Community Books

I'm all finished with my finals, and in relaxation mode. Now that I don't have to use textbooks for a while, I thought I would look for some fun books to read over break. One place I stopped was Boxcar Books.

Let me tell you about this locally run non-profit organization! Not only is it a bookstore, it's a meeting and event space, as well as a place to display artwork. It hosts events like book-readings, public speakers, benefits, and more. What is equally amazing is that it is completely run by volunteers in the community, many of whom are students. According to its website, the store exists "to promote reading, self-education, social equality, and social welfare through increased accessibility to literature and workshops - and the promotion of a community to support these projects." To learn more about the organization, check out www.boxcarbooks.org. The next time I attend a Boxcar event, I will be sure to tell you about it!

A Very Classy Party

As promised, I made a pit stop over by the Canvas premier party amidst my “deadweek” studying. It seemed to be a big success, with a great turn out of guests. There was beautiful art on display, classy music, and a lovely spread of food as well—all good things to accommodate an evening of mingling. I mingled for a bit until I had to run off to do work, work, work! The rest of my night was spent working on a drawing of a space in the Union. After drawing for a few hours my shoulder muscles really hurt, so I hope it was all worth it!

Creative Arts Party

Monday I attended a meeting for Canvas Creative Arts Magazine, sponsored by the Union Board. Anyone can be a committee member, and we meet once a week to make decisions about the magazine itself, as well as Canvas sponsored events like artist lectures. The magazine shows off impressive artwork and written work by IU students.

The semester is winding down, which means all of the pieces have been chosen for the magazine, decisions have been made about its design and layout, and it is almost ready to be distributed. The premiere party will be next Thursday evening at the IMU's solarium, where anyone will be able to come and pick up a magazine, grab some hors d'oeuvres, and view additional artwork by the magazine's featured artsits. On Monday, we met to discuss how we would organize the room in terms of cocktail tables, artwork, and hors d'oeuvres. I will be sure to give you an update after the party!

Here is a link to Canvas' website so you can read up on it:

http://www.indiana.edu/~canvas/

A Music School Novice

Last Friday was an evening of firsts for me. I saw my first opera during my first visit to the Musical Arts Center over at the Jacobs School of Music. I'm a little embarassed to admit that I haven't been taking advantage of our music school's impressive, and often free, performances until now. Last weekend I saw the Magic Flute; it was spectacular, and definitely a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. Not only was I taken by the opera, but by the architecture of the MAC itself. What a shame to have never before seen the cool, contemporary interior of what I had always known as "the round building."













So, tonight I returned to my new favorite place to see a free Philharmonic Orchestra concert. The music was wonderful, and I was glad to experience some relaxation amid the stress of studying. With a musical friend, I was able to go backstage and see things from the performers' perspective. I even saw some parts of the set for the Magic Flute, up close!











Above: part of The Magic Flute set

I am now officially on a music school kick. If you visit the MAC soon, you might see me there!

The History of Magic

This week at Collins is annual Hogwarts week, full of activities revolving around the beloved book series by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter. So far, these have included Harry Potter film screenings, book discussions, a special "Daily Prophet" edition of the Collins Columns, and fireside chats with experts on literature and history. Later in the week there will be performances by Wizard Rock bands, a musical, and a Quidditch tournament, among other things. To support my "house," Hillcrest, I decided to attend "The History of Magic," an informational talk about the history of Collins with alumna Kristen Murphy. After the talk, we got to ask questions and chat about the differences between Collins then and now.

I learned some really unusual things about Collins! Here are my favorite 5 facts I learned this evening:

1. The duty office in the formal lounge used to be an apartment where Ralph L. Collins lived during his years here.

2. The Collins dining hall used to have a waffle-maker.

3. The annual Collins Viennese Ball was started by a student of the Jacobs School of Music. Naturally, the first Viennese Ball had a 25-piece orchestra!

4. The Cheshire Cafe was started as a Q-199 project by a couple who met in Collins, and who are now married.

5. Before Collins was Collins, it was the MRC, Men's Residence Center. The guys had to wear formal attire to the dining hall every evening, including ties.

Touring Bands Perform at Collins

The Collins Coffeehouse was hopping this Tuesday night. Literally, people were hopping! The bands The Pomegranates and Enlou delivered fantastic performances for Collins residents and friends. We stood inches from their faces, bopping along to their up-beat and percussive tunes with sounds similar to bands like the more well-known Arcade Fire.

A Collins resident acquainted with members of the bands decided to bring them to Collins for his Q199 project. Q199 is a class that all Freshmen must take to help orient them with
the inner-workings of Collins and residence life, and requires the completion final project for which students have to find a way to benefit the Collins community. The bands weren’t free, however; their show was supported by the various councils at Collins, notably, Arts Council. Arts Council, Community Council, and other such groups are designated a particular amount of money coming from resident activity fees to spend each semester on programs like these.

