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Emerson College's Only Lifestyle Magazine Volume 7 Winter 2008
Hotots Sh nt
Rece 3 rads g n o s r e m e aves in
w makineg l a world
th e r
3O
Baby Daddy: Secret Diary of a Sperm Donor (so secret we can't even tell you who wrote it)
ho 9 students w NOW are awesom e to PLUS a glimpse in life post-college
fiction by Anthony Marvullo
A Choose Your Own Adventure Story (in a special tear out booklet)
Winter Fashion Looks
Ladies for the
On the Cover: Casey Roeder www.emmagonline.com
COOKING IS OVERRATED
/FYU UJNF MFBWF JU UP UIF QSPGFTTJPOBMT 8JUI PWFS QBSUJDJQBUJOH SFTUBVSBOUT BDSPTT #PTUPO XIZ XPVMEO U ZPV TJHO VQ 8IFSFWFS ZPV BSF XIBUFWFS ZPV XBOU XF WF HPU ZPV DPWFSFE
Thank you to the fall 2008 staff of
em magazine // Winter 2008
4 // contents
42 18 19
s 24-28 Fitnes society, we live in a visual we all know . the inside and out BUt get healthy on als you can make in
8-16 Emerson
und campus to From students aro the emerson students overseas, ut You. section is all abo emerson
y me In this issue: Health d thies that taste goo oo your dorm // sm // f lie re s ga for stres & are good // yo ty pros & cons of ci // dorm workout reviews DVD ss ews // Fitne living // gym revi
Seen // In this issue: Stree t e // real world by th college football y ap er n- up apartment th numbers // grow r? in the Right Majo // Q& A // Are you m run- down // ex ternal progra
tionships llege 29-33 Rela x. That’s all co
y n & BEautes 17-23 Fashio a lit tle son students dr s Admit it: Emer y, BU students. differently from, sa n fashion // MEN’S
emerso s, In this issue: a-z of et MAKEOVER // 4 look os Cl Barbershops // r winte price of beauty // 1 guy // the high e ladies th r fo n ter fashio beauty fixes // win
sex, love, se ght? here at em, kids think about, ri you want. we give you what uples in love //
n co In this issue: emerso Sex position of the // a relationship q& g sex sex // embarassin season // webcam mber nu p -u es your hook stories // when do // ies as nt fa ble? // sex become unaccepta fe tli gh ni y glbt friendl single & proud //
www.emmagonline.com
contents // 5 cover
19 47
rtainment ia whores, 64-74 Enteud ents are med
tures 34-63 Feada ) serious get ting (kin
in this issue: hot shots: 35 ums Emerson Al Fiction: 37 ke it take it slow, but ta bookle t t ou ar te (A special ur own adventure) choose yo and no more fun: 41 TWENT Y-ONE BIRTHDAY HOW THIS MILESTONE NG CHANGES EVERYTHI : en wh d Now an 42 e awesome Now 9 students who ar post- college life plus a glimpse into Baby Daddy: 60 sperm donor Secret diary of a music: 62 The power of y Men’s Chorus Ga n The Bosto
If emerson st let us be your pimp r every occasion // fo this issue: Pl aylists
In tson // ofile: Amory Siver Q& A // Musician Pr quels // s // Worst Movie Se Battle of the Band t for 21+) t (Warning: Conten Drink like an adul Day & e shop reviews // // Books // cupcak andalous! n Boroughs // sc Nightlife // Bosto about the photos: & used it. found this hatchet 1. Funny story. We this badly. dress ually act ’t . 2. Nick Munyan doesn pageants uld win a thousand 3. the face that co . arts xed Martial 4. Truth. Justice. Mi & used it. found this gecko 5. Funny story. We . HIs name is MOhamedd , , our cover model 6. We told casey Roeder us. to look tre pidatio single actually makes every 7. Kyle Hemingway . life real in one of these expressions
43
em magazine // Winter 2008
Editors-in-Chief & Founders // Faye Brennan & Andrea Drygas Art Director // Miriam Ryden Production Director // Emily Dyess Secretary // Emily Holden Business Director // David Ziemlak Jr. Editorial & Design Consultant // Nicholas Munyan EMERSON
FASHION/BEAUTY
FITNESS
RELATIONSHIPS
FEATURES ENTERTAINMENT
ART
PHOTO
EDITORIAL WEB
emTV
MARKETING
editor // Shana Wickett assistant editor // Emily Geaman writers // Zaneta Jung, Hannah Klinger, Ariel Knoebel, Maria Rios, Gabrielle Soria, Jordan Teicher, Dana Mooney, Jessica Kucinskas editor // Joey Hebert assistant editor // Becky White chief stylist // Valerie Molina stylists // Krista Firkins & Stephanie Thomas writers // Lucinda Beeman, Kristen Berke, Adri Hedberg, Maida Noreen editor // Tony D’Ovidio assistant editor // Evan Sigel writers // Melina DiPaola, Nicholas Garlow, Samantha Lawsky, Courtney Preiss, Helen Seachrist, Bettina Warshaw editor // Lauren Landry writers // Nina Dineen, Jillian Ducharme, Maressa Levy, Krista Mastroianni, Maya Phillips, Beata Rybka, Natasha Westbrook, Bakara Wintner, Rachael Zerbato editor // Victoria Guerrera writers // Kimya Kavehkar, Katie Walsh, Caitlin Wilson, Anthony Marvullo editor // Joanna Arpie assistant editor // Chrisanne Grise writers // Catie Colliton, Dara Continenza, Libby Erlbaum-Rumelt, Andreas Mavrommatis, Maria Montemayor, Stine Osttveit, Alex Spanko assistant art director // Megan Donovan designers // Ashley Aram, Rachel Gaudette, Stephanie Guarda, Jessica Kucinskas, Melissa Lopez, Jusmine Martin, Faye Orlove, Katie Peters, Casey Roeder, Christopher Scherer illustrators // Alexa Fay, Michaela McCrink, Mark McCune head photographer // Zac Wolf assistant head photographer // Juliana Hudson photoshoot coordinator // Margaux Moses photographers // Channah Barkhordari, Hana Carpenter, Erika Enggren, Irina Grechko, Sarah Greenbaum, Darcy Hofmann, Sarah Jacobs, Maria Jose Villa, Demetra Lymberis, Jennie Mintz, Casey Neidorf, John Podhor, Nicole Rosenbaum, Valentijn van der Sloot, Minting Zhao senior copy editor // Rachel Walls copy editors // Diana Filar & Abbie Rickard designer // Llora McGrath editor // Vanessa Williams writers // Kelly Burnett, Shawn Coffey, Alexandra Cohen, Misty Cook, Melissa D’Agnese, Meagan Dobson, Anna Fiorella, Elissa Garza, Ariel Goldberg, Emma Klein, Rorie Perez, Lauren Rohrig, Katherine Shushtari, Anita Vukovic, Gillian Walters graphics // Evan Post producer // Matthew Taylor Ruggieri editors // Brian Dohn, Ethan Giventer, Lewis Hatkoff, Alexia Molinari-Giorgi sound // Alex Vazelakis on air // Victoria Bergland, Nikki Fig, Meena Ganesan, Dan Horgan, Taylor Napier, Kendra Ryan, LeeAnne Smith, Jenna Slater, Sommer Williams, director // Deborah Lee advertising director // Melanie Wong pr head // Fernando Febres fundraising chair // Amanda Maltz staff // Aviva Aronovitch, Navah Fuchs, Alexandra Leach, Adriana Merlo
www.emmagonline.com
em magazine is published once a semester by students at Emerson College in Boston, MA, and is distributed for free on campus. To contact em magazine, e-mail us at emmagonline@gmail.com. We appreciate your feedback! Mission Statement em magazine is committed to giving Emerson students real life experience in magazine publishing. We serve as a creative outlet for our staff and as an entertaining and informative product for our readers. Each issue of em magazine is completely student produced and we seek to use the wide range of talents that Emerson students have. Each issue focuses on the lifestyle of Emerson students, because we think that Emerson is a unique place full of unique people! www.emmagonline.com
For advertising inquiries, please contact us at emmagonline@gmail.com For editorial inquiries, please contact us at emmagonline@gmail.com To work on em magazine, visit our website for information A ddress: em magazine Emerson College 150 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02116 © 2008 em magazine All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission, by any method whatsoever, is prohibited. We worked really hard on this! Printed by FGS Corp. on somewhat recycled paper. Special Thanks: Emerson College, Sharon Duffy and the Student Government Association. LF Boston. Mitchell John Salon. Sweetwater Cafe. Tanning Etc. 379 Club. In Your Ear. Downtown Shooz. Coolidge Corner Theater. Brookline Booksmith. WECB. Kristin Brennan. Special, special thanks: Bill Beuttler & Lisa Diercks.
Editor's Letter // 7
a r e n a f o the end
ye, ine say good-b z a g a m m e f o n As the founders t on what a crazy ride it’s beWeolf photo by Zac they reflec
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W we would ha good because e ha rd work we th r e child fo th ed e iz m gn ca re ra rely reco , respect. em be easy and we we for itself ost importantly nd m fe d an to y, ve ac lea m iti have to for resources, leg out, and now og ra m. ed, bragged ab s for the L.A. pr ve lea ye Fa that we nourish d s an te time, we both ua e ad th gr a At re nd a magazine. te ea w ithout us as A cr : al go s work on our e ap a simpl mples and perh sa g in We bega n w ith rit ishers, w of n managers, publ up our port folio Faye Brenna would become periwe wa nted to beef ex at g th in ow rn rea D rygas & kn lea we nd As d A s. di ft: e es ttl Le oc left with Li pr s. e om Fr editing sk ill and all I will be o ex perts in th ations will fade ners, and phot t. str se sig fru de clo e , y th rs m te a of e. in ke mar d for mor memories a box of copies e semblance of Over time, the uldn’t have aske jobs, and som triumphs, and ithout doubt e e w th y , tim e. sa ps m rtn hi ca pa ca ences go, we co ds , be I es e en t fri y the magazin jugg led class as friends, bu are the lasting l I am tr uly luck mmitment that not begin this Both of us have ough emot iona ple friendship. you and I did the fu ll time co en , sim to re u. ye n ds we yo Fa en e tio as sc er di th an ad en d tr iv social life in nate, and dr l we were ve a bond that couple times, an t through it al telligent, passio that we now ha t went craz y a ing over in crime as in rted of our lives, bu r sta urs spent pour Tr ue, we almos st ne re ho rt us e d pa of th an a r e , d fo lls on ha ca n us e ve he st on ha la W ca n be ph to to e. t we rs on gh te al at roller coas ng great th one of us ai ls, the late ni ve done this created somet hi rough the e-m of us could ha irits, and when Th ve r sp ha he er eit we lst N k, . bo or d am a te l and ar tw mp in an ideas, editoria ot her would ju love and to doubt, the k you for their we have to e rescue. th so to d e . an m of ca d le, r ty ou a great big than he tient ly es e pr ot pa lif rv e s n se th ha , so de o er r led r te wh ei gg Em sis st ru d, mom and to than k Peter, the way w ith th homage to the da of nt y an p M wa is could ste so e y ne al in er I yo az ev s. em mag inspired us st two year ld me that if an us worked, n students who ppor t for the la who always to rd the two of so su d ha er an w , Em nt ho e r ve th te id k at us an than ra mble n. No m out the enth listened to me ans and passio en like if I e grou nd w ith craz y shenanig would have be eled for us, ve gotten off th od ha d. r m ul , ve co us ne I r d it, fo my college life ul at do ed wo met hing rk wh e so t in s wo ou it’ az ve e ab s ag ha us k m ha o ca in e ff th goes blan k, be aye: W hen I th Th is year’s sta of students wh d . in ds ue m re ed my iss y nd m um ch hu e, ns ea e in r magaz asm of th ge life. It co proud of ographed fo didn’t sta rt em ine wa s my colle what iewed and phot al l be ex tremely az of rv t ag ld te m ep ou in nc sh em en . co u er e be yo om ev d th an pressive, and ca n’t even fath I ca n’t grasp yone who has I im e. an d rs to ed to an wo u as d r yo te ce fo k it len or an e been so ta ur ha nds. Th her for good simply becaus ea m become w holding in yo ever y day, whet t em magazine of mak ing a dr no rt ou e pa ar ith a u w s e en yo ha lik be at l o wh ve been have al rted it. Munya n, wh college would’ w ith em as you rea and I first sta ly than k Nick h easier if al l I been involved ce the day A nd almost ever y e must especial d’ve been muc sin ul W in n . wo ed tio ity it rk op al , re wo ue an e s Tr bl be . ha o ka ng ar hi wh ay night, but m d yt id re an an Fr y g et ul on in tr gr a yet, I don’t re ere I was going from the beginn nd wh us A d an ith k d chosen w or en I ew be literal ly like that. If ha out was hom ine. Th is job at through life had to worr y ab . flo ving em magaz lutely no em st so lea r ju ab fo be n y r ith ca to cit fo w o al pa w re ca w, it feels un before you no m ly that I know ver been one wh g no fir ne in e so en nd e I’v itless to Ev lif sta sh a: ily or re ed ni da nd d my a college se ze into the ing. I’d be scar to my brain an that path, I’d be drawal. I w ill ga my life is head in class e ith ed er w rn wh in is embedded in lea or .” I be es at do ill ut w of months I nce besides wh what I wa nt to by for five min rie of p e pe inexsto ex clu st r am ju I he ’ll e. ot “I the next couple in , no rn at a magaz al world w ith and tell myself te re in de e tsi th ng r ou hi d em te e tc ha en fe th kf ul to have ing a coffeeu! ows if meetings from how to quit yo thered from be and I am so than yself ? Who kn ga m n, ew d io th kn an sit I wi po . ish do at re w I I th tu ll Oh, em. . What wi way in the fu y to not be in the design of king of course may come my pressibly happ e control over ne it alone. I’m only half jo es go? e for whatever or have complet m em ot e uld not have do th ar ho co ue I ep os t pr ot iss bu e d ph in e, r an az s nc he ag ot rie rie m an pe sto a ha nd in r ex nd d fo is te s ha at th I’ll ever have had will my idea ce day one has I am blessed to e again. Where sister, my rked on em sin y wo m s s, ha nt o re pa wh a print magazin rson an k you to my Th n. Ever y single pe g sometio in ica ish bl pl tstanding pu I was accom mak ing it an ou suring me that w ith the as up re ys ng wa tti al pu r r oug fo elf, and fo friends, and D dn’t see it mys I have to than k en when I coul . But especial ly, ns tio Check out our awesome ra leb rson I thing great ev ce ed and ta lented pe of tears or miss em magazine T-shirts! ng, dedicated, ki ck on. or st ressfu l nights ba -w ht rd rig ha t us e the mos the one to get ys wa We gave them out to em staffers, al r, but re A ndrea. You ar fo we it you enough cred er got off track ve not received but if you want one, let us know! ha work u d know. If we ev yo ul , co ed o ish wh ve accompl d that anyone an gs in Just send an email to th t For what you ha ea for gr . u are dest ined ck y individual emmagonline@gmail.com. ar t, I know that yo an ex tremely lu is e, close to my he ve m ha ith I w as it u y rr ca ill the w I at alongside yo e. th t this ex perienc have no doub Now an k you al l for On The Cover: Casey leaving, but I Th be ay en m I n. Wh ve Emerso to stay. Roeder // Marketing long after I lea mission is here agazine and its m em of s es tn Communications // 2012 grea T HO » Animal Print Dress from SHOTS T 3 RECEN A CHOOSE LF Boston. Makeup by Emily Dyess // YOUR OWN ADVENTURE STORY Melissa Lopez, hair by Faye Organizational & Political Brennan. Photo by Zac Wolf. Communications // 2012
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ONLY EMERSON COLLEGE'S 2008 VOLUME 7 WINTER
LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
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SOM E NO ARE AWE INTO GLIMPSE PLUS A LEGE LIFE POST-COL
fiction by O ANTHONY MARVULL
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ON THE COVER: Casey Roeder fl agonline.com 8 www.emm
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10 // emerson
go lions! What’s next? cheerleaders?
by Shana Wickett // photos by Juliana Hudson
T
he Emerson football “undefeated since 1880” T-shirt is a must-have for most Emerson students looking for some ironic school pride. But to three students and over 60 others who have joined them, it is a serious possibility that Emersonians may soon be donning the purple and gold in support of (gasp!) Emerson College unofficial club football. “The first thing you think about Emerson isn’t football,” said sophomore print journalism major Ian Tasso, one of the founders of the group. “A lot of people buy the T-shirts because we don’t have a football team.” “Little do they know!” commented Nick De Feis, a sophomore animation major and fellow football enthusiast. Last year, Tasso and De Feis started their own small football endeavor on the Boston Common. This semester, they joined forces with Kerem Bursin, a senior marketing major, and the students with whom he informally played football. Soon, heightened interest in playing 100% tackle football for the heck of it led to twice-weekly games on the Common and an expanded roster of committed football players. “It’s absolutely crazy how many people show up,” said Bursin. “A lot more people come out to play football than probably lacrosse and basketball combined, which are legit Emerson sports.” Because players rotate in and out throughout the year due to other activities, they typically split into two teams and play one to three games. There are no lines of offense or defense within teams, but make no mistake: these football fanatics are competitive regardless. Players wear no pads and only mouth guards for protection during games. There are bumps and bruises here and there, but the roughest part is “a lot of trash talk,” said De Feis, who is often the source of it, according to Bursin. “As more people come out, it gets way more competitive,” said Tasso. “Even if we do play for fun, we’re all college guys. We always try to win. We alof Emerson students are ways have fun, though.” And when it comes scared shitless about one day leaving the to the plays, whether student world and entering the real world. they are planned in a 6% responded that they were going to live huddle or happen spoin their parents’ house and work at Shaw’s, radically, De Feis can’t and 45% said they were “going to take the deny, “It’s poetry!” Tasso real world by storm!” by shana wickett added, “It’s like trying to describe the Sistine Chapel. It’s not football, it’s art.”
49%
The three Emerson football pioneers said they hope the league will gain official club football or intramural recognition from Emerson and play other local colleges in the future. “I don’t think the athletic department realizes how many people there are who are actually [interested],” said Bursin, who wants a picture of the current line-up. “Forty years later, the picture could be in the athletic department, and they will say, ‘Emerson actually has a football team, and here’s the people who started it.’” “Emerson hasn’t had a football team ever, so this might be the closest they’ve ever been to having football,” said Tasso. “It’s a big deal. It’s pretty awesome.” Tasso said he “felt like Santa Claus” the day he hung fliers in the Walker building, when one student hugged and thanked him for starting tackle football at Emerson. “Hopefully everyone who sits in their rooms saying, ‘God, I wish I could play football,’ will hear about it,” said Tasso. “Some people just want to play.” Emerson unofficial club football welcomes any student of any skill level to play. “You don’t have to be big; you don’t have to be athletic,” said Tasso. “If you want to play, just come.” In fact, none of the three founders were on football teams in high school. “That’s the only reason we started it really,” said Tasso. “We really wanted to play. It just happens that every guy in the universe wants to play, too. If you’ve ever wanted to play any kind of football, now’s your chance.” As for the Emerson football T-shirt students know and love, “They’re not going to need new ones because we’re not losing anytime soon,” said Tasso. “We’re staying undefeated!” To get involved with Emerson College unofficial club football, join the Emerson Football group on Facebook or contact RA Kerem.
www.emmagonline.com
emerson // 11
Q&A
real world by the numbers How your future adds up
by Ariel Knoebel // graphic by Mark McCune
T
he Real World can be a scary place. After college, it’s time to get a job, start a family, build a life—and pay off all those student loans. It’s best to be equipped with the knowledge of what others have gone through, make some comparisons and know that you are not alone. (Sources: The College Board, The Project on Student Debt, Divorce Magazine, Emerson.edu, Payscale.com, Marie Claire, Polling the Nations, )
$9,300 $33,233 $21,000 4,300
The estimated average grant aid package provided by a private four-year college.
The average Emerson student’s indebtedness at graduation.
The national estimated average of college students’ indebtedness at graduation. The number of alumni donations Emerson received last year, totaling over $1 million in gifts.
108%
The percentage increase in the dollar and the amount of student loans taken out over the past decade.
85% 73% $36,776
The percentage of Emerson ‘06 alumni who were employed within six months of graduating. of these graduates were employed in a field related to their major. Median salary for Emerson alumni who became marketing coordinators.
$40,000 $43,448 15% 70% 30% 48.6 36%
Median salary for Emerson alumni who became film/video editors.
Median salary for Emerson alumni who became speech-language pathologists. The percentage of Emerson ‘06 alumni who continued on to graduate school. The percentage of Americans who have a home office.
This percentage of the workforce is classified as independent or freelance. to work.
The average minutes spent commuting
The percentage of workers who would choose to work from home over a pay raise.
What is your greatest fear about entering the real world after college? by Jordan Teicher // photos by Maria Villa-Garcia
“My greatest fear is not being able to answer interview questions when I’m rich and famous.”
33%
The percentage of men who think that working women make worse mothers than women who don’t work outside the home.
17%
The percentage of women who think that working women make worse mothers than women who don’t work outside the home.
64%
The percentage of people who think that men should stay at home and bring up children if their wife/partner earns more money.
63%
The percentage of men who agree that women have fewer opportunities in the workplace than men.
71%
The percentage of women who agree that women have fewer opportunities in the workplace than men.
Billy Palumbo // Film Production // 2010
“That I’ll end up getting a job in a field that I’m not studying here. Like Macy’s.” Natalie Beamer // Acting/Broadcast Journalism // 2011
“Not being able to do what I want to do.”
49%
The percentage of women ages 18-24 who either strongly agree or mostly agree that most of the single men they know are not responsible enough to get married.
26.9 50% 35% $30,000–40,000
Rachael Bralow // Theatre Education/ Comm Sciences & Disorders // 2011
The median age for a man’s first marriage. For females, it’s 25.3. The percentage of women who have been married by age 25.
The percentage of men who have been married by age 25.
The salary range, in dollars, for 24% of Emerson ‘06 alumni within six months of graduating
66% 65% $14,899
The estimated percentage of students in America who received grant aid last year. . The percentage of Emerson students who received financial assistance last year. aid package.
The average Emerson financial
em magazine // Winter 2008
“Not getting a job with a high enough salary to live on.” Jacob Barela // Political Comm // 2010
“Settling for the corporate lifestyle.” Eric Dietel // Film Production // 2012
12 // emerson
Q&A What indulgence will you never give up regardless of your future income?
tasteful, mature decor After the dorm: decorating for your new lifestyle by shana wickett
w u
Welcome!
by Zaneta Jung // photos by Zaneta Jung
Indulgence: Video games “I have nine unopened video games. I just don’t have time right now to play with [them], and some of the video games, like the Japanese ones, become discontinued.” Troy Abruzzise // Screenwriting // 2011 Indulgence: Dark Belgian ale "I personally really like Grimbergen Abbey Ale on tap, but... nothing beats St. Bernardus Abbot 12 in the bottle or out.” Melissa Newman-Evans // Writing, Literature & Publishing // 2009 Indulgence: Japanese selvage jeans "Since the jeans are not pre-washed, I get to make my own markings on them. Like I'll have imprints on my jeans from my cell phone and my wallet." Jeff Coons // Post-production // 2012
$292
The price of buying a plain bagel with cream cheese and a medium regular coffee every weekday for a semester from Starbucks. Emerson’s Cafe: $274.48, Dunkin’ Donuts: $221.92 by Emily Geaman // photo by Juliana Hudson
O
x
nce you graduate, your apartment should graduate, too: from college-life messy to real-world sophistication. Here are some ideas to make your apartment ready for the real world and the guests it brings to your front door, all for under $200.
uInvest in a welcoming doormat (Bed Bath & Beyond, $15) and a coat rack (Target, $30) so guests instantly feel at home in your newly refined abode. vLeave the posters behind, and line your living room walls with framed artwork from your fellow professional friends. wStock your stylish coffee table (IKEA, $50) with some appealing, intellectual books, such as a photo collection of your favorite classic paintings (Barnes & Noble, $20-40). These additions will serve as both
Q&A
“I always wanted to be a writer. When I was a kid I wanted to be just like Judy Blume.” Chen is now working on her first novel. Kirsten Chen // Writing, Literature & Publishing Deparment
“Shortstop for the New York Mets. That dream died when Julio Franco retired from baseball. He played until he was 49, and it was great that a person that old could still be on the roster. Now I’m 50.” Andrew Clarke // Performing Arts Department
www.emmagonline.com
reflections of your taste and great conversation starters. xReplace the old beer drinking glasses with a new set of matching wine glasses (IKEA, $5), perfect for entertaining. And don’t forget the nationwide symbol for growing up: the coaster set (Crate & Barrel, $10-20). With these items, show your guests you’ve made it into the real world and you’re there to stay, leaving behind the days of Solo Cup residue rings on the coffee table.
Dear Faculty: What did you want to be when you grew up? by emily geaman //photos by Demetra LYMBERIS
“Professional soccer player or a sheep herder, like my father and grandfather.” W. Wyatt Oswald // Communication Sciences & Disorders Deparment
“I always knew I wanted to be a writer.” She has published three novels, including Jump at the Sun, which has been nominated for numerous awards. Kim McLarin // Writing, Literature & Publishing Deparment
emerson // 13
are you in the right major?
