As I mentioned in a previous post, one of my favorite things
about growing up and going off to college is the amount of experiences I now
have, the stories I can tell. It would seem, at this point, that the majority
of said stories and experiences are centered around concerts and music. Prior
to moving here, I averaged about one concert per year. Now I’m going nearly once
a week. Sound expensive? It’s not. I am fortunate enough to live in a city that
attracts a lot of great talent, often less exposed. I am also lucky to go to a
university which hosts free shows almost every week. Of the many, many
musicians I have seen so far, I only had to pay for three shows.
So here are my stories;
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| Big Sean |
Big Sean: He came for our Homecoming Concert. To be
completely honest, I only knew one or two of his songs, but I enjoyed it
regardless. It was so early in the school year that it was also great to meet
new people and bond with the people I’d be living with. And what better a place
to do that than a concert?
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| Smallpools |
Smallpools: Opener for Big Sean. I’ve been a fan of them for
a long while now. During their song Killer Whales, they tossed giant inflatable
whales (like the swimming pool toys) into the crowds and it was hilarious to
see it fly and fall while everyone was singing and jumping/ dancing.
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| Goodnight Gorillas |
Goodnight Gorillas: When the weather was warmer, the U put
on these shows in the patio area of the mall called Student Sound featuring
student bands. I went as a project for my photography class and I’m so happy I
chose to go. First of all, they were really good! Second, they sent me
catapulting into the domino effect of music and concerts on and around campus.
Troye Sivan: This show was being held in a venue near
campus. I’ve been of fan of his music and YouTube personality for four years,
so when I found out the show was sold out, I was devastated. I talked to a
friend and she agreed to spend the day hanging out around the venue to see if
we can either (A) meet him as he enters and/ or exits the building, (B) see him
walk in or out, or (C) buy a ticket off someone who may have an extra. We did
(B) see him walk in and out of the building. We did (C) meet a woman with one
extra ticket, but neither of us wanted to abandon the other and leave the other
ticketless. So with hopes falling, ten hours having past, rainy snow falling on
our less-than-winter-ready clothes, and the show about to begin, we did not
know what to do. Then a miracle occurred. A woman walks from the alleyway of
the building and asks us if we were going to the show. We told her we weren’t
able to get tickets before the fifteen-minute sell out. She told us to follow
her and gave us two free tickets. What. Will this ever happen again? Probably
not. Was this our intention? No. Were we happy? You have no idea. It was the
highlight of my year.
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| Troye Sivan (ft. stranger in the background) |
So we saw the show, which was of course incredible. We also
saw YouTuber Connor Franta who was visiting his family and took them to the
show. Anyway, the story gets better. We, in our ten hours of waiting in a tea
place across the street, knew generally where they would leave the building. Then
Connor and Troye exited the building, walked into the car, Troye saw us, and he
walked over to say hi and take pictures. He was so nice and really seemed to
care about his fans and our thoughts on the show. 10/10, would do again.
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| BORNS |
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| BORNS |
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| BORNS |
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| Panama Wedding |
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| Panama Wedding |
BORNS and Panama Wedding: An exceptionally inexpensive show
for how great it was. I mean, they were burning incense. Can it get better than
that? After the show we noticed a small line of people waiting to meet Panama
Wedding, got in line, took a huge group picture, then stalled to see if BORNS would
come out. Sure enough, after about twenty minutes, a security guard told us to
line up for a short meet and greet. (Patience does magic, I’m telling you).
Funniest part: my friend asked Garrett Borns what his favorite Pokémon was and
he responded “Squidward” as a “test”. It was a good time.
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| Carter Hulsey (ft. the Millenium) |
Kiernan McMullan, Carter Hulsey, and the Millenium: Where do
I even begin with this story? Kiernan McMullan performed and was incredible
(had a bit of an Ed Sheeran sound, which was amazing) so naturally I had to go
buy his music. When my friend and I went to the table, he was selling the merchandise
himself. So we talked for a bit and he signed the t-shirt I was about to buy.
Then another friend decided to buy one too and Kiernan remembered he had a
mailing list for people to sign up for, but he didn’t have a pen. My friend
did. When we finished, he handed the pen back to her and then hesitated and
asked to see it again. It was a corn pen. She was from Iowa. All of the jokes
were made. He even made a hand signal of appreciation and popcorn.
