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5 Things I Love About You [Harvard]

May 31, 2013 by Reid | 1 comment

Wowwww, hey guys…it’s been a long time. I have TOTALLY been shirking away from my duties as a blogger, but just you wait – this post is bringin’ the HEAT, and I’ll be here allllll summer. (Also, this post keeps being unable to save and losing EVERYTHING I’ve written, so I hope it doesn’t do it again… because if it does, I am outta here.)

So. I guess it’s that time of year again. School is OUT, I’m in Pennsylvania enjoying the fresh air and the food, and June is just around the river bend. Should I choose the smoothest course, steady as the beating drum? NO!* In fact, this entire semester has been about choosing the course that I most desire; in college, you have a say, you have a great amount of choice. Going to Harvard is preparing me for when I have to make crucial decisions, ones that will change my life – or perhaps I’ve already started to make those! On second thought…I definitely have. Here goes: the top 5 choices of sophomore year!

5. Nostalgic for The Nostalgics…

Me singin’ at our last gig. (SamRichmanPhoto)

I had to take off time from The Nostalgics to deal with my vocal issues…this was not a decision I wanted to make. It was, however, life-changing. I suppose, if I look at it in a warm light, it was a good method of ensuring that I didn’t become too involved with my music and ignore the other things in my life that have so much weight. I definitely got to spend quite a good bit of time with my photo ladies instead of gigging and rehearsing, giving my voice a rest while testing my eye. It also really saved my voice – as much as I love soul and Motown, it really pains me – so I will always be grateful that I am taking the time now to work through a spot of trouble. Also, being apart from the group made me realize how much it means to me, and I know that the music will always have a special place in my heart. We had our last gig the night before Commencement [graduation], right in Brattle Square, and it was fantastic. It’s something I’ll never forget, and something I wouldn’t have loved so much if I didn’t have to suffer for it. (No I am not kidding nor am I in ROTC.)

4. Arts + School = LUV

Paine Hall, location of Music 167r and my heart

First semester, I took an intensive studio course in printmaking and etching, committing eight hours of my Tuesday to the class. Although I had class straight from 10am to 8pm, followed by rehearsals until midnight, giving myself the opportunity to really devote myself to the arts was awesome. I suddenly prioritized arts in my academics, something I’d never really done before, and found myself able to synthesize the subject material I was learning in studio with what I was learning in other classes. This semester, it was even more pronounced; Music 167r, a course on sound stories and Electroacoustic music, was basically the fusion of all that I’m interested in: storytelling, music, engineering, and CREATION. Making something that I am proud of is the best experience, and I crafted and performed a seven-minute piece that I’d never expected to compose in my life. This year has been all about expanding my interests…it’s as if I’m in this malleable casing that I just keep pushing out to explore another aspect of Harvard (and myself) that I never knew existed.

3. The Opps: Risks and Leadership

Grad Jam for the Opps…saying bye 🙁

Auditioning for the Opportunes was a huge risk for me. I was very unsure of whether or not I wanted to try out, mostly because I was afraid of rejection. However, I decided to suck it up and push through the audition process, surprising everyone involved – even me! I am so glad I took that step into Lowell Lecture Hall and joined my acafamily, working hard all year long to perform at my personal best. Yesterday, my mom was surprised by my voice, saying it sounded really beautiful; this year has changed it so much, and for the better, from focus and vocal discipline in the Opps and in therapy. I’m psyched to continue to craft my instrument and incorporate it into my academics, meshing all aspects of my life into a melange of strange awesomeness. (Also…my career! Now I can manage business as business manager and do music AT THE SAME TIME!)

2. Dropping Acid…No, Not That Kind.

I AM ONE GIANT PILL!

After being diagnosed with vocal nodules and severe acid reflux, I had to make a great deal of changes in my life. The most obnoxious alteration? My diet. I was eating really well, in the normal sense of things – mostly salad, no meat, occasional carbs, protein, and Tabasco or Shriracha to spice things up. Then, I quickly learned that my diet was the reason I couldn’t speak in the morning or sing through a set with The Nostalgics. I had to remove the tomatoes from my salad, skip the balsamic, cut the spice, avoid anything fried or fatty, and still maintain a healthy diet. Unfortunately, I found myself always hungry and eventually started adding meat to my meals. I’m still not sure how thrilled I am with this compromise, but I will do anything to preserve my voice and stop the painful acid reflux I used to experience after each meal. In addition to these changes, I had to start poppin’ pillz (Zantac and Prilosec) half an hour before I ate anything, and had to wait 3 hours after eating to go to bed – no more late night Brain Break from the d-hall! Also a lot of meals planned in advance. (Luckily for me, my blockmates in Currier always eat dinner at 6pm sharp, without fail.) Finally, I had to stop going out as much, and found myself enjoying parties even more, as I could rarely attend them! Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say ; )

1. Concentration!

Fair Harvard…Our fight song, apparently.

