My Commons Life

News & features about the Vanderbilt Commons from the students who live here

Archives for November 2018

The Girl Next Dore: It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like …

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*disclaimer that this was on the VU Insta (not my pic)

You walk onto campus after Thanksgiving Break, stomach and heart hopefully full. Your suitcase rolls over the fallen orange leaves, and you grunt under your breath as you drag it into the dorm, knowing that in three weeks you’ll have to pack your bags all over again.

In only a few short days, it will be December 1st. ABC’s 25 days of Christmas will start, Christmas trees will be decorated, stockings hung, and cheap Advent calendars bought.

I celebrate Christmas, so for me, historically, December has been a month that exists as a lead-up to the best day of the year. However, being away from home for the past four years has made things change. When December starts in two days, it won’t just be a countdown to Christmas (or any other December/January holiday), but a countdown to finals, and then going home.

These three weeks are typically some of the most challenging of the year because every class is wrapping up, while you’re also preparing for finals. This means that we are all likely already behind on work, probably having promised ourselves we would do things over Thanksgiving Break that we inevitably didn’t.

With all this added homework and testing, there is much less time to get into the holiday spirit. For me, the work is annoying, but what’s been hardest about these three weeks is not being at home. Instead of walking in our houses to the smell of an evergreen tree, we come back to the same dorm room we’ve lived in for almost 4 months now. The string lights that line many of our walls are not hung for Christmas cheer, but rather as decorative dorm pieces that usually don’t even get turned on.

So the reality is, being away from home makes the Christmas season much different than it was as a kid. A lot of times, people say “oh that’s just a part of growing up.” But I think the more accurate thing to say is “oh that’s because you’re not at home.” And, of course, not being at home is a function of growing up, so I guess in some ways the former is correct.

So why am I mentioning this? To prepare anyone who hasn’t experienced this different type of December yet? No. Not at all. I say none of this to be cynical, or say that Christmas is lame as a young “adult.” Rather, I think all of these things are reasons for us to work a little harder at feeling like we’re in the Christmas spirit. 

Secret Santa? Yes, please. … Hot chocolate? Okay! … Christmas PJs? Oh yeah. … Cookies? Come bake with me! … Watching Elf 5 times? Already did it, but would gladly do it again. … Holiday parties? Count me in.

It may never be the same as being home for the start of the Christmas season, but this time of year is about family and friends. So being here at Vandy seems like a pretty great place to start.

 

Anchor down,

Brooke

CMA Awards 2018: An Insider’s Perspective

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I’m writing this post about the single greatest night of my life. Two weeks ago, I attended the CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena. In the pit. And then went to class the next day because the awards were, for some reason, on a Wednesday night (tragic!).

Florida Georgia Line performing “Meant to Be.” That’s me in the red circle. Not my best moment.

The way this came about is one of my wildest streaks of luck. I filled out a form a few weeks ago to be randomly selected to attend rehearsals (this was open to the public and done through the audience coordinators). I was picked to attend two on Monday night of awards week – Thomas Rhett and Old Dominion. The rehearsal process was a bit different from what I expected; the rehearsal audience (of which I was part) spent the majority of the time waiting in the wings while the artists went through endless soundchecks and run-throughs, starting and stopping every few seconds. They then brought the audience in so the artist could run through their performance with an approximation of what they would see Wednesday night. The whole process was extremely technical and focused primarily on the mechanics of the upcoming broadcast rather than the performances themselves.

And so I went to those rehearsals, with Rhett’s going what I assume to be smoothly; after an hour break, I came back to the arena for the Old Dominion rehearsal, but at the end of this one they took our group to a separate room where they briefed us on what we needed to do to attend the actual awards in the B-Stage pit. I would’ve been overjoyed if this is where it ended. But that’s not what happened.

Broadcasts like these are incredibly intricate and require elaborate preparations, and so I found myself at the arena again Tuesday night to receive my wristband to be allowed entry Wednesday night. I gave the coordinators my name, they highlighted it off a massive list, and I was told to receive a bronze wristband. They were out of bronze and just gave me a silver one instead. I had no idea what this meant, so I asked someone who worked for the company. She told me not to say anything because I was in a way better place now than I was initially. I have no idea what this means. She won’t tell me what it means. But I go along with it.

And then I show up Wednesday night for the actual show. I think this is the nicest I’ve dressed/looked since prom. Eventually, we get into the arena just as we did Monday and Tuesday, and I find out the silver wristband designates seat fillers, people selected to ensure there are no empty chairs at the front of the floor whenever industry personnel leave their seats for whatever reason. I brag to my family about this. My sister hates me by now.

My arm is on the CMA Awards stage. I’m not convinced this is a real photo.

