Student Soundbytes

Posted: May 9, 2006

Robert and I drove down to see Rob Zombie and Lacuna Coil in Indy at the Murat Theater on Sunday. It was pretty cool. We did get lost in Indianapolis getting to the show and also when we left. For those of you who don’t know Rob Zombie, he really kicks butt. His shows are always crazy. Picture a circus, sideshow, monster movie, and a rock concert mixed together and you get the spectacle that is a Rob Zombie concert.
Me and my boyfriend had lots of fun running through the crowd trying to find the best view of the stage. I also got two cool t-shirts. You can tell when a band truly cares when their t-shirts are as detailed as Rob Zombie’s are. The music was great too, he played some of his new songs from his album, Educated Horses. Sometimes you can’t get the whole meaning behind the songs, but they rock and are groovy.

And the semester rolls on.

School is going better. My grades are up in the A-B range. I am making it to all my classes. What I don’t understand are the students that never show up to class. If I did not show up to class I would be lost. So if you are a prospective student, show up to all your classes. The teachers appreciate having classrooms full of students. Also if you show up to class all the time, you are more likely to get an A or B.

It is still rocky with my roommate in Student Housing. I still can’t believe that I am the clean freak. I am usually the messiest person, despite my six years in the U.S. Army.

Posted: May 3, 2006

I am finally on MySpace.com. I have heard other people talking about it. I finally went on it during spring break. This is a really cool website. If you’ve never been there, you should check it out. I have my own profile if you want to check it out. This website is addictive. I get to talk about any subject that I want without censure. If you want to vent about an issue you can. You can create your own web diary. You can make friends with all types of people. I actually checked out MySpace.com because I made friends with a cover band called Echo’s Hill. Check them out on Myspace.
I love sharing ideas and questions that come up in my life. I am an anthropology major I sometimes come up with bits of wisdom concerning human cultures and society. My classes are stressing me out a little bit. I am taking 14 credit hours and sometimes the workload is immense. To be a full-time school you have to be taking 12 credit hours. My Spanish class is actually worth 8 credits if I get a C or above. So in actuality I am taking 18 credit hours, so it’s no wonder this semester it is hard to keep up with all the details.
Dorm-life is a little crazy. I hardly ever see my roommate because we are caught up in our school schedules and my two jobs keep me very busy. I still find time to have lots of fun. Sometimes too much fun!

Posted: April 28, 2006

Hi everyone! Over half the semester is over and I am getting the mid-term blues. Papers are due, tests are being taken left and right, and class material is getting more complicated. I am doing well in my classes. I got 28 out of 30 on my biology lab quiz that was over all the labs we had in the first half of the semester. I ended up earning a 96 out of 100 total points in my biology lab section 1. That should balance out my lecture grades and give me a mid-range B for the class.

On to home-life I am having some cleaning issues with my roommate. It seems that I am turning out to be the clean freak in our apartment. I am always cleaning up after her. Sometimes I feel like the maid! But enough on that subject.

I taught my new boyfriend how to bowl! He had never bowled before so I drug him to the bowling alley and we bowled for a couple hours. It cost us less than 5 bucks a piece to bowl 5 games. I am not that good a bowler, but I beat him the first 4 games. He ended up getting a 119 on the last game and beat my score of 103. I guess it was beginners luck!

I finally got a profile set up on MySpace.com. I spent part of spring break and part of last week setting it up and posting pictures. It is a pretty cool site. I think I am becoming addicted! I like that you can post blogs and keep track of your friends.

I don’t have anything controversial to talk about this week – the mid-term blues are getting to me. I am sure something crazy and interesting will show up in next weeks blog though!! Hooray for craziness!!

Posted: April 21, 2006

Hi! I just got done with spring break. I didn’t go anyplace fabulous but I did meet a lot of cool people. I went with my boyfriend to see a band that he is friends with. They are called Echo’s Hill. They are basically a cover band. They cover Metallica, Pantera, Dark New Day, Drowning Pool, Sevendust, etc. They were excellent! I am so used to paying a lot for concerts, it is nice to finally find live music that is free. The band members are cool and interesting. I am now a devoted fan of theirs!

I also worked a lot during spring break. I went home for a few days and visited my brother. We drove to Indy to Castleton Mall and then drove back up to Muncie and went to the Muncie Mall. We then went to Buffalo Wild Wings. The food was great there. My brother loves spicy stuff so he got the spiciest sauce they had. We had tons of fun.

I didn’t get to see my parents. They are driving out to Las Vegas for 2 weeks. How come my parents get to go somewhere cool, and I got stuck staying here? 3 words- No tengo dinero.

I didn’t get a lot of schoolwork done during the break. I figure it was a good time to relax and push school to the side for a bit. Next year I will plan a fabulous trip to somewhere warm and a place that has a nice beach.