A quiz in which we make sweeping generalizations about Emerson students by Andrea Drygas
START You prefer to work:
TV/Video
Film
Kevin Bright
Steven Spielberg
Broadcast Journalism
wear a suit
You own and regularly:
in the spotlight
Film
watch Pulp Fiction
write your own material
You would rather:
Your tool is:
Final Cut
Musical Theater
DH
You sing in the:
memorize lines
language
a mixing board
Audio/ Radio
Broadcast Journalism
a suit
shower
factual
Your language is:
ASl
Comm. Sciences & Disorders
Acting
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
You own:
Your org of choice is:
fictional
HTML
New Media
EmComm
The Beacon
Netflix
You subscribe to:
Esquire
Marketing
Journalism
Screenwriting
the BPL e-mail updates
WLP
Q&A Where are you going and what does your future hold? A question for seniors by Gabrielle Soria // photos by Hana Carpenter
“I want to go into publishing—there’s lots of jobs for writers now in marketing, too. That’s for the spring. And then in the fall I am going to law school.” Gwen Vu // WLP // Fall ‘08
behind the scenes
“My plans: to go to LA in the spring, to like LA, to stay there and take my company out there and just start expanding. Stay creative, keep making films. I want to stay away from that PA stuff if I can.” Ilya Polyakov // Film // Spring ‘09
em magazine // Winter 2008
“I just want to get a job in this economy! I want to go to New York or Chicago, join Second City. If that doesn’t work out: travel, find a troupe.” Katie Wohl // Theatre Studies // Spring ‘09
You wish you were:
“I plan to get a job somewhere, hopefully writing something.” Jordan Clifford // WLP // Spring ‘09
14 // emerson
external programs 3 Emersonians give em a look at student life away from the Boylston block
spain
by Maria Rios // photos by Maria Ros
O
ne day during my sophomore year, Boston received 10 inches of snow within hours, and I knew it was time for a change. After some critical thinking, it dawned on me: I should study abroad in Spain! This country is sunny even on rainy days, and being able to speak Spanish is a plus. After a pile of paperwork for Emerson, I found myself at the St. Louis University campus in Madrid, an American program offering courses with credits accepted by Emerson. The school and people are wonderful; it has ia ar M been a great change.
Classes: Crap, this isn’t vacation. It’s school! The SLU courses are easier compared to the typical Emerson courses, and professors allow up to three missed classes, which comes in handy when you travel. However, you won’t want to skip some classes. Believe it or not, they are rather interesting. I strongly recommend taking 19th Century Art because the majority of the art studied can be found at the Madrid Prado Museum. The class is taught by Fabiola Martines Rodriguez, who has a Ph.D. in art. She puts art in a different perspective. An apple is not just an apple; that apple has meaning!
Places You Can’t Miss: While in Madrid!
M
adrid is filled with interesting places to discover. Everyday I’m finding new places to shop, eat, party or just hang out!
Nightlife: You mean morning life! La Puerta del Sol (The Door of the Sun) | Take either the blue, red or yellow line towards the Sol stop. Madrid’s nightlife actually begins around 3 a.m. and lasts until 6 a.m., but there are plenty of hangout spots before and after the club, like La Puerta del Sol. It’s literally a neighborhood filled with nothing but bars, restaurants, pubs, lounges and clubs. Promoters often offer free shots and free entrance. Pacha | Calle de Barceló 11 | Pacha-Madrid.com This high-class club has two rooms Pacha! that play house music and a small hip-hop room. If you don’t have your name on the guest list or a spot at a table, don’t count on entering. Kapital | Calle de Atocha 125 | Grupo-Kapital.com This incredible 7-story club is a hot spot for tourists. Every floor has a different purpose, such as dancing, watching a movie, or stargazing from the top floor as you look up through the glass ceilings.
Culture: The Madrid lifestyle Madrid has beautiful detailed neoclassical architecture and narrow roads. Around the city, everything is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m and reopens later until 9 p.m. The closures are due to “siestas” during which a person naps after lunch. And in terms of food, pig is big in Spain; the Spaniards believe every aspect of the pig is important and should be eaten. Also, bullfights are something that can’t be experienced in the US. They tend to be very bloody and violent, but they are a facet of Spanish culture.
Language: “Hola Guapo, ¿como estás?”
Cuatros Caminos | Take the circular line towards the Cuatro // Caminos stop: This is an area with stores that have quality apparel for cheap prices. I feel like the street never ends, since I never make it to the end of the street! Chueca | Take the green line towards the Chueca stop // Also known as the gay district, this location has cool, semi-expensive stores. It’s a must-visit on Halloween: it tends to get crazy. Gran Via | Take either the green line or the blue towards the Gran Via stop // This is an awesome place to just walk around, and there so many boutiques and restaurants. It’s an enjoyable outing for a nice, sunny Sunday.
Everyone speaks Español in Spain, but many can speak some English. Still, it’s important to know a bit of Spanish to get acquainted with locals. There are certain vernacular differences between Latin American and Spaniard Español that can be frustrating at times, but there are some terms to know by heart in any dialect. “Vale”: This term can basically be used at almost S t. Louis C ourtya rd any part of a sentence. It’s like the English term, “basically.” “Guapo” (masculine) or “Guapa” (feminine): You will be called this by the opposite sex most of the time because it means “beautiful.” “Canas”: This term, which means “beer,” should be kept handy for nights out on the town.
www.emmagonline.com
emerson // 15
l.a. program
by Jessica Kucinskas // photos by Jessica Kucinskas
I
Places You Can’t Miss: While in Los Angeles!
B
e sure to escape the traffic, and get out to the nature Los Angeles has to offer.
f you’ve grown up on the east coast like myself, it’s easy to see why the nearly 3,000-mile distance between the Little Building and Los Angeles campus might be overwhelming. But the LA program is worth it if you want to work in the entertainment industry, so whenever I’m homesick, I just head to one of the many seemingly familiar places in LA and feel like I never left Beantown in the first place.
El Matador Beach | 32215 Pacific Coast Highway // El Matador Beach is like the mermaid lagoon in Disney’s Peter Pan. It’s the most easterly of the three beaches, which make up Robert H. Meyer State Park. Located just north of Zuma, El Matador is situated below several steep cliffs. Although it’s a hard climb down the stairs to the beach, the trip is definitely worth it. The scenery is mesmerizing and peaceful. Home to sea stacks and mysterious caves, the area is great for exploring. The most amazing part is that the beach is typically empty, but you can always find surfers, photographers, and the occasional celebrity.
Classes: It’s time to enter the professional world
For some seniors in their last semester at Emerson, the LA program is the last stop before arriving in the real world. Some choose to stay out on the west coast after graduating, which makes the program’s focus on internships an invaluable experience. There are over 1,000 internships offered in all aspects of the entertainment industry. This semester, Emerson students worked at companies such as Focus el Matador B Features, Dream Works, Jim Henson and E!. Whatever ea ch your interest, there is sure to be an internship for you, and Getty Villa | 17985 Pacific Coast Highway | if you’re lucky, it’ll be a paid one! Getty.edu/visit // The Getty Villa, a museum Class-wise, qualified juniors and seniors are required to take an located in the hills of Malibu, is a calm and internship course for 4 or 8 credits and fulfill a specific amount of hours at their serene escape from the tourist population that the Getty Center internship site. Students are also required to take major-oriented courses, such as a attracts. The museum is certainly a Feature Writing Workshop, American Film in the 1970s, or the Business of Acting.
Nightlife: From the Little Building to the Little Bar Little Bar | 757 South La Brea Ave. | LittleBarLounge.com Little Bar is a little piece of Boston hidden in one of LA’s neighborhoods, the Miracle Mile. Think of it as a miniature Sweet Water exuding east coast charm. With paper airplane contests, music challenges and Saturday night trivia, there’s always a new way to win a free round of drinks. There are consistently great people, excellent parking, and never a cover – what more could you ask for in a bar? Spaceland | 1717 Silver Lake Blvd. | ClubSpaceland.com To no one’s surprise, the music culture is gigantic in this city of entertainment. Similar to the Middle East Club, Spaceland is a favorite spot for those who like seeing cutting edge bands in an intimate setting. Artists have included Beck, Jenny Lewis, and the Foo Fighters. Monday nights are free, and there’s always a chance that you can grab a $3 PBR with the musicians after their set.
Culture: Speed into LA culture! Let’s face it: Los Angeles has a bad reputation. When I first moved out here, I thought the city was going to be unfriendly and congested. However, the majority of Californians are really just more laid back and carefree than Bostonians. The biggest Spa celan d difference between Boston and LA is transportation. LA is a car-dominated culture, which makes its public transportation system
feast for the eyes, mind and stomach, with amazing views of the ocean, gardens and ancient Greek architecture, and a delicious restaurant on site. Entrance is free, but a reservation is required.
(and environment) greatly suffer! Despite the differences, I am making Los Angeles work for me. My best advice would be to ignore the rumors you’ve heard about the city, and come experience it for yourself.
Crusing!
Language: “Like, how do you get to the 101?” Just like Bostonians, the citizens of Los Angeles take pride in renaming the areas of the city. Here are a few examples to help you navigate your way through the city and local hotspots. You’re going to need some wheels! “3 B’s” – Bel-Air, Brentwood, Beverly Hills “Frisco” – San Francisco “NoHo” – North Hollywood “Orange Crush” – Intersection of Interstate 5 with the 22 & 57 “PCH” – Pacific Coast Highway “S&M Boulevard” – Santa Monica Blvd. “The 101” – Interstate 101 (In Los Angeles highways are referred to as “the”) “The Boo” – Malibu
em magazine // Winter 2008
16 // emerson
kasteel well
by Dana Mooney // photos by Dana Mooney
A
t Kasteel Well in Well, the Netherlands, you live in a real 15th century castle straight out of Harry Potter (minus the Kasteel Well students with English accents), and you experience life not only in the Netherlands, but all over Europe. You bond with a tight-knit group of people at the Castle and concentrate on being a student in Europe, while becoming a citizen of the world. This program is for anyone with a sense of adventure and a desire to explore the globe.
Classes: But really, you do have to go to some classes. Classes are taught by faculty who are European and/or live in Europe, which makes the curriculum very focused on Europe and the traveling much more interesting. For example, History of Western Art I: Renaissance and Baroque is a tough class, but it’s more than worth it. You can immediately apply what you learn here to the styles of art and architecture in every country you visit. But the greatest thing about classes at Kasteel Well? There are no classes on Fridays, so you get a 3-day weekend every weekend to travel to your newest destination.
Places You Can’t Miss: While in Europe!
T
he hardest thing about traveling Europe is that you’re not going to make it everywhere you want to go. Here are some places you can’t leave Europe without visiting: Amsterdam (approx. 3 hours) // There’s way more than marijuana and prostitution in this city. Home to beautiful canals, the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum and more, Amsterdam has an interesting mix of charm and controversy, and it’s way more dynamic than its reputation gives it credit for.
Amsterda m
Paris (approx. 5 hours) // Nothing says classy like a weekend in Paris. Here, it’s all about art and architecture. Check out the Eiffel Tower, the Sacre Couer, the Louvre and the Notre Dame, but be prepared to spend a little more—the City of Lights can be expensive. Visit on the first Sunday of the month, when all the museums are free.
Nightlife: You name it, Europe has it.
Onder de Linden | Kasteellaan, 5855 AE Well [L] (It’s right down the street!) You’re in Europe, and you’re legal, so let’s Berlin (approx. 6 hours) // This city’s history is one of the get straight to the point. Every Wednesday is most complex in Europe. Step into the past and see the American Night at the local bar, Onder de Linden, Berlin Wall, the Holocaust Memorial and the Nazi archiand sometimes it doubles as a theme night as well tecture that covers the city. And remember: everyone in (so far: 80s and toga). Typically, Emerson students this city has a story. You might find out your waiter saw show up, as well as young Dutch guys from the the Berlin wall come down. area who have been deemed the “Dutch Guidos.” ! es o C ute Sh You can spot them by the amount of hair gel they Prague (approx 12 hours) // Check out this amazing use and their knack for picking out the drunkest medieval city, which has always been both literally and American girls. figuratively the center of Europe. It is home to the largest The Cafe Vink | Sterrenbos 1, 5855 AE Well [L] castle in Europe, the Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square. Café Vink is an alternative to the Linden. It’s a little more reserved and Make up for all that money you spent in Paris; you don’t need the typically not as much of a hangout as the Linden, but beggars can’t be choosers! Euro here! If this isn’t your scene, every weekend you can go to another Stay at home // You’re going to get tired, and there are lots of fun European city where you’ll find dance clubs, cities nearby to visit for day trips. Check out Nijmegen, arguably gay clubs, jazz clubs, bars, pubs the oldest city in the Netherlands, Maastricht, the shopping capital —you name it, it’s there. of the Netherlands, Cologne or Dusseldorf.
Culture: Windmills anyone?
Pra gue
It’s more than windmills and wooden shoes. The Dutch have a reputation for being slightly cold and reserved, but you can pull them out of their shells. People are very interested in America, especially American politics. They want your opinions, and they want to share theirs. But the most important thing to remember is that there is not one European culture. Each country has its own separate and unique cultural identity, and part of the learning experience here is to discover what identity each one has.
Language: “Spreek tu Engels? Hieperdepeep Hoera!” Dutch is a hard language to learn, but luckily everyone at the castle and almost everyone in Well speaks English. However, if you want the locals to like you better, try speaking some Dutch! “Hello”: “Hallo” “Thank you”: “Dank u (wel)” “You’re Welcome”: “Alstublieft” “Goodbye”: “Dag” “Where’s the bathroom”: “Waar is het toilet?” “Can I have your phone number?”: “Mag ik je telefoonnummer?” “Stop bothering me!”: “Blijf me niet steeds lastig vallen!” (The last two may come in handy on American Nights at the Linden.)
www.emmagonline.com
fashion & beauty // 17
fashion A–Z by Krista Firkins & Stephanie Thomas // photos by Minting Zhao & John Podhor
Abstracts
The more obscure of a graphic tee or printed dress you have, the better. Abstract patterns and prints are interesting eye-catchers.
Belt-It
Belts are everywhere these days. Around every dress, shirt, skirt, and even those garments that you can’t tell whether they’re a dress or a shirt. They add instant style to any outfit.
C
ardigans Shrunken, striped, oversized, solid, patterned: cardigans are a staple in every wardrobe for every season. Nothing says collegiate like a cardigan.
J
ewels Forget the real things; no one in college can afford them. Thankfully, there is plenty of fantastic costume jewelry out there. We love this season’s jeweled headbands and oversized cocktail rings.
Empire waists
Easiest way to look thin and classic: an empire waist. This is achieved through wearing a belt, a high-waisted skirt or a dress that is cinched above the natural waist.
French braid
Thank you L.C., once again, for starting this trend. If you can’t style your hair, the simple solution these days seems to be just to braid it. Simple and fun, we love this trend.
Green with envy
“I’m so jealous of your organic cotton tee. Even though you paid $60 for it, you are saving the world and look so stylish while doing so.”
Hipster scarf
Admit it, you own at least one. Whether it’s plaid, houndstooth, patterned, or just plain, you rock this trend.
Intellectual
Between the cardigans and grandpa glasses, plaids and pea coats, it is all about being, or at least appearing, like a smartypants.
Who said clothing has to be gender specific? Ladies, it is time to embrace menswear: vests, suspenders, structure. Guys, embrace your inner sensitivity: think pink, colorful jeans, and shrunken T-shirts.
Sneakers
Whether it’s Adidas, Nike, Reebok, or Converse, they’re bright and funky and describe your personality perfectly.
Knits
From chunky scarves to crocheted berets, one thing is certain: if it is knitted and cozy, we’re wearing it. Avoid anything fitted; this trend is all about volume and ease.
Lite-bright
Muted, expected colors are so overrated. Neons scream for attention, so wear them with confidence, but this is one trend to wear in moderation. Stock up in the winter when they’re cheaper.
Dye job
Bright streaks of pink, blue, green, purple and just about every other color are showing up on heads everywhere.
Role-reversal
Make-under
This trend is completely backwards from the way most girls have been caking on pounds of eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadow since the 1980s. This season, why not get naked and show your face instead of your makeup, “au naturel”?
Neutral
While your face is glowing with natural beauty, tone down those neon eyeshadows for fall and winter and go with the cold months’ greatest trend: a muted color palette. Think soft hues of color in pale, muted tones.
Oversized & Overwhelmed
Though our pre-teens show us in the second-skin garments modeled by pop stars, we’ve moved onto bigger and better things, like looking less awkward and more comfortable.
Pretty and Plaid
Gossip Girl has brought back a preppy style with a New York twist. Pair your colorful tights, cardigans and jeweled headbands with a pair of plaid f lats or a uniform-esque skirt for a look inspired by either Serena or Blair.
Quirky charm
Show off your unique interests with a funky charm bracelet, a pendent necklace, or a brooch.
em magazine // Winter 2008
Tights
Lace, fishnet, opaque, sheer, patterned…the list goes on, as will this trend. Have fun with color and experiment with men’s shirts, fitted dresses and thick sweaters.
Umbrellas
These things come in almost every print you could imagine. Using these amazingly cute umbrellas to cover your perfect outfit makes it the ultimate accessory.
Vans
The shoe, not the soccer mom’s vehicle of choice. These sneakers are practically as essential to your wardrobe as a white v-neck or skinny belt. These shoes will always be a classic.
Wellies!
Boston might as well be called the second rainy city. What better way to keep your feet dry than with cute rainboots? Different colors and patterns all come out at Emerson during rainy days.
Xtremes
Extreme skinny jeans or wide legs are the only acceptable variations of the blue jean these days. Don’t wander in the gray area. The safest route is not always the most becoming.
Your Grandpa’s glasses
We’re baffled by this Emerson trend, but no matter where you look, guys, girls, and the visually impaired are sporting oversized glasses with tortoise shell frames. Whatever your reason for wearing them, they’re huge both on campus and throughout the city.
Zzzzzzs
Looking like you just rolled out of bed is a good thing. Messy hair, plain faces, and effortlessly constructed outfits are the new look, but this also means you can get the benefit of that extra half hour of sleep!
18 // Fashion & Beauty
closet makeover Nicholas Munyan gets a lesson in head-to-toe fashion
men’s barbershops Capitol crewcuts & Newbury Street style by Joey Hebert // photos by JOn Podhor
by Kristen Berke // photos by Irina Grechko
M
ost guys who go away for college are more often than not faced with the horribly confusing task of finding somewhere other than their neighborhood barber to get a haircut. Whether you’re looking for a quality, yet simple haircut, or a complex and styled ’do, Boston has more than enough establishments to suit your grooming tastes. Directly down Tremont Street is Barbershop Deluxe (Green line to Prudential), which quite interestingly tries to create a “quaint neighborhood setting reminiscent of the 1930’s.” Also, the student discount price of $18 is more than reasonable. While appointments aren’t required, they are recommended. Barbershop Deluxe is vastly different from the Barbershop Lounge on Newbury Street (Green line to Copley), where a haircut comes at the exorbitant price of $45. While this may seem steep, you might be interested to find out that this price earns you a Massaging Scalp Shampoo, a consultation and an expert haircut. Appointments are mandatory at this high-end men’s salon. University Barbershop on Comm. Ave. (Green Line to B.U. Central) and the Berkley Barber Shop on Berkeley St. (Green Line to Arlington) are both referred to as “authentic barbershops.” Simple cuts reign supreme but style gets put on the backburner. For those looking for a simple, clean cut, see these two establishments. Capitol Barbershop got the best review by both blog sites like “Yelp” and by guys in the Boston area. Described as “great, fast, and cheap,” many people continue to remark on the perfect haircuts and the likeable owner, Pete. For a quick and quality haircut, but with some style still in mind, this barbershop on Bowdoin St. is more than ideal. As it is right on Beacon Hill it is also an easy walk from campus.
I
t’s that time of the year again. Your nose runs uncontrollably, and you can’t keep your hair looking styled for the life of you. Well don’t hide just yet! I’m here to tell you how to avoid becoming a winter bum. I know it’s getting gray outside, but do you really want to be that guy wearing the colors of the rainbow on his sleeve, chest, and legs? Don’t neglect color just because it’s dark and gloomy out. However, the orange neon just slightly poking out from underneath Nick’s cloak of gray looks awkward and unbalanced. Instead, try mixing different shades together to get a more attractive look. (The No Outfit). First of all, flip-flops with socks is a big no-no. If you had enough energy to put on socks, you most definitely have enough to cover them with shoes. Plus it’s cold outside, so nix the flip-flops altogether. Go with a colorful, comfortable sneaker instead, and invest in a pair of cute rain boots. It’s worth it! www.emmagonline.com
This last outfit shows how to incorporate color, even pastels, into your cold weather wardrobe. A fun blue striped cardigan like this one compliments Nick’s white crew neck and adds a funky yet totally acceptable contrast to the darker shaded jeans. Also, if you do accessorize (do; it will make or break you as a human being, and I mean that), you should opt for something a little more characteristic than a set of small wooden balls (see #2). Choose something that speaks to your personality, like Nick’s unique key charm necklace. Where he found it, we don’t know, but it works! Most importantly, remember that the holidays are a time for color and change, so don’t get disheartened if you’ve followed one or more of the aforementioned no-nos. There’s still time for improvement. But when you enter the real world, people might not be as forgiving as we are here at em magazine. So upgrade those clothes, pronto. Before I do.
Fashion & Beauty // 19
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em magazine // Winter 2008
20 // fashion & Beauty
high price of beauty
Does a faltering economy have an effect on your makeup bag? by Lucinda Beeman // photos by minting Zhao
A
l Pacino once said that vanity was his favorite sin. If anybody is in agreement, it is the fantastically stylish population of Emerson College. But how much is the average Emerson female spending to maintain long lashes and trendy locks? The total is less than you might think, especially considering the commonly accepted notion that style requires spending hundreds on cosmetics and cuts. While there is certainly the occasional $200 makeup bag, a random sample of Emerson students revealed that most girls stocked their makeup bag for around $50 or less. A year’s supply of eyeliner,
mascara, and cover-up comes to a surprisingly reasonable $96. The average Emerson makeup bag includes foundation or cover-up, mascara, one or two eyeliners, a few collections of eyeshadow and various forms of lipcolor. While many of the products are from brands like Revlon and Rimmel, the occasional Sephora purchase does float out of the dusty depths of the college girl’s makeup bag. Very few girls spend more than $10 on basic staples like foundation and eyeliner, but they are willing to drop more cash on unique products for special occasions. For example, more girls are willing to spend $20-$30 on lipstick or eyeshadow from one of the more illustrious cosmetics brands. Such products, usually bought for special occasions, tend to be used more sparingly and are therefore seen as a better investment. Part of putting on makeup is being able to get it off, and this also costs money. The typical skincare arsenal includes cleanser, eye makeup remover and a variety of lotions for a variety of body parts. The prices of these products can range anywhere from $5 to over $100, and it is rare to find a designer product in the hands of a college girl. Most Emerson girls say that they spend $50 to $100 getting their hair cut two times a year and then go to cheaper hairstylists for trims every few months. These trims generally cost about $30.
29
The average minutes an Emerson girl needs to get ready. The average guy takes 23 minutes. After polling almost 100 Emerson students, male and female, it is clear that no matter the gender, Emerson students get ready quickly. by Stephanie Thomas // photo by Sarah Jacobs
In the world of hair products, all is f lux. Emerson girls have vastly different stocks depending on their hair type and style and are willing to drop their cash on a wide array of products to make their hair more manageable, less manageable, curly or straight. Totals spent on hair products range from zero to well over $100 and depend entirely on individual genetics and aesthetic preferences. While the basic cost of beauty seems to be fairly manageable, replacement and upkeep costs make it another story. The grand total for a basic year of sexy is a staggering $386, not counting “fancy” cosmetics and the tools required to apply them. It speaks to the mentality of the American women that the beauty industry is one of the few that doesn’t suffer in times of great economic depression like the one we’re seeing now. We all have our favorite brands and products and simply refuse to compromise. At stylish Emerson, we are willing to pay to be beautiful.
maintaining glorious winter beauty How to preserve your skin & lips despite harsh winter weather
by Maida Noreen // photos by Minting Zhao
H
arsh winter weather takes a toll on your skin and lips. Luckily, we have Benetint Lip Balm. Benetint’s berry-tinted lip balm has a light rosy fragrance and is infused with vitamin E to keep your lips soft. It also adds the perfect amount of color for a picture-perfect pucker all day. Benetint Lip Balm is available at Sephora in shades of red and pink, and costs about $20. If you’re looking for a more practical lip balm, try C.O. Bigelow’s Mentha Lip Balm Stick,
NARS sin g le e ye s ha d ow s
Awake H yd ro Force C re a m
which retails for $7.50. It’s a colorless lip balm made with natural mint, and has SPF 15 for that harsh winter sun. If no color is not an option for you, C.O. Bigelow makes a variety of colored lip balms. The products are made with a no shine formula, which makes it a great base for lip color. The product even boasts it’s “mint infused for fresh breath.” So, you know, if you lose your toothbrush… No one wins with dry skin, which is why there’s Awake Hydro-Force Cream. A mineral-rich
Be netint Lip Balm C.o. Big e low ’s Me ntha Lip Bal m Sti ck www.emmagonline.com
moisturizer, it packs moisture into your skin and keeps it hydrated and ready for a dry Boston winter. It is an oil-free cream that contains fruit and nut extracts to keep your skin constantly fresh. It retails for $55 per 50 ml at Sephora and Bath & Body Works, but is considered the best of the best. It is the only true skin remedy to combat dry skin. If you’re fed up with cakey CVS shadows, try NARS single eye shadows, available at Sephora. The shadows all glide on effortlessly and have hints of glimmer and shine. NARS takes shadows seriously. The colors range from deep and rich to light, airy, glittery colors. NARS shadows retail for about $22 each, but it is probably the best investment you’ll make: no company makes shadows that are easier to blend or easier to manage. They don’t cake up under pressure or disintegrate in your purse, so they’re with you for the long haul. So find someone to cuddle with by the fireplace during the cold months of Boston’s winter, and look good and keep your skin healthy at the same time!
