Ben and Andie fall in love. Shocker, I know.

This movie is great, but first I do want to talk about the lack of diversity in the casting. I think there are three people in this film who are not white, and none of them are even close to being a major character. I mention this because in today’s society, it’s really easy to overlook things that do not immediately affect you. I think it is important to be aware that there are injustices out there, even if you are lucky enough not to face them.

One of those injustices is the lack of representation of minorities in this movie. The film takes place in New York City, the capital “melting pot”. Statistically speaking, Andie and Ben would be surrounded by people of different races, nationalities, and sexual orientation, but it doesn’t really appear that way in the movie. It was filmed over ten years ago, so that might have something to do with it, but it is still an important issue to address.

Now back to the film itself, Andie and Ben are both impressive characters. Andie, in my opinion, should be a role model to all of women-kind. She is a motivated and talented journalist who is trying to move up in the world. She works her butt off at, “one of the fastest growing women’s magazines in the country”, but is also able to juggle her exciting social life. She still isn’t satisfied, though. She wants to write about politics and social change instead of shoes and fashion. She wants to write about something she has a real passion for.

But Andie does have her faults. Her friend, Michelle, has a hard time holding onto a man. Andie cracks this up as her clingy and fanatic behavior, which is the motivation for writing the article. To let women, like Michelle, know what behavior is driving men away. Her heart is in the right place because by Andie writing this article, it saves Michelle from having another co-worker investigate her life.

But the thing is, Michelle isn’t crazy. She falls in love, HARD, but that isn’t a bad thing. Some people just can’t handle that intensity, but the answer isn’t for Michelle to change. The answer is for her to keep looking for someone who will appreciate her passion.

What Andie should have told Michelle was that if a guy isn’t going to love every erratic part of her, then they aren’t worth her time. Now, don’t get me wrong, Andie isn’t completely unsupportive. She does try to help Michelle and she is really sympathetic, but she does love-shame her a little bit.

Now Ben is just as impressive as Andie. He is one of the head honchos at an advertising firm who is also looking for something more. He is a low-key feminist. I say low-key tentatively, because he does have his moments where I can’t help but shake my head. One of his more empowering moments was when he tried to land a huge diamond

account. His pitch was, “a diamond is for everyone”. That a woman doesn’t need a man to buy her the diamond–she can get it herself. But about five minutes after his pitch, he makes the bet that he can make any woman fall in love with him. This totally wipes out his moment of progressiveness. He says he respects women, but if he did, he wouldn’t make a woman’s emotions a pawn in his journey of personal gain.

Now don’t get me wrong, what Andie is doing isn’t without its faults and it is obvious that she hurts Ben, but she is a journalist.

She is running an experiment with the motive of helping women. Testing how her behavior effects the relationship.

The only difference between herself and the other women in New York City is she was going to write about it, which is what all great writers do I might add. They write about what they know and their personal experiences

RAPID RANT

Ben on the other hand was betting that he could make a woman fall in love with him. Which is 1) cocky and 2) evil. What if he didn’t like the girl back? And he just spent that last week and a half doing everything in his power to make her love him. Would he just break up with her? Leave her heartbroken and crying on her couch without a second thought.

I mean, if he got the diamond account, what did this measly woman mean to him? Right? Some might say, “It’s only ten days, she will get over it,” but I say bullshit. Love is not something you get over. Love isn’t lust, it doesn’t go away once the person is out of your life. It sticks with you like a piece of gum stuck to your shoe. The hurt may dull with time, but you will always remember that pain. And to consciously be aware that you may inflict that pain on someone, and continue, is just plain cruel.

Now even though both of these characters are problematic in certain instances, there is no question that they are ridiculously attractive. So if you aren’t interested in the plot, but are looking for a little eye candy (from either sex), I would suggest to watch the movie on mute. Because even though these characters have their emotional issues (I mean who doesn’t), they don’t transfer over to the looks department.

Now I just completely picked apart this movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. I think it is important to be critical, especially of things you enjoy. But I owe you, and the movie, a few reasons why you should watch it.

