ithaca

Goings-On About Town

On 01.22.10, In Events, By Riley

Ithaca is gorges, unless it’s not summer, so for the past four months and for four months more (or until Slut Day*, whichever comes first) Ithaca will be dismal.

At least there’s some cool stuff going on around town. The Flaming Lips are coming to Cornell in April, which is the biggest deal since Built to Spill ripped apart State Theater in October.

But there’s more! The Avett Brothers, whose single, “I And Love And You” has been making girls’ panties drop people reluctant to fall in love for a few months now will be coming to the State Theater later on in February.

I&<3&U

This century’s Mark Twain will be visiting the State Theater in April. David Sedaris will speak to an audience, likely making us laugh, reflect, or eliciting a cheerful, “huh.”

April Seventh

There’ll be tons of great entertainment in Ithaca until Slut Day* arrives. Besides thacant, listen up to Aaron Terkel’s Concert Connection on WICB, everyday at 8:30, 1:30, 5:30, and 8:30 once again.

And hell, since we’re talking about public venues, stop by and donate a few cents to the Library Downtown – I mean look at this measly donation bin!

a single dollar? weak!

*What is Slut Day?

Well, lemme tell you a thing or two about Slut Day at Ithaca College. Waking up with the bright sun shining through the windows, and stepping out into the warm morning air with nothin but a t-shirt and shorts on. As you look onto the quad, it’s no longer just a patch of barren grass. Instead, on slut day, the freshly mowed grass is littered with girls dressed in scantily-clad (slutty) outfits, draped across every quad on campus. Now, this first exceptionally gorgeous day of spring, complete with the thermometers soaring above 70, every girl on campus gets the opportunity to shake off the winter rust, show off their bodies, and collect a little sun. Whether it be in a skirt on the grass, listening to music, or sprawled out in a bikini on their beach towel, just be sure you’ve got your sunglasses on today, because there’s enough eye candy laying around to make your eyes wander.

like this article? e-mail cbell1@ithaca.edu and tell him so!

Tagged with: commons • ithaca • MUSIC • wicb

Ithaca College Men’s Basketball Dominates

On 01.20.10, In Reviews, By Riley

IC Men’s Hoops

Let’s talk about how good the basketball team is. With a 13 and 4 record, I’ve been lucky enough to watch their two most recent victories, the most recent, a one-point win over RIT. Junior Chris Cruz is dirty from the three point line, Eli Maravich (nephew of late Hall-of-Famer Pistol Pete) is obtrusive with the full court press, Tom Brown, one of two seniors on the team crashes the board like none other, and Athletic Trainers are ever-so-supportive on the bench. That means you Lil Mama.

2010 Bombers

Did I mention the atmosphere?

The fans are what going to a game at the Ben Light Gymnasium is all about. When I arrived at the game against RIT on Tuesday, the team was down by a lot. At halftime they were over twenty points behind. While the team was in the locker room receiving what I could only assume is verbal assault, the fans were warming up their cheering muscles and flipping through their insult dictionaries.

Long story short, the fans were talking trash against the scumbags of RIT, yelling our… their asses off for the Bombers, and the team responded. They came back, and got four points ahead of RIT with only seconds left. The Tigers scored a three at the buzzer. Ithaca prevailed; 81-80.

The team only has three more home games left this season. One of which is tomorrow – Friday the 22nd. The two after that are in February. You can bet your ass I’m driving up to RIT on the 31st to see the Bombers face the face-slapping untucked-slobs of the Tigers.

After just reading this…..

This just in – thacant could use a sports writer. If you’re interested, please contact, no samples required!

Tagged with: ithaca • sports

New Years Resolutions

On 01.12.10, In Rants, By Riley

I’ve finally decided what my resolutions for the remainder of the year will be. Yes, I know it’s almost the second week of 2010, but I’ve been using the last twelve days as a test run, to make sure I can sustain my intention for the next forty-nine and two-seventh’s weeks.

