Make New Friends and Keep the Old: Breaking Up is Hard to Do

July 6th, 2010

After seven years of dating, Navy Boy and College Girl have ended things.  Five months into an engagement that surprised absolutely no one, the two of them called it quits quietly somewhere between New Jersey and Washington on a cross country road trip they set out on together.  I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere, them driving to Washington together and her flying home, alone.  I think that if this was a movie, she would have gone to the airport only to be stopped by him at the last moment with a grand gesture and a “Stay with me!”  But it’s not.

Navy Boy and College Girl breaking up is a difficult for me to accept as it is for a young child’s parents getting divorced.  I said it before that I don’t like change, and I really don’t.  Navy Boy is being deployed somewhere in two weeks, and I think his deployment involves being in a submarine for three months or something but I can’t remember and it’s not something I feel right asking either of them about.

The two of them were the basis of every argument I’ve ever had about things working out if you try hard enough when it comes to distance and those you love, but I think now they’re working more towards the “If you love something, let it go” end of the cliché spectrum.  My dad actually brought that saying up when he first heard about the two of them, and it’s funny to me that he would say that, that he was as invested in two kids’ relationship as much as any of their friends were.  I think, more than anyone else, my two friends know what it’s like to deal with growing up.  Both know what it’s like to sacrifice for someone you love, and to know when giving up on each other doesn’t really mean giving up on each other, but that it’s still the best thing to do even if it hurts.

College is a time for meeting new people, seeing new things, experiencing new experiences.  They’re both going to get that chance now, though in different ways, and that’s a good thing.

-Mary K

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Networking: the art of knowing a guy who knows a guy.

July 5th, 2010

I attended a pretty blah networking workshop the other day but managed to walk away from it with some  not-so-blah food for thought:
Networking–you can and should always be doing it. Although workshop instructors make it out to be a science, it’s really more of a life philosophy. It’s the the acknowledgment that anyone we meet at any point can take us to new and exciting places regardless of whether they help us out or we help them out.

Networking is about coming to terms with the fact that by yourself you are a pretty small entity, but with links to others, your reach is infinitely broader and your possibilities increase exponentially.

Sound good? Okay, so where do you start?

With the very next person you encounter.

It means genuinely taking an interest in the people around you without a specific end goal in mind. After all, you can’t pin point a goal until you have some information, so just go information digging. Make it your mission to keep searching until you discover something about the person that
surprises, intrigues, or excites you. Keep exploring till you hear yourself saying: “Oh! Really?” And focus on listening, asking open ended questions, and thinking of how you or someone in your network could help this person out. Introduce people to one another whenever the opportunity arises. Remember also to network with people you already now. The person who is now your physics homework buddy can also turn out to be an event planning guru or know someone who is.
So connect yourself, connect others, then reconnect–as long as it’s genuine and you are interested in the give as much as the take. Let’s make this world a more collaborative sandbox.

