I had an article published in Ohio State Alumni Magazine’s September – October 2009 edition. Check it out here:

• Ohio State Alumni Spotlight: Judy Gamble Kahrl
• Here is the PDF scan of the magazine.

…doubt NO MORE !

I love dogs…no seriously, I do! They are better friends than men can be. But I don’t like their poop. I like others’ dogs’ poop even less. I mean, cummon- you would expect dog owners to have enough sensibility NOT to egg their dogs to poop in other people’s gates. But they do just that. Specially where I stay. After the third consecutive day of stepping out of the gate and soiling my footwear, I wrote that gem-of-a-notice myself.

BTW, to those who can’t read Marathi- it reads

“Do not let your dog dirty this place.”

To those of you who stay in Maharashtra, you must be well aware of ‘Puneri Patya’, or the rather cheeky notices that Punekars are famous for. Actually, I think there is a pretty good reason for it. Its just that other Punekars are asking for it.

Holidays going on these days. Having fun, and not feeling like writing a lot. I had mentioned in my previous post, that I wanted to get into Texas A&M, coz they have lemons in Texas. Well, my hopes are dashed. I might just have to carry a sack to survive, if I do get anywhere. Got a reject from Texas. But the good news is, got an admit in OHIO State University. It was my first admit, and came on special day  too. There are 8 more universities  in US to go, so waiting and watching.

You have fun

Eleven Warriors ran a Holiday Gift Guide for Ohio State fans today. We’re honored that they included the JUPMODE Sweater Vest Onesie among the gift ideas. They have a great list for Buckeye fans: the Club Trillion shirt by HOMAGE, both books look really interesting, and Etsy is one of the coolest websites around.

Truly, this is one of the most exciting places JUPMODE has ever been mentioned. If you don’t already know, Eleven Warriors is the premier OSU Sports blog. They produce the most well written, consistent, and informative OSU sports website. Head over for an update, follow them on Twitter, and join them on Facebook.

It has been a long journey from the day I started at Wright State University in the fall of 2002 until I graduated from The Ohio State University on December 13, 2009.  Six years, two hundred credit hours, professors good and bad, too many long nights of cramming or writing after procrastinating, and experiences that I will never forget.  With that in mind, here are the things that stand out from college career.

Nov.2003-I receive a letter from Wright State telling me that because I dropped below full-time status(due to the fact that I was forced to drop my math class), the university was taking away the private loan that I had through them.  Without that loan money, I was forced drop all of my scheduled classes for the next quarter and move home just two weeks later, never to return.  I took a break from school until the following fall, when I enrolled in classes at The Ohio State University-Newark branch.

February 2005-In the middle of one of my History of the American School classes, my professor goes on a tangent, intent on weeding out the students that would not make good teachers.  While he went on about the terrible pay rates, and how hard teachers really have it, I slowly began to question whether I was one of the weeds.  That night I decided that I no longer wanted to be a teacher, a decision that I sometimes regret even today.  I took another break from school to try and figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

July 2005-While enjoying a sunny Saturday afternoon with a friend, we started talking about what I might want to go to school for now that I was not going to be a teacher.  She told me about how she graduated from school with an English degree and ended up being an editor for a magazine.  Shortly after that day, I decided I would go back to OSU-N in the fall, this time for an English degree, with the intention of one day becoming a sportswriter.

November 2009-Yes, that is a mighty gap in the timeline.  During that time I took all of my classes required, mostly two at a time because of lack of finances.  From fall 2007 through spring 2008, I took three Spanish courses, then skipped out on the fourth in the summer over fear that I would fail if I attempted it.  I setup a meeting with my advisor before fall quarter 2009 to try and figure out a way of petitioning Spanish 104.  Once I completed my foreign language requirement and passed the math placement test that my advisor had told me for three years that I needed to pass to graduate, I was home free.  In the meeting, he gave me a vague outline of the type of course to take in order to petition Span 104, but nothing specific, only that the higher the course number, the better.  I choose my course, he says that it may not pass for petition, we go for it anyway, and that’s the last I heard for two months.  That brings us to the second week of November, 2009.  I had made an appointment with an advisor on the Columbus campus to make sure everything was in order for me to graduate.  During the meeting we discover that the petition was never approved, but because I was misled by my advisor, the subsequent appeal was approved.  Oh, and I also found out that the math placement test I had put off for years was not even necessary because I already had credit for courses above that level.  Basically, this memory was the day that I found out that I would be graduating in a few short weeks.

Dec. 13, 2009-Have to put the day I graduated in there!

Yes, it is only a Bachelor’s Degree, and on the outside it may not hold the same importance that it once did.  In today’s world of getting needing a master’s degree to get anywhere, a BA looks insignificant to most.  Heck, at the dinner that my family and I went to right after the ceremony, I was reminded twice that I will have to go back, as if to say “Yeah, way to go, but this isn’t good enough anymore.”  Maybe I take that harder than others because I was able to be only a student for exactly six months of my college life.  I started working in March of 2003, and it has been a rare occasion that I worked less than twenty hours per week since then.  For the better part of that I was working at least thirty.  The statement that I keep hearing now is “Welcome to the real world…it sucks”, and every time I hear it I think, “Yeah, I’ve been in the real world for the last five years, and you don’t have to tell me that it sucks, because I already know.”  For me, yesterday was more than just graduating from college.  It marked the day that I no longer have to juggle school and work.  I can just work, and that’s it.  I don’t have to be gone from 8am-8pm because I have to go straight from work to school.

In a way I am glad it took me so long to graduate, because I was able to appreciate the education I was receiving towards the end.  When I started out, the classes were merely a means to an end.  The last couple of years, however, there were classes, both English and non-, that taught me things that I will hold onto for a long time.

In the end, it feels great to be done and to look at the fancy piece of paper with my name on it.  Very few documents can stir up that much emotion, and when I look at it I am reminded of the difficulties that I overcame to get where I am today.  And I am so thankful for a family that supported me during the school changes, the changes in majors, and the breaks off from school.  The one constant theme was “You are free to do what you want, but just finish, that’s all we want.”  And yesterday, that’s exactly what I did.

Okay so there’s only 15 days till Christmas and I know you were like “What am I going to get Amy for Christmas?!”  I understand how hard it might be to shop for me, but I’m here to help.  I would like to share with you my wish list of ridiculously unnecessary things I want for Christmas.  Try to keep up!

To start small, I would really enjoy a Kindle.  I didn’t think I would like this contraption at first because you are not supposed to stare at a computer screen as it is (and I already break that rule 8-12 hours a day) and this is just a little computer screen that you have to intensely stare at because you are reading a book that’s downloaded to it.  I don’t know for sure that they have done anything to decrease the damage to your eyes, but it is still a really great idea.  To be able to read a book anywhere and not have to lug it around would be a tremendous luxury.  The Kindle runs around $259.00 and it is the first item on my Christmas Wish List.

