I’m going to miss the beautiful autumn leaves as winter grows nearer!
It’s Halloween in Tacoma!!!!
This is the first time I have given out candy at house that wasn’t my parents. This is so strange! I feel so grown up! But, that doesn’t mean I won’t be dressed up! We’re having a scary movie night with our friends after we hand out sugary candy to all of the cute little kids!
I’m all about the costumes, and I know it’s hard to pick what to do, but trust me, DIY are the best. Here are some examples before I became an adult:
My friends and I as the Spice Girls, a pretty popular costume amongst 90's kids
Jordan Dilley, '14, and I in highschool as Judice from SNL and a baby seal
My friends and I as the three little bears
My first college Halloween! Bebe La Grua, '15, on the left is a flapper and I am, subtly, Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time
You can really wear anything on Halloween as long as you have an explanations behind them. However plain your costume is, it’s the heart behind it that counts!
This autumn has been the most autumn autumn of my life! The leaves have changed, it’s finally raining, and Spooners Farms pumpkin patch is in full swing! My friends and I decided to put on our rubber boots and a million layers to then pile in the car and drive to Puyallup.
The scene was insane when we got out of my housemate’s automobile. We set foot onto a muddy parking lot that had recently been rained on, full of puddles and varying sizes of foot prints. We were welcomed by a stand selling corn and stands with different types of squash.
Bell bottomed rooster
We made a bee line to the barn first where we got to see some animals. There were chicks and turkeys and chickens and pigs and bunnies. One of the roosters looked like he was wearing pants, which made me a bit uncomfortable. After we were done inside, we moved outside to see the mules and goats. They were pretty energetic for the condition of the weather that day as they climbed around on haystacks and a ramp built inside.
Our findings
It was time to pick our pumpkins after we got our fill of farm animals. All of us picked our own small pumpkins (I actually bought 2 hehehe) and then we went to the main part of the patch to find our house’s big pumpkin. The search was exhausting, seeing as it was 4 opinionated girls trying to pick the perfect pumpkin. We went through rows and rows until we picked our favorite one! Tall and round, the perfect pumpkin!
After paying and getting the best fudge I’ve ever had, it was time to go home. We loaded the 9 or so pumpkins that we had picked out into the trunk and we were off to Tacoma. It was an awesome day =)
Best place to take your mom when she visits for Parents’ and Homecoming Weekend?
Hello Cupcake! Simply the best gourmet cupcake bakery I’ve ever been to. I’m a regular customer; it’s just off campus, on Pacific Avenue. I’ve made it my mission to try every flavor they offer before I graduate, but it gets difficult when they have some delicious new flavor every week!
Red Velvet, Pumpkin Spice Caramel, and Classic Vanilla Chocolate!
My mom and aunt came to visit me this weekend, so naturally I had to take them here. After lunch and a brisk walk through the rain, it was nice to sit inside the warm cafe and enjoy some sweet treats! And they’re affordable, too. (Important for a cheap college kid like me!) It was a wonderful day downtown, and my visitors really liked my way of giving them a taste of Tacoma!
My aunt, my mom, me, and our cupcakes!
So I was walking to a cafe off campus with some friends the other day, when the entire Logger swim team comes running by in their Speedos. Luckily, I had my camera with me. Here’s proof of their awesome spirit, despite how cold they must be.
Since August, the out-of-staters, even a few Washingtonians, have been wondering “Where is the rain!?” This has been one of Washington’s driest years and it’s been making people, like me, a bit glum.
Last year, the first three weeks were sunny and nice, but our rain jackets and boots (or lack there of in my case) were put to good use from the start. Whether it was a light, spontaneous drizzle in the afternoon or a nocturnal down pour, we had our share of beautiful Washington summer.
Expecting to come back to a gray, cold, and wet school year, I packed up some summer clothes (I came back at the end of July) and filled up the rest of my suitcase space with sweaters and pants and I was off! Two months later, I’m writing in a light sweater with just a t-shirt under after the second day of cloud coverage here in Tacoma. The leaves are red, the grass is bright green, and the sky is finally gray!
If last semester you would have asked, for example, my freshman year roommate if she liked the rain, she would have laughed and said “Are you kidding me!? I’m from California! It’s too cold! I need the sun!” Which is funny, because her facebook status last week was “How is it raining in California but not here. Yes, the clouds have returned, but where oh where is the precipitation?”
After a year here, the rain becomes a comfort. I remember when I was planning to come here everyone would say “Are you going to be okay with the rain!?” or “That rain is going to get to you!” But it isn’t that bad! You miss the sun at times, but rain is only bad if you aren’t prepared.
Here are a few tips I’ve learned from living in the Puge:
-Eddie Bauer jackets, especially during a sale or if your aunt buys you one, are the best! I have a comfy winter jacket and a rain jacket that have been my safety nets many a days. A lot of people wear Patagonia or North Face, which are durable and good quality, but don’t sweat it if you don’t have one! As long as you have a jacket that is water proof, you’ll be great!
-A really good investment is a pair of L.L. Bean duck boots. I bought some last year, and let me tell you, after months of wearing soggy canvas tennis shoes, they were my new best friends. They are a pretty penny, BUT, they have a life time guarantee. It is a good idea to find durable boots that’ll keep you dry and warm rather than boots that’ll make you look hip and stylish.
-You don’t need an umbrella. Umbrellas are really just a novelty item that doesn’t give you the full feeling of Washington! A true Washingtonian gets their boots muddy and their hair damp.
