Heard Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” in my school’s cafe this evening. Well, better her than Chris Brown I guess.
Currently watching her perform on Jimmy Kimmel.
Tagged with Seattle University …
What Seattle University Students Were Doing With Their Sunday Night:
It’s days like these when I can look back on my time here and really appreciate being at Seattle University. In addition to spending my morning/afternoon when some of the loveliest people I know, I was able to come home to yet another Seattle University “inside jokes” type of a page. A couple weeks ago, I reported that there were some new Twitter accounts popping up related to SUgirlproblems and quotes heard around the campus, but it looks like a new page has come into play and it is basically taking over. Created on Facebook, Seattle U Memes is a collaborative project that started tonight and has already acquired 482 fans in just a few hours. Not only are these memes true, but they’re actually pretty funny and not just poking at the obvious about us being d1 now or a Jesuit school. So why is this site more successful than the Twitter accounts? Here’s my guess: first off, everyone has a Facebook while not everyone has a Twitter yet. Another reason would be because those Twitter accounts are run by certain people whereas this page allows for any student to post leaving it open ad available to everyone to participate in. Here are just a few of my favorites below:
Seattle U Gets Snarky
I was perusing the Twitter-verse the other night when a couple of recommendations on the right-hand side caught my eye.
Let me introduce to you SUgirlproblems and Seattleusays
Both serve very different purposes, but have great potential. Seattle University students – can we make these two accounts blow up? They both appear to be very new, but they managed to get a giggle out of me so I figured I could hop on their support train.
Song of the Day
Los Campesinos! – My Year In Lists
This song is short and sweet! Tomorrow Seattle University’s 2011 Battle of the Band’s winning band – Kithkin, will open for Los Campesinos! at the Neptune Theater.
Once College Is Over, It’s Over
During Snowpocalypse 2012, I remember telling Veronica just how excited I was over the possibility of snow days. When classes get cancelled due to unexpected circumstances, I am ecstatic. After I went on and on about how I much I couldn’t wait for the snow to eat up our campus, Veronica said to me, “…but we only have so many class days left!”
I’m sorry? Are we not on the same page here?
It’s been a few weeks since the snow days, but I haven’t forgotten about this conversation because Veronica was right. I’m not really going to miss the classes, but I am going to miss that entire college experience. If you think about it, four months isn’t a long time. It’s going to fly by. As I went about my day yesterday, this conversation kept coming back to me. Yesterday, I worked out of the bistro while getting a view of Mt. Rainier from the window and I haven’t done that in two years! It’s one of the prettiest sights seen from campus. It’s also the same kind of sight that brings my productivity level down to 27%. Mt. Rainier is pretty. It takes precedence over everything else. I also realized that I walk so fast that I am practically running into people all of the time and never catching my breath in time to say “Excuse me.” What I should be doing is taking it all in – walking slower and saying hi to the friends I see along the way. If that makes me late to my meetings and classes by three minutes – then so be it. There is no reason for me to be walking that fast.
For the past few months, I’ve been itching to get to the next chapter and skipping those pages just like I do with my own text books. When I was a kid, before blogs even existed – I loved to read books. I never missed a page; not even in Harry Potter. If my time in college has meant anything to me, I need to force myself to stop skipping. I’m not sure if anyone else feels the same way, but if you’ve been feeling like you’re missing a little bit of “life” right now, here are some steps I made up while I was in class.
- Eat on campus. Every once in awhile (or maybe more than once,) it feels GOOD to have others prepare a meal for you that you probably couldn’t make on your own.
A Note On Guest Posts
When I first had the idea for this project to feature my friends on Yow Yow, I had no idea what it would look like. I sent an email to a select few. I told them I was interested, but I didn’t gave any requirements or topics really. I barely gave them a deadline. As soon as the posts started rolling in, I knew that what I had just received to my inbox was special. These posts are unedited and are published in the raw form that you see them in.
