Awkward Ave.
by Violet Finch
I felt as though I should take some time to address a few awkward scenarios along with my own personal techniques of how I attempt avoid these uncomfortable situations. Based on my history tainted with awkwardness, you can take these techniques for what they’re worth.
I shall begin with the common case: there is always that person you see on a regular weekly basis; perhaps it is at the gym or maybe at the coffee shop the same time every morning. You know them, but you don’t know them, and it is highly doubtful that you know their name (unless you have done some successful Facebook stalking).
So what do you do? Do you say “hi”? And if you do say “hi” one time does that mean that you eventually have to start making small talk with this person? Sometimes it is easy to tell if the person is going to be personable and a friendly hello is welcome, but there are those individuals who are so aloof and reserved that saying hello is almost worse than the uncomfortable silence.
I always have this dilemma because I don’t want to come off as harsh, but I also don’t want to infringe on someone’s personal space. There are those people that I see regularly and with whom I have never exchanged a hello and when we see each other outside of our common spot there is this shared awkwardness and uncertainty of what we should do.
In this situation, I find it is best to pull out your cell phone and start text messaging, scrolling through your contacts or whatever will keep you completely involved. It almost scares me how often I find myself maniacally text messaging to no one in particular so I can avoid eye contact or any sort of interaction with the other person because it is a constant reminder of how awkward I truly am. A worry of mine is that they will eventually figure me out since we see each other so often and I am always caught doing the same thing. It is best to change it up and maybe the next day have a copy of the Newswire handy. Always keep them guessing!
Then there are the people with whom you are acquaintances and sincerely enjoy their company, but they talk FOREVER, regardless of where you are, what you are doing or what you need to be doing. These people are the worst to encounter in the library, because all you want to do is get your work done and get out, but they come creeping up out of nowhere and expect a social hour at a second floor table. This is why it is crucial to constantly wear headphones, even if there isn’t music actually playing because it makes the standoffish attitude a lot less rude.
One of my favorite scenarios is in the car at a red light (and a long red light is even better). Many times I have been sitting in my car minding my own business when suddenly some bizarre person begins staring in my window, making me feel extremely uncomfortable. I mean maybe you can avoid the fact that someone’s eyes are penetrating through the glass, but I just can’t. My peripheral vision will not allow for that. So what can you do? There isn’t much that can be done when by law you are trapped next to this person and the only thing the separates you both is the glass of the car windows.
But what I like to do is this: I pretend to search intently for something in my car, usually in the foot region of my seat or over in the passenger’s seat. The only problem that may sometimes arise is the fact that you are not paying attention to the light change. Another good tactic is searching through my case of CDs hoping to find the perfect tune. I just act extremely indecisive and feverishly flip back and forth through the pages. Of course you can always pretend to be on your phone, but having a made up conversation just isn’t as fun.
These are just a few of the insignificant daily interactions that may cause you all the same turmoil they cause me and perhaps the fact that we share this awkward solidarity sets you all at ease.
XU’s Boller Bares His Soul
Katrina Sodaro
Staff Writer
Kevin Hoggatt.
Maybe you’ve had Steve Boller in one of your classes, thinking he was just the average Xavier freshman: a friendly, smiling face two or three desks away. It’s unlikely (though slightly possible) that you looked at him and said to yourself, “I have a sneaking suspicion that he is a very talented musician and songwriter. I just have this feeling that he has more than one CD and he has a dedicated fan base on MySpace.”
Well, if you did think that, it turns out you were right.
From the Indianapolis area, Boller finished his latest EP, “Leave It All Behind,” shortly before coming to Xavier. This album is chock-full of sunny beats mixed with poignant lyrics of wishful thinking and existential questioning. He wrote all of these songs during his senior year of high school and sings them with a voice that’s confident and warm. His three major influences, Ben Folds, Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson, can be traced throughout Boller’s music in his guitar style, but he has his own unique style lyrically.
The infectiously catchy opening track, “Sitting on an Island,” exemplifies what he calls “juxtaposing mood against melody.” The melody itself is reminiscent of a popsicle during a nice day at the beach, complete with the sound of flapping flip flops. Despite the brightness of the melody, the song is about that feeling of letting a good lady get away and that awkwardness of knowing when to make a move in dating (as discussed in previous editions of the Newswire).
The second song, “Can’t Wait To Find Someone” follows up with more finger-snappingly good grooves and lyrics that look forward to a future with the right person. Boller creatively expresses this hope for a happy ending in the chorus of “Taking Numbers, Getting Names,” “Til Cupid aims his bow at me/ and makes my regrets history/Until then I will play the game/ of taking numbers, getting names.”
The CD also features more serious themes in “Reality” and “All the Same,” which explore confusion and the challenges presented by growing up in our culture. Boller exposes his soul in these cuts, examining the heartbreaks of unfulfilled ambition and disappointments in friendships with some lovely piano work.
“Leave It All Behind” is definitely worth a listen and has a high potential of brightening your day. The album left me singing along and looking forward to what Boller will be writing during his time at Xavier. He has yet to assemble a band here in Cincinnati and is eager to work with Xavier’s fine musicians. Boller has found the Xavier community very receptive to his work and hopes to perform more often at the university. Feel free to join his fan group on Facebook or visit his music sites: www.steveboller.com and www.myspace.com/steveboller.
