Issue 196 | March 24, 2011
2 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
News & Views
Publisher Mick Maynard Caviar Dreams: Font
Business Manager Andrea Maynard Editor in Chief Chris Shepperd
Shamrock Basketball Association bringing it’s A Game By Maggie Dotson There’s a new summer league in town, basketball lovers: The Shamrock Basketball Association Statewide Basketball League (SBA).
president of SBA, started the league in his hometown. “I was given the idea by trying to imitate the NBA as a kid. I was inspired to start the league by the Dallas Mavericks’ deep playoff run in 2003. Before that, I had no interest in sports even. But following that, basketball became a huge part of my life and I have been driven to create this league into what it is today,” Girardot said.
As for the future of Shamrock Basketball, Girardot has high hopes. “We are hoping to one day go national. I think we will have many, many more leagues in the future. As soon as next season, we look to begin expansion to other states, and
If you are at all interested in this wonderful summer league opportunity, please visit the SBA’s official site or Facebook to learn more information.
“We started playing on my driveway in the rural town of Forney, Texas, about thirty minutes east of Dallas. I originally hoped for us to grow to 8 teams, but we are now at 200,” Girardot said.
Founded in 2003 by entrepreneur Ryan Girardot, the SBA has organized nearly 2,000+ basketball players in fifteen cities across the state of Texas, including the Bryan & College Station area. Open to players of high school age and older, it is tagged as “…THE 5-on-5, StartYour-Own Team, All Ages High School and Up, TEXAS STATEWIDE CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMER LEAGUE.” As stated on their official site, the mission of SBA is “…to provide the highest quality product in the recreational sports industry, while providing the largest scale competition in recreational sports in the world to our players, facility partners, and sponsors.” Girardot, the founding member and current
At the Former Triangle Bowl
Design/Layout Cara Matocha, C2-Studios Inc. writers Kassie Cessna Autumn Dawson Turner Dawson Josh Howell Sarabeth Lacy Mara Minsberg Sherrill Mogonye
Gabrielle Nguyen Brandon Nowalk Erica Pitman Megan Roiz Ian Soares Joey Trevino
Photographers Valerie Clark Steven Heger
hopefully we’ll progress from there,” he said. The league is currently registering new players via their website, www. sbabasketball. com. Play will begin the first week of June and run for eight weeks until the state finals tournament the first week of August.
This young businessman’s hopes for the league have by-far exceeded his initial expectations.
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News & Views
Kickin’ Crohn’s 5k raises money, awareness By Maggie Dotson Runners, get ready! Saturday, April 23, 2011 is the first annual Kickin’ Crohn’s 5K fun run at Wolf Pen Creek in College Station! All proceeds raised for this fun run will benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).
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Deanna Boyd, a current student at Texas A&M University is the main event coordinator. Crohn’s disease hits close to home for Deanna. Her father, Steven, has had the debilitating disease for 25 years now. Deanna chose to host the Kickin’ Crohn’s 5K in order to not only raise awareness but to further support a healthy and fit lifestyle. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease that affects the human intestines. Unfortunately, however, the disease does not stop there. Many bodily complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract can and do often arise. There is currently no cure for the disease- yet another reason why Deanna wants this race to be successful. Successful in that it will aid in further research for finding a cure. “The main reason why I chose to do the 5K was to raise money that will go towards research to find better medicine to treat Crohn’s and to hopefully one day find a cure. The only drugs out there are very dangerous and have very harmful side effects,” Boyd said.
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Kickin’ Crohn’s 5K fun run will take place at 7:30 A.M. on Saturday, April 23 at Wolf Pen Creek. The official race start time is 8:30 A.M. If you are unsure if you will be able to make the event, you still may register the morning-of, during check-in. All proceeds will go directly to the CCFA. Your donation to the CCFA and race-entry is just $15 per attendee. If you gather a group of ten or more runners, you will receive a discount that will reduce the price to only $10/person. Drinks and snacks will be provided to the runners and door prizes will be given as well, including dinners to popular restaurants around town. To REGISTER or DONATE, please visit Kickin’ Crohn’s 5K’s official website: http://www. kickincrohns5k.com/ or their Facebook: www.facebook.com/kickincrohns5k. You may also RSVP for the event via Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event. php?eid=199253196760096. If you know any runners or organizations who would be interested, please do not hesitate to spread the word!
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News & Views
Roommates: Choose wisely By Megan Roiz Imagine this… You are sitting in your apartment on a Wednesday evening, and while daydreaming about that person who sits across from you in your morning class, you are rudely interrupted by the loud rumbling noise emanating from your stomach. Realizing that you have not eaten all day, you walk to your kitchen and swing open the refrigerator door. Staring down at the contents of your refrigerator, you realize that most of the food in front of you has passed its expiration date, and some of the food has even gone so far as to grow a rancid looking layer of mold and grime. You don’t feel like eating a science experiment, so further inspection leads you to a Tupperware container with some rather tasty looking casserole in it. Remembering that it is your roommate’s, you ponder whether they would care if you went ahead and helped yourself. Your conclusion is that it does not matter, and you can repay them by making your mom’s awesome chicken noodle soup when they get back and the two of you go to the grocery store. So you eat it. You come home the next day from class and see a note on the refrigerator door. “Dear roommate, Please stop eating my food without asking first. If you want something to eat, Taco Bell is around the corner! Thanks! Love you!” Obviously, there has been some kind of miscommunication. You have eaten your roommate’s leftovers before, and it was never a problem. Why is it that all of a sudden, it has become an issue? Your dilemma is this: You and your roommate never set any rules before deciding to live together. Most college students know that choosing a roommate can be a very touchy process. Often, you have no idea what the other person’s boundaries are, and it is so easy to slip into the passive aggressive note passing. One day, you are obeying the rumbling of your empty stomach, and the next day you have lost a good friend. All because of some silly casserole! Many people will go on to tell you never to room with your best friend. While this is actually a very accurate piece of advice, there are definitely exceptions to the rule. If you and your best friend have a full disclosure, bluntly honest relationship, living together is probably not a bad idea. When you know that you are free to say anything to your friend, there is a point of comfort that far exceeds what is actually necessary for two people who are going to live together. The thing you will have to consider before moving in with each other is setting your boundaries and rules. Talk about how you will pay for groceries, who will do what chores and when, who will cook and when and both of your policies on guests and significant others. Do not be afraid to talk about the things that bother you if or when you move in together. With all of that being said: be realistic! If it looks like you and your best friend will not work out as roommates, find someone else. It is often advantageous to put up ads for a roommate on campus. Even if it is a stranger that you end up living with, sharing your feelings about everything will help both of you be good roommates. Let’s face it, living together in peace and harmony is a two-way street. Both parties must be willing to bend a little bit! www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 5
Arts & Entertainment Johnny Cash From Memphis to Hollywood: Bootleg Volume 2 By Chris Zebo In the past month, Sony Legacy released two double-CD Johnny Cash bootleg compilations. The first of the series, Bootleg Volume 1: Personal File, delivered Cash to us as he would have delivered himself to a mirror, with 49 intimate tracks the venerable Man in Black recorded at his leisure and mostly in the privacy of his own home. Listeners are treated to Cash pared down gritty and beautiful; just the man and a guitar accompanied by personal stories about when and why some of the songs were written. The tracks, all together, are like a last testament (except that they were composed years before his death in the seventies)--a biographical undertaking Cash stored away in a private box probably knowing that they’d become a part of his history one day. Released at the same time as Personal File, From Memphis to Hollywood: Bootleg Volume 2 is very different in approach. The second volume is also a double-CD (with a staggering 57 tracks) but with more of a didactic air about it that might, on the surface, appeal more to musicologists than fans. But From Memphis delicately bridges the often unnegotiable chasm between historian and fan in ways that both stimulates curiosity and appreciation at the same time. For fans, you get to hear rare early recordings of Cash classics, such as a demo version of “I Walk the Line” that was homerecorded and sounds remarkably close to the hit version produced for Sun Records in ‘56. You also get to hear gems that only a seasoned historian would unearth, such as an early cover of Bob Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings” and an incomplete cover of “Brakeman’s Blues”--the classic yodeling number that Jimmie Rodgers--“The Father of Country”--first penned in the twenties.
