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Innovate or Die (?)

February 23, 2012 by Reid | Permalink

 

Hello Everyone! I’ve been really, really busy (in a good way) these past few weeks, mostly with Crimson and school stuff, which is obviously a blast. Although I’m getting worn down, I think I’ve been structuring my day properly to allow myself enough time to do exactly what I need to do and still get some rest. Do you know that I sleep 8 or 9 hours a night? Yep. I do. I pride myself on that, and basically my theory is that anyone who gets less sleep hasn’t organized their time well enough, or totally overbooked themselves. I have managed to (kind of) find a balance, with the help of some schedules and structure.

My schedule from yesterday afternoon...pretty full, but totally do-able!

 

So what, exactly, have I been doing? Same old, same old, except for this INCREDIBLE and very bizarre event I recently went to. It was called “Experiencing Economies; Innovate or Die,” and basically it was a tour of innovative and design businesses/spaces in Boston which ended up selling out in one minute (there were 50 slots, too). My favorite place that we went to was Continuum, an innovative consulting corporation that was definitely one of the coolest places I’d ever been. I was covering this event for The Crimson, and ended up going all alone on a tour with a ton of grad students and people who were older than me. It was all very secretive, and I really had no idea what to expect, so the bus that I boarded could have been going to Akron, for all I knew! However, we ended up at Harvard’s iLab first, which is essentially a large technologically-innovative and up-to-date building where students from MIT and Harvard can come in and collaborate on big ideas, eventually getting funding for them. It’s about half way between Harvard and MIT, and was really cool. There, we did a psychology experiment on advertising and branding, lead by a History of Psychological Science Graduate student. Here are some photos from the event!

Some Art at the iLab

 

This was pretty cute...and cool, because people were drawing on the walls!

 

This was definitely my favorite quotation.

 

Some photos of the psychology experiment….bringing me back to my SLS-20 (intro to psych) days!

Obviously, my artistic and academic abilities were put to the test! The next stop that I enjoyed was Continuum, because there was an incredibly interesting exhibit set up there; these two women had gone into Boston’s inner-city high schools and worked with students who were affected by violence, and they broke that violence down altogether. They filmed fights and replayed them to analyze how they worked, charted the cycle of a fight, talked about the differences between domestic abuse and gang violence, and went into extreme detail to help these students work out the true definition and consequences of violence.

This was really inspiring.

 

This exhibit was moving, and made me really consider pursuing a career within Continuum; it puts creative and innovative ideas to good use, for the benefit of others. What could be better? By the time the exhibit was closing, I started to get really, really hungry. Luckily, there was tons of food, and my friend Ned was bartending, so I could swing by and visit him!

Yummmm

 

Ned with the red suspenders!

 

The evening was a total success, and after I went to my friend/bandmate Noah’s 21st birthday party, I fell asleep both content and inspired. Check out the OFA article I wrote here!

 

The next day (Saturday), it was my mom’s birthday! I called her up a million times until she answered, chatted with her for a while, and was on my way. I love my momma! I had to finish a photography shoot for the cover of this week’s Crimson Arts, so I ended up staying at the Crimson all day Thursday, for part of Friday, and for a while on Saturday and Sunday in order to finish up the cover with my fellow exec, Dean. Here are some behind the scenes shots!

Dean photographing one of our models in The Crimson

 

Our completed cover!

 

It was a really fun assignment for The Crimson that Dean and I got to run entirely, from conception to final product, which was printed yesterday! Many thanks to all of my models/friends for their pretty faces (:

Now that I’ve covered some exciting things in my past, we can look to the exciting thing in the future: this summer, I will be going to Paris in the Harvard Summer Study Abroad!! I was accepted about a week ago, from a pool of many applicants, and will be able to get a jumpstart on my potential path as a Romance Languages and Literatures concentrator! Nothing could be more exciting than spending my summer in the City of Love (and blogging about it while I’m at it). Now all I need is for my grants to be approved, something I’ll know in about a month. By that time, I’ll be in a House, have my summer planned out, and be preparing for my trip to LA with my fellow CUPSI Slam Poetry members. Wow! The future is pretty exciting in general, but even more exciting when you’re at Harvard.

Thanks for reading, and happy Thursday.

-Reid

 

 

ALL ABOUT THE NOSTALGICS

February 9, 2012 by Reid | Permalink

Hi again!

I’ve been doing pretty standard posts for a while, and I decided I want to branch out a little bit. However, a quick recap of my week follows: Friday: Freshman Formal! (so so so fun) Saturday: my band played at The Fox, a final club. Sunday: nothing. (yay) Monday: slam poetry performance for MLK day (belated. also amazing.) Tuesday: band practice, school, the usual. Wednesday: study break of EPIC proportions with my entryway, rehearsal for slam poetry team, midnight meeting for The Crimson. Thursday: later tonight…Harvard Thinks Big 3!! (With my band!!)

SO. Ye olde Nostalgiques.

They are my band and I love them. Shannon said that she was truly grateful to be in a room with people she loved, and I get to feel that way every time I rehearse with the 11 other BAMFs in my group.

Instead of describing each and every one of them, I shall give you links. Here are the members. They are, as follows, Ben, Charles, Rachel, Patrick, Jack, Will, Leah, Alex, Noah, and Burt. (Okay, Nick is there, too. But he’s on break for Berklee stuff.) I sing for them, along with Leah and Alex. Basically, The Nostalgics are the bomb-diggity. Here’s a picture!