The second item on my is a Pet-A-Potty.  My dog is very well trained in going to the bathroom outside, but my boyfriend lives in a high rise condo Downtown with virtually no grass near the building.  And now that it’s getting cold, it would be nice to have one of these just out on the balcony off of the fire escape, so we don’t have to walk forever in the crazy Ohio weather to let little Lucy do her business.  I also feel that this would help other tenants in our building who might be having the same issue, so the size that I would need runs around $1,099.00.  Don’t you think the nice little doggies to have a nice little potty??

This photo at left, of Victoria Secret model Miranda Kerr, is a fantastic visual of what the third item on my wish list is.  If someone could please tell me HOW TO GET THIS BODY AND THIS HAIR… I would greatly appreciate it.  I have already started growing out my bangs.  I want to be a VS Angel by my 25th birthday, which is June 7th, some would someone PLEASE help me make it happen!  Thanks!

Next up is a trip to Ireland.  I’m actually already planning on going in the Spring of 2010, but if you are looking to get me something GREAT… it would be paying for my Ireland trip.  I get my Irish heritage from my mother’s side of the family… that’s also where the Irish skin came from in case you were wondering.  No Native American help from anyone… whatsoever… but anywho.  I have never left North America and being able to travel to Europe is a dream I have had for a very long time, so I’m really looking forward to learning more about my heritage and traveling overseas.  Thank you for considering option #4: A trip to Ireland.

Now this is a request that may or may not need to be provided to me by an Ohio State University football player or Coach Jim Tressel, but I’m sure that if fulfilled it will be much appreciated by many citizens of the state of Ohio.  For Christmas I want you to WIN A FREAKIN BOWL GAME!!!!  Especially when I will be making the trip out to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.  Maybe my presence will help.  Regardless, you need to win this one guys!  We’re trying to be the best fans we can be and we need YOUR help!!!

And lastly, if someone could please deliver Chace Crawford to me for Christmas, that would be great.  This Gossip Girl star is my only Hollywood crush and I have already declared to my boyfriend that if I ever were to meet him and have my way with him, it would be allowed because I can take a mulligan to get a dreamboat celebrity, like Chace, one time in my life.  Oh yeah… that would be the best present every.  Please and thank you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!  I HOPE YOU GET EVERYTHING YOU ASK FOR THIS YEAR!

As Usual,

Waking Up Amy

~By Sara McCarthy (honors undergraduate student SENR)

This spring break will be unlike any other; I am spending 11 days in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Defined by its sunny, clear-water beaches, by Cancun as a party hub for college students, and by the ruins of one of the most respected “ancient” cultures of human existence (the Mayans), it is no wonder that I have increased my schedule to 25 credit hours and enrolled in Spanish 510, the All Scholars Mexico Study Abroad.  Despite all of the reasons I have listed, none of them were my intent for entering such a program.

My interest in Mexican-American affairs increased with a visit to Southern California during Spring Break 2009 (riding escalator in the San Diego Zoo).

Since middle school, I have been fascinated with the Spanish language and cultural traditions of South/Central America and strove hard to master the linguistic abilities to communicate with Hispanic peoples in their native language.

As I get further in my academic studies as an environmental science major, it becomes more and more apparent that the environmental problems we face are not merely localized within one town, state, or nation, but are globally situated.

Now, my knowledge and experience of Hispanic cultures is all the more important because it enables me to conduct international work and solve global environmental problems.

So, what will I be doing in Mexico?  Besides extensive visits the state capital, Merida, tours of ancient Mayan sites (Chichen Itza, Kabah, Uxmal), and a trip or two to the beach, we will be exploring the ecology of the Yucatan Peninsula.

With a visit to the Xel-Ha ecological park in Tulum, a swim in the cenote Ikil, and boat trip through the mangroves of Celstun, I will experience true Mexican ecosystems.  Each student attending the trip is also required to formulate their own academic inquiry, a type of mini-research project.

I have focused my studies on land-use change since ancient Mayan civilization with a specific emphasis on agricultural techniques/uses.  It is my hope, upon return, to complete a brief essay on the subject to report back to this blog.  But, the most important goal of my trip will be to comprehend the vast complexity of Mexican culture, so that I may be a better steward for racial acceptance in current and future endeavors.

If you have any questions/comments or would like to discuss Mexican environmental issues to a greater extent, feel free to email me at mccarthy.211@osu.edu.  In addition, please join TerrAqua : ).

running an online business is exciting. at other times, it’s frustrating. the internet invites all sorts to view your products, make judgments on them, and possibly even purchase them.

not every visitor to your website, or in this case jupmode.com, is going to fully grasp the concepts at hand. take this email i received from a customer today:

I ordered a OSU sweater vest t-shirt and I need to return for a refund. Its is the wrong size and I didn’t see that it was a t-shirt.

now maybe i was a little presumptuous about my description. maybe it isn’t that clear to a new visitor. let’s take a look:

Look Your Best, Dress Like Tress!

Never again do you have to worry about buying a dated shirt or a jersey that expires upon graduation. Get the Ohio State Sweater Vest T-Shirt and remain timeless – just like our legendary head coach. The OSU Sweater Vest T-Shirt is not just a silkscreen. The authentic look and feel comes from the fact that It consists of white sleeves and v-neck sewn into a red body. Of course, the Gray Vest is for home games.

Shirts are 100% preshrunk cotton. The shirts fit true to size but it never hurts to upgrade one size.

Prove to your mother you learned something from her – WASH IN COLD WATER WITH LIKE COLORS!

i count five (5) uses of the word “shirt” in the description, not including the product title or the description he used in his own email! it’s not that difficult, chief. seriously. i’m struggling to come up with ideas as to what you thought it actually was. i’d love to have some feedback.

The co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen said,

“For me, goals and daily metrics are the key to keeping me focused. If I don’t have access to the right stats, every day, it is so easy for me to move on mentally to the next thing. But if I have quick access to key metrics every day, my creativity stays within certain bounds–my ideas all center on how to achieve our goals”.

Jim Collins in the book Good to Great found that the most successful companies have laser-like focus on finding what drives resources, what they can be best at, and what their team is most passionate at accomplishing. Discipline in execution and focus on core ideology is found most often in the most successful companies. Constantly measuring execution of these strategies is necessary to reach these goals, but measurements alone will not provide sustained competitive advantage – this is the job of culture.

