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forumofkuka · 5 years
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College Freshman Experience: 1 Month (or so)
As of today - October 7th, 2018 – I’ve experienced over a month of what is this new chapter at Emory University and Atlanta, Georgia as a college student. I wanted to make a point to reflect on this time, for it has been like no other and I think it would be something good to look back on. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about my first week or so, and from what I remember, a lot of that entry referenced feelings of uncertainty, insecurity, and general longing for comfort. Although I was also happy, outgoing, and open-minded to new people and experiences, I was still stuck in that stage of being unsure of where I stood socially and academically, as well as of what kind of general routine I was going to have here. Now that a few more weeks have progressed, I can confidently say things have eased and I am thriving as I had hoped; however, being that life is a dynamic entity, I don’t want to disregard the notable ‘downs’ that have been scattered throughout the many ‘ups.’ Here at Emory, I’m an individual of high-energy, many laughs, and overall active involvement. Striking up conversation with acquaintances or even strangers is not unheard of for me, and many question how I’m able to function with everything that I do. Beyond the 18 credits I’m enrolled in, I am also an active participant in Aural Pleasure (co-ed a cappella group) and Club Weightlifting, I’m on the executive committee for the Slavic Club and Dark Arts (an organization dedicated to using arts to express mental health advocacy and awareness), and I’m pursuing a work study where I’m a research program assistant for NIH’s All of Us program. Not to mention, I also take Orange Theory Fitness classes on my off-days from Club Weightlifting training. With all this in mind, it isn’t surprising to find that sleep has been a neglected factor of wellbeing – more specifically, everyday is an 17-18 hour day where my bedtime is typically between 2:00 and 3:00 AM and my wake-up time is 7:00 and 8:30 AM. Fatigue has been a feeling I’ve struggled with chronically for several years. Ever since I contracted mono in January 2016, I’ve never felt energetic or fully-rested, no matter what I do to change my lifestyle. Prior to Emory, I can’t say I wasn’t busy; the only difference now, is my social life. In high school, I never saw friends on weekdays really past 6:30pm, unless it was a Tuesday when I had Oxfordians rehearsal until 8:30pm or it was the occasional concert or sports game that I had to attend. Here, because everyone is walking distance 24 hours a day, it is really easy to get caught up in spending time with people – even if it is just passively while doing homework – until ungodly hours. Moreover, because I usually do homework in study lounges in LSM (I live in Hamilton Holmes), the idea of having to walk outside and into another building to go to bed feels tedious, so I find myself pushing exhaustion to the limits before I venture back to my dorm. When one is spread across many realms of responsibilities, self-discipline and consistent planning are vital for success. I’ve always been a micromanager of my life, a goal-oriented one at that. For the longest time, I’ve been the one who has motivated myself to be successful and to strive for accomplishments that may be out of reach or hard to attain. After all, I know what I’m capable of, as most of us do, and I want to see myself succeed and be the best version of myself. However, like any other human being, I have my limits and when I overdo it, I start losing my grip everywhere. That’s exactly what began happening here, at least, with something that’s very important to me. Ever since eighth grade, I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with food and my body; it has gotten better, definitely, over the years, however as I’ve greatly incorporated regular fitness into my life through crossfit and now weightlifting, I’ve become even more aware of my physique as well as the impact of my nutritional choices on my body and athletic performance. Being that I want to improve my PRs and general endurance, I know that extends beyond training and involves maximizing the nutritional efficiency of my caloric intakes as well. The problem is, food is more than just food to me. I eat when I’m emotional, I eat when I’m bored, I eat because I’m adventurous and love trying new things. Eating is a social event, an activity to bound over. It is a huge part of our daily life, more than just a biological prerogative or mode of survival. For me, food is something also to control, something to obsess over. With sleep deprivation, comes increased cravings for carbohydrates and processed foods – studies have shown it. As I become stressed with time or my workload, I eat. Staying up until 2:00am regularly means late night dinners, or just simply having 4-5 meals a day because of athletic calorie expenditure and simply being awake for longer. All these factors, ones I’m not used to necessarily, distress me and because I get upset, I eat. It becomes an endless cycle of me wanting to micromanage my diet, failing to do so, and provoking poor eating choices that push me from my momentum of clean, healthy choices. Having done this for over half a decade, I’m honestly tired of letting food rule my everyday thoughts; I’m tired of thinking about my next meal when I’m eating my current, I’m tired of having macronutrient facts flood my mind when I look at anything edible, I’m tired of letting food be such a huge component of my day-to-day life. I knew, coming to Emory, that going to CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) was imperative and that I would at some point, find a therapist off campus. Having seen the same guidance counselor since eighth grade all the way through senior year, I was used to having an adult figure to confide in about everything. Being that I was transitioning into a new city, institution, and chapter of my life, I knew the best thing I needed to do for myself was to find an equivalent in Atlanta. The week following my previous life update entry, I called CAPS and set up an appointment for nearly three weeks later – to the fault of my oddly spread out schedule, as well as their sheer inaccessibility for students who aren’t so extreme in their problems that they would self-harm or kill themselves within minutes of the call. Regardless of these factors, I was glad to have an appointment anyway. When that time finally came around, and I had my initial evaluation, I got a referral to a Decatur-based therapist & received information about on-campus groups. Although I still didn’t receive a prompt diagnosis – which is fine, I’m not looking for the affirmation of a disability – it was nice to be able to confide in a professional about what thoughts and issues were plaguing me mentally. Already, I feel better in regards to these obstacles.
Beyond these ‘downs’ however, college has proven to be a really great opportunity for me to grow intellectually, socially, artistically, athletically, and just as a general human being. Atlanta, as a metropolitan capital of a southern state, has been such a gem to experience; as a city, it is extremely diverse and progressive, and the overall culture of its inhabitants is very different from the New England state that I grew up in – here in ATL, people really are much friendlier and much more willing to converse with and acknowledge strangers. It isn’t unheard of for me to have full on discussions with my Lyft/Uber drivers or the staff of any commercial establishment I attend. There is also always so much going on, whether it be festivals, concerts, sport games, film-related events – you name it! Even on campus, I find that organizations and institutes are always hosting seminars, lectures, entertainment, and general fun events. There is so much to choose from and overall, it is so refreshing to finally be in a place where life extends beyond 10:00pm and it is actually hard for once to choose what you want to spend your weekends pursuing! In terms of socially, I’ve never met so many lovely people. At Emory, the culture is truly something to appreciate, for everyone here is passionate, intellectually curious, and hard-working. It is hard to find someone who is completely nonchalant to the world around them. Back in high school, it was ‘cool’ to be indifferent and to just sit on snapchat, watch Netflix, or get fucked up with drugs. Here, sure people party and go crazy, but it isn’t looked down upon to actually want to pursue something either. I love that I have interacted with and befriended individuals from all sorts of backgrounds, states, or even countries – it is amazing the breadth of experiences people come to Emory with, and I find myself being enlightened by these differing backgrounds every day. Another aspect of life here that has pleasantly surprised me is just how positively I’ve personally been received here – in high school, there were times I felt like I was ‘blacklisted’ for being outspoken, for being true to my interests and values. Here, I don’t feel like I have to mute myself; sure, there are always going to be those who are more receptive to it than others, but I feel like my personality, my image, my entity as an individual is appreciated and celebrated. Even with the personal struggles, the tireless days, and the general stress that comes with academia from a prestigious institution, I’m very happy that my life worked out in the way that it did. Emory University was my personal top choice when I applied to schools last fall, and as I continue to settle in here, I can really see myself growing and thriving here.