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Late Night Creations

July 2nd, 2010

written by Sabina Ashbaugh

We always substitute an egg with two tablespoons of vanilla soymilk—a slight variation that leaves the dough runny and easier to mix with the cracked wooden spoon. The timer is set for 12 minutes, not 14 as the cookbook suggests, with a reminder at the six-minute mark to switch the top and bottom trays in the oven. Despite these careful discrepancies, accumulated over countless nights, our creations are never completely predictable. We speculate whether it might be the heat of the dimly lit kitchen, and that volatile summer breeze that seeps in through the windows and seems to soften the contours of the room.
Despite our many trials, my sister and I never fully plan our baking efforts, or even carefully measure out the ingredients of our amended recipes. The soymilk substitution, now a permanent step in the cookie making process, came from a late realization that the egg carton was deceptively empty. As if to support this impulsiveness, the planned desserts baked for family dinners—the pumpkin or apple pies, the blueberry cobblers, the cinnamon buns, the madeleines—are never as good as the spontaneous endeavors to satisfy late night cravings. The immediate satisfaction of these creations quickly assuaged the worries and anxieties amassed during school or work. Tasks divided and ingredients laid out, my sister and I get to work setting right the wrongs of the day.
It has been a year now since I moved away from home. Some months have flown by while others have painstakingly inched to a close, with pangs of homesickness and late night baking cravings that seemed to arise out of nowhere. Family, a concept that had seemed so natural and tangible just a year ago, has slowly been abstracted to stand for that sense of place so radically reconfigured after leaving for school. In times of stress, I often caught myself about to call the house with a confused plea of “What should I do?”
With distance I have come to realize how often I unintentionally underappreciated this form of support. I cringe at the thought that the ease and spontaneity of those nights spent baking are a lost bridge between my sister and I—treasured memories to look back on fondly but ones impossible to recapture. And yet the removal of this crutch has also forced me to examine how I will right the wrongs of the day in my own way—not by baking, but through the careers and choices that lie ahead.
Moving away is an exciting step towards independence and deciding how and what one wants to change in the world. In the midst of so many choices, the advice offered by family is a means of grounding oneself in times of transformation. Finding a niche in college involves exploring how one will contribute to society and improve the lives of others, but it also requires the recognition of the debt owed to those at home.
Growing up compels us to accept these recipes, relationships, and plans for future change. Family rituals become memories as traditions are re-made. It is important to maintain ties with those that helped us get where we are, and continue to want to see us succeed. Helping others starts by looking out for and appreciating those at home, and paying tribute to those left behind.

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Free Activities In the City!

July 2nd, 2010

written by Adam Davis

It might be tempting to stay in the office or the apartment during the hottest months, but New York City offers plenty of free summer activities that don’t involve huddling by the air conditioner.  And what better time is there to relax, meet new people, and enjoy some arts and culture?

SUMMERSTAGE
The best part of summer is Summerstage, a performing arts festival that includes dancers, singers, and even poets and novelists.  This year Summerstage is expanding to include performances in parks throughout New York City, thus making these can’t-miss shows available to people in all five boroughs.  During its 25 years, Summerstage has hosted over 1,700 notable artists and writers, including David Bowie, M.I.A., Toni Morrison, and Joni Mitchell.  This summer’s lineup consists of 91 free shows, including artists such as Dan Deacon, White Rabbits, and Public Enemy, along with a four-night concert featuring the alternative rock band Pavement.  See www.summerstage.org for specific dates and times of various shows.

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC, OR THE “BIG FIVE.”
If you appreciate classical music, you have to check out the New York Philharmonic, or the “Big Five.”  They are the oldest orchestra in America by almost four decades and had their record-setting 14,000th concert in 2004.  During the summer, the “Big Five” perform for free at parks in all the boroughs, but most often at the Great Lawn in Central Park.  All shows begin at 8 p.m. and are followed by fireworks.  Check out http://nyphil.org/attend/summer for a full schedule.

TODAY SHOW SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
On the other hand, if Sting, Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5 and Lady Gaga are more your taste, the Today Show summer concert series offers a chance to see them for free, if you are willing to get up early enough.  The concerts are hosted at Rockefeller Center at 7 a.m. on Friday mornings, but you have to get there up to two hours earlier (depending on the popularity of the performer) to ensure you get in.  For more info, go to http://today.msnbc.msn.com and click on “Concert Series.

BRYANT PARK’S SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL
For those who look forward to summer blockbusters, Bryant Park’s Summer Film Festival shows movies—albeit classic ones—every Monday night. The lawn opens at 5 p.m. for blankets and picnicking and the films begin at dusk, usually between 8 and 9 p.m., but make sure to get there early in order to secure a good spot and enjoy some classic animated shorts. Some films scheduled to appear on the 20-foot screen this summer are Goldfinger, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Rosemary’s Baby.  To get a complete list of films and dates, visit
www.bryantpark.org and click on “Summer Film Festival.”