 

Later tonight we’re playing at Harvard Thinks Big, which is this set of mini-lectures, each 10 minutes long, about a huge variety of very interesting things. We are doing the transitions and the opening/closing numbers, playing “Think” by Aretha and “Signed Sealed Delivered” by Stevie Wonder. It’s going to be GREAT!

Basically, my band is my source of energy. Whenever I’m feeling really down, I can look forward to rehearsal and gigs, and I regain my sense of purpose. Also, this is the primary way that I’ve become friends with upperclassmen in a variety of houses, which is helpful, because I get to scope out my future House whilst chillin’ with my mates. We have members in Mather, Eliot, Pfoho, Leverett, and Adams, and hopefully I’ll end up in one of those places so that my band can slowly take over the House.

This is a quick picture of us the other night.

I also realized how awesome this little piece of live music is after talking with Dean from Dean and Britta, an alt. music duo, last week. He graduated in ’85, and said that Harvard had a really bad live music scene, so he had to go off-campus to really get what he was looking for. I now know how lucky I am (I mean, besides being here) to be able to have access to such a wide variety of artistic pursuits, especially music. We have Battle of the Bands, tons of gigging opportunities, a recording studio, and plenty of talented musicians to go around. (We even have rivals: Third Rail, my friend Warren’s band, and Mariachi Veritas, of which we don’t speak.) All in all, music is my outlet, through which I’m allowed to be crazy, sassy, mournful, and soulful.

My other artistic pursuits have expanded, luckily. In high school, I didn’t have the time to do visual arts, with all of the music and languages I was taking, as well as my other regular courses. Now, I can throw myself fully into music and languages and photography, printmaking, and stenciling. It’s actually pretty cool. I wish my photographs were like this, though: http://carlidavidson.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Shake/G0000s_trsF9CDFI/I0000Axn_35bVYYU

I suppose that is all for now. If I think of anything else, I can update it!

Yippee!

-Reid

Wonderful Week

February 2, 2012 by Reid | 1 comment

Heyyyo!

I’ve been having the best week ever, and it’s been so busy that I haven’t had any time to post on this site, so sorry for the delay! This is going to be slightly shorter, because I have a meeting at 3 with my Peer Advising Fellow (PAF) to talk about blocking (aaahhrrggg, deciding on my suitemates is so complicated), classes, and my summer plans. Also, I just applied to be a PAF next year, so we’ll see how that goes, and maybe one of you class of ’16 readers will be my PAFee! (That’d be so exciting.)

Yay random picture I took of Harvard Hall yesterday!!

So: a quick synopsis of what has happened since last Thursday. On Friday, I passed in my official study card (yippee!) and had a meeting with my slam poetry team. Later,  my mom came to visit and we watched the Harvard-Yale men’s hockey game, which I covered for the Crimson. Harvard won 4-3, and we beat Yale in the women’s hockey, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball games. Woohoo! Then I went out to a really fun party with a few of my friends and saw some a cappella people whom I hadn’t seen in a while, which was great. The next morning, my mom swung by for a little bit in between my auditions of common casting through the HRDC. Basically I tried out for  a lot of musicals and got some minor roles that I decided to drop, because I have a million things happening already. (Check out the link above for more information about theater, another addition to my Quest for the Arts!)

 

Go Harvard!

Sunday wasn’t too busy, but I ended the day with great news: I was appointed Arts Photography Exec with my friend Dean for The Crimson! Now I get first “pitches” (really cool events to cover) and I lead a crew of Junior Editors and Compers in their journey of photography this semester. I couldn’t be more excited.

Monday was my first Photo Exec meeting, in the newly designed photo-lounge of the basement. The basement holds design, video, and photography (really, the best part of a newspaper in both online and digital editions), and within that group there’s a great sense of community. I was alerted on Monday that I needed to give a gift to the Exec I am replacing, so that’s been my weekly project (keep reading).

 

Cast Lists are Posted!

Tuesday was my first day of Expos! I was sectioned into Contemporary American Theatre, a course with a very high Q Score and an amazing prof. I’m really looking forward to it, though it’s going to definitely be a difficult course. Later, I had an all-photo meeting with the Junior Editors and Execs, which was great. I pitched The Arts as a beat (translation: I gave reasons to people for why they should take pictures primarily for Arts), in the form of a song! It was very classy and very fun. Later that night, I started drawing up sketches for my gift to the ex-Arts Photo Exec (who is now the Editor-At-Large of Photography), having decided on a shirt as a gift. The design is of a pug puppy (the cutest, obviously… and photo has a bit of an obsession with baby animals) reaching for a soda bottle with the word “AHT” on it. (The ex-exec has a thick Boston accent.) Then, I had a few more late-night meetings and finally went to bed.

 

Oh So Cute

Wednesday, I interviewed Dean from Dean & Britta, an alternative music duo, for the Office of the Arts. Now all I have to do is write up the article, and I will post the link next week! I had my printmaking seminar again, which was amazing, per usual, and continued to work on the project I’d started on Monday. We were asked to create a visual representation of our favorite word, and I chose “noodle.” Okay, I’m not sure if that’s my favorite word, but there were so many to choose from…so I just chose my favorite food-word. Also, there are tons of alternative definitions for noodle (such as brain, or fool, or Mr. Noodle from Elmo’s World), which means I can be very creative. Next week I’ll be pressing my page, framing that bad boy, and maybe gifting it (or keeping a copy for myself). This has definitely been one of the best artistic outlets I’ve found here at Harvard.

