Do I have to like Vegemite?

I know, two posts in a few minutes but they deserve separate entries.

With the new social network for Beloit College applicants and because I'm going abroad next semester I've started another blog.

So if you'd like to follow my travels down under, starting in February, I'll be blogging at http://doihavetolikevegemite.blogspot.com/

Because, really, do I have to like Vegemite?

It Feels Like 100 Days, 100 Nights

I love it when things fall into place.

In the past year I've become obsessed with music from Allido Records and Daptone Records: Amy Winehouse, Budos Band, Mark Ronson, Rhymefest, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, etc.

My friend Michelle, writer of Rocksnobs.com got to see Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings last fall and said they were excellent. Imagine my surprise when I found out they were going to be in Madison! It's a $7 bus ride to Madison from Beloit so I was determined to get there, even on a Wednesday night.

My friend Kelly and I had originally planned to go together (she's from Madison) but by the Monday after Thanksgiving she wasn't feeling too hot. But by that point my friend Emily and her step-brother Robbie had decided to go to the show as well, and luckily, Emily has a car!

Now, before I start gushing about how excellent the show was I have to promote my newest favorite album. I first heard a few tracks on Mark Ronson's friday night internet radio show Authentic Sh*t from Menahan Street Band's Make the Road By Walking. Menahan Street Band is a mash-up of artists from various Daptone Records groups Budos Band and the Dap-Kings. Seriously, I can't get enough of their album; I've find myself humming their tunes all the time. Go have a listen, right now, right here: http://www.myspace.com/dunhamrecords!

So, back to the show. I was already very pumped to see Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, whose album 100 Days, 100 Nights has been in my rotation for about 4 months now, but couldn't contain my surprise when the website updated to say that Menahan Street Band was ALSO playing. I had to call my sister and brag.

For only $22, Emily, Robbie and I headed up to Madison on Wednesday night. The snow subsided by the time we hit the road at 4:30 so the ride was uneventful. The show started at 7:30 so with an hour and a half to kill before hand, we went over to Monty's Blue Plate Diner, across the street from the Barrymore Theater. I had a GBLT (guacamole, bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich), Robbie had a bleu cheese and bacon burger and Emily had a grilled veggie salad. We all dug into a Turtle Sundae before heading back across the street to see the show.

It took a while for us to gain feeling back into our toes but we had a good time looking around the old theater. It even has winking, sparkly stars in the ceiling. At about 7:45, Menahan Street band came on stage and we went to stand in front of it. Our feet glued themselves to the floor, which I doubt has been ever mopped, and we watched a great set. By the end of the night, the floor had gone from sticky to slick because so much beer had been spilled.

With only one album out, the set lasted about half an hour but they brought out a special guest! Charles Bradley! He's a James Brown-ish sort of guy with a great voice.

It was another half an hour before Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings got on stage, and in that amount of time the number of people on the floor doubled. I'm only 5'2" and was wearing tennis shoes so I went from having a clear view of the stage to a clear view of everyone else's shoulders. About half of Menahan Street Band are also Dap-Kings so they came back on to stage in nice suits to play a few warm up songs. Binky Griptite sang a few before introducing Sharon Jones. That lady can sing and move! Sharon (only 4'11" herself) brought people up on stage to dance with her, had the audience sing back-up and danced non-stop. A good portion of the audience was also grooving along to her soul-funky voice. To end the show, Charles Bradley came back on and they sang a duet. By this point it was getting close to 11 but no one was willing to leave. An encore was asked for a we got it. Sharon sang another couple of songs before heading out to the lobby to sign merchandise.

Emily, Robbie and I were exhausted by this point and didn't bother to stick around. We knew we had an hour's drive back to Beloit and all had things to do the next morning. We took a quick drive past the capital because I had never really been through Madison before, and hopped on the interstate home. I was back in my room by 12:30 and crashed immediately, wondering if I'd ever get the beer off my shoes or make it out of bed in the morning.

Just yesterday I found out that they'll be playing in San Francisco at the end of January. Since I have two months off between the end of my Beloit semester and the beginning of my Australian semester, I'm going to try and see them again!

Oh, and I apologize for the low quality pictures but the shutter button fell off on my camera over Thanksgiving break and I haven't bought the $18 piece of plastic to replace it yet.

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, Snowwwwwww.

I was only off by 24 hours! By Sunday night we had about 2 inches of snow on the ground here in Beloit with an additional inch by morning.

December 1 2008 v. November 3 2008:


The sidewalks on campus weren't made by a ruler, instead they twist and turn around old forgotten trees and ancient Native American paths. In the winter they sometimes disappear entirely. Within a few weeks of the semester beginning, we know how long it takes to get to class and which route is the fastest. But when the snow falls, Physical Plant's whims decide our routes. Sidewalks go missing for months while other paths are created.

