My Commons Life

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

Spencer McKee

I Listened to Ska for 3 Days

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Sigh. It was a long week, and Ska didn’t help. Why I chose to do this to myself is something I don’t think I’ll ever figure out. The infamous music genre had its beginnings in late-1950s Jamaica, first existing as a combination of Caribbean and Jamaican rhythms. One of its defining musical characteristics is the use of a walking bass line with accented offbeat rhythms. It was pretty popular in the 1960s during its development, and then again in the 1990s. There’s a reason it stayed there. The pairing of trumpet with ever-so-slightly off key vocals somehow doesn’t sit right with me. The best description I can give of Ska is that it felt like sitting on an aggressively crusty, rock-hard bean bag chair. It was like I was trying to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I didn’t have knives to get the ingredients out of their respective jars so I had to use my hands to scoop out the peanut butter and jelly and slap them on the bread over and over. Something was just a little off. 

I started my horrific journey on Thursday, January 18th. In the beginning, I didn’t know what to expect. I never thought the day would come where I would put the phrase “Ska mix” into my Spotify search bar. To my immense disappointment, a bunch of results came up. 

I was just so curious to find out what “Essential Ska” could possibly be, so of course that was the playlist I opened first. I settled on a song called “Time Bomb” by the band Rancid, and boy oh boy. How do I put into words the emotions that I felt after 5 seconds of this song? It was really…interesting? To use a technical term: crusty bean bag-esque. The second the vocals came in I was confused. I didn’t know what on earth these people were saying, and I also had no clue where their pitch was. I was bewildered. Concerned, even. The first word I could make out was “cadillac”, which had no positive effect on my comprehension of what I was listening to. It was at this moment that I came to truly appreciate just how accessible Spotify makes the pause button. It came in very handy. After a second of recovery I thought that maybe I just didn’t get it. Maybe I had to keep listening to fully appreciate it. With a hesitant index finger I pressed play again. Spoiler alert: I did not have to keep listening. That was enough Ska for Day One. Crash course completed. 

The next two days consisted of Goldfinger, The Specials, and Mad Caddies. Songs that I endured included “Sell Out” by Reel Big Fish, “Sunday Morning” by No Doubt, and “One Step Beyond” by Madness. I did eventually get acclimated to the somewhat unique aspects of the genre, but I ultimately felt it wasn’t quite what I’d prefer to have populating the “On Repeat” playlist on Spotify. Again – a horn with few other instruments, plus an off-key singer on top of that, doesn’t make for the best combo. Overall I wouldn’t say that I had the best experience with Ska. However, that’s not to say it didn’t have some enjoyable qualities. Just kidding. Do yourself a favor and keep it in the 90s. 

A closing note: When I googled “Ska music” for this article a week ago, one of the results was a WatchMojo “Top 10 Ska Bands” video. Talk about an oxymoron. 

As a disclaimer, my opinions are never to be taken seriously, as most of the time I have no clue what I’m talking about. Please take anything I say with half a grain of salt. 

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/art/ska
https://www.britannica.com/art/ska
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska

Freshman Year: The Sequel

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Welcome back to the spin cycle that is the Vanderbilt school calendar. It’s time for Freshman Year: The Sequel. Hopefully it won’t turn into a trilogy. After the absolute madness of finals season, we all got three weeks of nothing but food, sleeping in, and (I really hope) no 8 AMs. With some luck, maybe you didn’t even have to be productive. Sadly, however, that time is no longer. We must bid adieu to the days where we didn’t have to hear the horrible ba-donk notification of Duo Mobile asking if it was really us trying to log onto Brightspace. The era during which you didn’t have to show your ID to a security guard every night just to get into your room has come to an end. Ladies and gentlemen, break is over. Womp womp. 

There were a bunch of things I missed over break, chief among them being Taco Mama and that one really cheerful cashier who works at Rand. You know who I’m talking about. Squirrels abiding over their trees by night, Zeppos tower in the distance, and the square breakfast potatoes from Commons became my Roman Empire. There even came a point where I started missing Diermier’s occasional email rants about why we shouldn’t have dropped in those rankings. The constant beeping of construction was lost to my ears, and the maze of Stevenson remained untraveled. Treks to and from Blair were mere memories over the course of those three weeks, with one of my favorite activities becoming a faint evocation, a mere whisper in my mind. 