Posted: April 14, 2006

Hi, everyone. This week has been another crazy one. Last Friday, I went to the sold out Disturbed concert at Piere’s. That was an amazing concert! I even colored my hair bright red in celebration of this concert. People might think that Disturbed is just another crazy heavy metal band, but they have important messages in their songs. They talk about politics, love, relationships, family problems, and above all freedom and justice. I can remember the whole crowd in Piere’s chanting USA..USA..USA.

Rock music these days are promoting more political awareness. Reminds me a bit of the 60’s and the war in Vietnam. The war in Iraq is nowhere near the devastation that Vietnam was. Hopefully Americans don’t have to witness that again. I have never really been a fan of George Bush and the fact that most of the bands I see are of the same mind makes me feel much better about my opinions. I support the military, just not our president. I spent six years in the US Army, so I know some of what is going on over there in Iraq. I am glad that I am lucky enough to be here going to school instead of dodging bullets. Anyway I will tell you guys more stories about my military career in future blogs.

Back to the rock concert. It was cool! David Draiman, the lead singer for Disturbed, has more charisma than most politicians. Unless you have been to a real rock concert, you don’t know what rock is all about. I have been to so many of them in the last year that some of my co-workers joke about it. I just can’t get enough of the crowds or the energy of a live band. I am so lucky to live in a city that is visited by so many great bands.

I am a pretty open-minded person. I guess you could call me a liberal or a bit of a non-traditionalist. I am always riled up about some injustice or another. I don’t know how I became such a liberal. I lived in hyper-conservative Indiana most of my life. I think I have always been this way. I am just glad that IPFW gives me a place to talk about all the crazy ideas swimming around in my mind.

I have to finish a 7 page paper for tomorrow so I should really leave the rest for next week’s blog. Actually, next week is Spring Break so I will catch you guys after that.

Posted: February 19, 2006

I had a crazy hectic week. I had a test in my advanced Spanish class. I did very well and got an A, it was either a 98% or 99%, I don’t have my folder with me. My Spanish class is my most important class this semester because even though it is only 4 credit hours, if I get a C or above I can get another 4 credits. So my Spanish class is actually worth 8 credit hours! That is nothing to sneeze at. I make sure I go to class every day because it is very important to participate when you are learning a foreign language. My teacher is from Portugal. She is a great teacher who loves to tell us about her life when she was a young girl growing up in Portugal. She also makes it a point to tell us about other countries customs. Her goal is to not only teach us a foreign language but to also let us know how the rest of the world runs. Sometimes other countries sound cool, then when I find out they don’t take showers everyday or that a fish head is a delicacy I am happy to have grown up in the US. We are a spoiled bunch!

I had a test in my Archaeology class. I did not do as well as I should have. I got a 78%. I can do much better. I want to get straight A’s this semester. I really need a boost for my GPA. Chemistry class last semester killed my GPA.

I also need to get better work habits when it comes to my writing class. I am not a particularly good writer. I decided to write my science review paper on gastric bypass surgery. GB surgery is good in theory, then when you find out what they actually do to your stomach to lose weight, you wonder why so many people get this surgery. It sounds like torture to me. If you could only eat 1-2 ounces at meals and had all kinds of side-effects like malnutrition or osteoporosis, gastric bypass does not sound that nice. Anyway, I will be glad to be done with this paper and moving on to my film review paper. I chose to do my review on Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses.

Rock Music 101
This week I went to two concerts! I went and saw Motley Crue and Nine Inch Nails. Motley Crue was a very interesting concert. Picture a rock concert and three-ring circus put together. The Motley Crue concert was at the Coliseum, so even people under 21 could go. I met up with a friend at the show and we yelled so much for the band that our voices were hoarse when we left. Tommy Lee was fantastic on the drums. He actually suspended himself on a wire and was literally flying around the coliseum from one platform to another playing his drums. It was awesome. I also bought a t-shirt that was really cool and a bandana. They had fire-eaters, jugglers, and acrobats. They were not your usual circus type people! The band played all their popular songs and even did an encore.

The Nine Inch Nails concert was packed! The band played their new songs and songs that were made in 1989 and later. I met up with my same friend from the Motley Crue concert. He actually hooked me up with the NIN ticket. They had huge video screens made out of mesh that were showing all types of images from bacteria to zebras and crocodiles. I felt like I was watching Animal Planet or sitting in one of my biology lectures. It was cool. I was not a big fan of the concert t-shirts, they were a little bland for my taste.

Anyway I better go, I have another Spanish quiz tomorrow. Hopefully I keep the A’s coming in that class.

Posted: February 12, 2006

I am an avid concert goer. Fort Wayne is like the Heavy Metal crossroad for America. It is a great place to see rock and heavy metal bands. Most of the concerts I see are at Piere’s Entertainment Center. I apologize for those who are not 21 yet. Piere’s is a 21 and over bar/club. I go to at least one concert a month. I also go to the Memorial Coliseum, which does not have age restrictions for its concerts, so cheer up guys!
The month of February has been a killer though for concert goers. The first week of February I saw Sevendust, Nonpoint, and Wicked Wisdom. All of these bands really rocked out. Did anyone know that the lead singer for Wicked Wisdom is none other than Jada Pinkett Smith? For those of you that don’t know, she is Will Smith’s wife. The guy from Hitch and Men in Black. She has her own rock band. I had no clue that she was even the heavy metal type. She was one of the heavier bands that night, surprisingly enough. Will Smith even made an appearance at Piere’s to support his wife. I can’t believe that. Will Smith in little ole Fort Wayne. I did not get his autograph but I think it was so cool that he was there. I went to school the next day and told everyone.