Later that day, I met up with my friend Cynthia to work on a few songs for Freshman Formal, which is tomorrow night. Of course I’ll be going, but we’ll also be playing music during dinner, so we met up in Wigglesworth basement to practice. The practice rooms are really big in Wigg, so we had enough space for her piano and my guitar/uke. We’ll be playing some sweet songs (such as Janelle Monae and Adele), and afterwards we’ll be dancing it up in the Night Under the Stars, as it is so aptly named. Yippee!

No Stars in the Sky Yet

 

Then I had to cover a Flashmob for The Crimson. CityStep, a program that teaches children to dance and other valuable skills, went into Ticknor Lounge (a gorgeous room) and busted out some moves. I was lucky enough to experience it, in all of its cuteness/awesomeness.

Haha, Flashmob!

A few hours later, I realized that couldn’t stop working on my gift for my friend, so I went to Urban Outfitters to buy a blank T-shirt ($5), then to Utrecht Arts to buy some fabric paint ($8). I cut out the stencils I’d created in record time (okay, like two hours), ironed them onto the shirt, and painted away. Today, I finished it up, and I couldn’t be happier with the final product! It turned out infinitely better than I had expected, and I’m sure the gift will be well-received.

 

Yay Puppies and Pop!

Now I’m off to my meeting, then some more practice for Formal, homework, dinner somewhere in there, a run-through of some spoken word that I’ll be performing with a group next monday for a belated MLK celebration, and finally an Exec event later tonight. Wow! This semester is going to be awesome. (Plus, it’s cold today–bonus!)

Happy Thursday!

-Reid

 

Squirrel<Pug

Shopping Part Two!

January 26, 2012 by Reid | 2 comments

Ciao a tutti!

Shopping week for second semester is almost over, with Study Cards (an official list of the courses you’re taking) being due tomorrow. Luckily, I’ve figured out my semester. I’ll be taking Intensive Italian (Italian Acd), Advanced French Grammar II (French 50), Expository Writing 20 (Expos), and a Freshman Seminar called “Pressing the Page: Making Art With Letters, Paper & Ink.” I’m very excited about this semester, especially for my seminar and Italian. They’ve been amazing so far, with Italian flying by every day and my printmaking seminar seeming too short, though it’s two hours on M/W! So far I’ve made calling cards and monogrammed notecards. Check out my first creation thus far!

 

I <3 Art

Anyways, get ready for a lot more artsy stuff this semester, to add to my arts list from a previous post. Seriously, this is a Liberal Arts college and my goal is to find out why.

Though all Freshmen do not have to take seminars and two languages (well, there is a language requirement, but I definitely loaded up on Romance Languages), everybody who graduates from Harvard College must take Expository Writing. Shaun talks about it from the other side of the bridge, having taken it already, but I have yet to experience this wonderful essay course. Actually, most people don’t like it, but I really love writing, and all the courses I’ve signed up for have high Q ratings (which means they’re good) and are in very close proximity to my dorm! Sweet graphic here:

Wow, Check it out! Canaday has the best location for all things Freshmen.

 

Anyways, these are the Expos courses I’ve sectioned for. A lot of them haven’t been offered yet, and are brand new, so I thought I’d give them a chance, even though it is risky. Imagining Animals does sound pretty interesting, though.

Location, Location, Location. (Okay, and time/subject.)

If I get sectioned into a M/W 11:00-12:00 time slot, I’ll be having bagged lunch twice a week for the next semester! Good thing Harvard offers them for all students, all the time. Also, our dining services have become quite interesting, with HUDS reintroducing the Korean Barbecue night. Let me tell you, that Kimchi was spicy! After I enjoyed my Korean dinner today with my roommate, I met a few of my bandmates and headed up to the SOCH for our first practice of the second semester. We’re playing a few songs and a lot of transition material at Harvard Thinks Big, which is a very popular set of mini-lectures hosted in Sanders Theater. Last year’s information can be found here. It was awesome seeing everyone again, even though the rehearsal was short and the walk to the quad was a bit chilly. If you’ve forgotten about my band, check out this link! Being part of my amazing mini-community was definitely the best part of my first semester, because it helped me to transition into college life much more smoothly.

Whee!!! Random Picture of Cambridge!

 

Another super awesome thing in my life right now continues to be The Crimson! I realized that last semester was a ton of fun, and I had the best time taking photos of sports and arts, specifically for the Fifteen Minutes magazine. Over break, I took a lot of photos, and they have definitely improved, to the point where I am proud of my photography skills. Soon I will be monitoring compers as a Junior Editor, chillin’ with them as they experience that which I’ve just done. Tomorrow, I’m covering the Harvard-Yale hockey game, and my family is coming up to watch with me. I am also “schmoozing” with some peeps (editors/my superiors/great people) in order to be (hopefully) elected Arts Photo Exec. That basically means a lot of mini meetings in order to hold a higher position than my current status. I’ll update you when I hear back, but for now, cross your fingers for me!

Arts and Sports mixed together!

The weather has been uncannily warm as of late, which definitely freaks me out a little bit; climate change is upon us, and it’s been pretty evident here in Cambridge. Hopefully it cools down, so I can use the really great skating rink on the Science Center lawn. (What? Harvard has a free skating rink? Why yes, we do.) Most of the time though, I’m inside, doing my homework so that I don’t get behind. I definitely don’t want to make that mistake again, because it creates a lot of unnecessary stress.  I’ve been doing a bit of walking recently, because I’m auditioning through  Common Casting  for Legally Blonde and Hair (the musical), and I have to hike up to the Aggassiz Theater (also home of the visitor center), Loeb Theater, and Farkas Theater. I really missed auditioning, so this process has been a blast! But I should get back to the pile of work on my desk….

