Comments (1)

By Jess, March 16, 2009 3:03 pm

I’m back from LA and in a brief reflection, let me sum up the things I’ve learned:

1.) My dream job exists, and it exists in many forms. Whew.

2.) I can make my fortune in NYC rather than LA and still pursue my dream job.

3.) I’m a badass driver.*

*with the aid of a GPS device

I went to LA fearing that I’d be told it was the only place where I’ll have the chance to work in music. True, LA is THE epicenter of film, so film music probably won’t be an opportunity outside of LA. But NYC is a mecca for music and even tv, and I was encouraged by many head haunchos that I could find success in NYC. Massive sigh of relief.

LA is not an unfriendly place. I exchanged smiles with more strangers than I can remember and even had a random chat or two with Assistants and and fellow lost wanderers in parking garages. However, more than NYC, I feel that LA is a place where a book is judged by its cover. Look cool or die trying. I’m sure many do.

I loved that LA had guitar shops everywhere. Guitar Center, Sam Ash, McCabe’s, and more! McCabe’s didn’t have the ukulele of my dreams, but it did have an Irish bouzouki. When I saw The Magnetic Fields perform at Lisner Auditorium, Stephen Merritt used a string instrument that sounded clangy like a mandolin but resounded like a guitar. And now (hurrah!) I know its name. Bouzouki, be mine? After I get a job, after I get a job.

Speaking of music, I posted a new song on my Myspace that I actually recorded with Pro Tools and some decent gear. Some of it was recorded or written in haste, but I’m overall happy with it. I’m seeing two nights of the Georgetown’s Festival In-Residence “Schubert, Schubert, Schubert” concert this weekend. It’s apparently a big deal and features the Auryn Quartet. I’m excited to hear some Haydn live!

Alright. Back to the grind. After next Tuesday, I hope to follow through on promises to hang out with people! Get ready.

Comments (0)

By Jess, November 23, 2008 9:20 pm

I just saw a reading of The Death of Innocents by Sister Helen Prejean in Gaston Hall at Georgetown University, and it was arguably better than a full-on stage production. Sister Helen Prejean read her own part, and Georgetown undergrads and professional actors served as the ensemble cast.

I had read Dead Man Walking (and seen the play and the movie) in high school, so I wondered what else Prejean could say about the death penalty. She said a whole lot more. The Death of Innocents focuses on two men whom she believes to be innocent and in two emotional acts, she convincingly flaunts the faults of the U.S. justice system. I cried twice, which is actually a first for me with plays.

I still really, really dislike Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Do you remember my post last year after his lecture at LSE? If you happen to read the book or see a performance like this, you’ll see why. Read this CNN article on one inmate who was profiled in Act II of The Death of Innocents. Really alarming stuff.

I’ll be writing a review of the performance for a class, so I’ll cut this post short. Happy Monday.

Comments (0)

By Jess, October 13, 2008 11:20 am

I’ve been a little absent from the blogosophere lately and not living up to my “more regular posts” resolution of the new school year, but at least for this week, I can get a note from the doctor to excuse myself. In an impressive rally, my immune system has battled back against what I initially thought was strep throat. I was out of commission for a good 3-4 days but some penicillin, codeine, and a tearful phone call to Mom later, I feel pretty back to normal.

I haven’t posted in a while, so a recap of all events seems over the top. But in summary, I saw Kathy Griffin at DAR, Jenny Lewis at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, and GEMA Rocks at Gonda Theater. Most importantly, I saw Bahfongu in my basement.

We hosted our first house party of the school year with a live performance by American University band Bahfongu. We transformed our basement into a present-day Cellar Door with Christmas lights and some furniture reorganizing. The beer was abundant, dancing was widespread, and of course, the band was groovin’.

I had some reservations about Bahfongu since I had never heard them before, but they were amazing! A well-chosen mix of funky instrumental originals and crowd-pleasing covers (highlight = “Proud Mary”) had the crowd in constant motion. The party crowd even cheered for an encore at the end of the set. An encore in my basement? Yes, please. Look for recaps of Part II of the 1703 Music Series in the future. Needless to say, I’ll be riding this wave of cool through the rest of the week.

Comments (0)

By Jess, January 12, 2008 5:51 pm

“Roy Hibbert knew it.His Georgetown teammates and coach John Thompson III knew it.Now Connecticut and the rest of the country knows it, too.”

After work tonight, I hustled over to Bodeans BBQ near Picadilly Circus to catch the Georgetown vs. UConn game with my work friend Ed, a basketball enthusiast. I was excited to a.) actually see a Georgetown basketball game instead of reading ESPN’s live Gamecast and b.) to show Ed how awesome it is to root for Georgetown in a room full of Hoyas.