Jay Barney, from the Fisher Business School at The Ohio State University, who is an expert in strategy, has told us that culture determines sustainable competitive advantage for the organization. Thus, a bridge must be built between strategy and culture to reach sustained success. This is reflected well in the entertaining YouTube video, Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch produced by the Coffman Organization, a consulting firm specializing in creating engaged cultures:

With the right people in the right seats and an aligned and committed organizational culture, great success can be accomplished. However, strategy and culture can fail if the team does not execute. This is the role for continuous measurement. Measurement drives execution and execution of strategic goals by a committed and expert team drives organizational success. Leaders realize that marrying a great culture with great strategy leads to sustained success.

What is organizational culture?

Basically, organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Aligning culture results from a clear and compelling organizational vision; recruiting and retaining the best people to make up the best team; recognizing and empowering these individuals with the confidence to be creative and connect them emotionally to the overarching organizational goal(s).

Our overarching goal is to create the future of medicine to improve people’s lives through personalized health care. Thus, while metrics are important, we need to be careful not to substitute static metrics or measures for success and quality. For as soon as we become satisfied, we become complacent. Jim Collins points out that good is the enemy of great.

Our team is committed to some aggressive metrics – being a top 20 academic medical center by 2015 and top 10 NCI-funded Comprehensive Cancer Center. However, accomplishing these metrics will be shallow, unless it reflects accomplishing our most important goal of creating the future of medicine to improve people’s lives through personalized health care.

The ability to create the best team and culture and being connected to a higher purpose (think of NASAs laser like focus of putting the first man of the moon), like transforming healthcare for the betterment of others in our medical center, community, state, region, country and world is an energizing core. Realizing the goal of improving other’s lives drives our strategy and shapes our culture. Bridging strategy and culture with the highly capable and connected experts will drive our metrics and better the lives of others.

-Clay Marsh, MD

Welcome back to The Rival Rundown! If you’ve always wanted to give props to your school on CC, now’s your chance! Shoot us an email explaining what’s awesome and unique about your school (or what stinks about Rival U) at rivalrundown@collegecandy.com!

This is it, folks, the grand daddy of all college rivalries! Noted by ESPN as the greatest North American sports rivalry today, the bad blood between the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University is unequaled. This weekend marks the one hundred and sixth meeting of the two teams, in the last regular-season football game. If you don’t happen to be one who bleeds maize and blue, or scarlet and gray, now’s your chance to catch up on the rivalry that will be on the tips of everyone’s tongues this week.

Quick Facts:
University of Michigan: Public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Enrollment of over 50,000. Mascot is the Wolverine.
Ohio State University: Public research university in Columbus, Ohio. Enrollment of over 50,000. Mascot is the Buckeye.

1. Football Victories

Michigan: 52 wins, 42 losses, 3 ties
Ohio State: 42 wins, 52 losses, 3 ties

Three credits to: Michigan. The Wolverines have also won 42 Big Ten conference titles (compared to Ohio State’s 33) and 11 national titles (compared to the Buckeyes’ 7).

2. Memorable Moments

Michigan: In one of the most famous football games in history, the 1950 Wolverines fought their way to victory 9-3 in Columbus.  In what is known to history as the “Snow Bowl,” the match took place in one of the worst Ohio blizzards on record. Before its start, Ohio State had the option of forfeiting the game and retaining the Big 10 championship title. However, since they decided to play, the two teams duked it out in the cold and snow, punting 45 times, occasionally on first downs. Michigan stealing the victory, and the title, on enemy turf? How sweet it was!
Ohio State: In the 1973 match-up between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes, both teams entered the game undefeated. The match would decide the Big 10 conference champion and which team would travel to the national championship at the Rose Bowl. When the game ended in a heart-wrenching tie, athletic directors of the other Big 10 conference schools had to vote by secret ballot for their choice of a winner. Ultimately, OSU became the victor, in what was one of the most legendary games in history.

Three credits to: Ohio State. With stakes raised to the limit–a conference championship, a trip to the Rose Bowl, and a tie with your most storied rival–having the confidence of your fellow conference members is something to relish.

3. Terrific Traditions

Michigan: American composer John Philip Sousa, who made a career of writing march songs, once declared the UM march song “the greatest college fight song ever written.”  Called “The Victors,” it has not only been played on the field and at commencement, but as the entrance theme song (in lieu of Hail to the Chief) for proud alum President Gerald Ford.
Ohio State: A seemingly cliche quote by one of OSU’s coaches turned into a legendary tradition for the Buckeyes. When asked about how he he planned to approach the Wolverines, Ohio State coach Francis Schmidt said, “They put their pants on one leg at a time same as everyone else.” Since then, the “Golden Pants Club” has awarded statues of golden pants to each OSU Buckeye who has scored a victory over Michigan.

Three credits to: Ohio State, for marrying college tradition appropriately with potty humor!

4. Ass-Kicking Alumni

Michigan: James Earl Jones, Tom Brady, Lucy Liu, Arthur Miller
Ohio State: Roy Lichtenstein, Jesse Owens, Patricia Heaton, Jack Niklaus (attended)

Three credits to: Michigan– how can you argue with the voice of Darth Vader (and CNN), and Super Bowl MVP?

5. Acceptance Rate Agony

Michigan: 42.1%
Ohio State: 52.3%

Three credits to: Michigan, definitively.

“…I was in front of an ambulance the other day, and I noticed that the word “ambulance” was spelled in reverse print on the hood of the ambulance. And I thought, “Well, isn’t that clever.” I look in the rear-view mirror, I can read the word “ambulance” behind me. Of course while you’re reading, you don’t see where you’re going, you crash, you need an ambulance. I think they’re trying to drum up some business on the way back from lunch.”  – Jerry Seinfeld

As we approach the end of the quarter, do you find yourself looking back over your shoulder and thinking, I wish I would have done that differently.  I wish I would have this and I wish I would have that…

Reflecting back on your accomplishments is a good thing.  It helps you to plan out your future a little more clearly.  What do you want to do differently next quarter that you didn’t get to do this quarter.

Here’s a few things I’ve heard many of you say:

Be more involved in student organizations. That’s easily done.  As you start to look ahead at your class schedule for winter quarter, you can plan your attendance for events and meetings right now.  Make a decision that you’ll be engaged and active and schedule yourself to participate and follow through.  Just like you wouldn’t want to skip class – give these student organizations the same kind of priority.  You will get so much good from them and you’ll never regret making the time for them.

I wish I would have worked a little harder in that class. There are plenty of your courses that just require a little more of your time than others.  It’s all about time management.  This is a nice little article that will help you with study hints – all cartoon style so as to keep your attention while you are brain dead during this finals week…take a peek here

I wish I would have spent more time with my family and friends. Ok, so don’t go totally the other way.  Study so much that you never have any down time.  Remember the saying, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.  Everybody needs time to do nothing.  Just relax.  Laugh.  Live a little outside of your studies.  It’s ok.  Really.  Play time is great for the mind.  It will help you study better later.

