Over break, I along with many others around the world binge-watched the Netflix original Bridgerton. This show was produced by Shonda Rhimes and is set in the Regency Era following members of the high society or “Ton” during the Debutante season. Watching the show, I found it to be very entertaining and enjoyed the short 8 episode arc which kept it from becoming boring as often happens in other shows. I was excited to break down my thoughts of the show with other Bridgerton fans. Our discussion ranged from its portrayal of purity culture to the show’s decision to portray an alternative history with a racially inclusive regency era. Overall, it was a lot of fun to rehash our favorite parts of the show and hear what others thoughts were on the show. Personally, I am looking froward to season 2!
Author Archives: mg996
Fall Reflection Conversation
Earlier today, I joined other Rose residents for a relaxed and open discussion about how we are feeling with all the current changes going on. It was honestly very nice to be able to talk through some of my worries to welcoming ears and hear from others as well. We discussed a variety of things from difficulties with online classes, to our transitions home for Fall part II, to preparation for finals. Overall, it was great to participate and realize that even though I am home now, I am not totally alone as many other Cornell students who are in similar boats and share many of the same worries as myself. It was also nice as we were able to give advice to each other and suggestions regarding the different problems we are facing. I really enjoyed meeting everyone at the event and had a nice time generally talking!
Excel Art!
This Saturday afternoon, I joined other members of Rose and competed in a little coloring competition. Joining the event, I was not expecting that we were going to be coloring with Excel. It was something I had never done before, but was very excited to attempt. Starting it off, with my group attempting to recreate a picture from Cornell’s campus, it was much harder than expected. It reminded me of a paint by numbers, but where there are no numbers so you have to figure out what color to use. Despite this, it was actually a lot of fun to do! I enjoyed working with my group, meeting new people, and found the coloring to be quite relaxing. I’m also pretty happy with how it turned out! Can you guess what our drawing is?
Leafy Crafting
Saturday afternoon I joined other members of Rose House (over zoom) for a crafting session where we made leaf suncatchers. It was so nice to take a break from my busy day and do some crafting as we listened to music and generally chatted. I haven’t been this creative in a while or done any projects so it was fun to almost act like a child again and do a fun project. Although it was actually more difficult then expected (especially cutting out the outline of the leaf) and problems did arise (my sticky sheet kept sticking to everything but what I needed it to), I think the final product turned out pretty good! It’s currently hanging on our window. Hopefully we have some more sunny days so it can really shine!
Spooky Games!
Today I participated in a Haunted Halloween Virtual Game Night with other scholars. Activities included a halloween themed kahoot, harry potter themed escape room, and halloween related word scrambles. Something really surprising I learned while playing the kahoot is that apparently at Cornell on Halloween in 1882, 60-70 students banded together to destroy a bridge?! This was something I had never heard before and was surprised by. The Harry Potter escape room was a fun and well designed room that allowed me to reminisce on my love for Harry Potter. Overall, this game night was a lot of fun and a much needed break from studies. It was nice to meet other Rose residents in a relaxing setting and enjoy spending an hour playing games.
Sunday Morning Yoga
On Sunday I joined other Rose residents for an hour-long morning Yoga session led by instructor Lewis Freedman. The instructor teaches a Yoga class often outside in the field by Rose which I often watch from my window and sometimes follow along for a bit. So it was really cool to finally (actually) take part in the class. After waking up tired and not in the mood to do any work, this session turned out to be quite a nice way to start my day and put me on track for the rest of my Sunday. Freedman led us through stretches, breathing, and more. It was a bit interesting doing it virtually over zoom and sometimes my dorm room seemed a little small for the poses, but the session overall was very relaxing and calming. It was a nice distraction from the busy lives we always are living and allowed me to put aside my thoughts for a time. I used to do Yoga a lot when I was little, so it was nice bringing it back and made me realize how much I used to enjoy it.
Community to Prison Pipeline
Today, I joined a virtual keynote titled Criminal (In)justice: How mass incarceration disrupts families and communities. This event featured experts including academics from Cornell and University of Minnesota, the Founder and CEO of Center for Urban Families, and the Executive Director of the Commission on Fatherhood of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. I thought this topic was quite interesting and the event allowed me to learn a lot more about mass incarceration and more specifically, the effects it has on children and families. Over 10 million children experience the effects of mass incarceration before they turn 18. One part I found to be especially informative was the discussion of the community to prison pipeline. One speaker spoke about how infants affected by mass incarceration are being born into society premature and already behind the curve. From then on their frontal cortex is not permitted to fully develop and once they reach school they have not learned to regulate themselves. Another speaker discussed how criminal records severely limit job prospects after release. One thing that was new and shocking to me is the amount of fees that rare behind incarceration and probation. Newly released individuals have to pay probation fees, pay for their drug costs, and even pay for their records to be expunged so they may be able to find jobs. For those who are already behind economically and looking for employment, these costs are hindering. Overall, I thought this talk was quite informative and allowed me to learn more about incarceration and the areas where improvements and reforms must be made.
Playlist with Pals
Today, amidst some problem sets, I tuned in (over zoom) to listen to music with other Rose residents. GRF Tom had earlier taken requests from everyone and compiled some of our favorites to play for the hour. While sitting and working in my lounge, We listened to a variety of amazing tunes, some of which were already my favorites, others were old favorites that I had forgotten about, and some were entirely new and I was hearing for the first time. I really liked the range of genres we ended up hearing and it was a lot of fun seeing what my fellow housemates had picked as their favorites. After each song, Tom would give a small snippet of what the person who picked the song had said in their email which was a nice glimpse into why their pick was important to them. This event was a soothing and relaxed hour and I did not even realize how quickly the time had passed until it was done. Music is such a nice way to connect with others and during the hour I felt close to those there despite us being physically far and not seeing them.
Colors of “Chernobyl” Film
When I settled in on Friday night to watch the first episode of the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, I was not expecting how hooked I would become. By the time the episode ended, I was ready to start the next one immediately. What was most interesting about this film was that it showed the dramatic aftermath of an important historic event that is not often talked about. Before watching, I had not heard much about the Chernobyl disaster and thought it was a helpful and informative film as well as a dramatic and captivating one. The scene that struck me the most (spoiler alert!) was the final one, where the camera pans from some blissfuly unaware children to a pigeon who drops dead from radiation poisoning. I thought this scene really encapsulated that the outcomes of this horror would impact the community around it for a long time to come. Leaving the series open to continue its documentation in the next few episodes. The other thing I found most interesting about this movie was the color composition. Throughout the film the scenes remained dark with tones of black, gray, and white. This greatly contributed to the bleak circumstances of the film and communicated the overall tone to the audience. From the first scene, these colors showed me that this would not be a happy story.