Educational Endeavors
Happy New Year to all.
Back to the blog because I can finally breathe again. College apps are done (basically). I finished all the supplemental essays for everything due at the start of January. I was in my grindset over winter break. Going to the New York Public Library basically every day to finish the supps. Worth it so I didn't have to stress out over them on New Years Eve.
I didn't update the blog at all because I kept telling myself that I should be working on college apps instead of writing a silly little blog post. So please excuse my absence. I will be more consistent now that the nightmare is over.
On the Show Situation..
Since the start of the school year I haven't been going to many shows. Apologies. But it is due to the college application process, as per usual. But I am back, or, I am going to be back. I can allot myself more free time finally. YAY!
One slight temporary issue: my camera is broken again. The shutter broke. Again. Same thing that happened with the camera that I used at the garden. This time, only 9 photos were able to be taken and then the shutter broke so the rest of the 27 exposures were lost to the whims of the universe. I
- SOLUTION: I ordered a new camera literally yesterday. Hopefully it arrives before the January 6th Holiem show at the Meadows.
- I went to the most recent Metropole and Town show. I had to buy a disposable camera (I SPENT $21 ON IT KMS) to be able to take photos. Dispos make me want to kms every time I get the scans back. The photos are always off center and underexposed. I only took photos of Metropole and Town, soz to the other bands ig, but I wanted to take pictures of my buddies who I am comfortable taking photos of to ease myself back into taking photos.
- And developing the photos was another $20 because I went to this one place in lower Manhattan. I dropped them off on Friday and I'm getting them back on TUESDAY. Granted it's because it's the holidays, but it would be a two day turnaround regardless because they develop it the day after you bring it (maybe it's because I brought it at night) and then they scan it the day after that.
Camera Talk
I've started this google maps list of all the film developing places that I've been to and ones that I haven't been to. I want to go to every single one in NYC (that is available to the public) so I can note three things about their service: Price, Speed, and Quality.
(I am also adding places where I can only buy film, but only if the prices are reasonable.)
- Price: Lowest I've found so far is $10 (but slow turnaround) and most expensive is anything above $20.
- Speed: Fastest is same day, within the hour (but this usually sacrifices quality) and slowest is like 5 days. Actually the slowest was this one time it took like 2 weeks for a NYC lab... The ones in Greece are even slower, completely unreliable and usually horrible quality.
- Quality: This is the most subjective category because I myself and still learning about the differences in quality. Bad quality is usually that the colors look really weird or the contrast (for b&w) is low. Good quality is anything that it NOT bad quality.
COLLEGE
- Seeing 1/1/2024 on the corner of my computer screen is a crazy reminder that I'm going to be graduating this year. WHAT. Guys I'm a senior. WHAT. I'm going to be turning 18 in 3.7 months. WHAT. I keep reminding myself of these things and I can't believe it each time. Brigitte always makes fun of me for freaking out over it BUT I CAN'T HELP IT. I don't know why it's so strange to me, but it's so strange.
- I'm very excited for college. I know I'm going to get into a good school, maybe I'm manifesting it for myself as well. As I was doing college apps and doing research for each school for the Why Us? essays, I got so excited seeing the types of classes I can take in college. So many possibilities. I am so excited to learn all this stuff oh my god.
- I'm majoring in anthropology. But do NOT tell Ms. Fong, my anthropology teacher at Stuyvesant High School. Her class makes me dislike the subject. She is teaching solely biological anthropology. The class is one semester and the semester ends at the end of January and we are still talking about chimpanzees and primates and whatever. If I wanted to take a biology class in senior year I would have taken AP Bio. I WANT TO LEARN ABOUT SOCIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLGY I DON'T WANT TO HEAR MS. FONG TALKING ABOUT MOMMY AND DADDY MONKEYS.
- OH MY GOD I wanted to mention how I wrote a supplemental essay about graffiti. The prompt was "what brings you joy", I wrote some good smart stuff AND connected it back to the school at the end. GENIUS MODE. I liked that supplemental.
- I will not be discussing which colleges I applied to on my blog. If you are interested, text me or dm me. If you dm me do not expect an immediate response because I only log into Instagram on my laptop at home. If you text me I will definitely respond faster. If you want to text me and you don't have my phone number, dm me and I will give it to you.
- One day at school when I was going around telling everyone which school I early decision-ed to I got home and I had a horribleeeeee headache. My mom convinced me that I got evil-eyed. People praying on my downfall and that's why I got deferred (facepalm emoji).
MEDIA TIME
Movies
The only notable update to this is that I watched Poor Things, the new Yorgos Lanthimos movie. I. Loved. It. Read my letterboxd review: https://letterboxd.com/konstantuba/film/poor-things-2023/
Speaking of letterboxd reviews. I just got another like on my review of The Pizza Triangle, this one Italian movie from the 60s. Watch the movie because my review of "fuck marry kill the movie" is the most accurate review ever. I am proud of that review. It has 10 likes now! Whatttt.
I will be back on my movie watching grind now that I will have time after college apps. Yay!
Music
What have I been listening to recently? Good question.
Well this is the link to my current main playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5MRkd3qvKbyRbWFMBxyC70?si=20fd96b16b104239
Spotify is @konstantuba as per usual.
- But I also made this playlist 4 weeks ago of my current favorite songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1OkK2iT8prJ28iAN7Ok8HE?si=ea5e92fa9c224fd7
- I would say most of these still hold true.