Then I’m approached by a coordinator. Of course, my first thought is that I’m going to be put back in my original position, which would be a disappointment but still an incredible opportunity. Instead, it’s “hi, would you be okay with being in the front mosh pit for tonight?” (For some reason, the staff insists on calling it a mosh pit. Having been to a Distillers concert, this is decidedly not a mosh pit.)

And of course I would be okay with being in the front mosh pit for tonight, so I go over to a separate area where they take our phones to put them in a bin under the stage and I meet my new best friends for the night. They file us into the pit, and I think I started having heart palpitations as celebrities began walking to their seats.

A note about awards shows: people show up right before they start. Like, right before. I can’t count how many people I saw filing in at 6:59 for a 7:00 show. Kacey Musgraves looked incredible. I don’t remember much else.

The next few hours are a blur, with us staying primarily in our same spot but then leaving so Carrie Underwood can have space for her choirs. I cried during that performance. We then go to a small circular stage for Brett Young. One friend sent me a picture pointing out my clear presence on live television. Casual.

Brett Young performing “Mercy,” featuring yours truly.

On the way back to the pit, I walked by Kacey Musgraves. We made eye contact. I almost fainted. Then there were other performances which were also a blur, but I remember enjoying them.

Kacey won Album of the Year and I cried. Chris Stapleton won everything else. Dan+Shay did not receive the awards they deserved. Keith Urban won Entertainer of the Year and was in complete shock, and wife Nicole Kidman could not have been more proud of him.

On the note of that award, the most unexpected experience of the night occurred right before it. Lionel Richie presented Entertainer of the Year and got in place to walk out to the stage at the beginning of the preceding commercial break. His waiting spot was right behind the pit, so I was seeing Lionel Richie up close. Then he started talking to us. My conversation with him went something like this:

Lionel: Hey, do you think I’m gonna make it out to the microphone?

Me: For sure, you’ve got this!

Lionel: I don’t know, man, are you sure I’m not gonna mess up this walk out there?

Me, in shock: Of course not, you’re the man!

Lionel: Thank you, I appreciate that, my man!

Just a casual ending to a pretty typical Wednesday night.

Some other highlights of the night:

  • Brad Paisley thanking us for volunteering. As if we need to be thanked. You’re welcome, Brad!
  • Watching Nicole Kidman FaceTime her children
  • Seeing Mason Ramsey take selfies with more or less everyone in attendance
  • Keith Urban waving to me
  • Ricky Skaggs making eye contact with me
  • Garth Brooks asking me how I’m doing and high-fiving me
  • Dan+Shay existing
  • Kacey Musgraves, also existing
  • Eric Church presumably making eye contact with me (unclear, since he was wearing sunglasses)
Me on my way out of the arena. Security was yelling at me while I took this.

CommonsCast Episode 14-November 28, 2018

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On this episode of your CommonsCast Dean Melchor-Barz talks about sharing meals and ideas with students, Zoe delivers your weekly calendar of events and has a terrific interview with Dr. Frank Dobson, Faculty Head of Gillette House

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The Girl Next Dore: To Listen, To Watch, To Read

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We’ve (almost) made it to break! Keep pushing!

We all know that we are in the final push before Thanksgiving Break … seeing as I have a scene performance for my acting class tomorrow and I have not finished memorizing my lines (@ my procrastinating blog post), I decided to keep this simple … So for this week’s blog, I’m gonna tell y’all my picks for what to listen to, watch, and read over break.  (Basically, this is just a list of my favorite artists, movies, and books.)

 

To Listen:

The song listed below is currently the only thing playing on my Spotify, so really I’m just going to list this one song, but it’s worth it.

  1. Maggie Rogers — “Light On”

(You can also check out the artists NEEDTOBREATHE, Ben Rector, and Chris Young, though …)

To Watch:

  1. Legally Blonde (… because if you haven’t, we can’t be friends.  And if you have, you know you need to do it again …)
  2. Riverdale — I will be rewatching Season 1 to refresh, then binging Season 2 in order to start Season 3
  3. The Heat — if you need a good laugh, start here 
  4. Elf — because once Thanksgiving hits, I will be watching this once a week …

To Read:

Okay, up until now you may have known of all of the things I’ve listed so far, but you might not know these books.  The first* two are geared towards people who love books … if you read a lot, these books are absolutely phenomenal.  The third might be my favorite read so far — it’s much more light-hearted, and it’s comprised of short-stories/essays for people who are looking for less pages.  (*Order not according to preference*)

  1. “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz
  2. “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  3. “I Was Told There’d Be Cake” by Sloane Crosley 

 

Since I’m going to attempt to stop procrastinating my scene now, I’ll end this post here … Hope y’all get some quality time to listen, watch, and read.  Check back after break for more posts!