I haven’t been able to express how much these mean to me though, because the only part that I write in the guest post is the bio and I try to make it all about them. I have to say though, that I feel incredibly lucky to have these people in my life. These friends have been there right next to me in that classroom, have become my role models, and my supporters. They have helped shape the four most memorable years of my life here at Seattle University and I am at times in disbelief that I have this opportunity at all to share them with you. For one post, I get to let you into their lives and my friends, for one post get to sum up their hopes, their emotions, their humor, and their passion. This project means a lot to me. As I write this, I am listening to a video recording of my dear friend Maddie (the very person that inspired this project,) pour her heart out into a song that I will be sharing with you very very soon and surprisingly, it is guiding me swiftly through writing this post. My hope is that you are able to take away from these posts a new perspective, a refined perspective, and the security of knowing that you are never alone. Whether you are countries apart, miles away, down the street from this guest post writer, the distance should not be a factor and neither should the age difference.
Readers, thank you for your continuous support and interest in reading their posts. I get the biggest grin on my face every time I see them as a top post. If you like what you are reading in their text, just imagine what they are like in real life.
My goal is to try to put out a post from them on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. Need to catch up? Please check out our first two guest post writers below.
Snowpocalypse 2012: Nomz & DIY
I should probably work on my food photography a little bit. There’s no better way to bare the snow than to share a meal with friends. Veronica and I decided to make some stir fry tonight with chicken, vegetables, and udon noodles.
I’ve always been a little bit skittish when cooking meat so I usually let her handle that. We used both oregano and lemon pepper for seasoning and our sauce is typically made with brown sugar, soy sauce, and corn starch.
Ta-da! It kind of looks like brains, but I promise it tastes a lot better than it looks.
Still a little hungers, we decided to whip up some of our favorite “Eggs-in-a-basket.” This does not look visually pleasing, but hey – it’s hard to get it right sometimes. As we were making them (or as Veronica was actually making them,) we started to ask ourselves why we never strayed away from the original recipe. Why didn’t we add different ingredients ever? So this time we did. After making two standard ones for us, our third one included honey drizzled on top of it. The look on Veronica’s face indicated to me that I would not be sampling that one. Next, we used the leftover circles to make our version of “mini french toast.” However, it wasn’t until she had completely made them that we realized our batter of milk and cinnamon was missing one key ingredient – eggs. As you can imagine, that didn’t end well either.
We also worked on a DIY project I found while perusing blogs not too long ago.
Perfectly concealed and organized! As you can see, I don’t tie ribbons very well, but it’s the effort that counts. I couldn’t be more thrilled about my box of tech!
What a wonderful two days off school we have had due to the snow! Whether or not Seattle University decides to open tomorrow does not directly affect me that much, but still the students continue to heckle the school’s Facebook page for yet another day off. I’ve also seen some statuses from students who just want to return to school because this affects their learning.
This is why we can’t have nice things. I’m grateful for the days off, but I also appreciate the Seattle University marketing team for keeping us updated on the news whenever they get any and for having to deal with the unruly responses. They really don’t deserve that – we should all learn to be a little nicer from this. For a laugh, click here.
Champagne Champagne’s Acoustic Rap
This was a great year for local hip hop group Champagne Champagne! We had them over at Seattle U earlier in the year for a CoffeeHaus set and then later saw them on the lineups for Capitol Hill Block Party, Doe Bay Fest and Bumbershoot.
Here’s a video of one of their performances from Doe Bay in which they are rapping to acoustic.
Meet: The Buried Life
photo by Jamie Cary
In 2009, I was just about ready to give up on my MTV and throw in the towel for good. Frustrated by a successful season of guidos and guiedettes, I had lost any hope that I had in the network to bring in shows that would speak to my generation. What I wanted to see was real people sparking motivation and inspiration among young adults my age. As a sophomore in college back then, I felt comfortable in my routine of going to class, going to my job, and writing for this blog, but is that all that makes up a life? That’s not all I wanted to make up MY life. Life is too short. It’s too short to do the things you hate because you have to. It’s too short to not take the risks on things that you want to do. Are we using our time wisely? That is essentially what The Buried Life is all about.
The four guys from Victoria, BC made up their list of 100 things they wanted to do before they died and after doing so, I imagine that they just shrugged their shoulders and asked, “Why not?” The guys have crossed off 75% of their list and have added more items expanding their list past 100. I have to also note that their list includes things like: “Crash a party at the Playboy mansion,” “Play basketball with President Obama,” and Deliver a baby” among other things. And guess what? They’ve done it. They have traveled through Canada and America in a purple bus named Penelope crossing things off their list, but their project isn’t just for them. Every time they achieve something from their list, they help another person cross something off of theirs.
