Spencer McKee

I’m not entirely sure how to start this article although it’s something I’ve thought about for several months now. What’s going to go in my very last MCL feature? I still don’t really know, but, per usual, I’m writing this less than 24 hours before the deadline. So here goes:

We made it. We’ve gotten through our first year of college. I don’t know about you, but I feel like that’s a pretty crazy statement. I spent my four years of high school slowly getting more and more anxious about this time in my life, and at long last it arrived. I don’t know what to make of it. During that time I would go over so many negative scenarios in my head. What if I made no friends and was miserable? What if the food sucked? What if I ended up overwhelmed with homework? What would I do? Rewind back to August, and those fears were at an all-time high. My imagination was on overdrive, running through hypothetical after hypothetical a million times a day. I was about to enter an entirely unknown environment with no knowledge of anyone else in my class. I had no clue what would happen nor who would come into my life. Luckily, it was those that I met here who helped quell those worries. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. If it weren’t for Jim, Paige, Jeff, Chris, and Media Intensive, I don’t think my year would have started off on the right foot. From the second I and my fellow participants got to campus, these people brought us into MCL and gave us a space that felt like home. This was a space where creativity was encouraged, a place where any of us could simply make. With these people I found a voice that I didn’t know I had. It gave me a break from the chaos of essay and academic requirements, as evidenced by the lack of importance displayed in the topics I chose to write on. From Day 1 through every week of the entire year,, I’ve gotten to see the unique individuality of everyone on staff, something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

But it wasn’t just those at MCL that made this year special. It was also the people that I got to work with closely on a near-daily basis. These included teachers, peers, colleagues, and friends, all of whom have broadened my horizons in ways I never dreamed. I took two classes that I had no previous interest in whatsoever – Intro to International Politics and Global Korean Cinema. It was in these classes however, that I felt gave me some of the most unique academic experiences of my life. They provided me with surprising new worlds (no pun intended) and research that allowed for new and fascinating exploration. My peers and colleagues are among the brightest and most talented people I know. I look forward to three more years of collaboration with them, whether that means having the opportunity to perform and premier brand new pieces with living composers or engaging in the art of last-minute essay writing. I look around at these people and I’m amazed. This past year they brought incredible innovation and imagination into my life and gave me new ways to work and learn. The performers and composers within Blair are incredible artists and people; all are passionate about what they do. I looked to several for advice and felt that they always offered wonderful insight. However, more so than just these chances to work with them, I’ve had the immense pleasure and honor to call these delightful people something more: my friends. 

They have shown me how beautiful life can be. I’ve loved every second that I got to spend with them, every experience we shared, and every chaotic moment. There were no boring days with my friends, and I was constantly surprised with each new and memorable way we found to bring us closer together. These people accepted me and brought me in; they gave me a home. I will be forever grateful to them for what they’ve given me during freshman year. I don’t know how I would’ve made it through the year without them. 

In closing, I did some crazy stuff this year. Stuff I’d never thought I’d get the chance to do, nor stuff that I thought I’d ever want to do. I met people who are just as insane as I am, something I didn’t think would ever really happen. I’m very fortunate to now have these people in my life, and I hope that this article conveys that one last time. I am amazed – thrilled, even – at the opportunities I’ve been given during my time here. I wouldn’t trade this semester for any amount of free Taco Mama. I have no clue how I kept up with assignments, nor how I made it to (most of) my classes on time. What I do know, however, is that I now have a place here. I’m probably going to miss Vanderbilt a lot over the summer, but really it was the people and the experiences that have so endeared this university to me. I now have the privilege of saying that I found my people. I’ve discovered the source for some of the favorite memories that I have yet to make. Thank you MCL, thank you Fliala, thank you Trauma Bonding, and thank you to every single person that made my freshman year the best year of my life. We made it. 

Hopefully nobody took anything I wrote too seriously – I certainly didn’t.

Two weeks ago I told Jim Hayes, the head of staff here at MCL, that I wanted to write a “Top 5 Bands of the 70s”. That means he’ll probably be very surprised when he reads this and discovers that that’s not what I wanted to write about at all. Instead, I’d like to use this as a chance to write him a thank you note. 

