Stay classy, not UMassy.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Spring Climax
Stay classy, not UMassy.
How to Not End Up like Lindsay Lohan
Hangover:
Another word for hangover is called dehydration. No, not Jack Black's definition of being drunk yesterday, which is partly true. However, fact remains you're completely deficient of some high quality H2O. Here's what happens: You pour poison, mine just happens to be vodka cranberry with lime, but hey all alcohol works the same. So, your drinking with that handy nalgene you bought at Hayden's and then all of a sudden you have a sudden urge to pee. Now guys, you have the luxury of peeing in public, most likely on building (whatever luxury this may be, watch out for the UNH po po, they'll tackle your ass). For us ladies we not only have to use the bathroom, but we absolutely feel the need to go as a group (it's a thing, don't judge). Actually I lied, we don't really need to go a toilet, although we would prefer to, but I, myself have resorted to bushes several times and whenever I see that bush I recall that night then shamelessly announce it to whomever is with me at that time (bless their soul). SO, back to the point we're in the bathroom with x amount of girls (at this point seeing other girls cooter is whatever) and you may have noticed your pee is clear. Your pee is pretty much 99% water. When alcohol enters your blood stream it blocks an important hormone called ADH, or anti-piss hormone. Hence, you pee A LOT, there's no way to avoid it. Now you might be thinking, "Oh, I'll replace my fluids with my mixer, dah!" Wrong. This will accomplish the exact opposite. It just ends up back into your urine and never gets absorbed. Anyways, after a fabulous night you either pass out in a bathtub/shower like me or like normal people in bed. Then BAM! Headache from HELL. This happens because your brain is literally trying to penetrate your skull. There is not lubrication between your brain and skull, so hence you feel your brain is as big as Pete Bouchard's 9-incher
(please note: Snorting the contents from the Astroglide packets you bashfully took from your RA's door won't help this lubrication situation, sorry).
Prevention: Honestly, I haven't had a hangover in about over a year. Now, of course I 'rage'. I've participated in kegstands, doing shots til I hit the floor, and case races. However, I always know that I must legit CHUG WATER. If you remember this, I PROMISE you will be able to make it through the following day. If you're dry heaving through a meeting though, sorry tough guy...you're fucked.
Illness Strikes If you follow me on twatter you may have seen that I was pretty much on my deathbed last week. I had the pleasure of having sandpaper in my throat and a cough that could unearth HoCo. I know EXACTLY where I got this from too. I spend a lot of my time at the Dimond computers, so basically what I see is people coughing/sneezing/sniffling/wiping their nose and then touching that goddamn keyboard. I'm sorry but enough is enough, I'm being brutal now. I wanna know how fucking hard is to take your arm and cover your mouth?! In case you just can't remember what to do when you feel that sneeze or cough coming on, here's nice little mnemonic phrase for you: "Cough in the cuff, sneeze in the sleeve." I think Stephen Hawking can do that with his eyes. Not hard. I hope Dimond sanitizes those, but probably not (clearly we don't pay them enough if they can already let go a library legend). I mean there are sanitizers, to the right... no maybe a little to the left, ah, right in front of your face! Utilize them! I mean don't become that OCD person who goes through a gallon of Purell a day to avoid all the germs in the world. OH! And speaking of Germs... there is no such thing. For you kids who took Germs 101...haahhahahhahhha (sorry Corey). They are called M-I-C-R-O-B-E-S.
Before I give my oh so helpful prevention tip, I need to discuss acrylic nails. Ladies, those are textbook in-fucking-fested disease dwellers. Those chlamydia claws carry everything including the pimple you popped, skin you've scratched, the oil from your hair you've tossed about 23904832043 times today, etc. That shit is embedded with bacteria. Just please clean those things.
Prevention: I'm a big advocate of sleep! I believe my health presides over my academic excellence any day. Anyone who does otherwise, you're a fucking moron and no one likes your scholastic endeavors. Good luck when you contract mono because of your compromised immune system HAHA (Mono is the worst virus ever, the only good thing is that you barely eat and you lose weight. Otherwise, you feel like you would much rather die). Also, avoid places that wreak of disease: hookah pipes, sharing of drinks, SLS building, med lab science labs (urine & blood YUM!), cigarettes/smokers, the Men's hockey team (just kidding love you boys!), health services, hippies, Libby's basement, Knot basement, ATO's basement, Wings Your Way (thanks for the food poisoning douchelords), and pretty much any bathroom on Main Street.