For historians, and even for fans wishing to gain a better understanding of his early career, From Memphis to Hollywood offers rare glimpses into Cash’s radio show years and the burgeoning career that was slowly blooming around him. For example, short advertisements he voiced for his Saturday afternoon show in Memphis are interspersed among early songs on the first CD. And in these short segments, one hears an unconventionally wavering--almost bashful-Cash, a persona that reminds us that even though he was larger than life in his later years he was flesh and blood like us once. In “Home Equipment Company Advertisement”, Cash’s immediately recognizable baritone voice reads an advertisement to listeners in a straightforward, uninspired tone. At the time, he was a salesman for the company, selling Venetian blinds during the day so that he could subsidize his music career. Home Equipment Company “graciously” bought Cash airtime in return for plugs. “You know, folks,” he says impassively in the 1:16long track, “even without air conditioning, you can make your home several degrees cooler this summer--and for the summers to come--with Home Equipment Company’s Cool Glow Awnings.” It’s these grainy black and white aural photos from the past that add color not only to Cash’s humble crawl to the top but also to early country music’s workingman history. Disc two of the set was mined from the vaults of Columbia records (Cash signed to the label after leaving Sun in ‘58). B-sides, outtakes, and unreleased singles comprise most of the offerings, but you slowly come to comprehend a tangible departure from Memphis to Hollywood as the tracks play on. It’s in these 25 tracks that we begin to hear much more production behind the recordings. Unlike the barren, one-manand-guitar intimacy of the Memphis years,
6 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
the second disk begins to shed light on how Cash embraced new recording technologies and the capacity for multi-tracking, which is evidenced by layers of mixed instruments and backing vocals. It wasn’t long after Cash moved to Tinsel Town that he started recording songs for movies and TV, too. And in tracks such as “The Girl from Saskatoon”, a swinging song with doo-wopping female background singers, you can almost imagine it soundtracking a montage in a sixties TV romance. Even if he did shower and shave more often in Hollywood, he unabashedly kept some
dirt under his fingernails to show his new (and larger) audience that he came from roots--and that’s not easy to do in LA, a town notorious for uprooting. But, as we know today, it wasn’t always easy for him. When Cash moved to Hollywood and embraced the bright lights, he also embraced drugs and alcohol--a turbulent period of his life where the “Man in Black” acquired his eponymous dark side and fought for years against his inner demons. You can’t really discern the darkness from the music on CD two, but knowing that time of his life as we do now, it’s quite a listening experience to compare the guise of joy and beauty in those songs with what we know they belied.
Arts & Entertainment
book review water for elephants By Gabrielle Nguyen Circuses bring to mind ringmasters with their crimson coat and black top hat, red and white striped tents, popcorn, and, of course, the iconic and majestic elephant. Elephants seem to go hand in hand with circuses, and while circuses are more reminiscent of youth and more innocent times (like in Disney’s Dumbo), Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants explores the grittier underbelly of showbiz. Jacob Jankowski is a senior at Cornell University’s veterinary school during the Great Depression when he learns that both of his parents have died in a car crash. In an effort to escape from his grief, he runs away, jumping onto a train in the middle of the night. Morning reveals a whole new
world as he finds that the train belongs to a travelling circus. He falls into the ranks of the circus folk as a vet and discovers not only the beauty and pageantry but also the ugliness and sleaziness of circus life and of human nature. Gruen has woven magic and wonder into Water for Elephants. She creates a compelling world through her thorough and meticulous research, incorporating details that create the atmosphere of the era and even including circus photographs found in archives and museums. The circus comes alive, complete with its freaks and amazing acrobatic feats. The characters are deep and multi-faceted. As Jacob stays with the circus, he falls in
love with Marlena, a married performer, and her husband, August, is one of the most dangerous, and certainly the most volatile and cruel character in the novel. A paranoid schizophrenic, August has the reader holding his or her breath as Jacob continues to pursue Marlena. Then there is also Camel (the aging alcoholic paralyzed in more than one way by his addiction), Kinko (the surly dwarf performer with his faithful terrier Queenie), and, of course, Rosie (the silent, tragic, innocent and charming elephant). While the tone of the novel may be harsh at times, the end result is wonderfully satisfying. Water for Elephants is a page-turner with a surprising and resonant conclusion that leaves the reader cheering. If you enjoyed
Gruen’s novel, you might also like The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy (a fresh interpretation of the classic fairy tale set in World War II) and The Magicians by Lev Grossman (similarly dark in tone, a young man discovers that the magic and adventures of his childhood books actually exist). Water for Elephants is also being adapted into film starring Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, and Robert Pattinson. It is due for wide release on April 22, 2011.
ch a rt 1
Randy Rogers Band Interstate (Mercury)
14
Hayes Carll KMAG YOYO (Lost Highway)
2
Brandon Rhyder Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good (Smith Ent.)
15
Aaron Watson Best For Last (Big Label)
3
Casey Donahew Band Let Me Love You (Almost Country)
16
Sean McConnell Lie Baby Lie (SM)
4
Jason Boland & the Stragglers Outlaw Band (APEX Nashville/ Proud Souls)
17
Jason Cassidy Sounds Like an Angel to Me (JCB)
18
Wade Bowen Red Headed Woman (Smith Ent.)
19
Josh Abbott Band Oh, Tonight (PDT)
5
Reckless Kelly I Hold the Bottle, You Hold the Wheel (YepRoc)
6
Kevin Fowler Girl In a Truck (Kevin Fowler)
7
Deryl Dodd You’re Not Lookin’ For (Smith Ent.)
20
Fred Andrews/Honeybrowne Beautiful Waste of Time (Smith Ent.)
8
Eli Young Band Crazy Girl (Republic)
21
Rob Baird Blue Eyed Angels (Carnival)
9
Granger Smith 5 More Minutes (GS)
22
Cody Johnson Texas Kind Of Way (CJB)
10
Brian Keane I’ll Sing About Mine (Independent)
23
Sunny Sweeney From A Table Away (Republic Nashville)
11
Jamie Richards Easier By Now (Winding Road)
24
Bart Crow Band She’s The Only Reason (Winding Road)
12
Max Stalling Long Way To Get (Blind Nello)
25
Eleven Hundred Springs This Ain’t The First Time (Smith Ent.)
13
Rich O’Toole The Cricket Song (PTO) www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 7
Arts & Entertainment
book review Allison Hoover Bartlett’s The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession. By Gabrielle Nguyen We’ve all coveted something at one point or another, and while we do all we can to attain that desired object, most of us remain within the limits of legality. What if that want overwhelms you, though? What if that lust refuses to respect the constraints of the law? Those questions are epitomized by John Gilkey, the subject of Allison Hoover Bartlett’s The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession. The book was born from Bartlett’s original article on Gilkey for the San Francisco Magazine. In her book, Bartlett describes her foray into the literary world and how she came upon Gilkey’s lust for attaining
rare books for free. Gilkey’s skewed sense of justice allows him to rationalize the acquisition of millions of dollars of rare books through fraudulent means. She also encounters Ken Sanders, a bookstore owner on an obsessive hunt for the prolific book thief. In her questioning of Gilkey and Sanders and trying to form a cohesive story between their interviews, Bartlett finds herself swept up in the events. She ends up being more involved than an impartial observer and conflicted in what actions she should take to adhere to her moral and ethical code. The challenging thing with nonfiction narratives is how to convey the story in an engaging manner without distorting
8 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
any of the truth. Bartlett managed to do so beautifully. Well-researched and welldocumented yet far from dull, her book is fast-paced and entertaining. She manages to convey the sense and depth of love that some people have for books while still offering nuggets of solid information. Occasionally, it seemed as if Bartlett found a fact too interesting to not include in the book that she needed only nominal relevancy to write it in. Overall, though, it was an entertaining and informative journey into the world of literary crime. Books similar to The Man Who Loved Books Too Much include Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood (the first ever narrative nonfiction following the brutal murders of a family in rural Kansas) and Jeannette Walls’s
The Glass Castle (a memoir focusing on her unconventional childhood and her nonconforming family).