Choosing my concentration was by far the most important decision I’ve made at Harvard. Luckily for me, my sophomore advisor was extremely helpful, talking with me for a good hour and a half three days before I had to declare! Choosing a concentration [our word for major] is important, so having tons of help from my various advisors made the decision a little bit clearer and easier. Although I drew out of a hat in the end, I had discussed the pros and cons of each option in depth and knew with my gut that Music and Anthro was the way to go, providing me with the perfect balance of structure and freedom in my studies.

OKAY THAT’S ALL.
I don’t want this post to expire before I publish it. I am sorry if it isn’t up to par, but I promise to make it up to you!

Until next time,

Reid

*if you didn’t understand that blatant reference, please relive your childhood and include Disney.

Spring Has Sprung!

April 5, 2013 by Reid | 2 comments

Hello everyone!

While I apologize for not updating you on my life sooner, I must admit I’ve been so busy having fun that I’ve just had no time! It’s been quite the whirlwind semester. When I last updated you, I was enjoying the amazing snowstorm that we experienced on campus. Since then, all the snow has melted, spring break has come and past, many important events were performed and attended, and summer plans were decided. Life at Harvard is always dynamic, so I’ve had to stay on my toes to make sure I can catch what’s thrown at me…or at least dodge it. Let’s take a look back and a glance forward, shall we?

March was a big month for me, as it brought my Spring Jam for a cappella and my birthday, two events that were strangely comparable. Jam is our only on-campus event that’s specifically for our peers/parents/friends, and so it takes a lot of rehearsal (think 5 hours a night for two weeks) to prepare. As some of you might recall, I was diagnosed with vocal nodules in December – they’re basically calluses on the important part of your voicebox – so I wasn’t sure how this semester would pan out for me, as far as singing went. I had to stop singing for The Nostalgics, my Motown band, but was able to sing with The Opportunes, as long as I continued taking my medications and attending vocal therapy at Mass Eye and Ear. Both treatments have been going very well for me, and so I was able to have an amazing jam with the people I love; I even got to solo on one of my favorite songs, which was far beyond my expectations for the semester! Check it out below.

Jam day brings most of my family into the area. My dad and I had a great lunch at Clover, one of my favorite restaurants in the square (and my definite recommendation for cheap eats if you come to visit) and watched the Men’s Lacrosse team beat Georgetown in an incredible game. As a photographer for The Harvard Crimson, I had the opportunity to cover the game, and although I’ve been doing it for a whole year and a half now, the thrill of snapping photos never gets old.

Sick shot. Check out that action!

My mom, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, and cousins all came to see me as well! It was really awesome to have such deep support from my family, as well as from my friends, who came out to listen to the music and take some pics as well. The next morning we had brunch with the Opportunes alumni, which was a great way to experience the community and dedication to the group, even after you’ve graduated. I feel very lucky to have such a tight-knit group of friends on campus 🙂

Yay Opps!

If I didn’t get enough of the Opps from rehearsing and performing at Jam, a week later we were on our way to the Dominican Republic for our Spring Break Tour, which I had set up as tour manager. We hopped on the plane at Boston Logan and spent a week singing, swimming, and most importantly, relaxing and having fun with one another. I was surprised to find myself not sick of the Opps by the end of the week, which is quite an accomplishment; we are an overwhelming group of large personalities! It was definitely one of the most fun times I’ve had in my life, and definitely at Harvard. We even went SNORKELING and made up a song to sing to the fish, which was pretty bizarre but also hilarious. Check out a few photos below!

Opps on the Beach!

Me and My Friend Brian!

Pirate Night!

Once we returned to Cambridge, it was time to start working again. Three of my classes require a research project of some sort, so I had to start interviewing and taking field notes on slam poetry culture, Celtic music in Boston, and the Vermont dairy farm crisis – not too shabby a schedule if you ask me! The subjects are incredibly interesting (I mean, I chose them for myself), but they happen to require a lot of time, so I’ve been very overwhelmed with coursework for the past month, and I will continue to be until the semester wraps up. I’m studying such a wide variety of subject material and have a lot of flexibility in my coursework, which is something I really appreciate about the Anthropology and Music departments, and especially the joint concentrations! Joint concentrations are Harvard’s [dare I say, superior] version of the Double Major; basically, instead of fulfilling two disjoint majors’ requirements, I am taking a slightly reduced course load in each department (16 courses instead of 20) and will have to write a thesis that combines the two fields in a very comprehensive product. I am SUPER excited to write my thesis, but luckily I have a ways to go before I have to start thinking about that.

