Posts Tagged ‘college life’

A Trip to the Clubs

Posted: August 26, 2012 in ideas, Living and Life, Writing
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This is very similar to what I saw this evening. Rock on, dude!

Okay, this evening I went clubbing (and by the time you read this it’ll probably not be evening anymore, but whatever). It’s not something I do often; outside of weddings or bar/bat mitzvahs, I rarely go out and party, and as I’m only 19 I never drink while doing it. Last year I even got invited to a frat party, but instead decided to go to a late-night pancake buffet at my dorm (which paid off; I met OSU’s President E. Gordon Gee, who decided to make a surprise visit, and I have the photographic evidence to prove it too). But I felt like doing something different tonight; heck, SNL”s not going to be back for another couple weeks, and I didn’t have anything better to do, so I went clubbing.

See, I told you I had the proof; way cooler than a frat party. O-H!

The club I went to, Rio, is close to my dorm and allows anyone 18 and older in. Lucky for me too, because what a night it was: the music was crazy loud, the laser light show was crazy, the DJs knew how to remix popular music (I swear, Gotye sounds so awesome with an electronic beat), and I even saw a few friends there who went to the same high school as me.

But what was most awesome about Rio? I’ll tell you: the fact that I got inspired and had an idea for both a short story and a poem, which just goes to show that if you distract your mind with something, you’ll come up with something great (and there’s a clip from The Big Bang Theory of Sheldon waiting tables on YouTube that proves it; I would’ve embedded it here, but the embedding was disabled). The short story I’ll use for my Creative Writing with a Literary Bent course (not the title of the class, but you get the idea), as all the other ideas I had for that class suck. The poem, which came to me while watching the lasers interact with the smoke coming from the stage, I think I’ll see if I can get it into a magazine.

And of course, if anything gets published, I’ll make sure to let you know. Now, I’d like to write some more about clubbing, and another post about something someone said to me recently and what I thought of it, but it’s past two in the morning and I’ve got to get up later for a meditation course, so go find that Big Bang Theory clip and have a lovely morning coffee (if you’re like me, you drink something to wake up in the morning while surfing the net, in my case tea).

My Classes: Fall 2012

Posted: August 23, 2012 in Living and Life
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I got such great reception from my uncle the last time I used this image, I’m using it again. Go Buckeyes!

Well, I’m sure you all want to know what sort of classes I’m taking at Ohio State, seeing as we’ve moved from the quarter system to semesters and whatnot. Okay, maybe you’re not that interested, but maybe I’ll tell you anyway because you’re already here reading this, right?

Okay, so I’m taking four classes, the minimum allowed for a full-time student on semesters (I want to ease into the whole semester thing after just getting used to quarters). Yesterday morning I had my first class, a Philosophy course that studies how statistics can be faulty or misleading and how you can spot said statistics. It was interesting, especially since it’s an election year here in the United States, and everybody is using statistics in promoting one candidate or another. Plus, the course was in Hitchcock Hall, which meant that half the class was composed of birds, the teacher was a cross-dresser named Norman Bates, there was a rear window in the classroom, and one of the non-avian students suffered from vertigo (not really, but wouldn’t it be hilarious if all that did happen?).

The second class was a fiction-writing course, and apparently each one of us is going to be working on a single short story throughout the year and workshopping it and editing it as the semester rolls on. The class has a more literary bent than I expected, but thankfully the teacher is allowing supernatural elements in our stories, so you know I’m thankful, because some other teachers who teach this sort of class prefer not to have genre elements at all! Don’t know why, maybe they’re just insane.

After that I have a documentary class, where we’re actually going to be creating autobiographical works in a variety of written, audio, and video formats. It sounds like a lot of work, but it also sounds like a ton of fun! If I can, I’ll post some of the work from that class here on Rami Ungar the Writer.

And this morning I had my fourth and final class, Introduction to the Discipline of History. Basically we’re looking at the study of history itself, and how history has evolved over the years. It’s required for all History majors, and you have to at least get a C in it to pass and take more history courses. Of course, I’m aiming for all A’s this semester, so I’m definitely going to work hard!

Well, that’s all I got to talk about for now. I’ve got some homework to take care of, so I’ll see you all later when the urge to type up a good post comes to me. Have a great day and enjoy the weather.