www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 9
Z-Islander Rental Community By Vladimir Amador If you are driving down Wellborn and reach a place so different from every other building around, full of bright colors and tall palm trees, don’t worry. No need to slam on the brakes and think you made a wrong turn towards the beach. You are still in Bryan/College Station, but what lies before you is the coolest student apartment community around, Z-Islander. Z-Islander is an island village themed student community and you will feel like you are living right on the beach. The apartments come fully furnished with queen sized beds and 26” flat screen HDTV in each bedroom. The living room includes a 50” plasma TV and continues the village theme with their furniture. Each apartment also comes with a screened in fully furnished patio, the perfect hangout place for friends or quiet spot to study in the outdoors. Z-Islander boasts of having the area’s largest resort-style salt water pool. For those days when students are loaded up with homework, there is plenty to do just steps away from their bedroom. Poker rooms, workout centers, tanning beds, and theater rooms are only a few of the community highlights that keep residents happy without even having to leave the complex. Another huge plus that only Z-Islander can claim is an onsite car wash station, even though thanks to the various things to do in walking range, the only reason residents should even have to use their sparkling clean car is to go to class. If that wasn’t enough to differentiate Z-Islander from the rest of the housing communities, they host various events throughout the year for their residents. Sports fans can enjoy Super Bowl and March Madness watching parties in their Clubhouse, creating an in-game atmosphere. The complex also shows how much they care for each and every one of their residents by providing breakfast the week of final exams. The annual Crawfish Boil they put on along with Candy 95 is a favorite event for leasing manager Caroline Lewis. The event, which this year takes place on April 1st from 2-6, is the 2nd Z-Islander has hosted and is always a good time with plenty of delicious crawfish for all to enjoy. Events like these are what have all other student apartments in the dust behind this community which is the next generation of student living. For any questions or further inquiries, be sure to visit their website at www.zislander. com or give them a call at (979)268-9999.
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Arts & Entertainment
movie review battle:la By Brandon Nowalk Nobody in Battle Los Angeles seems to realize how hilarious the movie is. The opening newscast reveals how much of the world has already been devastated by alien attack, intoning, “We cannot lose Los Angeles.” Because that would be the last straw. Later Aaron Eckhart tells his men, “We are not losing one more civilian!” Apparently the others were acceptable losses. Michelle Rodriguez tells him, “You remind me of my older brother. He never smiled, either.” I’m with them. Jonathan Liebesman’s Battle Los Angeles is one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. We open in media res to get a brief glimpse of LA on fire before flashing back a whole day, lest we get a long enough look at the spectacle that is the entire point of the film to nitpick its CGI. It’s not enough to say Battle Los Angeles is derivative. The doubtless blockbuster profits this deathless roar makes at the box office wouldn’t cover a tenth of the royalties it owes to the action, war, and sci-fi films it rips off with the diminishing returns of a cheap copier. There’s some of Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down in the military sequences, District 9 and Skyline in the sci-fi, and the worst tendencies of Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay in the general formula. Battlestar Galactica fans have seen the power and potential of alien apocalypse stories, and the whole scenario has been navigated more intelligently by gamers. But you don’t go to see Battle Los Angeles for the story. You go for the same reasons you see 2012 or Independence Day: what would it look like to see the world blown up? Apparently, it would look spellbindingly boring. We’ve seen explosions, incendiary devices, and the demolition of skyscrapers, often, and with more resonance, in real life on the news or Youtube. Liebesman made a movie about cybernetic aliens attacking Los Angeles and squanders all the potential
12 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
on run-of-the-mill military weapons. Our bad guys use bullets, fire cannons, operate airships. The result of the profound dearth of lasers, futuristic technology of any kind, and imagination in general is the dull, lifeless color palette that seems to be taking hold in the gritty realism school of absurd sci-fi. The direction is deliberately chaotic, but it’s time to put the urgency argument for shakycam to rest. Any runner can tell you shakycam is an affectation. What’s more, the story is no more than a Support Our Troops banner like the one that comically survives attack in a ruined Santa Monica street. We see children crying, civilians being brave, and Marines sacrificing their lives to save the world. It’s uncomfortable to watch a film with this naked a fetish, but our heroes lap up the glory more like promotional posters than real kids. They persevere through every attack, but numbed by nihilism, we quickly grow jealous of their fallen comrades, wishing the mission could go on without us as we drift into the sweet, peaceful release of death.
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The Lofts at Wolf Pen Creek
Housing Guide
By Ryan Frische Raising the bar for college living, The Lofts at Wolf Pen Creek offers a comprehensive living environment that entices college students on every level. Bringing a fresh aspect to the students of Aggieland, The Lofts offers not only quality living spaces, great amenities but also restaurant spaces that bring a unique aspect to college living. No need to leave the building for Italian take out, frozen yogurt or deli sandwiches, The Lofts has all three on the bottom floor. This aspect of a one stop shop living environment sets The Lofts apart. The entire complex was constructed as one inclusive building rather than separate units. This allows residents to have easily available access to all the great amenities The Lofts has to offer. In addition to the fact that it is one of the newest complexes in College Station, it boasts a retail plaza with outdoor seating, two pools, a parking garage with direct access, cinema with stadium seating, coffee bar and outdoor grills. While amenities are a plus, the real selling point is the living space The Lofts has to offer and it is all about variety and modern living. They offer one, two, three and four bedroom apartments in addition to the incredible 6 units that are named the “Real World” suites. So for those who are looking to live in luxury, The Lofts’ Real World units have the standard, stainless steel appliances, HD flat screen TV, wood floors, full-size washer and dryer that every unit offers, however, what sets these units apart is their size and full size pool tables that come with the suite. For a fully functional apartment with amenities, events and even retail space all in one complex, The Lofts at Wolf Pen Creek are a great choice.
www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 15
BEST DESSERT - Maroon Weekly Best of BCS 2011
“Truly amazing,” - lifeinbcs.com A “more exotic experience.” - The Battalion More “Best of,” awards in more cities, including:
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16 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
BÖner Beer has quite the back story “our philosophy is that if you have to add a piece of fruit to your beer, something’s wrong with it.” Happy Hour was winding down at Fitzwilly’s, so it was on to the next bar for the tastetesting team of Böner Sun-Kissed Wheat Ale. It was here in little ‘ole College Station, TX that this new craft brew was making its debut, and, the response at Fitzwilly’s was excellent. The owner wanted it in his other bars in Texas….and his out-of-state establishments as well. Customers couldn’t believe how flavorful but smooth the ale was. And, of course, everyone loved the brand name. Jokes and one-liners were flying. Laughter was everywhere. Talk about a feel-good beer. By the time the Böner crew hit the second bar—Duddley’s Draw---they missed the happy hour crowd, and the second-wave of customers wasn’t there yet. So Bob Lesch, CEO and creator of the brand, had a chance to pull up a stool and sit at the bar. “Right then it hit me,” Lesch said, “after over two years of working on this, we could finally order a Böner brew at a bar. I couldn’t believe it.” He added, “It almost got emotional….. if they charged me $20 for that bottle, I would’ve paid it.” But even more amazing is ‘how’ this final product came to fruition. It wasn’t your typical home-brew fan wanting to build a brewery. In fact it was far from it. Rather, it’s a fascinating story of persistence, timing, market recognition and—quite frankly— luck. It all started with a t-shirt. Lesch can’t remember the exact moment the brand name ‘Böner’ hit him, but it was a long time ago. Almost 20 years to be exact. Living in Baltimore, Bob and his (now) wife Laurie were getting married and paying for their own wedding. One problem: they didn’t have a lot of $$$ saved. But he had an idea.
