Mischief Monthly: October 2024

Happy spooky season! It’s a little shorter of an article this month as midterms and the guts of the semester hit, so we’re too tired to wrangle the cattle properly. Enjoy Sedona’s dino rant, and Sam’s suit shenanigans in the all brand-spanking-new edition, of Mischief Monthly.

Shelf & Screen

Riona

Time is short, but I thought I’d share a list of some of my most recently consumed media!

• Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama: Rewatch. Taking detailed notes on the plot structure, as it is masterfully crafted.

• Orb: on the Movements of the Earth by Uoto: Brand new show about the discovery of Heliocentric theory in 15th century Poland.

• Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson: A great take on the political fantasy genre! Manages to immerse the reader in a realistic setting without succumbing to the often-used tactic of grittification. Interesting discussions on religion and civil disobedience within the fantasy genre.

• Perfect Blue by Satoshi Kon: Psychological identity thriller. The primary influence behind the 2010 film Black Swan.

Sam

Tron: Legacy is a work of art.

Truly. There’s something new to be appreciated every single time I watch it. Firstly, it’s just a great story. A rebellious son is reunited with his genius father, thought to be dead for nearly thirty years, in a struggle to escape the corrupted world and the monsters he’s created. But it’s also a message of the double-edged sword of technology: ISOs like Quorra pop up as a good: “In there is the future!” Kevin Flynn enthusiastically preaches.

Daft Punk blows it away in the soundtrack. It’s a blend of cinematic elements, especially strings, showing the human, “user” element of the Grid. But the strings exist in a digital world, surrounded by enduring synths(programs) and chiptune reverberated drums(showing the depth of the Grid). It’s an excellent homage to the 80s, when the original Tron released, and that era of arcade, pixelated games it’s so well-known for.

Fourth, the film just looks good. There are so many CGI landscape shots that blow you away, something Joseph Kosinski(Top Gun: Maverick, writer for Twisters) is known for. Lighting plays such a key role, showing when a character is in danger or in a place of peace and tranquility. Darkness is prevalent on the Grid, so when Sam and Quorra escape, the light of the sun is blinding, and beautiful. It shows that Sam no longer has to live in fear of the darkness that took his father away, and that he’s no longer stumbling around-again, “in the dark”- he is ready to take control of ENCOM. On top of that, any filmmaker knows it’s incredibly difficult to shoot in darkness,so to have a whole film with minimal key/fill lighting is an impressive feat.

Yes, Jeff Bridges’ de-aging is rough at times. But it’s taken five or six rewatches, and half a semester of film studies, to notice that.

Recent Shenanigans

Sam

I have been struck with the learning bug.

It is a problem. Truly. College, especially a university in the classical sense, opens up so many avenues for education, and I literally have resources at my fingertips.

The issue with this, however, is that I might(and have been) trying to learn too much. I jump from Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire to Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, pausing to read my Latin textbook, before reading a page of Kip Thorne’s The Warped Side of Our Universe.

It’s a dilemma, since my grades suffer but I grow greatly intellectually. I’m not quite sure how to solve it.

On another note, actual “shenanigans” are increasing. Last week at the President’s Seminar, 10-12 guys showed up wearing full suits. It is unbelievably fun just doing something like that for no reason. This week, in celebration of Halloween, seven of us dressed up in banana costumes, threw a suit jacket and sunglasses on top and proceeded to move in synchronization around campus, taking photos It was beautiful and I’m sure it’s out there somewhere.

We also acted like Secret Service agents and had a ton of fun protecting a non-bananaed classmate, peering around corners, searching rooms, “preventing” asassination attempts…honestly I’m not sure why campus security didn’t stop us. Guess we were having too much fun.

The conclusion: “Work hard while you can, and play even harder.” -some wise guy

Side Notes

Sedona

Greetings my fellow humans! This time I come forth to deliver you information of upmost importance: dinosaurs. Or more specifically, my favorite guys, the utahraptor! They were so cool (and honestly terrifying)! Imagine the Jurassic park velociraptors (which btw were horrifyingly inaccurate) but with cool feathers. Like their namesake, utahraptors were discovered in Utah. What’s so neat about them were the 6inch sickle claws on their feet. They were also very intelligent and probably hunted in packs (clever girls).

Also, one more thing: the largest animal/living thing to ever fly was a giant pterosaur called Hatzegopteryx! Even bigger than the more well-known Quetzocoatlus, Hatzegopteryx could be as large as 39ft wide, more than a small plane! Wow! You’d be in the menu for them too, unfortunately. They had large skulls relative to their body size; their skulls (head and beak) were about 6 ft long. Easier to gobble you up with…

I suppose I am in a way glad they’re extinct. Pangaea was scary.

Campbell: #Freetime, and how to spend it

We’re aware of and apologize for the repost from yesterday. Our publishing software is tricky!

My last few months here have been hectic, but have also provided unique experiences I would not have been able to experience otherwise. My daily activities usually consist of study sessions in the library or climbing at the amazing CU rec center. During the weeknd, however, I have had my Colorado adventures. Ever had to helicopter your friend off a mountain? Climbed up boulders during the night to see the sunrise…on a random Wednesday before class? The best part about life at college is the free time, however you use it, and how it can benefit you as a person. Sometimes it’s nice to take a mental break, but the true life-giving experiences only come from using time well. For example, being a ‘yes’ person has allowed me to take risks for amazing experiences that have really made my college experience what it is. I would have never known how much I enjoyed climbing, for example, if I had said yes to a seemingly random offer to see the sunrise. Similarly, it has helped me to discover ways that I can incorporate healthy activities–attending clubs with Young Life, learning new physical skills like kayaking and climbing, and creating times for myself to be quiet and listen to God’s voice in my life. Sometimes life does get in the way, but I still find ways to make time for these things have become my priority of time so I can gain the most out of this underrated resource. 

Thanks for having a read. Until next time, remember: if you’re not causing a little trouble, are you even having fun?