It’s ok to look back over your shoulder just don’t forget to keep your eyes on the road ahead too.  Winter 2010 is right around the corner.  It’ll be great.  You’ll see…

Best,

Trish

I attended the Michigan State-Indiana University women’s basketball game today in East Lansing with my daughter Taylor.  It was a good battle between two solid schools.  Late in the game when the Hoosiers went up four points with less than 10 seconds remaining, many of the fans began to leave.  Where were they going? Why were they leaving? It’s not like NY or LA where they may want to beat the traffic; there is no traffic in East Lansing.  To me, if you leave before the final buzzer of a game that close, you are disloyal to your team. Indiana won the game 68-63.

3 Point Play:

1-No way! Get outta here! Don’t tell me it happened again…Greg Oden of the Portland Trailblazers is out for the year? I can’t believe it.  It’s true; the poor kid got hurt again and is out the rest of the season. I was falling in and out of sleep when I saw the highlights, I swear I thought I was dreaming watching them take him off the floor.  Sean Fearon of Bleacher Report chimes in.

2-Ohio State Buckeye Evan Turner will be sidelined 8 weeks because of a back injury suffered while dunking in a game Saturday against Eastern Michigan University.  “Evan, was to this point in the season the best player in college basketball.” said OSU head coach Thad Matta. Thad may be right, Turner drops 20 PPG and grabs 12 RPG’s.

3-Here’s my take on the Brooklyn Nets future.  They should get a great college player in the draft.  Sign Lebron James this summer, bring in Mark Jackson as head coach and hire Bob Hurley away from Saint Anthony’s High School for an assistant coaching gig.

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and you can follow me in Twitter: @CoachFinamore

i just read a great article from the december issue of inc magazine titled “saving broadway books: a story about blogs, books, burritos, and a son who wouldn’t let his mother’s business fail” (it’s not online currently). it’s a great story which is even more important in these economic times.

like most locally owned bookstores, broadway books, located in portland, oregon, has seen it’s fair share of trying times with the proliferation of larger chains and online sellers such as amazon.com. in december of 2008, owner roberta dyer was worried that sales were going to be so low that the future of her store was uncertain. a phone conversation with her son, aaron, sparked an unexpected change. aaron sensed the despair in his mother’s voice and decided to do something about it. he typed a plea for help on his blog, everydaydude and linked it on twitter. he wrote that when he returned home the next january he would buy a burrito for everyone that spent $50 or more at broadway books. incidentally, the post went viral after being retweeted and emailed among friends. a simple request from aaron made for an exceptional month of sales. most importantly, it provided a reminder to everyone in the area how important local businesses are to the economy.

i love everything about this story. i love hearing about entrepreneurs and how they fight through the tough times. i love how the change in behavior was inspired by a blog post and twitter. i love how the local community continues to support the cause of broadway books even after the media frenzy died down.

i love all of this because i’m struggling through many of the same issues. the local stores we sell to are feeling pressure by larger bookstores and chains. the local bookstores in columbus are as much of a tradition as dotting the “i”. when was the last time you went to an OSU game and didn’t stop in either conrad’s or college traditions? how important are these stores to you? what would happen if they had to close? would you eventually accept buying from barnes & noble or wal-mart or footballfanatics.com? did you notice when long’s bookstore was bouth out? you may not realize it, but these local stores (buckeye room, buckeye corner and house of lala included) are feeling the crunch. every time i call in about an invoice, if they don’t tell me straight out, i can hear it in their voice, “times are not easy. sales aren’t what they should be”.

i hate hearing the pain in their voices. i know they are being honest with me. just this year, one of my favorite buckeye stores, gridirons sports in findlay, ohio, was forced to close due to this pressure. gridirons was owned by some of the nicest, hardest working people i’ve ever met. and i’m in the same situation as them. we’re just the little guy. larger websites with larger advertising budgets drown out our website so most people searching don’t find us in a google search. we have to compete for stores’ attention with unfamiliar, more expensive products. we have to hope that the customer will realize the value of our shirt on the shelves and not judge it by it’s price tag.

at jupmode.com we’re selling premium t-shirts. i know we’re not making shirts for every fan out there. most ohio state, toledo, or bowling green fans aren’t too thrilled about spending over $20 on a t-shirt when they can just as easily find a suitable buckeyes, rockets, or falcons shirt for $10 or $15. it’s difficult to explain the difference is worth the shirt. we think we have the most original and comfortable collegiate t-shirts available. our shirts provide more than just a university mascot or faded logo. look at our new helmet stripe design or our shoulder wrap tee or our buckeye candy v-neck or our undefeated national champs t-shirt. for cripes sakes we invented the jim tressel t-shirt! i know it was our idea, but i don’t know of a more novel t-shirt. it’s a shirt pieced together with a red body and white sleeves and has a tie silkscreened on. it’s what the tuxedo t-shirt would look like if the creator had any idea on how to get it done.

those of you familiar homage clothing can attest to the benefits of spending a little more for something that you truly love. everyone that buys a shirt from homage has the same response: it’s the softest, coolest shirt they own. homage is a columbus, ohio based company using american made t-shirts and local printers. i wear my homage shirts more than any other shirts in my wardrobe. they’re comfortable, fit well, and they’re cool. and, homage supports a lot of great causes – they made the club trillion shirts that benefit a kid again, a columbus charity.

the point is, it’s important for us to stimulate the local economy. chances are buying from larger chains will not do that. besides, when was the last time you bought something from one of these stores and really enjoyed it? i mean, loved it. like it was instantly your favorite shirt or jacket or hat. i’m willing to bet never.

naturally, i believe companies like ours, and many others out there, are what will provide our economy with a much needed boost. we are creating and maintaining jobs within the US every step along the way. we are putting money back in to support local jobs: from buying the shirts domestically to having them printed in ohio to having them sold in your local stores.

i guarantee you there is not another company out there that is happier to have your business, appreciation and support than JUPMODE. we will always do our best to make you look good.

There are many days when college life can be quite stressful.

This day was not one of them for the Parks and Recreation Society.

Today, we made new friends and met our new Director for the School.

Today, we networked.

Today, we ate ourselves silly until our bellies would hold no more.

Today, we crafted, (even the boys), holiday cards to share with family and friends.

And we wish you could have joined us.

The more the merrier is how the saying goes.  And, well, we’d love for there to be more of you join us for the fellowship, fun and good food at the Parks and Recreation Society meetings.

In fact, all of our student organizations would love to see more of you.

Forestry Forum.

