Published since 1915 by the students of Xavier University

 Sections
 Links

 Arts & Entertainment

Diving the friendly skies

Briana Hensen
Calendar City

I don’t want to die. Why, then, would I want to jump out of an airplane flying at 13, 800 feet?

The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind at 135 mph to be exact.

Skydiving is a wonderfully exhilarating, emotionally liberating and surprisingly safe activity. Now that I’ve done it, I truly believe people with even the slightest interest should experience it at least once in their lifetime.

My skydiving adventure took place last Saturday. I was so nervous and apprehensive that I did everything to cover my bases. I sent out a chain email to avoid bad luck. I sprinted through the Relay for Life displays because their ironic name added to my insecurities.

I convinced myself that the friendly man who smiled and waved at me while jogging past was actually God taunting me, saying in God’s own way, “Ha! You foolish girl, I’ll see you soon…Mwahaha!”

However, rather than my nervousness escalating as I got closer to the jump, I actually found my energy moving from scared to fired up and ready.
I jumped with a new organization called Start Skydiving, who operates in Lebanon, Ohio, a short drive north of Cincinnati.

Moments after arriving, friendly faces greeted us. Every person we spoke with immediately welcomed us and exuded immense passion for the sport of skydiving. Any questions we had about the jump, the equipment, the process, the people, the sport, the bathrooms…anything we could think to ask was quickly and thoroughly answered.

Most questions seemed to center around safety. That’s because the most common misconception about tandem skydiving is that it’s extremely dangerous and each time you jump you could be jumping to your death.

The truth of the matter is, at least at Start Skydiving, your partner will likely have tons of experience, but he or she still treats your jump as the thrilling, exhilarating experience it is also.

For those of you who think you’d be too scared to jump once you see the view from the open door, worry not. You’re so high up that your mind actually has no reference for just how high up you are. It’s hard to be scared because you feel like you’re looking at a map of Google Earth…and you’re slowly zooming in.

The people who work at Start Skydiving are some of the best athletes in their sport. It’s like you get to play basketball with Michael Jordan, but he makes it look like you’re sinking every shot. Rather than treating your skydiving experience like a carnival ride, they treat it like your first step to becoming a world-renowned jumper.

As you sit squished among individuals in full skydiving gear listening to pumped up club-style music giving each other hi-fives and exchanging excited smiles, you get to see the skydiving for what it is: a challenging, exhilarating and passion-filled sport. I could not have imagined better company or a more exciting first skydiving experience.

If you have even the slightest curiosity in skydiving, push yourself beyond your comfort zone. Instead of avoiding your fears you should face them head on. There’s no better day than today to begin taking advantage of the thrills this world has to offer. So sign up, strap in, let your inhibitions go and jump.

TOP OF PAGE

‘Vacancy’ thrills and fills

Brandy Williams
Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

The new movie “Vacancy” hit theatres Friday, April 22 and is already making waves as one of the most suspenseful horror films of the season.

The film begins with the young married couple, Amy (Kate Beckinsale, “Underworld: Evolution”) and David Fox (Luke Wilson, “My Super Ex-Girlfriend”), who are taking a road trip hoping to spend a romantic weekend together to rekindle their failing marriage.

After getting off of the interstate to take a short cut, David realizes that he is lost. His snappy wife, Amy, wakes up groggy from her sleeping pills just after David swerved attempting to miss a raccoon in time to discover that they are stranded on a desolate dark road.

The bickering couple decides to walk back to the gas station they passed earlier, rather than take their chances on anyone rescuing them on the deserted road.
They are forced to stay the night in the only motel around and attempt to get some sleep until the morning, trying to ignore the creepy motel manager and the outdated rooms. Little do they know, their night at the motel will be anything but restful.

After their boredom gets the best of them they discover some homemade videos on top of the televison.

The couple is surprised to learn that the videos contain footage of couples being murdered in the same room that they are in.

It doesn’t take long for the couple to realize that they are the stars of a soon-to-be real life horror film, when they are terrorized by three creepy masked men trying to make them their next victims.

I particularly enjoyed this movie because it was different from the traditional run-of-the-mill horror film. I was surprised that the characters did not do every possible stupid thing to get themselves caught and murdered. I found myself cheering the characters on, because they actually had brains.

The director, Nimrod Antal, did a great job creating this gripping film that kept the audience on the edge of their seats at times and their face buried behind their hands at others. The cinematography was excellent: the audience viewed much of the hotel scenes from behind the hidden cameras installed by the disturbed motel manager.

“Vacancy” is definitely a cut above the average horror film. The acting is of a professional caliber and the plot is pulled off well. The movie is rated R for brutal violence and terror, brief nudity and language. If you’re in for a scare, there is always a “Vacancy”.

TOP OF PAGE

Going too Grey

Emily Hoferer
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Has anybody noticed lately that the Thursday night mega-hit “Grey’s Anatomy” falls short of delivering its usual witty banter and creative medical storylines? Ever since George and Izzie slept together I have no desire to turn the TV on to ABC on Thursday nights. The world at Seattle Grace Hospital has gone from good, to mediocre, to bad and now to worse.

Creator Shonda Rhimes is a brilliant woman. She and her staff have written, fun, poignant and heartbreaking episodes that have captivated an entire country. They even have American “McLabeling” things. There is no doubt in my mind that “Grey’s Anatomy” could be even better than it was.