“I told Laurie about my plan for a t-shirt, sporting a fictional brewery brand—Böner Brewing---along with the slogan ‘Pop a Böner ‘. She agreed to give it a shot and we sold them via small ads in the back of the Baltimore City Paper, and, wholesale to teeshirt shops in Ocean City, Maryland. Shirts were marketed throughout the Summer of 1991. By that November---with sales of almost $10,000 in shirts---Laurie and Bob had one heck of a wedding,” he said. More good news soon followed. Lesch was offered the Head of Customer Development and Research at Maryland’s largest financial institution. Taking the job was great for his career, but put a hold on the tee-shirt business. “I didn’t want them to run a background check and read about Böner t-shirts. You just never know how the brass would take it,” Lesch explained. So the brand and business took an 18-year hiatus. Fast forward to late 2008. Lesch is now living in Houston, owning a small financial services business. Lesch and a business colleague he had worked with for over eight years--Betsy Smith---were driving back from a client pitch in Louisiana. When driving for six plus hours, you talk about everything. Including ‘how’ you paid for your wedding. “My lord Bob, let’s do it again!” Smith exclaimed. Lesch agreed and after recruiting a third partner they both respected tremendously— Dr. Wayne Wang---Böner was re-born, with its headquarters in Houston. The three partners started marketing the re-born Böner t-shirt brand in early 2009, using a variety of techniques. They wrote and filmed two videos that can still be seen
on YouTube. “While sales were pretty decent, it was different in that we got instant customer feedback this time around,” Lesch explained, “people were asking about the beer….where can I buy it….is it real……stuff like that.” But the clincher was customer reaction to the second Böner video pushing t-shirts. Set in a bar, the actors---all volunteers---raved about ‘the beer’, using a slew of doubleentendres that would make the writers on Saturday Night Live envious. “Our actors mostly came from a Hooter’s restaurant across-the-street from where we filmed, Lesch explained, “Once production was completed, we gave a DVD to the Hooter’s store. As a joke, one of the managers played the ‘commercial’ on the restaurant’s multiple Flatscreens and the place filled with laughter.” And then a funny thing happened, customers started ordering the beer! When told that Hooter’s didn’t have it, customers drove across the highway to Killgore’s---the bar where it was filmed---to buy the elusive beer. “85 people in the first two weeks made the effort to get to Killgore’s,” Lesch said. “It was then that we began to seriously consider doing a beer.” “The extent of our knowledge about beer when we started was that we drank it,” laughed Dr. Wang. “So the first step was learning everything about it; the market, the styles, the laws and regulations, production, you name it.”
One thing was for sure, the three partners did not want to go head-to-head with the Macro breweries, Anheuser-Busch, Miller/ Coors and the like. So no American lagers, pilsners and ‘light’ beer. Their brewmaster— Bob Klinetob—advised them to pick a base flavor profile that is ramping up in popularity, then play with it with different formulas and flavorings. The team decided on a wheat beer—a Belgian-style to be exact---and began experimenting. One year and 224 taste-testers later, the team had their recipe: a Belgian-style wheat ale that also has a touch of pineapple. “You should not put an orange or lemon in our brew when serving,” Lesch added, “our philosophy is that if you have to add a piece of fruit to your beer, something’s wrong with it.” And what’s the little bits at the bottom of the bottle? Lesch laughed, “we course filter our brews, so you may find some bits of yeast in the bottom of the bottle. It’s not defective. You can swirl the beer to dissolve it.” He added, “we’re a real craft beer, not something watered down or filtered so there’s little taste. And the yeast is good for you!” Finding a Brewery to Produce It There is so much more to this story. To read all about it head to www.maroonweekly.com
www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 17
Housing Guide
events Thursday, March 24 6-8pm Party on the Patio @ Ozona Bar and Grill 8pm Sour Soul @ Revolutions in DT Bryan 9pm Walt Wilkins @ Church Street Blues & BBQ Claire Domingue @ La Bodega Karaoke @ Schotzi’s All night happy hour @ The Tap The Original College Night @ Texas Hall of Fame Singer/Songwriter night @ Village Cafe in DT Bryan Friday, March 25 Granger Smith @ Texas Hall of Fame Blaggards @ O’Bannon’s FM 2865 Band @ La Bodega 8pm Bonnie Blue @ Stafford Main St. Southern Sound and Nelo @ Schotzi’s Saturday, March 26 10pm Salsa Dancing @ The Village Shawn Jennings & The Southern Roots Band @ Texas Hall of Fame Andy MacIntyre @ Church Street Blues & BBQ Southern Echoes and Ross Cooper @ Schotzi’s Sunday, March 27 BIG Texas Nights @ Stafford Main St. in DT Bryan Beau Hinze & the Backporch Shufflers, Gabe Wootton, Britt Lloyd Poetry @ Revolutions in DT Bryan Pub Quiz @ O’Bannon’s
The Zone
Tuesday, March 29 Kiss & Tell Launch Party @ The Village Café J Goodin @ Revolutions in DT Bryan 10pm Mike Ethan Messick & Ben Morris @ Church Street Blues & BBQ Absolute Karaoke @ O’Bannon’s Wednesday, March 30 Salsa Dancing @ The Village 8pm Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors @ Schotzi’s By Megan Roiz Thursday, March 31 6-8pm Party on the Patio @ Ozona Bar and Grill 8pm Stephanie Briggs & Kimberly Dunn @ Church Street Blues & BBQ Karaoke @ Schotzi’s Tyler Cannon @ La Bodega The Original College Night @ Texas Hall of Fame Singer/Songwriter night @ Village Cafe in DT Bryan Friday, April 1 Jason Nutt Band and Caravan Go @ Schotzi’s First Friday in Downtown Bryan 7pm S.M.U.T. @ Stafford Main St. Kyle Park @ Texas Hall of Fame Catfish and the Hushpuppies @ Church Street Blues & BBQ Saturday, April 2 8pm Signal Rising @ Stafford Main St. Jay Greene @ La Bodega Strawberry Jam @ Schotzi’s Thunderosa @ Church Street Blues & BBQ
Monday, March 28 Open Mic @ Schotzi’s
Check out maroonweekly.com for more info!
Make sure to submit your events at www.maroonweekly.com 18 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
When it comes to apartment complexes, the Bryan-College Station area is a Mecca of sorts. It is a difficult thing to drive down a road in BCS that does not have at least two or three complexes curbside. The truly difficult thing, though, is finding one that suits each college student individually. When looking for an apartment, students should consider many different things. Floor plans, amenities, security and events are all a part of the vital criteria used in finding the perfect place to live. The Zone, located at 2001 Holleman West Drive in College Station, is a place that considers all of the essentials a college student might want or need, and then offers some more. Residents enjoy a unique lifestyle, complete with upgraded extras and amenities that vary from a resort-style pool to a clubhouse media center. Enjoying where one lives is paramount to experiencing a fulfilling and satisfactory collegiate experience. The Zone recognizes how important this is and shows it by offering unmatched amenities with residents in mind. Floor plans vary, having been tailored with college students in mind. A great location provides residents access to pretty much everything they would need. A variety of quality entertainment, a nearby HEB grocery store, multiple shopping centers and the Texas A&M University campus are all part of what makes The Zone such an ideal location. Staff at The Zone truly understand the importance of academic, social and developmental needs of residents, which is why they empower everyone to strive for success. The community builds unique environments to encourage each individual’s experience through residence life programs. The Zone truly is your home away from home with a sense of community that reaches beyond campus. Other amenities include two year-round standup tanning booths, a 24 hour get fit gym with 5-100 lb dumbbells, an oversized game room, a computer lounge, study rooms, lighted and covered parking, a Courtesy Officer, a gated community and so much more. The Community Manager at The Zone, Chris Bogue, said, “Here at The Zone, you are not simply a resident; you are a part of our family.” To find out more about The Zone, visit the website at http://www.zoneatcs.com/, visit the location on Holleman, or call 979-485-0516.