I lived in 609 Emerson my first year, before there was a path from the most-used door. Instead, we created a packed snow trail from the door to the nearest sidewalk. Within days it had become a solid ice-slide and made for many perilous journeys to meals. A new dusting of snow would only create another layer of ice that took weeks in the spring to melt.

My winter boots have been near my door for a few weeks but I truly needed them this morning as I made my way to class, past the library and Eaton Chapel to WAC. I pounded my feet off on the slushy steps and unwrapped my face as my sunglasses fogged up in the warmth of the building's lobby. The glittery snow looks beautiful right now under street lamp and moonlight, especially through a closed window.

--
Final countdown:
Papers: 2
Exams: 1
Projects: 2
Dinner's at a Professor's house: 1
Days until back in California: 16

Jumping on the bandwagon.

I’m not sure how many of you are still reading this, and by “you” I mean people other than my mother. Some may have noticed that the link on the Admissions website to the blogs has disappeared and been replaced with another button.

In response to current internet trends Admissions has implemented this social network for applicants, Admissions counselors and a few current students who work for the Office, including myself. Invites will be sent after your application is received and the network goes live. Hopefully it will be up and running in early December for those early applicants who are already on the ball. We’ve got a few applications already being read in the office and can’t wait to get more.

The social network is Admission’s way of making sure questions are answered. I know that Facebook was still predominantly college students with hard-to-get-into high school networks when I joined back in the summer of 2006. My first friends were other Beloit students I met in the Beloit Class of 2010 group. Each year these groups are being started earlier and earlier, as soon as the first acceptances are sent out. This last January, the Beloit Class of 2012 group had a dozen people by the end of the month. Many questions were posted about housing, classes, professors, the town, parties, and entertainment on campus without any real answers. A few current students generously tried to answer as many as possible but plenty were just speculation from other future class members.

Admissions hopes that this social network will help change that. It, quite like Facebook, has groups, profiles and forums to write in, but more people are able to answer questions and support confused future first-years.

Remember, the early action deadline is December 1!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Seriously, isn't that song just creepy? And since one friend has it as a ring-back tone it is constantly stuck in my head. Thanks, Mark.

We've got 15 days left of class plus 4 days of finals before we're all out of here for the semester. I try not to rely on caffeine because I crash hard later but when November (or April) hits I'm all for an extra shot of energy after class.

Pleasant Street Coffee opened almost two years ago just off campus. Though we have the Java Joint on campus, their coffee skillz don't quite match a real shop. On Friday nights they have live music and often the place will be packed. Many times, on my way back from the public library, bookstore or grocery store, I've stopped into get a quick drink, thaw and a punch in my card. The fake fireplace is warming and the big screen TV plays news or sports silently while the radio plays a good mix of classic pop and rock. Student art lines the walls, everything from photographs to local hand stitched maps.

Often you'll find students working behind the counter, always eager for a chat about a professor or homework. Locals and students mix in a really cozy atmosphere over looking the Rock River. On a winter's night P-Street is a welcome respite against the cold winds, low temperatures and intermittent snow that falls between November and March.

And speaking of snow, it snowed today! Well, it seemed like quite a lot while in the classroom but the ground was warm and yet again, it did not stick. Within an hour there was barely a trace of snow on the ground, though the wind has stayed whipping. I think that if it's going to be below freezing, it might as well snow and look pretty.

For my first two years here, the first real snow fall of each year has landed on December 1st, oddly enough. So I guess we'll be waiting another two weeks for a real snowfall and what I consider the offical start of Christmas-music-listening season. I don't celebrate Christmas but I sure do love me some snowy medleys.

1 Dec 2007:

1 Dec 2006:

It's the Final Countdown

I feel like my head's been in another place for the past week. Things are falling through the cracks as classes start to hit the last 6 weeks. As professors try to fit everything in students start to get stressed. I've been lucky not to lose more than a day being sick this semester but it seems almost inevitable. Last semester I ended up taking my finals while on antibiotics for a sinus infection. Hopefully this will be skipped this year...

We have about 4 and a half weeks of classes until finals. Within that are multiple of the 3 Ps: papers, presentations, and projects. My sanity seems to be running away from me. I find myself 15 pages into a packet on Marx and realize that I've absorbed nothing. The highlighter poised in my hand remains capped as I begin again...

It seems like such a downer of an entry and I apologize. I guess I'm starting to slump and need a break. Heck, this is my 5th semester here, and I think I deserve my two months off before next semester (the Australia semester starts mid-February).

Also, since it's now November, the inevitable snow fall will begin. It's been hovering just above freezing for the past two days. We had some brief non-sticking snow on Friday afternoon but it mostly drizzled icy rain. My computer tells me it's snowing right now but my window does not.

And to think it was 65 on Election Day...



I voted!

VOTE

I don't discuss my politics. Who and what I vote for are mine and mine alone. But what I do support is voting.

Some who read this blog are too young but if you can vote, GO VOTE. In Wisconsin you can register at the polls.


GO. VOTE.