Entry #2 - Tues. 7/7

Winged Victory of Somothrace

current location: Lourve Museum, Paris
year erected: ~200 B.C.
height: 8' 1" (2.5m)
medium: marble

The Winged Victory of Somathrace is an interesting statue amidst the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It apparently is a sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike... The goddess of Victory. Her wings are spread as if she is landing from flight. Myth says she would land on wartime ships, and help the Greeks to victory. No wonder why Tiger hooked up with Nike. He can't lose with Victory on his side! (but he has been struggling on the tour lately) In all seriousness, when Woods looks at his ball in his hand, he knows he's got something he can trust in. Tiger knows he isn't perfect, but at least he can count on his ball being consistent. Watch him on tour, and maybe you'll see him asking his ball for some help as he's watching it drift towards the hole on a long putt.

"Get in the hole!"

In a different note: after this class, I finally found out what those fancy figures on fancy cars are. Duh, the Greek goddess of Victory! I swear that was on Jeopardy the other night... Anyway, these Rolls Royce vehicles are just plain stunning. If you're whipping around one of those, you know you've been victorious in at least one aspect of life. Cruise in luxury, victorious lady!

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winged_Victory_of_Samothrace

Entry #1 - Mon. 7/6

Well I missed the first day of class. So I'll say a short bit about me.

Name's Charles James. 21. Senior at UNH Durham. Mechanical Engineering. Sweet.

So it seems that I was mistaken about architecture. It's not only about making sure the building stands and concerning themselves with which forces are applied to the roof in a snow storm... it's about the look and feel. Like how the building balances with its surroundings, and how it is utilized by the people. Architecture is almost the feeling you get when you either look at the building, look at the details within the structure, or the feeling you get when you venture inside.

Imagine yourself visiting the acropolis in Greece...

Feel the awe.

I couldn't imagine what I would feel just walking up the steps to this ancient sanctuary. This place was built so long ago, yet it is still standing (mostly). Take note of the setting, it's up on a hilltop surrounded by lush green. This place must have felt like a safe haven for the ancient Greeks, and it probably still feels that way today.