40. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

There are simply no words to describe the Alvin Ailey performance I attended this Sunday. The show was part of the Celebrity Series of Boston and included the pieces Home (2011), Takademe (1999), The Hunt (2001), and their signature piece, Revelations (1960). In every piece, athleticism and grace played off one another as the dancers extended their limbs faster than my eyes could keep up. My favorite piece was Takademe, choreographed by Robert Battle. See the video below:

http://vimeo.com/channels/ailey/32852896

I loved the way the movement flowed like a natural response to the intensity of the music. The costume mixed the right amount of minimalism with humor, with all the elements coming together to form an extremely entertaining piece. I could gush for hours about every detail that I enjoyed, but would never do justice to the beauty of the dancing human body.

Firsts This Week:

• Attended an Alvin Ailey performance at the City Wang Center in Boston.

39. Your Personal Taste as a Method for Determining How Cool You Are

People can generally be categorized as one of the following:

The Early Adopter: one who adopts trends, fads, technology, behaviors, etc., before they are popular or well-known to the masses. Related forms: The Hipster– one who shuns mainstream trends for their lack of cultural appeal. The one who does everything “before it was cool,” listens to musicians you’ve never heard of, and whose fashion choices give off an “urban bohemian” vibe.

Mainstream: The mainstream person flits from trend to trend. Known for “hopping on the bandwagon” in order to stay relevant. Often viewed as unoriginal because their interests are the same as everyone else’s. Uses clichés because they are tried and true, and also boring.

The Late Adopter: The person who starts getting into trends after they have been well established, are on their way out, or are no longer cool.

I have often been described as “artsy,” because apparently my fashion choices (ex. wearing scarves) suggest that I am creative and/or too unique to be mainstream. Since I’m quiet, I’ve been categorized as “mysterious,” which plays into the “artsy” image. Artsy and hipster are two adjectives that are often linked, so it would be a reasonable assumption that I would be categorized as a hipster.

I am not a hipster.

My music is a little on the obscure side, but nothing too foreign (but I do listen to French music. Even though I don’t know French.) I dress myself based on what I feel like, and I fall comfortably into a place that most people would consider “normal”.

But when it comes to books, I am decidedly a late adopter. Which is why I began The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series this week, five months after the media frenzy that accompanied the movie’s release; over a year of seeing the book being read in every café, library, and subway car; and long after everyone stopped caring about Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig.

I picked up the first book on the last day before break, not knowing what it was about, but having heard good things about it from people: “Oh, I loved that book when I read it” and “There’s a lot of character background in the beginning, so it takes a while to get into it”

Being a late adopter is somewhat of a problem, because when everyone in your social circle has read the book, inevitably someone will drop an “oh, the ending is really scary and there’s SUCH a twist that you absolutely CANNOT BELIEVE.” 

Long story short, I read the book. Invariably, the hipsters will judge me for reading a book on the New York Times Bestseller list rather than obscure Russian literature, and mainstream people look at me with pity for being so hopelessly out of touch with the times. In any case, I now understand what the whole fuss five months ago was about. It was actually right up my alley– a murder mystery. Perhaps I’ll have to see the movie?

But if I were a hipster, I’d have to see the purportedly better Swedish version. Because Hollywood’s too mainstream.

Firsts This Week:

• Read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and began The Girl Who Played With Fire

38. Patriots’ Day 2012

Today is Patriots’ Day, a Massachusetts (and Maine) state holiday which commemorates the beginning of the Revolutionary War on April 19, 1776. For those of you who need to brush up on United States history, the Revolutionary War began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. In Lexington we celebrate by staging reenactments of Paul Revere’s midnight ride and of the battle. It’s also the one day of the year that we native Lexingtonians embrace our town rather than disparage it for being a somewhat snooty touristy corner of suburbia.

As part of the day’s festivities, I volunteered at a handbell concert. Handbells are generally made of bronze with a leather or plastic handle, and come in various sizes. As my friend informed me, their range spans about six octaves, comparable to a piano. Each member of a handbell choir is responsible for ringing two to four notes, depending on the size of the bells. Aside from simply ringing the bells, one can play them with a mallet or tap them on the table to produce staccato or other tones.