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forumofkuka · 5 years
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“The Spiritual Brain:” Dr. Beauregard’s Struggle in Advocating for Nonmaterialism Perspectives in Neuroscience
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For several years now, I've known that the discipline of neuroscience is one that I want to dedicate my life to exploring - whether it be through academia, the entertainment I partake in, or the conversations I choose to have. Although I'm interested in STEM and learning about the biological basis to behavior, cognition, abstract thought, consciousness, and many other facets of what makes us (animals) exist as we do, I know that my love for the social sciences & humanities prevents me from limiting my exploration of the field to just the concrete nature of the physical sciences. With a keen interest in spirituality and philosophy in particular, the notion of a metaphysical (or maybe physical) soul has always intrigued me, as it is something very frequently referenced in not only religious contexts, but also the social and artistic as well. Thus, when I came across Dr. Mario Beauregard's nonmaterialistic perspective on the brain, I knew that this was literature that was right up the alley of how I want to examine neuroscience. Focusing particularly are near-death experiences, the psi effect, mysticism, and general RSME (religious, spiritual, mystical experiences), Dr. Beauregard strives to combat the stigma and criticism that this "pseudoscience" has faced as a result of the persistent attempts of materialistic science perspectives at invalidating all nonmaterialistic viewpoints and findings. Conceptually, I think Dr. Beauregard analyzes the discipline with good intentions, and does so with clear preparation regarding secondary sources. However, the problem with the book's execution is not only its excessive repetition of the same arguments, but also the weakness in the support from many of the refuting points and said provided secondary sources. Many of Dr. Beauregard's counterpoints are redundant and provide little background explanation - with that being said, I'm not even looking for "hard science" as that would defeat the whole aim of the book, however he has a tendency to make statements and not to follow up on them. Additionally, each of the nearly dozen chapters is scattered with quotations from various intellectuals, scientists, philosophers, and general professionals, however I find that they not only feel like page filler, but they often are either not really relevant to the specific angle Dr. Beauregard hopes to take in that passage, but some of them almost feel contradictory. Even various of the studies he includes to examine show results that don't support his hypotheses regarding the notion of a soul, the power of spirituality, and the existence of an intangible mind. Being that Dr. Beauregard is hoping to convince readers of an unorthodox view of the physical science subdiscipline that is neuroscience, these weak points prove to be too prevalent and unfortunately, don't help his argument whatsoever.
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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True, we love life, not because we are used to living, but because we are used to loving. There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness.
Friedrich Nietzsche
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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The brain, however, is not the mind; it is an organ suitable for connecting a mind to the rest of the universe.
Mario Beauregard, The Spiritual Brain
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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Emory University: First Week!
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As my second full day of classes is coming to a close, I’ve decided to reflect back on my first week here in Atlanta, Georgia. Although I didn’t move in until Saturday, August 25th, my father and I flew down Thursday morning. When my final days in Connecticut were approaching, I’ll be honest, I definitely didn’t feel super prepared or knowledgeable about what I was getting myself into. After all, I didn’t start packing until maybe three days before, and I was even still doing that 3 hours before my flight was scheduled to take off. Moreover, I still had to make a ton of purchases in Atlanta for my dorm, like school supplies and bathroom essentials. 
Being that I wouldn’t be returning home until late November, I made a point in my last week to spend more time at home and with family. Although I facetimed friends during those days, I visited my paternal grandparents and also spent time with my sisters (i.e. Making a sisters-only trip up to Agawam, Massachusetts, to spend the afternoon at Six Flags). Saying goodbye to certain relatives was more emotional than I had imagined. Maybe it was my heightened hormones from my period or just suppressed anxieties about picking up my life and moving 1000 miles away, a surge of tears definitely came on when I was saying goodbye to my grandparents the day before my flight. I couldn’t stop them during the drive home either, even though I was trying to not be hysterical in front of my youngest sister who was in the passenger seat beside me. Alisa, my youngest sister, was someone I had been spending a lot more time with in the last few weeks, whether it be going bowling for an hour, getting our eyebrows done, or even running errands. In my final minutes before departing for the airport, I noticed that she was hanging around me a lot more, and that maybe she was also suppressing some feelings as well. LOL even while thinking back on this, I find myself unable to hold back the tears. Anyway, hugging her goodbye also set me off again, although my dad didn’t comment on it so that made it easier for me to calm down. 
I’ve always dreamt about college, and looked forward to the possibilities that come with higher education and being in a new location/larger institution. It wasn’t until my senior week that I started realizing what kinds of apprehensions I had underneath all the enthusiasm about the future. You know, I went to the same secondary school for 6 years, where some of my closest friendships had been that old as well. Sure, I made new connections every year, and my closeness with friends fluctuated throughout the era, but I always had a solid sense of who was my friend and who was merely an acquaintance. The idea of going into college fresh, with a blank slate, was both something I was excited about but I also realized something I was afraid of. Sitting here, 5 days into the process, I’ve met dozens of super interesting, approachable, and intelligent people. I’ve made various acquaintances, whether they be in my dorm, my orientation group, my classes, or spontaneous encounters I’ve had walking around campus. With that being said, although I have people I can message to eat meals with or sit in a lounge with, I don’t feel comfortable here yet socially. I don’t have a solid group, and I’ve been feeling more FOMO (fear of missing out) than I could’ve ever really felt in high school. I don’t know, in some instances, when I see groups of people going off together, especially when I am acquainted with them, to a party or some off-campus event, I definitely feel a little isolation. I don’t know, I don’t want a college experience where all I do is go to class, study, eat food with people, go to a club meeting, and sleep. I want some archetypal college experiences, whether it be going to parties or even taking advantages of the many events that occur in the metropolitan areas of Atlanta. In instances like this, I think I’m just allowing my uncertainties and vulnerability get the best of me, especially because I probably am just making assumptions about the involvement and acclimation of those around me. We all put up facades, and as someone who constantly tries to break mine by confiding in others and being an open person, I should acknowledge and believe this. I’m sure it’s normal. All of my concerns and insecurities are probably expected and on track with where I should be. I just have to remember not to rush into things, because things are going well - they could be so much worse. Everyone I’ve engaged in conversation with has been kind and I haven’t even gone to an activities fair yet, so I haven’t even finished making the frame of my initial social spheres. 