The second week of February I went to two concerts. I saw Nickelback, Trapt, and Default at the Memorial Coliseum. I went with one of my friends. It was a last minute thing buying the tickets so our seats were not that great. I have to say that I enjoyed every minute of it. I screamed my head off when Trapt sang Headstrong. I almost cried when Nickelback sang Photograph. I also loved the Corona Chugging Contest. The drummer for Nickelback can sure toss back a Corona! The drummer also played a 10 minute solo. That was a workout! I got exhausted just watching him. The pyrotechnics were great. Flames, fireworks, and explosions. I was pretty far from the stage but I could still feel the heat from the flames. They also played a tribute to the late, great Dimebag Darrell. I will go into more detail about Dimebag in my next blog for those of you who do not know this person.

I saw Revelation Theory and Hinder. If you haven’t heard any of these bands turn your radio to 98.9 The Bear. The Bear is the best heavy metal/ rock station in the area. I have to get my daily dose of music to get me pumped up for the day and keep me energized for my classes. How can you be tired after listening to Metallica or Ozzy?

At the RT and Hinder concert I had a blast. I did party some, but I always do it in moderation. Referring to the title of this piece I have to explain the mechanics of a mosh pit. Some people have never even heard the word mosh. I am still learning about it myself. As an anthropological student you have to be good at observing people. I mix my love of music and my analytical skills to give you my interpretation of the mosh pit.
Basically you start with one or two guys that are really into the music. The band is usually playing a really energizing song. The guys start to bang their heads, which means they move their heads to the music, head bangers usually have long hair for those who don’t know what I am talking about. So we got guys head banging, then several other people get into it too. So now you have a small space, several people banging their heads and others dancing to the music. Then they start to run into each other almost like in a wresting ring, but the ropes are other people. So the people at the edge of the circle push the moshers back into the pit and the moshers push each other around. Basically no one gets hurt, but if you are at the edge of the moshpit watch your drink because people are flying all over the place!

I really think moshing is sometimes misunderstood. I think it is a way of releasing stress and getting really into the music. I always have a blast at rock concerts because everyone is there for one reason, to listen to the band give it their all. You don’t see any of that when you listen to a cd player. You also don’t get the charisma of the lead singer, the tireless energy of the guitar players, and the determination of the drummer to give a good show.

Well I have to go now. I have another rockin concert at Piere’s in only 4 hours. Seether, Shinedown, Halestorm, and Flyleaf will be onstage for the Winterfresh Snocore Tour. I will give you guys the details in my next blog.

Posted: February 1, 2006

Hi, everyone! I want to start by talking a little about me. I am originally from Fort Wayne, IN. My family moved from Fort Wayne to Muncie, IN when I was in 2nd grade. I finished up through high school at Muncie Central High school. I joined the US Army for a couple years. I lived in Anchorage, Alaska and White Sands, New Mexico. Now that my tour is done I moved back to Indiana and I’ve been taking classes at IPFW.

I was originally an education major. I wanted to be a high school biology teacher. Then I decided to focus on just biology as a major. I found out that I am not that good at chemistry so I am now an anthropology major. I was going to minor in anthropology and history anyway.

I think I’ve now found what I really should have done in the beginning. I always loved those Indiana Jones movies with the temples, rainforests, and visiting other countries. When I was younger I read books about the Egyptian pyramids and the ancient Incas and Mayans. I had a fifth grade teacher named Mr. Mason who had a whole shelf of interesting books about ancient cultures and oddities from around the world. He let me borrow those books and I still remember them to this day. I told myself that I wanted to visit the Yucatan in Mexico and see the Mayan temples for myself. I also want to visit Giza and the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

I am taking an archaeology class right now. It is very interesting. Mr. Sutter, my teacher, has been to South America and studied archaeological sites there. I think that it is so cool that a person who I see everyday in class has actually done what I have wanted to do for over 15 years. After I get my bachelor degree in anthropology I want to visit all those places for myself instead of reading about them in a textbook.

Now most people will probably ask “what can an anthropology major can do with their degree?” I really enjoy my anthropology classes. I am also minoring in history and biology. I am not really looking to make a million dollars. If I wanted to make the big bucks I would become an engineer. I just want to find a job that is fun, that I enjoy doing, and gives me enough money to live comfortably. I think I can find that in the anthropology field. I also want to travel and learn about other cultures. So no 5 star hotels. Good thing I got some camping skills from my years in the military. So I am used to roughing it a little bit. Well enough writing for today, stay tuned for more on my take on living in the student dorms, heavy metal music, and why I chose IPFW as my school of choice.