On December 4th I went to the Rose Common Room in a terrible mood, stressed out of my mind about my upcoming papers, and just generally not ready to do anything but binge Jessica Jones and eat ice cream.
However, the puppies turned my mood around 180. They were high energy and clearly just wanted to be loved and pet. I am more of a cat person, I’ll be honest, but the dogs were just what I needed.
The dogs trainers were equally friendly! I asked many questions about what the dogs were trained to do and was astounded by the answers. Guide dogs are used to help fetch things for the disabled, see any dangers that might be present for those who are blind, and can even smell rising heart rate for those who have heart problems! Plus they’re just too darn cute.
I hope that in the future these dogs will be just as loved by their owners and the world creates a more streamline and less expensive training program to make the guide dogs more available to any who need them.
On Thursday I was able to attend the event at the Johnson Museum of Art making Linoleum Stamps. I’m not artistic in any way, but I was able to create passable sunflower stamp.
The last time I created stamp prints was in intermediate school, so the step-by-step instructions were both informative and nostalgic. My prints were okay (not really but let’s pretend they were passable) and the most important thing was that the event was scholarly and fun! I’ll definitely plan on making time next semester for Studio Thursdays, hopefully improving my nonexistent art skills.
This event definitely earned my stamp of approval.
On Wednesday, November 11, I attended the Poisonous Plants exhibit currently hanging in the Rose Dining Room. The event was much classier than I had expected, with a smattering of cheese, crackers and fruit, along with wine for the adults attending.
The exhibit itself was very interesting to look closely at. Each piece was inspired by a poisonous plant, but the term inspired should come loosely. Art is a very subjective science and each piece was visually wonderful, but I could not always tell what plant they were based on. A placard hanging below would have greatly helped the exhibit, in my opinion.
Overall, the pieces were interesting to observe and the event was well attended, with the mingling after the exhibit causal and comfortable. I am very glad I attended!
Below are a few of my favorite pieces from the exhibit.
Because of Saturday, I can’t walk around Ithaca the same way. Because of Saturday, I find myself fascinated by the electrical boxes and parking garages. Because of Saturday, I love the public murals of Ithaca.
I joined the art walk from West to the Commons, stopping frequently to admire the artwork around town. Once you notice the art, you notice the art – and it’s gorgeous. My favorite piece was the flowers painted on the parking garage in Collegetown (I would definitely recommend a visit!)
The tour guide was from the Public Art Commission and he was fantastic. Funny, engaging, and interested in what we felt the art represented and what we would like to see in town. I could tell he genuinely cared so much about spreading art around the city. The walk was beautiful and I would definitely recommend everyone to keep their eyes peeled for the beauty all around them!
Below are some of my other favorite pieces (try to guess the locations!)
Before Thursday, I really didn’t know much about Amy Winehouse. I remember the media coverage when she died, but I hadn’t listened to her music or followed her story -I was simply too young.
The documentary changed all of that. Amy Winehouse was an absolutely incredible person.
The cinematic work followed Amy Winehouse from the age of 14 to her death at 27. She had an amazing voice, a true passion for jazz, and wisdom beyond her years according to those closest to her. She was a raging alcoholic and drug abuser, as well as a daddy’s girl. She hated the paparazzi more than almost anything and the media destroyed her concept of relationships. I didn’t know any of this information, but I could have without having seen any documentaries at all. Everything that ever happened to her is in her music, a rare thing for today’s music.
Her music is the heart wrenching and real and horrifying and beautiful, but was it worth her life? Because it was eventually her music that destroyed her. She couldn’t handle and didn’t want the fame, despite the immense wealth it brought her. She wanted to sing – not be stalked by paparazzi. The fame caused her to become an alcoholic and drug abuser, along with being bulimic and in a very unhealthy relationship with her eventual husband. She needed rehab, but she “aint got the time” and her “daddy thinks” she’s fine. She became an symbol of fame that her dad and husband weren’t willing to relinquish long enough to get her help.
The most unfair thing about her life was how the paparazzi and media used her over and over again. They relentlessly tore after her and not even death ended it. The documentary was heavy with the message ‘the media killed her,’ but yet they created even more media about her after her death. She was taken advantage of in the grave as her father, husband, and ‘close’ friends undoubtedly profited making videos about her. The documentary itself is a sham and deserves no recognition.
For those of you now interested in Amy Winehouse, I beg you – Let Amy rest in peace. Just listen to her music and you’ll know everything that Amy was at all the points of her life, no media needed. I’ve inserted a few of my personal favorite songs below.
On Saturday, I had the pleasure to go on a tour to investigate the hidden places around West Campus. Although I already knew about the ‘secret’ places in Noyes, the War Memorial Room and tunnel between Becker and Rose was fascinating to learn about.
The tour started in Rose Main Lounge with a history lesson about Cornell. I am a history major and I do plan on taking the Cornell History course at some point, but Professor Blalock’s brief history was very interesting.
My favorite part of the tour was the War Memorial Room. Not only is the room located a meer two floors down from my room in Lyon Hall, but I am also extremely eager to learn more about either of the Great Wars. I find that history fascinating. The inside of the room exudes an air of remembrance and the tour was appropriately solemn as we entered. Inside was a list of the names of Cornell graduates and students that fell victim to Europe’s political games in World War I – a tragic waste of young lives. We did not receive as much time as I would have liked to explore the room, but the University offers tours a few times a year which I plan on attending. The folded flag, which is meant as a tribute to the country and armed forces, was the perfect touch. Below are a few photos of the list of World War I victims and a copy of the letter written by the President Hoover.
The tour was a touching experience and I look forward to the next tour of the War Memorial room, where I’ll hopefully learn even more about Cornell’s rich history.
On Wednesday, September 16th, I listened as Dan Schwartz, a professor in the Cornell English Department, told the us students How To Succeed In College. But did he really?
I found the advice he gave very general and not truly helpful at all. He had advice for each of the individual grades, yet for sophomores he simply said “Focus on academics. Focus on getting involved. Focus on internships sometimes soon.” He sounds like every generic college brochure I’ve ever read.
Maybe I’m a bit biased – I have two older sisters who frequently, and without much prompting, give me advice. They frequently tell me about what they did in college, although they remain quiet about their own mistakes.
So perhaps I know more than the average sophomore – But truly I don’t think so.
I appreciate that Mr. Schwartz took time to help us with college, yet I don’t think he really accomplished anything at all. His speech should be aimed at high school kids about to enter college – I felt he was trying sell us on college. Yet we all attend college. A relatively good college. Why should he attempt to impress upon me the benefits of college when I know what benefits it offers me.
In short, while Mr. Schwartz was an engaging speaker who I could tell genuinely wanted to help us, his lecture was not extremely helpful.