My friend’s solo piece was a stylized one that mimicked the sounds of a typewriter. The bells were accompanied by a piano as well as a functional manual typewriter. From my spot at the door I could see the young audience members dancing in their seats to the chipper music. After the show, I learned the proper technique for bell ringing. Instead of flailing the wrist about (and wearing out the muscles in my forearm), I was instructed to keep my wrist steady and move my whole arm in a circular motion, which was much more efficient. I even got to type on the typewriter!

After the apex of all Patriots’ Day activities, the parade, I cooled off with marzipan frozen yogurt. At the local candy store, there is a froyo machine that combines almost any flavor into frozen yogurt. So marzipan it was.

Hopefully I’ll be back next year for Lexington’s 300th Birthday. However, today was a nice way to enjoy spring and celebrate my last Patriots’ Day in Lexington.

And finally, congratulations to a friend of mine who ran the Boston Marathon today in record-breaking heat!

Firsts This Week:

• Attended a handbell concert and tried out various bells and a manual typewriter.
• Last Patriots’ Day in Lexington
• Marzipan frozen yogurt
• I caved and saw the Hunger Games

37. Class of 2016

UMASS Amherst Honors College Class of 2016!

Today it’s official. Next year, I will be a biochemistry and molecular biology major in the Commonwealth Honors College at UMASS Amherst. The deposit is in the mail, and I’ve notified other colleges of my decision.

After a long college process, it’s good to finally be here.

Firsts This Week:

• Class of 2016!

36. Dear Applicant,

We are sorry/ thrilled/ contractually obligated to inform you that after carefully reviewing your application to the class of 2016, it has been denied/ lit on fire/ gotten lost, and therefore we cannot offer you a place in this year’s class.

This year a record number of talented/ highly capable/ more attractive students applied for a limited number of spots in the incoming class, and we would like to assure you that we examine each applicant holistically/ incompletely/ while wearing night vision goggles, suspended over a pit of lizards.

Unfortunately, since you are too smart/ not smart enough/ of average intelligence, too attractive/ too ugly/ of average appearance, too athletic/ not athletic enough/ of average coordination, took too many/ not enough AP classes, had too much fun/ not enough fun/ an average amount of fun during your high school education, too musical/ tone-deaf/ passably musical, too creative/ too logical/ somewhere in between, right-handed/ left-handed/ ambidextrous, are male/ female/ prefer not to be constrained to society’s gender norms, live in the continental US/ Hawaii/ Alaska/ Eastern Hemisphere/ Western Hemisphere, are fluent in only 0/ 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ an infinite number of languages, are an early bird/ night owl/ prefer to hibernate in the winter, and are too interesting/ kind/ dull/ friendly/ absurd/ eclectic/ lackadaisical/ mysterious/ parsimonious/ sophisticated/ dedicated/ vivacious/ all of the above, we are unable extend an offer of admission.

Simply put, you’re too… you.

We are aware that this notice comes as a disappointment, and would like to remind you that the admissions committee will not reconsider any decisions/ console you/ accept offers of your arm, leg, and/or firstborn child as bribery for admittance.

Thank you for your interest/ apathetic common app click/ desire to join the class/ cult of 2016 at the University of Anywhere. We wish you all the best in your future plans/ at the University of Anywhere But Here/ in your parent’s basement, and are confident/ spinning lies to soothe your ego that you will be successful wherever your life/ car/ bicycle/ moped/ motorcycle/ horse/ covered wagon/ camel/ teleportation tunnel/ public transportation takes you.

Sincerely,

Insert N. Ame-Here

Dean of Admissions

 

 

But seriously kids:

Don’t take your college rejections too hard. It’s not worth getting sad over, because the admissions committee doesn’t see you– they see your credentials, and that’s what they’re rejecting. A résumé. Be proud of the things you’ve done and the person you are, and know that no one can take that away from you. So enjoy the last part of your senior year– you deserve it!

Firsts This Week:

• College rejections!