I was a little surprised by how many Georgetown kids that actually showed up for the game, but it created a perfect atmosphere for the nail-biter of a game that ensued. We were up for most of the first half, but never really held a comfortable lead. The second half caused Duke-level nervousness for me, probably owing to the fact that I haven’t seen Gtown play in over 9 months. I was biting my hands and screaming and shaking people next to me for exciting plays and it felt like I was home. I should’ve taken out my ATM card and waved it during half-time for old time’s sake.

Roy’s three-pointer, which you should all read about when it is more thoroughly praised on ESPN.com, was possibly the most dramatic finish I’ve ever seen in my time watching Gtown basketball. Sure, it didn’t mean as much as Jeff Green’s shot against Vandy to enter the Elite 8, but it was perfect. The night ended, as it should, with the Georgetown Fight Song. Ahhh, college sports. This is what Europe lacks, in addition to actual dedication to academics (slightly exaggerated, but not completely).

It certainly wasn’t the best game we played this season, but it was the perfect game to watch in London to remind me why I love Georgetown.

Comments (2)

By Jess, October 21, 2007 9:54 am

Georgetown is a bit up in arms this year. First, there was the reaction to the alleged poor coverage of the Jena Six incident by campus newspapers; that, to my knowledge, has died down for now. Then there are the criticisms and protests against the Georgetown administration’s handling of an alleged hate crime: one Hoya assaulted a fellow Hoya because he was gay. I’d like to comment a little bit on the developing situation.

It’s quite disturbing for me to think that all this is happening at a place I call home. Georgetown is a university of higher learning, so immediately, there is some assumption that alternative views and lifestyles are more tolerated, even embraced, there. This, however, is not the case at Georgetown. Being different, even in terms of how you dress or look, immediately sets you apart from the homogenous student body. In fact, the overwhelming sameness of the student population was THE major point of consideration for me when I was seriously thinking of transferring from Georgetown my freshman year.

For those of you that may not know what happened, here are a few stories of the events on campus that have been stirring up protest:
“Cooney Turns Down Plea Offer”

“Professors Criticize LGBTQ Treatment”

“Student Attacked in Alleged Hate Crime”; This is a separate incident from the first.

Ok, so a major point of attack for the defense is the use of facebook to identify Cooney. However, anyone who has ever used facebook knows that it is the perfect tool for tracking down a face with an unknown name. I’ve seen people on campus, noted who they hung out with, and then searched through photos of their friends in order to find a tagged picture revealing unknown person’s name. Simple stalking 101. So as you can tell, taking only the method of identification into consideration, I’m very convinced that facebook is an ideal tool for identifying a suspect. I suppose the fuzzy part is the role the friend of the victim played in helping him identify Cooney, and it might not be good to ruin a guy’s life on “maybe’s.”

Apart from the crime, GU Pride is upset that it took 3 weeks for students to be notified of the event. In fact, NBC News was the first to break the story and only after NBC showed up at the front gates did the University send out a broadcast email. To their defense, MPD was in charge of the investigation requested that the University let the police handle the investigation. However, there’s no excuse for the 2-day delay of alerting the student body about the second hate crime. I would think that Georgetown would send out an email right away to convey that they have understood why GU Pride is upset, that they want to amend their ways. Some outsiders may think, “2 days? That’s not that long.” But consider that news of other assaults or burglaries are emailed to Georgetown students in less than 12 hours. All the administration had to do to cover their asses was to treat the second hate crime in the same manner as other assaults, but they didn’t.

I’m disappointed in Georgetown. Sure, we’re a Catholic institution, but we’re not fucking Notre Dame. I can’t tell since I’m in London, but I’m not really sure if I can detect a lot of school unity following the incidents. I think that most people still don’t see Georgetown as homophobic and therefore, they don’t bother to stand up for others. I get the impression that people might even think that gay people at Georgetown are over-reacting or asking too much. I don’t know.

What I do believe is that if a black student was attacked on campus while racial slurs were shouted at him or her, there would be a whole lot more campus-wide support and a much bigger response from the university. Maybe I’m off on that, but I believe it. I feel like we’re living in a new civil rights era or something. I think people take for granted that people can BE gay nowadays, especially in cities like DC, but people can’t express being gay without some scorn whether it be in the form of a strange look or verbal disapproval.

It’s just strange and I’m almost glad I’m in London and away from it all, so that I don’t have to ask myself whether I should stand up or not.