Even when I’m not in a rush I tend to power walk; I think it’s just the city mentality. Everyone is always hurrying, pushing others aside and ignoring the beauty of their surroundings. When I have time to kill before class, I like to take out my iPod, relax my pace, and observe. There’s sights, smells, sounds, and sometimes interactions that you miss if you don’t slow down and notice them.
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"It’s already a given that life’s a failure, by which I mean that we come with an expiration date. We already know we’re going to break down and crash. There’s something liberating about that. This is our moment in the sun. Let’s dance."Ran Ortner via The Sun Magazine
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» Providence Water Fire
Very cool (free) event in Providence, RI that takes place over the summer, usually once a week. I’m heading in tonight with my friend Lexi to shop around Providence Place Mall, dine at AS220, and explore the night life.
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Monument Mountain hike, Great Barrington, MA
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Yet Beverly is awesome too??
There is something special about my hometown of Beverly. Though I consider Boston my home now, I always am struck with a beat of nostalgia when I return to this seaside town. So much of my life took place here— struggles, triumphs, and everything else that goes along with growing up— and this connects me permenantly to the people, coffeeshops, and beaches of Beverly, MA.
I am sitting now at Atomic Cafe, my go-to cafe when I am visiting my parents. I came here often in high school, and though most of the people I frequented with and the things we talked about are now completely irrelevant and distant, this place still has a hold on my heart. I love the atmosphere (and of course, the coffee); Atomic is artsy, retro, friendly, and familiar. My search for a similar-vibed coffeeshop in Boston has been futile. Pavement is the closest I’ve found, but its inundation of Berklee hipster kids and mass-produced/city feel make it less homey. One of the charms of Atomic is its small-town vibe. Espresso Royal is the same as Pavement. Trident Cafe on Newbury is probably my second favorite, and Allston’s In House in alright too. Refuge Cafe is reminiscent of Pavement (and thus in my opinion a weak imitation of Atomic), but it’s probably my most frequented because of its convenient location.
Anyway. I love Beverly.
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Boston, you’re my home.
In the winter months I forget how beautiful Boston is; summer time helps me remember. The architecture is unique— old, seventeenth century churches and buildings combined with modern skyscrapers and university structures— and the insertion of trees and patches of grass throughout the city evokes feelings of serenity amidst the bustle of the crowds. With a warm, gentle breeze, the sun overhead in a cloudless blue sky, and a buzz of cheerful energy from the anticipation of summer, this city has never felt more like home.
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"That song was written at the height of an intense panic attack. I was in this sort of creepy German hotel room freaking out and I couldn’t get my heart to slow down, I couldn’t catch my breath. I calmed down by listing everything I could think of and its place in the world — not where I designed it to be, but where it is. ‘Why don’t you leave me here?’ is the idea that sometimes you have to sit still and be where you are regardless of any expectations or plans you might have made or things people want you to do for any reason. It’s about being content in your own skin."Conor Oberst on “I Must Belong Somewhere”
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» Applied Ethnomusicology: The Use of Balinese Gamelan in Recreational and Educational Music Therapy
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So You Think You Want to Be A Music Major?
You’ve just made one of the toughest decision of your life: choosing your college major. You’ve poured over endless lists of departments, programs, and field-specific offerings, rebuffing unwanted advice from pestering family members and teachers. Finally you’ve come to the conclusion that you want to major in music. Sure it’s not a typical major— most of your friends have gone with business or biology— but it’s something that you love. Unlike other fields of academic study that bore you to tears, music is something you are passionate about. When you close your eyes and try to picture your life ten years from now, you envision yourself happy, driven, and fulfilled in your music career.
But then the reality of the situation hits. Your parents are displeased with your decision, asking you to at least, for the love of god, be sensible and tack on a business minor. Your friends are supportive but question whether or not you’ll actually get a job upon graduation. And when you do some online research regarding music co-op placements, you soon learn that very few of the available co-ops are paid. With all of this negativity swirling around, you wonder if you made the right decision after all.
