Author Archives: Christian Arpino

Project #2 – Brooklyn Bridge

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My location for Project #2 is the Brooklyn Bridge. This was the place I chose because it is a place in Brooklyn that you should absolutely see and visit if you haven’t already. The Brooklyn bridge sees a lot of activity during all times of the day, and is also one of the biggest structures in all of the five boroughs. To get to the Brooklyn bridge from City Tech you have to head north on jay street toward Tilary street, then you take a left  on Tilary street and walk down that block until you hit the Brooklyn Bridge.

I noticed a lot of different things while I was walking there like a park in which lots of kids where playing basket ball. I also noticed a merging of old in new in the area like new buildings mixed with old town houses and it really drove home the fact that Brooklyn to me is both old and new. The mixing of old and new houses really gives the area around the Brooklyn bridge and even the Brooklyn Bridge itself a good juxtaposition. The bridge and cars are juxtaposed in the fact the bridge being so old and the cars being so new and more technologically advanced, it just makes the contrast between the two things stand out a considerable amount. Another juxtaposition in the area is the bridge itself compared to the surrounding houses, stores, and parks.

There are brand new condos by the Brooklyn bridge and they really stand out next to the Brooklyn bridge. Some of the businesses around the Brooklyn bridge as well are juxtaposed because one of the stores around the Brooklyn bridge was a Radio Shack and that store sells technology that would have never been around in the time the Brooklyn bridge was built, like cell phones, and computers. There are also a lot of instances in which the surroundings of the Brooklyn bridge can’t be juxtaposed like a lot of the buildings are still very old but they’re trying to modernize the area more. When I visited the Brooklyn bridge and the surrounding areas there were a couple of quotes from our readings that really stood out to me. The first was From a reading we did in class called A Literary Visitor Strolls in from the Airport by: Charles McGrath and he says “Maybe we’ll feel better when we get to the Brooklyn bridge.” and its true I did feel a lot better walking around and then finally getting to the Brooklyn bridge and looking at just how cool it really is up close. Overall I really enjoyed doing this project as it made me see Brooklyn in a way I would have never seen in the first place.

City Limits – Summary

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In Colson Whiteheads “City Limits” He explains how he has his own New York, and how everyone else in the city has their own personal New York. He then describes when he first started building his own New York, on the uptown No.1 train. He describes the time in a sarcastic tone saying “It’s the 70’s, so everything is filthy.” In his own New York he thinks everything is still filthy because that’s his own New York. He also talks about how to make your own New York based on strong experiences that you’ve had in the city. He then goes on to explain how you shouldn’t listen to anyone trying to tell you facts about New York because if you didn’t witness it, it didn’t happen in your New York. He says that everyone has their own New York because the buildings are always changing and different people are always visiting at different times so their is no one specific New York to him. He then says in your own new york if your apartments could talk they would have their own stories and gossip about you, He then goes on to say how you should cherish these places because they carry all your old stories and experiences.

Fort Greene Dreams – Summary

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Fort Greene Dreams is about a writer named Nelson George. It centers around Nelson in his description of how he moves from his apartment in Jamaica,Queens to Fort Greene in Brooklyn. When he moves to Fort Greene he writes about his experiences moving to Brooklyn like how his commute in the morning is different, to the things he see’s and the different people he encounters. He describes his move from Queens to Brooklyn as “The end and beginning of two eras for me.” He moves into a duplex which he comments on how he would never live in a apartment building when his family moved out of the projects but settles because it is so spacious. He then goes on to describe his first month his is new house and neighborhood. He wrote five books including what he calls his breakthrough work The Death of Rhythm and Blues. He then writes about the numerous celebrities he encounters while living in the Fort Greene area like Lester Bowie, Chris Rock,and Spike Lee. He writes about how he witnesses a robbery taking place in his backyard and how he’s never been mugged before except for when he left the door of his former apartment open and someone stole his Soul Train jacket. He then goes on to write about how he learned what kind of writer, what kind of lover, and what kind of son he was. He also found out that he was a teacher, much like his mother as to him. He finally describes how he would like to be as a writer, He wanted to produce many works and embrace many different disciplines.

Homework # 2 – Reading Images

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Image # 2

  • Three woman are having picnic.
  • Based on all the leaves on the ground around them the season might be autumn.
  • They are wearing very old style clothing, fancy elaborate hats, ribbons, neck ties.
  • They seem like they could be a little wealthy based on the clothes.
  • They look like they’re at a park next to a lake, daytime.
  • Who is taking the picture?, Maybe a fourth girl that went on the picnic with them?
  • They all look to be having a good time because I can see two of them smiling and the one on the right seems to be posing for the camera.
  • The food looks like its on a blanket on the ground in front of them.
  • Looks to be a very old style photograph, sepia maybe?

Project #1：Introducing Myself

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Hello, My name is Christian Arpino. I have recently graduated from St. Edmund Preparatory High School in Brooklyn, NY. Coming to city tech is a very new experience for me. The high school I went to was very small. (No more than 600 kids) The school is a little intimidating to say the least. I have chosen to study Computer Systems Technology while I’m at city tech because I have been very interested in computers and software my entire life. I would consider myself an introverted person in the fact that I enjoy time to myself. Whether it be listening to music or playing video games. I have a very close knit group of friends from high school, but I hope to make more during my time at city tech.

The avatar in my profile is a picture of Saiga Tatsumi and he is the main character of Speed Grapher one of my favorite manga/animes. When I was growing up my uncle read a lot of manga and watched a lot of anime and one of the first manga books he gave me to read was Speed Grapher. I think this picture represents my love of Japanese animation in general. I mean there are more Anime series that I like but this picture represents to me at least my first exposure to the genre. Another reason I chose this picture is because I think it looks really cool in the fact that it really doesn’t say much at all. It makes someone wonder about who exactly this guy is.

How I think my avatar pic can be misinterpreted is that people see this person and they think maybe I’m doing something in animation or drawing. Another reason I think some one could misinterpret this picture is that maybe they think I am not an organized person. I mean in the picture his hair isn’t really kept that neat and he has a little goatee, it makes him look a little rough around the edges. I also think that my picture can be misinterpreted in the fact that I may be older because people might look at the man in my avatar pic and think that I am older.

I think my profile would convey that I’m a interesting person at the very least. I mean I think I like a lot of things that not a lot of people like and maybe find a little weird, and I think my profile conveys that message. I also think that my profile conveys that I’m a college freshman just trying to find his way through everything. My profile conveys me as a person in the fact that it includes everything that I like and enjoy. My profile also conveys my personality because there is not a lot said in it and that’s usually how I am in general in the fact that I don’t really talk that much and like to keep to myself. I think all of this matters because maybe this profile could influence the way people think of me as a person.