Some of the things I didn’t miss, however, included having to actually use my brain to function, as well as keeping track of how many meal swipes I had left. Life is so much easier when you can just wake up, go downstairs, and shovel cheez its in your mouth until there’s either none left or you get yelled at by your dad. Other things I felt no reminiscences towards were as follows: having to climb down a ladder every morning, patting my pockets every 5 seconds to make sure my room key was still there, and I certainly didn’t miss adhering to a bedtime. 

Finally, the amount of things that I had forgotten how to do here are kind of embarrassing. I got borderline lost on the way to the bookstore last Tuesday, and I somehow didn’t remember that Commodore Cash was a thing? Coming back and having to kind of re-learn all my old habits felt really weird. I was almost proud of the fact that I had to think to remember what my Brightspace password was. 

Regardless of how much you missed this place that we call school, it’s hard to not admit that we are so back. MCL is so back. My favorite people are so back. Life is so back. Here’s to a good second half. 

How the Group Chat Got Me Through the First Semester: A Reflection

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Prior to August 19th I had the things I was scared about and the things I was excited for. Questions I kept asking myself revolved mainly around: Would I make any friends? and What if the classes were too much? I was fearful of what would happen if the answers to these questions didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to. On top of that, I felt so intimidated coming to a school where everyone would be both super smart and way cooler than me. I had no clue if I’d fit in with anybody – whether it be in some kind of group or just one other person. Before coming here I had waited (as we all did) such a long time for college to come. Almost 2 decades of anticipation for life’s next big chapter, and if all that time had been patiently spent for a crappy time here I would’ve gone insane. Luckily for me, and I’m sure luckily for most of us, that didn’t happen. From the first day on campus I’ve found myself incredibly fortunate to have been given two things: MCL and my friends.

First, to My Commons Life. Being able to have a creative outlet like MCL has been one of my life highlights. Every week I get to scribble down an article on some nonsensical topic, and sometimes people are crazy enough to read it. In a sense, it’s been a kind of mental relief each week from having to meet an essay prompt or a test requirement. Sitting down and having only a blank Google Doc in front of me provides a feeling of great liberty that I had never known before. I’ve loved getting to make the most egregious Top 5s, the most useless quizzes, and eating some of the best food around (sometimes all in one day). Getting to work with people like Jim, Micah, Dallan, and Chloe on a weekly basis has been so fulfilling because of their kindness, intelligence, and wit. Within MCL I was able to find a small, incredibly gifted community where everyone’s unique voice can be amplified and shared. In addition to this, being a part of My Commons Life has been rewarding because of the time management required to make Tuesday’s noon deadline. The fact that I’ve had an opportunity to delve into a previously unexplored passion has been truly priceless. 

Second, to my friends.

(Thank you Ryan for the expert 0.5s)

Guys, the Blair grind is real, but we made it through three and a half months together. Why they made every single dining hall so far away is a question that I don’t think we’ll ever have an answer to. Whatever the reason may be though, we endured. As for the people in these pictures, the sheer good vibes that emanate from them astounds me every day. In this first semester we got to struggle, learn, and succeed all at once alongside each other. Riding the Vandy Van back to Commons every single night at atrocious hours has made for some of the joy-filled moments I’ve ever had. I get to see and work with all of them at a high level every day, both musically and academically. Whether it’s sight-reading a newly composed cello sonata for fun at 10 P.M. on a Friday night or pulling a multi-hour study session the night before a final exam, these people have given me cherished memories and a sense of not just belonging, but of sheer happiness as well. From this semester alone, I already have a photo album’s worth of pictures that I’m going to save for a long time. Among violinists, violists, flutists, cellists, trumpeters, composers, fellow pianists, and more, I was able to discover the importance of found family for the first time. Someone I want to particularly thank for their patience and altruism is my segue mentor and fellow piano studio-mate Emma. She has been the epitome of a guide, tutor, and friend since the first day of the semester back in August. 