Condoms: Avoid babies and disease!
My last bit of common sense to you (and what Lindsay avoided and now allegedly has HIV) is the use of condoms. Know them, love them, use them. They are fabulous. You know why? Because you will avoid being an emotional wreck like that cunt club called 16 and Pregnant. Obviously, I understand if the condom breaks or whatever you wanna call it. But c'mon, how many birth control methods are out there? I don't think its hard and honestly, if you're hammered and there's isn't a condom, don't be a moron: make that man shamelessly go down to the local dispensable condom machine! Sure, babies are miracles but most people in college would rather avoid that situation.
Now, lets talk about those diseases. I mean you know they're out there! I wish there was an instant screening test too, but you know it comes down to a respect issue. I respect myself enough to be able to use protection and if I don't have it with me, too bad , boo-hoo for me, life goes on. Unless of course its like John Mayer or Robert Pattinson. I'd gladly have their bastard child (I hate it when the media uses 'love child'). Some condoms cost legit 99 cents. So how about you spend that one whole dollar instead of the walk of shame to Durham Rite Aid and spend 50 bucks on Plan B (who ever comments advertising/advocating/ranting about pro-life I will find you and throw hangers at you, take it somewhere else).
Prevention: Ladies, get the head out of your ass and guys, take a lap around your asshole and use a condom. Your life could change in an instant and could determine the rest of your life. Not hard.
Again, don't end up like Lindsanity! Got better things to do now like have multiple orgasms (which by the way, are SO MUCH better when you have to pee! Try it ladies!)
xoxo,
-Lady Meow
PS-In all my posts, I highly suggest clicking on my links.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
On Saturday there will be the inaugural May Day carnival in C-Lot. It is going to have everything from circus rides to games and food. Even Kurt will be there. Between that and it being my roommate's birthday, Saturday should prove to be a day-drinking-day. There's no secrets to decode, I really think that this May Day carnival could be a lot of fun and hopefully it will grow in the upcoming years.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Life According To The Lunchbox (Extended Version)
I don’t fully sympathize with his plight since a rather sizeable line of students just accumulated on the grassy knoll adjacent to Kurt’s Lunchbox. They want fried food; it’s what their appetites created by PBRs crave more than anything. Kurt has fried food by the white truck-full. Kurt will end up with over three-hundred customers by the end of the night, I’m sure of it.
I climbed up into the van and looked around and had an expression on my face similar to the one I had the first time I saw The Never Ending Story. He greets me and has me stand back while he lifts a fresh batch of mozzarella sticks out of the roaring oil. “This is a hot one!,” Kurt exclaimed over the clamor of the customers and of my maneuvering on the cold steel floor. “Thanks for stopping by. It’s nice to have some company in here,” he said while walking over to dispense some food to a pair of college students.
Though his affable nature and genuine smile create a persona much like a neighborhood ice cream man, Kurt opts to listen to rock stations or Jane’s Addiction albums instead of the familiar summertime jingle. Kurt’s day job is a teacher’s aide in high school, and he can come up with the correct amount of change instantly for any combination of food from any cash amount, but he can’t remember if he’s had his food business for eleven or twelve years. The truck has an old and worn appearance, but the inside is a very clean and efficient system built to equip any amount of people who decide to show up. There isn’t much space, but you can move very quickly from the nacho staging area on one side to the Crock-Pot that holds barbeque chicken on the other side.
Kurt was nice enough to let me observe his weekend trade on a night where he was battling the elements of a cold and rainy night in Durham, New Hampshire. There was a chance that a leak would form and send cold water into the hot oil and cause splashes which could burn his skin, or if the wind happened to blow east, there was a chance fire would shoot out from under his original model Fryalator and could burn his entire being. Despite these potential dangers, Kurt will stand in harm’s way for a few extra seconds to wrap sold food in tin foil so his customers will be ensured that their cheesy fries stay crispy and warm. Kurt cares about his craft more than he cares about our personal safety. I made sure to stand back and let the master take care of business.