BROOKLYN FLEA MARKET
Another interesting thing to check out is the Brooklyn Flea Market, which moves outside during the summer. The flea market has recently expanded from its original venue in Fort Greene to include a second location at the Brooklyn Bridge Park.  The Brooklyn Bridge Flea Market features over 100 vendors, with antiques, jewelry, and local artwork galore. If you get hungry while browsing, feel free to sample some of the unique local foods like McClure’s Pickles, Early Bird Granola, or fresh lobster rolls from Red Hook Lobster Pound. The Brooklyn Bridge Flea starts June 14th and takes place every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  To see the latest finds, check www.brooklynflea.com.

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The Melody Of Unexpected Rhythm

July 2nd, 2010

written by Angela M

Illustration By Tao Zao

I grew up on Disney and nightly walks with my Russian grandparents, sunflower seeds sticking to my fingers, old lady tales dripping from my ears like borscht. I was never told not to smile at a cute Asian boy, or to repress a casual wink at a dashing Spaniard.

Maybe I was never told to not do these things because: 1) I don’t smile often, and 2) I can barely wink. Regardless, there was never any objection to multicultural friendships. Romantically speaking, though, it was never really spoken about, perhaps because it was never really expected.
My first legitimate ounce of interest in the opposite sex could have something to do with my current situation.
I was in the first grade, and his name was Timothy. He was everything I wanted in a boy. He never spoke to me; he rarely, if ever, held the staircase door open for me; and he cheated on me. I don’t know whether it counts as cheating if we were never in a relationship, but my heart was temporarily in shambles. Did I mention that Timothy was Asian? Did I also mention that I’m white and Jewish and from Brooklyn?
At 22, and not a bit less romantic than my first grade self, I find my heart taken once again (this time, in a less make-believe type of way). I am in love with a writer who just so happens to be outside of my race. Raised Muslim but not practicing, my Indian love connects himself with the folk of Jackson Heights, Queens before anything else. To sum things up, not only am I dating a fellow who’s a hundred beautiful shades darker than my pastey self, but I am also dating someone outside of my borough.
We met at a house party. His band was playing, and I later on learned that he had asked our mutual friend to invite me, since he was too shy to do it himself. The night felt like something taken out of one of those typical teenage movies where the girl seems to be playing coy, not realizing what’s going on, and the guy is fumbling over every other word, crossing his fingers that he doesn’t look as dumb as he feels. It took me half the party to realize that I was falling heavy over someone who I had never expected to come across.
Surprisingly, my mother was more accepting of my new found love than some of my friends. When I say some, I really just mean one. My Jewish friend Rebecca* was stunned to realize that I was romantically involved with someone so far from my religion. I kept it secret from her for as long as I could, afraid of the very reaction that I got. She started telling me that being a Jew meant that I was part of the chosen ones, and how keeping religion alive in my family was imperative. Basically, she made me feel like the black sheep of the herd. A day after her attack, she apologized wholeheartedly and told me that I have her full support in any decision that I make in life. (I can only imagine how Rebecca’s reaction would have been if I had confessed that I was getting married!) Just to be clear, I consider myself Jewish more in terms of culture than practice. Echoing Keats, “Love is my religion.”
In a city where love has an astigmatism and hearts beat to their own bongo, interracial coupling is more common than ever. Every way my head turns, I see it: hands of different colors holding on to each other. It’s beautiful, really. And now, I am part of it. We grew up hearing different languages being spoken at home, eating foods synonymous to our cultures, but we were also scolded by our parents for leaving cookie crumbs in our beds, and watching too many T.V. shows instead of doing our homework. Plenty of people in college date people who they didn’t expect to be with. We aren’t really all that different, though. We both love literature and writing, we listen to the same type of music, and, obviously, we both enjoy a good house party.

*Name changed to protect privacy.

