Tessa K

1) Colorado-This one is obvious due to the fact that it’s my hometown, but aside from that, the state is remarkable.  It has it all- the beautiful Rockies, one of the greatest outdoor amphitheaters in the world (Red Rocks), all of the seasons, and the nicest/most genuine people alive. GO THERE if the opportunity ever presents itself. You will not regret it. 

2) Spelling -Fortunately I was born with this gift of being able to instantaneously memorize how to spell most words, something I shamelessly flaunt…. This obsession has followed me since grade school after I figured out I rocked at all those lame spelling tests we were forced to take.

3) Driving- I actually mean Speeding because that’s really where the thrill derives, but I guess technically that’s illegal so we’ll just go with Driving in general.

4) Wine- I haven’t the slightest problem admitting that over the past couple of years I have turned into a total Wino. I blame the full-blooded Italian that I dated for three years for this one.

5) Cheese- I am the greatest cheese connoisseur out of everyone I know. When I am old and rich I am going to open a cheese shop (I’m thinking in Ireland) and live happily ever after. I’ll sell wine as well, it will be perfect.

6) Gymnastics- Ever since I was four years old, I just couldn’t get enough this sport. I was a competitive gymnast for 10 years, and I have taught for three. To this day I watch it on TV whenever I get the chance. Fortunately,  (unlike most) heights and gravity excite me, rather than frighten me, which I have always been thankful for. 

7) Pulp Fiction- Even If this was the only movie to ever be made in history, I would be perfectly fine with it.  Perfection from start to finish.

8) Hair Dye- There is no cure. My hair hasn’t been the same color for more than three months since I was 16 years old.  

9) Anything Paisley Patterned- Never quite figured this one out, but somehow almost everything I own (bed-spread, cell phone cover, etc., you name it) has this pattern on it.

10) Live Music- This is what I spend all of my $$$ on, and it has left me penniless, but seeing/hearing the bands you admire most right in front of your eyes is an indescribably great experience, so no regrets.

Okay, I’m also slightly obsessed with the number 10 since it’s my lucky one, so I think I’ll cut myself off here. 

 As I begin to embark on my final couple quarters at Cal Poly Pomona, I cannot help but reflect on the potpourri of the unexpected and life-changing occurrences that have taken place over the course of the last year and a half. As a transfer student to CPP from Marymount College in Rancho Palos Verdes, my life goals were a very far cry from what they now are today. I transferred to Cal Poly with the wild dream of becoming a Music Industries Studies major. Other than my complete obsession and adoration for music, I honestly cannot pin-point exactly why I chose to take my career in that direction. So, rather than trying to learn how to meteorically play the piano, guitar, and sing at the age of 21, I elected to not waste all of my parent’s hard-earned money for my college education, and switched my major to journalism. This choice was not only one of the smartest decisions I have ever made, but even more monumentally, I really do think it changed my life forever, and of course, for the better.

Since changing my major to journalism, I am so thankful. I have gained countless and priceless skills that I know will benefit me for the rest of my life and professional career. As a staff writer for the Poly Post, I have learned how to conduct professional interviews, ask the right questions, and meet tight deadlines. Even more importantly, however, for the very first time in my life, I actually know what I what to do career-wise— I want to (no, I will) become a reporter.

I truly believe that if there is one reason, and one reason alone, that we as human beings were put on this earth, it is to discover as much as possible about the planet on which we live. Nothing would give me more satisfaction than being able to travel and report about the different cultures and ways of life all around the world. Knowledge is power, and people (at least in my opinion) are undoubtedly among the most valuable  sources.

So there it is. I may have mistakenly transferred to CPP by complete accident, but I like to think of it more as something that happened for a reason. I look forward to expanding and improving my skills as a writer/reporter during my short time left here at CPP, and cannot wait for what the future of my career has in store.  

The truth has sudden made itself crystal clear: Cell phones, the internet, and our most recent “status updates” are taking all of us further and further away from reality and the present moment. As I people-watched on campus today I had an epiphany— By constantly trying to stay connected, we are unconsciously loosing touch with reality. The pricelessness of the moments that are happening all around us is sadly being lost to text messages, youtube, and gmail, etc.

I thinks it must be photography class that’s teaching me to pay attention and keep my eyes open. Pictures have a way of revealing the significance of a passing, unpredictable moment— a moment that can only be captured by paying close attention, no distractions from iPhones, iPods, iPads, iTouches, (our iLives, essentially).

