Posts tagged as:

music

Courtney

What Doesn’t Kill You…

by Courtney on January 27, 2012

in Academics,Extracurricular,Organizations, Activities & Events

Ask any of my friends, and they will tell you that I love music.  I hardly ever go anywhere without my iPod.  But even though I love music, I generally wait around a while before I buy a new song.  I usually listen to the song for days on end on YouTube before I officially decide if I want to use some of my iTunes credit to purchase the song for download.

This, however, was not the case with Kelly Clarkson’s relatively-new song, “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger).”  I heard the complete song for the first time this week, and I immediately bought it this morning.  I know that the song technically revolves around romantic relationships, but I totally saw a connection between the song and college.  There have been so many times that I thought I’d never make it through my classes.  First it was statistics, then calculus, then organic chemistry I last semester – I really began to wonder about my abilities and about my choice to be a biology major.  But, now that I’ve made it through those classes, I do feel a lot of pride in myself and in the work that I’ve accomplished.  It’s sort of a “been there, done that” feeling that I can feel good about.

I have a lot of difficult classes this semester (including the ever-dreaded organic chem II), so I’m sure I’ll once again be questioning myself.  But, then again, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” so I should be VERY strong by the time I graduate in two years.

PS – Here’s my CAB plug.  Tonight is our CAB/RHA mixer, planned by Elizabeth, Steph, Erica, and me.  It’s sort of an open house for the newly-repainted Griffin’s Nest.  It starts at 7, and we will be having free (yes, free) Gus’s pretzels, soda, games, music, and prizes.  So get your friends together and head on up to the Griffin’s Nest on Medaille’s 4th floor!! :)

Tagged as: Biology, CAB, music, organic chemistry

{ 0 comments }

Carly

I Try to Imagine a Careless Life

by Carly on October 12, 2011

in Academics

The other day, in a midst of yet another “What crime have I committed to receive this unjust punishment of so much homework?” breakdown, my spirits were slightly raised when my father pointed out  (in a whiny phone call home) that this semester is halfway finished. Yes, we have reached the halfway mark. But just like the fifteen-mile bike ride that I do every Tuesday and Thursday morning after Organic lecture (bike time = me time), things only seem to get rougher from that point on. You’re dehydrated, the same songs on your iPod are boring you instead of making you push harder, and the lactic acid building up in your liver is making your muscles scream, “Get off the bike already so I can synthesize some ATP!”

No matter how tempted you may be at this point to completely give up on striving for a perfect GPA this semester because you’re too tired to finish out this semester as strongly as you started: don’t! When I feel the urge to get off the bike and do an easy ride “just this once”, I cut back on the resistance level instead so I can catch my breath for a minute before coming back. This weekend is your chance to cut back on your intensity level, too: take full advantage of the “Academic Study Day” (a weird title for a fall break, if you ask me) to get yourself together. Then, next week, come back stronger and ready to hit the books once again. After all, soon enough we’ll be cooling down and stretching out, which is pretty much the best feeling ever after you’ve pushed yourself to the limit.

Anyway…have a great week and I hope I didn’t totally alienate you with my lame analogy here.

-Carly

P.S. Oh my goodness. Beirut was amazing at The Pageant last night. I never knew brass instruments could rock out like that!

“Scenic World” by Beirut

Tagged as: biking, fall, fall break, GPA, music

{ 0 comments }

Elizabeth

Case Closed

by Elizabeth on September 26, 2011

in Campus Community

I was pretty sure I had a mystery a la Nancy Drew or, even better, The Phantom of the Opera, on my hands when I heard piano chords drifting through the AMC, the main level of Medaille Hall.  I first heard the music a few weeks ago when I was working on a computer in one of the cubicles down there, and I just figured someone nearby was playing a clip from some kid’s performance on YouTube.  The next week, same time of the afternoon, I heard the music AGAIN!  This time, I was at a cubicle right under a vent in the wall, and it was clear that the music was coming through the vent from somewhere else.

This puzzled me.  I was sure the only piano on campus was in the chapel, and it didn’t make any sense to think some student had an upright in her dorm room.

