My Commons Life

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

Archives for September 2022

MCL News Minute-September 21, 2022

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Esme has the info on upcoming events on campus this week that every first-year student should know about, including Meditation Fridays to help relieve some stress, a required Commons Cup athletics informational for House VP’s, and an opportunity for lots of laughs at the Tongue ’N Cheek show.

MCL Top 5: Items at the Commons Munchie Mart

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I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves with a handful of meal swipes left over after a long week of classes. But what does any smart Vanderbilt student do with their unused meal swipes? USE THEM UP AT THE MUNCHIE MART, OF COURSE! That’s why I’m gonna fill you in on my favorite things to pick up at the Commons Munchie Mart!

5. Velveeta Mac and Cheese

Don’t feel like leaving your room for dinner? Just microwave yourself a bowl of mac and cheese and you’re all good. Personally, I am a Velveeta enthusiast and think Kraft Mac and Cheese is a bit too sharp, but that’s just my (correct) opinion.

4. Bob’s Red Mill Oatmeal

In the mood for a somewhat healthy option? Bob’s Red Mill Oatmeal is actually a pretty solid breakfast option. Whenever I need to eat quickly before a 9am, I pop one of these in the microwave and add a bit of sugar (not healthy, but it’s the thought that counts!) 

3. Hot Cheetos

I’m a simple girl. If someone asks me what I want from the store, I just say Hot Cheetos and Sprite. Too bad the Munchie has no Sprite, but at least they have Cheetos🙌

2. Munchie Mart Machine Smoothies

A new addition to the Commons Munchie, the smoothie machines are already a hit! It’s so easy and convenient. All you have to do is select what flavor you want and the machine does the rest for you! My personal favorite is the mango smoothie, so refreshing!

  1. Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Almond Granola Bar

I LOVE these granola bars so so much, but they haven’t restocked since the first week of classes:(( They’ve only had the peanut kind lately💔 Please Vandy, I’m begging you to restock🙏🏽

Dore-igami

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Origami is not necessarily a common hobby that the average person chooses to pick up. I mean besides making paper fortune tellers at recess, there wasn’t much talk about origami. At least that is how it was for me, but not for Linda. The first encounter I had with Linda was at media intensive when she revealed her hidden talent as origami. I remember thinking to myself, “man this is LAMEEE,” of course I kept that to myself. But for the short time that I have befriended Linda, I can for sure say do not judge a book by its cover. Speaking of books, fun fact:

  • Her grandmother is actually the one who introduced her to the world of origami. Ever since then, she got an origami book and started to create masterpieces. When I say masterpieces I mean it! Let’s take a look at a few of her creations!

Linda Xu’s Dore-igami

  1. Peacock: 5 minutes

2. Box: 3 minutes

3. Butterflies: 10 minutes

4. Flower: 5 minutes

5. Crane: 5 minutes

BONUS!!! 3D Swan: 5 days (ayo 5 days?!)

As you can see, she doesn’t just dabble in the typical arts and crafts. Can you imagine folding a paper crane for five days?! She is hands DOWN… no amateur, but I wouldn’t have seen the full extent of origami’s coolness if it weren’t for Linda Xu. Who knows, maybe she could teach me how to fold paper…maybe I’ll find something interesting to do in gen chem instead of being lost 25/8. All jokes of course (I’m lying btw). That’s all from me for this week, Esme out. Also, don’t  forget to ANCHOR DOWN BABY!

CommonsCast Episode 108-September 14, 2022

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Anya has some great questions for Dean Gresalfi in this week’s Q&A segment, Santana delivers the details on events coming up on campus that you’ll want to know about, and Eigen sits down for a fun interview with Joel Berinstein from Potomac, Maryland, an undecided engineering major who lives in West.

My Top 5 Disney Princess Movies

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If you are anything like me, growing up I was very picky with what I liked to watch. I was also a troubled child so that could possibly be a contributing factor, but that’s beside the point. I vividly remember my childhood being surrounded by Disney Princess makeup kits and Cinderella shoes that my mom would always refuse to buy me. I miss when times used to be much simpler, so that being said, this week’s Top 5 will be my favorite Disney Princess movies, but the 2d versions. Keep in mind that these are based off of how many times I have watched each and they are all good! (Please don’t send me hate emails 🙂

5. Beauty and the Beast 

To start us off we have none other than Belle herself. I never really watched this movie growing up, but I watched the musical this past spring and grew a crush on Gustan so… Need I say more? Just kidding, the entire story is beautiful. You shouldn’t judge people so harshly over what you have heard. I mean the beast kind of lived up to his name in the beginning, but as the story went on we saw his character development. (He definitely needed that)

4. Princess and the Frog

BEFORE you say anything, hear me out first. It made me extremely sad to see Ray pass away. I am a cry baby when it comes to stuff like that. The soundtrack was amazing, so it helped me pull through the end of the movie a couple times, but it’s hard to do the more I watch it. 

3. Aladdin

Okay but.. Aladdin is my guy. All time crush for real. There’s just something about him being a thief I don’t know… But in all seriousness, I love Aladdin with all my heart because of the singinggg. The soundtrack is chef’s kiss. Which brings me to the top two…

2. Mulan

LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

TO DEFEAT (HUH HUH), THE HUNSSS

That’s all I have to say on this. 

1.Hercules

I have watched this singular movie at least a million times. Hercules’ and I are married at this point. I was so invested with my fake relationship with Hercules to the point where I was like, “Who is Meg?” It’s all about me babyyyy! 

That’s about all I have to say, I just really love Hercules! The rest are kind of tied for 2nd in my heart. 

Movie Review: A Quick Take on “Nope” (Spoiler Free)

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After hearing my friends make millions of “Nope” references, I finally decided to give the movie a watch at the local Belcourt Theater. I went into the viewing with basically no prior knowledge on the contents of the movie. All I knew was that there were going to be aliens and monkeys. Looking back on it, going into the movie with a blank slate was an amazing decision–one that kept me on my toes throughout the whole film.

If you haven’t watched “Nope” yet, hopefully I can convince you to do so. “Nope” is the perfect mixture of sci-fi, horror, and modern-day Western. As someone who doesn’t typically watch any of these genres, I would say that “Nope” was a great introduction to them. With breathtaking cinematography, “Nope” tells the story of a pair of siblings who are left running a horse farm after the strange death of their father.

With plenty of cultural easter eggs, “Nope” touches on important topics such as the exploitation within the the film industry, racism, and society’s obsession with spectacles. One thing I really liked was the heavy use of symbolism as a medium to discuss these topics.

However, I can’t sit here and act like I wasn’t confused 99.9% of the time. The only reason I’m somewhat able to appreciate the greatness of “Nope” is because of the talk I had with my friends and the dozens of analysis articles I rushed to read post-viewing. Perhaps, a second (or maybe even third) watch would be a good idea.

One thing that I couldn’t help but think every few minutes was, “How does one come up with a plot like this?” The intricacies and fine detail that went into piecing everything together could only be thought of by a genius. And that genius is Jordan Peele. A newbie to Jordan Peele movies, I was left wanting more. If there’s anything I took away from the viewing, it’s that I need to watch “Get Out” and “Us” ASAP!

To sum it all up, this movie is for anyone who appreciates social commentary that take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. I hope you find it just as interesting as I did. Until next time!

CommonsCast Episode 107-September 7, 2022

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Dean Gresalfi sits down with Linda for this week’s Q&A with the Dean, Santana has the details on events coming up on campus this week, and Eigen brings fellow first-year student Laura Gayre into the studio for the Humans of the Commons interview