The summer before senior year will be full of research for my thesis, last summer was full of Parisian culture, and this summer will be oh-so-close to home: I’ll be working at Harvard’s Admissions Office as the tour and info-session Coordinator! I am really pumped to work and stay on campus (yes, I get free room and board!), as I have yet to be in Cambridge during the summer months, and I hear it is lovely. I’ll have about a week to go home between recording for the Opps and starting work, but I can take a bus ride up for a quick weekend here and there…or so I hope. It might be challenging staying on campus for a whole year without pause, but I suppose I will let you know about that once Junior year starts. (Ahh, I am getting so old!) Speaking of which, I had my birthday at the end of March! I had a cider and pancakes party in my room, and required everyone to wear flannel in the Vermont fashion. It was actually really fun and very successful, so I was pretty pleased.

Okay, I am off to lunch with my friend Ned, I will catch you all later! I promise to update about the rest of my life soon, and maybe I’ll run into you, readers, at Visitas or at an information session (this summer? this year?).

À Bientôt!

-Reid

First Impressions, Second Semester

February 2, 2013 by Reid | 6 comments

HELLOOOO EVERYONE!

Second semester has officially started! My study card is signed, I’ve already passed in a paper, and I can’t see my floor underneath all of my books and coats. I couldn’t be more excited. I was really worried about pulling together my joint concentration (similar to a double major) and having a good fit, or seeing if it was the right choice, but I am confident that Music and Social Anthropology was the way to go. (Let’s see if I feel the same after the semester is over…I sure hope so!) So now I present to you my First Impressions of the four courses I’ll be taking in the next few months.

Anthropology 1610: Ethnographic Research Methods

Ah, William James Hall. We meet again. Furthest building from the quad (or any of the upperclassman houses, for that matter). Shaped like a giant white cheese grater. Luckily, there’s the most beautiful room on the first floor, with a rounded riser system and glowing wood paneling. The acoustics must be amazing. I don’t recognize anyone in this classroom, and the professor looks like he’d be teaching something more related to psychology. There are a lot of people in here, also. Okay wrong room! Up four flights and back to the little, poorly-lit seminar room where I spent last semester in Ethnographies of Food. And now I will share a direct quotation from my notebook, “omg, I love accents.” There are more than 5 people who are Tibetan, including my TF, my professor is Jamaican and just called method courses “unsexy.” The girl to my right is Nigerian, he’s Ethiopian, Turkish, Jamaican, Thai, Dutch, Indian…all in a class of less than 20 people! Anthropology is amazing. Wait, my professor just said that he studied Cape Verdean music “many moons ago.” This was the right decision. WE GET TO WATCH AVATAR?! Sold.

Music 97c: Ethnomusicology

Seriously, what is it with me and being in the wrong classroom? I swear that I wrote down Music 6, and nobody is here. It is 10am, however…combined with the fact that these are music concentrators and the time of day, perhaps I should stick around. Here comes the professor, I think. Yup. There are three people now, and it’s 10 past. The room is well ventilated and well lit, and the chairs are uncomfortable; even if I didn’t sleep the night before, I’ll definitely stay awake during class. Let’s see if lecture is interesting; okay, so does discussing the meaning of music after listening to a computer-created composition in the style of Vivaldi and James Kenning’s stamp cancelling recording in Uganda count as lecture? Yes. Yes, it does. I suppose comparing a reading from the Qu’ran and a call to prayer whilst discussing the concept of haram (banned) music in Somalia is an incredibly interesting way to start off my day. I can groove to this.

Anthropology 97z: Sophomore Tutorial

Back in room 105! Alright, the curved walls. They are so beautiful. My professor wants to talk about witches for a large section of this tutorial. That’s okay, too.

Music 167r: Electroacoustic Composition

Me: Is there any room left in your class? I’m obsessed with it! Hans: Fill out this form. Can you come to section from 4-6? And commit 7 hours outside of class to working on your recordings? Me: Yes. (Anything to get my hands on that amazing studio on the top floor of Paine Hall. Anything for that.)