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Kelsey Osborne // Broadcast Journalism // 2012 Green and Black Plaid Top $148 Denim High waisted Shorts $160 Scarf $65
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Ladies
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Winter Fashion Looks for the
photos by Zac Wolf // photo direction by Andrea Drygas, Faye BRennan & Miriam Ryden // make-up by Melissa Lopez // styling by Valerie Molina // all clothing provided by LF Boston lfstores.com em magazine // Winter 2008
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I Irena Zofchak // Broadcast Journalism // 2012 Gray Cardigan $168 Animal Fur Belt $105 red Plaid shirt $132 skinny jeans $216
www.emmagonline.com
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K Anna Pham // Marketing Communications // 2012 Gray Sweater Dress $138 White Frilly Top $132 Black Vest $126
em magazine // Winter 2008
24 // Fitness
smooth talkin’:
Where to find good (and avoid bad) smoothies in Boston
by Helen Seachrist // photos by Minting Zhao
Meals you can make, even in the dorms by Samantha Lawsky // photos by Nicole rosenbaum
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t’s not very convenient to prepare a homemade meal in a dorm room. While simple fixes like cereal and milk or microwaveable frozen dinners might seem appealing now, you’ll eventually tire of them, and the unhealthy effects they can have on your body. All you’ll need for these tasty and healthy recipes is a microwave, some utensils, and a healthy appetite, plus a few groceries.
Bangin’ Breakfast Parfait In this parfait, non-fat plain yogurt is mixed with the natural juices and sugars from the strawberries. In many store-bought versions, the yogurt is artificially flavored and often has added sugar. The granola adds an extra crunch! ☑ 1 cup non-fat ☑ 1 tsp honey ☑ ¼ cup plain granola, plain yogurt ☑ 5 strawberries (or any or any plain cereal, such fruit of your choice)
as Cheerios
1. Wash strawberries. Slice 4 of the 5, and set aside. Finely dice the last strawberry and place in a bowl. 2. Mash diced pieces until a pulp-like mixture forms. Add yogurt. 3. Mix strawberry pulp and yogurt until wellblended. Add honey and mix well. Add sliced strawberries. 4. Either mix granola with yogurt blend, or pour on top for a crunchier treat. If you choose to use cereal you have on hand, mash it in a bowl or zipper bag until it is the same consistency as granola. Nutrition Information: 258 calories
SLIP this in a blender The All-Around Good Smoothie from allrecipes.com contains nonfat milk, fat-free plain yogurt, bananas, powdered protein supplement, flax seeds, honey, and strawberries. This smoothie promises to be a good source of vitamins, calcium, protein, fiber, and antioxidants. The best part is that it's adaptable. Try substituting different fruits to put your own spin on this super smoothie. Cost and nutritional value will vary depending on which ingredients you use. SLOP this nastiness out the window Starbucks is to coffee as McDonald's is to burgers. They both add tons of empty calories to something that didn't have that much nutritional value to begin with. Starbucks' Orange Mango Banana Blend with Matcha from their Vivanno line of smoothies contains 42 grams of sugar in only 16 fl oz. Nutrition info: 290 calories, 16g protein, 57g carbs, 1g saturated fat, 6g fiber
Double Honey Turkey & Avocado Sandwich
SLURP this one down UFood Grill (530 Washington Street in Downtown Crossing) has "Smuuthies" in a variety of flavors, but it's their variety of enhancers that make it worth a visit. Whether you're looking for postworkout relief ("Muscle Recovery") or just trying to guard against the sniffles ("Immune"), Enhancers4U has got you covered. "Goin' Bananas" with a protein enhancer is filling and delicious. Made with bananas, skim milk, vanilla bean, vanilla yogurt, and a protein supplement, it is both delicious and nutritious. The prices range from $4.99 to $5.29 before enhancers or tax. Nutrition info: 244 calories, 17g protein, 46g carbs, 0g saturated fat, 2g fiber
easy & healthy recipes
This sandwich features lean protein, leafy green vegetables and whole grains. It also contains avocado, a great source of potassium. ☑ 3–5 slices lean ☑ 2 slices whole turkey breast
☑ Baby spinach leaves, washed and drained
grain bread
☑ 1 lemon ☑ ¼ cup honey ☑ Honey Dijon
☑ ½ avocado Mustard 1. Cut avocado into ¼ inch slices. Place into a zipper sandwich bag. 2. In a small bowl, juice lemon. Add honey and mix until well-blended. Pour into zipper bag. 3. Make sure to coat the avocado slices well in the bag. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. 4. The rest is easy! Spread the Dijon mustard onto the bread, add the turkey and a small handfull of spinach leaves. When ready, add avocado slices. Nutrition Information: 353 calories
Balsamic Strawberry Salad This quick and delicious dinner uses the ingredients that you already have on hand from the other recipes. ☑ 7–8 strawberries ☑ ¼ cup ☑ 1 cup balsamic vinegar slivered almonds ☑ 2 tsp honey ☑ Baby spinach leaves ☑ Salt and pepper ☑ ¼ cup Feta cheese ☑ 1 cup green peas 1. Tear spinach leaves in half. Place in bowl with peas. 2. In a zipper bag, add honey, balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Shake to mix well. 3. Slice strawberries into quarters, and add to bag mixture. Allow to marinate for about 20 minutes. 4. When ready, add strawberries to spinach and peas, but do not let the balsamic mixture spill into the bowl! Add the olive oil to the bag mixture to create a simple vinaigrette. 5. Toss salad, and add dressing. Top with Feta. Nutrition Information: 740 calories www.emmagonline.com
Fitness // 25
yoga for stress relief
Calm your mind and body with these meditative poses
by Bettina Warshaw // photos by Casey Neidorf, Minting Zhao, Sarah Jacobs, Sarah Greenbaum, Jennie Mintz // modeled by Sarah Ewall-Wice
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eadings and exams, relationships and friends, papers and professors. Stress is an integral part of college life, and it doesn’t just drag down your mood and pump up your anxiety; it also takes a toll on your body. Stress can cause weight gain and increase your risk of illness by weakening your immune system. Nobody wants that! Try these simple yoga poses to relieve the symptoms of stress.
Tension all over your body? Play around with the Child’s Pose. Sit on
your knees and stretch your arms out in front of you. Rest your palms on the floor. Stretch yourself away from your hands. You will feel your shoulders and upper back relaxing. It will also stretch your hips, thighs and ankles. This pose will relieve tension in your muscles and relax your whole body.
Back feeling tense? Fix it up with the Downward Dog. Kneel on the floor. Bend forward at the waist and touch the ground with your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Exhale and straighten your knees and lengthen your tailbone to the sky. This full-body stretch will calm your nerves and help promote relaxation.
Tired from hunching over your desk? Stand up and fight boredom and back pain with the Warrior II pose. Stand in a lunge with your right foot forward and your left foot back. Turn your right foot so that it points forward, and your left so that it’s pointing to the side. Bend your right leg. Turn your body so that it is in line with your legs. Straighten your arms to the side. This pose is great for stretching your legs after you have been sitting for a while and great for healing lower back pains.
420
Number of calories in a tall Starbucks Signature Hot Chocolate with whipped cream. Without: 360 calories. Calories burned walking up nine flights of stairs in the Walker Building: 15 Number of times you have to run up the Walker Building to burn the hot chocolate: 24
Finally finished all your work? Try relaxing with the classic Sukhasana. Simply sit on the floor and cross your legs. Keep your back straight and your spine aligned. This is a great, simple pose that will help you regain focus and clear your mind after a ton of work.
by Melina DiPaola // photo by Sarah Jacobs
em magazine // Winter 2008
Fitness // 26
suite gym, dude!
An all-inclusive workout you can do right in your room by EVAN SIGEL // photos by VALENTIJN VAN DER SLOOT // modeled by FAYE BRENNAN
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ou’re busy. You’ve got papers to write, rehearsals to practice for and parties to attend. Suddenly, the only "gym" you know is the guy who sits next to you in History of Media Arts. All of that’s about to change. Allow me to introduce you to your new best friend: the suite gym. This is a full body workout designed to get your heart rate up and keep belly fat at bay. Use it every one or two days, or mix and match to fit your schedule. These oldies can be goodies.
Alternating Jump Lunges
If your body is a little too bootylicious or you simply want to gain some strength and power in your legs, alternating jump lunges are a great choice. To begin, step forward with your right leg into a lunge with your right knee at approximately 90 degrees and your left knee just above the ground. Keep your chest up and look straight ahead. Now, explode upwards, and bring your left foot forward and your right foot back so you land in the starting position with your legs in alternated positions. That’s one repetition. Do two sets of 20, resting for a minute between each set.
Push-ups
Push-ups are underrated. They are known for working your pectorals, or chest, but they also hit your shoulders and triceps. Make sure your hands are slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Keep your back straight and your butt down. Lower yourself until your nose is about to touch the floor, and then push yourself back up to the starting position. Make sure your head is further forward than your hands. Do two sets of 10 to 15 reps each, resting for about 30 seconds between each set. Beginners: do a modified version on your knees.
V-Sits
If the only six packs you’re seeing are being stuffed hastily into drawers when your RA comes a-knockin’, this one is for you. A v-sit is a combination of a crunch and a knee raise. Lie on your back and put your arms by your side and raise both your arms and your legs slightly off the floor. Now, do a crunch, but at the same time bring your knees towards your chest so that your butt also comes slightly off the floor. Then move back to the starting position, making sure you don’t let your legs rest on the ground. Do two sets of 15 reps each, resting for 30 seconds between each set.
www.emmagonline.com
Fitness // 27
the ups and downs of city living How the city affects your health by COURTNEY PREISS // illustration by Michaela McCrink
T-Stabilization
If you’re tired of bumping into a BU kid standing next to you every time the T starts up, try doing some work on your core. Core strength, consisting of your lower back, abdominal, and oblique muscles, will help you walk, talk, sit up straight, and improve your balance. T-Stabilization will work your core but also your latissimus dorsi, or “lats”. To do T-Stabilization, begin in a push-up position. Raise your right hand and place your right foot on top of your left. Reach up with your right hand so that your body is perpendicular to the floor. The key is not to let your hips sink: keep your back straight and your butt in. Hold for 30 seconds, then alternate sides. Do three sets of each side for 30 seconds.
Dips
When people think about toned arms, they think about biceps. However, working your triceps will help keep your arms looking tight and solid even more than having fit biceps. To do this exercise, grab a wooden chair or table and sit on the edge of it with your palms facing you, hands gripping the chair. Make sure the heel of your hand is planted firmly on the edge. Keeping your legs straight, lower yourself until your elbows form a 90-degree angle and then raise yourself up, being careful not to lock your elbows. Do two sets of 10 to 15 reps each, resting for about 30 seconds between each set.
em magazine // Winter 2008
E
merson students are constantly running around trying to get to classes, work, and meetings on time, and they can become burned out as a result. So what exactly is it about city life that is taking a toll on our health? And moreover, what does the city have to offer that can benefit our well-being? Students on the go don’t always have time to sit down and eat a healthy meal. Quickly choosing Starbucks or value meals makes it hard to stay slim and trim, so pay attention to what you eat! check out Haymarket for loads of inexpensive fresh fruit and vegetables or Whole Foods stores for great organic options. The overwhelming population puts our immune system at a constant risk, especially once the weather starts to get colder. Sidewalks and T cars are packed with people who are suffering from colds and the flu. Keep yourself safe by washing your hands frequently with anti-bacterial soap. If you are ill, cover your mouth when you cough for the sake of everyone else’s health. The large groups of smokers that gather outside of the Little Building at any given time have proven to be a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who favors to keep their lungs pink and clean are put at immediate risk from secondhand smoke. Your best bet is to avoid the flocks of nicotine addicts as much as possible. On the bright side, Boston is known and loved for being The Walking City, and all of its residents should take full advantage of this benefit. Get your cardio workout for the day and walk to wherever you need to be! Cities are filled with seasonal and annual sporting events, such as baseball and football games or even the Boston Marathon. Inspire and motivate yourself by going to a game or an event or by starting one of your own. Check out www.boston-online.com/recreation/ to find a rec league for your favorite sport. Mental health should be considered equally as important as physical fitness. Free your mind with the beautiful scenery that your city has to offer. The Public Gardens and the Esplanade are right down the street, and the Arnold Arboretum and Wonderland beach are just a short T ride away.
28 // fitness
fitness dvd smackdown
Not all workouts are created equal
by MELINA DIPAOLA // photos from Amazon.com THE DVD: 10 Minute Solution: Blast Off Belly Fat What it is: Each DVD in the “10 Minute Solution” series offers five 10 minute workouts that can be performed separately or all together. Blast off Belly Fat integrates several techniques and disciplines for working the abdominals and achieving a defined midsection. Along with cardio, this is a great addition to your workout routine to help flatten your stomach. Calorie Burn: 100
THE DVD: Dance off the Inches HIP-HOP Party What it is: Hip Hop Party is a fun way to burn off fat and learn some cool dance moves at the same time. The 43 minutes fly by, and the music is motivating. The core is fully engaged and the hips stay in motion, which increases the calorie burn. The steps build up gradually so that non-dancers are able to catch on easily, yet the workout will still challenge the more experienced dance enthusiast. Calorie Burn: 240 THE DVD: Leslie Sansone: Weight Loss Walk What it is: This low-impact program is perfect for lighter exercise days. The 60 minutes are divided into three segments, ranging from 1–1.5 miles each. Leslie’s frumpy, middle-aged friends join her for a brisk walk in the living room. If you stay at Leslie’s pace, the workout will be very easy and VERY boring, but you can add intensity by incorporating some jogging. Calorie Burn: 160 1/2
THE DVD: Crunch: Burn and Firm Pilates What it is: Here’s a dance/pilates fusion workout that is tailored to an intensity level that’s best for you. The 48 minute workout combines standing pilates exercises, hand weights, and traditional floor pilates. Emphasis on precision will pump up your heart rate, and the intensity can be increased by expanding movements or adding heavier weights. The strength moves integrated with the dance-like motions increase calorie burn. Calorie Burn: 220 1/2 THE DVD: Shiva Rea: Yoga Shakti What it is: Yoga Shakti is a 2 disc DVD collection that offers a compilation of different yoga workouts. Most of the DVDs consist of vinyasa, or flowing, yoga, which increases circulation. The four main workouts vary in degrees of difficulty. In addition, the main workouts can be broken up and mixed, so that the exerciser can design a custom workout. Calorie Burn: Widely varies 1/2
a world of gyms
Because the Emerson gym is always crowded
by Nick Garlow // photos by Hana Carpenter
L
ooking for a fresh place to break a sweat? Here are three premiere gym facilities around Boston that Emerson students can find affordable and easy to get to. Students on or off-campus will find these places packed with opportunities to get in shape!
Boylston Street Athletic Club Price: $39/month for 1 year, $49/month for 6 mo. ($109 training fee) Location: 48 Boylston St. Access: A short walk from anywhere on campus Hours: M–F (6am –9pm) Sat. (8 am –6 pm) Sun. (10 am –4 pm)
Fitcorp Price:
$89/mo. for 1 year ($150 joining fee) Locations: Prudential Ctr., Copley, Government Ctr., Financial District Access: Depends on location Hours: M–T (5:30 am –10:30 pm) Friday (5:30am –9pm) Sat. & Sun. (8 am –8 pm)
The BSAC offers a full weight area, cardio workout room and circuit room. Feeling competitive? Play basketball with your friends on a full size court, or join the volleyball league. Looking to stretch your mind and body? Try yoga or pilates. End your workout with a massage or a little time in the sauna or steam room. They also offer nutrition and health wellness information. Personal trainers are there to help you get in shape based on your personal goals, and every membership comes with a free assessment by the training team. Good fit for: an average Joe looking to work out in a relaxed environment.
Fitcorp offers some of the largest gym facilities in the Boston area, with countless cardio machines, a full weight room, individual class areas, and circuit areas. They have staff specializing in nutrition, personal training, and even masseuses and acupuncturists. Fitcorp offers 101 classes and will find workouts that fit your level. Training comes in one-on-one style and group style, so you can bring a friend or two and drop the cost. Classes range from yoga to kick-boxing and everything in between. Fitcorp will also provide health assessments to help you maintain your progress. Good fit for: those looking to step up their intensity level. (Emerson students using Fitcorp will also get to enjoy using their gym free 30% of each month.)
Wang YMCA of Chinatown Price: $46.50/mo. ($100 joining fee) Locations: Chinatown (8 Oak St.), Allston Access: A short walk from anywhere on campus. Hours: M–F (5 am –10 pm) Sat. (6am –7pm) Sun. (9am –5 pm) www.emmagonline.com
Located right down the street from Emerson, the Wang YMCA has facilities that include a full size basketball court, full weight room, cardio and circuit areas, and a swimming pool. Personal training comes at all levels, and new members to the gym receive four free training sessions to learn where their fitness level is, as well as to get comfortable with the equipment and facilities at the gym. Specialized classes include yoga, karate, aqua kickboxing, abs, and even cardio salsa. Good fit for: Emerson students of any and all fitness levels. The atmosphere and staff are friendly and welcoming to all fitness levels.
relationships // 29
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Shay and Greg have been together for five months, first meeting in the dining hall on a random Taco Tuesday. “We do special stuff everyday,” says Greg. “A sweet gift or gesture at anytime keeps our relationship alive.”
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Leanne and Brad have been dating for six months, starting out as friends their freshman year. “We’re both pretty laid back, so we have nothing to fight about,” says Leanne. “Our personalities just complement each other really well.”
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Aly and Andrew have been dating for eight months and lived across the hall from each other in Piano Row last year. “We are best friends,” says Aly. “Our relationship just comes naturally.”
em magazine // Winter 2008
30 // relationships
relationship Q&A by BAKARA WINTNER // photo by Zac Wolf
Dear Lost,
Relationship Columnist Bakara Wintner
Dear ECGirl,
What does “hooking up” really mean? —Hooked on the Details
Dear Hooked, Many speculate the universe was created by the big bang theory, but no one really knows for sure. That same ambiguity applies to the phrase “hooking up.” A study done by Northwestern University found that the phrase remains popular, yet vague, for one specific reason: to leave something to the imagination. Out of 30 Emerson students that were polled, 24 of them answered that hooking up primarily means making out and maybe a little more than that. Adam Glinsky, an Emerson College sophomore, describes hooking up as “kissing, maybe a little hand adventure, but nothing past that. If you can’t name it in a sexual term, like head, sex, or rip roaring fuck job, then it’s hooking up.” And out of all 30 Emerson students polled, all agreed that sex is not included under the phrase “hooking up.” Sex deserves its own category, even if it’s bad.
Dear ECGirl,
I feel like I know what I’m doing in the bedroom, but I want to provide my lady with maximum satisfaction. Do girls enjoy clitoral stimulation or insertion more? —Lost Down There
Dear ECGirl,
Personally, never having experienced an orgasm from insertion, I can tell you that I have no complaints about clitoral stimulation. That is, if it’s done right. Less than 30% of women orgasm during intercourse. Unfortunately, too many men think that “harder is better” when it’s truly not. Women don’t go crazy when they’re giving you a hand job, so please be easy on them when it’s their turn for some pleasure. An orgasm via insertion is a little more difficult though, mainly because it deals with how comfortable a woman feels with you, as there is an added emotional element to it. To achieve the elusive G Spot orgasm, you should push down between your hipbones during sex. Oh, and you know how guys love head? Well, women do too, so let’s play fair.
Dear ECGirl,
I am still a virgin and have been so nervous about admitting it while at college. I just strongly believe that the first time you have sex, it should be with someone you really care about, and I haven’t found that connection yet. Is the V card really a turn-off to guys? —Virgin Social Suicides
Dear Virgin (not-so-social) Suicide, The V-Card isn’t a turn-off; it’s a filter. A filter for the type of people who get turned off by the word “virgin.” These people being: losers only looking for ass. A study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute shows that in the United States, 75% of women have sex by the age of 20. But for the remaining 25% of women, wear your virginity with pride! Rob George, an Emerson College freshman, says, “I don’t give out rentals; you’ve got to buy this shit. This isn’t Rent-aCenter; this is Pottery Barn.”
Guys are always shamelessly talking about porn and masturbation. Oftentimes I think about chirping in and talking about it too, but then I get scared it will either freak them out or label me as a “slut.” What do guys really think about girls watching porn and masturbating? —Just One of the Boys
Dear Just One, Yes, masturbating! We all do it, and guys are aware of it. In our society, roughly 95% of guys masturbate regularly while 80% of women admittedly do so. To guys, it is definitely a head-turner, but it is nothing worth judging. “I don’t think it’s weird at all. I think it’s unnatural to fight it,” says Nicholas Kraft, an Emerson College freshman. “Most girls think it’s gross, which is also weird to me because they also put dicks in their mouths. A lot of guys just see it as a sign of a girl being comfortable with her sexuality.” So the general consensus from guys is that it’s kind of hot. Just please refrain from talking about your vibrators.
56.3%
of Emerson students, either in a relationship or single, have sex 0–1 times per week. Out of 64.6% of students who are single, 6.3% of them have sex 10+ times a week. 18.8% of Emerson students have sex 5+ times a week. by maressa levy // photo by sarah jacobs
the lovers’ cross by NINA F. DINEEN // illustration by ALEXA FAY
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he Lovers’ Cross position can instantly steam up your bedroom and spice up your relationship. To get into the position, the woman must lie on her back and lift her legs over the man, who is lying perpendicular to her. While the woman is receiving on her back with her legs apart, the man is able to see every inch of the woman’s body, forming a cross between his body and her own. The Lovers’ Cross is a low impact position for the receiver, enabling the woman to give herself clitoral stimulation. The position is simple for both partners, and with a swing of the woman’s legs, the sweaty partners can easily return to the spoon position after orgasm.
www.emmagonline.com
relationships // 31
digital digital get down
A guide to succesful webcam sex because 9 out of 10 of us have Macs with webcams built in by RACHAEL ZERBATO // photo by Sarah Greenbaum
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IM is so 1998. The sexual culture of today’s youth has evolved from the mundane instant messaging and the gang bang-esque style of internet chat rooms to the modern sexual encounters of the 21st century. You’ve got a computer, you’ve got internet, you’ve got video. You’ve got webcam sex. Many of you Emersonians are in long distance relationships while away at college, so it can be hard to maintain a sense of physical intimacy with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Fear not, my young sexcrazed lovers! em magazine has you covered. Below are some simple step-by-step instructions on how to get the most out of your digital get downs and have abso-fuckin’-lutely fabulous webcam sex. Know who you’re having sex with. You’re not Chris Hansen, and this isn’t To Catch a Predator. If the person’s screen name is L0nlyNdivrcd69, ihave3kidz, or Ted_Kennedy, you should probably log off, zip up your jeans and forget about it. Call your mom. Go outside. Sign up for Quidditch in the park. Just leave L0nlyNdivrcd69 out of it.
Set up the camera! You don’t need some Spielberg from VMA to make sure the camera is level. I’m sure you have beautiful eyes, but this isn’t a sonnet; this is iChat. Be daring. Girls, wear your sexy bra, and guys, wear your sailboat boxers. I know it’s Boston and it’s freezing in the fall, winter, and spring. But hey, mittens can be sexy. Also, make sure you’re comfortable. Sit at your desk, lay on your bed, invest in a bean bag chair, whatever. OK, so now your partner’s identity is established and you’re both dressed to impress. Now it’s time to turn on the romance. Set the mood by dimming the lighting, taking out the sex toys you have hidden under your roommate’s bed, and hanging a certified purple and gold Emerson lanyard from the door handle in the hall. Sexiling your roommate, though unfortunate, is the right thing to do. Congratulations, my dear readers: you are now ready to chat. You can both start with stripping. Take off your shirt, hat, scarf, earmuffs (hey—it’s Boston) and, depending on your limits, your bra. Do whatever you’re both comfortable with, and if you get bored with the striptease, feel free to break out the sex toys. Whatever you do, just have fun with it!
Uhm. Awkward. If things start feeling like two
strangers in an elevator, loosen up by playing some music. A playlist of R&B or soft rock is good. Luther Vandross, anyone? Don’t worry about awkward silences either. Feel free to ask your partner if he or she is having fun and what they would like you to do. And if things get quiet, that’s okay. Actions speak louder than words. OK! You did the strip tease, got nasty, and had fun. Now what? I consider logging off to be the virtual equivalent of the awkward morning after. Ending the event can be a little weird, but if you’re comfortable with the person it shouldn’t be too bad. See you later? Close the monitor? Go to sleep? Yes, to all of the above. Webcam sex can be a fun and STD-free way of staying connected with your boyfriend or girlfriend while apart from each other. However, it does have its advantages and disadvantages. You don’t have to attempt any of those mind-bending, circus sex positions Cosmo claims are possible, but it can also be a struggle to be sexy when you’re naked and alone in your room in front of a small camera.
KUdlnyfpFKDJAiwN embarrassing sex stories Oh no! Oh yes! Emerson students share their very own embarrassing sex stories
by NATASHA WESTBROOK
1.
When it comes to sex, I like it pretty rough. One night, to set the mood for our sex-capade, I decided it would be fun if my boyfriend ripped a piece of clothing off of me. I was naked, only down to my thong, when I pushed my boyfriend on his back and sat on top of him. I then looked him in the eye and dared him to rip my thong off. However, to my surprise, he did not want to rip my underwear. After arguing back and forth for a while I screamed, “Fucking rip it!” In an act of pure frustration, my beau took my thong by the side strings and yanked upward with such force that his rolling bed shot away, allowing me to superwoman into the wall. Lying naked and tangled on the hardwood floor, I could not help but laugh. Luckily, my boyfriend had the same reaction, and I recovered from the disaster with minimal bruising to my dignity and one shredded pair of underwear.