The main characters have unquestionable chemistry

Now this is a big one, because sometimes they have nothing. And you might be thinking, “Well it’s not that big of a deal if they don’t have chemistry, they are only acting.” Well I say WRONG. It is insanely important for the onscreen couple to have some sort of chemistry. If they don’t, it just feels like your reliving a junior high relationship, full of awkward glances and sweaty palms.

It really is quite funny

Some of the things that Andie comes up with (and by Andie, I mean the writer/s of this movie because it isn’t real) to get Ben to break up with her are HILARIOUS.

She really goes all out, which is another reason why womankind should literally bow down to her. Most people would be too embarrassed to crash poker night with the boys, but not Andie, she goes in head first and leaves no survivors.

You’ll want to be best friends with Andie and Ben’s friends

Michelle is one of my favorite characters, maybe because we both share the hopeless romantic gene. But in all seriousness, she is truly a sweetheart, and she helps Andie with her shenanigans no questions asked. Ben’s friends are also pretty cool; they offer a lot of the comic relief to the movie.

Andie’s outfits are iconic

You get to see Matthew McConaughey shirtless

It has a really tasteful sex scene

I don’t want to ruin any of it, so I’m just going to tell you to go watch it.

The music is really catchy.

They have a lot of classic 2000s hits that will bring you back. Just a few are,

“Hot in Herre” by Nelly

“Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green (a classic!)

“You’re so Vain” by Carly Simon

“Feels Like Home” performed by Chantal Kreviazuk

“Follow You Down” by Gin Blossoms

But most of all, it is believable that these characters fell in love in less than two hours.

Honestly, it is impressive when anyone can do this without showing a change in time. Falling in love is hard, and falling in love in 10 days seems almost impossible. But this movie made me believe that it truly happened for Ben and Andie, and isn’t that all we want when we watch a movie? To believe in something as great as that?

If you like what you read here today, you can find, “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” on Netflix and if you are craving more RomComs, check out my other article.

The post RomCom Rants: “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I got my nipples done at Release Body Modifications in Iowa City. When I wanted to get my nose ring changed out this summer, Release was where I went. I was really impressed with their service, so when I made the reckless decision to get my nipples pierced, Release was the obvious choice for me.

If you are thinking about going to them, know that they are pretty expensive. To get both of my nipples pierced, it was $175 with tip, and that was just with the standard grey bar. I know others who have been able to find other places to do it for less though, so don’t let the price hold you back.

(Release is located on Linn St., down from the record store and across from Black Angel tattoo parlor, if you are interested in giving them some business)

One thing I want to say before I start telling you about the piercing itself, is that if you want to get your nipples done, don’t be embarrassed about someone seeing you in all your glory. They are professionals and this is a job, you have nothing to be embarrassed about! You would be surprised by how many people get their nipples done. The guy who did mine said he probably gets more nipple piercings than any other. So you are not the only one who has sat there while half-naked.

The first thing my piercer did was measure my nipples to make

sure he used the right size bar. This is just a tape measure device that is put around your nipple. It doesn’t hurt at all and really isn’t invasive considering it’s your breast. I honestly barely felt when he was even touching me.

After he picked out the right size bar, he sterilized everything in this big machine. Now this process took a long time, which I think was because he had to add more solution to the machine. I assume that this is not the norm, but just in case, I would make sure you don’t have anything to do afterwards when you go in. Once everything was clean and safe, which I know because he showed me a sterilization strip, I was instructed to take my shirt off and stand with my back to the wall.

The next five minutes or so was spent drawing on my nipples to ensure that the bar would be even and through my nipple, not my areola.

This was the first time that it started to be invasive. I personally wasn’t uncomfortable, but I know some might

be because he had to actually squeeze my nipples to make sure they were hard enough so his markings were accurate.

After he marked everything up, I laid down on the table and he got to work. Now I have heard stories of other places clamping the nipple while they pierce it, that was not how my piercer did it, but just so you are aware this might be the preferred way of whoever performs your piercing.

