Notebook: Garamba National Park

Garamba National Park

By Blake Tan

Twenty-two dead elephants,
including several very young ones,
clumped together
on the open savanna,
many killed by a single
bullet to the top of the head.

A field of massive bones –
ribcages, skulls, meter-long femurs –
a testament to the slaughter.

Notebook: My Red Lady

My Red Lady

By Blake Tan

It’s amazing how much things can change.
Nights I used to wake up in torment, you hanging over me,
a spirit conjured up by my sleep,
white, cold fingers wrapped around my heart,
crushing and squeezing until it fought no more.
I couldn’t let myself heal over. No one else to fit
the wound in my breast, to staunch the bleeding.
All I’d see was your face superimposed over theirs,
golden, brown, or black hair – it didn’t matter –
you were always there. Half a hundred girls
all wearing your face.

Ukulele Songs for Nerds

You may not know this about me, but I am something of a ukulele enthusiast. I've always been interested in the instrument. It's like a guitar, but little and cuter! So, last year I was perusing the local stores in Athens when I came upon a little place called the The Tone Zone where I found a series of ukuleles hanging on the wall in the brightest and coolest colors you could conceive. I immediately purchased one (I named her Lady Violet) and have since slowly plucked my way to learning how to play.

I would like to emphasize that I've had no formal training whatsoever, other than what videos and "how-to's" I could find on the Internet. So, if I sound really bad, please give me the benefit of the doubt.

I practice and play whenever I can and have learned a few songs. However, I'm proudest of discovering the chords of songs from Skyrim and Game of Thrones, which I posted to Facebook and now would like to include here, below. Please tell me what you think!

Impressions: Moon Breakers

When you watch Star Wars, do you clap your hands like a giddy toddler when Red Squadron forms up for their assault on the Death Star? Do you want to be Tom Cruise in Top Gun, shooting down enemy fliers like the ace pilot you always knew you were? Yes? Then, Moon Breakers may be just the game for you -- it's space dogfighting at its funnest, and it's really not that difficult to learn.

Notebook: Summertime

You may recognize this poem, or at least parts of it, because it's been posted here before. But this is the most recent draft. All poetry is in a constant state of revision; there is never a final state. That's what I actually love most about the medium. If you want to compare it with the earlier draft, here is the link.

Summertime

By Blake Tan

I loved this girl in the summertime
and I remember hearing Simon & Garfunkel,
crooning “Bookends” over my car radio,
while I held her hand as she cried.
I tried to comfort her, but like that memorable May day
(when she wouldn’t tell me
how much she hated my friends)
she kept the trouble to herself –
always mysterious, always unknowable.
The odd, warm raindrops blotting my shoulder
the only proof that there was Trouble.

Fest Season Proves Important for Court Street Businesses

Kyle Newport

Eric Sagonowsky

Court Street in the afternoon is nowhere near as busy compared to a fest weekend.

A spring day in Athens, Ohio: the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and students are breaking out the kegs for the fest season. From High Street to Mill Street, these block parties dominate the Ohio University social scene, to the displeasure of city and university officials. However, these fests also mean booming business for local restaurants and bars along Court Street and uptown.

Brenen’s employee Kayleigh Brickman said fest weekend involve a lot of preparation.

“You start with double veggies and getting everything extra, extra ready,” she said, “and two water coolers.”

Notebook: Lightning Bugs

It's finals week down here in Athens, and I'm already halfway done. When I got back from my Ancient Rome exam tonight though, there was still something sitting with me, some words floating around in the soup, a few lines I had tucked away for remembering. So, I sat down with my notebook and about three hours later, here's what I got. I'd love to hear some responses!

Lightning Bugs

By Blake Tan

The night heavy with moisture,
the air thick with fireflies,
they flicker and flit, alighting
upon the razor tips of fresh-cut grass
like dim candles ensconced in foggy glass.