Having the opportunity to interview The Buried Life guys was something that I have wanted for Yow Yow! even before the show had aired. I was blown away by their project and have a great deal respect for them and what their doing. Spending the day with them when they were here at Seattle University is an experience that I will never forget. They are the type of guys that you would want as your friends and they are exactly the same in real life as they are on their television series. Below is the transcribed interview that I had with Buried Life cast members Ben Nemtin and Duncan Penn, which originally started as just audio using my FlipCam until the guys decided that they wanted to film each other back and forth answering the questions. If you’re wondering why the camera’s so jerky and the footage is so raw – that’s why! It’s cause it wasn’t planned. From the interview you’ll learn who is the messiest to live with, what the guys would be doing if they weren’t pursuing The Buried Life and what is in store for them next.
courtesy: MTV
Q: First off, I’d like to welcome you to our campus and thank you guys so much for being here!
Ben: Thank you.
Duncan: Thanks for having us.
Q: It’s been almost two years since we were first introduced to you by MTV and the project has definitely been going on for much longer than that. What did this journey look like before you guys had the television series in terms of funding, transportation and support from your family and friends?
Ben: I would say that it’s changed in terms of exposure, but we try to keep it as close to how we started as humanely possible. We made a commitment to each other when we started the show that we were going to do our best not to change anything and so we’ve had to keep each other in check, but we have the same crew. We’re in control of the show. We edit it and we choose the music and we hire everybody. We’re really lucky to be able to do all of that. Our mantra is that we make stuff that we think our friends would like and that’s what we’ve always done and so that’s what we try to stick to.
Q: You guys are obviously pretty close friends, but close friends or best friends don’t always make the best roommates. Was it tough to be on the road for so long? Did you guys ever get on each other’s nerves?
Duncan: Well, Jonnie and I are brothers, but we’re all like brothers and we fight like brothers. It’s actually unbelievable how well we do get along, I would say considering we lived in the back of a bus for so long. Dave’s really messy – as you can imagine, but we get along very well. That’s the thing – you know – we weren’t best friends coming into this. We met very serendipitously and have become very close and have been through a lot of big ups and huge downs together… in the trenches.
Q: I imagine sometimes this journey has to be difficult. I mean you’re meeting strangers along the way and everyone has a story to tell and sometimes those stories are really difficult to grasp and there are so many backgrounds – some emotional, like Sam. At the end of the day, what makes it all worth it for you?
Ben: I think what makes it worth it is just seeing the response and the impact it has on people that we’ll never meet – random emails from someone saying things like, “I was suicidal and I saw the show and now I’m not.” You get one of those and that makes it all sort of worth it. Also, we’re doing everything we’ve ever wanted to do. This kind of project has turned into our lives and that’s something that’s just really really cool.
Q: You guys obviously have great taste in music –
Duncan: Obviously.
Q: You were at Capitol Hill Block Party and you choose your own music for your show. Are there any up and coming bands that you would recommend for Quadstock?
Duncan: Yeah, Tupac. It’s just this up and coming band – a lot of urban stuff.
Ben: I really like The Tallest Man on Earth? He sounds exactly like Bob Dylan.
Q: This isn’t your first college tour, but I want to know what motivated you guys to have this college tour in the first place?
Duncan: You know what? We’ve been speaking at schools and universities from the very beginning. Ben and I – when we were first starting out – used to go speak to ESL classes at the local university for 40 bucks just to make some money and to talk about the project. But for us, the speaking part is really rewarding because it’s a chance to kind of talk…television is a very one-sided conversation – and going and meeting the people and actually asking the question, “What do you want to do before you die?” is a way to have a conversation and meet the people who are watching the show and are interested in the project. It’s been really rewarding to make those connections.
Q: Before you guys started this project, you were all students and you all had jobs, but if you weren’t doing The Buried Life, what would you be doing?
Ben: Oh that’s a good question! If we weren’t doing The Buried Life…
Duncan: I’d be an astronaut. Maybe an astronaut cowboy.
Q: Can you describe what that is?
Duncan: Yeah, it’s basically an astronaut. You seen cowboy movies?
