Happy Halloween – be safe and enjoy the spoils of the season, while keeping those in the path and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in your thoughts.
Category Archives: Friends
Weekend Wrap-Up
I know, I know: ‘A Weekend Wrap-Up on Wednesday?’ Well, at least it is an alliteration. My weekend kicked off with featured speaker Dr. Gary Machlis, which I posted a summary of Monday. Now I would like to reflect on a delightful fall weekend, one I believe represents the epitome of Clemson’s offerings.
Fall colors are coming to Clemson quickly and beautifully. Watching the early morning light illuminate the leaves has been a true delight.
Friday night, a good friend of mine, Beth, came to visit. We attended a heated volleyball game between Clemson and Miami. 24th ranked Miami came out on top, but our Tigers put up a good fight. Following the game, we rendezvoused at Alex’s house for a rousing political discussion and beer. What could be more American (or adult) than a beer summit? Beth and I continued the discussion at my apartment then went to bed at a reasonable hour (too adult?).
Saturday morning started with pancakes, which were shortly followed by the spoils of Clemson tailgating. In Tiger Town, Tailgating is not an activity, it is a lifestyle. Why else would we be voted number one in Southern Living? Now it is time for a confession: I am a tailgating weenie. I get my fill after two hours, so while a noon game is a travesty to hardcore tailgaters, it is a blessing to me. I can save face and still have the rest of the day to allocate as a I choose, which this Saturday meant a long run, strength training, Grey’s Anatomy, and grocery shopping. I did reconnect with friends in the evening, so I’m not a completely lost cause.
On Sunday, I hit the trails in Oconee State Park along with several graduate students from my former department. Like I mentioned at the outset, fall colors are coming quickly and beautifully to our region. The two-mile ridge line trail led us to Tamassee Knob and excellent views. While hiking, I enjoyed the feel of the warm sun mixed with the tender, but chill breeze. It was the longest period of time I had been out of cell phone reception in recent memory, and I soaked in every minute. Returning to our base camp at a friend’s rented cabin, we refueled on chips, peanuts, and s’mores before trekking home. A great day and another Fall Clemson To-Do checked off the list. I hope you had an equally rewarding weekend!
Media Consumed – Yum
My local NPR station likes to remind me that “I am what I eat” – which means I must be 25% ketchup – of course, NPR is more concerned with the media I consume.
Rightfully so, I consume colossal quantities of media from movies, books, magazines, radio, television, social network sites, blogs, art, music, websites, podcasts, and more. My media appetite is undeniable. I seek these sources because I yearn to understand more deeply the world I occupy. I wish to gain new perspectives by listening to and reading about the experience of others, and I hope to synthesize many disparate outlets of expression into a unified vision. Of course, before I get too carried away, I admit that I also consume media to be entertained; don’t we all?
Below I list select media consumed in recent weeks and my thoughts on those meals. In the future, I wish to update this category regularly. Who knows, maybe you will see a larger trend in my media consumption and help me better understand my vision.
Argo. I saw the movie on Tuesday of this week. It was by far one of the best movies I have seen all year. Despite knowing the end, you will find yourself tense and doubtful the mission will succeed. The pace never slackens. You are hurried from one scene to the next, gathering your own intelligence from the faces of the escaped Americans and the members of the crowd. The biggest shock? The story is true.
The Debate. From an afternoon showing of Argo, I transitioned to the second presidential debate. I felt a sense of pride and duty watching the debate, even though I do not consider it to be the ideal format for scrutinizing political platforms. It is an excellent arena to judge the caliber of the candidate’s charisma and ability to handle himself on a public stage. Furthermore, I watched to learn the art of public speaking, the process of Q&A, the careful placement of a campaign line – I gained from both product: their words and process: their delivery.
Catching Fire. I finished the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy two weeks ago. The author, Suzanne Collins, wrote at the end of the first novel that she is interested in the effects of war and trauma on the adolescent psyche. Knowing this has altered my reading of the books, I seek content deeper than the superficial storyline. I watch the characters struggle with tragedies beyond the scope of my experience and integrate those with others I have witnessed through media.
Mean Girls. Yes, I know it may come as a shock to some that I graduated from college before I saw the movie Mean Girls. I am afraid this is one of many movies I missed, which are now staple references of my peers. I have seen many movies, but was always drawn to the Argo’s and Slumdog Millionaire’s of cinema. For now, I am in remedial viewing, attempting to accumulate the pop culture I missed.