Some final thoughts: Being able to find my people is something that I consider myself incredibly fortunate for. This article wasn’t as much a recap as it was a thank you note to those who helped me get through the first semester. Back in the summer I didn’t know if I would get to say that the wait was worth it, but looking back at these last three and a half months, I’m well confident in saying that it was. I can’t wait to do it all over again next semester.  

To the people that we’re lucky enough to see and support every day, to those who make the best of times better and the hardest of times lighter, I write this for you.

MCL Top 5: Christmas Songs

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Stop the bus. We’ve arrived. We’ve made it to the final weeks of our first semester, and as the holiday season gets closer we’re going to be at the mercy of Mariah Carey. It’s that time of the year where the chaos of finals season is overshadowed only by the ballads of a talking snowman with a top hat, a reindeer with a lightbulb for a nose, and someone’s mom making out with Santa. There’s probably no better way to get into the holiday spirit than by cranking some high-quality yuletide tunes. Here’s your definitive list of the top 5 Christmas songs.

5. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams

Starting things off is this classic, jolly holiday anthem. Every year, I always make sure that this is the first song I listen to right after Thanksgiving. It’s so fun and happy, I find that this song has the right amount of pep and fervor to make for a good segue into the last month of the year. It’s like everything good about the season, with all the happy memories from previous years, comes galloping back with the opening bell chimes. All the warm and cozy feels rolled up into one song. 

4. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee

Taking the fourth spot on this list is this song, celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. What I find special about this song is the superior nostalgia and camaraderie that it offers. I’m sure that more than a few of us have put this on while decorating a Christmas tree with their family, lighting a holiday wreath, or doing some other form of festive tradition. Fun fact: Lee recorded and released this song in 1958 when she was only 13. 

3. Underneath the Tree – Kelly Clarkson

The last three on this list all differ from the previous two in that they’re more so love songs, which I feel is largely one of the two veins that a Christmas song can be in. “Underneath the Tree” isn’t necessarily as “classic” as the other songs on this list per se, (it was only released 10 years ago), but I’m still a huge fan of this absolute banger. Kelly Clarkson offers up some stunning vocals with an extremely catchy chorus. What I think makes this song so appealing is is its blend of the charm of older Christmas songs with a newer pop feel. It’s upbeat and fairly energetic, with just a bit of a melancholic touch. 

2. Last Christmas – Wham!

The synth. The George Michael. This song takes the penultimate spot on the list mainly because of these two things. I get drawn back to the lyrics year after year, and I find myself loving it more every time the season comes around. It’s one of the few christmas songs that I occasionally listen to during the other non-winter times of the year. 

Honorable mentions:

Before I get to the final Christmas song on this top 5, I have to share some of those that didn’t quite make the cut:

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Jingle Bell Rock 

Christmas in Hollis – Run-D.M.C.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Step Into Christmas – Elton John

1. All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

I don’t care. I had to, and you all know it. This reigns supreme in the realm of Christmas songs, and I have zero regrets about putting it at the top of this list. It’s the first song in history to have spent time at no. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 4 years in a row (2019-2022), and it’s made the singer over $60 million in the 29 years since its release. Every part of this song is an absolute earworm, from its quiet opening that leads into a frenzied piano intro, to the the high notes that few other pop singers can muster. I’m sure most of us can agree that when it comes to Christmas, this song is the star. 

Sources used:

https://www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1142704853/mariah-carey-billboard-charts-all-i-want-christmas

MCL Review: Taco Mama

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Written with Micah Mayborn. 

You know her. Her address is 1612 21st Ave South. She’s a taco bar. She’s Taco Mama, and she’s delicious. Ever since the first week of school, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed coming back again and again to this restaurant, so I felt it only necessary to write a completely unbiased review of one of my new favorite places. Located just a short walk from Commons, Taco Mama provides a laid-back ambiance in a zany yet charming dining room.

In this review I will remain journalistically impartial, state only facts, and provide the best recommendation I can. With that being said, Taco Mama is amazing and you should absolutely go. 