My two days prior to actual moving in went pretty smoothly. We went shopping a lot, spent way too much money of course, because who knew how many little things you’d actually need in your dorm? My list of supplies continued to grow throughout those 48 hours, as I started remembering the smallest but most essential things that I always had at my disposal when I lived in a family home, rather than a 11′ by 20′ dorm room. We went to some cool eateries in the area, such as Poke Burri, a social media renowned poke stand that makes sushi doughnuts, burritos, bowls, pizza, you name it - although it is located in a more rundown, artistic, hipster neighborhood that is a little unassuming, it was pretty cool and a general area I’d want to revisit again with some friends (neurotic, protective fathers are probably not built for a place like that). We also visited my former Russian teacher, who a few months before my acceptance to Emory, had announced that she was moving to a city that’s just under an hour outside of Atlanta. It was comforting to be able to see her again, and even nicer to know that she’s more than willing to be a source of support for me too. I think I’m going to try and visit her in late September or early October, just because I don’t really have too many familiar faces here.  In terms of the whole move-in process, the day went pretty smoothly. My scheduled move-in time was 7:00am, so my dad and I woke up at 5:45am to get there on time. We finished unpacking my various suitcases and packages around 1:00pm (I worked slower than I probably should LOL). I met my roommate and her family of course, which went nicely. She and I clicked immediately, we’ve been communicated for about 4 months now, since we had requested each other way back in April. Even though I felt like we’d make great friends, I even started getting apprehensive about how she and I would get along, since it’s always hard to kind of tell how someone is over text and how someone is in person. So far, everything has been pretty easy-going, and both of us have been very willing to share and compromise, which is great :) We are different in various ways, but also alike in others, so I’m happy with how that’s going! Our ability to click quickly was definitely something that reassuringly lifted stress off my shoulders. After unpacking my belongings, we met with our orientation groups, had the Emory Welcome assembly, the traditional Emory Coke Toast (after which my father left), and then another Emory After Dark social event, where students were able to get free food from various local food trucks and mingle. 
So far, all of the social events have proven to be more or less fun, and have resulted in me encountering a wide breadth of interesting and kind people. I’ve yet to meet someone who has been explicitly rude or unapproachable, and it’s just been really cool to be surrounded by so many people who are passionate, driven, and talented. Though, I will say, I’ve never been more exhausted in my life. With our orientation days packed to the brim with Songfest practices, orientation leader meetings, convocation, Emory welcome events, you name it - any free time we do have, usually begins at around 9:00pm, meaning it’s pretty likely that if you want to have control over who you hang out with, you’ll end up going to bed around 12:00am to 1:00am every night. Or, at least I have. So far, my roommate has been pretty easygoing with me coming in late, I think both for her sake and my own, I’m going to have to cut it down, because I went to bed at nearly 2:00am last night (today is 8/31/2018) even, and I woke up at 8:00am (mind you, I was going to wake up at 6:30am to go to the gym). Last night, after Songfest - which is a freshman-dorm singing and dancing competition where each residence hall basically disses the other and competes for best shirt/banner/lyrics/performance - I was thinking about going to The Mansion for their Emory Back to School Event, but it would’ve started at like 10:30pm and gone to 3:00am, and apparently a lot of girls get sexually assaulted there so I’m glad I decided against it. It’s weird, even on the night after move-in day, I saw hoards of girls all dressed up to go off campus to parties - how do people even find out about these kinds of things? I also don’t understand what’s the rush? Like you barely know the people in your own dorm building, let alone already going off to get trashed somewhere else.  It’s strange the severity of FOMO I’ve been feeling here, like it hasn’t been atrocious, but it has been more than at home, and it has been contributing to feelings of depression that I haven’t felt in a long time. Later today, I’m going to call the Psychological & Mental Health Services Office to try and schedule and appointment, because it hasn’t even been a week since move in, and I’m already feeling myself shut down and want to isolate myself. It really hit me that I may need to get counseling when I found myself having difficulty holding back tears while I was in the midst of one of the most high-spirited, school events of my four years here - why would anyone be sad while having school spirit and being around people who are super energetic and enthusiastic? So, it felt like something was wrong.  