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Cheap Eats Vegan

July 2nd, 2010

written by Christina Roylance

Think being a vegetarian means expensive specialty restaurants, and lots of drama when you go out to dinner with friends? Do you feel that you’ll have to be the most finicky customer of all time and waiters will hate you? This could not be further from the truth.  Living in NYC is getting easier and more enjoyable every day to be a vegetarian or vegan.  There’s tons of options, and you don’t need to drag everyone to your all-veg restaurants; there are simple ways to get cheap awesome vegetarian food by being knowledgeable about good places and keeping a few things in mind.
NYC is a mecca of different cultures and backgrounds. Ethnic foods abound in the city, and there’s often cheap, local places for whatever foreign flavor you want–Indian, Thai, Japanese, Italian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, whatever.  Many of these cuisines are sensitive to vegetarians, and can easily be requested vegan, as long as you know what to ask for.

Middle Eastern food is a great resource for vegetarians.  Falafels are cheap, vegetarian fast food sandwiches: deep fried tahini balls with hummus and veggies!  It’s a great, simple, yet filling option.  Aldiwan Lebanese restaurant is located on A if you want a sit-down Middle Eastern dinner.  It also has a great selection of vegetarian appetizers, as well as a tasty vegetarian Mousaka entrée that’s big enough for two.

At lunchtime, there’s always Indian food all-you-can-eat buffets for cheap.  Indian Taj on Bleeker has a $10 deal that’s even cheaper with a Campus Clipper Coupon.  Indian food is hearty and flavorful, and you can just ask the servers which dishes do not have any meat or cheese.  These buffets are usually huge, so there’s bound to be a selection of vegetarian things to eat.

Thai food is a personal favorite of mine.  Entrées tend to be large so you can cut the cost by splitting dishes.  There are always a great deal of vegetarian options, but just ask if there are any eggs in the dish and it’s easy enough for you to be accommodated.  Boyd Thai on Thompson has great vegetarian options, and vegan treats and desserts available as well!

Mexican cuisine is great because if that’s what you’re craving, you can either get fast and cheap take-out style places or sit down to dinner.  Vegetarian and vegan burritos are easy since you often custom order them.  With rice, beans, veggies, and guacamole, (and cheese and sour cream if you’re not a vegan) a vegetarian burrito is filling and quick.  Try grabbing one from Burritoville, and use your Campus Clipper Coupon to save $1.

Surprisingly, lots of sushi restaurants can accommodate vegetarians as well, with veggie filled sushi rolls. It is important to make sure the restaurant doesn’t use fish sauces or oils in the preparation though if you’re a strict vegetarian.  Sushi Yawa on 8th street has tons of vegetable rolls (cucumber, avocado, sweet potato, spinach, and more!), and a bunch of vegetarian appetizers as well.  Plus, everyone I know loves sushi, so non-veg friends will be happy to accompany you.

Italian food is everyone’s favorite–who doesn’t love pasta?  It just takes a few easy questions when ordering your pasta dish to know if it’s vegetarian or vegan.  Just ask if there’s meat in the sauce, request no parmesan, and ask for your food cooked with olive oil instead of butter.  Most dishes are prepared that way already, but if you just check it should be easy to make any changes.  Grotta Azzurra in Little Italy has an affordable $10 prix fixe for lunch, as well as a Thursday night ladies night, with free appetizers and half-off on drinks!

So just because you’re vegetarian or vegan doesn’t mean eating out has to be boring or expensive!  You can still eat your favorite things; just be a little conscientious and ask the right questions.  You don’t have to miss out on any great deals or fun nights out just because you have different dietary needs.  So remember to use Campus Clipper coupons to get the best deals, and be sure to experiment and have fun.

