I've always had the same vision of a typical opera. A rather large lady with a bun so enormous that it barely stays on top of her head stands centerstage. With her hands held together at the center of her chest, she begans to sing at atypical ranges in a language unknown to the audience. She ends with a long high note, and the crowd gathers in applause, yet having no idea as to what they've just witnessed. The House of the Dead proved my perception completely false. The first aspect of this opera that caught me off guard was the huge cast of men.

I still do not really understand the concept behind the American Folk Art Museum. It is obvious that the art deals with folk art, however, I do not know the real definition of folk art. It was an unexpected visit. A group of us from the IDC class planned to make a trip to see the Tim Burton exhibit at the MOMA. However, we did not realize it was closed on Tuesdays. Next door happened to be the American Folk Art Museum, and when we look on our cultural passports, it happened to be first on the list. Most of the artwork reminded me of a Native American and prairie farm inspiration.

My favorite part of the MOMA tour was definitely the "Mod" room. Even though those paintings were created from the 1920's to the 1940's, they remind me so much of the 1960's mod era. I was told by Dr. Bergman that this artist actually inspired the Mod era, which is amazing. The simplicity of the paintings is what captured my attention the most. When I walked into the room, the first thing I said was "Ooo, artwork for your new home!" This is exactly what this kind of art inspires me to do: decorate. It may seem corny, but I love contemporary art.

It was very intriguing learning about the Ego and the Id. I had never heard of Sigmund Freud's theory before this project. When i first saw the artwork, I immediately noticed how colorful the two objects were. It contrasted so much with the colors of autumn. I still ponder which one is the Ego and which is the Id. I would like to know if the artist himself specifically labeled which is which, or if he just left it up to interpretation. I am pretty sure I will stick with my original belief that the bubblegum pink sculpture is the Ego and the colorful sculpture is the Id.

Baruch College has a recital hall. That was probably the most shocking news I heard all year. I thought maybe the concert was just be in a room where they just happened to set up music stands. I had no idea we had an actual hall. When I saw this hall, it actually gave me hope as a Weismenn major. Sometimes the school focuses so much on Zicklin, it seems they lose sight of everyone else. So, seeing this recital hall, I already went into this concert with a positive attitude. Each of the three sections composed of beautiful music.