Kurt is the perfect example of a college late night mainstay. He is a well-known figure that goes by one name and one name only. Everyone who has been at UNH for more than a month knows where he is located. His “cheesy fries” are part of the local vernacular just as much as “HoCo,” “DHOP,” and “The Dump.” A good deal of college campuses have food trucks, and Kurt’s has all of the characteristics and ambiance of a typical one, including the slight air of mystery that Kurt himself seems to give off (the “Kurt is a teacher” rumor has floated around the campus for a long time, amongst other things of that nature). The food is delicious, especially after a night of drinking. The dude working the counter is one of the more cool laid back dudes you’ll see all night. He wears a funny hat and rings one of two bells depending on how much you tip him. He remembers the regulars and he gives out free samples to those who’ve yet to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Kurt is a late night college campus staple, and people like him are integral to a full college experience.
The feeling one gets attaining fried food after a night of drinking is the same feeling as finally beating the original Super Mario Bros; you got what you wanted and who cares if you got through being warped? The food isn’t the most important aspect of a food truck on a college campus; it’s the atmosphere just outside of it. The line at a place like this is always a post on the Facebook group “Overheard at UNH” waiting to happen. Approximately eight out of ten people in queue are relaxed, hungry people just looking for fries, and if they are lucky, a sideshow. The other two people in line are that very sideshow. “I’ve heard and saw just about everything by now,” Kurt told me with a slight grin and a laugh. With almost perfect comedic timing, a customer interrupted our conversation and asked Kurt to “grill a piece of cheese bread” and told him to put “whatever you want on it.”
The night kept up the trend of being interesting when two of Kurt’s “co-workers” showed up (I use the term co-workers loosely since they hadn’t been by the truck in a while). Two UNH students named Nicole and Chelsea entered the truck and they were very excited to be there. They started helping Kurt arrange the various food combos coming in waves through the outside and collecting money. “I have people help out if I know them and trust them with the responsibility of making change. There’s not that many people who have worked with me consistently.” Nicole was primarily handling the money and when she wasn’t asking me what the correct change for certain items were or listening to requests from guys asking for her number, she spoke warmly about the Kurt’s experience.
“This is one of the coolest places on campus. You see tons of people, and it is just a good time,” she said through a smile. Chelsea concurred with a whole hearted, “Kurt rocks!” The employee with the least spotty attendance record would be Dane DiLiegro, the starting center for the UNH basketball team. The low ceiling of Kurt’s wouldn’t seem like ideal working conditions for someone who stands at 6’9”, but Dane enjoys the experience. He also conceptualized “Danish Sauce,” a condiment of Dane and Kurt’s creative collaboration that is used to top french fries and hot dogs.
“I find it therapeutic. It can get pretty busy, but it’s nice to work here and just live in the moment and not worry about anything else.” While Kurt has no plans to open a Day Spa off of his truck, the therapeutic atmosphere does make sense. Kurt is much unstressed by the environment and it rubs off on everyone. The students who wait in line for up to half an hour at a time don’t even get all that mad if he has to close up shop on them since Kurt genuinely does seem sorry if he cannot serve a customer due to having to close at 2pm, a rule kept fairly strict and monitored by the UNH Police Department. “The students have always been great to me and so have the administrators and the police. Everyone in the community has been very welcoming of me.”
One of the things I will always remember from my college experience is being lucky enough to have a window with a bird’s eye view of Kurt’s every single weekend. I always found something reassuring about the faint yellow light emanating out of the back door window; it reminds me that the weekend is here. I used Kurt’s as my weekly treat when I was spending the rest of the week exercising and dieting to lose weight. Although a Jared Fogel like campaign probably wouldn’t be met with much positive response in regards to Kurt’s, I have dropped around 60 pounds since going to Kurt’s on a regular basis. These connections are, to some extent, unique but simply having stories and Kurt’s experiences to recount when remembering college is not that unique since nearly everyone has something to remember. Perhaps you shared a drag of a clove cigarette with a really good friend and you had an intense conversation about life while waiting in line for corn dogs. Or, maybe you saw someone eat pavement falling off a skateboard after trying to do a kick flip onto the curb near the truck. The point is that Kurt’s Lunchbox is an epicenter of nostalgia if you allow it to be. Assuming, of course you can recollect what happened that night.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
"El Presidente" reacts to my column
Also, I want to make it known that I am neither a "fat chick" nor am I apart of SCOPE, let alone the head of the organization. The Beatles quote I referenced was not from one of his posts, but a comment he had on his own post that also included "fucking morons." Don't get me wrong, I am happy that Stoolapalooza is coming to UNH, but I think that El Pres' response just further proves how immature he is.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Sicko changes mind, signs with Dallas
Like a Pro: End The Hate
It is the amount of hate on this campus.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not some super-liberal hippy; I am actually pretty much independent when it comes to politics. I am not calling for every student to link arms, share a joint and sing “Kumbaya” or “Give Peace a Chance” on Thompson Hall Lawn. I am simply wondering why so many people have so much hate built up inside of them. If those songs do not make sense to you maybe “Where is the Love?” by the Black Eyed Peas will. How is that for a middle-school jam reference? If you understood that song reference and not the first two you should probably stop reading now.