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Adam Schatz: Search and Restore

July 2nd, 2010

written by Aramis Grant

NYU senior and Jazz Saxophone major ADAM SCHATZ runs an art organization called Search and Restore – a nonprofit group, dedicated to the promotion and audience expansion of NYC’s modern jazz scene. Search and Restore was created in 2008 with the goal of “making the jazz scene more sustainable,” as Adam described it.
“Everything we do is to expand,” said Adam about the efforts of the Search and Restore team.
The team’s base is SearchandRestore.com – made in February of last year. The website is an “all-encompassing website for live jazz and improvised music in New York City,” as expressed on the site.
SearchandRestore.com is host to numerous events — listing many venues, times, days, and dates that all the jazz shows in the city are happening.
Being a jazz student and playing in multiple jazz bands, Adam wasn’t happy with the small amount of light being shed on jazz musicians.

Adam Schatz "Search and Restore"

“Jazz was literally boxed in … the shows were being held in really small clubs. It wasn’t a good way for people to find out about what was going on,” said Adam.
Besides expanding the size of the venues jazz artists were playing at, Adam wanted and does work to expand the jazz audience and jazz awareness.
“We want to bring the music we love to more people,” he said.
Adam also makes it his duty to reach out not only to the general public, but specifically to the people he relates to the most … students.
Search and Restore advertises affordable tickets to shows with no drink minimums, at venues that don’t have an age requirement.
Adam invites people to become involved with the NYC jazz scene, stating it is the “most human form of music that exists.”
“It is so anchored in improvisation in the way that no other form of music is. It’s fun to watch because it happens right in front of your eyes,” said Adam, “People need to feel the music through the experience.”

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Volumes: Siren Music Festival 2010

June 26th, 2010

Thank God for the Village Voice. Not only do the provide me with ample subway reading fodder, but they’ve got excellent taste in music. Which is good because every summer, the hold a free music festival know as the Siren Music Festival at Coney Island, and this year is going to be big. Usually, they don’t ask bands who have already played to come back. They’re forward thinkers over at the Village Voice. But this is going to be their tenth anniversary, so they’re calling in the big guns.

The big headliners are Matt and Kim and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. I saw Matt and Kim at a free show last summer, and it was a blast. they’re a synth/drums duo who are out on a quest to have an endless amount of fun. And they’re succeeding. Don’t see them without your dancing shoes, or you’ll regret it. When it comes to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, I’ve been quoted as to calling Ted Leo my generation’s punk-rock super-hero. Their shows are always energetic and full of blisteringly good musicianship.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

All that being said, I got a lot more excited than I really should have when they announced Ponytail was playing. I had never listened to them before until I saw them last summer at the Williamsburg Waterfront. Never before had I been so surprisingly filled with joy ad glee. The lead singer, Molly Siegel, hopped and bopped all around onstage, yelping her lungs out while the guys were weaving a musical tapestry of textures behind her. I remember at one point specifically, the instruments were building up and up and up into a climax until Siegel screams into her microphone “KAAMEEEHAAAME … HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” sending the band behind her into a frenetic whirlwind. I was in love (If you don’t get it, a “kamehameha” is a reference to a cartoon called Dragonball).

The festival is on Saturday, July 17, starting at noon. But get there early. It gets really crowded. It also gets really hot, so dress appropriately and bring LOTS OF WATER.

-Andrew Limbong

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Volumes: Rock the Bells 2010

June 17th, 2010

If you’re reading this, and you are even remotely interested in hip-hop, listen up. This year, the seventh annual Rock the Bells festival is taking place Saturday, August 28 at Governor’s Island, and it’s going to be immense. I don’t mean to say that it will just be a fun time, and I don’t mean to say it will just be entertaining. Immense is the word I used, and I wholeheartedly mean it.

What makes this year so special? For one thing, the line up is crazy good. Snoop Dogg is headlining, but if that doesn’t quite set you over the top (which I completely understand), he’s also joined by some hip-hop old guards like Wu-Tang Clan (all original members, mind you), KRS-One, Rakim, and the act I’m personally most excited for, A Tribe Called Quest. Add onto that some other acts that have been making huge waves in the underground hip-hop scene for a while, and you’ve got a recipe for a great time.