I completed this review on Monday, November 6th at 6:00 P.M. with none other than MCL’s own Micah Mayborn. We agreed to grab dinner and catch each other up on our fascinating weekends, and we soon met up outside the brightly colored neon sign that heralded our imminent arrival to delicious-ville. 

(The matching hoodies were unintentional this time.) 

We stepped inside and were relieved to see the lack of a line (a rare sight). The low-lit environment filled with vintage remakes of old country music signs, Vanderbilt and Belmont pennants, and several boxes of ripe avocados beckoned us in. I stepped right up to the counter and ordered my usual: The Big Client burrito basket, composed of barbacoa (braised beef), refried beans, queso, shredded cheddar, tomatoes, and mild salsa ranchera. It comes with a hearty portion of chips and one side, of which I always choose the cilantro-lime rice. 

Micah took a minute with the menu before ordering Jorge’s Nachos, a build-your-own item with which he opted for ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and cheese. My burrito was (including tax) $13.11, and Micah’s nachos were $16. We then found a seat next to a column with a smiling Roy Orbison and an Elvis in the middle of a particularly vigorous hip-shimmy. We only had to wait a couple minutes before our food arrived, much to the delight of our growling stomachs. 

My burrito.

Micah’s nachos.

As soon as the nachos hit the table, Micah’s face lit up. He looked first at them with excitement, then me, then then back to his nachos, as pictured below. 

He was clearly hyped. 

And after we dug in – believe me – I felt the same way about my burrito too. 

The Big Client remains yet to disappoint in my eyes, and it delivered again. If it’s one thing that can lift a disgruntling Monday, it’s a big ol’ flour tortilla stuffed with beans, cheese, and meat. The first few bites are always the best. The juicy and tender barbacoa was the first element to be inhaled, followed by the refried beans, and then a combination of the two once I made my way closer to the other end. The one and only drawback to this meal was that I felt the beans were a little heavy, didn’t have much flavor, and didn’t fully complement the tortilla. Other than that, I felt that there was just the right amount of saltiness, flavor, and texture within the queso, shredded cheddar, tomatoes, and salsa to make up for it. When I asked Micah to describe his nachos in three words, he responded with “hearty, salty, tasty.” Well said. 

The quintessential college restaurant, Taco Mama provides some seriously great vibes to enjoy an evening well-spent with good company and very good food.

MCL Top 3: ABBA Songs for Your Potted Plant

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In today’s publication of my ramblings, we’re going to take a look at the Top 3 ABBA songs for your potted plant. Your succulents, philodendron, mini aloe veras, and whatever else you may have can get pretty lonely while you’re in class, and especially now with winter approaching and sunlight fleeing quicker each day. Every now and then your faithful green friends might need some sonic excitement  to freshen up their leaves, and I have some lovely Scandinavian suggestions to do just that. Let’s dive in. 

The music of the 1970s has always resonated with me. Artists and bands like Jim Croce and the Doobie Brothers keep bringing me back for more, but there has been one Swedish band in particular that to me shines brighter than the sequins on their bedazzled vests. The supergroup comprised of Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, and Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad make up the legendary band ABBA. The not only musical but cultural impact that they had on the 1970s world seems as if it was larger than life. Their songs have remained timeless over the past 40 years, and their appeal has stretched across decades. Their music can be the soundtrack to a range of things, from sappy love montages to celebratory dancing. But I think that a very underrated use for their music is to be a companion to your potted plants’ well-being. 

3. Kicking things off at third on our list is “Chiquitita”. I feel that the beginning of the lyrics to this song perfectly encapsulate the coming dreary winter-ness. 

The change in tone that happens famously at the ending of this song always boosts my mood, and I’m sure it will do the same for your soft-stemmed sidekick. The contrast between the depressing first half and hopeful essence of the second will definitely bring your potted plant some much-needed good vibes. 

2. Dancing Queen. How could I make a list of anything ABBA-related and not include their biggest hit? This absolute banger of all time is personally one of my favorite songs and something that I listen to almost every day. Whenever I hear it I find that it’s bright, catchy, and exuberant. It definitely fits the feel of a Friday night described in the lyrics, “having the time of your life”. It isn’t in-your-face or very driving, but rather it’s relaxed and laid back. Being a piano major, I also enjoy the prominence of the piano in this song. This song was ABBA’s sole number one hit in America and sold over 3 million copies globally. The message of “Dancing Queen” is one that remains relevant with a 21st century audience, and will certainly resonate with your potted plant. 