I first met Jim during the Media Intensive program back in August. He was one of the first people to welcome me and my peers to campus and was definitely the first to calm our nerves regarding college. Right from the beginning, he made MCL a home. He made it a place that we could always come back to at any point during the year and created an environment that he promised would always be there for us. He asked only two things of us: the first being that we get our assignments in by Tuesday at noon, and the second being that we never call him “Mr. Hayes”. Apparently that’s his dad’s name or something. During Media Intensive’s opening group meeting, he presented himself as a resource for us – someone whose time and advice would go beyond the realm of student media. I was amazed at his genial personality, all-encompassing knowledge of the student body, and the range of snacks which he supplied us with throughout the year. I have always remained in awe of his professionalism and efficiency. In every staff meeting that I attended, Jim was invariably respectful of our time and schedules, running through our assignments with ease and order. He consistently showcased a type of class that I one day hope to achieve in my own career. The best part is, though, that after Jim’s nearly 20 years in service of Vanderbilt student media, I know I’m not the only one who’s gotten the privilege of getting to work in his orbit. 

In all honesty, he and I had (maybe) 4 or 5 actual conversations this semester. Because of my schedule, MCL’s weekly staff assignment meetings were unfortunately hard to make, and, as a result, our interactions were few and far between. Despite this, his influence still reverberated in my so-called “creative process”. He was never judgemental of what I chose to write about, even though I picked some pretty peculiar subjects to touch on. I saw this as a pure form of encouragement, as validation that whatever I was doing was something not entirely as deranged as I thought. It is largely for his acceptance that I will remain forever grateful to Jim– as a mentor, leader, and friend. 

I’d like to conclude with this: Jim Hayes is exceptional in every sense of the word. He is every bit the superlative which I describe in this article, and is one of the most authentic people you could possibly have the pleasure of meeting. Week in and week out he inspired, motivated, and held MCL together through the chaos of each of the staff members’ schedules. I feel that he truly understands the importance of creative freedom, and allowed us all a space to find and cultivate our individual voices . I know that at least personally, his ability to foster each of our unique domains of originality has been admirable. He turned something that I used to run from – writing – into one of the highlights of my freshman year. 

Thank you Jim. 

Ok look, we get it. We’re in college now. The world of dining halls, Greek Row, and overpriced apparel has finally been opened to us – some have been slightly more enjoyable than others. I’m absolutely positive that coming into this we all had at least a smidge of trepidation. I’m also positive that there was a point back in August where you actually woke up on time for your 8 A.M. However, it was inevitable that those good times would come crashing down at some point. That little jolt at the beginning of the day that would tell you to get on out of bed and actually make it – what’s the word? – early to your classes is no longer. For some that feeling may have lasted up until the first week of September, while for others it may have somehow managed to remain for the entire semester. But no more. Gone are the days where those pointy gold balloons were up at Commons, vanished are the times where you said you’d go to the gym, only to find out that the Commons gym is almost always crowded and the Rec is just so far away. Remember that book we had to read before coming here? Remember Visions groups??? Those weekly icebreaker meetings are only specks in the rearview mirror now. In thinking about and writing this article I dug deep into the memory vault to pull out bits and pieces from the blur of the first few weeks. All those times where you were meeting new people and having to repeatedly say your name, where you’re from, and what your major is, all look like such a cloudy mix of names and faces now. Was it just me, or did we all have those people that we talked to a lot during the first few weeks, and now you just don’t even acknowledge each other at all when you see them? Remember that time you went to Roth with Whatshisface? Yeah, he doesn’t either. However, if it wasn’t for that time, we wouldn’t have found those whom we’ve come to love. It was the names and faces of those people that we somehow remembered and kept saying hi to, until eventually we found ourselves sticking to each other more and more. One of the biggest differences I’ve personally noticed from this and last semester has been the familiarity with which we now live our lives. It feels like we spent at least half of the Fall searching for the reasons why we belong here, trying to dig a foothold in our upward climb, but after coming back from Winter Break I believe we’ve gotten to a point where we can at least begin to claim this place as a something of a landmark on our lives’ roadmaps. 

Goodbye football, hello baseball. One of the things that I certainly know I’m most excited for is the return of America’s pastime, a game so fine it’s played on a diamond. The coming of Spring heralds the arrival of the best sport ever conceived: baseball. Quite possibly one of the most successful aspects of this school remains the Vandy Boys, who have jumped out to a 10-3 record to start the season. I must admit, The Hawk is a lot easier on the eyes than FirstBank. 

We know where things are now. Yay? No more guessing where the heck a Furman is, and (hopefully) no more getting lost in the Stevenson labyrinth. We also now know where to go in order to find a more favorable meal. Rand definitively has the best breakfast and lunch, while Roth and Zeppos house the best dinner. Runner up for all three of these categories: The Highland Munchie Mart.

Who the heck were those people? While on the topic of eating, I’ve found it particularly interesting the social rhythm of who and when we get meals with. When things were first starting out I feel as if there was a much wider variety of people we would ask to go to dinner. The net we were trying to cast was so large that there was a point where even I, a complete and total introvert scared of people, asked some random person at Commons if I could sit with them. It was a very odd time. I understood none of what was going on, but what else is new? 