Believable Stories

Posted: August 22, 2012 in Reflections, Writing
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Today for my homework from my creative writing class, I had to read some analyses on story-writing, and one of the topics brought up was that one cannot tell a story that is not believable, and if the story isn’t believable, it’s your own fault. This made me think of three things: one, it made me think of several examples of stories I’ve read where the stories have not made any sense to me because some aspect of the story was utter nonsense. Another was my favorite line of advice about creating fantastic worlds: “You can’t go and say, ‘I’m going to write a story where everybody has guns but nobody uses them.’ Under what circumstances could such a world exist?”

And most importantly, it made me think of a story that I’ve struggled with over the past couple of years, a story about a school shooting. I’ve had plenty of problems with creating a story under five-thousand words involving a bunch of bullied teens lashing out against their oppressors but later regretting it. The latest incarnation of the story, titled “Frye Day”, I thought I might have actually fixed that problem. But did I? Nope; a friend of mine looked it over and said the ending just didn’t mesh with him. Funny, the ending is always the part where the meshing has the most trouble meshing right.

I’ll probably return again to this story, and end up rewriting the entire thing to work, though I won’t do it for a while. However, as much as I like the idea behind the story–that violence doesn’t solve problems, especially violent problems such as intense bullying–I keep thinking to myself that while although I know it’s making me a better writer if I create a story every now and then that just doesn’t seem believable, I always think to myself that I’ve failed somehow, like my textbook says I did, in writing this story that couldn’t possibly happen. I’m sorry, I seem to be rambling in that last sentence, did I lose anyone there?

Anyway, I strive to make a story people think is believable, and it would make me feel better if you’ve struggled with this problem too. Let me know.

Review: ParaNorman

Posted: August 19, 2012 in Review
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The theatrical poster for ParaNorman. Read my review below.

I hope I got that title right; when the trailers have all the words in capital letters, it’s hard to tell. Also, be aware there are spoiler alerts in this article.

Anyway, today a friend of mine and I went to see ParaNorman at the theater near campus, and we got to wear those 3D goggles that sometimes seem useless when there aren’t enough shots that emphasize the 3D part of it all. But I’m getting sidetracked; here’s the review part you all came for.

ParaNorman is interesting to talk about. I say that because it’s one of those children films where the filmmakers have added parts that adults will also find funny. Now sometimes that works: there’s a scene where one of the characters, a teacher who thinks she should be in the opera, emphasizes that the town legend of the witch is not meant to be accurate but to sell postcards and that sort of stuff. Other times, it doesn’t: Norman’s mom asks him early in the film what he’s watching on TV, to which he says, “sex and violence”. I think some parents may not like that aspect of the movie.

There is also a few cliche and stereotypical characters in this movie: there’s the dad in the film a typical Daddy-knows-best type who doesn’t really know best, which makes you wonder if he’s really qualified to work with a kid who under other circumstances might’ve been taken to see a therapist; and there’s a black female cop who seems to be the stereotype of black females cops by being loud and yelling “Sweet Jesus!” Yes, she does say that.

However there are attempts to break stereotypes that are pretty positive. Remember that dumb jock type from the trailers? He ends up helping to save the day at the end of the movie, and when we think Norman’s sister finally has a great boyfriend, we find out he’s gay. Got to say, my friend and I enjoyed that.

But the other thing that’s just as interesting about ParaNorman is that while although this is a zombie film, it’s one that breaks a few of the rules. For one, there are only seven zombies–yes seven, you read that right–and they don’t turn anyone else into zombies or kill anyone. Also, these zombies are less stupid antagonists but more intelligent, speaking to Norman and actually playing a different purpose than being evil.

In the end the message of this movie is one that gets us in the heart: sometimes we act mean to things (or people) that scare us, and that causes us to do horrible things. It’s only that by thinking of the good people in our lives that we don’t become like them and that the cycle of hate and fear can end.

One qualm I had with the film that reminded me that this wasn’t magic before my eys but actual filmmakers manipulating little puppets was that one of the characters, a big guy with a beard, had a beard that changed a bit too much when he talked. It just took away from the movie magic.

To ParaNorman, I give the film a 3.8 out of 5 for wonderful memories, but I take away points for trying to please the adult audience too much at the expense of the kids who will go to see this film. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Moving Back Into the Dorms

Posted: August 17, 2012 in Living and Life
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Ohio State University, my school and in my opinion one of the most awesome schools out there (though my relatives in Michigan will disagree).