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| Kiernan McMullan |
But then things got interesting. You see, some questionable
decisions were made and a friend of mine, prior to the show, did the thing
where you spin around on the handles of an escalator (0/10, would NOT
recommend, very dangerous). When she did this someone was coming down the
escalator and witnessed it all happen. He ran up to us and high fived her in a
fit of laughter. Halfway through this show we realized that guy was in the
Millenium. And so in speaking with Kiernan, the guy recognized her and ran up
and hugged her. Then, of course, Kiernan was confused so I showed him the video
and he decided he wanted to try. Long story short, the mission was unsuccessful.
He also injured his back and needed a massage (again, do not try this at home).
We then decided we caused too much destruction and asked for a picture and
left. Some day he is going to be a huge celebrity and I’ll have this story to
tell. A great evening for sure.
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| Whosah |
Goodnight Gorillas, Color Tab, and Whosah: As mentioned
before, attending the Goodnight Gorilla’s Student Sound concert, I was sent
into a domino effect of concerts. I saw they were coming back and decided to
go. Again, so glad I did. This show introduced me to Color Tab and Whosah. Both
great music groups and performers. Due to the number of parents in attendance,
however, it felt strange to stick around to meet them, so we bought a CD from
Color Tab and had them sign it which was nice. I then followed them all on
social media to get updates as to when they will be coming back to the area. Through
this I found out Color tab was going to be back yesterday.
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| Color Tab |
Color Tab: Yesterday I went to see another Color Tab show on
campus. Again, it was great. The diversity of their sound was incredibly
impressive. It was fast and it was slow. It was rock and it was funk. It was
just all around extremely good music. This time we decided to stick around to
ask for a picture. (I’m wondering if there is any way to do this without it
being awkward). First we couldn’t because they were all split up around the
room and busy so we didn’t want to ask for one. Then they were all eating so
that would have been rude. Then Eli and Alex were done eating and went to clean
up the stage while Kieran finished eating. That’s when we realized how awkward
it was that we were just standing there and not doing anything. So we walked
over to the stage to ask for a picture when they all finish what they were
doing. So he put down his sandwich and we got a picture and they all introduced
themselves and asked our names and asked us to send them the pictures. Great
people, great music, great show, great Wednesday night.
Those are my concert stories. And I’ve only just begun.
There is still so much to do and see. To any of the musicians/ bands/ groups/
people I’ve met, seen, or mentioned, keep doing what you’re doing because it’s
great. And thank you for all of the good times and memories.
| Part One: College Has Changed Me |
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sounds ridiculous. Overused. But in
reality, I am a different person than I was back in Illinois and in high
school.
Soon after moving out and off to Minnesota, I recognized
that I was changing as a person. I, the quiet shy girl who rarely left her
bedroom up until four months ago, came out of her shell (and won’t shut up).
I thought maybe I just personally noticed a change and it
may not have really been happening but when I visited home a few weeks ago,
everyone in my family commented on how different I am. I’m not sure if I felt I
was just confined by the “shy” persona I filled in high school and did not know
how to break that view everyone had of me or why I suddenly changed.
| Part Two: The Blog |
As you may (or may not) have noticed, I missed a week on the
weekly blog post trend I had been doing. I wish I had a valid reason for it,
but reality is I was burnt out with stress from classes, uninspired, and busy
with midterms. My apologies. I wish I could say it won’t happen again, but odds
are it will. I may transition to writing once every other week.
| Part Three: The Health |
I recently watched this documentary on Netflix called
Cowspiracy. And, band wagon though it may sound, it changed me. Since moving to
college, not going to lie, my diet had worsened immensely. Fries. Pizza.
Cookies. Pancakes. Ice Cream. More potatoes than you know what to do with. And
all that is unlimited. It got bad.
Plus candy was on sale at the Target on campus, so it got REALLY bad.
Anyway, I watched this documentary which, to keep it short,
summarized the effects of the meat and dairy industries on the environment. All
I’ll say is it takes 660 gallons of water to produce one hamburger. So for that
reason I am reducing my consumption of meats and dairy products. For about
three weeks now I have eaten salads and vegan foods in the dining hall. While I
would not consider myself vegan, I have been making a conscious effort to
change and consume mostly vegan options.
| Part Four: Stories |
I was a relatively boring youth, leading a relatively uneventful
life. Until now. I think that is the best part of going to college; you have stories
to tell. Those nights you stayed up too late and passed a balloon around (yes,
pretending the floor was lava). Learning how to use chopsticks at 3 a.m.
Meeting bands and having conversations with them about Pokemon and corn pens
(Garratt Borns’ favorite Pokemon is squidward, in case you were wondering – yes
squidward).
The concerts. The restaurants. The city explorations. Life
is a series of stories. And I am living them.