A break in the case finally came.  Last week, I was, once again, at a cubicle in the AMC (What can I say? I’m pretty predictable.) and, once again, I heard piano music wafting through the air coming out of the vent.  It was my outstanding power of eavesdropping that saved the day and solved the case:  I overheard a student, who I know for a fact is a resident of Medaille, say, “I like how you can hear the piano from down here.”

Therefore, there MUST be a piano in Medaille Hall.

…I just have no idea where it is.

The fact remains, though, that it’s up there.  Somewhere.

Solving this case makes me feel better – it’s nice to know other people were hearing the music, too.

Tagged as: Medaille Hall, music, mystery, piano

{ 1 comment }

Carly

Come Home in the Summer…Live a Life That You Miss

by Carly on May 12, 2011

in Extracurricular

I’ve heard that our sense of smell has the power to bring up certain memories: your favorite perfume, for example, may bring back memories of a certain first date. While this certainly holds true, another one of my senses possesses the unique ability to pull me back into the past: my hearing. When I play a particular song that I was obsessed with during a critical point in my life, I’m instantly transported back to those days and the emotions I was feeling. With all of this weighing down my mind (along with random nutrition facts and chemistry tidbits that I’ve been dutifully studying for this week), I decided the best way to sum up my very first year of college was a list I’ve comprised of a few of my favorite albums this year (I even included a link to my favorite song from each one!).

  1. XX- the XX
  2. No Color- The Dodos
  3. The Age of Adz- Sufjan Stevens
  4. The Orchard- Ra Ra Riot
  5. Champ- Tokyo Police Club

…I could keep going. If I had to choose my absolute favorite song from an album off of this list, it would probably be “Keep It Quiet” by Ra Ra Riot. This song helped me get through the difficult transitions this year, and let’s face it, the whole transition into college was a lot more difficult for me than I thought it would be. I thought I was ready to leave home! What I didn’t think, however, was that I would change as significantly as I have. I know I’m getting all cliché here, but it’s the truth.

In my honors rhetoric class this semester, we studied fan cultures. One of the essays we read was about textual poaching—the idea that fans will take a work and turn it into something they can relate to. So forgive me as I attempt to textual poach Ra Ra Riot’s lyrics here:

“How can I want to stay around…?”

My interpretation of this line: I’ve changed a lot this year. And while it makes me feel uncertain in some ways, I know there’s no turning back to who I was in high school and the life I had back then. When I go back home for a few months, surrounded by all of the memories of who I was, how could I possibly want to go back to that; to stay who I was? Does that make sense? Maybe not to you, but for me, this song and this line have soothed me in the times I’ve felt most afraid of change, gently nudging me on to do bigger and better things than I did as a high school kid in a small town.

While I’m ready to go home for the summer just because I’m through with this homework business, I’m already excited for next semester and what other changes are in store for me.

Have a great break, everyone!

-Carly

Tagged as: endings, Freshmen, music, Summer, vacation

{ 1 comment }

Rainy Day Playlist

by Carly April 27, 2011

I’ve said it on a previous blog post and I’m about to say it again: I love the rain. There’s nothing like being in your dorm room, doing homework to the sound of the raindrops softly tapping on the window. There’s only one thing that could make this scenario even better: the music of James [...]

Read the full post →

I didn’t choose Fontbonne; Fontbonne chose me.

by Erica March 7, 2011

The story of how I got to Fontbonne is an interesting one. I’m still not completely sure of how I got here, but I’ll do my best to explain my story. It all started with my love for music and the Fontbonne Communications and Marketing Department. I come from the Western Suburbs of Chicago and [...]

Read the full post →

A Commuter’s Weekend On Campus

by Elizabeth November 29, 2010

Last week, I basically spent my whole weekend on campus, even though I’m a commuter! On Friday, I went to the FAB Fall Dance, which was held at the Renaissance Hotel, near the airport. Since I had a class on Friday afternoon that got out late in the afternoon, I decided it would be easier [...]

Read the full post →

Students writing for Real Life at Fontbonne are paid a small fee for each post by the university.