Nonetheless, I’m really excited for the opportunity to reinvent myself. I went to the Religion & Spirituality Fair the other day, and I’m really interested in not only being apart of the Baha’i Student Association (wasn’t at the fair but I’m in contact with the leading people), but I kind of want to learn more about UKirk Atlanta, which is a very-liberal, Presbyterian church group that comes here every Thursday evening. I don’t know, the people were very gay-pride, bubbly, and quirky, so I think it would be enlightening and also fun. A lot of the groups, oddly enough, are okay with attendees not being of the faith, so I feel more encouraged to go to these meetings just as a means of learning about the religion and its community here on campus. I also went to the LGBT Freshman/Transfer Welcome Meeting, which was really nice. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if it was my place to go, I don’t believe in sexuality labels (meaning, I identify as non-conforming), and with that being said I don’t know if that constitutes as me being able to say I could fall into any of the LGBT spectrum. However, people were kind and maybe as I continue exploring myself, I’ll find that I fall more into one realm over a current one (I’ve been more attracted to masculinity/cis-men for a while now). With all this being said, it’s just really cool how many different student programs there are here on campus. Some others I want to explore are Club Weightlifting, A Cappella, Emory Dark Arts, Active Minds, Ballroom Dancing Club, a literary journal/newspaper, and some sort of community service oriented group. Unlike in high school, I feel like I want to be more involved in activities that are more like hobbies, rather than something that is related to my academic interests. We’ll see though, the Activities Fair is on Saturday, and I think now’s a good time to explore things and just kind of really start figuring out how and where I want to set my foot at this school.  In terms of my academic classes thus far, I’ve enjoyed all of them. I’m taking PSYC 110: Psychobiology & Cognition (General Psychology 1), RUSS 201: Intermediate Reading/Writing/Speaking, CHEM 150: Lecture & Lab (General Chemistry 1), and PHIL 111: Existentialism & European Philosophy. Aside from the class materials and textbooks being horribly expensive, I think I’m going to gain a lot from all these classes. I really like my professors for all of them, especially my philosophy instructor, who isn’t even a professor - he’s a PhD student who wears grayscale outfits, has plugs (stretches his lobes), a huge beard, and swears. Chemistry will be a difficult class for me, I can tell already, but the professor is super passionate and teamwork-oriented so I think I’ll come out of it with a good foundation in the science. The one class I feel a little strange about is my Russian class, because as a somewhat “native” speaker, it is strange to be in a room full of non-native speakers trying to speak Russian, as well as being in a Russian learning setting where the professor speaks English 85% of the time. The weird thing is, I feel like the class is moving very slowly and like we’re learning a lot of basic vocabulary, but I also don’t feel like I have the strong foundation in grammar to try and move up to the 300 level class. It’s so hard to judge placement at this point because it’s syllabus week, and the add/drop/swap period ends on Wednesday, so by Tuesday night, I would’ve only had 4 Russian classes to judge. I think I’m going to stick it out and then begin a different language next year, because I’m not planning on even minoring in Russian - it’s merely courses I’m taking to improve my ability to speak with relatives and people of my culture/heritage. I’m deciding between French and Arabic for this new language I want to start, but I also want to continue with Spanish, so I will probably end up studying that again at some point too. My psychology lecture is interesting in that a good half of the courses focuses on gender identity, sexuality, love, and topics of that nature - something I would not have expected to be included in an intro level course. Of course, the course also goes over the major sections of the brain, the five senses, and memory, but I find it strange that gender and sexuality is also a huge component. Nonetheless, it is something I wanted to learn more about so it’ll be cool!
My polaroid project has been going well, it will be a pricey investment, but I know I’ll enjoy looking back on it. 
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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We are bodies of broken bones. I guess I'd always known but never fully considered that being broken is what makes us human. We all have our reasons. Sometimes we're fractured by the choices we make; sometimes we're shattered by things we would never have chosen. But our brokenness is also the source of our common humanity, the basis for our shared search for the comfort, meaning, and healing.
Thomas Merton
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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“Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson: An Enlightening Introduction for the Class of 2022 to Emory University & its Values
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After winning this nonfiction piece a few years ago from a random GoodReads book giveaway, on a day when I had probably entered in dozens, never did I think that Bryan Stevenson’s story about bringing justice and redemption to the incarcerated and discriminated against would reappear my life. As it turns out, Emory University strongly advocates for cultural competency, tolerance, critical thinking, multidimensional perspectives, and the ability to have difficult conversations; thus, it is no surprise that Emory would choose this memoir to be a more creative introduction for the incoming Class of 2022. 
Aside from its setting including various locations in the Greater Atlanta Area, Stevenson’s book even more so speaks relevantly to the current freshman class because of the global political climate today, whether it be the still-existing microaggressions against various minority groups (i.e. physical disability, socioeconomic status, mental illness, race, etc.) by civilians or individuals of authority or the countless malicious - often times politically-charged - acts of terrorism and violence that plague communities every single day. With the United States having the largest population of prisoners in the entire world, it is no surprise too that Emory chose a book that exposes both the prevalence of incarceration in American culture and how its implementation and enforcement lacks the justice it hopes to promote. 
Because the student body is both diverse in geography and experience, Just Mercy serves as an interesting catalyst for important discussions about controversial topics like capital punishment or racial profiling, as well as about answering complex questions like, “Should an isolated act of our past define the entirety of our future?”
Bryan Stevenson takes the readers through the journey of how Stevenson found his calling through working at Stephen Bright’s Southern Center for Human Rights during law school, as well as how this experience led to the birth of the Equal Justice Initiative. As referenced on its Wikipedia Page, “[EJI] is a non-profit organization, based in Montgomery, Alabama, that provides legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongly convicted of crimes, poor prisoners without effective representation, and others who may have been denied a fair trial.” Throughout the piece, Stevenson intertwines his experiences of working with incarcerated individuals - mostly death row but also some condemned to life imprisonment without parole - who were seeking a retrial or simply a fair trial in the first place. Whether it be wrongful convictions, legal brinkmanship, systematic bureaucracy, cruel & inappropriate sentences for individuals who were just barely in adolescence and/or emotionally traumatized by their living circumstances and/or mentally ill, or pure negligence and discrimination on the part of highly influential figures of legal authority, Stevenson recalls his clients in such a way that allows his audience to see the humanity in the ‘criminal’ behind the crime, as well as to question whether capital punishment or death in prison is ever justifiable, especially when many of those with such sentences broke the law for reasons that go beyond pure evil or malice. 
As someone who strongly supports mental health & substance abuse advocacy and destigmatization, social activism isn’t something I’m blind to. Although it has become particularly controversial in recent years with the prevalence of closed-minded and often ignorant radicals, social activism - by principle - encourages only good: Acknowledging the legitimacy and prioritization of issues and differences experienced by individuals or institutions because of circumstances or qualities deemed unfavorable or inferior. In the case of Just Mercy, Stevenson raises the issue of advocating for one of the largest and most hidden minority groups in the United States: Prisoners. Personally, the rights of the incarcerated never really crossed my mind at all prior to reading this book. Many have compared the current legal system as a modernized parallel to slavery, with a majority of prisoners being male POCs. Although the various long and fact-heavy tangents about prisoner statistics, US Supreme Court landmark decisions, and the history behind the legal system proved to be better skimmed or even skipped over than not, Stevenson definitely made a point to connect the individual cases of his clientele to the context of the time and area that they’re being tried in. 
Though each main section would focus on a single case, Stevenson often references back to the story of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to death for a murderer he truly didn’t commit - even if the court believed otherwise. After a Judge Overrule that turned his life sentence to capital punishment - within a trial that didn’t even last two days, mind you - Walter McMillian’s life was on its way to being completely destroyed. With the help of Bryan Stevenson, as well as other defense attorneys, Walter’s innocence was eventually proven, as various appeal attempts eventually resulted in the prosecutors and judges realizing Walter’s innocence underneath the huge pile of ridiculous lies and claims made by various individuals regarding Walter as the perpetrator behind Ronda Morrison’s murder. After six years on death row, McMillian was able to regain his civilian freedoms, but at the expense of so much more; aside from the trauma of being on prison death row, never knowing which day will be your last, being unable to convince others of your innocence, Walter’s reputation and family were also negatively impacted by this flawed conviction - for instance, his wife didn’t even want to reintegrate him back into her life, after going through all the pain and stress of trying to prove his innocence and having to come to terms with the fact that he was sentences to never come home, let alone alive. 