 

Anchor Down,

Brooke

MCL Top 5: Things To Do in Nashville Before the Winter Break

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Yeah, yeah, we know … right now you are swamped with work, trying to knock out three papers and study for a couple of exams that your loving profs dumped on you between Fall Break and the Thanksgiving Break. But hey, everybody needs a stress reliever from time to time, and, you know, all work and no play, right? So here at MCL we’ve compiled the Top 5 things you should do in Nashville before it gets too late and you’re packing up to head home for the semester break. Here goes …

5. Eat some hot chicken

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If you haven’t already tackled this uniquely Nashville culinary experience (and we don’t mean that KFC hot chicken mess), now is the time. Yes, it’s hot, says so right there in the name. But what better time to eat some hot food than when the weather is turning colder. I mean it will be turning colder at some point, right? Anybody have Al Gore’s cell number? Anyway, visit one of the many local restaurants specializing in hot chicken. MCL recommends Party Fowl in The Gulch or Hattie B’s in Midtown, just a short walk from The Commons. And yes, you can get the mild, but you’ve gotta give hot chicken a try just so you can tell everyone at your holiday dinner that “this is good, but it’s not Nashville-hot-chicken good.”

4. Check out the Opryland Hotel

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Yeah, we know, this seems like a total touristy Mom & Dad thing to do. But honestly, this hotel is pretty amazing any time of year. Then add two million holiday lights and you’ll think you’ve fallen asleep on your Chem text and woken up at the North Pole. While you’re there for a few extra bucks you can take a carriage ride, ice skate in an outdoor rink, or even go snow tubing. The holiday festivities are available now through January 1st, and the lights get cranked on at 4 p.m. every day.

3. See a movie at The Belcourt

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So sure, you can go see the latest huge box office superhero/alien/fast car/Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movie at the megaplex if you want, that’s cool. But if you want a slice of Nashville history along with your choice of the best independent, documentary, world, and classic cinema, then The Belcourt Theatre is where you want to be. It’s walkable from The Commons, and they offer a student discount with your ID. Just a glance at future film offerings includes the cult classic The Room, a Humphrey Bogart black & white movie, and Queen Anne era costume drama The Favourite with Emma Stone.

2. Go Country

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Now you know when you go home for break that everyone is going to ask you about living in Nashville and country music. You know that, right? So even if you think Carrie Underwood is how you properly transport logs (see what we did there?), you should make the effort to get your country on. And lucky you, there are SEVERAL options. If you want to broaden your overall country music horizons and understand the history of the music, you can’t beat a visit to the County Music Hall of Fame and Museum. If live music is more your speed, but you still want a little history lesson, we recommend checking out The Grand Ole Opry. Or if you want to understand what makes Nashville tick, get at the heart of the songs with the songwriters themselves at The Bluebird Cafe. Then when Uncle Bob asks if you’ve met any country stars you can say “yep, saw Jason Aldean at the Opry,” like a boss.

1. Get some Nashville merch

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By now you’ve likely embraced that Nashville is your home for the next four years. But are you really invested in Music City? At MCL we’re encouraging you to live like a local, and that means supporting all things Nashville. Sure, you love your home town teams, I mean who doesn’t? But while it’s cool to rock your Chicago Cubs jersey around campus, it’s every bit as cool to rep your new temporary home with some Titans or Predators gear. And it may not just be an ironically cool purchase, these days the Nashville sports teams are pretty decent. So jump on that bandwagon now, add powder blue and gold to your color wheel, and tell everyone in your home area code that the 6-1-5 rocks.

CommonsCast Episode 13-November 14, 2018

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On this episode of your CommonsCast Dean Gregory Melchor-Barz discusses the Vanderbilt Visions program and has a special shout-out for the VUceptors, Zoe delivers the weekly Commons Calendar of events, and then she has a terrific interview with Carolyn Floyd, the Associate Director of the Office of Immersion Resources. If you’ve had questions about the Immersion Vanderbilt program and projects, this is a discussion you won’t want to miss.

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MCL Top 5: Nashville Concert Venues

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It’s no secret that I go to a lot of concerts. I can’t count the number of times people have asked what my last concert was (Julien Baker, if you’re asking) or how I afford all these concerts (answer: I don’t). However, my reputation as professional concertgoer has given me strong exposure to the incredible music scene we have here in Nashville. I’ve already been to most of the relevant venues here and therefore consider myself a leading expert on concert culture.

Anyway, here’s my ranking of the top 5 concert venues in Nashville.

5. The Basement East

I was here about a month ago for Sofi Tukker, and it offered a really cool environment. The “Beast,” as many term it, is remarkably intimate, with a capacity of around 400. I really like the interaction this venue offers between the audience and artists, partially due to its size and partially due to the absence of a barricade – allowing fans to stand directly next to the stage. My only complaint also circles back to its size: as can be expected, it can get very hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable here. But don’t let that deter you from experiencing this venue’s cool and fun atmosphere.