Busy busy

 

Okay! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my post, and for those applying to Harvard, these next few months might be a little worrisome, but try to keep the admissions process in the back of your head and enjoy your last part of high school. You’ll end up wherever you need to be.

 

Signing off

-Reid

 

Writing Workshop: Wintersession!

January 19, 2012 by Reid | 1 comment

Hello everyone! I’m writing from the comfort of my dorm room right now…it’s definitely cozier in here than it is outdoors. Finally it snowed, but it’s melted since then, leaving the ground bare. Not all hope is lost, though–it should snow on Saturday! Another amazing event that is happening that day is the final performance of my Wintersession spoken word workshop. We’ve been working from 10-3 everyday this week, producing a lot of writing of which we should be proud. The Speak Out Loud club is hosting this program, and we’ve had a lot of amazing guests come in to work with us. Yesterday, we made this crazy web to connect all of these different ideas and created poems about them, and afterwards we talked about the Hunger Games (which was great, because I’m obsessed with that series).

Crazy Web

Spoken word is a really fantastic way of self-expression, and on the sixth of February, we’ll be performing a piece in Memorial Church for a belated-MLK celebration. I’ll be doing a group piece with my friend, which will be fun, because it’s my first time collaborating on any spoken word. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

I got back from LA on Saturday night, and came to Harvard just in time to watch the Giants-Packers game with my dad at Tory Row, a café/bar right in the square. Luckily, the Giants whooped the Packers (really, the defense was fantastic), so my dad could drive home happily that night. I also met my older sister at South Station, and after we’d watched the game, we went back to my room and packed her bags for Zanzibar. She’s doing a semester abroad there, and is currently in Tanzania, crossing the ocean in a little while to the island where she’ll spend her next few months. Eloise (my sister) could only take one large backpack and a carry-on, so we had to pack everything tightly. We rolled all of her clothes and crammed them into her bag, densely packing it so that she could fit everything. Lo and behold, there was room to spare after we’d finished! On Monday, we had lunch with our grandparents at Henrietta’s Kitchen in the Charles Hotel, and after my workshop, I took her to the airport. We got there pretty early, checked her bag (11 kilos), bought some candy, and called our mom. Then, we parted ways as she went through security. Today, she called me from Tanzania on Skype–a lovely surprise. It made me think about all the places I’d like to go for Study Abroad, which prompted my transition back into my grant applications for the Summer Study Abroad in Paris. There’s a very good study abroad program here, which can be found at these two links, one for summer and the other for the academic year. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping I’ll be accepted this year!

It’s lovely being back on campus. Nothing has changed much–the same food (though I’m eating less of it), the same buildings (obviously), the same yard (except for the lack of Occupiers). However, there is one new exciting addition to campus: a skating rink! It’s free, with skate rentals being only $5. I’ll have to check it out sometime. Later today, I’ll be heading to a warmer sporting event, covering the men’s swimming and diving competition against Brown, as I’m now a Junior Editor for the Photo board of The Crimson. (Yay!) So, that’s all, folks, but I’m ready for a new exciting year of work and play!

Happy Winter!

-Reid

The lovely snow, from my window!

JFK –> LAX

January 12, 2012 by Reid | 2 comments

It’s been a while since I’ve updated everyone on my life. The 30th, I was in New Hampshire with my family, doing a little snowshoeing and reuniting with my crazy relatives. The 5th, I was flying from JFK to LAX, happily squished between an old Italian man and a snoring jetsetter. Now that I’ve been in the land of sunshine for a week, I suppose it’s time to write an entry!

Christmas was, of course, excellent. I received a UKULELE from my stepdad and my mom, which was awesome, and a lovely plane ticket to Los Angeles from my father. (Awesome again? Yes.) After the celebrations, I said goodbye to my mom, little sister, stepdad, dog, and cat and headed off to NYC with my other sister to visit our father. (Enough family for ya?) The ride was smooth, and we arrived in Connecticut in time for dinner with my grandmother. It was great to see the other side of my family, and although I missed Vermont’s snow, I was excited to get into the city for a few days. Here’s my “travel guide.”

 

NYC in 36ish Hours

Dining:

  • Penang: My sister and I went to lunch here with her Oberlin field hockey teammates. Start with the Roti Canai as an appetizer, have the spicy shrimp noodles for a main course, and obviously go somewhere else for pastries.)
  • Sugar Cafe: This is where you should get dessert. If you like fudgey brownies, this is the place to go. It’s a skinny cafe, much longer than it is wide, and provides the perfect munching atmosphere. Or, take the sweets to go and hop on the subway.
  • Pinkberry: JUST KIDDING, don’t go here. If you go to any chain in NYC, shame on you. There are tons of places (that I obviously didn’t have time to go to) which are delicious and more fun than any froyo chain could ever hope to be.

Lodging:

  • Stay with your grandparents in Connecticut. If you don’t have any grandparents who live there, find someone else’s.

Activities:

  • Photography: New York City is full of tourists, and what better way to blend in than to tote your Nikon along? You may come home with such pictures as this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

ooohsparklez

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Go Shopping: see above.
  • Participate in an Occupy Wallstreet protest: Although I have many friends who are anti-occupy anything, I’m not. My sister and I ended up in Grand Central with about 100 other people, and we documented/protested the National Defense Authorization Act. (Look it up. You may wish to protest after reading what it is.)
  • Visit Rudy’s Guitar Center: If you’re at all interested in guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, etc, this is the place to be. Also, John Mayer was playing guitars in the uptown location for theentire day…the day before I visited. I’ll be back, though, because I left my guitar to be humidified, as it has totally dried up in Canaday this semester.

