Tag: spring

Study Hal: Week 43 – Celebration Time

Leila Mullison 2 Comments

Well friends, this is it! The final episode of Study Hal. On May 1st, Hal and I graduated! It looked like a beautiful day, so Hal tried to watch the ceremony outside (like he would have if he were at the Big House). Unfortunately, he ran into some familiar problems… I guess it’s nice to know that even when everything seems up in the air, there are constants that carry on.

I want to personally thank you for watching the Study Hal series. I started making these videos very nearly a year ago. It started as a fun way to engage with the arts and my school while challenging my creativity. Now, Hal and his world hold a very special place in my heart. Of course, Hal and I will keep in touch, but that sort of thing is always different after graduation.

If you’re new here, you hopped on just in time for the end! Hal is a U-M graduate with a degree in electrical engineering, but he worked and studied from home this past academic year! You can find the rest of the videos on the Study Hal tag. I am also a U-M graduate, but with a degree in art and design. If you’d like to keep up with me, you can find me on Instagram @lrmull!

the rose vine – “Bronze Sunrise”

Ezra Rose (she/ they) Leave a comment

“Bronze Sunrise”

Light permeates the room through the blinds on my bedroom window.

Warmth kisses my skin for the first time in what feels like months.

Though I am still exhausted something feels different today.

The weights placed on my body now lifted, though my bones

still ache from the ghost of their presence.

 

I sit up in bed, a seemingly simple task transformed

from impossible to merely extremely difficult.

Minute steps forward after weeks of falling back

seem odd to celebrate, but I need a victory.

They clap from the stands when the injured limps off the field.

Study Hal: Week 37 – False Spring

Leila Mullison Leave a comment

Okay, this week we planned on making a joke this week that it’s still too cold to go outside. But when Hal went to check, he discovered it was a balmy 57 ºF. At that point, the goof was dead. Who cares if there’s snow on the ground and only a couple plants are growing? If it’s warm enough for the snowdrops to bloom, it’s warm enough for Hal to sit in his favorite chair.

Hal has been so excited for spring. It’s his favorite season, and with all his classes online, having time outside is a real mental health boost. Michigan weather has a way of lulling you into a false sense of security, though. I have a feeling there are still several 40º days ahead, but I don’t have the heart to mention that to Hal…

If you’re new here, welcome in! Hal is a senior studying remotely from his hometown in Michigan. He’s back every Tuesday, but if you want more you can always check out the Study Hal tag!

Spring Playlist

jushutch Leave a comment

Spring is the best time for a fresh start, whether it be cleaning, changing your attitude, or starting a new music playlist. As a result, I’ve been exploring a variety of music recently, in order to change up my playlist and fall in love with something new. I’ve found a lot of great music in my search, and a couple artists and songs that have especially stuck out, and I want to share them and discuss what makes each one unique and why they’ve been added to my spring playlist.

classic j dies and goes to hell part 1

Image result for glass beach album cover

The opening track on the album the first glass beach album, by the band glass beach, is bold, exciting, and surprisingly catchy. Although the album title, song name, and lack of capitalization all drive me a little insane, I think it provides a good expectation of what the album sounds like; it’s unconventional, a little tongue-in-cheek, and generally fun, since it doesn’t take itself too seriously. This song is my favorite (although glass beach is a close second) due to it’s dynamic range, both in style and instrumentation, switching between jazzy and soulful to chaotic and over-the-top. The drummer doesn’t hold back, often overpowering the song and creating a destructive yet genuine atmosphere, reminiscent of a punk 90’s garage band. The unique style and presentation give the song an endearing quality, making it a great candidate for my spring playlist.

Alone, Omen 3

Image result for man alive king krule album cover

From the recently released project called Man Alive! by King Krule, Alone, Omen 3 stands in stark contrast to glass beach: it’s melancholic, haunting, and subtle. It features fairly simple instrumentation, but with a great rhythm and surprising dynamics, accentuated by amazing sound effects and sound design. The lead singer has a quiet and casual tone, but one that draws your attention and demands a close listen. Although it’s hard to tell if there is a lot of lyrical substance, there is definitely an incredible atmosphere and feeling conveyed throughout the song, which makes is a great listen that doesn’t get old. The entire album is incredible, and I’d love to write a post about it after I spend more time with it.