Housing Guide
Crossing Place
By Lana Rothe College is a unique experience and it’s always chaotic finding the right fit when it comes to living satisfaction. Allow me to introduce Crossing Place. With so many choices in the Bryan, College Station area, Crossing Place is a perfect fit for a worry-free environment that allows you to focus on the most important thing; being a college student. Conveniently located on Southwest Parkway, near Wellborn road it’s a short shuttle ride directly to campus and in a great spot geographically to grocery stores, restaurants, and parks. From their friendly staff to vast package of amenities, every resident enjoys a resort style pool and Jacuzzi, access gates with card key entry, 24-hour emergency maintenance, basketball and volleyball courts, a fitness center, tanning bed and more. Crossing Place offers frequent residential activities, providing opportunities for students to mingle in a relaxed and entertaining environment. Enjoy getting to know your fellow residents at pool parties, poker nights and themed holiday parties. Most importantly let Crossing Place help you focus on your success inside and outside the classroom. If you think Crossing Place will provide the unique college experience you’re hoping for, visit the website to learn more and set up an appointment to visit. www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 19
Housing Guide
Aggie Station Tradition at Northgate www.livethetradition.com By Erica Pitman
By Maggie Dotson POPULAR AMENITIES Aggie Station is the station for Aggies. This complex offers 4, 3, and 2 bedroom apartment complexes, all of which include private bathrooms for each resident. All Aggie Station apartments are fully furnished and are leased per individual. Amenities within the complex include a fitness center, computer center, resort-style pool, hot tub, tanning beds, and game room. GREAT LOCATION & 24 HOUR SERVICE Apart from being conveniently situated on the Texas A&M bus route and just minutes from Blinn College, Aggie Station has unmatched customer service, offering 24-hour on-call maintenance and a 24-hour on-call community assistant service! FUN EVENTS Aggie Station provides students with the opportunity to participate in high-quality resident programs each month that allow residents to meet and interact with each other. Some examples of these programs are an annual crawfish boil, chili cook off, BCS pizza taste off, and breakfast at the bus stop, just to name a few. $250 DISCOUNT If you are interested in learning more about Aggie Station, their web presence is phenomenal: both an official website and Facebook that includes albums of residents partaking in various events. Sign-up for your apartment today! If you mention anything about a special, Aggie Station will waive your deposit and administration fee- that’s $250 in savings!
Coming to college can be a scary thing, especially when moving away from home for the first time. But at the Traditions at Northgate students can not only transition smoothly, they can have a blast by fitting right in to the Traditions at Northgate community. Located off of University, directly across the street from Texas A&M, the Traditions at Northgate offers a home away from home experience that is hard to replicate. The luxuries of a top of the line apartment complex like weekly housekeeping, personal rooms, a full service dining center and so much more make the Traditions at Northgate a desirable place to live, but it really is the close knit ties among the residents, resembling that of a community or family, that puts the complex a cut above the competition. “Personally, I like how everyone knows each other and how we are like a big family,” Luke Yanker, a Traditions at Northgate RA, said. “We have lots of community areas in the building like The Edge Café and a movie theater, and we have community events regularly,” Yanker said. “We just had a Casino night where there were raffles and giveaways, and every week there is a group that meets in the lobby to go out dancing together.” Having a good time in college is important, but the whole reason students are here is to get an education, and the Traditions at Northgate facilitate a learning environment unlike that of any other apartment complex. With their Academic Success Center, the Traditions at Northgate offer their residents on site personal tutoring each and every night. “We have tutors of various majors that come every night,” Yanker said. “They are available to help us with whatever we need. One night I forgot about an assignment until 11:57a.m., and one of the tutors was able to help me and I ended up getting an A on the assignment.” Don’t just adjust to college life, come enjoy a well rounded college experience with the Traditions at Northgate.
20 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 21
Housing Guide
The Cambridge By Mara Minsberg With the amenities and feel of an apartment complex and the conveniences and worry-free lifestyle of a dorm, The Cambridge at College Station is a great fit for students seeking an independent lifestyle with the comforts of home. The Cambridge features a variety of floorplans with private bedrooms and bathrooms and shared living spaces while providing a full-service dining center, shuttles to campus, and other studentfriendly features. “We’re a community within a community,” leasing agent Karl Sundin said. “Other students who live offcampus like to come here to hang out.” Because the complex serves a student population, The Cambridge is an ideal place to meet new people and make lasting friendships with other residents. The Cambridge creates a welcoming community for its residents with weekly special events. “[The Cambridge is a] family environment,” Sundin said. The complex hosts activities like Casino Night and holiday parties to engage residents socially. Sundin also cited the complex’s proximity to campus as a major draw for students. The complex is close to both the Texas A&M University and Blinn College campuses and offers a student shuttle service. The Cambridge has numerous other unique amenities designed specifically to meet the needs and interests of students. Aside from the full-service dining facility, the Cambridge also features pools, a fitness center, a 60-seat theater/lecture hall, a cyber lounge with wireless internet access, computer labs and designated study areas, and a video gaming center. For more information on The Cambridge, contact their leasing office at (979) 694-1500, visit them at 501 University Oaks Boulevard in College Station, or check them out online
22 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
T H U R S D AY
Open Mic with the Ozona House
Band backing you up!
H
ave you ever wanted to see if you have “the chops” to be a performer? Tired of karaoke? Come perform for the Ozona crowd with the Ozona house band. Sing or bring an instrument and belt it out. This is your chance to play with a full band and show off your stuff...FOR FREE! If you’re not a performer, come out and see the up and coming artists around the Brazos Valley while enjoying some of the best drink specials in town! Thursday Party on The Patio: $2 Domestic Drafts $2 Well Drinks $3 Twisted Teas $5/lb Crawfish
2 $ 3 $5 $
Domestic Drafts & Well Drinks Twisted Teas
Crawfish Crawfish
Ozona Grill & Bar 520 Harvey Road • College Station, TX 979-694-4618 www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 23
Housing Guide 2011 9
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24 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
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2818 Place 1300 Harvey Mitchell Parkway / 979-696-9500
22 Parkway Circle 401 Southwest Parkway / 979-696-6909
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Aggie Station 4151 Wellborn Rd / 979-691-0100
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Arbor Square 1700 Southwest Parkway / 979-693-3701
23 Parkway Place 1350 Harvey Mitchell Parkway / 866-6835972
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Aspen Heights 3405 Treeline Dr. / 979-703-7944
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Briarwood 1201 Harvey Road/ 888- 897-9508
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Callaway Villas 305 Marion Pugh / 979-695-2300
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Campus View 505 Harvey Road/ 979-693-1111
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The Cambridge @ College Station 501 University Oaks / 979-694-1500
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College Edge 1512 HollowHill Drive
10 College Main 4302 College Main / 979-846-2089 11 Crossing Place 400 Southwest Parkway / 979-680-8475 12 Enclave Apartments 1800 Holleman Drive / 979-694-3700 13 Factory Apartments 418 College Main # 100/ 979-268-4780
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14 Huntington 1907 Dartmouth Dr / 979-693-8922
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15 Laurel Ridge 801 Spring Loop/ 979-846-2976
24 Peppertree 2701 Longmire/ 979-693-5731 25 Redstone 1301 Barthelow Drive / 979-696-1848 26 Scandia 401 Anderson Drive / 979-693-6505 27 The District on Luther 601 Luther Street West / 979-680-3680 28 The Gables 401 University Oaks / 979-693-1188 29 The Heights - College Station 1101 Luther Street West / 979-485-8000 30 The Lofts at Wolf Pen Creek 614 Holleman Drive East 979-693-LOFT (5638) 31 The Tradition @ Northgate 301 Church Avenue / 979-268-9000 32 Trace Meadows 2328 Trace Meadows/ 979-694-0320 33 University Square 313 Lincoln Street/ 888-867-9042 34 Villa West 3500 Finfeather Rd, Bryan / 979-822-7772 35 Vinyard Court 1205 A Vinyard Court/ 979-694-0320
16 Fox Meadow 701-A Balcones Dr/ 979-694-0320
36 Walden Pond 1331 Harvey Mitchell Parkway 979-696-5777
17 Madison Pointe 503 Southwest Parkway/ 979-696-9100
37 Warehouse Apartments 405 Cross St # 100/ 979-846-4400
18 Midtown 1600-1612 Holleman Dr/ 979-694-0320
38 Waves Z Islander 3803 Wellborn Road/ 979-268-9999
19 Navarro Fourplexes 800 Navarro / 979-696-9492
39 Woodlands of College Station 1725 Harvey Mitchell Pkwy S/ 979-6937812
20 Oak Forest 1210 Westridge Court / 979-775-9000 21 Paloma Ridge 3500 Paloma Ridge Dr/ 979-694-0320
40 Woodsman 1806 Woodsman Dr/ 979-694-0320 41 The Zone @ College Station 2001 Holleman Dr / 979-485-0516 www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 25
movie review rango By Brandon Nowalk
stem from the film’s discomfort in its own shoes.