The best example of this hate is the attitude so many people on this campus have about SCOPE. SCOPE is the Students Committee On Popular Entertainment at UNH and they are in charge of booking large-scale concerts for students. I know what some of you are thinking, and yes I have disagreed with SCOPE in the past, but it was always in an understanding manner. For example, I really do not like Akon and I was upset when SCOPE booked him, but I completely understand why they did, given his popularity.
When SCOPE announced MGMT for their spring climax show, they were instantly bombarded with disapproving comments, to put it lightly. Many students were also ecstatic, and that was shown by the fact that the show sold out in just four hours. This led to another problem—students called out SCOPE and MGMT for not wanting to play at the Whittemore Center. When SCOPE announced the Girl Talk show would also be in the Field House, uninformed students once again blasted them. Well, here’s some breaking news for those students—the Whittemore Center is actually unavailable due to renovations. Now will someone please tell me how that is SCOPE’s fault? Even if the Whittemore Center was available, it would cost twice as much as it would to rent as the Field House, and SCOPE has a strict budget to stick to.
I would also like to add that I am so happy Girl Talk is on May 7, the same day as Sam Adams. Take that, Stoolapalooza. Have fun with 250 people crammed in Libby’s basement. The rest of campus will be in the Field House watching an artist who is actually known outside of New England. If Stoolapalooza really “trumps the Beatles,” as Dave “El Presidente” Portnoy so eloquently put it, then I think it would cost more than $28 a ticket. Last I checked, Paul McCartney, who happens to be a big fan of MGMT, pulls in over $100 a ticket. Let’s take this a step further. For $28 I could see Sam Adams in Libby’s basement, or for $35 I could have seen Akon in the Whittemore Center, MGMT and Girl Talk in the Field House and Titus Andronicus—via MUSO (the Memorial Union Student Organization)—in the Granite State Room. Yeah, I’ll take UNH student organizations for the win.
I think this has been a great year for student entertainment organizations like SCOPE and MUSO. They combined to cover most major genres of music and I think it is safe to say there has truly been something for everyone. If they only booked rap artists a lot of the campus would have been left out. If they only booked bands, the other half would have been left out. Sadly, they will probably never get the respect that they actually deserve. Remember, no one’s taste in music is “right.” Good music is solely opinion. Just because you don’t like someone doesn’t mean that they suck and everyone else should hate them too. This is why I propose that next year SCOPE and MUSO combine for a truly epic Spring Climax weekend. Imagine the possibilities.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
PS: Speaking of MUSO I meet their student music director, Tim King, this past weekend. He seemed like a really chill kid and he also has a blog. He used to hate us, but now he doesn't. Be sure to check his blog out.
Monday, April 26, 2010
UNH's Sicko turns down NFL
I was really surprised that Scott Sicko was not selected in the draft, especially when so many tight ends were taken. Sports Illustrated had Sicko listed as a sleeper pick to keep an eye on. Following in the draft Sicko was contacted by at least three teams, including the Dallas Cowboys who basically offered him a spot on their active roster. Sicko turned down all three teams, saying that he was only going to play in the NFL if he got drafted.
Um, what?
Sicko plans on pursuing a post-graduate degree in history, but playing in the NFL is a once in a lifetime opportunity that very few people ever get a chance at. Why not give the NFL a shot? He has the size, the speed and the hands to be a solid receiving tight end. In Dallas he could have played in a passing offense, at the nicest stadium in the league and he could have learned from one of the best tight ends in the league in Jason Witten. Maybe he would have shown up at mini-camp and realized the NFL wasn't for him, but at least he would have tried.