Well, I moved back into the dorms today, as can be evidenced by the title. Can I just say I love being back? I have the same room as I did last year (signed up for that option), and since I have no roommates (it’s a single), I have a bedroom and bathroom all to myself! What’s more, I have an excellent view of campus, and heat I can control. Does it get any better than that?

I moved in a couple days early because my parents couldn’t swing moving me in with everybody else, which in retrospect seems like a good thing; I’m avoiding the rush and crazy traffic that always accompanies Ohio State on our famous move-in day. So I think I’ll enjoy myself this weekend and have some down time before school starts up on Wednesday. I may even hang out with a few friends if we can find the time, though with the whole switch-from-quarters-to-semesters on top of moving in and whatnot, it might be difficult.

Oh, and what classes am I taking, you ask? I’m taking a fiction-writing course (hopefully from this will come some great new short stories, and a few tricks for writing said stories), a documentary class (looks like I’ll finally learn how to make a movie on my computer), a history class (required for all History majors like myself), and a philosophy class that somehow fulfills a stats requirement (I’m not really sure how that works, but I’m not complaining!). I hope to get all A’s this year, so wish me luck, okay?

Got to go, have a great weekend!

Spring Quarter Wrap-Up: It’s So Late I’m Apologizing For It In The Post’s Title

Posted: June 26, 2012 in Living and Life
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I doubt any of you were exactly waiting on bated breath for me to send out my end-of-quarter update post, and I know it’s been a little over two weeks since the quarter officially ended, but I’m sending this out anyway now that I’ve remembered it. And if any of you were waiting on bated breath, I’m very sorry, so please take a breath before you die from lack of oxygen!

Alright, so here at Ohio State, this was our last quarter before we officially switch over to semesters (which is both exciting and  scary, so you know I’m looking forward to it some). And what a quarter it was! It just seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, I had to pack up my stuff and get out of the dorms! I’m happy to say though, that I got a 3.24o GPA (not what I was expecting, but I’m still happy about it). I enjoyed every single one of my classes, especially my English class, where I discovered that I have a fondness for early English literature, particularly Paradise Lost by John Milton (I enjoyed it so much my mom got it for me for my birthday).

I also saw a few of my friends graduate. I’m a little sad, but I know we’ll have memories, and it’s not as if we’ll never see each other again. Not only that, but my sister is going to be a freshman in the fall! She’s going to be studying to psychology and criminology, with the hopes of becoming a criminal profiler for the BAU (so you know she’s going to like Snake, the novel I’m working on right now). We get along fine, but we’re living on opposite sides of campus, because when we get into an argument, there just isn’t enough nuclear bomb shelters to go around these days.

All for now, besides the fact that I’m working on campus, and living with my dad so I can commute to and from work. I’ll let you guys know about fall semester when it gets a little closer. Bye!

This Crazy Weekend (June 1-3, 2012)

Posted: June 3, 2012 in Living and Life
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No seriously, it’s been a crazy (but super-fun) weekend for me. It’s the last week of the quarter, and everybody’s getting ready to move out while studying at the same time. Still, events occur that perk up everybody’s moods and give them a welcome break from studying.

For instance, last night at Hillel (the Jewish organisation on campus, for those of you unfamiliar) hosted the all-Jewish acapella group, the Meshuggenotes, for an awesome concert, in which 9 seniors, one or two I’m friends with, were thanked for all their hard work and wished luck after graduation.

Then today, I found out at the cookout my dorm had that in the Biggest Loser challenge at my dorm, I was actually the winner! Oh my god! Really didn’t think I’d win that, but it looks I did! This’ll encourage to continue eating and working out over the summer! And that’s not all; my floor gathered the most food in a food drive, which means we get a pizza party! I knew buying all those ramen cups in bulk would pay off!

And tomorrow’s probably going to be the biggest thing yet: my sister is graduating from Bexley High School. She’ll be an OSU student like me in the fall, though we’ll be living on separate sides of campus and probably won’t have classes together or anything (anyone who knows us will say that’s probably the best arrangement for all concerned). Congrats Adi! Love you no matter what, and I look forward to you being a Buckeye on campus!

All for now, write a new post later. Oh, and if you haven’t already, go back two posts to “Writing in the Summer: What to Do” and please participate in the poll going on there. Polls open till June 10th, so please vote.

A Novel Idea Part 2

Posted: May 14, 2012 in Living and Life, Writing
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It’s unusual for me to publish two posts in a single day, so three might be a sign of the apocalypse, but I’m going to write this one anyway, so if you would kindly not hide in your basement for fear of meteors and aliens and earthquakes, I would be grateful.