But I said immense, right? What makes this year’s Rock the Bells immense is that it is “in commemoration of the greatest albums in hip-hop history.” And as such, each of the bigger acts are going to be performing  album sets. That is, they will each perform one of their more critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums. This means you can see Snoop’s Doggystyle performed in its entirety. You can see KRS-One performing Criminal Minded. You can see A Tribe Called Quest perform Midnight Marauders. Or, you can take part in what will surely become history, and watch the original members of the Wu-Tang Clan, with ODB’s first born son Boy Jones, perform Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in it’s entirety. I think I’m tearing up a bit at the mere idea of it.

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), a.k.a. 36% of NYC Culture.

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), a.k.a. 36% of NYC culture.

And then there’s Ms. Lauryn Hill being featured as a “special guest,” performing some stuff off of her solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. If you’re unfamiliar, that’s the album with that song that went “thaat thing, thaaaat thing, thaaaaat thiiIIIiiIIiing.”

Tickets are a little pricey ($99 for General Admission), but if you factor in how significant these sets are, it’s a fair deal. You can buy tickets here. Buy them sooner rather than later, because the prices will probably go up the closer the festival gets.

-Andrew Limbong

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Listen to Advisors

June 15th, 2010

Chris, a  community college student, had problems with his Spanish class. Loads of new words and fast-paced studying environment did not seem to work well with him. Even though Chris was about to graduate, he had to stay at school for another semester in order to complete Spanish II as well. To make things worse, he failed Spanish I, so he would have to take it over. It was then when Chris found out that he could take Philosophy as exempt from foreign language, as he studied Spanish in high school. As a result, he has to stay at school for another semester just to take Philosophy. Could he avoid such a situation and can you?

Luckily enough, every school has academic advisement. Don’t wait that they will go around looking for you to tell you what classes you have to take or how many credits you need to graduate. On the contrary, you should find and consult them. If you do so, you will be able to plan your graduation semesters before.

Academic advisors know more about classes, schedules and requirements more than you do. They can tell you what course may be easier to take, what class may match your interests and which one is not necessary for you. They also help you make a convenient schedule, organize your time properly and make the best academic choices. If you decide to change your major at one point, your academic advisor will inform you what courses match your new major and which ones will be counted as electives.

If academic advisement is so helpful, why don’t students use it to their advantage? Well, in most cases, they don’t think about it until they face problems. Then they get upset and complain that “no one told” them. Another issue is the lack of time. Why waste time one can use to study in the library or go out with a group of friends? The truth is, however, that an appointment that takes no more than 30 minutes may save you the whole semester and some cash, as it could have been in Chris’ situation.

Thus, if you decide to be provident and get some advisement, the first thing you need to do is to find out who your advisors are and how to meet them. Remember that your advisor may not be available in the times you are, so plan it beforehand. Find out if you are required to make an appointment or may just stop by the office.

As your time matters as well as theirs, prepare some questions for the meeting. Make sure you find out what courses are necessary for your degree and which are electives. It is a good idea to take college and department requirements first because sometimes they will not fit into your schedule some time later. Even though it may be sad that an elective course you like does not fit, you can always replace it with something else, maybe even more interesting. You cannot do the same with a required class.

Find out what classes have pre-requisites and make sure you take them before. Classes that consist of two parts need at least two semesters. And face it: you may fail one of them and may have to take it over. Do not postpone your graduation because of one course, give these “long,” two-semester courses priority.

If you are planning to transfer to another school, ask your advisor what classes will be taken by the institution you are transfering to. If you pay for the course and do the work, why not get credit for it? Every credited course is a huge step towards your successful graduation, so don’t  wander around and choose a straight path.

And finally, make sure you know at all times how many credits and what classes you have left to graduate. If you need to meet your advisor again, don’t be shy: that’s what they are there for.  As a famous saying claims, “Only educated are free,” so be educated about your school load and do not neglect advisors’ help.

Ekaterina Lalo

Check out my blog at www.nycvalues.blogspot.com

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