Who says cloudy days have to be sad and boring? Last December I took a quick trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota with my family. We were fortunate to not have to deal with the blizzard conditions that the city faces mere days after our departure; however the frigid temperatures and grey, gloomy winter skies hung over us for the duration of our stay. Many may assume this ruined our trip, but I think it made it even better, I mean, if a place can look pretty in less-than-ideal conditions, can you imagine its beauty as sunlight graces the buildings? Anyway, the sad stereotype did not apply, we had a lovely stay. So lovely, in fact, that I packed up my things and moved.
Time is funny in that way. I type this now, reflecting on something that occurred nearly one year ago and have since been accepted into college, decided where to go, traveled a bit, packed up my things, and moved to a whole new state. Daunting though it seemed back then, it all worked out rather well.
Strange to think about. Each moment, all of your decisions, every second of your life has led you to the place you are right now. Do you ever think about that? What if you made one split second decision different? What if you chose a different college or accepted a different job offer? What if you didn't move into a new house those many years ago? If I hadn't made every decision I have made up to this point, I wouldn't know the great group of people I live with. Or if I did a random roommate assignment rather than finding her through social media, would I be living on the same floor of the residence hall that I am on? Probably not. That means I wouldn't know the people that I know. Would things be okay? I have to assume that this version of my life that does not and never will exist would be okay, but it wouldn't be the same.
I'm not really sure. Maybe this is like an early mid-life-crisis or something or it's late night deep, philosophical thoughts as I am drafting this well past midnight. Regardless, I am more than happy with the way my life has turned out thus far and am beyond glad that the decisions I have made have led me to this point.
There’s a place in Minneapolis, Minnesota called the
Sculpture Garden. I knew that it would be under construction in the very near
future and thus temporarily closed, so when my parents came to visit, I figured
we should take the opportunity to go check it out.
One of the most “tourist” activities we participated in
during our trip to Munich, Germany was touring the Residenz Museum. And I think it was absolutely worth seeing. Incredible. Another place that sparked my love for architecture and design. The large palace was constructed for the
monarchs of the House of Wittelsbach. With over 130 rooms, the halls never
seemed to have an end. Each room grander than the last. Even after spending a
few hours inside, I know we still missed a few rooms. Of the rooms we did see,
however, the detail work was spectacular. There were gold designs, felt
wallpaper, murals on ceilings, and so much more, each room unique. Many rooms
were destroyed in the war but were reconstructed to look just as they had
prior. The layout and design was something that can only be expressed through
visiting, but pictures, I find, do better than words.
The famous beer hall of Munich, Germany. Founded in 1589,
Hofbräuhaus has an average of approximately 30,000 guests per day. And for good reason.
I really enjoy writing these blog posts because it gives me
reason to go back through the pictures I took in Germany and causes the
memories to rush back. I wanted, this week, to share some of my favorite
pictures I took in the streets of Munich.
Maybe it’s just my small town, but I rarely see bikers
around at home. I’d see a maximum of three on a good day. In going to Germany,
I was shocked by the vast number of bikers and bikes lining the streets. I’d go
so far as to guess there were at least four bikes for every car in the city.
Maybe that explains the generally unfit stereotype that surrounds Americans –
we should all take up biking.
It’s been nearly a month since the move and I don’t think I
have ever been happier. It takes time, for some it is longer than others, but
in my experience halfway through the third week something clicked and everything
started to make sense. Not that I don’t miss home and not like I have any clue
what I will be studying or what my career path will be or have any plan
whatsoever but it still makes sense.
I am here. I am meeting new people. I am exiting my comfort zone. I am trying
new things and learning more and more everyday both in academics and in life in
general. It just feels right. And it is changing me.
I feel I have discovered a new passion in Germany. A new love for architecture. Having known little more about building design than that of my high school or the Sears Tower (it will always be the Sears Tower to me), the sheer age of the buildings in Germany astounded me. There was so much detail to be seen in every aspect of the city, from building tops to plaza centers.
My favorite architectural find in the city, however, was the churches.
Every church was open for the public to step in and admire and with each stop
we made, it seemed to get better.
The most memorable church of the trip, one of
the most memorable places overall of the trip, had to be Asamkirche (Asam’s
Church). I cannot put into words how incredible it was. Pictures will never do
it justice. The vast amount of statutes, figures, murals, gold, and white, and
light. And the detail in every small aspect of the church. We stood, with jaws
dropped, taking it all in for probably twenty minutes and still probably missed
out on seeing a lot of different parts.
There was so much to be seen. If you ever find yourself in Munich, Asamkirche is a must-see. It was incredible.