If Sicko truly loves football than he is being over dramatic and a coward. Anyone can get a post graduate degree, many athletes do so in the offseason or after retiring. This will be a decision that haunts Sicko down the road. If he didn't want to play in the NFL why would he have flown out to visit teams, go to the combine and have his own pro-day? I just don't see any legitimate reason to not give the NFL a shot, then again I don't know Sicko or his family, but it just doesn't make any sense to me. I wouldn't be surprised if he signed by the end of the week, but you never know.
Anyways, I wish Scott the best of luck in whatever direction he ends up going, but I would have loved to see him playing on Sundays, even if it was for the Cowboys.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
We almost just hit a hooker!
First we were heading down a dark back street to cut through to Storrow Drive to get out of the city. All of a sudden this "woman" crosses the street right in front of the car. The driver had to slam on his breaks and swerve, she literally came out of nowhere. Instantly all four of us shouted "We almost just his a hooker!" or some variation of "hit" and "hooker." Now, if you asked me to describe a prostitute in general I would include the following: tall high heeled-boots, booty shorts, tank top, big hair, big boobs and kind of dirty and sad looking in a general way. That is exactly how this "lady" looked, which is why we all assumed that she was in fact, a hooker.
So once we left the city we decided to grab some McDonalds, but the one we exited the highway for was closed. We somehow ended up at another one and eventually made it back to the highway thanks to the driver's GPS. But before that we had to search for a place to pee, went to about four or five places that were all closed or "didn't have a bathroom," but they all had groups of guys sitting on the hoods of suped up imported cars who looked like they wanted to stab us.
On the way back home we stopped at the rest stop on the New Hampshire boarder on route 95. At the restroom we ran into a group of older guys who were also at the game, extremely intoxicated and had a limo. One guy looks at my friend, who had a Sox hat and shirt on and goes "were you guys at the game too?"
"Yeah" I replied.
"Ah, so who won... Ortiz?"
None of us replied and the guy goes, "Oh, so Papelbon won?"
He then continued on about loosing his cellphone in the limo or something like that. Seriously, this guy was more of a mess than someone who didn't keep their eye on their drink at (insert any sketchy UNH party spot that you can relate to.)
One can say that it was quite the eventful night.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Preview of MGMT: Performance on SNL
Going from the initial tweets and I some what agree (I edited this after New Hampshirite put in that tid bit, a-hole) But they might be totally different when they perform here.
Tweets, the bad:
Friday, April 23, 2010
Student body election results
I'm not here to brag, but maybe I have a career in covering politics, because that is pretty much the exact order I predicted earlier this week. Okay, I didn't list an exact outcome, but I did say it would come down to Peyser/Caiazza and Jett/Moody. I also said that Kelley/Chagnon were the third best option due to their poor goals. I indirectly said that Moyer/Wilson and Hawley/Sanchez didn't have chance.
I would like to congratulate Richard Peyser and Christina Caiazza for their victory. I wish them the best of luck next and I hope they can continue what Richard started this year as VP.
Also, the blog now has a fan page on facebook. Check it out, we're hoping it will help provide a source of communication and connection to our readers. We are trying to get a better feel of our audience and the campus as a whole.
That is all for now, I'm off to Boston for the Red Sox game tonight. Have a good weekend UNH.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The NFL Draft Drinking Game
The draft can take a while so be sure to take at least a sip for every pick to keep your buzz going.
Take 2 sips:
- When Mel Kiper Jr guesses wrong
- Any trade is made
- Patriots make a trade (3 sips)
- Patriots draft a tight end
- If Bradford goes number 1
- If Bradford, Suh, and Gerald McCoy go 1,2,3.
- If Ryan Leaf is mentioned about possible busts
- Mel Kiper's hair is mentioned
- Brett Favre is mentioned
- If Jet's fans boo the Jets pick
- If Ben Roethlisberger is traded
- If the Raiders draft a guy based on his 40 speed
- If Minnesota runs out of time. (Or any team for that matter.)
- If the Patriots make a trade with the Raiders
- When Tim Tebow gets drafted
- If Scott Sicko or Sean Ware from UNH get picked
- If the Rams trade out of the top pick
- If Sam Bradford doesn't go number 1
- If no player from Ohio State goes in the first round.
Thursday Thoughts
First of all if you didn't vote for student body President and VP it is not too late. Due to that weird computer virus thing polls will remain open until mid-night tonight.