I’m not saying that I am an exception by any means. In fact, although I hate to admit it, I myself have been overcome by the distractions of technology, even to the point of embarrassment. Just yesterday for example, I was so distracted by my iPhone and catching catching up on emails that I took the wrong shuttle. I didn’t just take it past a few wrong stops though. I ended up all the way at Collins College without looking up once to realize I wasn’t even remotely headed in the right direction! For guidance on how to home, I asked the boy sitting to my right. He told me that if I wasn’t so distracted by my cell phone then I wouldn’t have ended up lost in the first place. Seeing as how this was coming from a stranger, his words were a little harsh and insulting at first, taking me aback. In the end though, what more could I do than agree. He had a really valid point.

The vast majority of us have our heads deep in the cloud of technology, and I’m not exactly certain what can be done to save us at this point. Are we too far gone? Now that I finally realize what a huge problem this has become I can’t help but notice it all the time and see it spiraling out of control further and further. I suppose I’m just going to try and save myself before it’s too late.  

I have just the subjected myself to watching the first romantic comedy that I have seen in what feels like a decade or more, and I was instantly reminded as to why this is my least favorite type of movie genre. The following is a list I have complied to sort my thoughts:

1. If there is one word that defines romantic comedies it definitely has to “predictable.” The guy gets the girl, then he loses her because either he or she makes an obvious mistake, then the two get back together again. All that begins well ends well. Which brings me to the next point..

2. Romantic Comedies always have happy endings. No matter what happens throughout the course of the movie, the audience knows that everyone is going to end up happy in the end. Why? Because audiences go to see romantic comedies because THEY want to be happy in the end. It doesn’t matter what ridiculously stupid course events takes place throughout the movie, both the characters and the audience members always end the movie in a state of happiness.

3. Romantic Comedies are not really comedies, they’re Cheesy. No one really believes the storyline because you would have to be a total nutcase to really think that the events that take place in a romantic comedy actually happen in real life. Romantic comedies are shamelessly cheesy, particularly those that are being made today. You can tell just watching these films that millions of dollars were poured in to making them, and you really just have to wonder why…. And how..?

On another note, I think it would be wrong to group ALL romantic comedies into one generally category. “Pretty Woman” was good because it was unconventional and groundbreaking and actually had something to say. “The Seven Year Inch” was good because it showcased Marylin Monroe at her absolute best. “Annie Hall” was good because in all his quirkiness, Woody Allen really does know what he’s talking about. And the “Wedding Singer” was good because it was actually a romantic COMEDY rather than just a romantic movie with a few unrealistic twists thrown in to make it “funny.”

Romantic comedies today seem to fall flat to me. Everyone knows what will happen in the end, and audiences seem to flock to that kind of cookie cutter, fairy tale conclusion. But not me, I guess I’m just waiting for the next “Sleepless in Seattle.”  

Neutral Milk Hotel is that one band that has always had a way of guiding me through life.  One of the beauties of musical lyrics, is that they have a way of making you realize the reasons behind why life is worth living;  I think that Neutral Milk Hotel played a role in helping me appreciate that. Two of their albums— In an Aeroplane Over the Sea and On Avery Island had a particularly strong influence on me. I would even go as far to say this music changed my life around the age of about sixteen or seventeen.— NMH helped me to understand people, love, the nature of life’s course. Jeff Mangum, the band’s guitarist and vocalist, deserve most credit for that.

I have always pictured Jeff Mangum as borderline insane, and many of the rumors I have heard about him confirmed that belief. When I use the word insane, I do not necessarily mean it in a bad way, just in the way that a lot of musical geniuses are. He was the mind behind one of the most distinctively groundbreaking indie bands of the 1990’ s. And, unlike many contemporary artists today, Mangum can hold a note like nobody’s business, and uses his voice as an instrument in itself, rather than as an accessory to the instrumentation.His lyrics are darkly impassioned and poetic, but somehow uplifting at the same time.

Seeing as how Mangum hasdeclined interviews and most requests to perform since 1999, I never thoughts I would actually have the opportunity to see Neutral Milk Hotel perform live. Over the past year however, Magnum has slowly began returning to the spotlight, breaking his long silence and going back on tour. To the delight of many fans, myself included, Neutral Milk Hotel has launched a tour of the U.S. and Europe, and will be performing at the Orpheum Theater in LA April 23!