All in all, I’m glad I read Just Mercy, even if its factual passages got to be tedious every now and then. Because aside from Stevenson’s occasional digressions, I do feel like Just Mercy helped me learn more about the prevalence of dated discriminatory behavior and prejudice found both in day-to-day life as well as the legal system, the processes involved in potentially exonerating a convicted individual, and more importantly, the importance of recognizing that even behind the worst of crimes, there’s a human being. 
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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In This Moment & Halestorm: August 3rd, 2018 at Mohegan Sun Casino (Uncasville, Connecticut)
Although I unfortunately can’t embed all of the videos on this single post (or rather, I simply don’t know how too haha), it goes without saying that this concert was both one of the best and one of the worst I’ve ever attended - here’s why.
As a concert junkie, I’m always looking for what bands and artists are coming to town, and since Connecticut isn’t necessarily a state with many metropolitan or venue hot spots, concerts can be hard to come by. Still on the Warped Tour buzz, I was dying to go to another rock show, and so when I saw that Halestorm/Rise Against/AFI were coming to Mohegan Sun in early August, I was pretty thrilled. With that being said, AFI & Rise Against were scheduled to come on the 4th, while Halestorm on the 3rd - although I was well acquainted with these bands, I only knew barely a handful of songs from each, and so rather than picking immediately which show I’d try to go to, I decided to give myself a week to binge-listen to their music. Since Halestorm was a day earlier, I decided to give them a go first, and boy - was I caught off guard.
Listening to the Spotify-generated “This is Halestorm” playlist, I was immediately blown away by how many consecutive songs I added to my personal hard rock playlist. Even on shuffle, Halestorm has proven to create many tracks that are well-produced, have good lyrical content, and are catchy! Whether they be the angrier, grittier rock anthems, or the slower, more emotional ballads, I found Lzzy Hale’s distinctive voice absolutely enchanting. I completely underestimated this band, for I’ve always had reservations with female-fronted rock or metal bands that weren’t Evanescence or just absolute death metal. At this point, I was far more infatuated with Halestorm as a band, than I had ever been with Evanescence. Although it’s clear that Halestorm takes many influences from classic rock and metal 80′s music, they still cultivate music that is original and of their own style. Because I was so quick to enjoy Halestorm, I didn’t even listen to AFI or Rise Against thoroughly - I knew immediately that I wanted to try and see Halestorm, regardless of the other acts they were going to be accompanied by. 
When I finally bought my tickets, I created a Spotify playlist based on their tour set lists from other dates, and for that following week and a half, I only listened to Halestorm - with the occasional In This Moment song. To be honest, even as the co-headliner, I never really found songs by ITM that I vibed with - their production is much less clean and there was something about the way that Maria Brink sang that was really off putting for me - unlike the typical post-hardcore or even metal growls, she pretty much wails which I could never really enjoy. Nonetheless, I tried to get acquainted with ITM’s set too, so I could better enjoy their performance when the time came.
Since it was a week-day show, it was hard for me to find someone to go with, but fortunately my father came in the clutch and accompanied me. When we got there, knowing that there were three bands performing tonight (New Years Day was the special guest for several tour dates), we went to one of the concert attendees and asked at approximately what time each band was set to perform. With the tickets stating that the concert started at 7:00PM, we discovered that Halestorm wasn’t due to perform until around 9:30PM, so rather than sitting through two bands that we weren’t quite interested in, we went to get pizza and pastries at our favorite pizza place & bakery. Killing almost two hours, we decided to head back to the venue and hang out there. 
Because things usually don’t go as scheduled, we made it in time for pretty much the entire In This Moment set, and to be honest, it was almost torturous to sit through. The stage design was as stereotypical satanic goth metal as you could get - pentagrams, crosses, witchy choreography, and cult-like dressings. It was borderline tacky, and Maria Brink - as stunning as her figure is - was even worse live when it came to how she sounded. The microphones were completely amplified and unbalanced; it was absolutely hard to hear coherence or individual notes in any of the instruments, and Maria was nearly unintelligible. Obviously, this is a matter of taste, and I know some audience members really loved it, but I just didn’t see the appeal, and I enjoy aggressive, scream-filled, post-hardcore/metalcore music like any alternative girl. Additionally, like most casino venues, the crowds were kind of dead, just sitting in their seats with minimal traditional headbanging. For a band that markets itself as metal, this was surprising, because even the pit was kind of just standing there and not as engaged when Maria would try to get them to say the lyrics. That’s not the kind of atmosphere that’s well-suited for a rock show - maybe for a Mariah Carey concert, but not this genre by any means. 
Eventually, Halestorm finally came on. After a long, but ultimately worthwhile wait, I was there for the music that we truly came for. Halestorm absolutely my mind - again. Unlike In This Moment, Halestorm & Lzzy Hale proved to be much more audibly balanced, audience engaging, and had a presence that was classy yet still retained the grittier, hard rock vibes. Since each setlist posted online was slightly different from tour date to tour date, I wasn’t sure if Halestorm was going to play the two slower ballads I loved - Heart of Novocaine & The Silence. Although they didn’t end up playing both, I was so so happy to be there, even brought to tears at certain points. Lzzy Hale was insane - she is so talented, and is capable of singing deep, contralto notes as well as high, controlled soprano belts. I loved the drum solo that Arejay Hale had, it was spectacular and extremely impressive. I also enjoyed how Lzzy & Joe performed The Silence with a more stripped-down take, just guitar and vocals. It was also cool to hear their personal connection to Connecticut, with it being their first performance at Mohegan as headliners. They talked about something like their first gig was not too far from Uncasville, which was pretty cool to think about, seeing as the band has been around for just about 20 years. 
Although we didn’t stay through the entire encore, I knew I was leaving Mohegan Sun absolutely overjoyed and fulfilled - I even bought a Halestorm shirt to take home as a memento from what ended up being one of my favorite concerts - but also, one of my least ;) (sorry, ITM fans!) 
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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“A Beautiful Mind,” Sylvia Nasar’s Recount of the Life of Mathematician, John Nash
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Mental illness, psychology, and neuroscience have all been long-held passions and pursuits of mine. As someone whose entering college in a couple weeks, with the intention of majoring in Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology as well as continuing mental health advocacy, I’ve always tried to incorporate the human mind in my daily life - whether it be through self-studying, entertainment, or work. Several years ago, I watched the film adaptation of Sylvia Nasar’s biography on John Nash, and was greatly intrigued by Nash’s story. Living during a time of great military activity (World War II, Cold War, Vietnam War, etc.), John Nash’s career, in addition to the onset of his schizophrenia, occurred in a time when there was great desperation for scientific and mathematical advancement, as well as emphasis on psychiatric care and mental health political reform. 