2. A couple of summers ago, I was at a 3.
party when suddenly everyone's attention was directed to a bedroom upstairs. In a drunken mob, the entire party migrated to the room, only to find two kids having sex on my friend's brother's bed. As we all stood there in a state suspended between horror and amusement, the boy turned his head to us, smiled, and screamed, "This is my fucking V card!" Then, much like the childhood game of Telephone, the news spread through the entire party in about 1.2 seconds. Upon hearing this, the few people still standing in the kitchen decided that something needed to be done to commemorate such an occasion. They quickly fashioned a crown from aluminum foil, bounded up the stairs, and crowned the boy mid-thrust, declaring him "The Man." And I thought losing my virginity in the back of a Dodge Neon was embarrassing.
em magazine // Winter 2008
My boyfriend and I were both virgins when we started dating. We were pretty inexperienced, so usually our hookups were mild. One night we were driving back from seeing a movie and we decided to pull the car over into an abandoned parking lot. We started hooking up and it was getting pretty serious, so we decided to have sex. As we're about to start, my boyfriend looked at me nervously and said, "I don't know where to put it." Looking at him I said, "Well I don't know what to tell you!" Then he started looking around the car and found a flashlight that one of his parents had left in an emergency kit. He turned it on and said, "Let me take a look." Freaking out I screamed, "Are you serious? No way!" But in the end I lost the argument, so I ended up just laying there with my hands over my face, being totally mortified. It was like he was mining for gold or something.
32 // relationships
how to explore your sexual fantasies
Turn up the heat, and fulfill your curiosities by Krista MastroiannI // illustration by Mark McCune
to put the “do not disturb” sign on your hotel door can contribute to that heightened excitement. Once you feel brave enough to enter the public sphere, try discrete places like the movie theater or the dressing room of a clothing store. The Infamous Threesome
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or many, sexua l fantasies have become reality in their sexual activities. For some, their fantasies tick like a sexual time bomb ready to detonate at any moment. For others who are afraid to try something new, they allow their time bombs to keep on ticking. But now you can put your bedroom anxieties aside because those secret sexual fantasies you keep hidden are actually a healthy, fun way to keep your sex life on a constant rise. Not only will you and your significant other receive pleasure on a new heightened level, but it will also help to build trust within the relationship and can give each individual a new sense of self-esteem. So whether your desires lean towards a risky public setting or an extra person between the sheets, don’t fret! The average mind seems to wander in the same direction when it comes to mental sex scenarios. Porn
Watching porn with your partner is a great way to learn about each other’s sexual interests and expand your sexual imagination. Many women may shy away
from the idea, but studies have shown that a female’s sexual peak can be reached in only two minutes from watching pornography. To ease into the situation, try surfing the net together or go to adult stores so you can find videos you both like. If it’s your or your partner’s first time watching porn, don’t go for anything too hardcore, because it could quickly turn a sensual adventure into an uncomfortable movie night. After picking out a varied collection, set the mood in the bedroom so you both feel comfortable. Once your collection grows, try learning some of the new moves or senarios you’ve seen. Having Sex in Public
Mastering the art of a quickie in a public place can be more thrilling than an all-night love session. This is one of the best ways to heighten sexual energy. If your partner is against the idea, try renting a room somewhere and create your own public setting. Letting unknown neighbors hear you and forgetting
This can always be an uncomfortable topic, especially when your sexual partner is someone you really care about. If a threesome is something you really want to explore, sit down with your partner and make sure you both talk about your concerns. Once you’ve explored the idea, start off simple. Sex toys are always a plus: it creates the feeling that there’s an extra helping hand. A common way to fulfill a threesome is to let the girl invite another girl into the bedroom while the boyfriend watches. This allows everyone the pleasure of company, but leaves out any pending jealousy. Boston Sex Stores to Try... Hubba Hubba 534 Mass. Ave. Cambridge, MA // 617-492-9082 Red Line to Central Square Condom World 332 Newbury St. Boston, MA // 617-267-7233 Green Line to Hynes Sweet N’ Nasty 90 Mass. Ave. 90A Boston, MA // 617-266-7171 Green Line (B, C, D) to Hynes Good Vibrations 308a Harvard St. Brookline, MA // 617-264-4400 Green Line (C Train) to Coolidge Corner For websites try Evesgarden.com— there are great sex toys for women and men!
when does your hook-up number become unacceptable? by Beata Rybka // illustration by michaela mccrink
I
t's Sunday morning. You wake up hungover with messy hair and last night's makeup smeared all over your face. Wincing in the mirror, you discover an ominous trail of marks across your neck and a seven digit number next to the words "Call Dan" on your palm. Struggling to recall the blurry details that you hope nobody else remembers, you grow paranoid. You wonder if you went too far, and if the guy you left snoring in your bed was one too many to be sleeping with. When exactly does your hook-up number become unacceptable? Quality not quantity “It’s not just what you do, it’s who you do it with. If they’re gross, then yeah, it matters," freshman Caitlin Boroden says. Sometimes it’s not the numbers, but how you carry yourself “You know a slut when you see one. They give off a sort of skank stench," laughs an Emerson senior. Safety first “If she’s screwing a bunch of slobs with no condom on, I wouldn’t touch that," remarks an Emerson senior. www.emmagonline.com
Expectations “A hook-up depends on one’s intentions. You never know how many of someone’s hook-ups were failed potential relationships,” senior Brad Wilde says. Don’t kiss and tell “Let the past be the past,” senior Eric Tollar recommends. Graduation: a chance to erase your mistakes “In high school, you’re used to knowing everything about everyone, and it’s kind of generally accepted that as you begin hooking up with people, your reputation starts going down the drain. Now none of that matters anymore," freshman Steve Selnick explains. So maybe the fraternity brother stretched out under your comforter shouldn't be there, but it is too late take it back now. When the sun rises, Saturday night's drunken escapades become Sunday morning's old news. If you were safe and had fun, you are in good standing. Chances are, if you can't remember what you did last night, no one else can remember either.
relationships // 33
single and proud
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4
Why being single is actually really awesome by Maya Phillips // photo by Zac wolf
I
have been single for 18 years. I’m not ugly or deformed and I’m not socially inept. And yet, I have never been on a date or even had my first kiss. I like to tell this to people to gauge their reactions. It is usually some mix of shock and pity, with dramatic exclamations involved. Although math is somewhat of a taboo at Emerson, let me explain this in mathematical terms. Single is not equivalent to lonely. Only lonely is equivalent to lonely. Couples are all around, especially in college. It’s easy to feel like a gremlin when all you see are couples holding hands on the way to class; and then there’s you, walking alone with your head down, iPod on, hands in your pockets. You might feel lonely. You might even feel embarrassed. There’s no need to feel either way. It is nice to be in a relationship, but before there is two, there must be one. Even within the relationship, there must be two distinct personalities. So many people rush into relationships as though it’s a fad. Newsflash girls: boys aren’t handbags to be toted around and shown off. And boys, girls aren’t boxers to be used and thrown away when they chafe you the wrong way. Even if boys were handbags and girls were boxers, accessories and underwear can never make you feel more secure. They are only a temporary fix. The trick lies in being comfortable with yourself. It sounds cliché, but you must love yourself before you love someone else. And I’m not referring to masturbation. I mean self-esteem. Too many people search for that person “to complete them.” Unless you are a puzzle or an unfinished painting, you do not need to be completed. Each one of us is a complete human being. There is no missing puzzle piece or unfinished paint strokes. We are all much more than that. Oftentimes there’s a negative connotation connected to pride, usually following with the words conceit and vanity. But in the case of self-love, the words dignity, identity, and respect are forgotten, and pride takes on a whole new meaning. In efforts to love others, people often forget about themselves. Philanthropy only goes so far. You would not let yourself go bankrupt because you gave all your money away. Let’s be honest: everyone loves charity but no one loves a martyr. The self comes first. It isn’t difficult to put the self first. Just take some time to realize how great you are. Step in front of the mirror and just look at yourself without examining that pimple or critiquing your look. Take some time out of your day for yourself. Go and do something that you enjoy, like taking a walk or reading a good book. You don’t need to be in the company of someone else in order to be on a date. Take yourself out on a date and enjoy it—go see a funny movie and have a nice meal. It’s just as enjoyable as a regular date, minus the awkward moments. But I don’t recommend talking to yourself or giving yourself a kiss goodnight, because then it gets pretty weird. Truly realize how it feels to walk around in your own skin and be completely comfortable with it. At this point, another person would no longer be a completion of you, but just a nice addition. Enjoy your freedom and independence, because there will be plenty of time for relationships. There will be plenty of time for dates, small kisses, Valentine’s Day chocolates, make ups, and breakups. There will be plenty of time for girlfriends, boyfriends, and maybe eventually spouses. For now, don’t let people pity you. As I said, single is not equivalent to lonely, and you can make that decision. Make single equivalent to comfortable, strong, and independent. Make single equivalent to a personal choice. When you see those couples walking down the street, don’t get upset. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. You might have been single for a couple of days, or eighteen years. Either way, enjoy it. Your identity lies beyond a relationship. And when you’re ready, you can enter into that relationship withRelationship Columnist out losing yourself, because that is what is most M aya Phillips important. You can be single and proud of it.
out of the closet & into the city GLBT friendly bars and hangouts
by JILLIAN DUCHARME // photos by Erika ENGGREN
In the heart of Red Sox Nation, it can be hard to find a gay-friendly spot that’s both welcoming and comfortable, and that allows you to meet new possible love interests. Fortunately, Boston has a lot of gay-friendly bars, clubs, cafés and hangouts for all ages. Whether you’re single and looking, in a relationship and need an idea for date night, or just curious and bored, here are some places to check out. For all of you who are 21+, I suggest venturing to Jamaica Plain to check out the Midway Café. Thursday nights is all about the ladies, featuring “Women’s Dance Night” hosted by DJ Summer’s Eve. You can also join in on Queeraoke. Boston Magazine voted the café as the “Best Lesbian Scene.” Every second Saturday night of the month, Midway Café presents “The Neighborhood,” a queer/trans dance night, hosted by XGENDER and DJ D’Hana Chubrub. The café also hosts discussions and parties in support of gay rights on various occasions. 3496 Washington St. Jamaica Plain // Orange line, Green St. stop // www.midwaycafe.com // (617) 524-9038
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Club Café, also a 21+ spot, is the “leader in Boston nightlife” with an all-weekend gay party for mostly men. Every first Thursday of the month is “Campus Manhunt” hosted by Abby Cummings. Friday nights bring “Edge Friday” hosted by edgeboston.com, a news and entertainment website geared towards the GLBT community, plus there are lots of CD, DVD and movie pass giveaways. Saturday nights bring “Mayhem Saturdays,” hosted by DJ AGA. With no cover charge, the café promises hot videos, hot music and more importantly, hot men. 209 Columbus Ave. Boston // Orange line, Back Bay Station // www.clubcafe.com // (617) 536-0966
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For those of you not 21, or those of you who would rather not be part of the hot and heavy nightlife scene, the Calamus Bookstore is a great place to hang out. The bookstore caters to the GLBT community, deeming itself a “free marketplace of ideas.” Craig Rodwell, who opened the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop in Greenwich Village in 1967, also opened Calamus. The bookstore hosts book signings by featured authors and exhibitions by local gay artists. You can also sign up for the e-newsletter on their website. 92B South St. Boston // Red line, South Station // www.calamusbooks.com // (617) 338-1931
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After burying your nose in all those books, head down to Francesca’s Espresso Bar for a yummy treat. A small, cozy place to meet more people from the gay community, Francesca’s has everything from coffee to tea, salads to baked goods, and even free Wi-Fi. They also have a great view of the street, perfect for people watching. Francesca’s gives off a welcoming vibe for everyone. Breakfast is served all day, along with choices for vegetarians. 564 Tremont St. Boston // Silver Line towards Dudley Square, Union Park St. stop // (617) 482-9026
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em magazine // Winter 2008
good choices • losing your mind • losing your keys • waking up at the butt crack of dawn every morning for the rest of your life • hoping to retire • 401K • moving to new places • the good life
welcome to the real world
turmoil in the business market • learning new skills • grad school • doing what you love • marrying up • marrying at all • student debt • making
www.emmagonline.com
at Shaw’s • eating macaroni every night • rich & famous • love • family • growing up • friends • growing apart • losing your hair • making mistakes • worries • credit crunch • paying rent •
➜ • the future • bills • responsibility • babies • danger • adventure • business suits • unemployment • stress • money • respect • working
features // 35
hot shots
Recent Emerson grads making waves in the real world
Eric Hutchinson, film Grad. 2002
by Kimya Kavehkar // photos courtesy of Eric Hutchinson
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ric Hutchinson does not see the world in black and white, yes and no, or up and down. “I think that in life, there’s a lot of sort of unsettled things that don’t always wrap up perfectly,” says Hutchinson. “And those are really what I try to explore in the songs.” In this way, he is a storyteller, a nomad perfectly content to wander the gray areas of existence. Besides the messages that apply to everyone (not just the madly in love and madly in hate), his on-stage presence and instrumentals are absolutely infectious. Hutchinson, 28, who graduated from Emerson in 2002, is living the dream of every Emerson student. The incessant need to create, express and entertain is something that boils in the blood of all of us. Hutchinson took the desire, his soulful voice, and his guitar and launched the album, Sounds Like This, which is being honored by entertainment critics VH1 and the ‘Queen of All Media,’ Perez Hilton. “Every day has sort of a pinch-me moment where I don’t know how I ended up here,” says Hutchinson in the most charmingly modest fashion. A self-described “acoustic-soul” musician, Hutchinson blends the funky rhythmic pop reminiscent of Stevie Wonder (one of his idols) and his cheeky wit that sets him apart from some of his love song ballad contemporaries. “Yeah, I grew up learning how to sing from Michael Jackson; I learned how to like pop music from The Beatles. And it’s sort of been a mixture ever since, ” says Hutchinson. It is his eclectic musical influences and clap-along rhythms that make even the most reluctant listener hum along. Hutchinson graduated from Emerson with a film degree, but the pull to music throughout his college career was irresistible. He had humble beginnings as one of the founders of the comedy troupe Jimmy’s Traveling All-Stars, and he sold copies of a few of his tracks right in the Little Building Dining Hall. “I was really doing music as a hobby. I would go back and forth between film and music. I started making some CDs, and a friend of mine heard it and said, ‘Oh, you should print a couple of these up.’ So I printed up some and would kind of sell them, and randomly people would come find me sitting in the dining hall or something so they could tell me they wanted to buy a CD.” From selling makeshift CDs to being signed to Warner Bros. Records, Hutchinson has experienced huge shifts in his young, blossoming career, but he always keeps the memory of Emerson and the city of Boston close to his heart. “Boston was kind of the first time that I really learned that I loved the city, any city, loved that whole world. I think the city lifestyle has really informed the way I write songs,” says Hutchinson. He would love to talk to Emerson students personally about his experiences, but it’s his self-deprecating fears that keep him at bay. “My fear would be that nobody would show up; that would be the only reason I would be scared.” As he recounts his memories of Emerson, it is apparent that he had some of his best times here. “Over the summer (2008) we did a show in the Theatre District, so getting around that area hurt actually a little bit, such a strong flow of nostalgia that it hurts sometimes,” says Hutchinson wistfully. After getting his B.A. in Film, he toured around the New England area in his Honda Civic trying to make it as a
solo artist, but he was not living the plush tour lifestyle that many envision in their rock-star fantasies. “That’s the main thing that people don’t realize about being a musician, at least at my level, and what I do: there’s a lot of work. It’s something I’m passionate about but it takes a lot of effort to keep it all rolling,” says Hutchinson. This passion and drive landed him in one of the most exciting phases of his musical career that took place on September 15, 2008: a slot to perform on The Tonight Show with fellow Emerson alum Jay Leno. “My band and I were so excited. I just tried to take a big mental picture all day.” No, his path was not a traditional one, and his laudatory reviews and imminent success did not come easy. One couldn’t imagine spending four years studying one thing, taking an immense chance to pursue a hobby, and ending up making a living off of it. But Hutchinson wouldn’t have it any other way. “Not to be cheesy about it, but I’m doing what I always dreamt of doing.” www.erichutchinson.com
Alexander Wolf, new media grad. 2007
by Victoria Guerrera // photos courtesy of alexander wolf
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rowing up in Pennsylvania, Alexander Wolf always knew that there was just a little more to life in the big cities. This eventually led him to Emerson College, where he graduated in 2007. At Emerson, Wolf majored in New Media Production, which is now known as Experimental Media. The program combined theory courses and digital media production. “The most relevant courses were certainly magazine and book design with Lisa Diercks. I actually took three courses with Lisa by the time I graduated—I was basically a groupie. Her courses and sensibility truly inspired me and cemented in my mind that this was the profession for me,” said Wolf. As for student organizations, Wolf was a part of Gauge Magazine and Developed Images. “They were tremendous learning experiences as well as additions to my portfolio,” said Wolf. He was also responsible for the visual direction of seven student publications by the time he graduated Emerson. Wolf also worked as an intern at Brightcove, an internet video company based in Cambridge, where he worked as the junior designer. “The experience working in such a corporate environment and producing for the web versus print taught me what not to pursue further down the line,” said Wolf. He realized that print magazine journalism was the path he wanted to take. Soon after graduation, Wolf became the Design Director at CITY Magazine in New York City. “Working for a fashion and lifestyle-centric magazine has been a goal of mine for years. The whole name of the game fuses together so many of my interests into one industry—one that routinely blurs the lines between professional and social engagements. There’s no better feeling than having one tangible object, in this case a new magazine every few weeks,” said Wolf on his job. “This is such a horrific cliché, but The Devil Wears Prada was so energizing towards the end of my time in Boston. And for the record, I come from the school of thought that Andy (Anne Hathaway) was a damn fool!” As Design Director at CITY magazine, he is responsible for creating innovative visual identities under the principles of the Creative Director. Within the past year, Wolf has redesigned every visual element including the magazine’s logo. He also manages print production and has had the opportunity to write articles and interview celebrities such as Lady GaGa and Riley Keough. Being a part of an independent publication allows him to experience other job titles. As for future Emerson graduates, Wolf has some strong advice. “While you’re
em magazine // Winter 2008
36 // features
still at Emerson, immerse yourself into its innumerable organizations and take them seriously. Not only are you getting real-world experience, but you make great connections with fellow students you may collaborate with professionally in years to come. For instance, I met ‘05 graduate Morgan First through Emerson, who later hired me to design the 2007 edition of her MAP Boston book.” Wolf also suggests keeping a portfolio from the start of Emerson, and upon graduation, sending portfolios to as many job opportunities as possible. “Getting a job right out of school in editorial is tricky and largely a matter of clever timing, though. Be tenacious either way, yet prepare yourself to ‘put in your dues.’ NYC is not for the meek either, which is something I have had to work on,” said Wolf. Future plans for Wolf include working on freelance projects to experience different design concepts outside of CITY. His dream job would be to work on design campaigns for look books for his favorite fashion houses. “Oh, and saving my money for once so I can take a proper vacation. I’m thinking Berlin,” said Wolf. “Well, a boyfriend would be nice too!” As for living in New York City, Wolf claims that New York experiences just happen. “At 2:30 a.m. you’ll find yourself out after some event in a hot downtown club unexpectedly seeing Ed Westwick’s (Gossip Girl) band play while you chat up Taylor Momsen (Gossip Girl),” said Wolf. “Then you somehow get yourself up to work the next morning vaguely on time, with stories to tell everyone about the night you just had. It’s a blast though, between the hectic schedules of one’s work day interspersed with parties by night.” xndr.net
Morgan First, marketing / wlp Grad. 2005
by Vanessa Williams // photo by Juliana Hudson
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or most college students, senior year is a time of anxiety. The last semester is spent scrambling to gather last minute credits and preparing for “the big search.” However, 24-year-old Emerson College alumnus, Morgan First, who graduated in December of 2005, was preparing to begin her first business venture, or rather “ad”venture. She knew what she wanted to do academically—a double major in Marketing Communications and Writing, Literature and Publishing. In 2006, soon after graduation, First launched her company, 1st Publications and its first project, MAP (Motion Affair Planner) Boston. First came up with MAP Boston, a day planner with weekly handpicked destinations, vivid photography, and easy to read transportation maps for the Greater Boston area, to take students beyond their daily route. MAP Boston doubles as an agenda planner and a city entertainment guide for Boston residents and college students. Born in Los Angeles, First comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her father owns his own Lasik eye surgery practice and her mother founded The Orchid Lady, gift and decorating services for home and office, and Feng Shui Los Angeles. Though she had the entrepreneurial spirit in her genes, back in high school, First imagined herself as editor of a magazine. “I had always been obsessed with magazines,” says First, the energetic redhead. “When I was in ninth grade CosmoGIRL! came out, and the editor-inchief was Atoosa Rubenstein [now editor of Seventeen Magazine], and she had started CosmoGIRL! at 26. So I was like, wow! She was only 26, and they let her
come up with her own concept, and now I have a copy, and it’s awesome.” She knew that if she wanted to work in magazine publishing she would have to work her way to the top. However, First is dyslexic and knew that she wasn’t the strongest writer. The alternative path was the marketing and publishing side of magazines. In high school, First became editor-in-chief of the yearbook and organized school-wide fundraisers and events like AIDS Walk. After high school, First chose to attend Emerson College where she double majored in Marketing Communications and Writing, Literature and Publishing and minored in Management, Entrepreneurship and Photography. She is able to have the confidence that she exudes because she was so focused and in control of her education. She took summer classes and even went abroad to London during her sophomore year to take business and fashion classes so that she would be prepared for whatever the magazine publishing world might require. She had her MAP Boston epiphany in a different European destination. Between junior and senior year, First went backpacking in Austria with her family. As a self-proclaimed adventure-lover, she snagged a copy of Let’s Go Europe, a vacation travel guide that offers insider tips on restaurants, shops, entertainment, bargains and more. It is also full of maps and pictures, which First loves. She wished Boston had a similar guide—something that wasn’t for tourists, but rather catered to students and residents. And it did—a guide aptly titled Not for Tourists (NFT). However, the guide is mostly made of maps and information, and though it is small, it isn’t something that you would carry with you all the time. It hit her. She should create a day planner that combined the local guide of NFT with the style and pictures of Let’s Go Europe. “I pitched the idea to Emerson first, but they’re contracted years in advance for that planner with school directories and rule book. How boring is that?” says First with disgust. Had the idea not been rejected by Emerson, First wouldn’t have started her entrepreneurial studies. Director of E3 (Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship), Karl Baehr, Ph.D. says, “The program includes two intense classes where students learn the ropes of creating a company and actually launch their own ventures. Many of our students actually acquire investment and begin operations. Morgan took the program quite seriously. She is definitely one of our success stories.” MAP Boston is set up like any other planner—monthly calendars, weekly agenda blocks, space for to-dos and notes—but each week it features a different local restaurant, entertainment venue, recreation center, or store; and every monthly calendar features a sidebar of four places to visit under a theme like “Museums,” “Brunch,” and “Cool Architecture & Outdoors.” With its artistic photography, detailed blurbs about the venues and colorful pages, this is nothing like your ordinary planner. First has combined the convenience of a day planner with the information of a travel guide and created the ultimate tool to help Bostonians slow down, look around, and find new old favorites around town. First managed to graduate a semester early. She convinced her parents to let her use the money they would have spent on that semester to start up her company. Since its start in 2006, MAP Boston has sold about 12,000 copies. Considering that the planners were primarily given away the first year, that is quite an impressive sales number. Though MAP Boston is currently 1st Publications’ main project, a travel adventure book geared towards kids is in the works. First said, “The book will allow kids to imagine what’s in the book and then make it happen in real life. The main character will visit places like Buenos Aires but appeal to kids. It’s going to be all about inspiring Americans to travel through their kids. I’m all about adventures.” www.motionaffairplanner.com
www.emmagonline.com
8. Enjoy your adventure! 7. You should now have a booklet of 16 pages. 6. Cut along the dotted scissor lines at the top and outsides. Staple
5. Staple along the staple line. 4. Fold along the staple line. 3. Fold over along the dotted scissor lines so that this page is facing out. 2. Fold along the existing fold. 1. Gently remove the center spread of the magazine, tearing away from the staples. Instructions to Enjoy your Adventure
Staple
by Anthony Marvullo // illustrations by Michaela McCrink
Take it slow but take it A Choose your own adventure story ✂
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You rush to the animal adoption center downtown right after class. You couldn’t stop thinking about that cat!—the way it looked with its unkempt saltand-pepper fur, the sound it made when it knew it was about to enter a life of what amounts to prison for kittens—you cannot stand idly by as the creature you rescued shares a small box with four or five other mentally tweaked members of its own kind. You’ve done that before, you know how much it sucks. Oh man, this is going to be so great. Soon you will be graduated. You will have to restart your entire life, perhaps move, perhaps build a social circle from scratch, and it will all be easier if you have a furry, thankful pal by your side to keep you from the status of hermits. Inside the adoption center you give your name and your situation. The woman at the front says this kind of thing happens all the time, but that the officer did mention you when he dropped the kitten off this morning. She takes you back to the holding area. You are hit with the smell and sound of orphans. Next to the biggest terrarium you’ve ever seen is the kitten area, a playground for even the most destitute felines. “Do you remember what the kitten looked like?” asks the woman. “It’s a tabby,” you say. “Hrm.” She points down to the kitty playplace and there must be seven tabby cats. Well, shit. You bend down to get a closer look at each of them. The woman even obliges and lets you hold each one, look them in the eye, and try to rekindle the rescuer-rescued connection. You can’t recognize the one you rescued. You bow your head and tell the woman you’re ready to leave. “You can still adopt a cat if you’d like,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be the one you rescued. In fact, I’d say you’d still be rescuing one if you did.” “No,” you say. “I wouldn’t be any help to these cats. I’ve forgotten how to love.”