The first thing my guy did was put the back end of the bar in, now this hurt but don’t kid yourself like I did, it gets worse. Then he put the front of the bar into the other side of my nipple, now this is where it really started to hurt. Like really hurt. I can’t really describe the pain, but I can tell you that it was so intense that I felt it in my stomach. (My friend who I was holding on to for dear life even told me that she saw the inside of my stomach move.)

I honestly could have probably thrown up from the pain if I wasn’t so focused on looking tough. And it isn’t a fast pain, it takes about 30-45 seconds to get the bar all the way through the nipple which is a long time when you’re having a sharp rod shoved through one of the most sensitive parts of your body. After he shoved the bar completely through, he had to pinch the entry hole. This was almost just as bad as getting it shoved through in my opinion.

There are many people who say the second nipple is worse than the first. I personally didn’t experience this. I thought they both hurt equally bad, you just know what to expect for the second one. You do always have the option of only getting one nipple pierced though. This may affect the cost depending on where you go, so make sure you ask.

After everything was over, it didn’t hurt awfully bad. It did feel really awkward, probably because I’ve never experienced a rod through my boob, but once I got home the pain started to set in. I was exhausted. I had fully intended on participating in the Halloween festivities, but after my adrenaline wore down, I really couldn’t do anything except eat pizza and watch Smallville.

The day after, I was really sore, as you can imagine but the second day wasn’t so bad. It helped for me to wear a bra, it didn’t rub my piercings the wrong way like I expected, it almost helps to keep the piercings in one set place with a set fabric over them that didn’t move like a shirt would have. So your recovery might be better than mine if you wear a bra right after your appointment.

Regardless of the pain, I am really happy with the results. It is kind of fun to look at myself now, it is almost as if I have new boobs. So when you are laying on the table about to get impaled, remember it is worth it. Be brave, go get those nips pierced!

If you are interesting in more information of nipple piercings, such as the aftercare, just follow this link.

The post What it’s Really Like to Get Your Nipples Pierced appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Welcome to the first addition of RomCom Rants, and article where I rant about the things I like and the things I don’t in romantic comedies.

13 Going on 30 is a RomCom classic if I’ve ever seen one. Made in 2004, this film stars Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, and Judy Greer. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this movie, this brief summary is for you. Jenna Rink (whose older self is played by Jennifer Garner) is a thirteen-year-old girl who wants nothing more than to be a part of the popular crowd. The film starts off on the day of Jenna’s 13th birthday party. She has invited Tom-Tom (Judy Greer), the  most popular girl in their grade, and her best friend/next door neighbor, Matt (Mark Ruffalo).At the party, Matt gives Jenna a dream house sprinkled with magic dust.

Embarrassed that the “popular” kids will make fun of Matt’s heartfelt gift, Jenna puts it in her closet. When her party flops, Jenna locks herself in said closet and yells how she wants to be thirty, not thirteen. She chants, “Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving” as she slams her body into the shelf
that holds the dream house. The magic dust from the house falls on Jenna and the next thing she knows, she wakes up in New York City, 17 years later. The rest of the movie follows Jenna as she tries to figure out her new life.

I really love Jenna as a character. I think she is relatable. She worries about the same things I think every girl worries about at some point in their life. She worries that she isn’t pretty enough, so she overcompensates with make-up. She doesn’t think her body is filled out, so she stuffs her bra.

Personally, the first time I saw this movie I was in the third grade, struggling with these same issues. It was really good for me to see the struggles Jenna had because it showed me that you aren’t going to be the same

body type your whole life. Your body changes, but that doesn’t make you any less beautiful. Even though it appears that Jenna’s insecurities go away once she makes her transformation, I think they just take a new form, but even though she is insecure about aspects of herself, she never lets her confidence dwindle, which I think is a great thing for young women to see. Love yourself girl.

Her character is also believable because you can still see her thirteen-year-old innocence in her thirty-year-old self. She doesn’t wear clothes a 30-year-old in 2004 would normally wear. Her outfits are either bright and loud, like someone growing up in the eighties would wear, or modest and simple, like something a child would wear. This allows the viewer to sympathize with Jenna and empathize with her innocence.

Even though I love Jenna’s character, there are times where I am disappointed in her. For example.