COOL. So NYC was awesome, per usual, but on the fifth I started a new adventure in the City of Angels. Read on for the exciting bit.

 

LA

I’ve been here for a whole week, visiting my GREAT friend Georgie, and staying in her house in the urban sprawl. I cannot think of a city more physically different than New York– it goes on forever, buildings are generally low (except for in downtown), it’s always fair weather (as opposed to the extremes of NYC), everyone drives, and there’s not really a subway system (earthquakes, you know). However, the fashionistas, musicians, actors, and the like can be found comfortably (or uncomfortably) residing in either city; they’re known for similar arts. Needless to say, I love LA and NYC equally, but this weather is the perfect break from the cold. (Yeah, it’s 73 and sunny right now.) Here’s a photo-essay of the highlights of my trip, including captions.

Silverlake is the home of hipsters, which means Intelligensia Coffee and cool laundromats.

 

If LA isn't known for its street art, it should be.

 

Vermont Avenue is home to the VT Restaurant, which sports a sign that says "Barre, VT"...interesting choice of towns, eh?

 

LA, birthplace of American Apparel.

 

In Little Armenia, you will find Harvard Boulevard and Harvard Preschool, the secret to acceptance.

 

Street art is so popular there are lines that stretch around the block, just to see a gallery.

 

 

That's Georgie, those are French fries. Best ones I've had here? At The Standard, an artsy hotel.

 

This is what your building could look like.

 

Check out the city! No, it's not that small--the high rises are just in downtown, and the rest of LA spreads out as far as the eye can see.

 

The City of Angels is also the City of Dreams. Whether or not they're broken is left up for debate.

 

Venice Beach, right on the edge of the city, is an awesome place to people-watch...because of the other bizarre people roaming about.

 

At Venice, you can find many a skateboarder. There's no place like empty pools.

 

Be forewarned: if carrying a ukulele on the beach, one might break into an impromptu concert. (Yup, datz me!)

 

The Santa Monica Pier -- Gorgeous views, right near the city.

 

The End of Rt 66!

 

Obviously, LA has some downsides, one being the danger of eating seafood, due to pollution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that’s all for now. Next time I post, I’ll be back on campus for Speak Out Loud Wintersession workshop!

 

Until then,

-Reid

 

 

 

Home With H-Bomb

December 23, 2011 by Reid | 1 comment

Four inches of snow blanket the ground, my wood stove gives off a warmth only fire can bring, the Christmas tree in the corner twinkles brightly, and the Advising Portal glows gently on my screen– my grades are posted. I exhale a deep sigh of relief, happy to have passed all four courses, something I’d never had to worry about before I came here.  Not to sound arrogant, but high school wasn’t that difficult for me; my first semester at Harvard, on the other hand, was a challenge. Although some things came more easily than others (French exams, for example, were a breeze compared to the Psychology multiple-choice tests), it wasn’t a walk in the park, and I’d frequently find myself swamped, wanting only to go to band practice or to cover an interesting event for The Crimson.

Contrary to this ranking, Harvard is actually difficult once you are accepted, and the gap you need to bridge is even bigger if you caught Senioritis after decisions rolled in. (I know I did; it’s hard motivating oneself when you’ve already achieved what you’ve been working for since fifth grade.) So when I went to a Solstice party last night after a week of sleep and relaxation, I wasn’t exactly prepared to talk about what I’d been doing for the past four months. I meandered over towards someone I didn’t know, and she asked me where I went to school; I replied, “Harvard,” which was about as difficult to say as my own name.* She did the normal “oh!” and asked me what I was studying. I rattled off my four courses, to which she demanded whether or not it was arduous work. I replied with a solid “yes.” I wasn’t about to lie to this woman, pretending that my last four months have been perfect; that’s just unrealistic, and yet she seemed surprised when I told her it wasn’t an easy semester.

There’s nothing easy about Harvard, except for the acquisition of unreal opportunities. I’d gone to a movie premiere, met Jonah Hill, written a full-length jazz composition, listened to incredible lectures, played at the House of Blues in front of 1300 people, and received this amazing education, all because of Harvard. Why does this matter? Because I’m really lucky to be here, as we all are. Even though it took a whole week of doing nothing to rehabilitate myself after the semester, it was worth it: the difficulties are worth it, because there’s nothing I’d rather be doing in those moments of opportunity. Looking towards the future, I have even more opportunities; hopefully I’ll be accepted into the Summer Study Abroad program in Paris, where I’ll spend my time boosting my French (potential major?) and learning about Parisian revolutions. For now, I’ll keep relaxing, preparing for another semester of difficulties– but maybe this time it’ll be just a little bit easier.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

-Reid

 

(I can’t leave the post without including a picture, so here’s one of my cat.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*(Difficult. I don’t know if anyone else has trouble saying their own name, but I always feel awkward saying it for some reason.)

Falalala Finals

December 15, 2011 by Reid | Permalink

Hello!

Sorry that I’m posting so late at night…I’m at home (!) and was busy today with family things. However, I just got off campus yesterday, so I do have some stories from this past week. It’s been full of exams, and although that’s the title of my post, I wouldn’t like to focus on that aspect. Oh, also, congratulations to the Early Accepted Class of ’16! WOOHHOOO! (Around this time last year, I was moping because I wasn’t accepted into my first choice, and thank my lucky stars for that, because I ended up here!)

 

So what am I going to talk about? FOOD. Yes, sorry, I know I talk about that a lot, but finals brings a lot of late nights and stress, and thus I spent a large portion of my week eating. The first item on my list: Instant Noodles.