I listened to the Leonard Cohen album "Songs From A Room" yesterday in my room AND half of the Crucifucks album "Our Will Be Done" on the train yesterday heading to a new years eve party.
Two days ago I listened to the Negative Approach compilation album "Total Recall"
- When I shared this news with Isaac he started excitedly going off about this album, how he has JUST learned the whole thing (on guitar???) and how he's like family friends with one of the guys (will call this guy Steve for simplicity's sake, I forgot his actual name)—how his brother used to go on playdates with the son of Steve and how he sees Steve riding his bike in his area sometime and Isaac says hi.
- I thought it was funny how I had JUST listened to the whole album and Isaac had JUST learned it. Funny coincidence.
Urban Waste and Reagan Youth are playing a show in Amityville (Long Island...) on January 6th. If there wasn't the Holiem show that day I would consider it. And tickets are cheap too, but it's long island... Can't go regardless, but it's unfortunate how I'm missing that opportunity.
Me and gang have been talking about starting a band. That would be fun/funny. Only time will tell if this idea comes into fruition.
Books
Have been reading a lot for school, also meaning catching up on reading. I have a pile of books on my desk right now that are a combination of being read and completed.
- Bottom of the pile is Oy Oy Oy Gevalt!: Jews and Punk, a book that Tali let me borrow for an assignment for my Jewish History class (shoutout Mr. Sandler). The assignment was to read a book relating to Jewish history and write a 2-3 page review. I finished the book a while ago, I got a 97 on the assignment (reasonable grade because it was not my best work), but I haven't gotten the chance to return it to Tali. Now that I will have more time we shall arrange this return.
- Above that is Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, the originator of the Bechdel test if any of you are familiar. This book has been in my possession since like October? September? My English teacher gave it to me after we had a meeting to discuss my personal statement (the big important college essay if anyone who is not familiar with the college process is reading, only 650 words max) and I mentioned how I saw that we were going to read Alison Bechdel in the syllabus and he let me borrow this book from the Stuyvesant English department storage room thing. I read (past tense) half of the book in one sitting and I haven't touched it since. It's a very fast read but I've been putting it off.
- Above that is The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson. We read (past tense, I hate this word) this book in English class, I plan to return it back to the classroom when I finish the last 10 pages I still haven't read. Y'know what, I'll just finish it right after I complete this blog post.
- I liked this book. I wish the in-class discussions were more substantive. Talk more about the queerness because there are a lot of interesting ideas brought up in this book.
- Discussing this book in class made me realize how different the average cishet person is from me. The ideas in this book are my reality, things that I've mulled over and struggled with for years. People in my class didn't even know what Queer meant. Crazy reality check of an English class.
- Finally, top of the pile is Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi. We read this in my Jewish History class, very engaging writing style, I liked the linguistic additives throughout the book. I finished reading this and will return it in school tomorrow.
I feel like I keep saying this, but now that college apps are over, I plan to read more of the books in my bookshelf. Time is of the essence.
Other Life Updates
- I trimmed my hair yesterday, it was getting very long. Coming into the new year with new hair. But the thing with washing my hair during the day is that it doesn't sit well. I always aim to wash my hair at night because when I sleep in it then it settles like normal. It was too light and fluffy yesterday, whatevs, it looks better this morning
- I don't talk about my lovey dovey life on the blog because that's too public. But I wanted to mention that there IS (finally) a new addition to this sector of my lil ol' life.
- I wanted to mention how I have had a list in my notes app since October 24th 2023 of things to do after college apps are done. The is as follows:
- goodwill bins
- (had plans to go to the bins with Mey over the break but I needed to finish college apps first... soz Mey)
- watch a movie at alamo
- (I watched Poor Things at the alamo drafthouse theater with Brigitte on December 19th. I needed a break from school stuff, it was a good choice I don't regret doing so)
- read a book
- watch movies in general
- thrift at urban jungle need some jackets
- (I still need some medium jackets, this holds true. I probably won't find good jackets at the bins, but I know I can find something at urban jungle (even though yes, it IS hipster central) because I bought my leather jacket from there like two years ago for $15 cuz it had some paint stains, nothing a little leather cleaner won't fix!)
- bake a cake and some cookies
- (I want to make some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies)
- chillax
- go to shows
- I've been the most productive I've even been these past few weeks. I think it's because I realized I cannot do work at home. Going to the library and doing work is soooo gooddddd. I get too distracted at home, but at the library I have no excuse to not be doing work. Every year I've always wished I was more productive because I have always procrastinated too much, but now I'm finally getting into a good work ethic which I'm definitely going to need for college.
On that note, I will leave you all be with this image of a Victorian taxidermy cat hat:
- "This particular craze is perhaps an extension of the overall fascination with taxidermy, and the ways in which the Victorians pushed creative boundaries with the controversial practice. Complete tableaux featuring dead bunnies studying in a library, for example, were all the rage, and giving the animals human characteristics after death – reading, having tea, playing croquet – was especially popular.
- However, it’s still not totally clear how or why this became super fashionable with upper-class Victorians. But apparently, donning a dead, stuffed animal on top of one’s head was considered the ultimate in haute couture. Birds were a popular choice, although the more adventurous types went with squirrels, mice, and kittens…which, when you think about it, is especially sad and awful in its own way."
- from the website https://scarestreet.com/most-disturbing-victorian-traditions/