A tryst of love

Pause, Unpause

My on-and-off relationship with music

head copy editor ALEXANDER FU

Ihave met and broken up with all kinds of music … a lot. I am a playa’ in every sense of the word, including the piano, and it has really burned me out. I do not try to be a playa’. In fact, I sometimes wish to be like those who have committed to a genre, being bound at the hip, a red, aural string tying them together. Alas, I am not like that, for almost each month I dump genres like one would broken vinyls into a trash bin. The following genres are but a few in my jar of hearts.

My first serious relationship began at the end of fifth grade: western pop. Young, wild & free. I thought, with my naïve rationale, that she, young, wild & free, was “the one.” I was thankfully still young when I made this mistake.

At first, it was fine. We knew each other growing up, so I thought our relationship would be awesome. But, western pop quickly became too wild for me. It became all “party track” this and “mumble rapper” that. Also, I simply couldn’t take the constant need to be up-to-date and relevant. Turns out, I didn’t care about what was popular, yet she

repeatedly tried to trap me with the hi-hats and Chainsmoker clones. Needless to say, we fell off quickly. My following two relationships were J-pop and K-pop. No, I was not two-timing. Nevertheless, they did each share some commonalities. Both were breaths of fresh air after western pop music. They were bright and welcoming, and they both globalized my views at the end of things.

J-pop had a deceptively pure and clueless appearance. Once we began interacting, I gradually discovered her depth. Similarly, K-pop is misunderstood as the one who copies whatever western pop does just to be popular. Yet, K-pop integrates these trends into her own character, creating an independent and ambitious identity that is more than the sum of her parts. Despite the language barrier, I became very close with these two during our time together.

We all know, though, the end to this tale of love, lies and lyricisms. My problem with J-pop was her inability to fully open up. She pushed me away with her happy-golucky façade, believing that people only like to see that one trait. For the sake of brevity, let’s just say I do not enjoy the chasing game or the “faking dumbness” ploy. Playing hard-to-get or putting on an act is a turnoff for me.

K-pop eventually overwhelmed me with her sheer brilliance and nonstop change. I wore myself out trying to keep up with that ball of pure ambition.

Now, does this column seem like a music rant while creepily associating genres as relationships to pity my IRL single status? Nay, conceited I am not. I indulge in a little of everything because I love music more deeply than some others, but this general love prevents me from staying in one place too long— hence, this on-and-off relationship.

Whether it be searching for a certain genre or a certain someone, your past interactions define your future meetings. When I scroll through my playlist, I see songs that I’ve kept since elementary school from all the genres I’d explored. They are lasting memories and encounters that have positively shaped my character today, and as I add more to the catalog, I come closer to finding “the one” — music or person — for me. Is it selfish? Probably. Futile? Maybe. Heartfelt? Absolutely; all in the name of love.

19 a r t b y D A N I E L L E Z H A N G

QUIT BUGGI G N

Max Wasserstrom researches how bugs digest plastics

TOP: Max Wasserstrom works overtime at his lab Jan. 18, blending plastics for his experiment. Wasserstrom has been prepping since summer 2019 and is finally close to starting his inquiry into how bugs can digest plastic. “On the weekends, I went in and spent four hours weighing materials — then I ended up blending up plastics in a blender,” Wasserstrom said. MIDDLE: Wasserstrom displays a darkling beetle from his series of observational studies. He keeps bugs both at his house and inside Monica Bowman’s biology classroom. “I had a spark of creativity and started naming the beetles that survived my intense observation,” Wasserstrom said. BOTTOM: A whip scorpion crawls up Wasserstrom’s arm using its irregularly long legs to sense its surroundings. The bug is one of the many that Wasserstrom has observed and researched. “It’s a subspecies or a cousin of the bug that was in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’” Wasserstrom said. (Photos by Bradford Siwak) art by CASSIE BEISHEIM

The blender whirs loudly, but senior Max Wasserstrom is not making a fruit smoothie. Instead, he is blending different plastics, producing a toxic smell, all for his pale, orange worms. He coughs and makes a joke with a distinct nonchalance. Throughout this school year, Wasserstrom has been conducting intensive research that focuses on a variety of different critters.