SPOILER ALERT

When she first made her transformation, she found out thirty-year-old Jenna did not have the best morals. She was kissed by a man married to her coworker, after Jenna pushed him off her, she discovered she had been having a not so discrete affair with him. She was appalled by her behavior and left work appalled by herself. But when Matt kisses her, a soon-to-be-married man, she doesn’t question her behavior at all. She doesn’t even act like they did something wrong (compared to Matt, whose face obviously shows regret). This really shows how young and immature she truly is.

Even though Matt is obviously in love with Jenna, and has been since they were young, I appreciate the realistic ending. They do not end up together right away, he picks his fiancé because even though he knows he loves Jenna, he always knows that he made a promise to his fiance and needs to honor that promise.

It’s not until Jenna is able to travel back to her thirteenth birthday party and pick Matt over Tom Tom that they are able to have a happy ending. Even though it is sad in the moment when Matt reluctantly rejects Jenna, you are able to see how much they truly care about each other even though they can’t be together.

END OF SPOILER

The thing I like the most about this movie is how fun it is. It has several choreographed dance numbers to classic 80s song like Thriller and Love is a Battlefield.

Jenna still does things that a thirteen-year-old would do like have sleepovers and eat chocolate chip pancakes with smiley-faces on them. It really gives this movie character that not every other RomCom has. The outfits are another thing I enjoyed in this movie. I know I previously discussed Jenna’s outfits when she’s older, but the outfits she wears, as well as the other characters, is totally eighties and totally fabulous.

RAPID RANT

Most of this film is centered around Jenna’s career. Jenna hires Matt to take pictures for WORK. Jenna gets in a fight with Lucy about WORK. Jenna is focused on WORK most of the film and her relationship with Matt directly stems off her passion for her WORK. If she didn’t have a job for him to do, they wouldn’t spend so much time together and eventually fallen for each other. Even though Jenna’s career is in the limelight most of the film, it is not addressed at all in the ending. I think Jenna should get the guy but still remain a badass Magazine Editor.

If you liked what you read, you can find 13 going on 30 on Netflix. Thanks for reading.

The post RomCom Rants: “Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I didn’t know he was coming home until that previous Monday. I had been sitting on the pleather couch in Doug’s apartment, Mitchell’s friend who I stayed with while Mitch was away, when I heard the door unlock. Doug already came and left, so I was suspicious. I leapt off the brown couch and took my position in front of the door. If someone was breaking in, I would be ready.

I watched as the shiny, gold doorknob turned. I crouched down, preparing myself to pounce. Finally the door swung open. It was Mitch standing tall, dressed in his army greens with a smile plastered shamelessly across his face.

“Hey Jake, ya miss me?” Mitchell asked as he knelt in front of me to pet my short chocolate hair. I got so excited that I knocked him to the ground and planted a slobbery kiss smack dab on his clean shaven face. Of course I had missed him and now that he was back, safe and sound, I was not going to let him out of my sight.

The rest of that week, Mitch and I spent every waking hour together. Each morning we got up early and jogged to the dog park, where we played Frisbee until it got crowded. After that, we ran back to our apartment and watched TV for the rest of the day. Every now and then, someone would knock on the door during the day, but Mitch wouldn’t answer it. He just kept his eyes on the screen.

At night, Mitch would toss and turn and scream and sweat in his sleep. One night it got really bad. Mitch began screaming through hot tears, “No don’t take him, take me,” I began licking the salty water off his afflicted face. Suddenly, Mitch woke up and shoved me off the bed. I hit my shoulder on the wood floor and let out a distressed whimper. My cry for help brought Mitch back to reality.

“Oh Jake, I am so sorry! I didn’t realize that was you,” he said as he picked me up and placed me on the bed. He rubbed behind my ears as I recovered.

“I guess I am just having a hard time adjusting this time. I don’t know why, but this tour is staying with me more than the others,” Mitch confessed as he laid back down.