I think that student organizations need to stop trying to one up each other and work together. Think about it. What if Scope, Muso and CAB combined next year for a true spring climax weekend? Every year I have friends who go down to UConn's spring weekend, UNH needs to have something like that. I know UConn is way bigger than us, but we could definitely have a good one. Girl Talk and Titus Andronicus on the same weekend is kind of a start.
I think that May 7th is going to be an absolute shit show, I'm talking Halloween night level. Sam Adams and Stoolapalooza and Girl Talk on the same night will make for an epic night of downtown mayhem. All we have to do now is pray for nice weather. (By the way I have lost the rest of the little respect I had for El Pres. Have fun with 200 frat guys at Libby's while all the "smoke-shows" will be dancing their asses off at the Field House with 2,000 other people. Isn't barstool a sports blog anyways?)
That being said this has been a hell of a year for entertainment. Scope brought Akon, Bo Burnham, MGMT, and Girl Talk. There truly is something for everyone, especially if you factor is MUSO's shows with The Mountain Goats and now Titus Andronicus. Well done everyone.
I think that there should be a bridge/path from the Woodsides to the Gables. I was just thinking this last weekend and someone mentioned it on the "You known you to UNH..." facebook group. Nice call.
I really think this could be my year to get drafted to the NFL. The first round is tonight, but I could see myself falling to day three. If any teams are looking for a 5'11 wide receiver with great hands and a 40 yard dash you can time with a sun dial then they are in luck!
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
MUSO Wins.
Also, The Whit is unavailable due to renovations so I don't want to hear people bitching about there only being 2500 tickets or so.
But then along came MUSO and I lost my shit! May 9th, TITUS ANDRONICUS is coming to UNH! The very band I talked about like last week and how I thought they would be a cool show. Holy fuck I am pumped up. I really think that Titus Andronicus will be the show of the weekend. Thank you MUSO, you are awesome. I have nothing left to say.
I cannot wait for this show. I am so fucking happy.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Smoking Reefer
Stay classy, not UMassy.
I will not be posting this week, but I want to share my favorite youtube vids
I have no time this week to post because I have a shitton of work to do/sick as a dog. Since laughter is the best medicine, enjoy my favorite youtube vids instead! love, lady meow
I LOVE the GI JOE PSA's:
My friend Alex Letvinchuk throwin down an ORIGINAL version of the 603:
my push up bra will help me get my man:
mario frustration:
fabulous lip sync of blah blah blah i love this kid.
great app!
new FAVE/defines my life:
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Student Body Elections
**PLEASE NOTE: I do not know any of the candidates. This is just how I feel from reading about their stances.
I watched the videos from TNH and read the interviews and quite honestly most of the candidates had pretty similar responses and goals. There was not really one specific group that jumped out at me. All of the teams either have a senate member or an RA or both which is good because thats means they have experience leadership roles. When it comes down to it I really feel like the final decision is between the following two teams: Peyser/Caiazza and Jett/Moody. Here is why:
Sanchez/Hawley: Simply, although Sanchez is a senate member, he is only a freshman he hasn't been here long enough to truly understand what UNH needs. Hawley is in practically every activist group on campus. Although they both support the medical amnesty policy they also have quite a few turn-offs. I think it is great that Hawley stands up for what she believes in, but I feel she might have trouble separating her personal beliefs from what would benefit the university as a whole. (see: porn burning). A true leader makes decisions to better the community, not necessarily their personal beliefs... And that's why LBJ was one of the best domestic presidents ever! (Sorry, that's the history major in me.)
Moyer/Wilson: They asked me to sign their petition so they could run. When I asked them what they wanted to do they seemed confused and didn't give me a straight answer. No communication skills. Nope.
Kelley/Chagnon: Neither has any senate experience, but they are both RA's. Although I have shit on RA's in the past it is a very tough job and takes a strong person to be one. They could be serious contenders if not for their goals... extending MUB hours on the weekends because there is nothing to do on the weekends and that's why students make poor decisions. What? I make bad decisions because bad decisions are fun! There are much more important things than expanding MUB hours.