Sofi Tukker performing at the Basement East.

4. Marathon Music Works

Marathon is a fairly standard venue as far as general admission concerts go. With a standing room capacity of 1800, this venue is notably less intimate and personal than the Beast. That said, its high ceilings and spacious nature make for a very relaxed and comfortable experience, avoiding some of the heating problems faced elsewhere. The stage is rather large, allowing more fans to get close to their favorite artists along the barricade. Finally, the artist bookings are fantastic – highly recommend checking a show out here.

3. Bridgestone Arena

I’ve had some bad experiences with arenas in the past. They can often feel impersonal, and entry into the venue (especially for general admission floor) can be messy and unfair. That is not the case for Bridgestone Arena. Despite my personal distaste for arena concerts, Bridgestone is absolutely top of the line. Their staff is incredibly friendly and helpful and consistently minimizes chaos in entering the venue. I have a friend who attended the twenty one pilots show here and had camped out for several days prior to get a front row spot (it worked). She had nothing but praise for the arena and its staff. That says a lot to me.

Florence + the Machine at Bridgestone Arena.

2. Exit/In

Another small venue –  Exit/In has a capacity of 500, making it slightly larger than the Beast but still incredibly intimate. My experience here seeing Hoodie Allen was incredible – the space felt so personal and yet I never found myself feeling cramped or hot. Tickets here are also incredibly affordable, with many shows charging $10-15 for admission. Finally, this venue is WALKING DISTANCE FROM CAMPUS. It was so nice to simply walk over instead of having to pay for an Uber/Lyft, and I look forward to seeing more shows here in the future.

1. Ryman Auditorium

I knew about the reputation the Ryman had well before coming to Nashville, but I never really believed it until I saw a show there (Julien Baker/Phoebe Bridgers/Lucy Dacus this past Sunday). Never before have I seen a crowd with more respect for the music being performed. The acoustics were absolutely incomparable. It felt small and personal and yet simultaneously like a larger-than-life dream. And tickets were relatively inexpensive ($30 for the show we attended). I cannot recommend going to a concert at the Ryman enough.

The Girl Next Dore: Submit

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As I stare blankly at a white screen, void of any writing that needed to be done for this blog, I realize what I’m doing: procrastinating.

Since I evidently had writer’s block and was procrastinating my post, I chose the very meta route.  So, welcome to The Art of Procrastinating.

I would definitely call myself a serial procrastinator.  I submit things (such as these blogs, hehe sorry Jim!) at the very last minute, and quite honestly find some thrill in that.  Midnight deadlines call my name, and the “Submitted at 11:59pm” message has become tantamount to receiving a good grade.

This was taken at a time I was procrastinating … also my dog is just really cute

I can’t comprehend starting an assignment weeks or even days before it’s due … with no deadline in sight, what is driving you to finish?  Upon asking this question in my head, I realized that this was the true meaning of procrastination for me: deadlines.  And so, I resolved to change the word with often negative connotations — I am not a procrastinator, I am simply “deadline driven.”

Put simply, I need a quickly approaching deadline to scare me into working.  Two hours to write a paper?  You got it.  Five days?  I’ll wait until the last two hours, but thanks for the notice.  The only thing having a lot of lead-time to finish an assignment does, is tell me on what day I’m going to be staying up later than usual, and how much caffeine I must consume to do so.

But, the reality is, procrastinating is hard … It’s not for everyone.  It’s a skill, perhaps even an art.  Because what happens if you miscalculate?  If you don’t hit “Submit” by your deadline?  If the message that comes after is red, and not green?  Admittedly, this has happened to me … but in some ways it made me stronger … it helped me find how much I can really handle.

This really does happen weekly …

So now?  Procrastinating to me is textbook.  There is no other way.  For my First-Year Writing Seminar, we have 5 page papers due almost every Monday.  When do I start them?  Sunday night.  When do I typically read the chapters that the paper is on?  Sunday night.  But this is not laziness … This is simply waiting for my drive to kick-in to high gear.  In some ways, maybe it’s patience for holding out this long.

Either way, I find myself sitting on the floor of the East 4 Hallway every Sunday night, book in hand, blanket wrapped around me, laptop burning my thighs … and I’ve come to seek this moment out.  I procrastinate these papers because it’s kind of fun in a way.  And, as I sit in Commons writing this blog, I know I will feel the same as I hit “Publish” in a few minutes – “Submitted at 11:59am.”

 

Anchor Down,

Brooke

 

**note: this post should be read entirely sarcastically**