If you remember a few months ago, I attended an event funded by the English Undergraduate Organization (EUGO) called “A Novel Idea”, which was for studnets who wanted to publish novels to sit down and hear from professors with publishing experience. The event was so successful that tonight they held a “Part 2”, which I was just at. We heard from a professor who worked on reference books for librarians trying to find the best of certain genres, and we discussed the pros and cons of self-publishing, the revolution of e-books (there’s a post two back that also covers this topic), and other topics. One of the things I learned was that with the emergence of e-books, publishers are now more willing to tlak to authors who aren’t represented by literary agents. Since I don’t have an agent (yet, anyway), that definitely got my interest, so maybe tonight I’ll see if there are any publishers that don’t mind a writer without an agent.

We also discussed the use of publishing short stories before publishing a novel (still relevant, especially with e-mags) and books that have defied the usual statisitcs associated with breaking away from the usual publishing process (50 Shades of Grey being the most talked about).

So, now that I’m back in the dorms, I’ll finish what homework I have, and then do a little work on getting Reborn City into book (or e-book) form. Wish me luck, and if you have any suggestions or helpful ideas, let me know.

Spring Quarter 2012: Half-Time Report

Posted: April 27, 2012 in Journalism, Living and Life, Writing
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It’s spring quarter, the last quarter of the school year, and since Ohio State is switching to semesters in the fall, the last quarter ever. So I have one thing to say to all those listening: somebody slow the quarter down! I’m not kidding, it’s going by waaay too fast. I mean, I’m enjoying my classes, and I’m doing well in them, so why are we already halfway through? I feel like we should still be in week 3, not at the end of week 5! This is why I hate the saying, “time flies when you’re having fun”.

Alright, now that I’ve told everybody in the blogosphere how I feel this spring is going by way too fast, let’s get into the particulars: grade-wise I seem to be doing well, if my quiz scores are any indication. I’ve scored consistently in the 80’s, 90’s, and 100’s on most of them, so I’m not too worried about struggling. I’ve also learned a lot, including that I actually enjoy very old English literature a lot more than I thought I would, and that literature in any period reflects a lot of what society it was written in and what the author was aiming for with the words they write.

I’ve also been pretty busy, what with writing two articles for the Pulse, and taking part in Holocaust Awareness Week and Cover the Night. Not too mention I’m at work almost everyday, and being the financial aid office, spring is busy season, so I’m rarely without something to do. But hey, I’m learning new stuff on the job and `helping out, and getting paid for it too, so what’s not to love?

As for writing, I’ve got three short stories and a poem I’m waiting to hear back on, and once a friend of mine is done looking at the first chapter of Reborn City, I’ll start looking for an agent or submitting to contests, I haven’t decided which yet (and on that, I’d like everyone’s opinions).

So here’s hoping to a good rest of the quarter, let’s hope it slows down and brings plenty of good stuff, particularly in the realms of grades of written works.

An Evening With Deborah Lipstadt

Posted: April 25, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Deborah Lipstadt speaking in the auditorium of the Ohio State University Hillel on April 24, 2012

I had a wonderful evening tonight. Why, you ask? I got to hear Deborah Lipstadt speak! For those of you who don’t know, Deborah Lipstadt is the formost expert on Holocaust deniers and how to combat them. I read her book, Denying the Holocaust, and I found it very informative. It was amazing to hear her speak. 

During the course of the hour-long talk, Professor Lipstadt talked about some fo the methods of Holocaust deniers and their motivations, how she came to research and write about the topic, and, what I thought was most amazing, how she was sued by a henier from the United Kingdom named David Irving because she’d mentioned him in her book and he was accusing her of libel. 

That was pretty amazing in itself: with the help of Princess Diana’s lawyer, she ripped this guy to shreds on the stand, and all without putting the Holocaust and its truth on the stand! Now the guy’s a disgrace, forced to “verdict-deny”. 

What I took away from it though, besides the fact that I need to do some more studying of the Holocaust (it’s the focus of my history major, after all), is that, even ten years after the trial wrapped up, Deborah Lipstadt still considers herself very lucky that she won that trial. I find that very beautiful. 

Tomorrow, I’ll put this, and all the other events of Holocaust Awareness Week, into an article for the Pulse. I’ll let you guys know when it comes out. Should be an interesting read.

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