1. To eat inorganic

2. To not waste time

3. To clear the snow off my entire car

1. To eat inorganic. With all this hoo-ha and jibber-jabber about buying local, shopping organic and being aware of where our food comes from, I’m going the opposite direction. It’s not that i don’t care about my well-being or that I want to eat poorer quality food, it’s that I’m a college student. With the exception of some produce (organic onions cost the same as equally-delicious pesticide-sprayed onions), most organic food costs a lot more. Take this chicken I bought at Wegmans…

ba-gahh

The cost: $3.95. Wegmans also sells an organic chicken ($9.85) and an organic free-range chicken raised on an Ithaca Farm. As delicious as that sounds, the hefty price tag ($13.45) made me wonder, “how much better does this chicken taste?”

I do understand the merits of eating organic. I have yet to see Food Inc. (ignorance is bliss…) but I do know that I’m more susceptible to disease, inection, what-have-you. If it’s served to me, or on someone else’s dime, I’ll eat organic, but if it’s gonna dent my wallet, inorganic is the way I’m going.

2. To not waste time. I spend a lot of time on the internet – I won’t deny that. But I don’t think this is a waste. Allow me to break down my time spent on the internet: 50% of my time is spent on the websites you see linked on the right margin of this site. All of these sites are informative, entertaining, and hell, they provide great conversation-started topics. Another 20% of my time is spent checking, responding to or crafting humorous e-mails. Another 20% of my time is spent on Facebook, creeping on people like you, (Aaron, Erica, Alexander…) but half of my Faceboxing time is spent playing Bejewled Blitz – which, after a long day of internetting, is therapeutic. The other 10% is spent on AIM, oftentimes sending links to aforementioned sites.

That being said, the only time wasted is the non-therapeutic time spent on Facebook (a mere 10%)

d'oh!

I also spend a lot of time sleeping, too , but my doctor said it helps me grow.

3. To clear the snow of my entire car. As I was driving back from Wegmans to buy my reasonably-priced aforementioned chicken, I saw a white car with a clean windshield and rear window, but a cube of snow on the roof… Idiotic, really. What’s worse is when it flies off the car once you go more than twenty-five miles an hour – especially if it’s frozen over and it flies off in huge sheets.

eedeeott

Really, it’s not hard to run the snow-brush over the top of the car and the hood. Granted, this resolution is seasonal, but ’til spring I guarantee the Volvo will be clean on the roads.

Happy New Years to you, I know mine will be.

Tagged with: food • internet • ithaca • volvo

Scoopy Snacks

On 11.15.09, In Food & Drink, By Riley

Any Ithaca resident with a sweet tooth knows of Wegman’s Scoopy Snack section in the back of the store.

“Please don’t mix different priced candies.”

“No Sampling!”

“Use tongs, please.”

But next time you’re there, take a look around and notice the walls -

wall of candy

The whole damn wall, all the way across the Scoopy Section is made of tubes FULL OF CANDY. Which got me thinking, yeah, this is awesome, there is so much candy here, but damn, what a waste. I’m not one to bitch about wasting and feeding hungry children, but there is SO MUCH CANDY along these walls. The tubes are about as big as a roll of paper towels, and six-ish feet tall. Dozens and dozens of tubes, full of Starbursts, Tootsie Rolls, Dubble Bubble, and lesser-known, non-brand-name candy.

I was assuming, “they must just re-use all of this candy to replenish the bins of Tootsie Rolls once it runs out, right?” But no. This candy has been in these tubes since the Scoopy Section first opened. I mean, look at the Starbursts above – the pinks have faded. What a waste.

And another thing, some of the gummy candies use tongs and others have scoopers. What’s the deal? Scoopers are fine for Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids (SPKs), pastel mints and Skittles, but gummy spiders? You expect me to scoop gummy spiders? I’m bound to take a leg off and maybe get three with each scoop. These require a tong.

Tagged with: culture • dismay • ithaca • phone pic

Halloween’s Best

On 11.01.09, In Events, By Riley

Halloween, the second most American holiday of the year (arguably), is also the second sluttiest day of the year (slut day is first, obviously).

This year, I saw a great deal of hilarious costumes and I hate to admit, that any pop-culture reference of a costume will get you higher on my list. This year I saw, from the recent film Inglorious Basturds, “Bear Jew” standing in my kitchen. Dressed in a wifebeater (the domestic abuse tank-top,) suspenders, with brown pants and a baseball bat, he was making other party-goers guess who he was.

“I’m from a movie.”

“Uh, Sandlot?”

“No, it’s not about baseball.”

“Is it a silent film?”

“I’m Bear Jew!”