Because I really enjoyed the movie, I knew I had to read the book - it often happens that way for me, where I watch the movie first and then end up reading the book. Although it’s been a while since I’ve watched the film, from what I do remember, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the movie was very loosely based on Nasar’s biography. Nonetheless, for enjoyment’s sake, I still think I preferred the movie more than the book. 
First things first, I want to applaud Sylvia Nasar for her dedication and thoroughness with this project. Oh my goodness, every few sentences, there would be an endnote that would reference a large variety of both primary and secondary sources. Just seeing 60+ endnotes in one chapter, let alone the total of fifty, really shows how much time and effort Nasar went in compiling the most accurate and multi-dimensional narrative of how John Nash became a Nobel Laureate.
With that being said, as interesting as his life was, the biography was a struggle to read at times. In addition to being dense with tons of academic material, mathematical concepts, and history overall, John Nash was not a likable person and this definitely didn’t make his story any easier to read. John Nash was arrogant, aloof, self-oriented, abusive, immature, but also immensely intelligent, ambitious, determined, and passionate. Reading about his dysfunctional and toxic romantic relationships was difficult, for he neglected to take responsibility with his mistress and treat her with the respect she deserved as a human being and mother of his first son, and he also verbally abused his wife. With that being said, it was interesting to read about his suppressed homosexuality, as well as how his childhood & young adult character traits nearly foreshadowed his mental illness. In addition to his love life, John Nash barely had stable platonic relationships, for many of his academic peers viewed him as eccentric, strange, and frustrating to be around. Of course, he became well-networked and these connections served to both help him in the future, as well as to inspire many of the discoveries and accomplishments he made in the fields of pure mathematics, economics, and physics. I don’t want to be judgmental. I don’t want to disparage John Nash, nor do I want to excuse his behavior just because he was a genius. However, he was sick. John Nash suffered from a debilitating and severe mental disorder that detached him from reality and tortured him with wild delusions, auditory hallucinations, and paranoia. Living in a time with little research on his condition, let alone advocacy on the removal of mental illness stigma, John Nash suffered more than he probably would’ve today. Whether it was running from country to country, or hopping psychiatric facilities, paranoid schizophrenia was a large hoop for Nash to jump through, especially in terms of his mathematical career. Although it appears he went into some sort of “remission” from his schizophrenia in his later years, this condition definitely impacted how he experienced the world and I don’t want to react to his life without acknowledging the hardships he lived with on a regular basis. This novel was a bear to read. Even so, Sylvia Nasar wrote an in-depth, full circle biography, and did so about a genius who made great accomplishments, even with the difficult obstacles he had to face.
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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Newseum: A Trip Down the History & Philosophy of Media, Free Amendment, and Communication in the United States
Situated in the heart of Washington D.C., Newseum is a high-tech, multimedia, interactive museum that “...that promotes free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication.” (www.newseum.org) During my weekend in the US Capital, which had the primary purpose of dropping my sister off at her pre-college program, we felt it would be a disservice if we didn’t make a visit to at least one of D.C.’s many museums and galleries. 
Having visited the city numerous times, we decided to try something new and decided to visit the Newseum, which we had surprisingly never even heard of until this past week. Having only been in its more urbanized location for about a decade, we were surprised that we hadn’t visited it before, let alone knew it existed. Throughout high school, as well as portions of middle school, I had written for all the main publications - even eventually becoming one of the multi-departmental managing editors of our monthly newspaper. Journalism has been a long-held interest of mine, and with our ever-growing dependency on digital media, social media, and global communication, I strongly believe journalism, especially opinion-based editorials and creative features, will never die out - even if it has to evolve with the time.
In short, I was excited to visit this museum! Just outside the entrance, some cool features of the museum were its collection of each state’s main newspaper’s front-page stories (updated everyday!) and its huge, blown-up copy of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment - which as we know, outlines our citizens’ right to free expression. Being in such a political center, it can be argued that the museum definitely has a more left-winged leaning, seeing as it featured many controversial reporters and exhibits that reported against or commentated on conservative and authoritarian regimes - however, the notion of free speech is liberal in itself, since it encourages criticism of the status quo and the establishment of one’s identity - whether it be within or outside of the majority. Nonetheless, the museum was diverse, thoroughly-composed, and encouraged interesting discussions and considerations in its viewers, for a lot of the museum included philosophical and ethical questions about what is news, what is media, where do we draw the line in free expression, what is censorship, how far are some willing to go to expose the truth, and should people be persecuted for exercising their right to free speech - even if it is at the expense of others?
All in all, I really enjoyed the museum - even though, I didn’t spend extensive time in every exhibit or floor. This is a museum that is definitely worth visiting multiple times, for not only does it have such a great variety of interactivity, themes, and historical information, and mediums for it all to be presented in, Newseum also reflects current events, and will always update and evolve as society and history does. With various quotes plastered throughout the museum, one that particularly stands out is Philip L. Graham’s “Journalism is the first rough draft of history.” 
Scattered across six levels, the museum includes exhibits that range from a gallery of the most groundbreaking Pulitizer Prize photography across history, an exhibit of Germany’s Berlin Wall & its media coverage, the history of media evolution across radio, tv, and the internet (with each year displaying the biggest advancement or story of that time), a memorial of journalists killed-in-action as well as those who were tortured and barely escaped death as a result of their work, and various film screenings and interactive news-studio simulations.
The picture gallery for the Pulitizer Prize-winning shots was very emotional for me, as many of the photographs documented heart-wrenching, devastating events (both globally-known and locally), as well as just pivotal moments in history like Barack Obama’s campaigning that eventually led to him being the first African American President of the United States. The museum successfully mixed primary sources (i.e. saved prints of newspapers that date all the way back to the early days of the United States, objects used by reporters that were either persecuted or killed for their exercising of free speech) and secondary sources (documentaries, artwork, academic criticisms on events, political cartoons), as well as provided a multi-medium approach that didn’t bombard visitors with too much written information and infact, paralleled how media and communication has evolved today - with a lot of digital displays and more concise supplementary descriptions. 
This museum was thought-provoking, very informative, engaging, and even inspirational, for seeing the immense impact of journalists throughout time only further fueled my desire to continue pursuing intellectual writing and media in the future.