1. Take a Chance On Me. This song belongs at the top of this list because of its pick-me-up attitude and ability to inspire warmth. In the season to come, I think that songs like these will have a big role in finishing out the semester. In addition, the hopefulness that it carries will contribute to this as well. I feel that its mood is cheerful yet composed, which will surely give your small-scale shrubbery the lift to its leaves that it needs. 

2023: A Dining Hall Odyssey

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Written with Micah Mayborn, fellow MCL content creator. 

5 hours and 16 minutes. 18,960 seconds. This was how long it took for Micah and I to step triumphantly past the boundary of mere MCL content creators and into the realm of the impossible. 5 hours. 16 minutes. That was the length of time it took for Micah and I to reach the summit of Vanderbilt student accomplishment. This article tells a tale that will be repeated for generations. This article tells of the journey of a lifetime. This article tells the story of the day that Micah Mayborn and Spencer McKee ate at all of Vanderbilt University’s dining halls in one day. 

Our tale begins on one fateful Tuesday evening during which my eternal quest to accomplish the most useless achievements known to humankind shone through spectacularly. While eating dinner at Commons I was simultaneously attempting to drum up ideas for articles. I sat and thought and thought and sat. I remained deep in thought while sipping a glass of water, and with furrowed brow I gripped my fork tightly while I nibbled a cookie. No thoughts came; my head was empty. I sat puzzled. But then, then! A spark. A grand vision; like an ancient oracle speaking directly to my mind through the beige, crumb-speckled plate before me. That ethereal voice from beyond cried out and then vanished, leaving only three words: “The dining halls!”I was at first bewildered by such an enigmatic statement, my mind raced to comprehend it. What could this possibly mean? I pondered. I pleaded to the voice to provide the clarification I needed. It finally returned, leaving one last message that sounded a lot like the rushed disclaimers at the end of cell phone commercials: “Oh yeah, except for McGugin.” And then it struck me. The road to true glory lay before me and I could see its gilded path. The prophecy would be fulfilled. The hour had struck! The time had come for the summit to be breached. It was time for each of Vanderbilt’s Dining Halls to be eaten at in one day. I immediately knew that such a task was beyond the reach of just one student alone, so I turned to my friend and fellow MCLer Micah for aid. Together, I knew that we would be able to overcome the daunting challenge that lay before us. We planned our quest for Thursday, October 19th, the very first day of fall break. We met the night before to discuss our strategy for the coming morrow, hunched over our penne pasta in the corner of Rothschild as if we were planning a bank heist. We plotted quietly in preparation, trying to discern what the best strategy would be. Where would we go first? Would we be logical and space out each location throughout the day? Or would we attempt an ambitious speedrun? We eventually settled on an attempt to see how fast we could complete the challenge. Our day would begin at Commons for breakfast, E. Bronson Ingram for brunch immediately after, then following with Rand lunch, Kissam tea-time, Rothschild pre-dinner, and at last finishing with Zeppos for dinner. As we charted our course in hushed voices we felt the prickling of greatness lying in wait just around the corner. The excitement was building. A storm was gathering before us, and we were going to weather it at all costs. We wondered if this was madness or brilliance,  that there surely couldn’t have been many people with the amount of stupidity or bravery to attempt such a thing. Surely even Cornelius himself would have thought this to be beyond the capability of mere mortals like us. After about an hour of intense discussion we finalized our plan and looked up, realizing that we were one of the last people still remaining in Rothschild for the night. We hurriedly gathered our backpacks and jackets, departing into the slight chill of the Wednesday evening. We left each other with a quote from Homer’s Odyssey: “Delivering early to the voice of fame The promise of a green immortal name.” It was with this burning spirit that we parted ways for the evening, filled with excitement for the day to come.