After that, I wanted to make sure Mitch didn’t have any more bad dreams. So that Saturday night, I watched him until my eyes were too heavy to stay open. When I woke up, I instantly looked over, expecting to see Mitchell sprawled out with his chestnut hair in disarray, drool spilling slowly out of his mouth like molasses. But Mitchell was nowhere to be found. I stretched out to his side of the bed to feel that the sheets were cold and crisp, meaning he had been gone for a while. I assumed he went for a run without me since I hurt my shoulder when he threw me off the bed.

I didn’t think anything of it as I jumped off the bed in search of breakfast. I trotted to the kitchen where my chrome bowl was waiting for me, filled to the brim with chicken-flavored kibble. As I was about to dig in, a foul smell hit my snout. The smell reminded me of an old iron pipe. Curious where it was coming from, I left my delicious breakfast behind to go investigate.

I walked back into Mitchell’s room but the scent became less potent. My next destination was the bathroom. As I advanced, the smell crept its way back to my nose. When I arrived at the bathroom door, I found it slightly cracked open. Now the iron scent was overpowering. I nudged the door open slowly. The first thing I saw was blood, and a lot of it. The deep brown sludge covered the tiled floor. Then I saw Mitchell. His arms and legs were thrown chaotically on the ground and his face resembled a tortured man. A piece of notebook paper with his scrawled handwriting sat above his bloody head. A pistol with a silencer attached laid a foot next to his right hand. I stood there in disbelief as I took the scene in.

I let out a tormented howl. I did not want to see my best friend like this. He was a hero, not someone who should be mangled by his own hand. I began to whine as I shuffled over to his contorted body. I solemnly licked his face one last time before I toppled down beside him. I felt the thick blood soak into my fur, but I didn’t care. I continued crying until I heard a knock on the door.

A few minutes following the knock, the manager of the building came in as a result of the noise I was making. When he saw Mitch’s body, he turned around and threw up. After he got his barrings, he got out his phone and called the police. When they showed up, a woman in a dark blue uniform came over and sympathetically stroked my head with a latex glove. She stopped when she saw the note laying by Mitch. She slowly picked it up and began to read it out loud. I zoned it out. I knew why he killed himself, I didn’t need to hear confirmation. It wasn’t until I heard my name that my ears perked up.

“And tell Jake that he truly was a man’s best friend.”

The post Cold appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Carl Sagan: This song is very easy to listen to. It has a really good melody; not too fast, not too slow. And the mix of the instruments slightly reminds me of something that would be played in the seventies. The lyrics are clear and easy to make out, which is really important to me. The vocals are why you want to listen to this song, though. It has a lot going for it, but the vocals are amazing. The way the singer travels between his chest voice to falsetto is utterly impressive.

Denis, Don’t Wanna See you Cry: This song starts off with the instruments sounding like someone is screaming, which I thought was fitting based on the title. This whiny sound is kept through out the piece. It gives it a techno feel, while maintaining it’s Indie rock identity. This piece has long instrumental solos, which I don’t particularly care for. And when the vocals do come back in, they just repeat the same verse over and over again. Granted, it is a good verse, but I would have liked the song more if it had more substance.

Leave Your Light On: This song has more twang than the others. The first time I heard it, I imagined it being sang in a run down bar with only old men drinking their beer to listen. It just has that far away sound that you find in a live performance. The vocals are crazy good. He is able to travel through his range without any hesitation. The music aspect of this song is really great, but I had a hard time understand what it was about. Which of course isn’t always necessary, but I do enjoy that aspect. I think if I could really understand what was going on, it would have really sold me on the song.

Border On Border: This song starts off with a great and poppy electric guitar solo. It really got me pumped up for what was going to come next. The vocals are a lot more whiny in this song compared to the others, which some artists can’t pull off, but this band really makes it work. My favorite part in this piece was when the instruments died down so the vocals could really stand out, then a few seconds later, the same poppy electric guitar came back in. It gave me goosebumps.

Kind Luck: This song reminded me of something behind it’s time. The vocals reminded me of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” because they both have that raspy feel to it at the beginning. This song was one of my favorites from the album, mostly because the lyrics are so crispy and easy to make out. Everything about this song really works, whether it is the clear lyrics, great  vocals, or the subtle acoustic guitar in the background.