✂
You do sit-ups until it’s time to leave for class. On the way to the train station, a car pulls up along side you and keeps pace. The driver’s side window opens to reveal a dark-skinned, diplomatic-looking man. “Approach, my son,” he says in a thick West African accent. “I need your assistance.” Thinking he just needs directions to somewhere, you move closer. You notice the steel briefcase resting in the passenger seat, almost glowing, and the man notices your eye-line. “That is what I need help with,” he says. The man is a member of the nobility of the West African nation of Namibia, ruled over by a just and sometimes too forgiving monarchy, one member of whom was recently kidnapped by a Namibian terrorist cell. He explains to you that contained inside the steel briefcase is four million dollars in unmarked, non-sequential bills to be delivered to the cell’s American proxy located right here in Boston. He asks you to play the role of courier.
THE END
If you accept the steel briefcase full of ransom money from the Namibian man, go to PAGE 10. If you walk away and continue toward the train station, go to PAGE 14.
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10
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No? Go to PAGE 14.
If you go to class, go to PAGE 12.
Do you want to? Go to PAGE 8.
If you go home, go to PAGE 11.
“It’s a miracle you got here when you did,” says the Animal Control officer. He is filling out a report while his partner loads the kitten into a holding box. “Do you ever get used to that noise?” you ask, referring to the unearthly shrieks and hisses coming from the already emotionally abused kitten. “We do, actually,” he says. He finishes filling out the report. “OK, we’re going to take it downtown to the pound and examine it, administer shots. If you want to, we can make a note to hold it for adoption, only if you want to.”
The last time you held an enormous amount of money for a member of the West African nobility, the CIA raided your studio apartment at 3:30 in the morning, trashed the place, took the money, and knocked you over the head with a government-issue baseball bat. After you accepted the mission from the man in the car, he proceeded to tell you that of the four million dollars, three-and-a-half million are for ransom and the remaining five hundred thousand are for the hostage, who turns out to be the actual queen of Namibia. That money is to secure passage from the Namibian coastal region of Kunene to Boston Harbor on the luxury liner christened The Iron Sieve. You are to subtract the five hundred thousand from the briefcase and give the rest of the money to the terrorist proxy in the docks district by midnight tonight. You will recognize him because he will be wearing a fedora with a red feather in it. The prospect of adventure has got you winded. Do you still go to class or do you head right back home and see if anyone you know has a gun for protection? 15a On the ferry you both lean over the bow and soak in the salty wind. You ask a few probing questions, she asks a few probing questions, and by the time you get to Spectacle Island it’s as if you’ve known each other all throughout college. She says she wants to be a director of documentaries, bringing untold information to people whose minds have been narrowed by American media conglomerates. “Where do you see yourself?” she asks.
Go to PAGE 3. 15b On the ferry’s deck a man holds his son up to the 25-cent steel telescope. You are close enough to hear the timer inside, clicking and counting down to the minute that the quarter expires. The kid is visibly thrilled to be peering through a magnification of the ocean but it’s overcast and foggy and there isn’t much else to see except water and sky and the far-off places they meet. How many years ago was it that you could look on endless white and still be excited? Tonight you will sleep alone and without a roof. In the morning you will be one day closer to a career but that won’t matter. It won’t matter that you’ll be just as lost and confused as ever. It won’t matter. What will matter is that you will find yourself and you will find love and climb out of these valleys. What will matter is that you arrived and you left and in between you were brilliant.
THE END
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If you wake up from this awful nightmare, go to PAGE 4.
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If you answer that question because you are confident in your future, go to PAGE 3.
✂ Please Cut along the fold ✂
ou weren’t always here, down in these valleys. When you were a kid you would hold your mouth open during a snowstorm — back then, nature was so edible. Pieces of hay hung off your lips and bobbed up and down when you chewed. In the autumn you would gnaw on leaves. When you ran back home for curfew on adventurous summer evenings, you would allow your tongue to patrol your front teeth for leftover dirt. You weren’t always here. You used to eat everything and it all tasted like nothing. You liked that. Metaphors involving travel and topography have recently bubbled back up into your life. You haven’t heard one in about four years. Now a career counselor is describing a future, perhaps your future, replete with roads and mountains, potholes and twisting riverways. In a sensible world, a career counselor would be considered among the more powerful and influential. Someone whose job description is describing jobs should have an infinite tap of information about the realm of business and careers and, in having that knowledge, be able to recommend you to any number of dream jobs. They should be professional infiltrators, slicker than spies, willing and able to set up interviews with top brass at television networks and women’s lifestyle magazines. Sadly, this is not the case. Not right now at least. You answer a handful of mindless questions designed to numb you into thinking that a full-time job right out of college is something that you’re into. This is good, because the questions distract you from the fact that the very definition of career is “one’s lifework,” and if you were to gain a sudden cosmic distance, you’d see that very tiny yet very great forces are amassing outside your purview, sending you from here to there and into what people with crushed souls and prefabricated furniture call “the rat race.” “Entry-level jobs in your particular industry start out at about thirty-thousand per year,” says the career counselor. “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
Y
✂ Please Cut along the fold ✂
START
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Go to PAGE 14.
✂ Please Cut along the fold ✂
6 THE END
To your surprise there are two men in your apartment, both of whom you have seen before because they were here waiting for you the last time you held money for an African, and one of these men is carrying the same Louisville Slugger baseball bat he used to subdue you during that last incident. There is a major difference between what you wanted your last thought to be before you were knocked out by the CIA and your actual last thought. What you wanted to think was: What we have done up to this point can never be duplicated but always surpassed. What you actually thought was: I don’t have health insurance. When you come to, you have a welt on your forehead but you notice you can still make it to your second class. You do, and nobody asks you about your head but they sure do stare at it.
✂ Please Cut along the fold ✂
You catch the cat and take it back to your apartment. You have to go to class so you lay out a towel, a saucer of milk, and a manageable amount of tuna in the linen closet. The tabby looks up at you and conveys as close to a thank you as it can. It’s a shame, because when it grows up, it will never thank you. Cats are a snooty kind. All morning in class you think of names for your new friend. You settle on Belvedere. Belvy for short. When you get back the tuna is eaten and the milk is gone. The kitten is hiding under the towel and you coax it out with more food. That weekend you take it to the vet for shots and you find out it’s doing remarkably well for an abandoned animal. “You have such a capacity for love!” says the astounded veterinary assistant. “You are a king among slobs.” Years later, after you’ve graduated and moved to a new area for your job, you figure out that you shouldn’t talk about having a cat when you’re flirting with cute, available women. Experience has told you that they will think you’re gay if you do.
Here you are at the crossroads, watching and pondering the lessons of the future, of beauty in the world. An advertisement on the train boasted cheap fares for ferry services to the Boston Harbor Islands. It looked promising, taking a boat out there to camp under the stars, to watch the sun set and rise on the city from a distance. You wrote down the number before disembarking the train. Emerging from the train station you see your school for what might be one of the last times. You have learned a great deal from the crazies inside those halls. Never again will that kind of chaos be so expensive. Outside of the building, leaning against it, is the girl you’ve pined after for the better part of three semesters. Earlier in the year you found yourself wanting to write poetry, even though you haven’t touched the stuff since high school English class, but still, because of this girl, you had this unexpected urge to rhyme and use old words like “thine” and “doth” and “but thy eternal summer shall not fade.” You are graduating soon and you will never get this chance again. Do it. “Didn’t you used to swipe ID cards outside one of the residences?” you ask her. “Yes I did.” “How is that working out for you?” “Not so great,” she says. “My job was outsourced to a robot.” After a few minutes, a few laughs, and a couple of cloud-parting realizations that you two actually have a good deal in common—but not too much because who wants to date a mirror? but just enough to be genuinely interested in one another— you notice you are late for class. Here you are at the crossroads. You remember the ad in the train, the one for the ferry to the outer islands, and you could ask her. She would be totally into it. You could ask her and spend the afternoon walking an island, picking berries but not eating them, and avoiding poison ivy.
“I see myself running my own company,” you say. Ten years later you are running your own company. That shit was easy! Why do people treat life as one long moaning complaint? The rest of your life goes exactly as planned. You marry the perfect woman, have two well-behaved and intelligent children, and spend your retirement years knee-deep in philanthropic pursuits. You die of old age. You were happy, loved, independently wealthy, and you left us without regrets.
THE END
Do you ask her? Go to PAGE 15a.
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Does she already have a boyfriend? Go to PAGE 15b.
3
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5
Go to PAGE 3.
Or do you go alone? You go to the docks alone but the Princess is already there, waiting for you. She is glowing, her exotic brown hair tapered and layered and flipped in the way many haircuts seem to defy gravity. She asks if you’ve brought the money. You tap the steel briefcase. “Good,” she says. “Let’s run away to Canada.” “I don’t know about this,” you say. “I’m graduating in a few days. Plus your mother is a hostage.” “Pish,” she says. “Let’s run away together and elope.” The question is not how do we love or who do we love or what is our capacity for love but where do we love? and that is what’s hurting us. That is what’s hurting you. “Yes. Ok. I’m in,” you say. “We have enough money to run away for a long time,” she says. “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
If you call Animal Control so the cat can be in capable hands, go to PAGE 7.
If you decide to keep the cat as your own, go to PAGE 6.
Do you let her come with you to the docks district? Go to PAGE 13. After the professor dismisses your Perspective of Proto-American Literature course, your second-to-last course as an undergraduate, you are approached by the cute girl who sat in the opposite corner of the room. She introduces herself as the Princess of Namibia. You had never spoken to her before yet it does not surprise you that she is heir to the throne of West Africa. You are still carrying the steel briefcase and she eyes it for a moment. “Nigel told me you’re going to be our courier for this job,” she says. “I was actually going to leave it under a lamp post in the harbor and hope for the best,” you say. “You mind if I come with?” she asks. You have always pictured princesses, even contemporary ones whose royal parents send them off to an east coast communications school to study broadcast journalism, as the kind of girls with an obligation to wear a tiara. This one, the Princess of Namibia, is not wearing a tiara. In fact, she is wearing a sensible amount of clothing and donning an androgynous modern haircut. It’s cute. She’s cute. This is an international incident on so many levels and you are in the middle of it. You could get shot! She could get shot! But your gut reaction, the one that makes this last day of classes such a sexy and adventurous one is this: Yes, I want to help this royal family. I want to be a transporter. Let’s go.
You go for a quick morning jog. It is pre-dawn and you are one of the first non-municipal folks out and about in the city. Your run takes you through public alleyways, lush public gardens, and into the secret rears of apartment buildings where tenants park their cars. Behind a particularly swanky riverside residential high-rise, you hear the unmistakable mewling of a small animal. When you check from where the sounds are originating, by the trash cans, you find a kitten. It’s a tabby and it’s pawing at an empty Chinese food box. There is no question, no decision needed—you are going to save this cat. You wake up in a cold sweat. This is the third time in as many nights you’ve had the career counselor dream. Sometimes it ends with the woman telling you that typing eighty words per minute will land you a cushy job in the data entry field. Sometimes it ends with the woman laughing hysterically at your desire to be an Alaskan crab fisherman. Sometimes it doesn’t end. Sometimes it ends with zombies. It is 5:30am. Today you have your last class as an undergraduate. You sit up in the bed that is too big for you. When you moved into this apartment you brought only one pillow, the thought being that bringing another pillow would be too presumptuous. It is. It might also indicate to whomever you are entertaining that once the evening’s fun is over, they’re going to have to leave. You are not that kind of person however. You brought one pillow to seem casual but not too casual, wary of commitment but not too wary. While the effects of the nightmare wear off, you are still aware of the message: soon you will have to pick a path to follow. You are made to think this, because it’s what people do, finding work and sticking to it, developing new habits and loves, creating legacies, living or otherwise, to immortalize yourself. How do you go from graduation to this? What folks don’t tell you — and it’s a shame they don’t — but what they don’t tell you is that it’s perfectly all right to come to a fork in the road and rest on the sidewalk for a while.
Night falls and you and the Princess of Namibia are huddled together under a lone streetlight by the docks. It smells like crabs and Mexican beer. Three hundred feet away is another streetlight. Suddenly two men walk out of the darkness and into that light’s aura. Their light pops out. The light above you and the Princess begins to flicker. If these are indeed your last moments then they are great moments. You are holding a steel briefcase with $3.5 million and a beautiful African Princess is clutching your arm. Your light pops out and all that’s left is the following disembodied conversation: “You were supposed to come alone.” “I was never told that,” you say. “Where is my mum?” asks the Princess. This was actually very stupid of her, because to the two terrorist proxies, she was just some girl along for the ride. Now they know she is the Princess. “We can get a lot more than three million if we have a queen and a princess,” one of them says. The last thing you remember of that night is blunt force applied to the back of your head, undoubtedly from the butt of a gun. You wake up under an azure sky. The suitcase is gone, as is the Princess. Days later you read in the international section of the newspaper that a small West African nation conceded fifteen million dollars to a terrorist cell operating outside Walvis Bay. “They kidnapped both the Queen and the Princess,” the article reads, “because they did not like living in a country with more vowels than consonants. It was their prerogative to change that.”
THE END
If you are the type of person who makes an effort to decorate the refrigerator door, go to PAGE 5.
4
If not, go to PAGE 9.
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21 Features // 41
twenty-one and no more fun How this milestone birthday changes everything
by Faye Brennan // illustrations by Alexa Fay
B
y the time this issue comes out, I will be twenty-one years old. I’m one of the last seniors at Emerson to become of age, and although I’ve been eagerly awaiting this milestone for years, I’m entering the final stretch with some reservations. For the past three years, living in Boston has been quite a challenge, what with being an underage college student, trying to get into bars with strict bouncers, and jamming in a night’s fun all before last call at 1:30 a.m. Many a night out has been cut short by my crappy fake ID, or at least tainted by the nauseous feeling I get as I inch closer to the bouncer while waiting in line at some club. I spend the whole time indiscreetly studying the birth date, address, and height of the twenty-eight-year-old blonde from New York before shakily handing the ID to the bouncer, widening my eyes to mimic the bug-eyed girl I’m supposed to be. Those are nights I will not miss. But the feeling of accomplishment and pure relief I feel when I get in—that’s something that I’ll yearn to feel again post-twenty-one. People get a certain rush when they know they’re doing something wrong or taboo; for me, that rush is from drinking underage. I relish in the special feeling of possibly being the only one in the bar who’s not of age, and I love knowing that I’m getting away with something without getting caught. Getting into bars and buying alcohol when I’m not legally allowed to have really been my only “rebel yell.” Without them, I just feel ordinary… and old. Perhaps I’m the only one who is more focused on what I’m losing on this milestone birthday than what I’m gaining. On the bright side, a week from now, there will be no limit to where I can go or what I can buy. The liquor store won’t seem like some big, overwhelming monster that will eat me whole and spit me out if I dare enter, and the countless girls partying at Alibi and 28 Degrees won’t seem so enviable. On the other hand, I’ve already been doing these things for years (albeit nervously). Once I’m twenty-one, what’s the real draw to going to a bar and buying too many drinks and spending too much money, all to end the night dancing on top of some beer-soaked table? Sure, it might be a great time out with
friends, but there’s nothing thrilling or taboo about it. I won’t be accomplishing anything by getting in the door, and I won’t be in a different circumstance from the girl waiting for a drink next to me. From this perspective, it’s clear that losing my underage status is just another reminder that my adolescence is slipping farther and farther away. I’m a senior, college is ending, and my excuses to party recklessly and live carefree are dwindling by the day. My twenty-first birthday is the last line drawn in the sand—once I cross it, I’m officially an adult, and there’s no way to come back. My friends who have already crossed this line keep telling me, “Cherish this birthday. After twenty-one, it’s pretty much all downhill from there.” Though depressing, I can’t help but agree with them. Where is the big celebration for turning twenty-two? Twenty-three? Isn’t every birthday after twenty-one just unwanted proof that you’re not getting any younger? Just last weekend, when I was out celebrating my last few nights as an underageer at The Beehive, a woman twice my age planted her stiletto heel into my foot. I wanted to tell her it was past her bedtime and that flailing around like a drunken idiot would not get her any closer to her wrinkle-free days. Instead, after shaking out the pain in my foot, I thought, “I do not want to become this woman. I do not want to think that getting shit-faced at a bar is still cool in twenty years.” But, in a couple days, nothing will separate me from her except for the birth date on our IDs. She has just as much right to be there as I do, so if I judge her, I will then have to reason the same about myself. Knowing this makes me yearn for the years I am about to leave behind, the years that held all of the excitement and danger and spontaneity that only come from being young and untroubled. I’m not quite sure I’m prepared to leave this era in my life, but I guess that has never been for me to decide. Next week, when I am blowing out the candles on my birthday cake, it will be the first day of many years of trying to get back to where I am today—a fake ID carrying, silly and reckless twenty-year-old girl. If I could bottle up these last few days and preserve them somehow, I would.
em magazine // Winter 2008
sectiontitle // ##
Now
When a nd
Emerson students kind of rock, so it was no surprise to us here at em magazine that so many are already living out their dreams. We profile 9 Emerson students who are getting a taste of the real world NOW, plus we take a look at the future, WHEN the real world becomes a reality.
photos by Zac Wolf
photo shoot coordinator Margaux Moses // NOW photo direction Andrea DRygas // WHEN photo direction Faye BRennan
www.emmagonline.com
NOW
Global Giver
Jennan Al-Hamdouni // WLP & Organizational and Political Communication // 2009 by caitlin Wilson
J
ennan Al-Hamdouni is going to save the world some day. Or at least stabilize Iraq. Or maybe stop AIDS from tearing apart Africa. At any rate, she is busy laying the groundwork for all of these possibilities (and a handful of others). The Rhode Island native spent her summer vacation in Africa working on two different missions. The first was a trip to Senegal and Gambia with the Peace Corps, which she got involved in with the help of a friend of her brother. During this stay, she worked on several agricultural projects and helped raise money to buy bicycles for the children in the area to travel to school. She returned home for five days before embarking on her next trip to Kenya, where she joined a group from Boston Medical Center to study AIDS. The group worked in an AIDS orphanage and studied the village, seeking ways to improve the quality of life in the AIDS-ravished nation. After dedicating her summer to bettering Africa, Jennan stopped in Europe to check out Oxford University—her top choice for graduate school. She is applying
for a Fulbright Scholarship and is hoping to be a Rhodes Scholar. At Oxford, she hopes to study International Development or Public Health. In preparation for these goals, Jennan is double majoring in Writing, Literature and Publishing and Organizational and Political Communication. She has also spent a semester abroad in Emerson’s Taiwan program. To make Jennan even more of an international heavy hitter, she is fluent in Arabic because her father is from Iraq, and she has family in the Middle East as well as in Egypt and Tunisia. She admits that she’s had to make some sacrifices in preparation for her extraordinary life. This year she had to give up her position on Emerson’s volleyball team, a spot she’d held for the last three years. But Jennan hasn’t given up everything. She confesses to relying on athletics to keep her sane enough to continue her hectic lifestyle. She is currently training for the Boston Marathon. When she graduates in May, she has no intention of slowing down. She plans to move to Egypt for a few months, to brush up on her rusty Arabic, and then to spend time in Iraq with family. Jennan considers her family in Iraq the inspiration for her grand ambition. Many are without the opportunities that Jennan has, and she wants to make the most of the chances that she has been given. With this attitude, Jennan hopes to be a Middle Eastern correspondent for National Geographic, to stabilize Iraq, and to accomplish maybe a couple of other things. And by starting now, there is a good chance that she will have time to achieve it all.
em magazine // Winter 2008 www.emmagonline.com
NOW
Miss "More Than Just a Pretty Face" Meghan Lamontagne // Broadcast Journalism // 2011 by Caitlin Wilson
B
all gowns, batons and crowns are all in a day’s work for New Hampshire native Meghan Lamontagne. The sophomore transfer from Purdue University has been a baton twirler since the age of three, when a friend exposed her to the sport after she turned in her dance tutu. Years of competing with her twirling team led Meghan to beauty pageants, where she soon found that she excelled. Lamontagne’s first pageant was in 2005 when she competed for Miss New Hampshire’s Outstanding Teen as a junior in high school. Lamontagne won the pageant and got to travel to speaking engagements with Miss New Hampshire. From there she won the title of Miss Merrimack Valley, which allowed her to compete in the 2008 Miss New Hampshire Pageant, where she won the preliminary swimsuit and talent rounds but not the overall competition. However, Lamontagne did not surrender the idea of winning the crown. She won another regional pageant in July, which qualified her to compete in the 2009 Miss New Hampshire competition in May. Though the life of a beauty queen is often portrayed in the media as shallow and catty, Meghan is quick to rebuke the stereotype, even adding the classic line made famous by Candice Bergen in Miss Congeniality: “It is a scholarship program.” Miss America, which Lamontagne goes to great lengths to distinguish from the more commercialized Trump triumph Miss USA, requires that each of its contestants promote a platform. Meghan’s platform is child mentoring, a cause she has been involved in since high school. To prove that winners do not sit at home polishing their crowns, the title of Miss America, and even most regional titles, comes with a rigorous schedule of speaking engagements to promote their platforms. The genuine passion with which Lamontagne speaks of her cause shows just how seriously she takes her role. Lamontagne stresses the importance of the powerful influences teens and young adults have on children. One of the most outstanding attributes of pageant life, Lamontagne says, is the independence that it breeds. Contestants are not required to have parental supervision in many regional competitions, in which they are required to stay in a hotel near the facility. Contestants share rooms with each other, forming close friendships with those they are ultimately competing against, as they learn to be responsible for themselves. Transferring to a school with a less prominent athletic department has been a challenge for Lamontagne, but she is making it work. So far this year she has performed at each home soccer game and is scheduled to perform at home basketball games in the winter. Athletic Coordinator Roger Crosley even scored Lamontagne a gig performing at the Boston Celtics pre-season home opener against the New York Knicks. When her pageant days are over, Lamontagne has dreams of becoming an actress or pursuing a career as a broadcast journalist. With her pageant looks and bubbly personality, Lamontagne sees herself fitting in among the entertainment news crowd. Whether she becomes Miss America or the next Katie Couric, Meghan Lamontagne is a name you’ll want to remember.
www.emmagonline.com
NOW
emerson entrepreneur
Kyle Hemingway // Interactive Media // 2009 by Kimya Kavehkar
K
yle Hemingway has an energy that he can barely contain under a subdued smile, and his laughter reverberates off the walls. It is this liveliness that was the working force behind starting his own business with boyfriend and programmer Jeremy Hayes at the tender age of 19. His co-owned company, “Too Fabulous For Words,” provides design services including posters, advertisements and other graphic needs with quite an impressive clientele including theater groups, educational institutions, MAP Boston, and nonprofit organizations. “I have this need to make things pretty,” says Hemingway when asked about why he does what he does. Hemingway began as a self-taught graphic designer when he met his business partner two-and-a-half years ago, and in a whirlwind of events and careful planning, he ended up at Boston City Hall applying for a license. Now his client base is getting larger—along with his revenue. His biggest project was working on MAP Boston with noted Emerson alumnus Morgan First. “We were casually introduced when she was a senior and I was a freshman. Then two years later she calls me, so I had coffee with her and all of a sudden I was designing MAP Boston,” says Hemingway. He was hired to bring a new perspective to the project and was an integral part of the re-design. “I think she understood my aesthetic. She wanted to androgynize the book and
make it more gender neutral. We would all sit in her living room and ask questions like, "How does this color make us feel?" Hemingway is someone who understands his style and embraces it. When asked about his influences and signatures, he comes up with very specific details about what makes him unique. “People have come to expect a certain thing from me,” says Hemingway. “I like grungy fonts and tilting things at a five degree angle. I have this philosophy that something boring will always look more interesting with a tilt.” He notes Bauhaus typography and Dadaism as his main inspirations, and Paula Scher is his favorite designer. But now that he knows who he is as a designer and as a person, he’s willing to go beyond his comfort level and attempt new aesthetics. “I’ve been trying different things lately. Color is a big one; I usually default to black and white.” He also attributes the hard-working nature of his fellow peers and the Emerson community to his success. “Almost everyone around me here is so driven; it’s so specific. Girlfriend who sits behind me has her own movie production company. I need to keep up with her!” says Hemingway. Besides co-owning his own graphic design company, Hemingway’s other interests are relatively simple. “My side project is trying to have a personal life,” says Hemingway. “Once I worked 96 hours total during one week.” All of his hard work is not in futility, though. These sometimes sleep-deprived nights are gaining him notoriety and respect in the design industry. Now in its second year of operation, “Too Fabulous For Words” has gained a steady flow of clientele and revenue, and that’s just fine by Hemingway. “I plan to make it a full-time job.”