Rango is about a chameleon searching for identity, but it’s Rango the film that’s not quite sure what it wants to be. Of course, I’d be heartless not to forgive it its little growing pains, the first film from a new player on the animation front, and a formidable one at that. But what problems there are mostly
Consider genre. Rango announces itself as an new-fashioned spaghetti western from the get-go, with a band of owls playing the theme song about our hero in front of the heavy block lettering of the title. Soon we’re in the mystical Mojave on our way to
a town in need of a hero, beholden as it is to corrupt business interests. It’s your basic western plot, only with animals, and most of the film plays with these genre conventions delightfully. But when it comes time for an action sequence, instead of edge-ofyour-seat shootouts or extended chases across the desert, we get a WWI-style battle sequence, with bats standing in for biplanes.
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The film already operates on two planes— the real world of a lizard in the desert with all its natural predators and the western world where the lizard is a drifter assuming the role of righteous gunslinger—and the war film interlude distracts from an already crowded and obvious chase scene.
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But Rango is also about animals trying to survive in a drying desert outside Las Vegas. And for all its surreal mysticism, the film mostly does good by this concept (that is, when a rattlesnake isn’t firing bullets out of its rattle). The animals talk to each other, sure, but they also appropriate Pepto Bismol bottles as outhouses, and one water cooler irrigates an entire town. It’s consistent until the film’s Lion King moment, where Rango speaks to what the animals call The Spirit of the West. He’s a human dressed like Clint Eastwood in the Sergio Leone films, and we humans can tell by his metal detector and golf cart that he’s not, in fact, Blondie, but a western enthusiast looking for valuable trash in the desert, less a figure of wisdom than kookiness. Which makes a fine joke, but how is he talking to a lizard? Rango was once owned by humans; why couldn’t they hear him speak? It’s an intriguing sequence, but it invites too many questions. Rango is also a film of muddy politics and way too many violence-as-comedy jokes, but nevertheless, it’s a charming story and a surpassing visual achievement. It contains passages of such beauty and wit as the best of Pixar, and as much imagination besides. The gags are quick and lowbrow, the drama resonant, and the fantasy mesmerizing. It’s a polite fiction that nobody dies onscreen, but there’s also a lesson there. When so many films speak to kids like they’re toddlers, it’s an oasis in the desert to stumble upon the one non-Pixar cartoon that shows kids even adult lizards come of age.
www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 27
Friday Night
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Dirty HEads Cody Canada & The Departed Jonathan Tyler & the northern lights Rich O'Toole Jason marbach
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One more special guest to be announced! Check out Saturday's lineup on DUCKJAM.org
Tickets only ! $10 per day $15 for both! DuckJam.org
GET your GROOVE ON 28 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
Housing Guide
The District on Luther by Vladimir Amador Looking to live somewhere with spacious bedrooms and comfortable furniture provided? How about somewhere blocks away from campus, located steps away from a bus stop? What about a place where the workers greet you with a smile and organize events so that you can make new friendships with your neighbors? If you are looking for a place like this, The District on Luther is the student living community for you! “This is a great place for student living,” says Natalie Chipinski, current resident at The District. “Its convenient location next to the bus stop, friendly and engaging staff, and nice furnishings have made it a very enjoyable place to live in this past year. I couldn’t see myself living anywhere else!” Natalie isn’t the only resident who feels this way, as most residents enjoy this offcampus student housing community dedicated to providing a wonderful place to stay and an even better place to study. Their apartments come fully furnished and include wood-style flooring, a 42” flatscreen TV, full-size washer & dryer, cable, and high speed internet. Residents also have complete privacy thanks to individually locking bedroom doors. The District always hosts events in order to make students feel right at home. They keep residents’ stomachs happy by giving away food like barbeque or smores on special holidays. They also create fun events like poker night and the dating game to help students become well acquainted with one another. The District also gives away awesome prizes at these events like cash, gifts cards, or sometimes even free rent! Being away from parents and hometown friends can be hard, but The District makes every effort to assure all resident feel comfortable and happy in their fancy new abode. Visit their website at www.thedistrictonluther. com to see more.
www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 29
Housing Guide
University Heights University Heights, otherwise known as “The Heights” is the perfect fit for the modern student who wants a worry-free environment and a place to enjoy the experience that is college. Located on Luther Street where there are a ton of apartment complexes, none compare to the off-campus living you’ll experience at The Heights. With a bus route directly to main campus and the convenience of your own bedroom and private bath, you won’t be disappointed. The Heights offers One, Two, Three and Four bedroom apartments plus private baths for each, along with roommate matching, fully furnished interiors and individual leases. The Heights strives for the perfect balance of work and play. Amenities are designed for specifically that balance with their resort style pool, billiards, darts, study rooms, and a 24-hour computer lab. Also, enjoy the Friday night pool parties! Check out The Heights Facebook page for deals and specials, especially if you are interested in this luxury living. Let The Heights worry about the bigger stuff and leave you to focus on being a college student. If you think The Heights is the right fit for you check out their website. http://www.theheightsatcollegestation.com/
book review The Goose girl by Shannon Hale By Autumn Dawson At first, I was skeptical of a book titled The Goose Girl, but I picked it up anyway on recommendation from a friend, and gave it a chance. Little did I know that Shannon Hale’s debut would be added to my short list of books worth rereading time and time again. When I began reading I was quickly absorbed and fascinated by Hale’s writing style. It is rich and lush—like reading poetry, without the hidden meanings only an English teacher can decipher. Hale’s ability to put timeless ideas into words, ones that without thought completely connect with you as a reader, is her gift. But my initial love affair with the writing style did not last long—at least on a conscious level—as I was swept into the story. The story opens with Princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, “Ani” for short. She is first daughter and jewel of Kildenree, and upon her shoulders is placed the need to make peace between two nations. Brutally disabused of the lifelong belief that she is heir to her mother’s throne, Ani is sent away to become mistress of another man’s kingdom, Bayern. Traveling through the mountains in route to her new home, Ani receives her next blow when the girl she’d believed her closest friend betrays her, leaving her behind for dead and assuming her identity. What follows is a journey Ani had never prepared for. Alone, she finds her way to the capital of Bayern where, after discovering that the princess (her lady-in-waiting) has already arrived, Ani gets the job of watching the king’s geese, all the while waiting for her chance to regain her name. This book is brilliant on many fronts. I hate to be cliché, but once I got into it, the story was so engaging I couldn’t put the book down. I laughed, I cheered, I fumed, I even (*cough*) got a little misty eyed in parts. The Goose Girl is a terrific, uplifting tale that holds appeal for all ages and genders. It is one of those stories that creeps into your thoughts and dreams when you aren’t reading it. Hale understands and captures those essential elements that make a story stick with you long after the last page. And though it is classified as “fantasy,” it is most assuredly not your standard fantasy novel so entrenched in magic that you need a reference manual to decipher half of it. It is based on a Grimm Brother’s fairy tale and would appeal to any fan of that, as well as any interested in a coming-of-age tale about a girl who finds herself and the first true friend she’s ever known, in addition to a sweet, lasting love story. Bottom line: The Goose Girl is a wonderful story, and one of the few I’ll recommend to anyone.