Q: Uh…a couple.
Duncan: It’s basically like cowboys on the moon, but you’re an astronaut and you’re mostly just doing lassos in zero gravity. Full time.
Ben: And I would be something like nuclear physicist or a brain surgeon, uh something that uses a portion of my abilities, you know?
Duncan: A rocket sociologist.
Ben: A rocket scientist
Duncan: You’d be into rocket scientry.
Ben: Rocket surgery and stuff like that – and such.
Q: I noticed that the most recent item checked off your list was #116 Design a Shoe. It looks like you guys are expanding pass 100 so what does this mean? Have you already completed your 100 things off your list? Are you guys going to 200 now?
Duncan: That’s a good question; I’ve had a lot of people ask. The thing about the list is that it’s not necessarily about the 100 things. Things drop off the list; we add things to the list. It’s always been about going after the things that you’re truly passionate about so we’re always adding things to the list. Design a shoe was very exciting for us and that idea spawned from seeing the little kids walking around in their LA Gear’s that light up and being like, ‘Why can’t adults have sick light up shoes?’ and that is why we made those.
Q: In what ways has this experience affected the way you look at life today?
Ben: How is th- you mean The Buried Life?
Q: Yeah.
Ben: I think it’s totally changed our perspective. I mean – it’s change my perspective. The fact that you can just do whatever it is you want to do. There’s really nothing that you can’t do. If you work hard enough and you want it bad enough, you make it happen.
Q: I learned yesterday some kind of disappointing news that MTV would not be renewing your third season. What were your reactions to that and what plans do you have for The Buried Life in the future with or without MTV?
Ben: Good question. Well, we’ve been talking with MTV about it for awhile and we didn’t really want to make the same show again. And so we actually just signed a deal today with them to develop a new series so that’s why Dave and Jonnie are in Vancouver right now – they’re filming. Basically that happened today and we’re working with them to kind of reformat it and play with some stuff. So I mean, yeah, we’re not going anywhere. But it’s good because The Buried Life has always been stepping it up and going the next level so that’s what it is for us – it’s like what’s the next level for the show and that’s what we’re working on right now.
Q: Great, I’m glad to hear it. I have no doubt in your guys’ success and I think you guys are going to continue to do great things and inspire people all over the world.
Ben and Duncan: Thank you
Q: Are you still in contact with the people you’ve helped along your way?
Duncan: We’ve actually made some really close friends over the whole thing and it’s been a privilege to be a part of a lot of those stories – talking about Sam and Laban tonight. After the episode was finished, we had the privilege of watching their relationship as it kind of fostered. It’s funny, we just did four speaking engagements and we had somebody that was in the episode in each one of them – somebody that we had helped so we’re always seeing them and it’s pretty cool. And Ben’s really close with Lexi – who he helped in –
Ben: Minnesota
Duncan: Minnesota. Rochester, Minnesota.
Q: What was that one about again?
Ben: She wanted to make it okay for it to talk about depression in her hometown. And I met this rock and I helped the rock and we still – I’m in contact with it all the time.
Duncan: Yeah, the rock really wanted to rock and roll and so Ben uh –
Ben: …gave it a little nudge
Duncan: …gave it a little roll. It’s a true story.
*****
Thank you so much Ben and Duncan! We can’t wait to see what you guys do next and we hope to see you very soon!
The Last Fall Ball
There is no better way to go out than to have your last Fall Ball at the beautiful Seattle Art Museum. Attending Fall Ball has always been a special memory for me ever since I was a wee little freshman and since then my experience with Fall Ball every year has differed significantly. As a freshman, I had one of the best times ever with my five girlfriends. In my sophomore year, I became Fall Ball Chair. In my junior year, I selected the venue for it and in my senior year I straight up just worked it. I’ve learned a lot of lessons throughout the years, but the one vital thing I learned came from Kevin E.
“A girl that walks into Fall Ball inebriated no longer has a great looking dress on. Instead, she is making that dress look 10x worse because of her intoxication.”