I awoke the following day at 9:00 A.M. to my blaring alarm clock heralding the start of the day. For a minute I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, hardly registering the piercing squawk of my phone that screeched at me to snooze it. As I prepared for the day I cast all doubt aside; I was ready to face the task that would make even Guy Fieri tremble. I threw on my clothes, washed my face, and took one last deep breath before leaping off the precipice into the deep unknown. I was to meet Micah first at Commons for breakfast to begin the challenge. We gathered outside the front doors and prepared ourselves one final time before the great journey to glory. We looked at each other, nodded once, and threw open the doors. We walked hastily to the scanners that flank the entrance to the dining hall and scanned in. The game was afoot; the hunt was on! The race against time and the battle against the odds had begun at 9:30 A.M. 

Because it was the first day of fall break it was largely deserted, reminiscent of a ghost town filled with the smell of bacon. My first meal of the day contained a waffle, potatoes, eggs, cheddar-jalapeño sausage, and water.

 Micah’s was no different, save for a glass of orange juice and no grapes.

To be completely honest it felt just like any other breakfast. The waffle and eggs were fluffy, the potatoes crisp. The sausage was suspect at best, and the grapes were indeed grapes. The only distinction given to this particular breakfast was that in addition to the questionable tang of the sausage, I also held in my mouth the weight of history; the hopes and dreams of all who had come before in search of this, the holy grail. We finished eating at 10:00 A.M. and set off for EBI.

We arrived to the brick-laden fortress at 10:20 A.M. and felt the need to document our presence with this picture: 

We stepped inside, took a breath of that ever-so-fresh EBI air, and scanned into our next dining hall at 10:22 A.M. I noticed that the room looked a lot bigger without people in it. The Harry Potter vibes were strong that morning in the vacant hall. Hogwarts wishes it had our view of Alumni Lawn. 

Micah and I took a seat and then hopped in line for brunch, with similar breakfast smells as Commons wafting from the kitchen. This plate of food consisted of tater tots, cantaloupe, and a biscuit with gravy. Micah’s mirrored mine as well. The biscuit was flaky and perfectly complemented with the thick fluidity of the gravy. The crispy tater tots obviously slapped, and the cantaloupe was fresh and juicy as ever.

After we finished our second meal of the day we left our plates on the conveyor belt and took off to explore other areas of the residential college. 

On our side quest we came across EBI’s library, as well as a painting of this gentleman who we absolutely don’t remember the name of. We love a good 0.5. 

After we completed our exploration of this mahogany and leather-lover’s dream we again set off, this time headed to Rand. We scanned at our third destination at 11:15 A.M. We were in the thick of it now. We walked into the iconic dining hall, took three steps, and stopped dead in our tracks. There was something wrong, very wrong here. There were no lines.

No queue for the Mongolian bowls, no shuffling procession for the Rand cookies, and certainly no 20-minute wait for the Randwich. It was a thing of beauty – nay, an unprecedented glimpse into utopia. Micah and I felt like kids in a candy store, except the gumballs were our hopes and dreams and the chocolate was just chocolate. We decided on the Mongolian bowl, in which we got white rice, chicken, tofu, broccoli, and two spring rolls.

Don’t ask why Micah’s smiling like he’s about to murder me. Maybe it was because I dragged him into a ludicrous mission from hell. Beats me. 

I hate to say it, but these bowls were a miss. We both agreed that the chicken didn’t taste very fresh and that the broccoli was just a tad slimy. The silver lining of this meal was that the Rand cookie was delicious as always. After we finished lunch we tried to visit our boss, deep in the bowels of Sarratt, but unfortunately he wasn’t in. Note the clear disappointment on our faces. 

We left, deeply saddened, and trudged back upstairs to meet the glow of sunlight and the next dining hall that awaited us: Kissam. We were halfway to the finish line, and there was no stopping us now. The clock was ticking. Three down, three to go. It was time to journey to the edge of campus. 

At 12:20 P.M. we arrived at Kissam. 

And it was bad. Very bad. I had previously never been to this side of the universe and hopefully I won’t have to return anytime soon. While the exterior of Moore and Warren was quite scenic, the meal that Micah and I had was quite the opposite. 

I got a bowl with salmon, brown rice, edamame, and mandarin orange slices, and Micah got a salad with lots of greens. 