Peyser/Caiazza: Peyser is the current VP and this year's senate and officials have made great improvements and his experience is essential. Peyser is a poly sci major and Caiazza is a history major, which shows that they might actually have an idea of what politics are all about. They support expanding the gym to the New England center and Peyser has been involved with the advancement of the Medical Amnesty/Good Samaritan policy (which unanimously passed in the student senate this weekend!)
Jett/Moody: Jett has been in the senate and an RA for two years. Moody was a founding brother of the SAE fraternity, which is one of the most well respected fraternities on campus. (Their house is like the Congreve of frats.) Like Peyser and Caiazza they support expanding the gym, more wireless and the Medical Amnesty Policy. Jett played a key role in expanding library hours this year. They have good experience and solid goals.
So for those reasons that is why I believe the real decision comes down to Jett/Moody and Peyser/Caiazza. If you think Peyser has done a solid job then he should remain, if you think he didn't do enough than it is time to go in another direction. Out of the other four teams I feel as though Jett/Moody combine to have the best experience, goals and leadership skills.
Please remember to vote and actually think about which candidate would most benefit the university.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Monday, April 19, 2010
This Is Truly Nonsensical
Now, UNH has been in the schooling business for quite sometime now and they must realize that there are students who are in similar, if not more stressful, situations in regards to sleep. Ever since our semesters have been shortened, the work load is much more dense. (I am just a lowly communication major and I've noticed this. If you're a bio-chem or an engineering major and you're reading this, I am honored you are spending your free time here. How are you not passing out due to fatigue?)
The last two weekdays, I have been awoken to the sound of incessant, mono-tonal beeping. You know the sound a truck makes when they are backing up? Think of that, but more grating and without a consistent pattern. It would better if the pattern was steady so it could lull me back into a coma, but there's no way I can fall asleep to it, even with my windows shut. This has been starting at 7:30 in the morning. 7:30 in the morning! I didn't even know there was a 7:30 in the morning! Why would an academic institution such as UNH hire construction workers to work on the side of The MUB at 7:30 in the fucking morning?!?! This is boggling my mind!
There's a cherry picker parked by the entrance facing my dorm room window for the past few days. At some point in the morning, these two guys drive to our previously peaceful campus and then proceed to fuck it up. They start moving the cherry picker all over the place which makes that beeping noise. Once they feel that they have annoyed and awoken a sufficient amount of students, they pull out these metal brick cleaning guns and go to town on the walls just to make sure to get all the rest of the unfortunate souls out of bed. These guns sound like mini-jackhammers or a bunch of woodpeckers on PCP. What is going on is some sort of brick grinding process that cleans the white spaces in-between. I'd understand the reasoning for this noise if the MUB were falling down, but this is for vanity purposes only. I got four hours of sleep last night thanks to UNH wanting to look good.
Some residents of Mills, Fairchild, Hunter, Hitchcock, Devine and a few more buildings have been woken up by this unnecessary racket. I am probably more cranky than I should be since I am woefully tired, but this is bullshit.
I have been here for four years now, and this is actually not the first time this has happened. For a few days, while living in Jessie Doe as a sophomore, a bunch of leaf blowers went to town right outside of my window at approximately 8 in the morning. I had class at 2pm. There was no reason for me to get up that early. Benjamin Thompson wouldn't even get up that early if he had nothing to do until 2. Did the leaves really need to be taken care of that early? I'm sure the poor bastard who dealt with me yelling at him with my shirt off through my open window didn't want to get up that early. Why make him deal with my abuse or a shirtless version of me (which is another form of abuse)?
I don't think the bricks are going anywhere. Why don't you wait until all of us are off campus before you start cleaning them next time, okay? God damn, I'm cranky...
You Know You Go to UNH when…
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Keene State "Narnia" Party Room
I have a whole new respect for Keene Staters. I want a Narnia party room. Fuck the person who turned them in. That is all.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Friday, April 16, 2010
No Justice For All...
I hate Metallica. I loathe almost everything about Metallica, and it has nothing to do with their music at all. In fact, I enjoy a great deal of their pre-1990 catalogue and a few songs that have come out since then. They are one of the bands that generated my real interest in metal during my youth and this interest has stayed with me ever since then…but I still hate Metallica.
It’s not because they sold out, nor is it because they cut their hair when I was six-years-old. The reason why I hate Metallica is they made music piracy a hot button topic back in 2000. What makes me hate Metallica even more is that I can’t, no matter how I try, justify music piracy even though I actively participate in it.