Okay, he probably didn’t say it like that, but it was close enough. And it makes perfect sense. I can’t tell you how many dresses I saw ruined last night because a girl was sloppy. When girls are drunk, they have no idea that their dress is shifted to one side, that their body-con dress is now up to their crotch region or that their liquid eyeliner is smeared ALL OVER their face. I’m really glad that wasn’t me last night because I made this dress look damn good. And that is all I have to say about that.
Thank you so much to everyone that came out last night! We hope you had a great time. Thank you also to the wonderful staff at the SAM as well as the security and the lovely staff that I got to work alongside with.
UPDATE: Also a very special thank you to Stefani my plus one for the night. Thank you for bringing me the lovely rose. Though I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with all my friends, it meant the world to me to see you all dressed up and dropping in to say hi to me, asking me how I was doing, or even offering to help me (I’m talking about you Mathew Lane) as well as those that did help me prior (Jodie Dodie.) I’ve got some great people in my life :)
Senioritus Is…
When your professor forgets that finals week is the 5th and NOT the 12th (the first week of winter break.) As a result, he cancels the final.
Is this the best senior year ever? Yes. It is.
The Best and Worst of Senior Year 11/15
Senior year is great. Actually it’s more than great. It’s FANTASTIC and 10x better than being a senior in high school. I wish I could have knocked some sense into my high school senior self because I’m sure back then, I thought it was it was as good as it was going to get. Back then, I couldn’t see that light at the end of the tunnel because I did have four more extra years tied to that. But now, this is it. Really it. And on this day of my senior year, I went through the stages of good, bad and ugly.
The good thing about senior year is that I have started to care less about things that don’t matter as much and more about the things that do. I’ve come to the realization that if you just kind of coast with some form of a focus, then you’re going to do alright. Today was just one of those days where everything was completely in my favor. Let me just say – that that never happens. Ever. Should we call this karmic synergy? [Name that television reference.] The point of this good is that everything is going to be okay. Be on top of your ish, don’t get lazy, have fun. Do it all in that order. Just don’t eff it up.
The worst thing about senior year is the competition. Naturally, I’m not a competitive person, but I can’t say the same about everyone else around me. Everyone wants to talk about where they’re interviewing at, how they’ve got these connections, etc etc. blah blah blah. That’s great and all, but save it for when you actually get an acceptance. No one likes a pretentious prick so learn to keep some stuff to yourself. Also, worry about yourself and not anyone else – they’re going to be okay. And I am going to be okay!
Alyssa and I made up a new game in the office today and boy was it ugly. It’s actually somewhat of an awful game so I don’t want to go too much into detail about it, but it does include Facebook pictures, people from high school and categories. Recognizing a person’s peak in high school is sad.
In the News…
Fashion
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are covering Vogue’s second annual best dressed issue. The issue highlights the best in fashionable sisters including the Olsen twins, Kate and Pippa Middleton, Dakota and Elle Fanning and many more. [Source]
- Dakota Fanning’s ad for Marc Jacobs’ “Oh Lola” fragrance has been banned for being too sexual. [Source]
- In Chloe Sevigny’s recent cover shoot for Candy Magazine photographed by Terry Richardson, the two of them collaborated in…another way. [Source] Must be weird for Terry to make out with someone that completely looks like him.
“There are a lot of pop stars making fashion collections – Kylie and J.Lo, Puff Daddy and Kanye West…Maybe next season, [Domenico Dolce and I] should sing a song.” – Stefano Gabbana
[Source]
- Girl Scout cookies as chap sticks flavors [Source]
- Alber Elbaz, the designer behind Lanvin, is writing a book. [Source]
-Dakota and Elle Fanning cover W. [Source]
Music
- The lovely and talented Dia Frampton will be releasing her first debut album on December 6th. [Source]
- To celebrate Christmas at the Rockefeller Center, Tony Bennett, Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé, Cee Lo Green, Faith Hill, Carole King, Katharine McPhee, Javier Colon and The Radio City Rockettes will be performing for the live broadcast. [Source]
- Justin Bieber is definitely taking the paternity test in two weeks and Maury is trying to recruit him to be on his show when he reveals the results. [Source] I would love to hear Maury announce, “YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER!” or vice versa.