Throughout his independent study with AP Biology teacher Monica Bowman, Wasserstrom has observed the behavior of a myriad of insects and arachnids. However, neither Wasserstrom nor Bowman ever predicted his interest in bugs.

“He was all, ‘I want to go into medicine,’ and then he saw some of the bugs that we were keeping because of the Lexus Eco Challenge,” Bowman said. “We don’t know what happened next, but he’s ‘Bug-man’ now.” Wasserstrom has studied a vast range of bugs like the bombardier beetle, which shoots a toxic, burning chemical.Wasserstrom feels a strong connection with his bugs and has gone as far as to name many of them. There is Dennis the whip scorpion and a pair of beetles known as Uno and Dos.

“To me, what makes bugs so interesting is that each bug has its own individual ability, making them like superheroes when compared to other animals,” Wasserstrom said.

Despite observing and learning about many species of bugs, Wasserstrom is now mainly focused on three types of worms. He is attempting to confirm scientific suspicions that the worms can consume plastics and turn them into eco-friendly minerals, eventually hoping to reduce plastic waste in the world.

“I’m researching their ability to biodegrade plastics,” Wasserstrom said. “It’s been confirmed that the mealworm can actually eat plastics and mineralize [them], but the superworm has yet to be confirmed.” Wasserstrom’s experiment, inspired by the Lexus Eco Challenge, will consist of 160 worms from three species. He will create an environment in which the worms will have to eat the plastics in order to survive. He will record the worms’ growth, development and mortality rate while analyzing their feces in hopes of finding no remaining traces of plastic.

“I’m probably the first person to say that I’ve made a complex nutritional diet for worms, which is not exactly the legacy I want quite yet,” Wasserstrom said. To me, what makes bugs so interesting is that each bug has its own individual ability, making them like superheroes when compared to other animals.” “ CLAYTON COUGHLIN features staff Wasserstrom has faced many challenges during this project, from accidentally getting bitten by a bug to breathing in some polyethylene. But once he overcame some initial obstacles, both he and Bowman were pleased with his experiment plan.

“[Wasserstrom] has designed something that could really be a money-changer when it comes to climate change and how to dispose of plastics,” Bowman said. Once completed, this experiment will consolidate other research and allow the information about plastic-eating worms to be found in this report by microbiologists. Wasserstrom’s experiment will provide him with a starting point for further experiments and research opportunities in this field as well.

“I am trying to build credibility for some aspirations I have later down the road, but I definitely want to do another project in microbiology this summer,” Wasserstrom said.

Although he is receiving assistance from Bowman and science teacher Dr. Allen Weltig, Wasserstrom has taken the reins of the experiment. He had to independently attain approval from Ladue administration, science department chair and his guidance counselor before embarking on his independent study. In addition, he secured an internship at the Jerry F. Costello National Great Rivers Research and Education Center in Alton, Ill.

summer 2019. Until he begins his experiment, he will continue to use the space for its equiptment. “[Wasserstrom] contacted people, interviewed with them, demonstrated that he was really interested in this field of study and basically created this entire research project,” Bowman said. Although Wasserstrom sought help from an organization outside of Ladue to help assist him with this research, any Ladue student with a unique interest, experiment idea or research project can pursue an independent study class.

“If a student wants to create their own independent study and have a research opportunity like this, they need to wind up talking to a teacher in that subject area to see if there is any interest from that staff member,” Bowman said.

No one knows from where the next scientific breakthrough will come. Like Wasserstrom, other Ladue students might accidentally stumble into new advancements in any subject.

“We’re hoping that Max and myself [encourage] more students that are interested in conducting research during the school year [and let them] know that [it] is still a possibility for them today,” Bowman said.