Now that I am all settled in with my classes, I can talk a bit about my extracurriculars. Although I had a really bad doctor’s appointment about my vocal nodes, showing very little sign of improvement (the pictures are really graphic, so I won’t show them), I will be singing in my a cappella group, The Opportunes, alongside our two newest members, Madeleine and Sara! After an abridged version of our normal audition cycle, we decided on these talented ladies, and I couldn’t be more excited. I went to bed around 2 after our deliberations and set my alarm for 6:30, actually forcing myself out of bed and down to Harvard Yard to pound on our new baby Opportunes’ doors and congratulate their sleepy selves. We let them go back to sleep and/or enjoy their donuts and set off for Lowell house, where we ate breakfast together until around 8 am.

I marched back to the Quad underneath a blazingly blue sky, wind whipping my cheeks bright red, and settled in to my room to apply for a summer proctoring position at Harvard this summer. I’ll have to be doing vocal therapy, as I am completely unable to sing in my band (The Nostalgics), so I have to be in the Boston area, and proctoring means free room and board, plus a free class on top. You know what that means? One less class in the fall! (Or, more likely, an elective, knowing me.) Check out the courses at this link, including the one I’m super interested in (Anthro and Film).

Then I read for a bit, listened to Fleetwood Mac in preparation for a concert mid-April with my two awesome friends, Jess and Parul, and started writing a new poem for the CUPSI slam poetry competition. The competition is next week, and it determines the team who will be representing Harvard at the National Poetry Slam, which will be at Barnard College in NYC this year! Remember my post from last year? All systems, go!

I’m off to clean the mess my room’s become and have dinner with the newest Opps! Happy February everyone, and here’s to a great second semester.

Peace.

-Reid

The Goodyear

January 14, 2013 by Reid | Permalink

Hello everyone!

Now that we’ve made it to 2013, I can congratulate you on surviving the apocalypse and, if you’re a prospective student, finishing your application to Harvard. I can congratulate myself on a great first semester of sophomore year (it’s helped my GPA a bit) and can now re-cap the months past, as I’ve distanced myself from them in both time and location (although Vermont isn’t that far away and a handful of weeks isn’t really that long). So fasten your seat-belts and prepare yourself for the highlights (and lowlights) of Fall 2012.

1. Going to see Joss Stone was definitely one of the best musical experiences of my entire life. She is a super talented soul singer, for those of you who are unaware; you can check her out here. (Did I mention she was beautiful?) I went with my really close friend, Leah, who shares a similar passion for music (we are in both The Opportunes and The Nostalgics together) and is a senior at the College. I’m hoping to continue performing with her next year, so I’ll let you know how that goes. Also, my awesome dad got me an Epiphone guitar with pickups, which means that I can plug into an amp and have kick-ass singer/songwriter sessions. Watch out, Boston, here I come.

Joss at the House of Blues! (Credit to Leah and her phone)

2. The two retreats, for The Nostalgics and The Opportunes, were super awesome. As much as I love Harvard, it is great to get away from the bustling feel of Cambridge and focus on my friends and music. Second semester will mean a Nostalgics tour in Vermont (actually in a few days, right before the semester begins) and a Spring Break tour with The Opps (wherever I can find…being tour manager is not a simple position and we’re jivin’ for Jamaica), not to mention a retreat for Photo (oops, Multimedia) of the Crimson. I’m so excited!! (Also my photo friend Allie came back from her semester abroad in Cuba, which means we’ll be again reunited come January 28.)

Nostalgics

Opps!

3. Watching “Sweeney Todd” and photographing various events on campus, including the women’s hockey game when they crushed Russia 4-1. I am always amazed by our theater department (yes, we have ~75 student-run productions annually and they are absolutely killer), our arts on campus (check out the OFA for some of the speakers and performers who come by), and our sports (in which I will be participating come spring…wut wut intramural crew). There’s always something happening, and it’s always more interesting than sitting in your room.

4. ~~Twerking~~ Working all year long! The Admissions Office is a great place to work, as a blogger and tour guide, and various other paid jobs are always available (The Crimson!). I don’t know if I can work more next semester, as I want to take more classes, which leads me to…

Secret Insider View into The Crimson Photolounge…I swear it’s work!

5. …Classes! My anthropology class was super good, and I wrote a really interesting paper on the public school lunch program, which is a field in which I could definitely focus. Next semester, I have to take at least 2 anthro classes, as it took me until midway through the semester to decide on my concentration [major]. My awesome tutor (read:advisor) helped me out a ton during the complicated time of narrowing my academic interests, although I didn’t have to try that hard, as joint concentrations are easy to apply for and aren’t too hard to complete. I’ll also be taking a lot of music classes (2 or 3?) and a Gen-Ed to fulfill my graduation requirements. Heeeere we go!