The second I bit into that salmon I knew I had made a mistake. Maybe it was my own fault for not judging a book by its cover and failing to recognize that the salmon looked really really not like salmon. After regretfully swallowing one piece I turned to the mandarin oranges. Surely they would salvage this experience. But this sadly wasn’t the case. They were somehow spicy??? I couldn’t comprehend the cacophony of flavors and textures that were reverberating in my mouth. I somehow managed to put down another few spoonfuls before vowing never to return to this dining hall. It should be noted that Micah said his salad tasted incredibly like a salad.

Thumbs down. On to the next. 

It was now time for the last leg of the journey. There were now two more dining halls standing between us and everlasting glory. Breakfast already felt like hours, even days ago. We met fellow MCL content creator Sariha for lunch at Rothschild, pictured below. As we walked to our penultimate destination we could feel the anticipation mounting. It felt so close, and it was getting closer with every step. We scanned in at 1:30 P.M. and were soon met by a smiling Sariha, waving us over to her table in the corner.

For lunch they were serving popcorn shrimp sandwiches and fries, which the three of us all happily devoured.

I’m very happy to say that I felt redeemed from Kissam–the fries weren’t overly salty, and the sandwich had just enough of each inner element to satisfy. The side salad was also salad. 

Micah and I finished our 5th meal of the day and bid goodbye to Sariha. We then turned to face the Tower and the final dining hall that lay before us: Zeppos. Victory was so close that we could almost taste it (as well as all of the food that we had eaten already). We took another side quest before attempting to summit the last peak on the mountain of our mission, this time visiting the Wellness Room in the lobby of Rothschild. It was here that we found some incredibly comfy chairs as showcased by Micah here:

Turns out eating a minimum of 5 meals in one day takes a toll on a man. 

After a brief recharging session we walked back outside and strode one step further to immortality. As we headed towards Zeppos we felt like we were walking in slow motion. Or maybe it was just the food coma setting in. Either way, we were tired, sleepy, and ready for one last dance with the Campus Dining staff. 

We stepped inside with excitement and determination. This was it. The chips were down. I could hear the theme song from Rocky playing in my head. We scanned in at 2:20 P.M. and approached the counter. I stepped to the glass barrier and ordered a flatbread with marinara, mozzarella, black olives, and chicken. I also got a Rice Krispie Treat and cranberry juice. 

Micah decided that since this was the last stop on the Insanity Express it was time for dessert, so he picked up a Rice Krispie Treat and a chocolate muffin.  

The flatbread was toasted to perfection, with the tangy olives providing a wonderful balance to the slight zest of the chicken. The Rice Krispie Treats were sweet and gooey as ever, and Micah said that the chocolate muffin crumbled and caved in his mouth. 

And at last I get to write the line: We finished eating. At long last we had reached the crest. I turned to Micah and told him to stop his timer that had been running the entire time.

For 5 hours and 16 minutes we had seen nothing but a whirl of scanners, plates, utensils, and napkins. We had experienced and done the impossible. We had eaten up 12 meal swipes between us and it wasn’t even 3:00 P.M. yet. During our reflection on this experience Micah provided a quote that I felt perfectly encapsulated our voyage: “Putting so much into me took so much out of me.” 

We had traveled the universe of dining halls, collecting the infinity stones that led us to eternal honor.

We arose from our seats and went back outside. We blinked, stepping into the sun with a new outlook on life. We had been changed by this Dining Hall Odyssey. We had climbed the mountain, we had fought the battle, we had persevered and had reached the summit of student glory. The two takeaways that I gleaned from this vast expedition were as follows: don’t eat at Kissam, and certainly do more dumb things with your friends.

MCL Top 5: Classical Music Pieces for Halloween

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We’re smack-dab in the middle of October, which can mean many different things for a lot of us. For some it might mean everything pumpkin spice-flavored, while for others it may signal the return of hayrides and frolicking in the leaves (do people actually do that?). I’m sure to most of us, however, that this magical time of year signifies one thing and one thing only: spooky season. It’s that magical time of year guys. It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween. To properly ring in the festivities I’ve taken it upon myself to curate a top 5 of classical music pieces for your All Hallows’ Eve listening pleasure. What could possibly sound more terrifying than a gigantic pipe organ playing a piece written 300 years ago? Let’s get into it. 