em magazine // Winter 2008
NOW
the funny guy
Dan Perrault/Sterling Ravenbeak // BFA Acting// 2009 by Kimya Kavehkar
“O
K, that was so Sterling Ravenbeak,” one of my friends commented on something someone had said. “Who is Sterling Ravenbeak?” I asked. This simple question prompted my friend to quickly pull up YouTube. Sterling Ravenbeak is an awkward, "emo" kid who tries to write poetry that means something, and more often than not it ends up meaning…nothing. That’s the whole appeal of Dan Perrault’s made-up and most infamous character Sterling Ravenbeak. Sterling is an eyeliner-laden teenager with opinions and deep feelings, but who doesn't have a way with words. Perrault’s non-sequitur poetry as performed by Sterling has created quite a buzz on campus and online. “I created the Sterling character out of desperation the night before a show for RAD (The Random Arts Delegation),” Perrault said. “In our dress rehearsal I watched George Watsky, a genius slam poet and good friend of mine, just absolutely dominate the English language with his rhythmically captivating lines and clever rhyme schemes. So I thought to myself, what would a guy who has no rhyming or rhythmical ability whatsoever sound like if he tried to be like George Watsky? The answer: an emo, teenage loser.” Thus Sterling Ravenbeak was born. Perrault began treating comedy as a main focus in his life upon his entrance into Emerson. “I was a comedic actor/writer in high school and had idolized shows like SNL for a long time,” Perrault said. “So when I got to college I felt it was time to get my comedy career started.” He began by joining Chocolate
Cake City and writing as well as performing in sketches that caught the attention of a Saturday Night Live cast member. “He told my good friend Pat and me that the show needed people like us,” Perrault said. “That's when I went into lock-down focus to make that happen.” His comedic inspiration comes from his two younger brothers who influenced him to access his inner six-year-old giggling at fart jokes. “Somewhere down the line I decided rather than to act my age at eight, I would lower my humor standards to that of a four-year-old so I could be entertained by his presence,” Perrault said. “I don't consider my comedy extremely smart, I consider it more of a mastery of stupidity.” It was Emerson’s spirit of teamwork that pushed Perrault to pursue his goals at full force and with his peers in tow. “Imagine the super-hero team 'The Avengers.' Sure, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp are cool on their own. But who the hell is Ant-Man without The Avengers?” Perrault asks. “I would say 98% of the people reading this article have no idea who Ant-Man is. Just like 99.9% of people outside of this city don’t know who Dan Perrault is. But if I mention Chocolate Cake City, there’s a much better chance they know what I’m talking about. A strong group effort is always more powerful than an individual one.” With his graduation looming in the spring, Perrault definitely has his dreams for the future in the forefront of his mind. “My goals with comedy are basically the same thing as the day dreams of a nine-year-old. I’d love to act and/or write for Conan or SNL, then make a bunch of movies when I hit 30,” Perrault said. “It sounds completely immature and unrealistic, but so was going to college with the intention of coming out of it as an actor/rapper/comedian.” Despite his stretch for the stars, Perrault remains confident in what he loves and where his strengths lie. “Chances are I’ll be doing all three of those things the day after commencement.”
www.emmagonline.com
NOW
International Slam Artist George Watsky // Writing and Acting for the Screen and Stage// 2010 by caitlin Wilson
G
eorge Watsky spends his weekends traveling. No, he is not a truck driver, an encyclopedia salesman or a carnival worker—he is a slam poet. And better yet, he’s no longer waiting to be discovered. Watsky was featured on HBO’s Def Jam earlier this year and has since been playing gigs all over the country while attending classes at Emerson Monday through Wednesday. On the weekends Watsky performs at various colleges throughout the country, and during this school year he has already traveled to Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Maine and Wisconsin—not to mention several shows in Boston. He began exploring the world of slam poetry as a sophomore in high school in San Francisco and has grown so popular that he has his own website: georgewatsky.com. With over a dozen awards and national recognitions under his belt, poetry is beyond a hobby for Watsky. It has grown into a lucrative career and a valuable attribute to his identity as an artist. He has always been drawn to language, especially spoken word and performance. He writes about everything from politics to being stuck with virginity and loving it, and his clever lyrics and Screech-like presence merge in a way that sets him apart from other twenty-two-year-olds. “V for Virgin” and “Color Lines” are among the charmingly self-deprecating pieces in the artist’s repertoire. When Watsky is not performing, he is writing. He writes poetry, music and plays, and his play “Harold’s Fall” was last year’s runner-up for Newfest, an Emerson-sponsored contest that selects a student-submitted play to stage as a full scale production. He published a book of poetry in 2006 entitled Undisputed Backtalk Champion, which can be purchased on his website along with a CD of some of Watsky’s most famed performances. And to top it off, he acts and can be seen in Emerson Stage’s performance of Much Ado About Nothing in February 2009. A versatile artist such as Watsky does not limit himself to one major, so he created his own interdisciplinary focus. His major’s title is “Writing and Acting for the Screen and Stage,” which includes Visual and Media Arts classes as well as performance courses. He is currently a junior and says that his primary reason for getting his degree is to enable him to support himself as a professional artist in the future, but also to ensure that he is a well-rounded writer and performer. When Watsky is not writing or performing, he likes to dance and rollerblade. But if this next year goes according to plan, Watsky may have even less time to enjoy those hobbies as he hopes to trek off to L.A. in the spring of his senior year and settle there to embark on a career as a writer/performer. Before the end of the semester, Watsky will travel to New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island and Iowa. It seems like only a matter of time before HBO comes knocking again. em magazine // Winter 2008
NOW
The rebel journalist
Andrew Bruss // Print Journalism // 2010 by Katie Walsh
A
ndrew Bruss didn’t start off with an Almost Famous type of yearning to be a journalist; in fact, he hated journalists. He has always been against the war and didn’t think that the media and journalists were doing their jobs well in terms of covering the war in Iraq. Bruss's love for journalism all started when he wanted to go to a music festival for free with backstage passes, preferably. He figured the only probable way to make that happen was to go as press—someone covering the show. So he wrote to a publication, told it that he wrote for a magazine (which he actually made up) and that he wanted to cover the festival for them. Amazingly enough, it worked. He got tickets and backstage passes, and he actually ended up writing the article. This is when he decided that maybe he could do a better job than the faulty journalists, and thus his career began. Bruss, like most writers, got rejected many times at first. “I wrote on my own steam,” says Bruss on writing about the shows he was going to and then
submitting the articles to magazines. He was finally published for the first time in Glide Magazine. He learned how to interview as he went along. He learned how much to talk, when to listen, what questions to ask and how to deal with security guards who didn't have the desire to deal with him. Bruss has developed his own way of writing articles because he doesn’t believe in the style of journalism taught at Emerson and most places that focuses on “obsessive objectivity.” He believes that the journalist's opinion should matter and that you have to write what you think in your articles. “If the person you’re interviewing is a motherfucking cocksucker, then call them a motherfucking cocksucker,” says Bruss. In any case, Bruss’s style has been working well for him. He has had over 150 articles published in different magazines, including The Common Rag and Performer Magazine. He has interviewed several members of the Wu-Tang Clan, the Beastie Boys, Lewis Black, Sarah Silverman, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Herbie Hancock. However, he claims his most interesting interview was Boston’s own Bible Bob. You can find Bob outside of shows handing out flyers and spreading the Lord’s word. “He’s actually an incredibly open-minded guy,” says Bruss, something that may surprise people. One day, Bruss would like to write for Rolling Stone and the Chinese state news agency, Xinhua. "Never take things at face value in journalism," he says.
www.emmagonline.com
NOW
fighting through college Greg Sands // WLP // 2011 by Katie Walsh
W
hen you look at Greg Sands, you don't immediately think “amateur mixed martial arts fighter.” For one thing, he has all his teeth. He looks like a relatively quiet guy dressed in a nice sweater—hardly the hulking bro-dude one imagines. He grew up in Long Island, N.Y. “Not really a bad neighborhood,” Sands says, “but I got in some stupid fights when I was a kid.” As a child, he watched shows like Ultimate Fighting Championship with his dad, and he started wrestling even before high school. During his junior and senior year in high school, he was captain of his wrestling team and even considered wrestling at Penn State. So why on earth did he come here, to a college definitely not known for its astounding (or existent) wrestling program. “Something about Emerson just appealed to me," Sands says. "I loved the atmosphere of the school. I started out as a journalism major and later switched to Writing, Literature and Publishing so I could work more with layouts and publishing.” Sands didn’t want to give up wrestling completely when he came to Emerson, but he was interested in exploring other types of fighting as well. He began to look around for a gym in February 2008, and he ended up at Wai Kru, a mixed martial arts gym in Allston. Sands took to the new style of fighting quickly—so quickly, in fact, that his head trainer sponsored him to train in Thailand for a month over the summer. There he studied Muay Thai, a specialized kind of fighting that originated in Thailand. Sands is currently fighting in the World Fight League where he had his first fight in August 2008 at a Mohegan Sun, where he won. His second fight was on October 18th at Club Lido in Revere, Mass. He plans to start fighting professionally before he leaves Emerson and to continue for a while after he graduates. Sands also hopes to publish a book one day, perhaps on his wildly successful fighting career, during which he defeated Chuck Norris not once, but twice. We can all dream, right? When you’re an amateur fighter, training is exhausting and time-consuming. While he was preparing for the summer, he trained up to three times a day. Amazingly, Sands still manages to maintain many other interests. He’s been in several student films and would love to pursue acting. He also plays guitar, bass, keyboard and drums. He speaks Greek and Italian fluently as well as some Russian and Thai, and he started painting with acrylics last year. Through it all, Sands stays grounded and driven. After all, he won't give up his dreams without a fight.
em magazine // Winter 2008
NOW
From Firefighter to filmmaker
Jason Blanchard // Film // 2009 by Katie Walsh
J
ason Blanchard has been in the process of editing a documentary on techno music. And yes, he did more than listen to a lot of loud, thumping music. His story goes beyond the actual genre of music itself. Blanchard has been editing and working with Amy Grill (an Emerson alumnus) on a movie called Speaking In Code, "a funny, sad, exciting, terrifying, inspiring, revealing, character-based documentary about humans and music,” says Blanchard. “It’s an incredibly honest film about people in the electronic music scene. It's a movie about passion, love, dedication, and heartbreak.” Sounds like a blockbuster. Blanchard may love filmmaking now, but he says this hasn’t always been the case. When he was a kid he wanted to be a firefighter or police man. That didn't pan out, and he later decided that he wanted to be a writer. “I always read a lot of books when I was a kid. I think that's where I got my interest in stories and observations,” says Blanchard. But eventually he learned that the best medium for him to tell his stories was through film. He’s been able to pursue his interest in visual media quite a bit at Emerson; he is currently the Programming Director for The Emerson Channel. He says they are "making a lot of exciting changes this year. We are developing an all-digital workflow, we are going to upgrade our website soon and have more of a web presence, and we are also trying to get more student voices on the air about local and current events.” For a film class, Blanchard completed a documentary called Busker, which focuses on Gonzalo, a musician who plays music in the T stations, and the art of busking in general. Busker was partially inspired by D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary about Bob Dylan called Don’t Look Back. Blanchard has also been inspired by Matt McCormick and his film The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal. Blanchard is now building up a photography portfolio, another one of his interests, to apply to grad school for nonfiction filmmaking and internet media. He plans to make a longer cut of Busker to submit to local film festivals, and Speaking In Code is now being submitted to film festivals around the world. For Jason Blanchard, the real world is right around the corner, but he's got it all under control. For more information log onto www.current.com/items/88289011/ title.htm to watch Busker, or visit speakingincode.com for more info about Speaking in Code. www.emmagonline.com
NOW
The Super Mentor
Katie O'Neil // Communication Sciences and Disorders // 2009 by caitlin Wilson
L
ong after many Emerson students had thrown away their old science textbooks, Katie O’Neil waas still taking Anatomy and Physiology. And Statistics. And Psychology. O'Neil plans to pursue a career in speech pathology, working with developmentally delayed children. She is currently completing a Field Experience elective at Thom Boston Metro Early Intervention Clinic. The Field Experience elective is the Communication Sciences and Disorders version of an internship—a way to explore a complicated career before you’re tugged out of the protective arms of college. So far, O’Neil is loving what she sees. For ten hours a week, she works hand in hand with a speech pathologist, alongside children ages three and younger, to prevent developmental delays. In this government-funded program, O’Neil works with toddlers at various states of diagnoses and pre-diagnoses, and their families, to keep their developmental skills on track. When she is not working at the clinic centered in Jamaica Plain, she makes home visits with a speech pathologist, working as part of a team with the children’s parents and other specialists to make sure the kids are developing successfully. This differs from
any school-based program because it allows the team of specialists to observe children in their home environments so that pathologists can introduce more helpful long-term practices. While entering the homes of clients with various developmental and socioeconomic struggles is sometimes a challenge, O’Neil maintains a positive attitude and is grateful for the experience. Work of this importance is not something that many undergraduates get to participate in, but through Emerson’s Field Experience placement, she gets to study with professionals and observe practices before she gets her Masters degree. Given the intensity of the program, not all Communication Sciences and Disorders majors choose to participate (there are only about five in placement this semester), but with O’Neil’s intention to continue on to graduate school, this program is right up her alley. With O’Neil’s friendly and generous personality, it is no surprise that she wants to work with children, though she is equally adored by adults. O’Neil is a bona fide people person and has shown it off as a member of Kappa Gamma Chi and as an Orientation Leader. Her interest in helping others does not end with her involvement with the Boston Metro Early Intervention Clinic. She is also a volunteer with Best Buddies, an organization that pairs mentally disabled adults with other adults to foster friendships. When you're doing as much good as O'Neil, there is no time for distractions. O’Neil is currently working on her applications for graduate school. Her options are widespread as she is applying to schools in Boston (including Emerson), Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and her home state of Ohio.
em magazine // Winter 2008
When
Casting Call ers From Left: Matt Leavis // Marketing Communications // 2011, Laura Schwebel //Marketing Communications // 2009, Jim Schubin // Musical Theater // 2011, Anna Finnerty, Josie Johnson // Media Studies // 2012 Styling by Krista Firkins & Stephanie Thomas.
www.emmagonline.com
25% off Bring this issue into Mitchell John Salon (67 Broad St.) and get 25% off all services, just for being an Emerson College student. First time customers only. Some restrictions apply. See salon for details.
When When
Writer’s Block Kathryn Reynolds // WLP // 2012 Styling by Stephanie Thomas. Hair by Paige Enright, makeup by Janet Brandano; both for Mitchell John Salon.
em magazine // Winter 2008
When
Domestic Bliss Left: Max Schadler // BA Theater Studies Performance // 2012 Right: Emily Geaman // WLP major // 2011 Callie the Maltese. Styling by Stephanie Thomas. Hair by Jarrod Drugge, makeup by Janet Brandano; both for Mitchell John Salon.
www.emmagonline.com
When When
Successful Suit Left: Kenneth Ryan Craig // Broadcast Journalism // 2009 Right: Omri Rolan // Marketing Communications // 2012 At 379 Club. Styling by Valerie Molina. Hair by Paige Enright for Mitchell John Salon.
em magazine // Winter 2008
When
Aging Beauty Amanda Donaghey // Communication Studies // 2010 At Tanning Etc. Makeup by Janet Brandano for Mitchell John Salon.
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When When
Struggling Rockstar Bradley Gehan // VMA: Digital Post Production // 2011 Styling by Krista Firkins. Hair by Paige Enright for Mitchell John Salon. em magazine // Winter 2008
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When When
Timeless Friends
From Left: Chris Scherer // Marketing Communications // 2011, Iman Artwell-Freeman // BFA Acting // 2012 (LF Boston dress), Erika Enggren// Marketing Communications // 2012, Ece Dincer // Theater Studies // 2012 (LF Boston dress), Kayla Harrity // Broadcast Journalism // 2011, Mark Jackman // Film // 2012 Yurie Collins // BA Theater Studies/Performance // 2012 (LF Boston dress) At Sweetwater Cafe. Styling by Valerie Molina. em magazine // Winter 2008
Baby Daddy Secret Diary of a Sperm Donor Fwap-fwap-fwap. “Oh yeah Daddy!” she screamed, as she got pounded from behind. Fwap-fwap-fwap. He pulled her hair back and whispered, “Oh right there . . . Yeaaaah.” My grip on the plastic and steel chair tightened, my fingernails scraped against the textured plastic. Fwap-fwap-fwap. “Ugh . . . uh . . .mmmph.” Splat-splat-splat. As I sat there, looking at a cup of my own little swimmers, it hit me—what the hell was I doing here?
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never thought I’d be a sperm donor. It was another one of those things that only happened in teen movies. It was a joke—a gag for movie producers to get a finger up Sean William Scott’s ass—not a real way to make easy money. I was wrong. Very wrong. It’s easy. It’s something I’d be doing anyway. It pays $75 for fifteen minutes (OK, five minutes) of work. But is it worth it? Is it worth the embarrassment of walking up to a nurse with a cup of my own sperm every week? Is it worth it to try to explain to my parents that the part-time job they wanted me to get is going to be masturbating in a doctor’s office? Is it worth having potentially scores of children I may never know? I don’t know. I should have asked myself these questions before I started jerking off in a room the size of a closet. I didn’t. I needed money, and I didn’t have time for a job. So when my roommate, who was in the same situation, walked into our living room with a money‑making scheme, I was all ears. “Hey, I saw this thing on the T. We can make over $1,000,” my roommate said. “We don’t have to give anyone hand jobs, do we?” I joked. “Well . . .” he laughed, “kinda.” My roommate then explained to me how it worked: I had to email the sperm bank, and they would set up an appointment for my sperm to be tested. If I passed, I’d move on to the next phase of the process, which includes a genetic screening, blood tests, and a physical. Something like 90% of the men who go in fail out of the screening process. My first time was like any first time—awkward, messy, and full of nervousness. The sperm bank was a discreet little office, and all the front windows were blocked out with cheap drapes. The front door was made of heavy glass, and it required a security code to open.
There were two lights on the bottom of the key pad, a red one and a green one. I entered the code they had sent me in the email and pushed #. Red light. Damn. I tried again. Red. I looked around the doorway for something, and there was a black doorbell with a camera and intercom system. I rang the bell. Some indiscernible speech and static came through. “I’m here for a sample donation.” More static. Green light. Nice. The first thing I saw waiting for me behind the door was two metal containers the size of Volkswagen—giant freezer vats filled with the liquid nitrogen used to keep the sperm cold. Talk about sketchy. I walked through another door into the main reception area. The inside of the sperm bank looked no different than an average doctor’s office: same generic gray carpets, same uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room, same bitchy receptionist behind the counter. Once I was situated, sanitary plastic cup in hand, I went into the walk-in closet-sized room to do my business. They managed to cram a sink, a mirror, a bookshelf filled with Playboys, a hard plastic chair, a flat screen TV, and a DVD player into the 8΄ x 10΄ space. Everything was very clinical—except the Ansel Adams-esque picture of a topless woman with her back against a white brick wall hanging between the TV and the mirror above the sink. Honestly, I didn’t really notice any of this at the time. I was just trying not to think of the countless other men who had masturbated in the room and trying not to touch anything.
www.emmagonline.com
After some quality time with Kim Kardashian’s ass, I did my business, turned in my cup, and walked out the door. It wasn’t nearly as awkward as I thought— the clinical coldness of the sperm bank and its employees made it seem routine. It was like any other trip to a doctor. It took them a few weeks to get back to me; I’d almost forgotten about the whole thing. When I finally received an email from the sperm bank, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to do it anymore. The whole honeymoon period had passed, the idea lost all the momentum in my mind. That was, until I opened the email and realized that my sperm had passed the test. “Let me just get the free physical,” I thought, “and maybe the genetic screening.” I’m always curious to find out things about my body, and with the price of medical visits, this deal was too good to pass up. I walked up to the sperm bank door and put in my code. Green light. I thought it was a good omen. Christina, the person I was to have my interview with, met me right in the lobby. She was about 6΄1΄΄ and weighed all of 140 pounds. These odd proportions combined with her long blonde hair made her look like an upside-down mop. She smiled, her mousy face scrunched, and she told me to have a seat in her office in her shrill voice. Her speech was like a kindergarten teacher—overly positive, explaining everything in precise detail. Once we had made some awkward small talk, she presented me with the my test results. “Your sperm count was 77 million, and you had great motility,” she explained. “What’s a normal sperm count?” I asked. “Well, most guys are around 15–20 million,” she smiled. Damn. I make four times the amount of sperm as the average guy. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride in my accomplishment. She laid out some more guidelines for the program, the other tests I’d need to take before I could become a donor. After another “sample donation” to make sure my sperm count wasn’t a fluke, I’d have to set up an appointment for a physical. If everything checked out, I had a massive booklet of family medical history to fill out for them. This was also the first time they explained to me that there are two types of donors—anonymous donors and open donors. At the age of 18, the children of donors can request information on who their father is. For anonymous donors, when a child comes in and requests information, the sperm bank lets the donor choose if he would like the information to be released. If he says no, the kid is out of luck. Open donors don’t get the choice; their information is always released. I’d have to pick which one I’d want to be the next time I came in. For the first time, I thought about what would happen 18 years down the road. I thought about what I would do if I got “the call” from the sperm bank, or even “the call” from my kid. Up until this point, I didn’t think about where my sperm was going. Like most guys, once it was shot out of me, I stopped caring. Now I was thinking about kids. Could I just ignore them? If I never knew them, it’d basically be like they didn’t exist. I think. After an embarrassing physical that included a mandatory prostate exam (I guess the Road Trip producers know what they’re talking about), I was forced to
fill out an extensive medical background check. Thirteen pages filled with over a hundred medical conditions, and I had to check off if any applied to a member of my extended family. Since I barely know my own medical history—much less whether or not my maternal grandfather ever had night tremors—I was forced to do something I had been avoiding since I first got the idea to donate sperm. I had to call my Mom. I had avoided calling her because I didn’t know how she would take it. Turns out, she took it badly. “Why are you doing this to me? I don’t want grandkids I don’t know about!” she shouted. “Mom, relax, please just calm down . . .” I tried to get out. She cut me off, “You’d better not just be doing this for money!” It was like George Foreman just punched me in the gut. I really hadn’t thought this whole thing through. I knew that I’d like to make $75, and I knew I wanted a free physical (before I knew about the mandatory finger in my ass), but until they brought up the ‘what kind of donor do you want to be?’ question, I hadn’t made the connection that MY SPERM would be used to create children. My Mom eventually spent a couple hours going over the enormous packet with me, though she was pretty upset about it, and kept making snide comments the whole time. I knew before I went any further in the process, I had to come up with some good reasons for doing it. This is what I came up with: I don’t know if I want kids in the future. Admittedly, my post-college plan is very vague, but I do know that I want to focus on my career. I also know that I don’t want to be an old dad. This leaves me in the situation of having to have kids and a stable job by the time I’m 30. Ideally I could have both, but if I’m only going to get one, it’s going to be a stable job. Donating would allow me to pass my genes on without having to take care of a family. It’s like what rappers do, only I won’t have to deal with babies’ mommas. I might not want kids, but I know some people do. I guess if I can help create a family for someone else, it would be good karma. Maybe that way my potential kids won’t be douche bags like I was. Charles Darwin would want me to. If I can pass on my virile, healthy genes to the next generation, maybe there won’t be so many effeminate hipsters in the future. The strong will survive, and the weak, who like the songs in iPod commercials, will have their seeds wiped from the earth. They may not be the best reasons, but ten months since beginning the whole sperm donation process, they help me justify my $75 paycheck. Even now, I still try not to think about little mini me’s running around, and I certainly don’t like thinking about getting ‘the call’ in the future. After much debate, I decided to be an anonymous donor. I decided that I didn’t know where I’d be in the future, which is a big part of the reason I decided to donate in the first place, so I wanted to put off the decision as long as possible. My hope, though, is that I never get “the call.” It’s not because I don’t want to see my hypothetical children. I just want their family to be complete without me.
I was forced to do something I had been avoiding since I first got the idea to donate sperm. I had to call my Mom.
em magazine // Winter 2008
The Power of Music The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus is making a difference by creating a more tolerant societY with Beautiful music by Andrea Drygas // photos by Zac Wolf & the BGMC
Left to right: Chris Mahoney, Steven Smith, and Bob Linscott.