So those were the good, and alongside the bad, they shaped me into someone who is really happy to say that she goes to Harvard. Although my next semester will be shifted away from singing, music will be taking up a lot of my academic life, and I can’t wait to spend more time with the photography board of The Harvard Crimson, our daily newspaper. I also am thinking of joining the design board to expand a little bit more, and will hopefully be doing intramural crew come spring.

In the meantime, I have a lot of interesting spring semester classes that I’m considering, the responsibility of finding a resort to host my a Cappella group, The Harvard Opportunes, and will need to focus a lot on continuing to change my diet and lifestyle to accomodate my acid reflux. Oh, and today I start a 10-day songwriting challenge, which is led by the Optional Wintersession Activities Week (otherwise known as Wintersession, similar to J-term at other schools). It’s going to be really fun, and the first prompt is our favorite Harvard memory, so I’ll keep you all posted on that one!

Time to get back to my phone calls with Jamaica before I pick up my sister this afternoon. Happy 2013, everyone.

Peace

-Reid

Miles to Go Before I Sleep…

December 7, 2012 by Reid | Permalink

Hello everyone!

It’s been a good amount of time since I last blogged. I have had a whirlwind few weeks, mostly packed tightly with extracurriculars but certainly very fun. Some important milestones were passed since I’ve last updated you all on my life, so here goes.

The first important event was The Opportunes’ Fall Jam with The Callbacks, my roommate Cynthia’s a cappella group, which took place only a week ago (wow, it seems like forever). I wasn’t very nervous for the jam, but it’s really important so I felt a lot of pressure going into it; we had ‘heck week’ leading up to our concert, which meant 4 hours of rehearsal a night instead of 6 a night, which is our schedule for ‘hell week.’ However, all of our work payed off wonderfully, as we had an incredible concert and rocked Sander’s Theater. If you’re interested, you can check out our videos on our newly designed webpage, found here. It took an all-nighter until 8:30am, but I did manage to finish editing the videos and designing our webpage to have them released simultaneously, which was an awesome feat to accomplish! I’m very proud of our group, and if any of you freshmen are reading this, come audition for us in the spring! We don’t call ourselves the Harvard Boy-Heavies for nothin’.

Fall Jam!

At our post-jam party, a lot of alums came down to Harvard and hung out with us, which was really fun. I hadn’t met them properly before, and was really excited to be able to make friends with people who were only connected to me via a cappella! Some of my friends weren’t able to make it out to our Fall Jam, but luckily our Spring Jam is March 9, and in preparation we’ve already started deliberating on songs for our new set. So exciting. Unfortunately for me, I just discovered yesterday that I have vocal nodules, a condition where the vocal cords become callused and inflamed, which means that I am going to have to take it very easy next semester. I am very bummed about that, so wish me good luck in my therapy and treatment.

Another important milestone was Grand Elections, where the new members of the Crimson, our newspaper, are elected. It’s a very secretive and very fun experience, so I can’t talk about it that much, but come and join the paper if you’re interested in knowing more! I had to leave early from The Crimson in order to get to Mather formal (one of the many upperclassmen house formals) which was at the Harvard Club of downtown Boston, and was a nice gig with The Nostalgics, my soul and Motown band. I was really tired, but we pulled through and had ourselves a blast.

Some Photo friends at H-Y…just imagine us at Grand Elections!

Tonight I’ll be going to Lowell Winter Formal with my friend Ned, and will certainly have an awesome time. This in itself is certainly a milestone, because last February we went to Freshman Formal together, and now’s the perfect opportunity to come full circle! I’ll keep you posted, but expect a great night on everyone’s part.

Ned and me last year…who knows what this year will bring?

Later in the weekend, I will be going to see my friend Kim perform in “Rent,” a show that’s playing at Oberon, a venue right near campus. She’s going to kill it, and I heard opening night was great yesterday! I also really need to start working on my final projects, as I leave for home in one week (wow, where did THAT come from) and have a lot of stuff to do before then. Next week I have my VES (art) project due, my Stats project due, my Anthropology paper due, and my final Stats exam; mostly I’m worried about Stats, as it’s definitely not my best subject, but I need to crack down this weekend and get to working on my other projects. Hmm…probably should have started those earlier, but I’ve been so busy ever since Thanksgiving break! Ah, well, I can push through.

Although this time of year is always stressful, I am really blessed to have such amazing friends. They supported me through my difficulties last year and will continue to support me through my upcoming recovery, and I know that I will always have them by my side, even when things get a bit exhausting. One thing’s for sure; these people will always be my friends.