5. Starting off our list is Modest Mussorgsky’s orchestral piece Night on Bald Mountain. It initially drew inspiration from a midsummer Slavic holiday involving fire and water, as well as the gathering of witches and spirits. This occasion later came to be known as St. John’s Eve. It was never played performed while Mussorgsky was alive, but after his 1881 death his friend Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov took up the piece and revised several aspects including its demonic ending, wherein screeching dissonance was replaced with church bells to disperse the gathered spirits. Night on Bald Mountain is likely most known for its arranged version by Leopold Stokowski in Disney’s Fantasia (1940). 

Mussorgsky – Night on Bald Mountain

4. Taking fourth on this Top 5 is the Commendatore scene from Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni. Widely regarded as one of the best operas of all time, Don Giovanni tells of the young, arrogant, and abusive titular character who faces no consequences until his ghastly end. His demise comes at the hands of a statue of the commendatore (Italian military commander) whom Don Giovanni had previously murdered in cold blood in a duel. The statue comes to Don Giovanni’s house and provides him one last chance to repent for his crimes. After turning down this generous offer, our main character gets dragged screaming to Hell by shadow demons. 

Don Giovanni – Commendatore Scene – EN Sub (Better Quality)

3. Halfway through! Number 3 is In the Hall of the Mountain King from Edvard Grieg’s incidental music to accompany Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt. The story of Peer revolves around a young, arrogant youth (sense a theme yet?) who leaves home to seek his fortune, yet has one disastrous adventure after another. In this particular scene, Peer finds himself before the king of the trolls being offered the king’s daughter’s hand in marriage. Peer refuses and is then chased out of the mountain by the trolls, barely making it out alive. Grieg originally composed this piece for orchestra, but then adapted it, as well as the rest of his Peer Gynt suite, as a four-hand piano duet. 

Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”

2. Second place on our Top 5 goes to Danse Macabre, Camille Saint-Saëns’ tone poem written between 1872-1875. This piece is based on the French legend that Death appears on every Halloween night, playing the fiddle for skeletons’ revelry. The xylophone plays a prominent role in this piece due to its likeness to bones. At its climax, the eerie swells of the spirits’ dance sound almost joyous, desperate to enjoy their annual celebration. At the piece’s ending the calling of the cock signals dawn’s return, thus bringing an end to the skeletons’ party. 

Camille Saint-Saëns – Danse Macabre

1. Taking home number 1 on the Top 5 Classical Music Halloween pieces is….The D minor Toccata and Fugue by J.S. Bach! You’ve all probably heard this piece already in some kind of creepy context, with its beginning featuring the iconic thrilling single-voice flourish. Soon after this, its descent into the lower registers of the organ creates a feeling of unease and suspense right from the get-go. In the days of silent film, horror movies were accompanied by solo organ. This piece in particular was used in 1931’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and 1934’s The Black Cat. When it comes to Halloween, spookiness, or just being plain scary, this piece is king. Get blue lobstered.

J.S. Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 

Defining Your Commons House by Meme

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Last week I had a bunch of stuff to get done, so naturally I procrastinated. It turned out to be high-quality procrastination though because I made these low-quality, incredibly boomer memes to describe the houses in which you all reside. What they lack in funny they make up for in 2012 font. Enjoy. 

Written in collaboration with Micah Mayborn. 

First up we have Gillette and the infamous G’Flood. I’m not entirely sure if this one’s true, but I definitely bring it up to all my friends from G’House. 

Next is Stambaugh with their beautiful, absolutely breathtaking staircase…that goes…? 

I live in East, so this is personal. The struggle is real. 

Their motto verbatim: North or nothing? Tough call.  

Photo credit: Libby Meade (certified Guacamole chef) of Murray. 

Again, I live in East. Only time will tell who is superior. 

I don’t make the rules, I only make the memes. 

I thought this one would be topical and timely, but I may just let this one cool off for a while. 

I know nothing about Memorial. They have s’mores I guess?