The value of the humanities can be described in a multitude of ways, one in which I’ve adopted is the notion that engaging with culture, communities and the arts, interrogating their forms, can help us better interrogate our own lives in this same manner as the classics and the acclaimed.
So I was crying over the death of Socrates studying for my ancient Mediterranean history class and something stood out to me.
“this charming man”, this charming man you say…
Acclaimed artistry, The Smiths. As I grow up I move from listening to them in nostalgia for my mother’s taste and her adolescent soundscape and now nuzzle my way into the songs.
It’s quite odd to grow with a song, to fit yourself, your narrative and snapshots slot into anothers lyrics, someone else’s life.
Album cover for "Do You Feel This Way Sometimes" by LEEVAI
While I was walking around campus listening to this album, it began to color my perception. With all the impact of a soundtrack on a movie scene, “Do You Feel This Way Sometimes?” By LEEVAI made me feel like I was walking through a dream.
My favorite track off this album was “Professional Passenger”. This track begins with looping synths that immediately triggered nostalgia in me. The loops have a dimension to them that reminds me of the way speakers on a Nintendo DS. The slightest grain washed over the song. It made think of those tiny DS speakers trying to allow out a volume too big for them. The song made me feel like a little kid booting up a Legend of Zelda game. This nostalgia made for a great hook. It opened my attention and held me there with precision.
We are officially in the middle of the fall semester. That can only mean one thing: midterms. I can’t speak for everyone, but most everyone I know, present company included, have been drowning in exams, projects, presentations and extracurricular activities. The most prevalent feelings I have observed in myself and others have been stress. That being said, I think it’s high time I did another mental health check in.
With it feeling like everything is happening all at the same time, I want to provide a guide for how to deal with the stress and how to get through this dreaded period of the semester.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) movie poster
CONTENT WARNING: This review, film and/or soundtrack contains themes of sexual expression, violence, assault and conspiracy.
Around this time of year, hundreds of movie theatres across the country host midnight screenings of cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” While I have yet to actually go to one of these events, I have seen the movie numerous times. I love the film and feel like it is rightfully a cult classic.
Those who have lived in or near Charlotte, NC know that every fall, popular rollercoaster park Carowinds does their annual nighttime scare program. There’s haunted houses, performances, decorations and monsters everywhere, at least normally. I have personally been going almost every year, if not every year, since I moved to North Carolina. This year, I have been severely disappointed.
What Once Was
Let me explain. In the past, the park would close around 5 p.m. and reopen around 6 p.m. with the scare actors out and ready to play. The park wouldn’t close for the night until 1 a.m. I could leave my house at 5, which was about 45 minutes away, and get there in time for opening, get through ticketing lines and be ready to have fun within an hour. There were three or so haunted houses and mazes along with different parts of the park acting almost like boroughs with different themes. There were very few “safe” places where you couldn’t be scared. Additionally, there have been areas around the park with dancers and there was always a big performance in the front apex of the park where the Carolinas’ meet.