Love and happiness,

Reid

I really love Harvard!

The Weekend! {The Weeknd}

November 20, 2012 by Reid | 2 comments

Hi everyone! I’m back in Vermont, hanging out with my dog and cat (and a new addition to the house: my little sister just got a mouse….). I think I’ll give you a weekend re-cap; those are my favorite.

Thursday:

I woke up really early after a six hour a cappella rehearsal the night before, and studied a bit before my Stats exam, which was held in a different hall where I haven’t had a class yet [Emerson]. After that was done, I went back outside into the chilly air, done with class for the day. Afterwards, I had an incredible voice lesson with Tom Jones, my teacher, in the beautiful chapel of the Old Baptist Church in Cambridge: great location and great acoustics! Then it was off to the info session at the Admissions Office (I’m hoping that one day someone in the sessions recognizes me from the blog), and after work I headed up to Porter Square to Rosie’s Bakery to pick up a DELICIOUS cake for Erin’s birthday (she’s one of the Opportunes). Then I trekked back down to the Holyoke Center to receive my award for the European Photography Contest, which was exciting and really cool, because I got to see everyone else’s incredible photo skills. Then down to the Crimson for my final Maestro (when we decide what’s going on with the cover for this week’s edition of the Arts Supplement) and then back for more rehearsal in the Lowell Bell Tower! We sound really good but getting ready for Jam sure is exhausting work. I crashed late on Thursday night!

The Opportunes looking fancy

Friday:

I went to Central Square on Friday after cleaning my room in preparation for the boy from Yale who I was hosting, and took a few photos for The Crimson. After returning back and eating lunch with two of my fellow Opportunes, we had a 2 hour rehearsal and then were set free … for a few short moments. I had to go pick up the Yale boy and bring him to my room so he could drop off his stuff, and then head back to do a soundcheck in the Queen’s Head Pub for The Nostalgics, as we had a gig that night, too! Then I had to sprint over to Harvard Hall, where The Opportunes had an a cappella performance with The Spizzwinks(?) of Yale; my mom, little sister, cousin, and grandparents came, and my grandmother was serenaded by a Spizzwink which was hilarious. It was very fun soloing in front of an audience with The Opportunes for the first time! Then Leah and I ran over to the Queen’s Head and played the best gig we’ve ever done– we even sang our new original tune, and everyone was going craaaazy. Afterwards, we went to an Opportunes party and I met a few of the alums, which was sweet, but I’d like to get to know them more, and most likely will next week at Jam. The night ended rather late again, unsurprisingly.

Central Square looking cool

Saturday:

Saturday was game day! Harvard-Yale takes place every year, and this was the 129th time that it’s occurred; after waking up very early, my Crimson friends and I went tailgating with hot chocolate down at the Athletic facilities and met up with our other friends. Everyone, it seemed, was there (although I know that’s not true because I didn’t go last year). In celebration of my first Harvard-Yale, Harvard decided to make it a great game and win for me! Yay! Then I worked a bit at the Crimson, and went back to my room to eat Kong with my mom and my little sister. That was surprisingly fun. As tired as I was, I had to rally and go sing at a surprise birthday party in John Harvard’s at 8 with The Opportunes: my final hurdle before returning home. After the gig, I jumped in the car with my family and we drove home to Vermont…it was a pretty great ride, but mostly because I slept the whole way.

H-Y!

Sunday:

I did nothing! Aaaay!

Monday:

Had to start my STAT 101 Exam…are you kidding me, there’s a take-home component?! Then went grocery shopping for Thanksgiving which was crazy. So much food. Then my friend Ashley came over, and because she is vegan and gluten-free, I made this super delicious carrot ginger soup and falafel. YUM.

Tuesday:

That’s today. What have I done … oh! I made a pesto avocado egg sandwich and I ate that. I’m going to pick up Anneli (my friend with whom I spent a large portion of my summer in France) and Cynthia (my roommate) who are spending Thanksgiving with me! I also will be going shopping, and finishing my Stats exam.

Have a GREAT Thanksgiving, everyone!

-Reid

Oh, also, mandatory Beyoncé picture:

Happy March!

March 1, 2012 by Reid | 3 comments

Hello everyone!

It’s March, my favorite month. Why? Because it’s my BIRTHDAY MONTH…though I have to wait a whole 4 weeks until the big day rolls around and I turn 19. Another reason is because it’s only a week (exactly) until Housing Day! Eeek! Look at what I just got under my door, from Leverett House!

Housing Day is so SOOON!