The Fish and Wildlife Society.

TerrAqua.

Students for a Sustainable Campus.

Multicultural Students in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences.

More is better.

Employers DO love to see that you are engaged and active in your professional societies on campus.  They DO love to see that you have taken on leadership roles.  They DO love to see you taking advantage of networking, learning new skills, interacting with others, reaching out, being involved.

It’s just as important as any of your classes.

Really.  Truly.  I mean it.

It’s good stuff.  Good for you.  Good like Vitamin C and wheat bread is good for you.

Good like you’ll never regret the time you spend with these organizations because it WILL lead to good for you kinds of things.

And it’s fun.  Good for you AND fun?  Those two don’t always go hand in hand.  But here, we offer lots of good for you fun.

Student Organizations, Join one.

Tell us what fun things you have done with your student organizations or what you have gotten from being involved in one in the comment section.

This four-day weekend isn’t about turkey; it’s about football. From Thursday until Sunday we can turn on the television and watch the pro or college teams fight for bragging rights. This weekend USC and UCLA will play for Los Angeles domination. If you’re a fan of either team, the game can be nerve-racking. And according to researchers from Ohio State University, this fear and near-despair may be what makes these rivalry games enjoyable.

Specifically, if your team is the one who wins but you thought at one point that they were sure to lose, the game was more thrilling and suspenseful than a fan of the losing team. “We found that negative emotions play a key role in how much we enjoy sports,” said Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, co-author of the study and associate professor of communication at Ohio State University, in a prepared statement.

As for me, I’ll probably start watching the battle of LA in the fourth quarter. UCLA is my hometown team, but I don’t find enjoyment watching them. I find frustration. Sigh.

Awesome. Apparently, I forgot to post 7 so here it is.

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your free meal and go skate. Most places will be closed so the chances of getting kicked out should be down.

Previously:
Lazy Sunday 6
Lazy Sunday 5 @ Ollie’s Skatepark
Rampus Champus
Lazy Sunday 4
Lazy Sunday 3
Lazy Sunday

So I’m a zoology major.  I’m not really sure what that mean’s to me right now.  I love animals and I have this amazing ability to understand concepts of evolution and natural selection.  I understand that things aren’t always adaptive; sometimes, traits are prominent because of random genetic drift.

During Animal Diversity, EEOB 405.01, Dr. Reising would always ask possible reasons why an organism would have evolved a certain why.  Natural selection was always a consideration, we would discuss the reasons why it would be beneficial for certain conditions.  However, he always looked at me waiting.  I would raise my hand and say Genetic drift.  Genetic drift is always a plausible answers because we can never be sure of anything.  Like the answer Glaciers in Physical Science class, Genetic drift is always an answer in an Evolution class.

I knew I picked the right major when my lecturers told me about theories like:

The Anna Karenina Principle- Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.  Zebra’s have a nasty disposition.  Elephants grow too slow.  Male cheetahs have to chase female cheetahs long distances to put them in heat.  Deer panic too easy.

The Red Queen Hypothesis- “It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.”  This deals with a macro and a micro evolutionary theory.  Macro being the evo arms race between host/parasite or prey/predator;  to over come the defenses of the prey the predator best be getting some better attack moves.  Micro being the benefits of sexual selection- gots to do everything you can to make up for your slow generation time.

However, I didn’t know about these things when I was choosing my major.   So where did it come from?

One time in PSR (Parish School of Religion, aka Sunday School), Mr. Triola had us write down what we wanted to be when we grew up,  stapled it shut, slab  a do not open till 21′, and keep it… till we were 21.  I did, but I didn’t have to open it to know what it said.  I wrote down Marine biologist.

However, turns out I don’t like fish.  I don’t like plants, I don’t want to work on algae for the rest of my life.  So I didn’t want to go into marine biology.  I did however decide to have an underwater style border on my wall with a light sea-foam green above and a dark green below to show the inability of light to penetrate water at a certain depth (Gay interior designer meets nerd, who knew I was so multifaceted).

So I didn’t really have a purpose like most individuals; no set path do guide my way unlike those who knew they wanted to go to law school or become a doctor.   I floated between arts and academics.  AP Calc and AP Physics alongside Honors Bands and Art Council.  But let’s face it, being a mathematician doesn’t sound very exciting, neither does being physicist.  And my parents suggested music being a hobby as and choosing something more profitable as a career.

I thought, “Hey, I wanna pet penguins and play with otters.”  I mean I used to watch animal planet all the time…. well okay maybe just Jeff Corwin cause he actually had a decent program as well as short shorts, a tight shirt with THO, and is a major hottie in general.

Without Animal

With Animal: He Makes Faces Like I Do

Gorgeous!  Holding Animals makes you even more attractive, duly noted.

So that’s why I’m a zoology major:  I don’t like people, I want to pet penguins and play with otters, I wanted to be like Jeff Corwin.

But people ask, “What are you going to do?”  Yes I could work at a zoo, but I dont have practical experience to work at a zoo I have theoretical knowledge so that puts me at the level of any other science major…  Meaning I could also do grad school or teach.  I could get a masters and do research or work for an organization on the conservation of animals.

But do I really have to do anything with it.  Part of my Ethology class that I really enjoy is that ethology wasn’t made specifically to solve a purpose.  I came off of Natural history,  which is about just documenting not actually putting anything into it.  Ethologists try to explain the behavior observed and answer proximate and ultimate questions.  But Ethology is not conservation biology.  It doesn’t have to help save diversity or help an ecosystem.

Maybe for once, Knowledge is enough.

I mean I haven’t done anything yet, I haven’t even got to touch an animal.  But I have watched a lot of squirrels, I can name a lot of mammalian families, and I did dissect a shark, rabbit, mudpuppy, and pig.  As well as meet some pretty amazing people,  especially Kevin Lumney my Comparative Anatomy Instructor and Animal Diversity Lab Instructor.  He is probably my favorite person even.  I know that he is a grandpa and he wears his pants and his actualy waist.  He can be seen walking down the sidewalk thinking.   You aren’t sure if these are happy old man thoughts, or really deep intellectual thoughts.  All of which he is capable of.

-EPF

I’m a girl.

Sometimes, I’m even a really annoying, high-maintenance, flowers, lace, expensive bags, belts and shoes girly girl.

Nonetheless, the fact remains that I am, indeed, a girl; and as such, I don’t claim to know much about the intricacies of sports.

My interest in gameplay is entirely superficial and is likely to change with my mood.

I actually pick my favorite teams based upon their colors or something as equally frivolous.

The Los Angeles Lakers? I’d like to relocate to L.A. at some point.

The New York Yankees? I love the blue and white visage. Contrasting colors excite me.