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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Rational thought imposes a limit on a person's concept of his relation to the cosmos.
John Nash
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius.
Edward Gibbon
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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“Joyland” by Stephen King: A Carny Tale That May Have Been A Little Too Sweet
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When it comes to the artistic genre of horror and thriller, Stephen King has, for many decades, been known as one of the masters. Considering the dozens of novels and short stories he’s written and published over the years - many of which have become even further popularized through film adaptations (i.e. IT, Carrie, The Shining) - it is no surprise that his brand name sets a high standard for the genre, as well as leaves curious readers with high expectations for what thrills and terror is about to come. 
Unfortunately, with high expectations often comes higher frequencies of disappointment. As a passionate fan of all things creepy, disturbing, dramatic, and outright dark, I was excited to finally get my hands on a Stephen King novel, and really give the horror genre a chance through the medium of literature. For me, most of my creative exploration of horror has been through photography, studio arts, music, and film - I suppose you can also include ghost stories and poetry as well. Nonetheless, I’ve never had the opportunity to submerge my mind into a text that gave me anxiety and suspense that lasted for longer than fifteen minutes of reading. Additionally, what’s different about horror literature (or frankly text versus visual arts) is that you aren’t limited to the portrayals of terrifying themes or ideas as you would see in paintings or movies - instead, the horror is all in your head, all up to your interpretations and also maybe even personalized or exaggerated based on your innate fears. With that all being said, I was looking forward to what was to come with Joyland.
Joyland tells the tale of Devin Jones and his time working in a traditional, carny amusement park in 1970s North Carolina. Dealing with the break up of his early college sweetheart, Devin’s story centers around uncovering the mysteries and unsolved facets of a murder that took place in that carny, several years earlier. Right off the bat, I think it’s fair to say that the storyline isn’t the most original, and having been written in the 2010s, I think we all would expect something a little less trite from King. Nonetheless, I believe it’s kind of hard these days to base a thriller in a carnival/amusement park and for it to be unique and original. 
Joyland, horror aside, was an engaging, straightforward, on-the-beach novel that was easy to read and quickly grabbed my attention; however, as nicely written as it may have been, it wasn’t nearly as groundbreaking or intense as one would expect a household name like Stephen King to produce. In fact, murder mystery aside, this book was basically a story about how some naive, heartbroken college student befriends randos at an amusement park and how he rebounds on a MILF whose son is dying of DMD (Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy). If you ask me, that huge arc of the storyline isn’t exactly what I am interested in reading. Shortly put, sure I was able to get through the novel with ease, but I would not nearly classify this as horror, much less regard it as archetypical of Stephen King. Although I won’t let Joyland discourage me from reading other King novels, I will definitely keep this book in mind when picking and choosing which of his books I will choose to read next.
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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Love the ones you feel deserve it the least because they need it the most.
Aaron Stark
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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“Love the ones you feel deserve it the least because they need it the most.” -Aaron Stark
This TEDxTalk nearly brought me to tears. No matter where we come from, what is the color of our skin, who we spiritually worship, or how we were raised, every one of us can and probably will face struggles and adversities that at one point dominate our perceptions of the world around us and our quality of life. 
It is easy to simplify one another, to assume that there isn’t much more within someone’s psyche beyond the shallow associations and interests we may categorize them by. There’s so much to gain and learn from every single person on this planet - from their dreams, their fears, their passions, their experiences. No matter how seemingly different we are, there are some feelings and experiences that are nearly universal, and one of those is often the feeling of inescapable hopelessness. Aaron Stark courageously shares the timeline of his abusive and isolating childhood, an upbringing full of physical abuse, constant instability, and overall alienation both by his family and peers. 
It was at his ultimate low, a time most pivotal, that the kindness, humane treatment, and respect of a friend changed his life and unexpectedly catapulted him onto a path of healing and recovery. There is so much meaning in even the smallest of acts. As easy as it may be sometimes to assume malicious intent or evil nature in some, it is often not the case. Our environments may greatly shape who we are, but that doesn’t mean we can’t grow beyond or recover from even the darkest of times. As beautifully said by Stark, “Love the ones you feel deserve it the least because they need it the most.”
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forumofkuka · 6 years
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Vans Warped Tour 2018: My Amazing First & Unfortunate Last
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When I discovered my love for the emo subculture during the summer after 7th grade, I began expanding and refining my taste in both fashion and music. Spending countless hours on Tumblr - discovering new artists and designers - I eventually came across the epitome of emo/punk celebrations: Vans Warped Tour. As a nationally-touring, all-day rock & roll/punk/metal festival, Warped Tour became the unofficial holiday for all those who identified as “alternative,” almost like a family reunion. Each date of Warped Tour across the United States was a unique opportunity for all the surrounding scene queens, metalheads, and pop punk kids to come together, an event that truly seems like the only one of its kind. Here, dozens of bands/artists come together, perform sets on various stages scattered around the arena, sell their merchandise at (sometimes discounted) prices, and host meet & greets/signings for their fans to attend. Additionally, in the midst of all the music, alternative clothing brands, charity organizations, and local food trucks offer all kinds of products, some you buy and others you can win! Warped Tour is an opportunity for devoted fans to see many of their favorite artists take the stage, as well as discover new ones.
Ever since I discovered Warped Tour, I’ve wanted to attend; every summer, they make a stop in my state, in a city that is barely 20 minutes from my house, yet I’ve never been able to go because the festival always seemed to fall on my mother’s birthday or a vacation outside of the country. Finally, as I’ve graduated high school, Vans announces that 2018 will be the final year for a cross-country Warped Tour. Seeing the heightened stakes, I knew that this was the year I had to go, no matter what; fortunately enough, my local date fell three days after my mom’s birthday, and with a couple of friends, we bought a 4-ticket pack and planned our attendance!
Although it has become less prevalent in my day-to-day demeanor and appearance, my love for alternative music and edgier style hasn’t faltered. Sure, I’ve given away many of my Hot Topic graphic tees and lessened the black makeup, but if anything, I’m listening to post-hardcore, newcore, hard rock, and pop punk even more. Warped Tour encouraged me to step outside of my usual and to finally listen to iconic groups that I’ve neglected to give a chance in the past. Their names were very familiar in my head, but when it came to their actual music, I was clueless.
Two weeks before my mid-July date, I decided to create a collaborative Spotify playlist, where my friends and I (mostly me haha) added our favorite bops from artists that we knew we HAD to try and see. Through personal exploration, I finally listened to Tonight Alive’s latest album, Underworld, and absolutely fell in love. I wish I had given them a chance earlier! Although I didn’t end up sticking around until their set, I know now that I have a new band to keep up with and to hopefully get to see live in the future.