Seattle's own Mackelmore having fun in a thrift shop for his song "Thrift Shop"
-Lastly, go to Goodwill. Get millions of flannels and jackets and boots and hats for cheap!
My comfiest fall and winter clothes are from thrift shops. Being a college student doesn’t really bring in the big bucks, so getting cheap but quality clothes is literally the best thing.
So, a summary:
-Rain isn’t bad
-Boots are good
-Umbrellas aren’t great
-Tacoma is awesome
A welcome back sunset over Tacoma after Fall Break
Side note:
Tonight I am in a sweatshirt that has just dried after running to the car in the rain. This is the first down pour I’ve experienced this year and it was awesome! We had thunder and lightning, which is rare, but it was a nice way to be greeted by the rain!
Let’s reflect on the beautiful, dry, and long summer of Washington
A view of Mt. Rainier from Owens Beach at Point Defiance Park
A lake on Paradise trail at Mt. Rainier National Park
Seattle from Pike's Place
My housemates and I eating dinner on our deck on a warm night
Driving back to Tacoma from a day trip in Seattle
Summer shorts and tank tops, you’ll be missed, but it’s the sweater’s turn.
I’ve gotten into the habit of taking my camera with me pretty much everywhere I go around campus. I take pictures of things that inspire me, and it really helps remind me that the beauty really is in the little things.
There are few things as awesome as seeing a student band perform here on campus. Just recently I attended a concert in Club Rendezvous, the space next to our underground pizza place, The Cellar. Puget Sound’s Campus Music Network invited four student bands to perform, each with their own unique style of music.
First up was Young Ones, a four-man group who call their music influenced by Bloc Party, Death Cab for Cutie, and Two Door Cinema Club. They were followed by Pilot Light, a 5 piece progressive post-rock band with songs as long as 10 minutes. Next in the set was Sun Eater, a trio that shook the crowd with some psychedelic rock. The final band of the evening was the one I was most excited to see: Harshmellow.
Bassist Michael Mulay ceremoniously ties on his bandanna in prep for the show.
Harshmellow is a four piece student band features senior Derek Humphrey on lead vocals and guitar, junior Michael Denman on percussion, sophomore Michael Mulay on the bass, and senior Isaac Olson on the drums. The band classifies themselves as “Second-wave Thugfolk.” So what type of music is that? Visiting their Facebook page won’t give you many answers. According to their fan page, they’ve been around since 1939, are currently residing on the moon, and are interested in “keepin’ it real” and “curing cancer with love.” But while their sense of humor is great, it’s their music that’s earned the band its student fan-base.
Derek Humphrey wailing on the guitar and singing his heart out.
I stuck around through the whole set, snapping pictures as people from the audience grabbed partners and danced right in front of the stage. Of course, they had to make way for the band members to jump off and perform some crazy solos in the crowd. Needless to say, the show was a pretty fantastic experience and I can’t wait to attend as many concerts as I can here at Puget Sound. In the meantime, I’ll be kickin’ it with the band members–keepin’ it real and, of course, curing cancer with love and some sweet music.
Wanna hear Harshmellow jam? Here’s a sample of their most popular song: C is for Cookies
Michael Denman poses for the camera.
Since high school, I’ve loved being a part of theater. The whole process of discovering your character, memorizing lines, bonding with your cast, and finally performing for an audience requires a lot of hard work, but is so worth it in the end. However, my favorite form of theater requires a little less technical work and a lot more spontaneity: improv!
Improv is a form of theater that requires actors to think and act on their toes, saying and doing whatever comes to mind at any given moment in a scene. As you can imagine, this usually means improv shows are a riot. And what’s better than hearing a crowd erupt into laughter and knowing it’s because of your goofy genius?
Here at the University of Puget Sound, there’s an absolutely FANTASTIC improv team called Ubiquitous They. They hold shows every other Friday night in Club Rendezvous next to the Cellar. The entire team is composed of geniuses, and though there’s only been two shows so far, I’ve had the pleasure of attending both!
Upright Citizens Brigade performs with freshman Lindsey Salazar, a volunteer from the audience.
Just this past weekend, our campus was lucky enough to have a professional improv team from New York, the Upright Citizens Brigade, perform in our concert hall. Needless to say, they were hilarious. Topics in their scenes ranged from camping, to Ryan Gosling working as a carny, to school libraries with only Clifford books to offer. After the show, the performers held a little Q and A session for our very own improv team (plus anyone else who wished to join), and they talked about making it in the real world as an improv performer. It was an awesome experience, and a great way to spend a Saturday night.
A moment from the Muh Grog Zoo one act!
Friday and Saturday proved to be just the beginning of my weekend improv adventures! Sunday was part of the Tacoma Fall Free-For-All, a free theater festival held at the Broadway Center for the Arts just off campus. Here, I was given yet another opportunity to witness some incredible improv. The group was called Muh Grog Zoo, and they put on an entire one act play based on suggestions from the audience. How they created a plot around linen pajamas, laughter, sewing, and “Gangnam Style” may seem a mystery to many, but that didn’t mean it was anything less than entertaining!
Ubiquitous They poses with Upright Citizens Brigade!
Improv is something I’d recommend to anyone who is interested in theater. Not only is it nice to make people laugh, but it really makes you feel like a genius. There’s no script, so you can’t mess up! I’m looking forward to auditioning for Ubiquitous They next time they hold auditions, and I suggest you all look into it too. In the meantime, you’re improving every day, everywhere, just by living life!
Pictures of the Upright Citizens Brigade show are courtesy of Serni Solidarios.