Our time in college started rapidly, scarily, and thus far has just been one thing after the next. First it was orientation weekend, then it was settling into our classes, then it was our first midterms, then it was fall break, and before you knew it finals week brought it all to a close. Coming into the second semester, we no longer had those cushiony first few weeks where we could stop to oooh and aaah at every single booth at the club fair. We got back from Winter Break and immediately got thrown in the deep end of Cornelius’ pool. It felt like only 13 days had gone by before midterms started showing up and we were once again in an all-too-familiar panic. With Spring Break right around the corner it’s as if our sprint to the end of freshman year is coming into the home stretch. It’s been an interesting year, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be letting up anytime soon. 

I wanted a burger this week. Sue me. It had been a while since I’d had a really, really good one, and once I started thinking about it I couldn’t stop. Right off the bat, a few different places ran through my head, but it didn’t take much thinking before I settled on Hopdoddy Burger Bar, located right down the road from Commons at 1805 21st Ave S. I’d been several times before, but in this case I felt the completely unnecessary need to document my excursion.

I planned my visit for February 18th, and at around 6:45 P.M. I arrived outside, ready for a great dinner. In hindsight I probably should have taken some pictures of the outside. My bad. I was a little distracted. Upon entering Hopdoddy I was greeted with a lively and energetic atmosphere that was coupled with an overwhelming fragrance of french fries. The smells that seemed to hang in the air made my stomach growl louder and louder until I finally made my way up to the counter to order. I’d been here before, so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. Thus, I wasted no time with the menu. The time had finally come. My mouth was watering as I walked up to the counter and asked for a Magic Shroom burger ($11.50), Parmesan Truffle fries ($8.95), and a “regular” sized vanilla shake ($6.50). Color me basic, but there’s no alternative for a vanilla milkshake with a burger and fries. It should be noted that Hopdoddy only has two sizes for their shakes: regular and mini ($3.00). After tax, my total ended up being $29.44. The food came out quite fast, which I gladly welcomed to the table with open arms and mouth. All three items arrived separately, the fries first, the burger second, and the milkshake last. At these reviews the camera eats first, so naturally the first thing I had to do was give my food a mini-photoshoot before digging in. 

After I was done being the paparazzi to my dinner I launched an assault (emphasis on the salt) on the Parmesan Truffle fries. I found that they had just the right amount of crisp, and maintained a delectable balance between the moderate dusting of parmesan and fairly high salt volume. Over the few times that I’ve been to Hopdoddy, these fries have never disappointed. I wasn’t entirely sure what the sauce they were served with was (some kind of ranch-?, I apologize for my lack of sauce expertise), but it provided a creamy complement to the fries that I believe lessened some of the saltiness. However, one aspect I wasn’t the biggest fan about was their size. They were pretty thin, and towards the middle and bottom half of the bowl they felt increasingly weighed down by both the oil and parmesan, a factor that did eventually feel a little heavy and too rich. Once I had moved on from the fries it was time for the main event: the Magic Shroom. The first bite was glorious. The goat cheese, tomato, mayo, basil pesto sauce, onion, and lettuce all came together with the patty in that initial taste. Quick sidebar: You know that satisfaction you get when you eat the food you’ve been wanting? Best feeling ever, right? That’s what was going on in my mouth, but at least 5 times better. This burger was near perfection. As a whole it was firm but not stiff, able to collapse just enough to get a solid bite. The bun had little to no seasoning and was quite pliable, which I enjoyed for the flexibility. I found that the patty itself wasn’t the main event of this burger, but it rather worked in complete unison with every other element between the buns. The aspect that I found most striking about all of this was the presence of the goat cheese. It seemed to pull the hamburger together through working in tandem with the tomatoes. I discovered that the thickness of the cheese was very well balanced by the juiciness of the tomato, something that I particularly enjoyed the entire time I was eating. Lastly, the milkshake. I came to the conclusion fairly quickly that it was very thick. While it was rich, sweet, and smooth, in all honesty I could’ve just had the fries and the shake as a meal by itself. The only thing I was able to finish by myself was the burger, which was slightly unfortunate. However, the milkshake did pair incredibly well with the other two items I had gotten. 

Overall, Hopdoddy Burger Bar provided a fantastic dinner, with the only drawback being the price. I don’t think that spending almost $30 of meal money on a burger, fries, and a shake isn’t the most ideal or efficient. That’s not to say I wouldn’t do it again, but probably not until I feel the need for another “review”.