 

THE INSTANT NOODLE STORY

Part I: The P.Set Pad Thai

Once upon a time there was this really, really hungry Freshman who did not have the money nor the motivation to order take-out from The Kong. In the spirit of independence/thrift, she asked her mother for a gift of Dr. McDougall’s Asian noodle bowls which were, to her surprise, delicious. This girl used to pour boiling water from her roommate’s electric kettle into the noodle bowl and suffer for eight long minutes as she waited for it to cook and tried to finish her problem set. Eventually, she ate the noodles (pad thai, kung pao, and soy ginger being her favorites) and finished the p.set in no time! This really helped her get through all that review for LPSA, which she really hoped she passed.

Part II: The Canaday Kung Pao

A few days passed, and money for noodles was getting short. The Freshman was in despair, so she sent out a quick post to the Harvard Marketplace Facebook page, which may or may not have looked EXACTLY LIKE THIS:

Within the hour, hundreds of messages came pouring in. One struck her in particular; a boy in ‘B’ entryway of Canaday desired this spicy ramen, and was willing to pay CASH on the spot! She couldn’t resist, so she clad herself in sweatpants, sweatshirt, and knock-off Uggs, hefted the giant box of ramen, and marched across Canaday courtyard. There, she found the residents of B entryway salivating, waiting for that delish gift; they exchanged money and she galloped home, happy to provide better noodles for her little family. The End.

 

THE APPLE PIE STORY

One day, this same girl was really craving pie. She’d just gotten out of the Crimson’s Basement, where she had been editing photos for an hour, and nothing could prepare her for an exam better than pie. But where to get pie at 10 pm on a Sunday night? Nowhere. She paced back and forth in her dorm room, until her eyes fell upon a jar of cinnamon on her desk, as if there by magic (why else would it be there?). She threw open her fridge and, to her delight, she found an apple! Luckily, her roommates happened to have caramel, so she knew what was in store– a makeshift apple pie! Here are the steps of exactly how she made this dorm-room delicacy:

1. Cut apple!

 

2. Put Apples in Bowl!

 

3. Put caramel on apples!

 

4. Sprinkle with cinnamon!

 

5. Ogle the vision.

 

6. Microwave!

 

7. Om nom nom....

 

The Freshman continued her night, content and full, ready to take on the scary finals. The End.

 

THE PIZZA STORY

It was late at night, and this Freshman was hanging out with her amazing friend, having finished watching an embarrassingly-stupid comedy on Megavideo. Their stomachs rumbled simultaneously, and they glanced at each other, deciding it was probably best to get food. But where? This amazing friend suggested Noch’s, indubitably the best pizza joint in Cambridge. As they were about to leave, she remembered that Scoutmob, a cool site with lots of great deals, had vouchers for ONE FREE SLICE of Noch’s pizza! They gleefully emailed themselves the code onto their smartphones/printed out the vouchers and skipped down past Mount Auburn. There, they found artichoke pizza, tomato basil pizza, and some hilarious owners. They ate happily and returned to Canaday to enjoy their last night together before break, stomachs silent. The End.

 

THE SUSHI STORY

The Freshman and her roommates decided they needed to go out to dinner before leaving for their incredibly looooonnngggg Winter Break. One of them suggested sushi, and the rest were quick to accept the offer. They all trucked down to the Sushi joint next to iHop, ordered “Crazy Spicy Tuna,” “Dragon Rolls,” “The Alligator Roll,” and many more deliciously-named/tasting food. As they discussed the month ahead, their families, and finals, they gobbled up the delicious nori rolls. All too soon it was over, and the four girls separated, this time for good, as our heroine departed the next day. The End.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed those short stories, which may or may not have all happened on the same night to me. I hope everyone else at Harvard has survived their Finals, which were really rough, and have moved on to their cheery homes, where they can enjoy lights, warmth, and good cheer. Signing off for now (:

-Reid

An Atypical Reading Period

December 8, 2011 by Reid | 2 comments

Although I thought I’d have lots of free time this week, I’ve been really busy with all of the crazy things I’ve been doing. Today I can relax a little bit, though my French Final is tomorrow and I have to start studying some Conditional Tense (grammar is not my favorite thing in the world, to put it lightly). So now that I’m almost completely recovered, I can start reflecting on the wild week behind me!

 

Last weekend, I did the usual: music. On Friday night after band practice, I went out and supported my entryway-mate, fellow band-member, and other friends at the Opportunes-Krokodiloes jam at Sanders Theater. It was completely AWESOME, of course, because they’re all super talented; I got chills too many times to count during the two hour set. Afterwards, I went out with my friends to a get-together at the Co-op, an alternative housing system at Harvard. In the morning, I powered out some work in preparation for the week ahead. Saturday night, I tried to buy tickets for Spring Awakening at Club Oberon, where some of Harvard’s shows take place, but it was sold out, so I ended up staying in and watching Crazy Stupid Love. (Mmm…Ryan Gosling.) It was the first movie I’ve watched at Harvard, since the premiere of Money Ball at AMC Loews in Boston when I met JONAH HILL! (That was a fun time. Things you do here…jeeze.) Anyways, I rented the movie through iTunes, putting my $100 promotional deal to good use. I went out again that night, but not for too long, because Sunday was my big day!