The Cleveland Browns? My brother told me anyone within 200 miles of Cleveland has to be a die-hard fan, despite the Browns inherent losing streak, and therefore I am.

It’s only right to abide by tradition.

So, unsurprisingly, my fair-weather affair with The Ohio State University Buckeyes is based solely on my zip code. I’m an Ohio girl — born, raised and bred. Loving the OSU Buckeyes comes with the territory.

It also doesn’t hurt my sensitive nature that the Buckeyes are a pretty good team . . . well, at least according to random male chatter.

I honestly couldn’t give you a differing explanation on the Big Ten and the MAC conferences.

All I know is that all major Mid-Western collegiate football teams fall within one of those categories, with The Big Ten conference claiming the exclusivity of a Division I title.

There is so much hype surrounding The Ohio State Buckeyes that it’s increasingly difficult not to succumb to the enthusiasm.

Autumn in Ohio is not the start of the holiday season — it’s Buckeye season.

The Ohio State University vs.  The University of Michigan game is the culmination of an entire season of anticipation.

It really doesn’t matter how well the Buckeyes performed prior to the faceoff; all that matters is that UofM is embarrassingly defeated.

Not even admission into the Rose Bowl trumps bragging rights on beating UofM.

If the Buckeyes happen to lose to UofM by some colossal freak of nature, you can be sure the populace will riot. Repeatedly. For several hours.

As a matter of fact, if the Buckeyes win against UofM (as they so often do), there is still likely to be a scattering of riots. It’s just what Buckeye country does. They really are a peculiar batch of people.

Yes, they. This is where I separate myself from the masses, and activities, that could land me in big girl jail. I take no part in the blatant tomfoolery.

Don’t judge me. I did say I was a fair-weather fan.

Now, moving on: There is something intangible about the Buckeye’s that inspires me to set aside my flighty ways and eyeball non-believers.

Perhaps it’s the allusion of grandeur that accompanies a Division I team.

Perhaps it’s the joy of witnessing Jim Tressel and his sweater vest lead the creme de la creme of collegiate football to recurring victory, Or perhaps, it’s just a facet of being a Columbus resident.

Regardless of reason, I’ve never loved a team for so long without being persuaded to greener pastures by pretty colors and cool branding.

There’s no certainty in what my superficial sports fanaticism will discover on tomorrow.

There’s no guarantee I’ll still be a fan on next year; but OSU can rest assured that as long as 614 precedes my digits, there is still a fighting chance to bask in my uninformed obsessive behavior love . . . until something better comes along, of course.

Until next year, GO BUCKS!

I know...what does this dog have to do with networking? Well...his "person" is part of my network. My roommate from college, a resource specialist in Colorado who studies things like Prairie Dogs and Mountain Lions and fun things like that...

If you’ve ever heard me speak in class or around campus, you’ve probably heard me say that every job I have ever gotten – I got through networking.  You know, making contacts, shaking hands, making phone calls and sending e-mails.  Creating connections with other folks in the industry.  It is, in my humble opinion, the #1 way to get a job.

Here’s my proof.  Many of you know that I’m a product of the School of Environment and Natural Resources. I had a dream since I was in the 1st grade of being something like a firefighter, paramedic or police officer.  I loved being outside.  Being a park ranger sounded perfect to me.  And I found…ok, my Dad found out that Ohio State had this Parks and Recreation program.  Truth is, my Dad said, “you can go to Ohio State and I’ll pay for it or you can go wherever you want (and where I wanted was Colorado U. in Boulder) and you can pay for it.” I chose Ohio State, very thankfully.

My undergrad advisor when I came here was Mark Giese.  You know, the Chief Academic guy for the School?  The one who signs off on giving you a diploma?  Mark also taught my survey class.  He encouraged me to go to the Ranger Academy.  And then was the Associate Commander of my academy.  When I got out of school, the Commander of my academy class, Steve Dodd, an adjunct professor here, gave me a glowing recommendation so that I could land a job at Glacier National Park. Networking.

After Glacier, I wanted to work for the Hamilton County Parks in Cincinnati.  Since I was a member of a professional society, the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association, I took advantage of a seminar they were offering…taught by…officers from Hamilton County.  I sat up front, raised my hand a bunch, and introduced myself afterwards to the instructors.  I told them I had just applied for a job with their agency and asked a few questions.  A few weeks later, I got an interview there and guess who was on the interview panel?  Yep.  Those same instructors were Sargents and remembered me from the seminar.  And yep, I did get the job.  Networking.

I got married later and moved to Columbus.  Not knowing where exactly to start looking for jobs when I got to Columbus, I came to see my old advisor, Mark.  Mark told me he had a position on his student services team and he remembered that I had been President of my student organization, and that I had work experience with the state at ODNR, federally through NPS, municipally through both Columbus and Hamilton County parks, and he thought I’d be good at this job.  So, I applied.  And…well, duh!?  I’m still here…11 (gulp!) years later.  Networking.

The best thing you can do to help yourself find a job is to NETWORK. Seriously.  Get out there.  Volunteer.  Join a professional society.  Go to conferences.  Get out there where the people are doing what you want to do and get to know them.  Learn from them.  Help them.  Ask them to help you.  It’s a relationship that goes both ways.

There’s loads of info on the net all about networking.  Here’s one I found that I liked.

Networking IS all the time and opportunities all around you.  Your classmates, professors, the staff here, and people you might meet in the most unlikely of places.  Consider carrying around business cards – yes, even as students, that have your name, major and contact info on them.  It’s a quick and easy way to pass your info on during that chance meeting.  And follow up.  Believe it or not, few people really do.  Be one of those few to make that impression.

Do you have other networking ideas?  Share them here in the comments section.

Visitors often joke about me drugging our horses because they’re so calm.

By Judy Oldmeadow, Owner & Master Horsewoman, Samaria Creek Morgan Horses

An old breeder once told me, ‘I’ve been to places with one or two quiet horses, but never one where the whole herd is quiet and friendly!’

We have over 40 horses. And when a new one arrives with insecure behaviour, it becomes calm and tractable in a very short time – sometimes only days.

Owners visiting their horses after several months often don’t recognise them and make comments like, ‘She’s standing taller’, He’s moving more smoothly’ and recently of an older brood mare, ‘She looks proud and happy’.

I used to attribute this to my training methods. As I’ve matured, however, I’ve noticed how much our living environment, natural pasture and wonderful water contribute to calm, peaceful horses with sound feet, bones and joints.

Magnesium is often called the ‘nerve mineral’. It regulates nerve fibres, controls the central nervous system and helps with muscle and glandular function.

Horses deficient in this element can show nervousness, wariness, excitability and muscle tremors. This gives magnesium its reputation for having a calming influence on equines.