30 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
apply today for fall 2011
aggie station.com
private bedrooms and bathrooms. resort-style amenities. on shuttle bus route. 979.691.0100 | 4151 WELLBORN ROAD | BRYAN, TX 77801
luxury living close to campus
first class student living, steps away from campus close to campus + resort amenities + three-story townhome living + apply today for fall 2011
callaway villas.com
resort-style amenities 979.695.2300 | 305 marion pugh
limited time only. see office for details.
www.maroonweekly.com March 24 – 30 MAROON WEEKLY | 31
Housing Guide
Aspen Heights
Several years ago, Aspen Heights set out to revolutionize student living. As a result, situated on a scenic landscape just minutes from campus, Aspen Heights is bringing students the best of both worlds by combining the freedom, size, and space of a house with all the amenities and convenience of an upscale apartment complex. Aspen Heights gives students the freedom of their own home while being surrounded exclusively by students. The gated community has all of the amenities of a high-end luxury apartment complex like an on-site movie theater, fitness center, resort style pool and spa and even a private shuttle to campus. These 4 bedroom homes offer unique apartment community indulgences with the safety, size and feel of a large neighborhood. With bedrooms that are nearly twice the size of your average apartment and large walk-in closets, large open floor plans providing plenty of space for meetings or group gatherings, and world class customer service, Aspen Heights is bringing Aggies the best of both worlds. Started in Waco for Baylor University students, the complex opened for the first year of leases starting Fall 2009. Leasing is now available. Pricing is based on 3 levels of options within a furnished or unfurnished home. The private shuttles, flat screen, covered parking, fenced in yard and premier cable are all additional options that can be added. Aspen Heights isn’t just about amenities though. They are high on customer service. Their staff is highly trained with Ritz Carlton systems and they offer a four-hour response time to any maintenance request. With customer care being a priority, Aspen Heights sets themselves apart from the standard complex. To learn more about Aspen Heights, visit their website at www.aspenheightsatm.com
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Housing Guide
Furnishing on a budget By Erica Pitman Going away to college presents obstacles for students that they have never had to face before, such as operating on a tight budget. It is possible to do many things on a tight budget, but finding affordable furniture can prove challenging.
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Fortunately, there are some options when it comes to furnishing a home on a budget, like using hand-me-down furniture, buying used furniture or finding furniture somewhere for cheap.
Another local option for affordable furniture is Big Lots. Located off of Texas Avenue, it is a full furniture showroom including
Many students will use their parents’ old hand-me-down
furniture, which could be the cheapest option; free. “Once we found out we would be living in an apartment our first year at A&M and needing furniture, my parents decided to purchase some new furniture for our living room back home, and allow us to take the old with us,” said Rebecca Stewart, a junior allied health major. “It was a huge help with the cost, and made moving into an apartment much more affordable. My parents owned the old couch, chairs, and tables we were given ever since they got married 23 years ago, so it was really cool for them to pass it down to me and my sister.” However, when using parents’ old furniture isn’t an option, there are some excellent used furniture stores in the Bryan/College Station area. Quality Used Furniture is a locally owned 34 | MAROON WEEKLY March 24 – 30 www.maroonweekly.com
and operated business, and it has been around buying and selling used furniture since 1998. They have two locations, one in College Station off of Harvey Mitchell Pkwy, two blocks west of Texas Ave., and one in Bryan on Texas Ave. north of Villa Maria, across from firestone. Quality Used Furniture gets new furniture in daily, and they offer services such as free price estimates and free pickup of furniture.
mattresses. Big Lots has a multitude of options for the living room, dinning room and the bedroom. For students who are willing to go out of town a ways, Ikea is an affordable option. With just a short drive to Houston, Ikea has a wide selection of furnishings. Since starting in Småland, Sweden, Ikea strives to use raw materials and production adaptation to meet their customers’ needs to keep their costs low, which in turn creates low prices for the customers. “Ikea has such a big selection with incredibly affordable prices. You can find virtually anything you want, in any color and it looks nice and is decent quality” said Reagan Rowland, a sophomore communications major. Furnishing a home, apartment or dorm room doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are many options available for optimal affordability.
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Sports
Photos courtesy of Glen Johnson/Aggie Athletics
Alcazar brings experience to the Aggie bench By Ian Soares Just a few days prior to the opening of the 2011 Baseball season, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to catch up with the Gregg Alcazar, the team’s senior catcher from Galveston, TX. During that commotion filled afternoon in the team’s field house, we were able to discuss his feelings about the upcoming season, his senior year, and his plans for future. I mention the commotion, because normally just before the first game of any season, many interviews tend to be a little solemn. Athletes can be hesitant to make predictions and the atmosphere tends to be intense and full of apprehension. On this day however, the mood was anything but solemn or apprehensive. In fact, as I recall it may have been the first (semi) warm day of the year. In any event, the field house was completely alive and full of contagious excitement. Spring had finally arrived and the team was ready to play ball! When asked about how he felt about the season getting underway, it was clear that he could barely hold back his excitement. “I’m ready. I love being out on the field, feet in the dirt, the ping of the ball. It’s great!” His thoughts on the upcoming season were equally enthusiastic. “It’s going to be highoctane!” This statement was actually quite surprising, because most of the preseason assessments had listed great defense and strong pitching as the team’s strengths this year. However, as Gregg went on to explain, the team may also have some pretty good offense this year as well. “The team has lots of good speed, strength,
and athleticism. As everyone comes together it’s gonna be fun to watch!” He then adds “I think we’re going to be surprising! Especially with the change in bats, we’re in a great position because we have a lot speed and a lot of guys who can move the ball.”
can run, getting guys who can bunt, steal bases, fly around in the outfield.” Gregg attributes the team’s strengths in these areas to the make-up of the team.
The change in bats that he mentioned are due to an new NCAA rule enforcing a rule requiring the exit speed of the ball off of aluminum bats to match that of comparable wooden bats.
“I think we have a good mixture of guys that have been here a long time, then there are a lot of guys that transferred in, and we have a lot of really good freshman. That combination gives you so many different aspects to the game.”
“A lot of programs are still trying to adjust to what we already have. Getting guys who
He then mentions how the combination of his current experience along with his
experience at San Jacinto College has enabled him to be prepared for all types of situations as well. “Going to a JuCo and then coming here you learn a lot of different styles and different approaches. For instance, I came from a school where it was all about hitting the long ball. Everything was about power offense. Here [at Texas A&M] we are about control, speed, and moving the ball.” If it seems like he has a bias towards hitting, it’s probably because he enjoys it so much; and it shows. “I love hitting! There’s no feeling like hitting the ball; connecting with one.” But no matter what the situation; offense or (continued on page 42)
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Sports defense, he takes good care to always be consistent. “I’m a huge competitor. I try to slow things down. I try to stay calm, collected and confident and use concentration to help my game excel.” He then begins to laugh. “Off the field, is very similar to on the field. Have fun, laugh; be calm, collected, and confident.” Since he touched on the subject of his life off the field, it seemed like a great time to ask about his plans following his senior year. To which he promptly confides. “I love the game, love playing it. It’s my favorite thing to do... Ever! I don’t know what I’ll do when I’m done with it. I’ll probably drive myself crazy.” Despite his confessed love for the game, Gregg has many other interests and talents outside of baseball. For instance, he’s said to be pretty good at playing the guitar. “I’m pretty good, I can play,” he says with a big grin “I started teaching myself to play in the 8th grade. Over the years I’ve been able to pick something up and learn it on my own. Now I can pretty much play anything you want from classic, to hard rock, to Skynyrd or Nine Inch Nails to Metallica.” Although he’s been asked to join a couple of bands, his commitment to baseball has kept him from being able to do so. Another artistic outlet that he has been able to dedicate time to is his love of drawing. In fact, it was his passion for graphics design and art that led him to change his major to Communications and Journalism. When asked about his favorite motif, he responds without hesitation “I really like graffiti art, that loud pop in your face kind of art.” In addition to his formal classes, he’s been busy building a portfolio of his designs and layouts in preparation for a career in journalism. It’s about finding something that you enjoy, and that you can excel at and then putting yourself in a position [through self- learning and practice or formal classes] to be able to make a career of it. “Journalism and graphics design is definitely one thing I’d like to go into other than coaching.” That being said, he has also ensured that he has taken the necessary courses to be able to coach if the opportunity were to present itself. If his ability to excel at things that he enjoys is any indication, then either path should lead to success. Regarding his predictions for the season so far, it is important to note that the No. 11th ranked Texas A&M baseball team has, in fact, been lighting up the scores boards with exciting offensive numbers. The team’s next home game will be against Houston on April the 5th.