I was in seventh-grade, and Napster just came out. Since I was only twelve, I pretty much only downloaded “The Bad Touch” by The Bloodhound Gang and “The Thong Song” by Sisqo. This was a wonderful time for me and my fellow seventh-graders due to the fact that the average age of our teachers was around two-hundred-fourteen and they just recently traded in their abacuses for internet machines. Explaining Napster to them would be like teaching Latin to your dog, so it goes without saying that the little Gateway hard drives that the school board shelled out big bucks for were chock-full of DMX songs. Metallica ruined it for all of us when their lawsuit against Napster hit the mainstream news.
The job market is very limited for pre-teens, so going out and buying music like a responsible adult just wasn’t in the cards. With my love of music ever growing and my main means of going about getting it for free being taken away, I cried foul. Very often, the people who were on the receiving end of my uneducated and un-researched claims asked me to explain how downloading music could possibly be okay. I never had a good answer, except for the old standby: “those bands are rich enough all ready.”
Now that I am older and theoretically smarter, I probably should have some sort of logical argument pertaining to the legality of downloading music for free. The sad reality is that I don’t, and it’s not due to a lack of trying.
The only real argument that I could come up with stems from the idea that Napster and programs like it are file sharing services, meaning that the people we download the music from are not the artists, but regular Joes and Jills who have bought the albums and decided to upload them onto the internet, and they are not doing it for any sort of profit. Since bands typically make most of their money from touring and merchandise and not from record sales, the sharing of their music wouldn’t hurt their wallets too much and it actually may increase the chances of someone going to see them live and buy a wristband with their name stitched into it. The counter argument is that if purchasing albums were truly so meaningless, then why do artists bother to put them in stores? The answer is to appease their labels, mostly, since they are the ones who see most of the money. Say what you want to about labels and how they built an industry built upon parity and marketing to ethically questionable demographics, and not through finding talented, unique bands, but a lot of work goes into the recording, production, packaging, and distributing of an album just like anything else we would be expected to buy without a single audible sigh. Why should buying albums be any different than buying a sandwich from Subway, a book, or a Sea-Doo? I wish I could download a Sea-Doo.
Other file-sharing programs and torrents have come out by the dozens since the ending of Napster (although, they have a paid subscription music service now, but it doesn’t work with iPods which is totally not epicsauce. Can we convince Steve Jobs to give the go ahead to a subscription service for the iPod? Somebody already convinced him that making a giant iPhone would be a good idea, so it can’t be that hard, right?). Using the examples of Napster, DC++, Kazaa, Limewire, and The Pirate Bay it has become apparent that music, movies, and game piracy will be around in at least one form or another as long as the internet remains in its current modus operandi. Even without the internet, we also get music for free from our friends through flash drives or ripping someone else’s CD onto our computers. I don’t feel like a hypocrite for saying these sorts of things since, despite the questionable legality of the situation (no, not The Situation), downloading music has become a part of our generation’s identity. A few pure souls may exist, but the probability of finding someone our age that has never downloaded a song through some sort of questionable method is about as likely as Lars Ulrich learning how to correctly play drums.
Trans-Continental Hustle
When I first heard their studio work I wasn't sure what to think but after my first live show I realized I would never see a better concert. I realized I was wrong after seeing them again... only they can top themselves live. Just watch this video of their performance on Jools Holland, a BBC music show from across the pond. Small stages and TV appearance can't control them and they instantly win over the audience.
Trans-Continental Hustle is set to be released on April 27th, the day before they play at Boston's House of Blues. It can currently be streamed for free off the band's myspace page and I think this is by far Gogol's most complete album. It has everything from slow soulful performances to rapid punk songs. Over the years the band has grown musically thanks to the passion of lead man Eugene Hutz who's rough voice perfectly fits the bands style. Hutz, who plays a nylon string accoustic guitar, sings of his past, of freedom and of hope. Born in Ukraine, Hutz and his parents were forced to relocate following the Chernobyl meltdown. For a few years they spent time living in refugee camps across Eastern Europe until immigrating to Vermont and eventually settling in New York City, which the band considers their home. They call their genre "Gypsy Punk" do to Hutz's Romani background.
If any of these songs even slightly spark your interest I highly recommend you attend their up coming show in Boston. I promise it will be an experience like no other.
Stay classy, not Umassy.