- An acoustic performance by Fun of “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monae. [Source]
- EMI Music has been sold to Universal for $1.9 Billion. Sony bought out EMI Music Publishing for $2.2 Billion. [Source]
- Taylor Momsen’s band, The Pretty Reckless, will support Guns ‘N Roses on tour. [Source]
Television
- Showtime has renewed Weeds for an eighth season. [Source] I can’t believe this show isn’t over yet.
- Billy Crystal will be hosting the Oscars this year replacing Eddie Murphy. [Source]
- Lifetime TV is planning a new reality series called “Starving Secrets” to highlight the effects of having an eating disorder. [Source]
Movies
- Breaking Dawn fans are camping out for the premiere of the movie in Los Angeles. [Source] Wow, that doesn’t sound like fun at all.
Seattle
- The Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit will open next spring at the Seattle Center and will be the world’s largest Chihuly exhibit to ever exist. [Source] Above is a photograph of our Chihuly sculpture on campus in Pigott.
- Cupcake Royale has made Breaking Dawn cupcakes to celebrate the release. [Source]
- Meet Seattle’s most influential people of 2011. [Source]
- Seattle made the list for being the 8th shopaholic city. [Source]
Other
- These are the worst action figures of Kate and Pippa Middleton I have ever seen. [Source]
- Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves are finally following in the footsteps of their previous characters and are dating! [Source]
- 25- year old Kyla Pratt (One-on-One, Proud Family) has a one-year old daughter. [Source]
- Ex-pornstar, Sasha Grey, read children’s book to elementary students yesterday and parents were not enthused. [Source]
- A 10-year old girl from Mexico gave birth to a baby boy in a 31-week pregnancy. [Source] OH MY GOD.
- A straight rugby player suffers a stroke and goes into a coma – wakes up gay and fabulous! [Source]
I Must Be Crazy
I spent the afternoon catching up with an old friend at High 5 Pie eating a delicious slice of pumpkin pie only to be surprised that it was made by my dear friend Jake. Next, being interrupted by the two blank stares of our friends outside of the shop looking in at us. It’s perfect fall days like these that make me never want to leave these people.
Seattle | 1
Every other city | 0
In the News…
Fashion
- I love this shot of Chloe Sevigny impersonating photographer, Terry Richardson, on the cover of Candy Magazine. [Source]
- Tom Ford will design the costumes for the next James Bond film. [Source]
- Sarah Jessica Parker is trying too hard with this hat. [Source]
- Prince and Nicki Minaj will perform at the H&M x Versace launch party. [Source]
- Levi’s suggests that we freeze our jeans instead of washing them. [Source]
- Kanye’s kilt causes a stir. [Source]
Music
- Listen to The Flaming Lips‘ 24-hour song. [Source]
- Franz Ferdinand will return in 2012. [Source]
- Former Quadstock performer, Dan Deacon, has signed to indie label Domino. [Source]
Television
- What the series finale of Greek could have looked like with this alternate ending. [Source]
- Lady Gaga will sit down w/ Katie Couric for a holiday special called, “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving.” [Source]
- FOX has decided to renew The X Factor for a second season. [Source]
- 60 Minutes’ Andy Rooney passed away last night at age 92. [Source]
Movies
- Is “Project X” our modern day “Can’t Hardly Wait?” Ehhh probably not.
Seattle
- Could a “Bruce Lee Action Museum” be moving into the International District sometime soon? [Source]
- EMP’s Sound Off! entry deadline is Monday! [Source]
- Is anyone else aware of how many restaurants are popping up in Seattle recently? There’s way too many to count for me to post about all of them so just check out Seattle Met’s Nosh Pit blog for everything that you need and more.
- Seattle rock group, Visqueen, will be playing their last show ever on Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Neptune Theater. [Source]
Other
- Beyonce and Jay-Z’s fetus is a girl! [Source]
- The New York Daily News decided to place a media ban on The Kardashians. [Source] I’ve only had to do that for Heidi and Spencer and Jon and Kate, but I adore the Kardashians too much.
- On a related note – Kendall Jenner is getting a Sweet Sixteen special on E! Not shocked. Still excited. [Source]
- Pippa Middleton is writing a book. [Source]
- Want your brown eyes to be blue? Want a laser to take care of that for you? [Source]
- One footballer decided to name his son “Trendy” because he loves Twitter. In the words of my friend Tina, “You F-A-I-L FAIL!” [Source]