Why, might you ask?  It is time to talk about my band, The Nostalgics, in greater depth. I have definitely talked about them before, but I have yet to dedicate a FULL PARAGRAPH (or two) about them! You may recall that we won the Battle of the Bands back in October. This guaranteed us a spot at the Five House Formal on December 4th, which happened to be this past Sunday. We’d been working really hard to get as tight as possible, and by the time Sunday afternoon swung around, all twelve of us (Burt, Charles, Noah, Ben, Will, Jack, Patrick, Rachel, Alex, Leah, Nick, and I) were feeling pretty confident. After all, we were about to play at The House of Blues, otherwise known as the best music venue in New England. After having taken the Green Line to Fenway, we met up at said venue at around 4 pm for soundcheck. After struggling to find an entrance (yeah, don’t ask why), we entered the GIANT music hall (three stories! balconies! a raised platform for the drums on a five foot-high stage!). We soundchecked quickly, ran upstairs to check out our Green Room (the place where cool backstage people get to chill), and headed off to Bertucci’s. It was Ben’s 21st birthday, so we splurged (not really) on unlimited soup and salad, as well as these great warm rolls. (I don’t know if I like very many things better than a piping hot roll to sate my hunger after a long day.) Then, it was time to head back and get ready to play.

After our opening act and a quick pre-gig ritual, we were ready to head on stage. I can speak for the whole band when I say that we were blown away by how packed it was. Thirteen-hundred students filled the hall, dancing to our crazy tunes as we ripped through our set. It was indubitably one of the best experiences of my life, and definitely the best experience I’ve had at Harvard. I wanted to stick around to dance, but I had a paper due early that morning, so I trucked back to campus to work, my ears still ringing from the epic sound system.

 

My band, The Nostalgics, playing at the House of Blues!

When I turned on my computer that night, however, I discovered that I had to prepare a few things for The Crimson’s Grand Elections the next day and night. I ended up only sleeping two hours, which has only happened two other times here (don’t worry, I normally sleep for 7 or 8 hours), but I saw my first Harvard sunrise! Check it out.

 

Canaday in all of its Morning Glory

Monday was a whirlwind of Photojournalistic activity, which ended with a secret ceremony in which I was elected a Junior Editor of The Crimson! Never again will I have to wait outside of The Crimson’s building, as I have swipe access! Plus, when my photos are published in The Crimson second semester, “Crimson Photographer” will be next to my name. Holla! I returned to my dorm room at around 11:30, my excitement fueling the final push on my French composition, which I’d be presenting in the morning.

Earlier on Monday, I decided it was time to finish the project I’d been working on. No, it wasn’t for school; I’d been messing around with iWeb in order to develop a website for The Nostalgics, and for some reason, my server wasn’t able to verify the site. I called my dad in NYC, asking for help, and he hooked me up via an alternative server. At 4:30, the site went live, with a few kinks and useless links, but it worked! I ironed out the problems, and you can check out the finished product here. It was my first time working on a website, and it was a very fun and satisfying way to end my afternoon.

I woke up to nasty weather on Tuesday, making it even more difficult to exit my cozy canaday bed. However, I convinced myself to take the short walk to Boylston Hall, which is definitely one of the nicest buildings on campus. There’s a lot of open beams, light, and foreign languages– all the things a potential Romance-language/Visual and Environmental Studies/Mind-Brain-Behavior concentrator could ever desire! There I met with my funny professor for my Oral, which lasted half an hour, and was really interesting. We ended up talking about democracy in Iran, based on conclusions we could draw from the movie Persepolis. Afterwards, I went to Loker Basement, where my band quickly ran over a few songs, a cappella, which was hilarious. That afternoon, I quickly printed out my final Jazz Composition, sprinted to the Music Building (where I’d never been…embarrassing), and turned it in right on time.  Then I could relax. For a bit.

Let’s skip over some of the boring details (mainly because I don’t remember them, even though it was only a few days ago…hey, I’m sleep-deprived). Tuesday night was Eliot Formal! I got my classy clothes on, went over at 6 to soundcheck and set up, and ate a quick meal at Adams, which was the first time I’d eaten dinner there. Then I trucked back to Canaday in the rain to finish my review worksheet for French and rehearse some of my lyrics. YAY! After returning to Eliot, we played for twice as long as the Five House Formal, which was really fun and gave us time to expand and be more creative. We totally killed it, finishing our first-semester gigging season on a high note.

Eliot D-Hall, pre-dancing. Doesn't it look like The Nutcracker?

Wednesday was the first day that I actually did any reading! I had class at 10, in which one of my classmates played a song on his cello about Pierot, the famous fictional French clown. (It was absolutely beautiful.) From 12-3, we had our final Jazz session, where everyone’s compositions were played by a full band in Sanders Theater, which was a special treat. Right after that, I headed over to the Science Center to the review session for LPSA. I’m almost done with all of my classes except for that, which is really scaring me; French will be done at 11 AM tomorrow, and then it’s all Biology and Chemistry from there on! My next post will be from back home in Vermont, where I can truly rest and prepare for my favorite holiday of all time.

Happy atypical reading period!

What I’ve Learned This Semester!

December 2, 2011 by Reid | 3 comments

Although I have yet to begin my final exams, I’ve finished the first semester as of two hours ago! Now I can dig into studying, Christmas music, and second-semester planning. Before I do that, though, there’s some reflection of the first semester that needs to happen, focusing mainly on what I’ve learned so far in my 3 months at Harvard! Check out my list below to see just what Freshman Fall has taught me, in no particular order.