Some noodles for your company
Katrina Sodaro
Staff Writer
I visited Noodles and Company’s new location in Hyde Park to find friendly service, a comfortable atmosphere and delicious food. Yes, it’s a fast-food chain, but it belongs in the same category as Chipotle and Panera; all are uber-hip and have higher-quality food that is relatively cheap.
Founded in 1995 in Boulder, Colo., Noodles and Company seeks to bring the freshest and most wholesome ingredients onto your plate in the form of noodle dishes, salads and soups. They’re not kidding when they say fresh. I spoke with Tracy Gray, manager of the Hyde Park location, who said, “We get a produce delivery daily and do our prep time before shifts start.” She also informed me that there are no freezers or microwaves at Noodles and Company, further guaranteeing that what you order is prepared on the spot from items that they have received that very day.
Upon entering, I was greeted by a personable cashier who gave me suggestions of his menu favorites. It was a tough battle glancing over the menu: Thai curry soup, penne rosa (a spicy Italian dish), Wisconsin mac and cheese, Bangkok curry or tomato basil bisque? Freezing in the headlights of all these choices, I ended up with the cashier’s favorites, getting a “Trio” of pad thai, caesar salad and seared chicken breast, which with a drink came to about $8.50.
I was quite satisfied with what I chose. The salad was not swimming in dressing, the chicken was tender and not hyper-seasoned, and the pad thai had the sweet flavor typical of the dish mixed with a bit of a smoky, lo mein-esque undertone.
Elaine Reynolds, already a regular patron of the two week old location, said “The food is delicious and I love the variety. They give plenty of options for me as a vegetarian.” That’s right, for all you vegetarians, Noodles has your back. Additions to meals include extra vegetables, organic tofu, different cheeses, and for the meat-lovers they have beef, chicken and shrimp.
There is definitely something for every taste. And don’t worry, their nutrition facts aren’t nearly as frightening as those of Chipotle.
So go ahead and be sucked in by their trendy, 1960s-meets-tiki-hut decor. If you’re like me, you’ll end up with a clean plate and nothing to put in the adorable Chinese takeout-inspired to-go boxes.
Location: 3707 Isabella Ave., near Hyde Park Kroger
Menu: Asian, Mediterranean, and American noodles, soups, and salads
Price Range: $4-$10
Overall Rating: 3 ½ stars of 4 for good service and tasty eats
Writers still on strike, big wigs won’t budge
Brandy Williams
Associate Arts & Entertainment Editor
Students are in danger of losing quality scripted television for a long time. The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since Nov.1 when their WGA contact expired. Producers were hoping that writers would continue to work without a contract as a sign of goodwill until another could be decided on; however, the script writers are not feeling generous and are proving to producers that scripted TV can not go on without them.
For the rest of us TV junkies, that means many of our beloved nighttime drama and talks shows will be repeats or off the air until a new contract can be decided on. Most primetime dramas and comedies are filmed four to six episodes ahead of air dates, which is why some of us have not noticed any disruption in our normal television viewing. But once those already produced episodes run out, we will be watching them again and again.
There is fear that producers are thinking about replacing the dramas with reality shows. Reality TV shows are usually written by professional writers, but they are not under WGA contract, so networks may dump a ton of mind-numbing reality on us very soon. For networks like Fox who have hit shows like “American Idol,” the reality switch won’t affect them too much, stations like NBC will be forced to run “Bionic Woman” against the “American Idol” results show. Non-reality TV shows will suffer in ratings.
With the number of episodes many programs have already filmed, in conjunction with a few repeats, our favorite shows may carry us into mid-January at best.
ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy” have shut down production with only nine and 11 out of 22 episodes completed, respectively. NBC’s “Heros” has shut down production with 11 of 24 episodes complete and “The Office” with nine of 30 episodes completed.
Fox’s “Back To You” has shut down production with nine of 24, “Til’ Death” with 11 of 22 and “K-ville” with 10 of 13 episodes complete.
While many other favorite shows are in the middle of their season, they have not yet been given orders as to whether they will finish the season or stop production.
Stephanie Metz
Diversions Editor
“Snow Queen”
The Xavier Players are expanding their horizons for their perfromances of “Snow Queen” this weekend. Brought to Xavier by the famous European puppeteer Irini Lewandoski. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6-9 and at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the GSC Theatre. Tickets are $5 for students, faculty and staff and $15 general admission.
Darfur Awareness Week
Finish off the Darfur Awareness Week with a movie on the issue at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6 in Albers 103. There will be free Chipotle, Panera and pizza. All are welcome!
GSC Late Night Movie
The comedy “Good Luck Chuck” will be featured at the GSC Late Night Movie at 11 p.m. from Thursday, Dec. 6-8 in the GSC Theater. This event is free to all XU students.
XU at the zoo
Enjoy the “Festival of Lights” at the Cincinnati Zoo with XU. The event takes place from 5-9 p.m.on Friday, Dec. 7. Tickets are $5 and will be sold in the SAC office and at the GSC. Students must ride the bus to and from the Zoo.
Ice skating trip
Love ice skating? SAC is sponsoring an ice skating trip at Fountain Square from 8-11 p.m. on Saturday, Dec.8. The bus will leave from Bellarmine Circle at 8 and 9 p.m. and will return at 10 and 11 p.m. The event admission is free, but the skate rentals fee is $2 per person. Seats are limited so arrive early.
Shabbat dinner
Enjoy the liturgy, spirit and celebration of the Jewish Shabbat at 5 p.m on Friday, Dec. 7 in the Clock Tower Lounge. There will also be a free dinner served at 6 p.m. in the GSC Atrium.