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Sports Calendar Thursday, Mar 24 All Day Men’s Swimmingvs NCAA Championships at Minneapolis, Minn. Friday, Mar 25 6:35 PM Baseball vs Kansas at COLLEGE STATION 2:00 PM Men’s Tennis vs Oklahoma State at Stillwater, Okla. All Day Men’s Swimming vs NCAA Championships at Minneapolis, Minn. TBA Track & Field, Cross Country vs Arizona State Invitational at Tempe, Ariz. Saturday, Mar 26 2:05 PM Baseball vs Kansas at COLLEGE STATION 2:00 PM Softball vs Baylor at Waco, Texas 4:00 PM Women’s Soccer vs Texas State at College Station, Texas
11:00 AM Women’s Equestrian vs Fresno State at Fresno, Calif. 12:00 PM Women’s Tennis vs Kansas State at Manhattan, Kan. TBA Track & Field, Cross Country vs Arizona State Invitational at Tempe, Ariz. All Day Women’s Volleyball vs Texas Pride Collegiate Invitational at Richmond, Texas All Day Men’s Swimming vs NCAA Championships at Minneapolis, Minn. Sunday, Mar 27 1:05 PM Baseball vs Kansas at COLLEGE STATION 3:00 PM Softball vs Baylor at College Station 11:00 AM Women’s Tennis vs Kansas at Lawrence, Kan. 1:00 PM Men’s Tennis vs Oklahoma at Norman, Okla. All Day Men’s Golf Bulls Bay GC vs Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate at Awandaw, S.C.
Monday, Mar 28 All Day Men’s Golf Bulls Bay GC vs Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate at Awandaw, S.C. Tuesday, Mar 29 6:30 PM Baseball vs Texas-Arlington at Arlington, Texas All Day Men’s Golf Bulls Bay GC vs Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate at Awandaw, S.C. Wednesday, Mar 30 1:30 PM Men’s Tennis vs Rice at Houston, Texas Friday, Apr 1 6:30 PM Baseball vs Kansas State at Manhattan, Kan. TBA Women’s Equestrian vs BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP at BRYAN Saturday, Apr 2 2:00 PM Baseball vs Kansas State at Manhattan, Kan. 2:00 PM Softball vs Iowa State at College Station
TBA Track & Field, Cross Country vs LSU Invitational at Baton Rouge, La. TBA Women’s Equestrian vs BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP at BRYAN Sunday, Apr 3 1:00 PM Baseball vs Kansas State at Manhattan, Kan. 12:00 PM Softball vs Iowa State at College Station 8:00 AM Women’s Tennis vs DePaul at South Bend, Ind. Monday, Apr 4 All Day Women’s Golf vs Pacific Coast Intercollegiate at Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday, Apr 5 6:35 PM Baseball vs Houston at COLLEGE STATION All Day Women’s Golf Half Moon Bay GL vs Pacific Coast Intercollegiate at Half Moon Bay, Calif. Wednesday, Apr 6 6:30 PM Softball vs Texas at Austin, Texas
12:00 PM Women’s Tennis vs Notre Dame at South Bend, Ind.
TBA Track & Field, Cross Country vs Texas Relays at Austin, Tx
Diversions
recommended for regulatory safety reasons, items like shampoo, hand soap, body wash can be a great deal at the dollar store. Many dollar stores feature discontinued or overstocked brands at major discounts; you can often find some products that still have original store tags of $5-$10 or more.
By Mara Minsberg
some of your shopping at a local dollar store:
A desire for the convenience of one-stop shopping can often lead to unnecessary spending. Fortunately, you can prevent this careless spending by investing a bit of effort in shopping around for the best deals. While it may seem like a lot of work to comparison shop for relatively inexpensive items, careless small purchases can add up to big spending. By making a dollar store your first stop for errands, you can save a significant amount of money on a range of useful items. Local bargain chains such as Dollar Tree, King Dollar, and the 99 Cent Store can help keep you on budget with a wide selection of merchandise.
Household Cleaning Products Dollar stores are a great place to find simple household cleaning products at an average savings of 60-70% off prices at other retail stores. Though many dollar stores’ shelves are stocked mainly with slightly diluted housebrand products, an increasing volume of stores are selling name-brand products bought out as wholesale remnants. These name brand cleaners are the same products you would find at other stores but are available at dollar stores for a fraction of the price.
Simple Cooking Needs The dollar store is not the best place for grocery shopping or to purchase quality-dependent items like carving knives, but it is often a great resource for cheap kitchen implements and cooking aids. Peruse the kitchen aisle and find products like spatulas, wooden spoons, peelers, and apple slicers all for just one dollar apiece. The grocery aisle can also be a good resource for spices that cost four or five dollars each in a regular supermarket.
Seasonal Items Dollar stores stock an excellent assortment of small gifts, decorations, cards, and novelty items for holidays ranging from Christmas to St. Patrick’s Day. Retail markup on seasonal items is astronomical--consider how quickly and to what extent items are marked down after a holiday. A dollar store can be a better and more economical source for products that have a short shelf life and a value limited to the span of a particular holiday or time of year.
Consider taking a few minutes to stop by a dollar store before embarking on errands to major retailers; you will likely find some of the same brands and products at a much lower price point. While not every item at the dollar store is a good value for its level of quality, there are many worthwhile bargains and products comparable to those found at other major retailers. Use these tips to save money without sacrificing safety or quality by supplementing
It may seem easier and more opportune to drop a bottle of window cleaner or a roll of paper towels in your shopping cart at the grocery store, but over time these weekly purchases can add up to significantly more spending. If you bought just three household items a month at the dollar store at a savings of $2-3 per item, you could save over a hundred dollars a year! Basic Personal Care Items While products like vitamins, off-brand toothpaste, and over-the-counter drugs are not
Dining and Home Accessories Though you may have trouble finding a full matching set, dollar stores can provide great replacement dining items like plates, glasses, stemware, and flatware. They also often stock more casual dining items suitable for seasonal use like cookouts and backyard barbecues. These types of items are especially useful for college students who may be seeking simple everyday dining ware in lieu of purchasing a more expensive set meant to last a lifetime. Simple décor items like bowls, vases, and glass containers are also a good value at dollar stores and can enhance the look of your home or apartment at a relatively low cost.
Storage and Food Saver Containers For items like food saving containers, storage bins, and zip-top bags, it is not usually necessary to buy brand-name products. Consider purchasing multi-packs of sealed plastic containers from your local dollar store instead; they generally function as well as the name brand items and can often be a much better value for the money spent. Party Supplies High-demand party supply items like gift wrap, tissue paper, and birthday cards are available at dollar stores at a discount of 80% or more below major retail stores. Dollar stores are an excellent source for celebration supplies like crepe paper, balloons, banners, and printed paper goods at prices significantly lower than those found in specialty party stores. For items that will likely be used once and thrown away, a dollar store is a useful alternative to spending three to four times as much at another store on items of the same or similar quality.
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