 

1. Dorm Crew is a great pre-orientation program, but not for reasons you may think.

Cleaning bathrooms is not everyone’s top priority. However, Fall Clean Up (FCU or Dorm Crew pre-orientation) includes very little bathroom cleaning! The majority of my time was spent mopping and sweeping Leverett Towers, alongside my eight other d.crew members, from 9-5 every day. This is, by no means, ‘fun.’ What is fun is making friends, impressing other freshmen with your knowledge about campus, making money instead of paying money, and getting an upper-body workout. Having upwards of $400 dollars in my pocket before I even started school gave me a little bit of a cushion as I set out in the World of Harvard, to which I was accustomed due to the extra week on campus. Also, all dorm crew groups have a secret “theme” that you’re supposed to figure out by the end of the week. Ours was pretty obvious; all of us were going to live in Canaday! Now, I have friends in different entryways (as well as in mine) which really helps to foster dorm spirit; I also have an automatic (and lucrative) on-campus job which took care of some of my financial aid. Moral: Dorm Crew is GREAT, and you make a small group of good friends right off the bat!

 

2. Rent, don’t buy, Textbooks!

After researching the prices of my Chemistry, Biology, and Psychology textbooks, I wanted to either rob a bank or drop those classes. Instead, I discovered some great book-renting sites, such as e-campus and Chegg, whose rental prices prevented me from performing criminal acts in the name of Academia. I ended up paying a third as much as if I’d bought the books, and they were brand-new! (One of them even came with a Schick Razor, which was really weird but useful, I guess…hey, it was free!) Anyways, search around, because the Coop (pronounced ‘coop,’ not ‘co-op’) is MAD expensive, and there are a ton of online options that will save you precious dinero!

 

3. Talk with your deans, advisors (PAFs included), and proctor!

Harvard has a lot of great resources on campus. Unfortunately, they’re not readily-accessible unless you know where to search; it’s very different from high school where everyone is proactive for you, instead of you representing yourself. I found this out the hard way, which caused more than a few points to be knocked off one of my course’s final grade. You have a Peer Advising Fellow, who is a totally Harvard-savvy upperclassman to whom you can ask questions you’d rather not ask your Advisor. Go to them first! They have a big budget to take you out to coffee, which is always high on my list. Your advisor is the next up, and normally they’ve majored in a subject that you’re interested in. (If you’re considering pre-med, there are even advisors for that!) They can help you plan your schedule, work out problems with roommates (luckily, I have had none of those because my roommates are THE BEST), and decide on a plan of action if anything goes awry. However, you need to be very proactive about your problems; if there are even just the faintest sensations of difficulties, meet with your advisor! It takes only a few minutes and can save you a lot of stress in the future. Finally, if things get a little whacky, your Resident Dean is there for you; their job is to help you (along with lots of other stuff), so don’t worry about meeting with them. Also, lots of people have a hard time with courses their freshman fall (and beyond), so there’s no need to freak out if you feel like an idiot. (Because, really, you’re not.)

 

4. Never go to Annenberg at 6:30.

There is a slight problem with Annenberg’s hours: they are really short and really early. Annenberg opens at 4:45 (or something) and closes at 7:15, so everyone ends up going around 6:30, which means you’ll have difficulty finding a seat, getting food, and hearing the person across from you. (Exaggeration. But not really.) You don’t need a tray, either! Freshman fifteen probably exists, and if so, I have found the cure: go trayless. There are a million choices of food and lots of fun containers, which can be tempting, but with one plate of healthy food and a glass of whatever, you’re set! (Just make sure you’re eating properly…I am not a nutritionist, but there are a lot of them at Health Services.)

 

5. Comp the Crimson…if you’re Crazy

Okay so that might have sounded bad. But The Crimson is amazing, and everyone there is a little bit crazier than other Harvard students, which is a good thing. Especially crazy boards to comp (comping is the first step to becoming an editor, where you get to write articles or take photo/video) are FM, photo/video, and Arts. You get to hang out in the crazy basement after having waited crazy hours to get let into the crazy Crimson (no swipe access=long nights), go to crazy formals, cover crazy events, and sprint around like a crazy person while you should really be doing something else! (Post Scriptum: Other boards are also crazy, if you’re interested in crazy economics or crazy no-shave november hockey players, or like sharing your crazy opinions.)

 

6. Get a Mac!

No, not because you miss Steve Jobs. Harvard IT has HUGE deals on Macs, and you really need a fast computer while you’re here. Also, you get a free printer, $100 dollar iTunes Store Giftcard (or whatever Apple decides to do next season), and a great warranty. Go Apple!

 

7. Icing Shots are Disgusting, but Sweet is Great.

Sweet is this incredible cupcake store that makes the best cupcakes in the world, and also the most horrendous invention in the world. They sell these big trays of teeny cups full of icing. Blegh. If you don’t like frosting, don’t ever eat it.

7.b) Good food places include Flat Patties (get the grilled cheese), Crema Cafe (they have legit wraps), Burdick’s (deliciously expensive hot chocolate), Starbuck’s (…sorry…), and Cardullo’s (they have EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER DESIRE IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.)

 

8. PSYCHOLOGY (SLS-20)

If you take this course, you will maybe regret it. You will come away from it knowing too much about how your mind works (joke), potentially much more wealthy/exhausted (psych studies pay 15 or 10 dollars an hour!), and a weakened sense of self-esteem (everyone, except for those terrible smart people, perform poorly on the exams…they’re multiple-choice deathtraps). So…take it, or don’t. Your choice! (Or is it?)

 

9. You learn so much….

TOO MANY THINGS IN MY MIND TO FINISH MY SENTENCE BECAUSE*

 

That’s all, folks!

 

Happy 2nd Day of December! © S. Reid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*this is college, where you learn things. but this is also harvard, where you learn more!

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