Horses have a limited ability to store magnesium. Problems arising from deficiency usually manifest quickly.

Magnesium deficiency is becoming widespread in Australia. It’s more readily inhibited than calcium by artificial fertilisers. It’s also made inert in the body by the sodium fluoride in some water supplies.

A study of magnesium uptake in horses was conducted by six veterinarians at the Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, at Ohio State University.

It found the magnesium requirement of a typical horse was at 13 mg / kg of body weight per day. Horses growing, lactating or working use more (a lot of magnesium can be lost in sweat).

Opinions vary widely on magnesium supplements. It naturally depends in part on whether the soils on which a horse is grazing are deficient in the element. Such deficiency will be reflected in the grass grown.

In general, a horse gets 60-100% of its daily magnesium needs through a normal forage diet.

Deficiencies are most likely in spring (during periods of strong grass growth) and winter on pastures in milder areas (where grass is being pushed along with fertiliser).

Grass in both circumstances is likely to be low in magnesium, sodium and soluble carbohydrates, and high in nitrogen and potassium.

This is a double whammy: high potassium levels can slow the absorption of what little magnesium there is, while sodium (low in these situations) helps uptake.

Mechanisms affecting magnesium uptake in a horse are complex and not always diet related. Deficiency may just as likely be due to too much dietary potassium inhibiting uptake.

Nor is potassium the only potential player in this tricky equation. The presence and proportions of dietary calcium, phosphorous and fats also impact a horse’s ability to use the magnesium in its diet.

A deficient horse is likely to have a poor tolerance for work. Its muscles tie up quite quickly.

Magnesium even plays an important part in reducing equine obesity, and can lessen the risk of laminitis in animals prone to it during periods of strong spring grass growth.

Next time you’re looking for someone to care for your horse, make sure magnesium is on your list of ‘tough questions’.

Click here for a copy of our water report, which includes magnesium.

In the spirit of today’s game, I thought I’d share an old ESPN commercial.  This video has become popular over the years as emphasizing the deep-seeded emotions & loyalty that come along with college football.  I’m always a fan of an effective and humorous sports advertising campaign, enjoy:

They’re putting a Michigan-Ohio State football game on this Saturday, right on schedule. The third Saturday in November, usually. You used to circle the date. Now you happen upon it, by accident.

“Oh, is THAT still playing?”

Michigan-Ohio State creeps up on you now, like your wedding anniversary, or a dentist appointment. It used to be a must see. Now it’s a “MUST we see?”

Michigan vs. Ohio State. Time used to stand still for this one. Woody Hayes would bring his brood up from Columbus and he’d start to get a nervous twitch somewhere around Monroe.

There weren’t any namby-pamby Bowl games back then—the 1970s in case you were wondering. It was Rose Bowl or bust. One of those teams would play their hearts out for 11 games and only one of them was going to Pasadena. The other went home—with a 10-1 or 9-2 record.

Now, they hand out Bowl berths like numbers at the deli on a Sunday. Just wait till it’s your turn and find out whether you’re going to Mobile or Tampa or (gulp) Detroit. With a 6-6 record.

Michigan is 5-6, and we should stop right there. They shouldn’t allow them into Michigan Stadium with such a record, to play Ohio State and still pass it off as a “big game.” Unless they make the Buckeyes play with one hand tied behind their backs.

Where has this game gone, anyway?

When Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler were prowling the sidelines—and that’s as good a verb as any—the game was a tug of war. No one went on a basketball-like run of victories.

Michigan and Ohio State. You felt like it was the only game being played that Saturday. At least the only one worth a hill of beans. Like Monday Night Football.

It made the Hatfields and the McCoys look like an episode of “Family Feud.”

Always the Big Ten title was on the line. The season was a 10-game tune up. They used to call it the Big Two and Little Eight in those days. Occasionally Iowa or Purdue or Minnesota would give one of the Big Two a scare but sure enough, come the third Saturday in November, there the conference championship belt dangled, waiting to be claimed.

It started in Ann Arbor in 1969, when Bo was a rookie at Michigan and the year before, Woody’s team blew the Wolverines out of Columbus and halfway to Toledo.

1968 was the year Woody had the penultimate U-M/OSU line. The Buckeyes won, 50-14, and late in the game Woody went for a two-point conversion. Afterward, they asked him why.

“Because I couldn’t go for THREE,” Woody snarled.

But the next year Billy Taylor ran wild and Michigan upset Ohio State and it was, as they say nowadays, ON.

This was genuine hatred. Nothing contrived or forced. The schools would rather lose their accreditation than lose to each other. Woody refused to even buy gas in Michigan, or so he said. I believe him.

Kids from Michigan’s campus drove their jalopies around with bumper stickers that read “WOODY IS A PECKER.”

Then Woody got fired and OSU started hiring coaches who, if Michigan was a wet paper bag, couldn’t fight their way out of it.

Someone named Earle Bruce was brought in and it was like going to the theatre expecting to see Olivier and getting his understudy.

Bruce did last nine years, though, then John Cooper came in and even the names of these guys were getting worse. John Cooper? What was this, a Disney movie?

Bo beat Cooper’s brains in until he grew bored and retired. Then Gary Moeller took over and immediately got Cooper into a headlock, too.

Cooper was a good football coach—until the third Saturday in November. Then he turned into someone Matt Millen would have hired for the Lions.

Bruce and Cooper were the ones who threatened to euthanize this rivalry. Now Jim Tressel looks to be the one to finally pull the plug.

They did it in different ways, of course—Bruce and Cooper by losing all the time, and Tressel by turning the tables.

Tressel stormed into Columbus when he was hired, led a pep rally in the basketball arena, counted the number of days until the Michigan game, and guaranteed victory. Woody and Bo wouldn’t have dreamed of doing such a thing. They had hate but some decorum.

But Tressel’s kids backed up their coach’s words and decided that this beating Michigan thing was pretty cool. So they kept doing it. And doing it, until they’ve damned near killed the game entirely.

There’s no reason to think it’s going to be any different this time around. Michigan has a defense that’s offensive. They jog onto the field and if the wind is blowing wrong you can smell the stench.

The Wolverines don’t have anyone on their roster who knows what it’s like to beat Ohio State. Literally. The last Michigan victory was in 2003. In college football rivalries, that’s a generation. It also gets coaches fired.

Cooper couldn’t beat Michigan—he went 2-10-1 against them—and that became his legacy at Ohio State. Bruce, before him, did alright (5-4). But that’s a combined 7-14-1 after Woody and before Tressel. And so the rivalry teetered, and now it’s about to fall entirely.

Today, Michigan’s biggest rival seems to be itself. The program is so busy with the in-fighting that you half expect the team to forget to show up to play the Buckeyes. Of course, it wouldn’t be much different than the past five years, so who could tell?