Hiding in the Melody: This song features the high falsettos as well. Seriously so good. I can’t get over how well he changes his voice. There is even a part in the song where he creates a full but whiny sound. I think this song is my favorite on the album, mostly because of the insanely impressive vocals, but also because the melody keeps you on your toes and the lyrics are touchingly poetic. This song is by far the longest in the album, but I promise you will enjoy all seven minutes of it.

Staurolite Stroll: The beginning of this song really reminded me of the song by Maxine Nightingale, Right Back Where We Started From. Even the vocals kind of take you back in time. Really a great song. Understated yet excellent.

Alabama: I love the way this song starts, it is all high, airy falsetto and it is so well done. I can’t even put into words how good the vocals are in this song. It goes from high falsetto to something that sounds like Elton John to something entirely different. Seriously, everything about this song is utterly beautiful. Even the lyrics are touchingly insightful. If you are to check out any song on this album, check out this one. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Only To Live in your Memories: I loved this song as well. It had the airy vocals, like some of the songs at the beginning of the album, but the lyrics are so much more thought provoking and clear in this song. I can see why they saved this for last, because it truly made me feel something. “And I held on cause I feel love.”

This album was great. I may not listen to every song everyday, mostly because I like to sing along with what I am listening to and I had a hard time making out every lyric in some of the songs, but it definitely made me feel something, which is all you can ask for in an album. There were a few that I down right loved, but all of the songs on the album had something great about them, whether it be the impressive vocals or the fun instruments. If you like what you hear or just want to know more about the band you can follow them on Facebook and Spotify. If you want to see them in concert, their tour dates are on their website.

The post Album Review: “Pennied Days” by Night Moves appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Joe’s father waits patiently outside the rest stop. Once Joe comes out of the bathroom, they begin to walk. Joe doesn’t know where they are going and when she asks her father, he just moans and continues to walk. 

The sun cakes the blood of Joe’s first kill onto her skin, making Joe feel even dirtier than she had before. The gravel road they had been walking on turns to pavement making it easier for her to walk. She doesn’t feel tired and she isn’t hungry, even though they have been walking for a good twelve hours, but her mouth yearns for the taste of human flesh. She tries to think about something else, in hopes it will distract herself, but everything moves too slow in her now mushy brain.

As the sun sets, two black vans pull up beside her and her father. Before she can realize what is happening, a barbed wire net covers her face making movement impossible. She feels something sharp stab her neck. Her neck slowly goes numb, followed by her arms, then her chest, then the rest of her body. She falls unconscious right as she sees her father being stabbed just as she was.

Joe wakes up just like the morning before, laying on a cold cement floor. She still is unable to feel any part of her body except her head. Her head is pounding as hard as a butcher pounding a hunk of meat. She moans in displeasure and fights to move her body. After thirty minutes of squirming, she is able to feel her arms. She crawls aimlessly around the dark room, trying to find some leverage. When she finds the wall, she digs her nails into it and pushes herself to her feet. Once she gets up, a door swings open. Light floods in. Joe is so startled that she falls, back first, onto the cement floor. She feels the barbed wire net cover her face again. The net is used to pull her across the floor. The wire’s sharp edges dig into Joe’s face, making her bleed.

Joe is pulled to her feet. When her eyes adjust to the bright sun, she sees Benny standing a mere fifteen feet away. She suddenly remembers the burning in her throat. The craving of human flesh. Before she can stop herself, she charges at Benny. Arms flailing, mouth drooling, mind racing. Benny pulls out a gun and aims it at her forehead. He looks away and pulls the trigger. The bullet pierces Joe right between the eyes. She falls to the ground, the burning in her throat gone.

The post Adventures of Joe pt. 4 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“Ahhhhhhh,” Joe cries.

The light makes her feel like someone is stabbing her brain with needles. She feels hands grab her by her tattered shirt and lift her to her feet. When her eyes finally adjust to the brightness, she see’s her father holding her up. Suddenly she remembers what happened. Without even thinking about it, she throws her hands around him. Unlike before, he embraces her without ripping out her flesh.

“Am I…dead?” Joe asks.

