’s very loud and is not a place that encourages work. Typically people there converse about their day and their friends. They may discuss some work they have to do, but very rarely would someone try to do work in there.
Overall, despite this not being a very typical dining hall in its style. The function allows it to remain the same for those who eat in it. The formal style doesn’t really influence how people act in it, although it seems like it would. The function of the place rules over what the tone and style of the place are.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Connecting With Celebrities
If I am being honest, I have been putting writing this blog off for quite some time. Not because I had trouble figuring out a celebrity to write about, but because I have been having trouble coming up with an intelligent reason as to why I follow a celebrity’s career, which I do. It seems that I have just been doing it for so long that I now do it without thinking.
Looking at my long history of celebrity following, it seems that it began with George Clooney. I’ve been following his career ever since his days on ER, which, if you do the math, started when I was about 11 (the shows been on since 1993, but that would mean that I’ve been following him since I was five. Not likely).
To give you an idea of how much I love him, I will give you an example of my adoration. Last Thursday was my 21st birthday, which also happened to coincide with Clooney’s return episode on ER, and I seriously considered staying home to watch it. If it weren’t for online television, I don’t know what I would have done. Try to out-pathetic me there!
When reflecting on my admiration for George Clooney, it is difficult to decipher why I admire him so much. He is obviously a very good looking man; he’s got a lot of charisma and a good sense of humor that comes through in his work and various interviews. He also has a very old-Hollywood way about him. You can just picture him getting along with the likes of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. I feel like his personal style is a throwback to that era, which I find very glamorous and appealing.
I don’t know how real my admiration for George Clooney can be because I’ve been able to know him through two mediums, television and film. While they do tell me what he looks and sounds like, it only presents me his characters and his public persona. They do not indicate what he would be like on a more personal level and in that respect I most definitely do not know him.
I think that my admiration for sarcastic, self depreciating humor like his is what causes me to admire him as much as I do. I admire his quick wit, and I wish I could emulate it (it takes me at least five minutes to come up with a good comeback).
I feel like he is so familiar to me because he has been such a prominent figure in the public eye for a large part of my life. I almost feel like I grew up watching him on TV and in films. At the same time, I realize that he is involved in a completely different world than I am, that is both physically different as well as being a different type of environment. In that way, I feel very distant from him.
The fact that we can feel connected to a public figure both interests and confuses me. While we may never meet them, it is one of the easiest relationships we can have in life. They don’t expect anything from us. They entertain us without us having to entertain them in return. At the same time, the relationship will likely never be personal, but this does not deter us from following their careers. We just have to accept it for what it is and enjoy it.
Looking at my long history of celebrity following, it seems that it began with George Clooney. I’ve been following his career ever since his days on ER, which, if you do the math, started when I was about 11 (the shows been on since 1993, but that would mean that I’ve been following him since I was five. Not likely).
To give you an idea of how much I love him, I will give you an example of my adoration. Last Thursday was my 21st birthday, which also happened to coincide with Clooney’s return episode on ER, and I seriously considered staying home to watch it. If it weren’t for online television, I don’t know what I would have done. Try to out-pathetic me there!
When reflecting on my admiration for George Clooney, it is difficult to decipher why I admire him so much. He is obviously a very good looking man; he’s got a lot of charisma and a good sense of humor that comes through in his work and various interviews. He also has a very old-Hollywood way about him. You can just picture him getting along with the likes of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. I feel like his personal style is a throwback to that era, which I find very glamorous and appealing.
I don’t know how real my admiration for George Clooney can be because I’ve been able to know him through two mediums, television and film. While they do tell me what he looks and sounds like, it only presents me his characters and his public persona. They do not indicate what he would be like on a more personal level and in that respect I most definitely do not know him.
I think that my admiration for sarcastic, self depreciating humor like his is what causes me to admire him as much as I do. I admire his quick wit, and I wish I could emulate it (it takes me at least five minutes to come up with a good comeback).
I feel like he is so familiar to me because he has been such a prominent figure in the public eye for a large part of my life. I almost feel like I grew up watching him on TV and in films. At the same time, I realize that he is involved in a completely different world than I am, that is both physically different as well as being a different type of environment. In that way, I feel very distant from him.
The fact that we can feel connected to a public figure both interests and confuses me. While we may never meet them, it is one of the easiest relationships we can have in life. They don’t expect anything from us. They entertain us without us having to entertain them in return. At the same time, the relationship will likely never be personal, but this does not deter us from following their careers. We just have to accept it for what it is and enjoy it.
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