Before you embark on your college journey, you must be aware of a few things. Jobs in the field of music— which is essential to society because it’s contributions to quality of life and happiness— is considered a pathetic, second-rate field. Those who major in music and chose to dedicate their lives to this pursuit are often met with ridicule and disdain from family, friends, and society due to the industry’s reputation of being purely for “entertainment.”
So, to summarize: you’ll have to put up with some shit if you really want this. First, you won’t be taken seriously. “Music isn’t a real job,” you might be told, “When you grow up you’ll change your mind.” Parents are under the false illusion that your interest in music is merely a phase and suggest you major in something productive and reliable. Though no one denies the importance of music and musicians, they believe that these jobs can be filled by other music lovers— those without college degrees.
In addition to family and friends not taking your career choice seriously, you will also be shit on by fellow Northeastern students. They believe that their majors are more important and credible than yours, and won’t be afraid to let you know. This will be supported by the fact that they will probably spend considerably more time in the library pouring over scientific or economic literature, constructing business plans, or doing whatever it is that engineers do. But that’s not to say that music majors don’t have any work— we’ll get to that later. They will also expect you to be weird. It’s a typical artist stereotype that unfortunately you won’t be able to avoid. They will expect tattoos, piercings, and weird colored hair. (Whether or not you actually have any of these things is not the issue; they will presume you do regardless.)
Your co-ops will be unpaid. Yes, this sucks. You will work just as hard, if not harder, than your fellow business and science major students, but will receive no compensation other than a pat on the back and another job to list on your resume. You will learn plenty of industry-specific skills that will greatly contribute to your future success— that is, if you pick your co-op carefully. Working for a major record label or booking agency will only leave you fetching coffee and making copies for your superiors. If music is really what you want to do, you will have to pay your dues as a lowly unpaid intern. You’ll have to deal.
Another thing you should be warned about: you will actually enjoy your classes. Your homework assignments will consist of writing songs, researching your favorite artists, and reading books about the history of music. Hopefully you won’t mind listening to music for hours on end in preparation for the listening portion of your exam. There won’t be many boring numbers or dates to memorize either; surely you will miss that. Your fellow classmates will be an eclectic bunch, but they’ll be friendly and eager to help you succeed. Unlike other majors where competition is fierce and stakes are high, music emits a mellower vibe and cultivates a student population who are motivated yet relaxed. You must be willing to put aside your competitive juices for friendship and cooperation.
Because of the wide variety of subdivisions within the music industry, you will be posed with the challenge of finding your niche. Northeastern makes this process especially difficult by providing you with a plethora of classes that may or may not interest you:artist management, venue management, copyright law, music supervision, music history and analysis, etc. These are, of course, in addition to standard performance, composition, and theory classes. Good luck choosing one subject to focus on, because you’ll probably love them all.
In the end, regardless of the stereotypes, misconceptions, and disrespect that you will be subjected to, you know that you still want to do this. Why? Because you love music. And that is not a bad thing. You will make a difference in the world. You will contribute to society through a different form than most, but one that is important to human existence nonetheless. You will succeed in what you do because you are passionate about it.
…So do you still want to be a music major?
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I think my generation puts way too much pressure on “finding the perfect job.” In my opinion, the focus should be placed on finding a suitable work environment and organizational culture that fits your specific needs. The actual job you are performing there is second to the interpersonal connections you make and community in which you spend 5/7 days of you week.
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"
It is a curious fact, and one to which no one knows quite how much importance to attach, that something like 85 perfect of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonnyx, to gee-N-NT’N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand or more variations on the same phonetic theme. The drinks themselves are not the same… and in fact the one common factor between all of them, beyond the fact that the names sound the same, is that they were all invented before the world concerned made contact with any other worlds.
What can be made of this fact? It exists in total isolation. As far as any theory of structural linguistics is concerned it is right off the graph, and yet it persists. Old structural linguists get very angry when young structural linguists go on about it. Young structural linguists get deeply excited about it and stay up at night convinced that they are very close to something of profound importance, and end up becoming old structural linguists before their time, getting very angry with the young ones. Structural linguistics is a bitterly divided and unhappy discipline.
"The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