I am very excited about this big day, because I’ll get a whole new community in which I can stay for three whole years! Also, even though Harvard is a small school (~6,000), I really need a smaller group of people, and having a House will let me do that. Some really funny housing day videos have come out from Pfoho, Eliot, and Adams (private video), and a very weird Currier video. Check ’em out. I can’t wait to make one once I’ve been “sorted.”

Speaking of Housing Day, I will be reporting next week on Friday instead of Thursday, giving you all the insight you’ll ever need about Housing Day. YAY! I’m blocking with my friends Cynthia, Buffalo, and Ansel, and we’ll be staying in Thayer where we have a perfect view of the Yard, which apparently gets totally crazy. OMG IM SO EXCITED I CANT WAIT.

Anywayssss, yesterday was Leap Day, which meant that Lady Gaga and Oprah came to Harvard. I don’t really care all that much about seeing either of them (I know, I know) but my friend Allie got some incredible photos of Gaga. Check them out here, in the “Going Gaga” media file. Also, it snowed (for about three seconds, and then it turned to rain) but c’est la vie, and this life is without snow 🙁 I miss it, not going to lie.

Another exciting thing that happened this week was Cultural Rhythms on Saturday afternoon, with my favorite person, John Legend, coming to Harvard to receive his Humanitarian Award!! I love him. He sang a few bars of “Ordinary People” and was a brilliant host, but the majority of the show was devoted to student cultural groups, mainly dance and music. I took some lo-fi videos, which are posted here.

I loved being able to cheer on my friends in this amazing exhibition, because everyone is so good at what they do, and it makes me so proud! I couldn’t cheer too loudly, though, because I had a gig right after and couldn’t ruin my voice before the show. My band and I cruised to Wellesley, the women’s college nearby, and played for their College Formal; it was awesome, and they had great decorations and even better food! (Yum)

I’ve been having a really great semester so far, with my midterms coming up next week (eek!) before we all go on Spring Break. I have to study my Italian vocabulary and flashcards, but we’re having a party tomorrow night (without la professoressa, sadly) where we’ll make “la cucina Italiana” and dance! My Italian class is awesome; we have a great mix of people, learn at a crazy-fast pace (tomorrow we’re doing the future tense, after only studying the language for a few weeks), and I love my teacher. Some of the students in my class are from MIT, and commute here every day, which I couldn’t imagine doing, but it is for the love of languages. I’m just glad we have such incredible courses offered here!

In my other courses, I’ve also been having a splendid time. I’m more motivated in French, although the class becomes stagnant sometimes, and I have to study hard in order to do well in my summer in Paris (hopefully). My expository writing course is great; we have a ton of papers due next week, though, with one due on Thursday (housing day), along with my Italian midterm! And, of course, my incredible Freshman Seminar that I’d actually been drooling about since last summer when we received the Seminar booklet. It’s amazing, and I know I’ll be spending a lot of time in the Bow and Arrow Press for the next few years here!

The back room of the Bow and Arrow Press, where all of the wood type is kept.

The presses are rollin'!

Some orphan lead type (don't worry, we wash our hands thoroughly).

Thank you so much for reading, and get ready for the most exciting post of YOUR LIVES next week!!

Again, happy March 🙂

-Reid

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

Bright Sides of Boston

February 1, 2012 by shannon | 2 comments

Everybody’s been saying that this is a mild winter, and maybe they’re right. But it still seems freezing and grey to me, and I’ve definitely had the January Blues. Last week, I woke up early and looked outside my window, only to see a completely frozen world – there was white ice on the ground, an opaque grey sky, and leafless trees dotting the street. Everything looked the exact same color, and I felt a sinking sadness in my heart at the bleak sight of winter. So I did what any normal 21-year-old would do – I called my parents on the phone and cried.

But this story has a happy ending. After my phone call, my parents were so worried about my wellbeing (SAD is a true phenomenon!) that they sent me a sun lamp, and it came in the mail only two days later. Now I use it in the mornings when I’m checking email: a simulated sun on the desk beside me. And it has actually helped! My roommate and I also decorated the living room with a tropical/Bohemian flavor, so we can pretend it’s summer all year round:

Well, everyone on this blog has been raving about their courses for the spring, and since I’m also thrilled about mine, I’ll mention them briefly. First, some backstory: My roommate and I are both in the humanities (she’s into photography and I do English), so a lot of our classes have been theory-based over the years. But that’s not just characteristic of the humanities – my friends who are government or economics majors encounter an almost equal number of classes full of theorizin’ and philosophizin’. The idea is that when we get into the real world, we’ll be able to practically apply these complex frameworks of meta-knowledge. While that might be true, I’ve been increasingly attracted to classes whose content is facts-based and has a more direct, unambiguous application – classes that are oriented toward a practicum of some kind.

