Project Archives

This site was produced in 2016, during the initial phase of the Everyday Life in Middletown Project, under the auspices of the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry. It assembles the material gathered by the EDLM team during the spring of 2016, including day diaries compiled by our volunteer informants, contemporary and historic photographs, analysis of data from the study, and more.

Insights

Members of the EDLM team offer various insights into specific aspects of everyday life. There are a total of 18 insights. In keeping with our sense that studying the everyday requires a wide array of lenses and approaches, we have exercised considerable freedom in choosing a form and a voice for these essays, ranging from graphics and comic strips to creative writing. Some draw on the work of theorists; many engage with the testimony of our informants. All strive to offer a fresh look at one or more everyday phenomena that we usually take for granted.

The Movie Theater

The Movie Theater

2016

by Meagan Brant & Cooper Cox

Coworkers were moaning around at work all week about the 32 hour work week. For me… I work 50s almost every non holiday …

Consumerism

Consumerism

2016

by Saxony Wynecoop

Class. Convenience. Societal strains.
Ads and brands. Commercials and chains.
It’s so much more than buying and …

I am a Mocal

I am a Mocal

2016

by Maren Orchard

When I became a student at Ball State, I learned that I am a Mocal – unflattering slang for a Muncie local. Despite the negative …

Pet Care

Pet Care

2016

by Emily Griffis

Morning. A yawn escapes. From your mouth or hers no one knows. Tiny, heart-shaped pebbles clink, clink, clink into the bowl below …

Leisure

Leisure

2016

by Cooper Cox

The word “leisure” comes from Old French, meaning “an opportunity to do something.” It is the empty space in between work shifts …

Commuting

Commuting

2016

by Patrick Collier

Does anyone have anything good to say about commuting? Media discourse about commuting is overwhelmingly negative. News …

Making Ends Meet: An Interview

Informant 6 is a retiree living in an apartment building on the Southside, where she’s known as “the mayor” for organizing meals, trips to the food pantries, and social events. In an interview with the EDLM team, she talks about growing up in the factory age; making ends meet during labor strikes and lay-offs; food stamps; women’s rights and economic freedom; and what she likes about living on the Southside.

Read more here.

Our Team

Meet the student members of our team, and read a short report of something each of us discovered in the course of keeping a detailed day diary six times during the semester. The results are sometimes banal, sometimes eccentric, sometimes delightfully odd—like everyday life itself. To meet our professor, Dr. Patrick Collier, click here. To read short bios of our 15 informants, click here.

– Vivien Pong ’17

“I pay more attention not only to my everyday activities, but also to moments of non-being.”

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– Vivien Pong ’17
– Casey Smith ’18

“I discovered that numbers and patterns influence the way I perceive my surroundings.”

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– Casey Smith ’18
– Ryan Shank ’18

“During the course of this study, I’ve found that I think the most often in everyday time.”

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– Ryan Shank ’18
– Janie Fulling ’17

“I really like to write ‘bless her/him’ when people are kind.”

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– Janie Fulling ’17
–  Henry Stumler ’17

“My writing made me realize how unaware I was of things in my life.”

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– Henry Stumler ’17
– Aaron Brehm ’17

“I’ve learned how unaware I was of my surroundings.”

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– Aaron Brehm ’17
– Saxony Wynecoop ’16

“It is weird that we go about living our day without a thought as to why we do the things we do.”

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– Saxony Wynecoop ’16
– Sam Baumgart ’16

“I use my extra time in passive leisure, such as watching cartoons and hanging out with my cats.”

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– Sam Baumgart ’16
– Kathryn Mirabella ’19

“I am constantly focused on what is going to happen next.  I have a hard time living in the present.”

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– Kathryn Mirabella ’19
– Emily Griffis ’16

“On a typical day I hold longer conversations with my cats than I do with people and Sudoku is my only form of escapism.”

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– Emily Griffis ’16
– Cooper Cox ’16

“I found an interest in documenting absurd images; a hot sauce label picturing a man whose facial hair was made of peppers.”

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– Cooper Cox ’16
– Alex Gilland ’17

“I found myself wondering who my audience was, writing about the past,  escaping my everyday through laughter and sports…”

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– Alex Gilland ’17
– T.J. Tekulve ’17

“I tend to describe the food I’m eating, describing the emotional, psychological, and sometimes physical impact it all has on me.”

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– T.J. Tekulve ’17
– Meagan Brant ’16

“I write about my empathetic moments, to-do lists and briefly touch on internal discussion and/or conflict.”

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– Meagan Brant ’16
– Maren Orchard ’18

“I caught myself feeling worried for the man who couldn’t cross Bethel and for the other patients at my doctor’s office.”

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– Maren Orchard ’18