It’s Wednesday night and Emmanuel Church on Newbury Street is hopping. Men in T-shirts and business suits are pouring in from off the streets, finding sticky name tags and funneling into a side rehearsal space. Some flip through The Gaily Forward as they take seats on blue folding chairs set on three sides around an upright piano. As they wave to friends across the room, kiss cheeks, and pat each other warmly on their backs, the sound of their musical voices echoes off of the high raftered ceilings, and the smell of their Starbucks coffee mingles with the air in the room which smells faintly of wood and old books. The men are all members of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, now in its twenty-seventh season. According to Steve Smith, the executive director of the chorus since 1995, there are 175 singing members, and about 150 show up on any given Wednesday to practice. The BGMC is New England’s largest community-based chorus and performs for about 12,000 people a year in a variety of venues ranging from The Cutler Majestic theater at Emerson, to Club Café, and even to Poland and Germany a few years ago. They also perform several outreach concerts a year at high schools in the greater Boston area in order to uphold their mission, which is to create a more tolerant society through the power of music. www.emmagonline.com
Features // 63
B
oston, known for being a liberal haven, is an ideal place for the chorus to flourish as the city has the fifth largest LGBT population in the United States. Bob Linscott, a bass in the chorus, moved away from Boston after graduation from Emerson College in 1988. After stints in Los Angeles, at a Navajo reservation in Arizona, and teaching at a boarding school in the Berkshires, Linscott found himself back in Boston for the simple reason that he felt cloistered away from other gay men while away from Boston. “I just want to be with my people,” he says, only half joking. After returning to his college town, the first thing he did was sign up to audition for the chorus. He had previously sung in other gay choruses, albeit small ones, but at the first rehearsal for the BGMC, he says he nearly fainted because “there were more gay people in one room than I had seen in the last four years combined.” Linscott works as the assistant director at the LGBT Aging Project in Boston, and in 2005 he founded the JP Men’s Group, a community group for gay and bi men in the Jamaica Plain area with over 400 members. Chris Mahoney graduated from Emerson in 1989, remaining in the Boston area to begin his career as a journalist. Mahoney has been a member of the BGMC for 12 years and believes that the chorus provides a unique opportunity for the LGBT community to spread their message. For him the exchange between the audience and the chorus “is a profound experience and I think that’s what really brings so many people together.” He says this is because “you’re singing about your life, you’re singing about your pride, and you’re singing your story there on stage.” Emerson may be known now as a college wholly accepting of LGBT students with few exceptions, but when Linscott and Mahoney were students here in the late ‘80s, they both recall that coming out was less accepted. Linscott felt he had to be careful while at Emerson. “It wasn’t as in to be out,” he says. Mahoney hid his sexual identity for years, and only came out to friends when he was 22 and to his family at 25. Now Mahoney is back on Emerson’s campus as an adjunct professor in the journalism department in addition to working as the focus editor at the Boston Business Journal. “As for the dynamic of the campus, I think the college and the world have changed,” he says. “Emerson has always had a reputation as being funky and liberal, but I get the sense that acceptance is greater today. We certainly didn’t have a LGBT Student Life office when I was a student. In fact, when I was a student, EGO (Emerson Gay Organization) was barely hanging on. EAGLE seems much stronger.” Both Linscott and Mahoney have unfortunately dealt with intolerance firsthand. When Linscott lived on a Navajo reservation teaching English, he says that while he was not back in the closet, “it was just information I did not share.” Even though Native Americans have a long history of trans people, such
as the winkte, the berdache, and the nadle (two-spirit person), Linscott says that he wasn’t seeing it in their daily lives. The gay teenagers on the reservation were getting targeted and beat up, and another teacher explained to him that the change occurred after TV came in. “Kids learned that it was not OK to be fat, and it wasn’t OK to be gay,” he says, “and so those kids got targeted”. In June 2005, the BGMC traveled through central Europe in a series of outreach concerts. While the chorus was received warmly in Prague and Berlin, the small college town of Wroclaw, Poland was another story. “We were on a high when we were in Berlin,” Mahoney says. “But even before we left we heard some rumblings that the League of Polish Families was not very happy about us being there, and we heard that they were going to try to start things.” Mahoney remembers how the tour directors and police chose to bus the chorus members to the concert hall a quarter mile away rather than letting them walk through the town. “I was starting to get a little nervous, and I know people around me were wondering what was going on, what we were in for,” he recalls. Bob Linscott was also on the tour and brought along his video camera. He kept it rolling as the tour director told them that they were going to have a police escort across a picket line. “Don’t engage anyone, just walk right in,” the tour directors said. “There might be people laying down and we’ll have to step over.” While police in riot gear were prepared for the protesters, the chorus could not be protected from the hateful screams and chants. “We were just able to see from outside our dressing room,” Mahoney recalls. They saw marchers who were holding signs bearing obscene and homophobic messages. A few minutes later, counter-protesters wearing activist T-shirts emerged, engaging the original protesters. And, outnumbering every other group was the press. Despite the turmoil surrounding their presence, Mahoney cites it as the best performance they ever gave. The experience had a lasting impact on Linscott and Smith as well, who both described it as an eye-opening look at how positively the chorus can affect their audiences. Linscott in particular was caught looking more at the audience than Reuben Reynolds, the director of the chorus. “You can’t help looking at the people just sobbing because they’d never seen people on stage openly say that they were gay,” Linscott says. “It had a profound effect on them, especially the older people—they just wept and wept. So that’s when you know you’re doing something right.” “As scary and unsure as it can be,” Mahoney says, “I think going to places where they don’t know you is probably the most rewarding all around.” He thinks that moving beyond their comfort level and singing at outreach concerts reminds them of why they’re on the stage. “Even if it’s only one person you can convince,” he says, “that one person can make all the difference in his or her own circle.”
There were more gay people in one room than I had seen in the last four years combined
em magazine // Winter 2008
Upcoming concerts Holiday Concert: Stars: A Holiday Celebration
Sunday, December 14, 2 pm Friday, December 19, 8 pm Saturday, December 20, 8 pm Sunday, December 21, 8 pm New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
Annual Chorus Cabaret Friday, February 13, 8 pm Saturday, February, 14, 8 pm Sunday, February, 15, 3pm Club Café
SPRING CONCERt OUTSIDE THE BOX
Saturday, March 14, 8 pm Sunday, March 15, 3pm New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
PRIDE CONCERT BOYS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN: TOTALLY 80s Thursday, June 11, 8 pm Friday, June 12, 8 pm Sunday, June 14, 7pm John Hancock Hall at the Back Bay Events Center
For more information on the BGMC, please visit their website www.bgmc.org.
64 // entertainment
Q&A
playlists A soundtrack for every occaision by ALEX SPANKO // photos by Amazon.com
by Andreas Mavrommatis // photos by Demetra Lymberis
Is there a certain piece of art/media that inspired you to go into your current field? Zach Jones // WLP // 2011 J.T. Makoviecki “The Imaginary Line” (book) “I was inspired to make WLP my major after the publishing of The Imaginary Line by J.T. Makoviecki. The author is a friend of mine, so knowing someone whose book made it to publication gave me enough hope to get into the field myself.”
Emily Holmstead // WLP // 2012 E.E. Cummings “I Carry Your Heart With Me” (poem) “I’m a huge E.E. Cummings fan and it was his poem “I Carry Your Heart With Me” that made me want to get into WLP for my freshman year at Emerson. This poem not only appealed to me with a kind of language that was beautiful, but with a romanticism that didn’t cause me to roll my eyes.” Adam Goldberg // Broadcast Journalism // 2011 Emerson’s WERS “I listened to WERS before coming to Emerson, and that made me decide to attend the school and go into broadcast journalism.”
Bar Mitzvah/Seventh Grade Dance CD Giveaway Relive those deliciously awkward childhood events with this playlist. Sure, it may not come with free glow sticks, teeming adolescent hormones, and all the cheap mozzarella sticks you can handle, but it’s the closest you can get. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/ MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=294390097 Get Low // Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins Tipsy // J-Kwon Crazy in Love // Beyonce Hey Ya! // OutKast Milkshake // Kelis Move Your Feet // Junior Senior All the Things She Said // t.A.tu Dirrty // Christina Aguilera Dance With My Father // Luther Vandross The Middle // Jimmy Eat World
Schoolyard Top 40
Nostalgia for times you can’t have back is a seminal and unfortunate part of growing up. Instead of turning yourself into a bitter middle-aged stiff, give this elementary school-era playlist a whirl. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/ MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=294395553 Tearin’ Up My Heart // Backstreet Boys It Wasn’t Me // Shaggy Mambo #5 // Lou Bega Country Grammar // Nelly My Name Is // Eminem Torn // Natalie Imbruglia Tubthumping // Chumbawamba Who Will Save Your Soul // Jewel Last Resort // Papa Roach Dancing Queen // A-Teens
The Anti-Action Playlist
Not confident with your moves? You can go out swinging on a Saturday night knowing that when you return to your humble abode, you can pull this bad boy up on iTunes and watch as that special someone melts in your arms... (or melts away from them). As soon as you give this baby a spin, you know he or she will feel the same magic you do. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/ MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=294391152 Sexy Can I? // Ray J ft. Yung Berg The Blower’s Daughter // Damien Rice Istanbul (Not Constantinople) // They Might Be Giants D’yer Mak’er // Led Zeppelin Michael // Franz Ferdinand Can’t Stand Losing You // The Police She Will Be Loved // Maroon 5 ABC // Jackson 5 The One I Love // R.E.M. Just A Friend // Biz Markie www.emmagonline.com
Burning the Midnight Oil
So you decided to pull an all-nighter to work on a paper/rearrange your furniture/get all 120 stars in Super Mario 64/contemplate your own mortality, and you need some tunes to keep you awake. Get creative with your sleeplessness! http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/ MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=294395554 Pump It Up // Elvis Costello & The Attractions Throw It On Me // Timbaland feat. The Hives Salute Your Solution // The Raconteurs We Got the Power // Dropkick Murphys Stop Drop and Roll // Foxboro Hot Tubs Crackity Jones // Pixies Hammer to Fall // Queen Poor Poor Pitiful Me // Warren Zevon Pot Kettle Black // Tilly and the Wall Hello Operator // The White Stripes
entertainment // 65
Amory Sivertson
A singer/songwriter/Emersonian on the road to stardom by Chrisanne Grise // photo by Zac WOlf
E
mersonians often earn a reputation for being passionate and involved both on-campus and off, and Amory Sivertson is no exception. The 2011 Theatre Studies major released La Di Da, her first album of self-described “folk-indie-pop-rock” songs this past spring. Afterwards, she won the “Best Original Song” EVVY award for her song “Beautiful.” And, while spending the current semester at Kasteel Well, she had the opportunity to play her music for two Italian strangers on a train to Venice. “It was amazing because one of the women spoke English and the older one didn’t, so we had an amazing hour-long conversation half in Italian and half in English,” Sivertson says. Sivertson’s music is beautiful yet quirky, with her powerful voice rising above the melodies of her piano. She says she loves experimenting with her voice and finding a way to give her lyrics a vocal texture. Her songs are usually based on real-life experiences involving topics familiar to many college students such as love, peace, and change. In “Hickory Hill,” she sings, “A picnic of songs and a bottle of wine / your heart in my palm and your head in the sky / and it moves me, it just moves me/ if you enjoy wasting the time, is it wasted at all?” Her sound varies drastically between the basic version of her songs with just her voice and the piano to the recorded studio version with other instruments. “[My music] comes from more folk roots but it turns into more of an indie sound once you add more instrumentation,” she acknowledges. The singer-songwriter has been playing the piano since she was about 7 years old. However, her musical career began even earlier than that. “My first song that I ever wrote was when I was 2 years old, and it was called ‘Walkin’ Down the Street,’ and I just repeated that line over and over again and marched around the house,” Sivertson laughs. Although Sivertson wrote a few more songs along the same lines when she was young, it took a tragedy to inspire her first real song put to piano: She wrote it for a member of her sixth grade class who died of cancer. “I
just listened to it recently, and it’s so funny because it sounds nothing like me and the piano is just painfully simple,” she says. Sivertson is not the first musical member of her family. In fact, she was born in Boston while her dad, a drummer, studied at Berklee College of Music. Her mom sings and her sister began playing clarinet at the same time she started playing the piano. Sivertson also played the clarinet for three years but lost patience, although she says some day she might bring back an old song she wrote on it. Currently, she’s learning to play the guitar as well. Sivertson struggles to name specific musicians as musical influences. She grew up listening to female artists like Tracy Chapman and Carly Simon and will listen to “just about every kind of music except for rap, country and Christian,” but is not sure that the sound of her own music reflects those musicians. “Not all musical influences come from other musicians. I get a lot of inspiration from people, from trees, from whatever,” she says. Mike Moschetto, her producer, one-man backing band, and fellow Emerson student had nothing but praise for Sivertson. “She was a pleasure to work with in just about every way,” he said. “She was just really thrilled to be working on recording and releasing an album. Fun was had by all.” Moschetto, a 2011 Audio Production major, hinted that a future collaboration can be expected. As far as other future plans go, Sivertson intends to finish up seven to ten “work-in-progress” songs once she gets back in the States. “Europe’s been good to me so far as inspiration, but there’s only one piano here [at the Castle]. I have a feeling that winter break will be quite productive, though,” she says. Sivertson is not sure how realistic it is to expect another finished album by the end of this school year, but remains hopeful that there will be time to record and perhaps even perform a show on campus next semester. While Sivertson may not know exactly how the next year will play out, there is one thing she is sure of. “I’m pretty confident that I would rather live in a box and get to perform and make music for the rest of my life than live in a house and work a desk job,” she declares. Then she rethinks the statement and adds, “No, not pretty confident. Positive.” Check out her music at: www.myspace.com/amorysivertson
em magazine // Winter 2008
66 // entertainment
s d n a b e h t o f ti ti e o p battlPaelacios drowns out the com n by
avrommatis Andreas M
Ju // photos by
liana Hu dson
ree space. With th claustrophobic , ct te, pa ia m ed co m a is ow n Caba ret ine, it was an im ical d by em magaz erson College’s us ste m Em e ho at s, th th , g nd ce Ba tin en t is fit ttle of the and the audi g this year’s Ba tween the stage erson’s da inty acts constitutin tle dista nce be lit s of room, Em rm ith te w in n, io h tit uc m pe m er co off mpeting acts, al ’t co on dn pers s to defeat the rs. W hi le it di cio ve la lo Pa ic or us ct m vi e d for players and th ct battlegroun e to be the perfe antics form th venue proved opriate thrash pr ap s, it. it Ro Fr r be d al gu an Si se ba nds such as Mike Squitieri ca ls, and coar Flanagan lists , screaming vo teners tman Michael on Heavy feedback d rather have lis Fr ul d. wo un so he ht at th tig ’s es ss nd elves re ba rs st e t ou th bu nt to rest rict framework of eir influences, be n. “We don’t wa to and New as th t ow Br r no d ei y an th tr e d, on ea W e Radioh us a chance. ve tr uly sounds lik gi s io ey in th lac w re Pa er fo at aft people off be selves.” Even determine wh ,” e it might turn decide for them ice us d vo ca an n be n te ow ng y lis hi m to et to som nt people e sound of odest. “I hate th genres . . . we wa fore us.” an remained m concerned w ith ag amazing acts be e an th Fl s, er nd aft Ba ht e rig th Fowler of rm tt e rfo re ttl pe ar Ba G to e ning th hey (d ru ms), Fa fear was having k t ic es tr gg Pa bi , an in y ls) hm “M g) are al l fres he sa id coyly. r and lead voca tion, record in anagan (g uita Fl uc rsity, rs od ve be pr ni , U em ys n m ke sto Ba nd s (lead gu ita r, er at tend s Bo er wl nd Fo La n. n tion so to ea er es cr hey at tend Em (bass), and Pr ck ba nd s, the ified college ro anagan and Fa re Fl lid er ly so aft y on t an er m th bu , ge ke college n College. Li s mergi ng to nd sto ba Bo st to ed pa es ay d, pl go s te wh ile La nder r ba nd s always ries of disjoin e resu lt of a se tt met Pat, so ou ing th re rit s ar w t wa G d ar os st an ci n to la of Pa et Presto tu ra l for us te fa llout s. “I m t it wa s ju st na songs du rspec tive, sepa ra nd of faded ou ki s ar ting w rit ing st nd e ba W e it. os t th ou ce ab on k d in wa s asked an th an er ly ag togeth dn’t even real r.” W hen Flan di te e in W w . er at t us th th s ge al ly ca red abou play ing show new music to od . Nobody re ’07 and st ar ted n, go of so ty er er et m pr Em m el su At fe e e. ing th he sa id , “I e music scen out w in ni ng , le to get into th op pe r fo how he felt ab rd s ha hool, and it wa riousness of back in high sc scussed the se .” us ed ac br nd, Flanagan di ba The Lonely a , as er m ity m ever yone’s em tiv su ac t out an EP this eir upcoming th pu e of s th is our “W . rm ng ut te re tp In tistic ou r biggest st ga rding their ar EP. I feel like ou nd co se r ou the members re on g etentious.” w we’re work in ding inal and not pr band ’s outstan Mariner, and no at are both orig th judging by the s d ng an so e g, onths. rit rin m g su in as m re d co an up ability to w e m for within th s were both fir e nd to watch out Flanagan’s word before they carv y Palacios is a ba sa matter of time to a fe ly sa is on s it , it’ eir ultin; th so at er wh Em d performance ke on as ct scene. When nt ly made an impa e Boston music They’ve certain ve enough to wa e into the divers ch ic that we all lo ni us d m de e an ak better br m o no “T e’s , er ied th t pl their own, re bu an n satisfaction, nd was, Flanag ite is for our ow Sometimes our mate goal as a ba The music we wr when we play it. le. ns op fa pe d of an nt ds en fri r at’s where we ou th k to play in fro th in wi t d honestly I th able to connec an g t, in se be r an ou th of g d feelin at the en to sing with us ing.” friends come up goal... it’s amaz r ou d he ac re ’ve we e lik t os m feel
I
Check out the behind the scenes video about The Battle of the Bands on emTV at www.emmagonline.com
www.emmagonline.com
entertainment // 67 NOW SHOWING
the worst movie sequels that were (n)ever made And one that will probably be made in the near future by Alex Spanko // graphic by Mark McCune
D4: The Mighty Ducks’ WeekendWarrior Hockey League
It’s been over a decade since we’ve last seen our favorite Minnesota-based peewee hockey team, and the once-and-future ’94 Junior Goodwill Games champions have all hung up their skates and moved onto bigger and better things: Goldberg’s busy running his parents’ deli, the Bash Brothers finally made parole, and Charlie (Joshua Jackson) owns Slap Shot Ford and Subaru down on Rte. 6. But they still manage time out of their busy schedules to pull on the sneaks, break out the primary-colored plastic sticks, and play a little floor ball at the Minneapolis Y every other Sunday afternoon. Things take an ugly turn when their old archnemesis, Iceland coach-turned-evil-realestate developer Olalf Sandersson, turns up with a plan to level the YMCA and replace it with a high-end shopping mall. It’s up to Charlie and his ragtag bunch of deli clerks, housewives, and ex-cons to defeat Olalf’s team of Nordic bodybuilders and claim the gym that’s rightfully theirs. All of the actors reprise their original roles except for Kenan Thompson, who actually has a real job as a real actor on a real television show.
High School Musical 4: College
Not making an actual HSM4 would likely be cash-flow suicide on Disney’s part, but since they certainly won’t be honest about what would happen if the Wildcat crew went to college, here goes: It’s freshman year at college for the HSM bunch, and Troy and Gabriella are busy getting used to their new routine: he’s playing basketball and pursuing a BFA at a small artsy college, while she’s just a subway ride away studying astrophysics at a prestigious techleaning university. They sing songs about how much they miss each other despite the meager distance (possibly some type of hip-hop re-imagining of “My Baby Takes the Morning Train”?), and they’re already planning their future together as that insane husbandand-wife music teacher duo from your high school. Alack, trouble arises when Sharpay, off at some prestigious private school, changes Troy’s Facebook relationship status to “single.” Gabriella dumps him, but instead of undergoing a sensitive transformation, Troy goes and cheats on her with some floozy at a frat party the very same night. Gabriella drowns her sorrows in Natty Ice and Jell-O shots at her
sorority and accidentally tells everyone within shouting distance about Troy’s curious habit of singing “Get’cha Head in the Game” during sex. Mortified, Troy returns home and finishes out community college a broken man whose colleagues at the gas station really could care less about good choreography.
Angels in the Water
Everybody was happy with Roger and J.P.’s angel stories the first time around, but once multiple people started to see mysterious, vaguely religious beings helping the hapless California Angels, the city fathers got a little concerned. Fifty games into the Angels’ second season under Danny “I’m Really Too Old For This Baseball Shit” Glover, an intrepid Erin Brokovich (played this time by Geena Davis, because even Julia Roberts has standards) discovers the real source of the “angels”: lead in the drinking water in and around the stadium, placed there especially by Angels ownership to distract the fans from the fact that their star pitcher is a guy played by Tony Danza. Roger and J.P. are given keys to the city after they’re released from the intensive care unit, and Glover resigns as manager to run successfully for state senate on an anti-pollution platform drawn up by his new wife, Erin Brokovich. Meanwhile half of the Angels team is suspended after the real reason behind their stunning success is uncovered: good ol’ fashioned anabolic steroids. Everyone’s a winner…especially Roger’s father, who is now entirely absolved of his duties because the Angels can’t win the pennant.
Ferris Bueller’s Last Personal Day
Everyone’s favorite slacker managed to skate through high school and college on his charm and good looks, but after leaving John Hughes State and taking a job as a midlevel manager, Ferris experiences a measure of culture shock: his employers seem vastly unimpressed with his keyboard and fenceleaping abilities, and his coworkers didn’t even send him an e-card that one time he legitimately had the flu. So Ferris picks up his best buddy Cameron (now played by Dane Cook, because no B-level comedy movie can legally proceed without him anymore) and the two paint the afternoon red: matinee movies, strippers, lunch at the Burger King. There’s even a montage of the pair running around Chicago as Dane, breaking the fourth wall, tries desperately to find someone who hasn’t tired of him yet. But things hit a snag later when Ferris realizes his computer-hacking skills are also em magazine // Winter 2008
woefully out of date: his company’s system has a firewall now, and his nine sick days are one over the accepted limit. Boss Rooney (Jeffrey Jones, convicted sex offender, reprises his role in a failed career comeback) fires Ferris on the spot, and now he’ll have plenty of time to stop and look around at life on the unemployment line.
302
Let’s suspend our disbelief for one minute and assume that King Leonidas didn’t die during the Battle of Thermopylae, and let’s suspend it even further by assuming that right after their most epic battle, the Spartans were warped thousands of years into the future due to some type of flux-capacitor mishap. Meanwhile, at NORAD, an operator receives a strange radio transmission from an Air Force pilot about several hundred men in period costume besieging a small, fictional island off the coast of Alaska. He immediately calls the General (Gene Hackman), who asks the President (Bill Pullman) for permission to engage the invaders in combat. Reluctantly, he agrees, and General Hackman launches a full-scale assault on the island. Back in the Oval Office, President Pullman sinks into his chair with a gin on the rocks and wonders aloud, “My God…what have I done?” Leonidas, still vaguely sure he’s about to fight the Persians, rallies his troops with a rousing speech about Spartan pride, duty, and honor. A mighty cheer goes up when the rumble of fighter jets is heard in the background, and the Spartans begin their final victorious charge… only to be leveled by several thousand tons of American ammunition in under three minutes. General Hackman receives the Congressional Medal of Freedom, President Pullman (R-OK) wins reelection, and we all learn a little something about international relations.
11
The average number of times Emersonians check their Facebook every day. 96.8% of Emerson students use Facebook every day. 64% of Emerson students read celebrity news blogs (PerezHilton, TheSuperficial, etc.) every day. by Dara Continenza // photo from perezhilton.com
68 // Entertainment
how to drink like an adult
Cocktails you can order in front of co-workers
by Dara Continenza (with Ian Grossman &Andrew Dresser) // photos by Sarah Jacobs & Irina GRechko
Y
ou will probably spend your undergrad years drinking jungle juice out of Solo cups or doing half-hearted keg stands in Allston. This is fine, even encouraged. It is important that an undergraduate (although one of legal age) drinks his or her fair share of cheap booze before entering the dark, joyless miasma that is the Real World. But what happens when we graduate? If it’s
suddenly improper to guzzle flat rum-and-Cokes, then how else are we supposed to drown the fear and sorrow that growing older brings? Don’t fear: following are three more adult—but no less tasty or alcoholic— alternatives to what you’ve been imbibing, provided by Ian Grossman of Sel de la Terre, Boylston Street.
You’ve Been Drinking:
Jack & Cokes
While this is kind of all right past the age of 22, you must drink them in moderation. For anyone who is willing to move onto a Real Adult Drink, Jack is just not the way to go.
You’ve Been Drinking:
rum & fruit juice For some time now, you’ve been swilling an odd combination of rum and Nantucket Nectars. Fine in moderation, but grow up already! A Captain-andPineapple-Orange-Guava has no class.
You’ve Been Drinking:
Screwdrivers
Okay, to a degree, it makes sense. Orange juice kills the nasty taste of plastic-bottle vodka. However, you’ll look like an idiot in front of your co-workers should you order one at a bar.
You Should be Drinking:
You Should Be Drinking:
You Should Be Drinking:
Both sexes can enjoy a good, stiff martini. This one is potent and not too orange-y, just gently flavored with a splash of OJ. A good after-work drink, it pairs well with a loosened tie and a good foot rub.
Slightly sweeter than that other drink, this Manhattan has two kinds of vermouth and Canadian whiskey. It is liquor-flavored liquor for the colder months, and is the Hefner’s Girlfriend of Drinks: it begs to be enjoyed while in a silk bathrobe.
A neat, not-too-sweet classic daiquiri will satisfy your grapefruit craving, while still getting you a wee bit lubricated. In a literary sense, not in a frozen-mix-whipped-cream kind of way. Tastes best while smoking a pipe.
4 oz mandarin-flavored vodka .5 oz triple sec 2 oz orange juice Orange slice Ice
2 oz blended Canadian whiskey .5 oz sweet vermouth .5 oz dry vermouth 1–2 dashes Angosturra bitters Maraschino cherry Ice
1.5 oz light rum .25 oz maraschino liqueur .75 oz lime juice Splash of grapefruit juice Ice
Mandarin Vodka Martinis
a Perfect Manhattan
In a cocktail shaker, combine all liquid ingredients with a generous amount of ice. Shake, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with orange slice.
In a cocktail shaker, combine all liquid ingredients in 2/3 ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not difficult to buy good wine on a limited budget. Some delicious, inexpensive, and even organic wines are readily available, and a 750-ml bottle can cost less than a six-pack of beer. Here are some tips for locating cheap, quality wine:
not all sommeliers drink Cristal. Don’t be afraid to ask an employee to direct you to something less than $15 that still tastes good. 3) Check out Trader Joe’s. While most grocery stores mark up their wine, Trader Joe’s remains pretty reasonable. They
like Ernest Hemingway
In a cocktail shaker, combine all but the grapefruit juice. Shake with a generous amount of ice, strain into a cocktail glass. Add a splash of grapefruit juice.
Wine you won’t be embarrassed to bring out for guests 1) Look for specials. Local wine shops run weekly or monthly specials on wine they need to move due to new vintages or overstock. Check out store displays and websites for information. 2) Ask for help. Most employees know good wines at all price points, and
also have a nice selection of organic wines, for those who like their wine red, white, and green. 4) Avoid most, but not all, boxed wines. Franzia and their ilk tend to be cheap because they’re bad. They are guaranteed hangovers. Labels like Black Box make good boxed
www.emmagonline.com
cabs and pinot grigio for about $20/3 liters. 5) Look local. Massachusetts wineries like Westport Rivers are making some nationallyrecognized sparkling wines, and they’re cheaper here in Boston. You can even visit Westport for a tasting for just $7.
Entertainment // 69
bookends
Or, drink like a kid again!