“Yes, now you are one of us,” her dad says.

She follows her dad to the door. Everything seems to be moving slowly around her. Even her thoughts are moving slowly. He leads her into a ransacked rest stop at the end of the street. Other zombies are gathered there feeding on the defenseless store clerk. Joe sees the flesh being ripped off the man’s face and her mouth begins to water. Before she knows it, she has pounced on top of the man, shoving the others out of her way.

She sinks her teeth into his shoulder and feels the thick blood flow into her mouth. The taste speeds everything up. Suddenly it is as if she was still human. She feels a rush of adrenaline flow through her body, but unfortunately, it fades quickly.

Once she is finished, she gets up and walks back over to her father. She catches her reflection in the a mirror that is placed above the door. Her black hair is in untamed knots all over her head. Her skin, once the color of olives, now looks like the color of slushy snow on the highway. Her body is covered in dried blood and dirt. She is hunched over so much that you can make out her spine. Her clothes are tattered and worn. Her shirt, ripped at the neckline, exposing her milky shoulder. Her arms are turned in a way that makes her look like she doesn’t have any joints.  Then she sees her eyes, the once beautiful, green gems are now dark and foggy. When she used to look into them, she would see a sort of gleam or sparkle, now all she sees is emptiness.

Check out the first and second part of Joe’s adventure.

The post Adventures of Joe Pt. 3 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

During the discussion, the panelists talked about how technology is changing music and the industry. The industry is becoming less personal, partly because everything these days is online. It is definitely convenient to be able to find anything and everything on music sites, such as Soundcloud, but it is talking something away from the viewers experience. One of Johnson’s missions is to personalize the industry again. She helps manage bands and tries to make sure their relationship is less about the sales and more about the music and she is also trying to make sure that the band’s relationship with their fans is more of a friendship, and again, less about the money.

West explained that Soundcloud is trying to make listeners experience more “natural and perfect in the moment”. They are always tweaking their algorithm to make it better, make it so more the of the music that comes on their page is something they would actually want to listen to. Zax described his listen experience with Soundcloud’s competitior, Spotify. Spotify creates a weekly playlist of the songs they thing the view will like based on what they have listened to. Zax explained that most of the time, this playlist is spot on. That’s twenty-five out of thirty of the songs he knows and loves and the other five he hasn’t heard before, but he really likes them.

Moeller is also trying to make the listener experience more personal. He puts up live tracks of bands that aren’t as well known on his website. This gets them some publicity and, hopefully, more ticket sales. In his opinion, the only way you can really know if you love band is if you see them live. He wants the music he puts on his website to make people want to go see shows so they can get to feel more connected to the band and the music they are playing.

The music industry has received some bad press over the past few years, but with these panelist working hard to make it great again, we have nothing to worry about.

The post Mission Creek: Digitized: The Evolution of Music In the Age of Connection 4/8/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Garth Greenwell read a section from his novel, “What Belongs to You.” This novel is about the relationship between an American teacher and a Bulgarian man named Mitko. The teacher pays Mitko for sex, but as their relationship deepens, he begins to develop feelings for Mitko. The section he read was about one of the times they are romantic together and it gets pretty graphic, so if you are squeamish towards those things, this book probably isn’t for you. But the wording was beautiful and you could really feel the attachment the narrator had to Mitko.

Paul Lisicky, a recent Guggenheim Fellowship winner, read the first chapter of his memoir, “The Narrow Door”. This book is about two relationships, one with a woman named Denise who has cancer and the other with his husband, Em. The section he read was mostly about Denise’s cancer. It wasn’t in chronological order, which made it difficult to follow when it was read aloud. It was still interesting and well written, but definitely confusing.

The whole reading was wonderful. The atmosphere of the Prairie Lights was perfect for this performance or even reading a new novel, maybe Paul or Garth’s. The whole experience was breathtaking.

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Not Gonna– “Not Gonna” is very mellow. When I close my eyes when I’m listening to it, it feels like I am floating in the ocean, letting the waves move me.