The first exciting one I’m taking is called The African City. Contrary to many opinions, Africa is full of more than savannah, grasslands, deserts and jungles. This class focuses on the urban centers of my most beloved continent. We’re learning how to use Geographic Information Systems, which is a kind of data mapping system that employs Google Earth & other topographical maps. Using GIS technology, you can get an immediate, visual representation of data spreads like population density across Africa, or sites of armed conflict. For this class, we each pick one city that we really care about, and we research that city for the entire semester. Each week, we’ll be focusing on maps of different kinds – transport routes, cultural flows, ethnic & linguistic groupings, and lots more. I’m so thrilled about this class because my city of focus is Dar es Salaam – a city that I hope to live and work in someday.

Another great class I’m taking is called Africa & Africans. When I first came to college, I definitely didn’t expect to be studying Africa in school. Africa was just my home, and I wasn’t even sure it should be a school subject! But that was totally naïve, and I’m realizing how unfamiliar I am with a part of the world that I love dearly. This semester, I’m taking a class on the history of sub-Saharan Africa over the last century. It’s taught by Caroline Elkins who just happens to be an expert on post-colonial Kenya, so I’m in good hands.

The final class I’m super excited for is called Creative Nonfiction – it’s a writing workshop where we get to improve our journalistic writing. I’ve already taken one writing workshop at Harvard, which was probably my favorite class of all time, so I’m looking forward to the follow-up. And as I mentioned above, I love that the skills from the class are immediately applicable in a straightforward way.

One more little story before I sign off — last night, I went to see a band called Augustana play in the city, and they were wonderful. I adore loud shows because the music shakes everyone in the audience in the exact same tempo; I always imagine that our hearts have been transplanted by the bassline, so we all have the same heartbeat for the length of the song. Anyway, the band has a song called Boston, which made everyone happy, and it portrayed this city in a pretty light. And then on the T ride home, the subway was crammed with exhilarated Bruins fans, who had just won the game 4-3. I was the only one on the subway not wearing a Bruins jersey, but in that moment, I think I felt just as happy and proud of Boston as everyone else.

Deejay Kulture

January 24, 2012 by shannon | 2 comments

Sorry for dropping off the Internet! I was spending a warm and sunny Christmas in California, followed by a sunny January at my grandma’s house in Florida. Some people prefer a “white Christmas,” but I feel so lucky that I got to wear flip-flops all through the break. Here’s me and my brother during the first week of the new year — can you tell it’s January?

I wasn’t all that excited to return to snowy Cambridge, but my first week back was amazing. Harvard has a new initiative called January Arts Intensives, held during the week before school starts. The classes are small (about ten people each), and we receive intensive instruction in a special art technique. The week-long class wasn’t graded, which makes it feel less like school and more like recreation.

I signed up for the coolest class: “How to Deejay.” I’m not your typical-lookin’ deejay, but I’ve always been in love with music – I religiously read Rolling Stone, SPIN and Pitchfork, and I spend any extra money I have on new tunes. I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t play an instrument of any kind (not even the recorder! and everyone learned the recorder in grade school), so this deejay class seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn how to “make music” without actually playing an instrument. Each class is taught by an expert in the field, and mine was led by the phenomenal Boston DJ and ethnomusicologist, DJ Super Squirrel.

Over the course of the week, we learned about mashups and remixing as an ideology that extends into an infinite number of fields (not just music!) Remixing can happen in films, in visual art, in performance, in poetry and lyrics — and even in fields beyond the arts, like science, where major solutions are often found in the intersections of very different projects & studies. Remixing appeals to me on a really fundamental level, because I’ve always felt like I come from a mashup of cultures. Sometimes I don’t even know where my loyalties lie — I feel so invested in each community and place that shaped me. At the end of our deejay class, I made a sweet mixtape that blended some of my favorite Kenyan pop songs with US dance music. The result sounded as muddled as my own identity, but at least it was danceable.

For most of the week, we used this mashup software called Ableton, which is apparently what all the eminent DJs use (even artists like Girl Talk and Skrillex!). But, in the interest of authenticity, we also learned how to scratch using records and turntables – the old-skool way. I discovered that I have no natural skills in the scratching department. You gotta use your left hand to push the record while you flick the fader back and forth with your right hand. Unfortunately, I can’t make my hands do different things at the same time – but it was still fun spinning Nastymix records like I knew what I was doing. In my daydreams, I’m just as amazing as these guys:

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