Everything was better back in the day, wasn’t it?

Gas prices. McDonald’s. The “Tonight” show. And Michigan-Ohio State.

It wasn’t a game, it was High Noon. It was the fight with the kid after school. Be there or else. They didn’t finish it, they reconvened. The winner went to the Rose Bowl and the loser’s intestines got gnarled for 364 days.

MichiganOhioState. It was a two school rivalry said in one word. You could empty a crowded theatre in Ann Arbor or Columbus by saying it, more so than if you yelled “Fire!”

Now it’s been reduced, like a sauce that’s been sitting on the stove for too long. Its stock has fallen faster than General Motors. Ohio State so outclasses Michigan anymore that it’s not a rivalry, it’s a chore—something that has to be done before you can close up the cottage for the winter.

This pairing has all the drama and suspense of a “Brady Bunch” episode. They should put it on “Nick at Nite,” not ABC.

Michigan-Ohio State. I have one question for you.

That show’s still on?

I went to another Ohio State University show this night, with the unimaginative title of Resident and Visiting Artists Dance Concert.  But there’s something to be said for a title that just tells you what it is in a few words, unfettered by flourishes trying to express some idea.  Unfortunately I was running late (not a surprise) so I missed getting into the theatre for the first piece and had to watch through a door window.  As a result of my tardiness, I also did not get a program, so as I did with the show earlier, I am going into this review with no information, no ideas, and no titles to clue me in on anything.  But there’s something to be said for that too…the idea of viewing a dance with no expectations (literally).  So it looks like I’m going to have to make up my own titles, although my reactions are of course always my own, and you better believe I believe that we are all entitled to that.  Could renaming the dances for my own purposes be potentially offensive to their respective choreographers?  Maybe…maybe not…it’s not really my problem.

I won’t review every piece (C-bus people should really go see the show on their own…it’s a really good show), just a few highlights of the group numbers to entice the imagination.  The first piece I saw through the window looked really interesting…mathematical formations, Earthy-brown costumes and lots of prayerish gesturing.  And prayer beads.  I shall call it, Goddess Hymn.  Svetlana was actually in the piece so I was mad at myself for missing the direct experience, but she had significant phrases stage left, which was the only side I could see so the glass was half full.  From what I could tell, all of the dancers were female (like that’s a surprise), but the music had soothing female vocals as well.  It was very much a “dance,” with codified movement like arabesque turns, chaînés and grand battements, and yet it was structured in such a way that gave it a real spirituality.  I don’t know if it was specific to any religion, but it felt specific to the sensations of spirituality.  I am not religious (when you have a Catholic father and a Buddhist mother, the last thing you want is more religion!), but I do consider myself somewhat spiritual.  If anything, I say yay Daoism…go with the flow and don’t ask questions because those who know the Dao don’t actually know it.  But the point is, when I see something in nature that pleases me, like a beautiful starscape or a simple oak tree, a certain feeling of spirituality is invoked because I believe those things to be spiritual, and that was something I felt a twinge of while watching this dance.

The piece right after it…er, I think…was Into the Æther (I’ve always wanted to use that symbol), and it was painted in varying shades of cool blues and set to a heinous violin soundtrack.  Like sustained, dissident notes that reminded me of one of my worst fears, which is dying in the vacuum of space.  I’ve never had nightmares of drowning or being burned alive, but somehow the image of my body floating in space is something I’ve unpleasantly dreamt of and fear for no logical reason (as if, I would ever go into space!).  Of course, the music is genius depending on who you are, but we all know me.  At the very least, the music was used effectively.  This piece had a lot of dancers doing some very turbulent and aggressive movement, synching in and out and constantly changing tempo.  This is why I was really getting the image of the sky, because to me, the sky is something scattered, especially as you get further away from Earth, oxygen and other gases become increasingly diffuse.  And yet the sky has this awesome power, arguably the most formidable influence on Earth, but it is a power that can neither be sustained nor harnesses.  It can only conglomerate and dissipate, with no will of its own.  At one point the dancers are following each other in a sinuous line like a current of air, following the same path but not in the same way, and another moment they’re all twitching before crystallizing into a certain pose, like snowflakes, and then evaporating into shapeless vapor.  It was all very atmospheric to me and the creative distance to which one is willing to go in modern dance has to be dependent upon how far into the exosphere one’s imagination goes…too bad neither distance is measurable.  It certainly gives new meaning to the phrase “head in the clouds.”

Me?  I like it terrestrial, with my feet firmly planted on mother Earth.  Hence, simple interpretations and a devout love for ballet.  And there was a touch of that, in a screwball, theatrical staging of a work set to Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals.  Despite a nefarious decision to exclude the Aquarium movement (which I can only assume is a personal attack on my integrity), this was the action-packed and comical Looney Tunes performance to the classically romantic music.  I’m not kidding…there was a classic “search” scene, complete with exaggeratedly cautious steps and binoculars, a scene with dynamite, and a Scooby-Doo style chase for the finale.  But it wasn’t just people portraying animals, because there was a turning of the tables as well because most of the characters were actually human.  So it was really like a commentary on the animalistic characteristics of people…or, people, portraying animals, pretending to be people.  You’ll have to choose your own adventure I’m afraid.  With Aquarium absent, Fossils was my favorite musically, and the premise for it was a crotchety ballet teacher, who I shall call Madame Jelena Danyushka Baraksanova, and she basically dictates a class, without words in her old school way.  Of course The Swan was included, and paid tribute to Fokine’s Dying Swan, but with the dancer *ahem* as a child, who can barely walk on pointe, and has epic stage fright, which can only be resolved by a colossal, rainbow colored lollipop.  By the end she does evolve into the more familiar swan, complete with bourées and undulating arms, but instead of the tragic end where the swan settles into that pose on the floor we all know, laying her head to rest with her final breath to trickling piano notes, this swan gets her lollipop, and we are treated to the image of an undulating tongue.  I’ve never seen a tongue choreographed into a piece before, but there’s certainly a first for everything.  P.S. Tortoises will have you laughing until you can’t breathe.

Anyway it was a fantastic show and C-bussers have one last chance to see it on Saturday, November 21^st, 8pm at Sullivant Hall.  And speaking of Sullivant Hall, that building needs to get its act together.  Apparently the swan was even questionable to dance for fears that the ill-supported stage would collapse under the concentrated weight of a dancer on pointe.  First of all, that’s one of the funniest images I could ever think of (up there with a mitten exploding because a cricket set one foot in it when there were already too many animals inside) and second, that stage is ridiculous.  Why it was ever built that way, and why it apparently has no support underneath is beyond me.