In addition to ‘studying’ for Warped, I spent a couple of weeks coming up with the ultimate outfit. Because I don’t get decked out in checkered patterns, fishnets, and band tees on a regular basis, I wanted to go all out for this festival, even more so because I’d be surrounded by people who were going to do the exact same!
When we finally arrived, July 15th, 2018, at Xfinity Theatre, I felt almost euphoric. I don’t think my friends or I could describe to you how smiley I was. Because of crazy traffic, we walked a little over half a mile to the actual entrance. As much as I’m super proud of being an emo, I didn’t hold back from laughing with my friends at how stereotypical or cringey some of our fellow concertgoers were - I mean, come on, alternative kids are usually outcasts for a reason and I’m not going to deny that we’re usually freaks LOL, I know I am! It was so so so hot outside, but there were many opportunities to affordably stay hydrated, since Vans Warped Tour hosted a large, FREE hydration station right by the Journey Stage and the entrance. At most concerts, any beverages - alcoholic or not - are never complimentary, and so I think this anomaly only shows the care and consideration the creators of Warped Tour have for its fans and attendees.
I felt so in my element. For years, I had only ever had a handful of friends who only moderately shared an interest in this subculture, but it was never to the same extent as I did. Being at Warped Tour finally gave me a chance to feel free, an opportunity for me to not have to tone down or hide this actual part of my identity. Looking back, I’m happy with how it went. We ended up splitting up in pairs for parts of the day, but I was able to watch or listen as I walked around to the sets of almost a dozen bands: Doll Skin, Issues, Real Friends, Unearth, Wage War, The Amity Affliction, The Story Untold, Northlane, Ice Nine Kills, Crown the Empire. Although I didn’t watch all of them fully, and there were various others I had wanted to see, it was so much fun to get a taste of different styles of music, ranging from pop-punk to metalcore, and to also see the vibes of the crowds. Never in my life, have I seen so much dust in the air from crowd-surfing, headbanging, and mosh-pitting. It was amazing, and with concerts already being such a euphoric and almost spiritual experience for me, I loved it even more.
Out of all four of us, I’m definitely the one in the group who is more extroverted, aggressive, eccentric, and just overall “out there.” I almost ran away from the group at times, as I would walk ahead of the group, looking around, and was the only one who seemed to be able to beeline through the crowds. 
Rather than spending ridiculous amounts on junk food, I was able to bring in half a dozen, packaged mini cucumbers, and surprisingly didn’t get them confiscated. Although it was a strange snack to bring, it worked out pretty well as an addition hydration boost!
Instead of droning on about the minute-to-minute occurrences of the day, I’ll summarize some highlights.
One of the funnier moments of the day was unexpectedly walking by a faculty member from high school, decked out in all black with his swoopy, punk-styled ginger hair. I had no idea he was into this kind of scene, but seconds after we walked by, a set ended and he quickly left. While I don’t know if he walked away because he saw that we had seen him, it was such a surprise that the one familiar person we’d see that day, wasn’t a student but someone who had worked in the IT department at our high school.
Another moment was when I was buying an Official Vans Warped Tour T-Shirt, and a girl came up to me, in order to compliment me on my outfit. To be honest, she wasn’t the only one to praise me for my checkered overalls, blue barlot crop top, fishnets, and dark gray Doc Martens. I even received a free sticker from a vendor for my overalls! I felt so warm inside, seeing others appreciate these stylistic choices that I had very much been excited about displaying! What stood out to me about this moment with this girl, in particular, was that she had actually tried complimenting me from her car, as my friends and I were walking to the venue, but I hadn’t heard her! The fact she came across me and went up to me, just to tell me, was so sweet <3
To continue on this train of highlights, although I had went into Warped Tour, not planning on getting anything signed or waiting in line for a meet & greet, I ended up meeting The Story Untold and getting all of their signatures on my phone case! Before Warped Tour, I had definitely seen their name around the internet, knowing they were a pop-punk band. Nonetheless, I had never listened to them before and didn’t get a chance to before the festival. When we were walking around the different stands, partly to see what’s there, partly to kill time until Ice Nine Kills was set to take the stage at 4:00pm, we decided to take refuge by the Fueled by Ramen stand and reapply sunscreen in the shade of the tent. While standing there, we had overheard a really good set by this pop-punk band that turned out to be The Story Untold. Hearing how good they had sounded, we decided to get closer and become more a part of the crowd. After jamming out to their songs, “History” and “Delete,” they had announced that they were going to their nearby stand for a meet & greet shortly after. Seeing as we had loved their set and weren’t planning on going elsewhere for the next hour, we quickly ran to their stand and managed to be within a dozen people from the very front of the line. When watching their set, their lead singer vaguely reminded me of All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth, in both appearance and sound. In between songs, he mentioned something about the group being French-Canadian, with the drummer, Johnathan Landry, having horrible English, as a part of a bit that continued on. While waiting in line, I kept thinking about why these two thoughts felt familiar, until I realized that the lead singer was Janick Thibault. Back in 2016, I remember watching a few of his All Time Low/Green Day covers on Youtube, at a time when I don’t think he was in the band. The world truly works in mysterious ways. I hadn’t thought about him since, and so it was crazy that we happened to be chilling by the Owly.fm stage, right when they were in the middle of their performance.
Aside from The Story Untold, my favorite set was by Ice Nine Kills, a band that was in my Top Three to see for the day. Besides being basically in love with Spencer Charnas, I absolutely loved their performance. In addition to sounding great, they really took their theatrical sound to the next level by having everyone in the band dress up as iconic and classic horror movie serial killers, such as Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) and Freddie Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street). Having probably something to do with their two latest singles, “The American Nightmare” and “Thank God It’s Friday,” it was really fun to watch, and their music completely encouraged an awesome moshpit (that I watched from afar) and a ton of head-banging.
The one downside of the day was having to leave 3 hours or so earlier than I had planned. Of course, it was mildly expected, but that’s part of going in a group, you make compromises, and with some friends not feeling well periodically throughout the day, it was my turn to sacrifice, especially since out of everyone, I was able to see the most artists on my list. Although it was advertised as the last cross-country tour, I know my friends and I - as well as many others - hope that that simply means that Vans Warped Tour might be a regional event, with separate tours on the East and West Coast. Warped Tour was a true moment of liberation for me and I will forever remember July 18th, 2018 as a peak of not only my 2018 summer, but my 2018 year as well.
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