Another favorite costume I saw this weekend, was “Mary” from “There’s Something About Moskey.” Ithaca’s own Sarah Moskey was dressed as Mary, complete with a red cocktail dress, a toy dog, and… something in her hair.

excellent costume

Costumes outside of Ithaca that caught my attention include this man dressed as “East Bound and Down’s” Kenny Powers.

I'm fuckin in, you're fuckin out!

This picture was sent by Michael Sokol, who was in Austin to celebrate Halloween, and while he was there, he also attended some media conference.

My final noteworthy costume pic of 2009 belongs to a childhood friend of mine, Danny Sullivan who was dressed as Maury Ballstein, from “Zoolander.” Perhaps one of the more obscure movie references, Sully executed it well, with fake dollar bills that he “made it rain with,” along with making people “kiss his rings.”

a la jerry stiller

Tagged with: culture • ithaca • jew

Artsy

On 10.20.09, In Findings, By Riley

Fall Break has come and gone. But it was a great time for us to stray away from campus and create or find our own art. Let’s see what’s been done in the Thursday and Friday we students have stretched into a five-day bender…

Medium: Chalk on Iron

I found this angry chalk monster on the metal bridge on E. Clinton Street. If you’re leaving the police station after paying an exorbitant ticket for having a party at your apartment, or coming home from the Commons, keep your eyes open.

Medium: Spray Paint on Wood

Don’t know what this means or why it was created. “Chee Dung” it says, with the former word’s letters taking the shape of a pile of the latter word. Looks homemade, though. Rock on!

Medium: Paint on Cement

Junior TV-R major Anthony Palma sent me this “fresh” graffiti straight from East Brunswick, New Jersey. If you can’t read it, I’ll help you decode; NF&ES^>TZ@,{ *.

Medium: Caution Tape on Wood and Air

The least conventional art I came across was Thursday night, when I enter a Grandview basement to find Nate Scull meandering a spider web of caution tape. Cheers to you Scull.

Fall Break is a mere two days off from classes, not even enough time to warrant my five-hour drive back home. Thanksgiving break is just over four weeks away, and oh, the art we’ll come across with nine days away from campus.

Tagged with: animate • art • culture • graffiti • ithaca • phone pic

City Underfoot

On 09.29.09, In Findings, Uncategorized, By Riley

If you weren’t all that familiar with the commons before, AppleFest surely changed that for you this weekend. At least I hope. With dozens of vendors, rides, awesome food, and who can forget rain, AppleFest is the first big event of the year.

Leave it to Ithaca to cover up some strange structure that I’d assume contains machines, pumps and wires, with some industrial art and a sign to educate Ithacans on the history of our strange city.

the structure

the sign

The first thing the sign mentions is the Cayugas. Read any any abridged history of Ithaca and the Cayuga Indians are the first group you’ll read about. Unless that history skips to Simeon DeWitt, the State Surveyor General who planned the city. Then comes President Rochon.

Next is Ezra Cornell, who, after making a fortune in the telegraph business, endowed the Cornell Library to the city of Ithaca. It wasn’t until later that the land on the East Hill was developed into Cornell University. But it does appear as though higher education in Ithaca has its roots in communication.

Underground Railroad. I never learned too much about this in social studies during grade school, so I turn to the Internet. Apparently African Americans escaping from the South sought aid in Ithaca at the St. James Zion church.The church still stands, on Clinton Street, which is essentially between the Commons and Wegmans. They should have just stopped there for supplies.

I don’t believe this next plug about the ice cream sundae. Ithaca and Two Rivers, Wisconsin both claim to have invented the Sundae many many years ago. First of all, who cares, and second of all, what defines a sundae? If you have ice cream (or any food for that matter) it’s just a matter of time until someone puts something on it to taste better. Basic rule of human nature. I’ll give it to Ithaca, though. The midwest is boring and I go to school here.

Weak plaque, overall, Ithaca. I can list several other people to help to shape Ithaca’s identity.

Tagged with: commons • ithaca

what does this say about us?