What to read by the fire this winter
For kids 21+
I
f you’ve grown weary of acting like an adult, and you just want to get responsibly plastered while playing a drinking game—oh, those were heady days—then try the following.
Candyland
#8 X
in 4 teams
of 2
Before you begin, use the food coloring to dye your liquor into the following colors: red, green, blue, yellow, orange, and violet. Additionally, for each shotglass of colored liquor, fill a shotglass with water and dye the same shade. (It’s easiest to put a drop of each dye into the shotglass, fill it with either water or liquor and mix it with a spoon.) Mix up the glasses so one cannot differentiate between booze and H20. Arrange by color. Set up Candyland as you would normally. Divide players into 4 teams of 2, each team choosing a separate piece. In addition to moving their pieces forward and completing the board game as usual, the players must take shots corresponding with the color of the card they choose. The player chooses the shot at random, so they either get a shot of liquor or a shot of water.
The rules: For each card with a single block of color, one
member of that team must take a corresponding shot of the same color (a card with one violet block equals one violet shot, plus the player moves the piece to the next violet block on the Candyland board.)
For cards with two blocks of the same color, one member of that team must take a corresponding shot, as well as choose another player to take a corresponding shot.
If the piece lands on a special space (the
Gumdrop Mountain or Gramma Nutt’s house, for instance) everyone who is playing must take a shot. PLAYERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SMELL EACH SHOT TO DETERMINE WHAT IT CONTAINS!
The first team to reach the end of the board
game wins. Losing teams can be forced to drink the remaining liquor, but at this point, it might be considered cruel and will end with those teams getting pants-shitting drunk.
To liven up the game, you can use water for all shots of one color and liquor for all shots of another color. You can skip the water altogether, but your game will be very short, and everyone will be very intoxicated. You can also use just water, but you will find that Candyland is as dull as you remembered as a child.
by Maria Montemayor // photo by Valentijn van der Sloot
W
e’ve compiled a list of books that are so incredibly awesome that not only will you learn valuable information and discover new stories that will enrich your life, but you will also look wicked intellectual reading them at Starbucks.
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Just from the get-go, don’t let the title fool you. This book offers a circumcision gone wrong on Jesus’ (or in this book, Josh’s)little brother that leaves him with the uncanny ability to pee around corners. This isn’t exactly a great biblical read. However, this book is a testament to friendship, love and seeing Mary’s face in random things. See, Christ has a zany best pal named Biff who inadvertently helps Christ become . . . well, Christ. Biff accompanies Christ to all parts of the globe and always gets stuck doing hard labor (like milking yaks) while Christ gets to learn meditation and inner peace. Whether you are interested in religion or the real reason bunnies are associated with Easter you should give this book a try.
Dishwasher by Pete Jordan
Okay, so the majority of you reading want to be cool things like screenwriters, actors and advertising executives; Pete Jordan just wants to wash dishes. Pete has one lofty goal: to wash dishes in all 50 states. This book chronicles Pete’s journeys and let’s be honest, his unique manner of just walking out on jobs in search of some place more exciting. Not only a unique autobiography, this book will stock your brain so full of random dish washing facts that it might push out basic math; but who needs math when you can amaze your friends with George Orwell dish washing facts (you heard me).
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Ignatius J. Riley is incredibly smart, but utilizes his intelligence in the most bizarre ways. He loves to criticize movies (oh, so like the Emersonian) and wear a silly hat (oh, so like the Emersonian). Always blaming his comic misfortunes on the destiny-defining “Fortuna,” Ignatius never takes responsibility for his own shortcomings. While this book may frustrate the reader who cares more for a plot than a character study, it really is a book about . . . well, nothing (like Seinfeld). This book is a comedy classic (like Seinfeld).
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Yes, this is the book everyone in the world is telling you to go out and read—and guess what, you need to go out and read this book. It doesn’t matter how much testosterone you have, or how much you hate the circus from some traumatic childhood incident—this book is amazing. Told through the em magazine // Winter 2008
eyes of a 90-something man, he looks back on his life when he was a young and had dreams of being a vet, but through horrific circumstances must forgo graduating. However, his fate turns around when he joins a traveling circus to help care for the newest addition to its menagerie—a full grown elephant. He quickly falls for the elephant rider—the beautiful Marlena. It isn’t just a cut and dry love story by any means, and the zany characters that help create a vivid background are simply mesmerizing.
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
History is boring, so many people did so many things, and somehow no matter how many duels you throw in there it still is not interesting. However, Sarah Vowell is obsessed with presidential assassinations the way some are obsessed with Britney Spears—she finds them disturbingly interesting. Sarah tracks the murders of Lincoln, McKinley, and Garfield. She somehow not only makes the history lessons fascinating, she even adds humor. For instance she talks about the varying levels of hotness between John Wilkes Booth and Lewis Powell (Booth’s accomplice and attempted assassin of William H. Seward, Lincoln’s secretary of state). See I just taught you something about history, wasn’t that easy?
70 // ENTERTAINMENT
sprinkles
Lulu’s Bake Shoppe
em uncovers the best place to satisfy your sweet tooth
by Catie Colliton // photos by Darcy Hofmann
Kickass Cupcakes
Overall Deliciousness: This trendy little bakery is a nice alternative for a quick treat in the North End that you won’t regret. You wish your mom had made cupcakes like these when you were a kid.
Lulu’s Bake Shoppe 227 Hanover St. North End (Green Line to Haymarket) Prices: $2.75 Must Taste: Pumpkin or Oreo Lulu’s offers the favorites—chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, carrot—in addition to daily and seasonal flavors. Boston Cream, Smores, and Hostess cake look-alikes (but not taste-alike, as all of Lulu’s cupcakes are homemade and contain no preservatives) are always offered, but there is something new almost every day. Most of the frosting is pretty standard, except for the more unique cupcakes that are topped with pistachio or Oreo flavored icing and toasted marshmallow. The pumpkin cupcakes have a cream cheese icing that is to die for. Not only is there a decent selection of coffee drinks, but Lulu’s also has apple cider, hot chocolate, brewed teas, and of course milk. If you can grab a seat in the small 50’s style shop, this is a great place for a date. The music selection is catered to an Emerson student—WERS 88.9 is played frequently and tastefully.
Sweet
Overall Deliciousness: While the prices may be a bit high for little cakes, the variety, classy atmosphere, and accessibility from the T make these cupcakes worth a special occasion or a treat after a day of shopping on Newbury Street.
Kickass Cupcakes 378 Highland Ave. Somerville (Red Line to Davis) Prices: $2.75 regular, $1.25 mini, $4 deep-fried Must Taste: Cinnamon Chai Pecan Sticky or The Mojito The flavors of cupcakes really are kickass here. They range from traditional vanilla or chocolate to alcoholic beverage-inspired to deep-fried. Whether you are in the mood for super sweet or muffin-like cupcakes, this bakery offers seven daily flavors, flavors of the day, and limited edition flavors. Eccentric additions like cupcake parfaits, crisps, and towers are also for sale. Oh-so-rare vegan and gluten-free cupcakes are available, too. The frosting is rich, buttery, and abundant. There is a lot of variety in frosting substitutes like whipped cream and chocolate ganache. Pupcakes and Kittycakes are also available for pets, though they’re a little bland and are not recommended for humans. “Shooters” for just $1 are mini drinks made with milk or Italian soda to complement a cupcake.
Overall Deliciousness: This cupcake joint is worth making the trip all the way out to Davis Square for a multitude of delicious treats as long as you don’t plan on sitting in house as there is almost no seating. Kickass Cupcakes’ variety and appetizing selections really take the cake.
Sweet 49 Mass Ave. Boston (Green Line B, C, D to Hynes) Prices: $3.25 regular, $1.95 for a mini Must Taste: Cappuccino or Organic Karat The daily offerings include classic vanilla, chocolate, and lemon, as well as an “Organic Karat” cake (with real edible gold flakes on top) and a cappuccino flavor. There are also seasonal and limited edition cupcakes such as Red Velvet and Boston Cream. These treats aren’t complete without fluffy icing piled high that makes the cupcakes as top-heavy as an infant. Some cupcakes have alternative toppings, like caramel or marshmallow. Sweet offers milk for those looking to reminisce their childhoods, as well as fancy sodas, juices, and coffee. The pink and brown mod wallpaper and Victorian-looking booth gives a trendy and sophisticated atmosphere to Sweet. Sweet-tooth-inspired movies play on a flat screen to make you hungry for more.
www.emmagonline.com
ENTERTAINMENT // 71
one day, lots of fun
Having a great time in the city doesn’t have to break the bank
by STINA Osttveit // photo by VALENTIJN van der SLOOT
S
MIT Visual Arts Center listart.mit.edu/about
He said: I wouldn’t go
She Said: It’s cool
here unless I was really into art. Might be fun if you’re drunk though.
enough. If you’re in the neighborhood, it is worth stopping by.
Grendel’s Den www.grendelsden.com
She Said: I really like this place. I’ll definitely come back. Great soup!
He said: Righteous!
the Second time around thrift store www.secondtimearound.net
She Said: Definitely going back, some things were a bit expensive, but loved the atmosphere.
He said: If you’re a guy interested in some cheap pumps and a matching purse, this is your place.
pending a day in Boston shouldn’t rape your wallet. Emerson students Ida and Sam, both 2011 marketing majors, went on a day and night excursion to see if cheap fun in Boston is actually possible. They started off at the MIT Visual Arts Center in Cambridge. This contemporary arts exhibition shows footage and photography ranging from cute to disturbing. The center changes their exhibitions regularly throughout the year, so you’re never guaranteed to see the same thing. Best of all—it’s free! After saving money at the museum, Ida and Sam grabed a bite at Grendel’s Den in Harvard Square. Despite somewhat chilly weather, they chose to sit outside in the park where they could listen to an entertainer playing country music. Although the service at this place wasn’t the best, the atmosphere and prices made this a small annoyance. The food was great; even the bread got props. (It seems that expecting good bread with your soup has caused endless disappointment for both Ida and Sam through the years.) Luckily Grendel’s Den restored what little faith they had in good complimentary bread. After paying the bill of only $6 each including tip, they could even spare a dollar for the country singer playing his mittens off in the park. Next stop was The Second Time Around Thrift Store around the corner. The store promises designer clothing for reasonable prices. Unfortunately for Sam, the store in Harvard Square only carries women’s clothing, but for any girl with an interest in vintage, this is a must. A quick stroll down Mass Ave. took Ida and Sam to Looney Tunes. A used record shop with a refreshingly obvious old-school feel, it’s filled with treasures
Looney Tunes (617) 876-5624
She Said: I could definitely kill a few hours just flipping through all of the records.
He said: I think I just fell in love.
for the music lover. It also carries old comic books, magazines, posters and T-shirts. The guy behind the counter is the kind who ignores most of his customers under the pretense that his store speaks for itself, but in this case he’s fully entitled to do so. This charming store can leave you browsing for hours as the record collection is continuously expanded and prices range from approximately $.50–$12. From Looney Tunes it was only a five-minute walk to Berry Line for dessert. This cute little place offers three different f lavors of frozen yogurt and an endless amount of topping selections ranging from fresh fruit to cereal. There’s usually a lot of traffic, but the line is quick and Ida and Sam even managed to find a nice place to sit and enjoy $4 well spent. A 20-minute train ride took them to the North End for some nighttime fun. Red Sky Bar at Faneuil Hall proved to be a great place for a meal and a drink. The trendy interior could fool you into thinking this is an upscale place out of league for the common student; however, the nice and casual servers say otherwise. A meal costs between $8 and $20. Pizzas and sandwiches or burgers are the best deals here. Beer and cocktails are about the same you’ll pay in any bar in the North End area, but the atmosphere of Red Sky is fresh and uplifting, which makes it worth the trip. The pair decided to end the night at another bar, also in the North End. Dating back to 1654, the vibrant Green Dragon Tavern is as Irish as you get. Aside from the great beer selection that’s relatively inexpensive at $4 and oldies music playing in the background, The Green Dragon tavern also hosts live bands many days during the week. Just watch out for the 21+ age limit that hits at 9:00 p.m.
berry line www.theberryline.com
red sky bar (617) 742-3333
She Said: I love it. It’s a good healthy option to other snacks. The berries and fruit toppings are great.
She Said: It’s a good place for a crowd to go out, not so much for conversation.
He said: I don’t really like frozen yogurt,
He said: It’s nice. I would go
but this place is pretty good.
back with a bigger group of friends.
Green Dragon Tavern
www.somerspubs.com
She Said: This was a friendly and casual bar. It’s very Irish and oldschool, and has potential for a good night.
He said: Maybe to watch sports, wouldn’t go just to hang out.
em magazine // Winter 2008
72 // entertainment
Boston Boroughs: Jamaica Plain, MA
The best of small town New England, right here in the Big City! by Libby Erlbaum-Rumelt // illustration by Andrea Drygas
Forget what you’ve heard about shootouts and gang fights; JP is nothing to fear. This untapped resource for thrift shopping, espresso-drinking and record-collecting is only twenty minutes away from Boylston, so take a chance and ride down the Orange line to Green St. or catch the 39 bus to Centre St. & Roseway and discover a land of yard sales, anti-war protests and picturesque parks. The Real Deal 736 Centre St (617) 522-1181
And now a note from the Editor:
I live in Jamaica Plain. Here’s the scoop. A Beginner’s Guide: Getting to JP If you’re starting from downtown Boston, it’s actually really easy to get to JP. I know, I know. It sounds like, really far away! (Don’t even get me started on all the people who refuse to visit me because I “live in the middle of nowhere.”) When you live in JP, the #39 bus is your best friend. It picks up at the bus stand in Copley Square (the one across from the Copley Square Hotel). You will honestly wait longer for a B train to Allston than you will wait for this bus. It basically follows the E line along Huntington Ave. and then follows South Huntington and goes down Centre St. If you don’t want to walk to Copley (which is sooooo far away—note sarcasm), you can always take the Orange line. The O line is not as sketchy as people think. It’s basically like the Red line without the Harvard kids, which in my opinion makes it better. The trains come regularly, travel fast, and take you to a lot of places you want to go. The JP stops include Jackson Square, Stony Brook, Green Street, and Forest Hills. If you’re coming from Emerson, you can pick it up in Chinatown, and there are also stops at New England Medical Center, Downtown Crossing, Back Bay Station and Mass. Ave.
A Brief Guide: Living in JP Let me be completely honest: I only have classes two days a week. Those two days are grueling, and eight hours straight, but I technically only have to be on campus for two days. That means that I could basically commute from Connecticut without too much trouble. It’s not that bad though. Getting to school from JP takes about 45 minutes by T, or 20 if I ride my bike. It’s not for someone who has to regularly be on campus at 8:00 a.m. but it has its perks.
PROS: cheap rent/Chill Landlord great apartment (own bedroom, huge kitchen, living room, foyer, two porches) cute neighborhood (a guy on my street smokes a pipe and walks his cat) did I mention the cheap rent? I’ve lived dowtown and paid a ridiculous amount of money for a small, crappy apartment so this is infinitely cooler. I basically have the same kind of commute as Emersonians who live in Allston, except instead of BU students, it’s Northeastern kids. Upgrade! Andrea Drygas
www.emmagonline.com
The deal with The Real Deal is that it’s a college student’s dream. Remember all those foods your mother never let you eat? The Real Deal will help you make up for lost time with their “Monster” Burgers, thin crust pizza and “Gangster” wraps. Try an Al “Scarface” Capone, a chicken cutlet with feta, lettuce, tomato and Greek dressing or a Dr. Jekyll, a veggie burger with grilled mushrooms, swiss and pesto mayo. An impressively large slice of cheese pizza (made with a mozzarella cheddar blend) is only $2 and a gourmet pizza pie is under $18. Continue the rebellion by indulging in an Oreo, caramel or butterscotch abundantly frosted cupcake. It will change your life.
Salmagundi 765 Centre St. (617) 522-5047
First and foremost a hat store, Salmagundi still has plenty to offer to those of us who fear ruining our blowout. Every scarf, necktie, purse and bracelet is selected with the aim of creating a unique and quality shopping experience. Although most jewelry is imported, specialty creations by local crafters from JP and Mass Art students are also for sale. If you are a hat person, your choices range from fedoras with feathers to bejeweled newsboy caps to your average pork pie à la Fergie circa “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Costs can be high, but as we all know, originality is priceless.
Where did the name come from? A well-known theory traces the origin to “Jamaica rum,” a reference to Jamaica cane sugar’s role in the Triangle Trade of sugar, rum, and slaves.
entertainment // 73
City Feed & Supply 66 Boylston St. & 672 Centre St. (617) 524-1657 www.cityfeedandsupply.com
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1971 Columbus Ave. Egleston Square Roxbury, MA (617) 524-9870
Franklin Park Arnold Arboretum
Boomerangs 716 Centre St. (617) 524-5120 www.acc.org
Ban Chiang House
T
FOREST HILLS
Don’t let Second Time Around and Garment District fool you; there are secondhand shops in Boston that cater to the thrifty. As a product of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, every penny you spend at Boomerangs benefits AIDS advocacy. All the clothing prices are fixed, ranging from $2 tanks to $7 jeans. Unlike other thrift stores, Boomerangs is extremely well organized and tidy, making it that much easier to look through its plentiful array of backpacks, baskets and 50-cent books. From the obscure (a Ru-Paul poster) to the necessary ($6 H&M sweater), this place has it all.
Who lives here? In the 1980s low rents brought many students to the area. The neighborhood also developed a lesbian and gay community. Hyde, Jackson, and Egleston Squares have significant Spanishspeaking populations from Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. As of 2000 the ethnic make-up of Jamaica Plain was 50% Non-Hispanic White, 23% Hispanic or Latino, 17% Black or AfricanAmerican, 7% Asian-American, 3% Other.
Get lunch, coffee and your food shopping done in one fell swoop! As a community cornerstone, City Feed is the best place to get information out about upcoming antiwar protests, yard sales and art events. As the name suggests, it also supplies JP residents with organic produce, bulk coffee and a decent selection of natural foods. There are plenty of places to sit, including a nice counter view of the street where you can chow down on one of their deli sandwiches (vegan and vegetarian available) and people watch. In addition to the deli, there’s a bakery and an all organic freetrade espresso bar. If you want the community vibe without a family atmosphere, avoid Sunday afternoons when the whole store is crawling with kids.
707 Centre St. (617) 522-2299 www.banchianghouse.com
Large portions, low prices and low lighting makes this “authentic Thai cuisine” an ideal date location. Dare your date to try the spiciest curry on the menu, spicy bamboo, or go low-key and share the milky yellow curry (only $9.50!). The bright colored walls and dishes will make you feel like you’re in the midst of a celebration every time you visit!
Southwest Corridor Park
Any Orange Line Stop Between Back Bay and Forest Hills For any Emerson College student who has cursed the age limit on the Commons playground, this is your solution. Southwest Corridor Park spans 4.7 miles, fitting in 11 different “tot lots,” 2 spray pools and much more. Exit the Green St station and find it across the street, complete with swings and a jungle gym. Let your inner 5-year-old go wild!
em magazine // Winter 2008
All packrats and die-hard music collectors, get ready for your head to explode. Found in the heart of Egleston Square, Skippy is the go-to guy for all the classic R&B, soul, gospel and jazz you can handle. Spend hours digging through box after box of rare LPs and $1 45s. Yep, $1. But Skippy’s isn’t just for lovers of golden oldies; between Little Richard and Otis Redding you’ll find T.I., Usher and Beyoncé. Can’t find what you’re looking for? After being in business for 47 years, “just hum it” and Skippy will know where to find it, so don’t hesitate to ask!
Canto 6 Bakery & Café
3346 Washington St. (617) 983-8688 www.canto6bakery.com
If you’ve memorized Starbucks’ menu and you’re looking for a change, head over to Canto 6. Grab an organic coffee in a dark or medium roast and try one of their creative pastries: fig brioche, plum raspberry tart or their many tasty flavored croissants, all in the $2-$4 range. Every quiche, cookie and sandwich is handcrafted from fresh, all-natural ingredients; the meat is hormone-free and the orange juice is freshsqueezed. Their seating is limited, but it’s the coziness of the venue that enhances its rustic feel, and the staff makes up for it in fast, friendly service.
Jamaica Plain by the Numbers
settled in the 17th century 4.4 square miles population: approx. 38,196 PS: some of this info came from Wikipedia. Yeah, we went there.
74 // Scandalous
t i s d n fi m e
! s u o l a scand
by Lauren Landry
n by // illustratio
ale xa fay
two. Or at ssion between steamy love se d sex as a an of e k at in tim th in some people or, lig hts off, ly, do nt d re se pa clo ap a t Bu ex shou ld be shou ld be like. at I thin k sex idst a crowded least that’s wh ov ie theater, am m r. a ai in aff x ic for two se bl ng pu somewhat at is ill equipped t people havi ve heard abou throom sta ll th ha into a ba I a nd in es x rie tim Se rlf s s. gi or Numerou orn-st rew n flo eir boyf riend or th pc po ng y, di ick lea st re op ice befo there. audience and at don’t thin k tw g the deed right e in the t, while many p and just doin lee while ot hers ar as x y se ad also tops the lis ng re vi al ha is e be at to m le hings om ot op ro pe t-n eir d dirt y swee acceptable for room where th ns, groa ns, an where I find it oa e m s tim le’ a e up er co th r Never is e wa nts anot he ure the icipating. No on off into REM. it is easy to pict room not pa rt ed to drift them os pp su to the act, and ssion is up pa at n th of ke by ds wo lla un ve lu to be the e animalist ic so friends who ha th of to s ask rie up d sto ng an y ki d feel awkwar d sudden ly wa I’ve heard man ts, you quick ly in k sound asleep, an hi th g n e in io sh be at e es iz in al do re ag scene. Im ht here? How ent bed. W hen while I am rig from an adjac d to be asleep, be having sex e reverberat ing at ca n do is preten m u om yo l ro al y m ly, d te ul na co tu or ow nf “H U yourself, pposed to do?” n’t wa ke ? W hat am I su me to an end. ommate just wo this is al l right fest w ill soon co ck fu e n that their ro th io at e their ss th pa uffl ay m of pr fit d les r cringe, an often ca n coup assu me in thei ot to N e k. on r ris fo vodka, at p sy th many of chea W hi le it is ea is st ill always after a shot too ving sex, there nd A ha . e gs ar in ey pr th ds up while ng of their be in the ress the crea ki d ever ywhere. ve sex besides x anywhere an moa ns and supp se ng vi ha in k of a place to ha rm in ha press th e ex to th to e zy e la se ac o to it’s ha rd y are just fa r to e is the idea l pl m an m ho at e’s th on ou ld nd sh ve t ta I also unders ile I fu lly belie d a baseba ll ha home. A nd wh commence, an ard n ld kw ow ou r aw sh ei g th nd lin of yo xi comfort seclusion. Se stuck in a be in ts ge ne e do at m be ld om ou ’s ro intimac y, it sh r before anyone y e doorknob fa ce posit ions, tr be placed on th s and face-to-fa ht d eig ul e co ur re fig public sphe situation. eir bodies into having sex in a ng tr y and tw ist th t w ith bondage, en rience ever yt hi For those who pe rim ex pe to ex nt en le-play, or ev bellious any couples wa re M so e. is ag at ss th pa t their ha nd in ro ht of rming an ac ered anot her rig een two, not pleasure in perfo just be consid d feel an ex tra ve shared betw lo an , a es be liv x ld se ou r sh x they ca n in thei y. However, se to feel naught use their oband al lows them e act, and often e. th fiv in or ht , uld ur ug fo ca e couple on co between three, thril ling to be at might turn on y find it oddly wh us, t an lo m Bu da e. at an th ad sc ap s, ow I kn t to their sexc e adventurou en lif x m se ele r ei ed e th en on es ht o N cause one lik volved in it. server as a heig nder off. Just be ns wa nt to be in sta io n. ill by tio a m ica e rn th rn tu fo at ly h th definite ature-lengt esn’t mea n in anot her’s fe the millions, do on ly for and know n by be a pa rt icipa nt to rtable situation , fo ge m led co ow un kn an y in m ne to yo st an lea t asks, at selfish to pu hat it’s dow nright ns. sex as a somew In my opinion, za rre satisfact io bi d an s re is notion that su th e ea g th pl tin d y ua rt an et di s rp rn r’s anot he role in pe the World Tu d play a la rge ed in y scenes of As ay am pl re ste ly e al th The media coul , on er rs ev need to be pe acceptable. How of Love do not rol has spared public affair is Michael’s Rock et the remote cont Br of of n s io on nt as ve in e th rt and uneasily, fo ul umpteent h se kf om into fits of disc bedroom. Than y y m an m of d s ne lea d nfi r roommate, ul the co TV that co in front of thei any scenes on are having sex le op pe o the world of m tw en tely though, wh ld be kept annel. ness. Unfor tu na lous, sex shou n change the ch ca r he ot an y nsidered scanda co n active ee be d tw ul be there’s no wa n wo io e public sphere amy love sess th ste in d x an se e le at hi W s off, intim sed door, light dow n to a clo pa rt icipa nts.
that 32% of S Emerson College students have been in le the room whi others were having sex, but were not . g n i t a p i c i t r a p
www.emmagonline.com
This holiday season you can give as good as you get with 15% off your first purchase & free gift wrapping Did you know one of the widest selections of Vera Bradley is just a few blocks away?
Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill 46 Charles Street, Boston TTYS—617.227.4646 www.blackstonesbeaconhill.com
“Unique & distinctive gifts with you in mind.”
Like what you saw? Great. Let us know what you liked and didn’t like. We’re students. We’re here to learn! emmagonline@gmail.com
And, if you’re one of us, why don’t you join us? Applications to become em magazine staff are on our website, www.emmagonline.com There’s other cool stuff there, too. You should check it out.
em magazine // Winter 2008
Hey, you!