It’s really a combination of the Lily and Madeleine’s voices and the piano and drums underneath that give this wave feel. The vibe of the song is mellow, but if you listen to the lyrics, it’s pretty deep. My favorite line from the song is:

“Keep it together. Don’t lose it like prom night.”

For the Weak– This song is a lot more upbeat than the previous one. That’s not the only difference it has though. The instruments are different, the beat is different, even the vocals are different. The sister’s voices sound happier in this song, which is funny because the song really isn’t a happy song.

From what I gathered, the song is about a relationship ending because of an affair.

“I just want you to tell me now, how this is going to go, cause I’m sick of losing sleep.”

Westfield – The way the song starts reminds me of the way “Wouldn’t it be Nice” by the Beach Boys begins. It leads in with an acoustic guitar strumming a few notes, then goes into the vocals. This acoustic guitar stays through out the song which I think gives the song a carefree song.

But like the first two songs, this is deceiving. It is about driving home with someone sitting in an awkward silence because neither of you want to address the issues you have. I really like how powerful Lily and Madeleine’s lyrics are. Their vocals make them good, but that combined with their thought provoking lyrics really makes them worth listening to.

Chicago – This song is about the “Windy City” as you probably gathered from the title. It is about the singer’s significant other coming to visit her in Chicago.

“Windy City lights are all I see tonight, and I’m blinded.” The sister’s harmonies are amazing in this song. The tempo is nice and slow which really lets you appreciate the vocals.

Hourglass – This song is absolutely beautiful. It has so many good things going for it. The vocals for one are flawless, both the harmonies and the solos.

Once you are done being distracted by the sister’s talent, you can pay attention to the lyrics: poetic and deep, but subtle enough that anyone can relate to it. Definitely one to check out.

“Rain falling hard and steady, don’t stop until I’m ready”

Hotel Pool– The beginning of this song starts off with a slow piano solo. After the first thirty seconds, the drums and guitar comes in, which picks it up.

The meaning of the song is pretty simple, just about her wanting to meet someone at “the hotel pool,” but the accompaniment as well as the harmonies the sisters provide really make you want to listen to the song a second time. “So meet me at the hotel pool and know it’s only me and you.”

Smoke Tricks– I don’t understand the name of this song, but that just reinforces it being Indie. The song begins with the sisters singing almost monotone. It gives it a futuristic feel that stays with it through out the song.

“I’m disconnected and frozen, just like the words that I’ve spoken. Rolling it up, no emotion.” It is a very different song from the others. They have cut out filler that the other songs have, so you have to focus on the vocals, which I think is a nice change from the rest of the album.

Midwest Kid– I really like the way this song starts. There is a song effect at the very beginning of the song that sounds as if a record is being put on or someone turning a radio.

“We know we won’t make it in the end. Keep talking about our life long friends. Do your best to forget about it.” The end of the song has some cool sound effects too. It almost sounds like the noises R2-D2 makes in Star Wars and then a page turning.

Small Talk – This song features a bumping electric guitar that really helps this song be upbeat.

“Don’t want to fall into a world with no water, ten stories tall.” The lyrics are great and so are the vocals, just like the rest of the album, but this song didn’t stick out to me as much as the others.

Nothing – This song starts off with birds singing which I actually love. I think some artists try to stick to music they can make, but they forget about the music that is already around them.

This is my favorite song on the album. The lyrics are pretty heart-wrenching, but I think that is what I like about it. It is real. It’s about how a girl feels when she sees her boyfriend with another girl.

“You knew the way to my heart better than I knew knew myself. Losing her to you was harder than anything else, Since you left I now know better and I finally see what you are to me. You’re nothing.” 

I really enjoyed this album. It wasn’t a chore like some albums are to listen to, it was fun. I could listen to it all day and not get sick of it. I love Lily and Madeleine’s vocals and their lyrics. They don’t have any super upbeat songs, most of the songs aren’t dancing songs, so if that is what you are looking for, you won’t find it here. But if you don’t mind it slow, I would recommend checking Keeping it Together out. If you like what you hear, you can check out Lily and Madeleine’s other albums on Spotify. If you want to learn more about them or see them in concert check out  their website and follow them on Facebook.

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