The show was a huge success, worth every penny, and, I have to say, the best Tuesday night ever.

Mooching Media

Not being a big reader, watching movies and tv shows is how I like to unwind. Despite the fact that I neither own a television nor any DVDs, I have managed to use mooching as an alternative means to access them. Here are my top three ways to mooch media when I need to unwind:

1. Friends who have TVs

Although I have no TV, a friend of mine owns three! We like to watch the new tv show "Glee" together at her apartment when it airs on wednesdays. I remember when I lived in the dorm last year, girls without TVs would regularly flock to the girls' rooms who had them.

2. The Collins Library

The Collins Library has a huge variety of DVDs and videos that any student can check out with his or her ID card. Collins Arts Council recently approved funding for a complete new horror movie collection including Dawn of the Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Carrie. Of course, I will never watch these because I would not be able to sleep again, but I still thought you should know.

3. Hulu.com

This web site lets you watch the most recent episodes of several movies and shows; this is where I'll go on Friday because I missed "Glee" tonight, and also where my roommate and I watch the hilarious Tina Fey on "30 Rock"... for free!

The Collins Inferno

Not everyone knows about the quirky, magical nooks of Collins LLC, but I’m pleased to let you in on one of its underground hang-outs: the Cheshire Café. The "Chesh” as we lovingly abbreviate it, has an ambiance that exudes eclectic weird-dom, and it works for us. For some regulars it becomes an alternative living room between the hours of 8 p.m. and midnight, a place to knit or play battleship, complete with cozy furnishings, as well as funky art and party lights. That’s not even the half of it, though. Most Collinsites who take advantage of the The Chesh are there for its delicious, and fairly priced, offerings of hot and cold beverages, baked goods, and gourmet chocolates.

Tonight was a special night at The Chesh. I’ll preface by telling you that this coming Saturday is the night of the annual Collins Halloween Dance, and its theme this year is “Inferno: Seven Paths To Hell.” In other words, it revolves around the seven deadly sins. In full Halloween spirit, there was a showing tonight of the thriller Seven amidst free candy and fun deadly sin-related decorations. Each sign found its place somewhere in the room; for instance, on the couch was a sign for "sloth," on the candy dish “greed”, on the baked goods “gluttony,” and on the barista “lust.” If this is any indication of what effort went into planning the dance, I can’t wait to dance this Saturday until I’m blue in the face.

Books for Rwanda

I recently visited the Village Deli on Kirkwood to hear about a nonprofit program called Books and Beyond that has teamed up with IU's Global Village Living-Learning Center. I had heard of the Global Village but didn't really know much about it or where it was. Since I also live in a Living-Learning Center, I was kind of curious.

Well, Google led me to some enlightening information about the LLC. Like Collins, it is a small community that requires its members to apply, pay a $100 activities fee, and take the Q199 introduction to residence life class. Its members also organize what are called "Village events," not too unlike the event programming that happens at Collins. The main difference, it seems, is that the Global Village is aimed toward people who study international relations or languages, and who are planning to study abroad.

Frankly, I had never heard of Books and Beyond, but I knew it had something to do with volunteering internationally. Having been a part of a volunteer trip in Costa Rica with Collins the past two years, talk of other international programs like these always pique my interest a little bit. So, I Googled that too, and found some helpful information. Students in the Global Village work with high school students at Newark Collegiate Academy, a TEAM charter school in New Jersey. The school's goal, along with other TEAM schools, is to have all of their students, all of whom are either African American or Hispanic, go to college. These two groups work together to produce and publish children's books, which are sent to students in Rwanda as models for them to create their own books. These books are sent back and sold in the United States, and the profits then go back to Rwanda.

All of the collaborative steps involved in this project seems to be geared toward improving kids' lives all across the board. How cool! The people I met at the meeting, including the students from Newark Collegiate Academy, all seemed to be friends, and very enthusiastic about the program.

I apologize for the information overload, but I had to share my findings! For more information about either the Global Village at IU or about Books and Beyond, check out these websites:

rps.indiana.edu/llprograms.cfml

http://www.indiana.edu/~college/global/books.shtml

http://www.indiana.edu/~college/global/

Finding My Inner Pep With IU Sports

Tonight I went to the IU men's soccer game against Butler University! The field is just behind the outdoor pool, across the street from Assembly Hall and the football stadium. I stood in a place called the "cage" on one side of the field, where students can stand and cheer on the sidelines, something that the women's games do not have.

