MANGA MONDAYS | All Aboard the Hype Train: Fall 2015

By MICHAEL MAUER

Prelims are here, but so is the fall anime season! For a while I was wondering if I should actually post this during prelim season because I might distract some of my fellow nerds from studying. However, I felt like the only logical thing to do was to discuss first episodes that are already starting to drop. I also quickly realized that there’s probably not much risk of distracting too many people with this season. The main thing I see is sequels to other shows – which is a great thing, don’t get me wrong.

WATCH ME IF YOU CAN | Films for Fall

By MARINA CAITLIN WATTS

Leaves are starting to change color, breezes will soon feel bone-chilling as opposed to refreshing and everyone will shift from iced coffee to the hot variety. As autumn starts to consume our final summer days, here are a few films you can curl up to, especially with a cup of tea when it’s too rainy to go anywhere. And if you’re not overwhelmed by prelims.

DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989): *gross sobs over Robin Williams* A film that takes place in New England, what could be more perfect? Probably a film that takes place in Ithaca. Nonetheless, the cinematography captures the beauty of the fall.

CHANDLER | A Résumé Life

By SARAH CHANDLER

Rarely before college and certainly never before high school did I ever hear the term “résumé builder.” I can’t remember exactly, but I think a time might have existed long ago in which I wasn’t preoccupied with the “marketability” of each and every one of my actions (blogging for a school newspaper, attending Cornell, breathing, et cetera). It’s one of those things that you look back upon bemusedly, unable to pinpoint the precise instant at which your existence ceased to be your life and became your résumé. Even if you could pinpoint it, that would hardly be a résumé-worthy skill. Thankfully, from adolescence onward, many of us are privileged enough to be thrust headfirst into an environment that essentially functions on the building of résumé builders. We are entreated enthusiastically to follow our passions, especially if they fall under the umbrella of an already-established sector of society.

DENG | Why I Draw

By SOPHIA DENG

Wrinkled paper is a huge pet peeve of mine. In all other aspects, I am not that nitpicky. But once I start drawing, I become almost obsessively detail-oriented. Even the smallest crumple on the edges of the paper will drive me insane. It seems excessive, but this kind of focus is central to my work.

AUDACIOUS | From Aztec to Cornellian

By SUTHESHNA MANI

During my second year at San Diego State University, I applied to Cornell. I can’t really explain why or how I came to this decision, but I clicked the name on my Common Application, filled it out … and now I’m here. I was a San Diego girl going to San Diego State — the obvious choice was to stay close to home, but I had this inkling that San Diego with all of its perfect weather, beautiful beaches, faces and glamour just wasn’t the place for me to be for the rest of my life. I felt that I cast a small net when I applied to colleges in high school, and now this window of opportunity was open for me to jump through and explore the foreign terrain of another school in another city — no matter how excruciatingly cold it is. I can’t even deal with the rain here, so I don’t know how I am going to deal with the snow.

GUEST BLOG | PostSecret: What Is It?

By MADELEINE GALVIN

To kick off Mental Health Awareness Week, which takes place in the middle of next month, Frank Warren is visiting Cornell to speak about his movement: PostSecret. For all of those who are unaware (as I was just a few short weeks ago), Warren started this project in 2005 as a community mail art project. He gave people his address and asked for strangers to decorate postcards and send him completely anonymous secrets. He received way more than he could ever imagined; from confessions of sexual misconduct to illegal behaviors, his project was gaining word on the street. This led to the development of what is now known as PostSecret, an extremely famous website that posts pictures of the postcards that are sent in from all over the world, containing people’s heartfelt secrets.

OF WORDS AND WILL | I’m Just a Manuscript: Part Two

By ALI JENKINS

“Nothing stinks like a pile of unpublished writing.” -Sylvia Plath

This week I’m continuing my overview of the book publishing industry. If you missed the beginning of the list, check out my last post. Today I’m focusing on interns and agents within a literary agency and leaving the rest of the process for later posts so I can give it the space it deserves. But for now, read below to find out what happens to your manuscript within a literary agency! 7.

BARHYDT | The Cost of Perfectionism

By JORDAN BARHYDT

I was having some trouble coming up with a topic for my blog this week, but then it dawned on me that spending too much time making decisions like this is the biggest obstacle in the way of my creative process. It’s cheesy to start a post like this, I know, but it’s true. I spend a lot of time shooting for perfection in my writing, in my songs, in my life. I love writing songs. What I mean is that I love writing bits of songs.

MUKHERJEE | The Art of Battling Homesickness

By CHANDREYEE MUKHERJEE

I don’t know about you, but I have definitely felt bouts of homesickness hit me in the face as I walk from class to class listening to music or while I study in one of the many libraries on campus. As my honeymoon phase at Cornell ends and the true pressure builds up, I’ve slowly but surely begun to remember the little things I used to take for granted back home — how the sunlight lit up my pale peach bedroom or the way I lounged on the chairs on my balcony on a sunny wintry morning with a blanket wrapped around me. It’s a strange sensation to describe, you see. I love being here and soaking in the atmosphere, yet at the same time, I do miss being around my family and not having to search for an area with good reception to be able to call home. So this week, I decided to come up with a list of things to do when I find my mind wandering towards thoughts of home and I thought I’d share it with all of you.

MARY’S MUSINGS | Why I Blamed Myself

By MARY BURGETT

Let’s talk about blame. It sounds awful to say that I blamed myself for being sexually assaulted, but I did. No matter how often my friends and family told me it was not my fault, I couldn’t believe it. I felt that since he didn’t hit me, it wasn’t assault. I felt that since we didn’t have vaginal sex, it wasn’t assault. I felt that since I just froze and didn’t fight or flee, it wasn’t assault. I had myself convinced that it was me — that it was all my fault. In my mind it “wasn’t that bad,” so I couldn’t say it was assault.

I didn’t want to press charges because I told myself I must have been asking for something to happen. I must have done something to encourage him.