On 09.24.09, In Findings, Food & Drink, By Sarah

the man with the plan

Maybe its because I see them all over campus, but the SIGG is now becoming a fashion statement. I remember when it was all about the Nalgene. Mine was bright yellow and came with me everywhere I went, spawning the dawn of mass water consumption in my life. I even went through an iced coffee phase – used to fill my Nalgene in the morning with coffee and add ice. Yes I used to be more cracked out than I am now, can you IMAGINE? —This Nalgene lasted until my dad decided to recycle all the water bottles in my house, I went to look for it and it was gone. (Defeats it’s own purpose, doesn’t it?) Then we started hearing about the “Sigg”and how its plastic doesn’t permeate toxins into your body, they act like a thermos – but are not indestructible like a Nalgene. (The boys I went to high school with invented the “Nalgene Game”- where you set up trashcans in the high school hall ways and tried to bounce the nalgene off the floor and get it through the goal. There was a lot of violence involved as well- how could there not be?) If memory serves me right I remember an interactive freshman year bulletin board illustrating these comparisons between the two water bottle choices. All I know is ever since I’ve been pronouncing it wrong. Every other person tells me that I am saying the opposite of what it is.

Now, I like my “SEEEEEEGGuHH” – it was free. My mom’s boss received one as a gift and she saved it from the garbage. Now over time the dishwasher has deluded its indecipherable orange designs and I’ve lost the plastic ring that is supposed to prevent it from leaking- so its always without its screw on cap: either full or empty, making me always aware of open beverages (I’m a master.)

We have come along way in our SIGG culture- but now you can go further than you ever expected to and design your own. With the cliche “make love not war” trippy hippie designs, and the “simply ECO logical” ones they sell in the bookstore. SIGGs are everywhere, particularly the bike shop in the commons has every different kind of reusable water bottle you little heart can dream up. But now you can be way too cool for school and make your own. But beware, you better REALLY like your tag line, because you’re stuck with it.

Tagged with: america • green • hippie • is this too much? • ithaca

Recession-Friendly Sake

On 09.20.09, In Food & Drink, By Riley

This past weekend I ventured to Collegetown to take part in the ritual known city-wide as “sake bombing.” I haven’t taken part in this sacred art since the pre-carding days of Miyakes we so fondly recall from freshman year.

Basically, what you do is pour a few ounces from a 22oz. Sapporo into a mug. You pour some sake into a shot glass, balance that on top of the mug, slam the table so it falls, and chug it down.

...as such

Back in the fall of 2006, when I was a relative lightweight, one order would get me drunk. But this past weekend, I got a buzz, if that. And I noticed that prices were much higher than I recall from a few years back. $9.95 for some beer and sake? Never again.
So I introduce to you, the American Bomb.

What you’ve got to do, when going sake bombing, is go prepared. This means a backpack filled with beers and liquor. What works for me, is a few tall boys of Natty Light, and a flask full o’ scotch.

Once you’ve done all your sake bombs and your table is a mess, you get American on their Japanese asses.

Fill yer mug with the Natty, put your scotch in the shot glass, and slam it down.

Bombs never tasted so good, or so American.

Tagged with: america • culture • drunk • ithaca • natty • truth

its time for MUSIC

On 08.20.09, In Events, By Sarah

There is some for serious decent music happening in the city of ITHACA this fall. You can pretty much find anything you like. The MEAT PUPPETS will be here on November 19th at Castaways. SUFJAN STEVENS is at Castways too!– September 23rd! On October 1st THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS will be at the State Theater! And the same weekend as Brew Fest– is the POSITIVE JAM with THE HOLD STEADY, the FELICE BROS. and DEER TICK– happening September 6th at Stewart Park. And don’t forget about MUSE FEST this weekend.

Live music, fun times, good vibes. get INTO IT.
Hopefully a lot more to come here for live music updates around town.
Also I heard that these guys know what they’re talking about.

If you haven’t bought tickets for the Built to Spill show at the State Theater, do so IMMEDIATELY. $15 for one of the best, albeit, most unappreciated bands of our generation. Coming to town October 8th.

And as we’ve just been made aware of, are The Mountain Goats. They’ll be playing ON CAMPUS at the Emerson Suites in September. Get on it.

Tagged with: ithaca • MUSIC • radio

Thacant

Goings-On About Town

Ithaca College Men’s Basketball Dominates

New Years Resolutions

Scoopy Snacks

Halloween’s Best

Artsy

City Underfoot

what does this say about us?

Recession-Friendly Sake

its time for MUSIC

Categories

Tags

Articles

Links

Meta