The previous two seasons were excellent; they had funny plots, great voiceovers by Meredith and Dr. McDreamy was still mysterious. The sex was steamy and intriguing; the dialogue was engaging and frequently found itself onto the away messages of teenage girls everywhere. Getting to know the characters was exciting. The medical stories drew eerie, yet wonderful parallels to what was going on in the personal lives of the doctors.

As the third season began however, I started to get a whiff of the stench that would soon be emitting from one of the most-watched shows on TV. First, there was that horrible love triangle with Meredith, McDreamy and McVet. None of us were stupid, we new Meredith was going to pick McDreamy. But they dragged it out for entirely too long.

Then George was mad at the world, and a cranky emo George is not fun. Then Izzie began to stress me out with the eight million dollar check on the fridge. The whole Bailey doubting herself thing was depressing — she is the best character on that show when she is in her “Nazi” element. But amongst all the foulness, I still enjoyed the story line with Dr. Burke and Christina, as I find Christina to be one of the most original characters ever written for television.

Then, more nonsense began: Addison started having eyes for Alex, which is disgusting. Then everyone started fighting for chief, which was stupid. While I did enjoy the episodes with the big boat accident, I was disturbed by Meredith trying to drown herself in a bath tub.

What were they thinking with almost killing Meredith? Not only was that epsidode trippy and pointless, we all knew Meredith would live somehow because the show isn’t called “Yang’s Anatomy.”

I do not find the story line with Alex and Jane Doe to be intriguing at all and I don’t think the sudden marriages are beneficial to the show. If anything, it has just made the once-innocent and good-hearted George a dirty rotten cheater. And why is Sloane still on this show? He needs to leave.

Despite harboring personal bitterness against the show, I will probably watch the season finale, just so I know what to look forward to next season. But next season better not be dripping with pathetic drama and horrible storylines. If it is, “Grey’s” will definitely be put in a black body bag and discarded in the “what could have been great TV” cemetery.

Bands rock for Darfur

Jeff McMurray
Feature Editor

You’ve heard of Woodstock, Coachella Festival and Bonnaroo. But now there is a new festival on the scene which rivals these three: Rock for Darfur. Rock for Darfur was held Monday, April 23 on Xavier’s greenspace stage. It was a full line up that rivals most of the summer’s festivals.

The lineup included headliners AM Elevator as well as Xavier students Mike Vulanich and Jake Tippy.

Plenty of students came out to support the cause, the musicians and of course, to enjoy the free pizza. Ben Clemons was the first musician to perform.
He played a nice mix of original songs plus covers of songs by bands O.A.R and Say Anything. It was a solid performance that set the mood for the rest of the evening.

After Clemons finished, Jacob Hiller and Billy Welty performed a set that included both original pieces and cover songs. Hiller, who helped plan and run the event, did a fantastic job performing with Welty, as they both displayed their guitar skills.

Following Hiller and Welty was the band that Clemons was most looking forward to hearing, Nate & Tippy. Nate & Tippy is a three man band with Nate & Tippy manning the guitars and a friend of theirs playing a hand drum.

Just like the previous bands, Nate & Tippy did a great job of keeping the crowd entertained and into the concert. After hearing their set, one would have to agree with Clemons when he said that they are one of the better Xavier student bands.

With the sun setting behind the Gallagher Student Center, the concert continued on with The Brian Kirk Band and Landen Falls performing original music. These performances led up to the headlining act, local band AM Elevator. The music of AM Elevator has been featured on MTV’s “The Real World” and “The Hills,” and has been heard on XM Radio. The band lived up to their hype and delivered a rocking performance that concluded the event.

All of the bands played extremely well, which lead to a “fantastic time and atmosphere,” said Clemons. Both he and the people who helped run the event were very pleased with the turnout as well as with the beautiful weather. It was a great time that helped raise awareness for a good cause.

There has been no word yet if this will become an annual event. With the turnout, weather and music all being as good as they were, there is no reason for concerts for causes to become a tradition.

TOP OF PAGE

Ryan Nemeth's Diary

 Briefs

Stephanie Metz 
Diversions Editor

Main Stage Show

Make sure that you do not miss the Xavier Player’s Workshop show at 7:30 p.m. April 26-29 in the GSC Theatre. The shows are witten, produced, acted, stage managed and directed by students. Ticket prices are only $3.

Late Night Feast

Got the late night munchies? Well, head over to the GSC at 11 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 in the GSC food court for a late night feast. Taco Bell, White Castle and P.R.C. will be on hand to satisfy your cravings. This event is free to XU students.

The Breakfast Club

Gallagher Student Center’s Classic College Movie series is presenting the teen movie “The Breakfats Club.” Take a glimpse into the days of your parents high school years and laugh at the tight leather jackets and big hair styles. The movie will be shown at 11 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 in the GSC Theatre and is free.

Dart Tournament

Do you have a mean dart throwing arm? Head over to Ryan’s Pub in the GSC to enter into the 1st Darts tournament. The Darts tournament will be held in Ryan’s Pub at 9 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 There will be great prizes.

Dorothy Day House Picnic

Join Campus Ministry and the Dorothy Day House for their closing picnic from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, April 30 at the Dorothy Day House. There will be great food and fun as they say goodbye to the graduating seniors. And of course it is free!