The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/27737
College Boy Sam Spokony Believe in spring Each year as the seasons turn, I feel as if I am experiencing that change for the very first time. The sensation is expressed in a special sort of unpreparedness. I realize too late in the afternoon that I should have left my warm jacket on the hook at home, and begin to sweat and itch. I drive my car a short distance into town, and feel ashamed as I pass joyful pedestrians enjoying the fresh spill of sun as it lifts their every floating stride. I am always trapped too deeply in my own routines to notice the moment when, like an old friend forgetting a grudge, the air becomes friendly again. But then I remember; the things I lose sleep over, the work that I feel gives my waking hours some iota of meaning, are really only distractions. John Burroughs, the great naturalist and es- I am always trapped too deeply in my own routines to notice the moment when, like an old friend forgetting a grudge, the air becomes friendly again. sayist, tells us this: “The les- son which life constantly repeats is to ‘look under your feet.’ You are always nearer to the divine and the true sources of your power than you think. The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars. Every place is the center of the world.” Did you wake up this morning and perceive the light of spring as it settled on your face? Or were you thinking about your tasks, your frustrations, yourself? I often worry about how I can reconcile an instinctual urge to appreciate the natural world with one, as a writer and reporter, to document the human interactions that take place within it. This persona is passive, that one is active; this eye is for the panorama, that one is for the detail of manufacture. But we do not have to lose our sense of the Earth’s romantic elements just because we lead structured human lives, you and I. We should lend an ear to Burroughs, who, even as the first Ford Model Ts permeated the na- tion, walked everywhere because he saw no reason not to, because it felt right. As the season turns, walk into it, as slowly as you can. Move so slowly that you can see the pond’s ice melting, soft, pocked and sparkling at its shallow edges. Balance your clock-oriented schedule with things that are timeless. Grow something green, listen to the birds that nest in your yard’s tired old tree, or explore a simple piece of nature that you may once have carelessly stepped on in haste. I cannot offer advice as to what is divine in the sense of some concrete deification, but I have experienced the feeling of divinity. It happens when, after a long day of tiresome societal exertion, I step off the moving train that is my life and sit quietly in the sta- tion. As the thick black smoke of the engine subsides, and as the other passengers chat and fidget while they ride home to family or comfort, I let my ambitions and routines fall away. I find that they settle in the twine of a newly budding bush, and I feel the sun, and I remember. So look under your feet. Find that center of the world, even if you only have a moment, because it existed before your birth and it will surely outlive you. It is nice to believe in yourself, but, as I once heard in a sweet, old tune, you must believe in spring. Sam Spokony is a junior majoring in music industry and English at SUNY Oneonta. He can be reached at spoksm03@suny.oneonta. edu. College Girl Jennifer Tighe Hi, my name is Jennie, and I’m addicted to TV. Pretty much any show is worthy of feed- ing my obsession — from “House” to “Pretty Little Liars,” I love it all. I probably spend more time in one day in front of my computer watching Hulu than any normal human being does over the course of an entire year. My flavor-of-the-week right now is “The Bachelor.” Honestly, it’s pretty much the weirdest concept ever for a TV show. I mean, you just find 30 random girls, some random Put me in a room with 30 random, sexy men and you can bet your ass I’ll marry and divorce at least three of them. guy, exotic loca- tions and throw it all together for a wild, raunchy, dramatic time. I mean, really? What are the odds you’re going to find the love of your life out of 30 random women that you didn’t even pick? Then again, put me in a room with 30 random, sexy men and you can bet your ass I’ll marry and divorce at least three of them. My favorite part of “The Bachelor” is the first episode. I love to watch the girls get introduced because everybody knows who’s going to make it to the top 10 and who doesn’t have a chance. I wish they would just tell all the uggos and the crazies to go home immediately, but at the same time, they’re what draw me into the show. Speaking of crazy, I’m watching the most recent season (which wrapped up March 14) right now online, and wow, these girls are running right off the deep end. Sharp-faced hair stylist and single mom Michelle is abso- lutely certifiable. Stage-five clinger, much? I’m only up to episode six, but she needs to pack her bags and go. Life-size Barbie doll Emily carries the baggage of her deceased fiance/father of her child Emily (and ends up “winning” the bachelor’s “heart”). “Runner-up” secretary Chantal is a walking PSA for why not to wear cheap dresses on TV. The Bachelor, Brad, is a repeater. He had 30 beautiful women to pick from the first time and his ego was so big that he couldn’t make a decision on one. Get over yourself, bud — you’re really not that special. The real question is, who wants to go on a one-on-one date with me? I promise we’ll do something really interesting like sit on the couch and watch TV. You might even get a rose, and by that I mean I might share my Cheez Doodles with you. Romantic, I know. Jennifer Tighe is a senior majoring in Eng- lish at SUNY Oneonta. She can be reached at tighjj53@suny.oneonta.edu. Do you want to write feature stories and/or reviews for the Scene? E-mail a resume and writing samples to Cassandra at otownscene.com March 24, 2011 O-Town Scene 5