 

 

Spring Cleaning

Jordan Brown Leave a comment

With the weather becoming warmer, more people are ready for spring and have begun wearing there spring clothes even though it is still 30 degrees outside.  Most people think of spring as a new beginning. It’s when the flowers bloom and the birds come back and the trees regrow their leaves. It is also when most people decide to clean.

Spring cleaning is very common, most people want to declutter their houses and their things when the weather gets nicer because they have a boost of energy from actually being able to go outside again.  I also enjoy spring cleaning, particularly the part where I go through all of my things and get rid of the things that I no longer need. But I always have issues with this. How do I know that I don’t things anymore?  What if a situation pops up where I need this stapler that I have not used in over 9 months? I have begun looking online for tips about how to go through your things to decide what to keep and what to give away.

The most popular thing to clean out is your closet.  You have to go through it anyways to put all of your sweaters and winter clothes in a bin and then to take back out your tank tops and shorts.  But it can be hard to decide what clothes to keep or not. I have a lot of clothes that I never seem to wear but I have to keep them just in case a special occasion arises where I need them.  The best strategy that I have seen when deciding what clothes to keep and what ones to give away is to turn all of your hangers in one direction, and when you where that item of clothing switch the direction of the hanger.  This way after a certain amount of time (the time frame I saw was 4 months) you can see if there are any clothes that you have not worn at all. If you haven’t worn a shirt in 4 months, that generally means that you do not need it anymore.  While this method takes a while and might not entirely count as spring cleaning, I think that it is the most effective way to clean out your closet.

When deciding what items to keep that are not clothes, it could get a little trickier.  I have several boxes of things that I never open but I can’t get myself to get rid of them.  The most helpful things that I have found to do are similar to what you do with clothes. As you are going through things you ask yourself when the last time you used it was, and if it has been a long time then get rid of it.  Some things that are small you might be able to get rid of and on that weird occasion that you need it you can ask a friend because chances are that they will have one laying around somewhere.

Spring cleaning, while it might not be the most fun, always makes you feel better once you’ve done it.  Your house and closet looks less cluttered, and you feel less cluttered and more refreshed.

The Calling of the Bees

Jordan Brown Leave a comment

It has become common knowledge that bees are dying.  I have seen many stickers, read many articles, and heard many people discussing this topic.  If bees go extinct then the way that we live our lives will drastically change. This is a problem that most people do not know what to do about to fix it.  Most people are also scared of bees, and run away when they see one, or they are generally not too happy about interacting with them.

I have spent some time on a Bee farm in Ecuador.  The farm was called Bee Farm Ecuador, and there was one family that kept all of the bees.  The head beekeeper, Gabby, was telling me about what the bees want. She says that a couple of years ago she realized that she could talk to the bees, or at least that she could understand them.  I know that this sounds crazy, but she says that there is a beekeeping community around beekeepers who are able to talk with bees. She says that the best way to save the bees is to invite them into our lives.  Every morning she does yoga with the bees, and she will put healing crystals around the beehives that she has made for them.

Gabby believes in somethings called “the calling of the bees”, this means that bees come to you if they think that you need them for some reason.  She says that the bees come and bring their strong feminine energy and the presence of them will help your life in some way. While I do agree that at first this sounded ridiculous, being around her and the bees I quickly realized that I was not scared of the bees while thinking with the mentality of “the calling of the bees”.  It didn’t matter if I believed that the bees were there to help my life or not, by me telling myself that they were I was not afraid of them when they flew by me and I heard there buzzing all around.

I think that the best way for people to start to help and solving this disappearance of the bees is to first stop being afraid of them.  And having “the calling of the bees” mentality is an easy way to do this.