This was only my second soccer game (my first was a women's game last week), and something I'm not well versed in. So, I won't be able to give a proper commentary on tonight's game, but judging from the score at the end of the second half, one to one, we met our match! My friend and I had to leave before overtime, so unfortunately I didn't get to see who won. I'm not someone who gets very invested in sports competition, but for me sports events are still a nice way to get out, be with friends, and get a little peppy.

A Memorable Evening at the Buskirk Chumley Theater

Last night I was among the lucky fans who got to see Sufjan Stevens' sold out show at the Buskirk Chumley Theater downtown. We had all been diligent enough to purchase tickets that sold out in hours, and yesterday evening stood in a line outside the Buskirk long before the show. Stevens' music is hard to describe to someone who has never heard it, because it covers a pretty broad range of styles. Some songs are very triumphant, with brassy instrumentals, while others are wistful ballads accompanied by harp, chimes, and acoustic guitar. But maybe my favorite thing about his sound is his soft, almost whispering voice.

Clearly, I adore this man, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to be standing just a few feet away from the stage during this show. The tour is meant to promote his opening band, Cryptacize, who is also signed to his label, Asthmatic Kitty Records, and to promote his new project, the BQE. The BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) is a creative franchise that incorporates an album, film, comic book, photography, and more. There will be a showing of the film at the Indianapolis Art Museum in November; I hope I'll get to go!

The concert showcased his recent explorations in style, including some pretty ambient and dissonant sounds. It ended with an encore performance of "To Be Alone With You," a soft and very spiritual acoustic tune. When the lights went up, everyone in the theater was beaming, all of us feeling utterly content.

(Below: friends waiting in line for the show)

Found Objects Exhibit Offers Multimedia Arts and Cake

Tonight I went to a really exciting exhibit called Found at The Lodge, a local gallery downtown! My fine arts advisor informed me of it in an e-mail, so I decided to check it out with my roommate, who is also an art-lover. The premise of this show was art made from found or recycled objects. We saw collages, sculptures, recycled fashion art, and video installations. Plus, we got to taste free homemade cakes, baked from a found recipe box!














Aside from the art, there was also a table set up by a co-op organization for artists. At the table they presented several found objects, and their offer was to assist you in any type of art project you would like to do with the objects. For instance, my roommate's idea was to make pinhole cameras out of the objects. She wrote down her idea, and if it is chosen they will help her make it happen!







The Lounge is a venue on Walnut street that anyone can use to exhibit artwork or give a show, but it does come with a fee. I wonder what kind of show it will host next!

Gene Kelly on the Big Screen

Even though it is only Wednesday, it seems that my week has been extremely busy so far; such is college life. Fortunately, last night I got a chance to relax a little bit while watching the classic Gene Kelly film, “Singin’ in the Rain” at the Collins Film Society. To my surprise, I had actually never seen the complete film before. Even more surprising is that Gene Kelly was forty years old when he acted in “Singin’ in the Rain,” not to mention a little bit ill on set. Still, he tapped and twirled like a star in what few people know was raining milk—used for better visibility—and not water.

The Collins Film Society is led by Kate Colvin, a Collins resident, and shows a movie every Tuesday in the Edmonson Coffeehouse. That is, until the very snazzy Collins cinema, complete with a big screen and comfortable seating, is up and running. Active members in the Film Society get to have a say in what will be shown each week. I will be checking the Gnome News, a weekly newsletter email for Collins residents, next Monday to find out which film will be screening next week.

Combating the Common Cold on Campus

Nothing makes you miss home more than when you get sick. At home, there is normally someone to take your temperature and bring you medicine, tea, and other comforts. When I came down with a cold this week, it was nice to know that campus could provide me every remedy needed to nurse me back to health, short of a mother’s goodnight kiss.

1. If you’re feeling the beginnings of a cold—a slight sniffle, a tickle in the throat—remember that there are several places on campus to grab a soothing cup of tea. My top three favorite places to get tea and coffee are at Angles, which is the IU Art Museum Café, at the Commons Café at the Wells Library, and at the Cheshire Café in Collins LLC-Edmonson. Don’t forget, be earth-friendly and supply your own mug!
2. Some cold symptoms call for more serious care; you may need to stop by a Hoosier Cafe and Store and pick up an over-the-counter cold medication. These are located at McNutt, Wright, and Willkie residence halls. Here, you can buy the same products found at most convenience stores, but with your mealpoints!
3. If your cold escalates into something more serious, you might need to see a doctor. The Health Center, located at 10th and Jordan, is the place to go when your symptoms mean missing class. Here, you can come in without an appointment, see a doctor, and pick up a note of illness. Other circumstances, like routine checkups, do require appointments. About 95 percent of the time, students with appointments are seen right on time.