The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/31966
College Guy Prongs Later, I took a second breath. One for the start, a grace note, one for the end, a ritard (en retard). It is “Opus 3 No. 6: Colors of Seasons” and was spent indoors, behind a window. I knew that it was fair and true upon the page, I knew. But upon first listening to what it became it became clear that you were not quite noticing the fullness of the counterpoint because one melody is now too easy to sing and the other is now played too sharp, so I said: “Maybe this was recorded beforehand, analog, and maybe the tape was warped over time, by changes in air pressure. Or maybe it was the doctor found the tape one day while he was looking for an old instructional manual, and wound the tape tight wound it quickly, too quickly not realizing in ignorance that the stakeholder had to be present before any touching went on (‘No Touching!’ written into the score where it should have said ‘mezzo mezzo’). Maybe that’s why it was hard to recognize. The frequencies probably enter the ear canal at a different rate when you’re not busy breathing so much, but that’s something they’re still kicking around in the lab and it hasn’t been proven. And the headphones, too, are different so perhaps the two channels are being split in a way that was, you’ll understand, not intended before, when the wires were made out of one thing and not the other; something about impedance, or impeded.” But when later I took it back to the store They just said: “No, you’ve got the wrong adapter” and tried to sell me one with funny looking prongs. Imagine! And my own composition no less, so putting all sonic inquiries aside I decided to sue someone, for temporal copyright infringement: the one who’d produced a poor cheap knock off recording of my own opus before I’d been born. But before I ever made the call I saw the advertisement on a piece beneath the awning: you need satisfaction? We’re here to represent you! Sam Spokony is a junior majoring in music industry and English at SUNY Oneonta. He can be reached at spoksm03@suny.oneonta.edu. Have an idea for a column? E-mail Cassandra at editor@otownscene.com May 19, 2011 O-Town Scene 5 As so many friends graduate and begin new chapters, I felt like writing something about how strange it is to look back on something you’ve spent time devoting yourself to. College Girl Only in Oneonta ... As I sit here playing stoop- kids with my friends, sipping on Bud Lights and listening to our favorite tunes, I think about how weird it’s going to be when I graduate. This town has been my home for the past three years; to up and leave it will certainly be a culture shock because, let’s face it, only in Oneonta can we live lives like this. Only in Oneonta can you go on a 36-hour drinking binge from the Ost to the Sip and not get any dirty looks. You can be drunk at 10 a.m., and as people walk by on their way to church, they’ll wave. Only in Oneonta can you see B.o.B, Pitbull and Third Eye Blind all in one year — and then head over to the Sip afterwards and actually get the chance to meet Stephan Jenkins. Only in Oneonta can you find an excuse to drink every, single night. From Sunday Funday to Thirsty Thursday, we have a name for every day. Only in Oneonta do we Only in Oneonta can you go on a 36-hour drinking binge from the Ost to the Sip and not get any dirty looks. You can be drunk at 10 a.m., and as people walk by on their way to church, they’ll wave. spend more time in the Sip than we do in classrooms. I’ve actually — and this is no joke, folks— thought about taking my homework to happy hour. Only in Oneonta did I just legitimately come up with the idea of Beer Floats — sticking a scoop of ice cream inside of my glass of beer. And only in Oneonta will we most likely actually do that when I’m done writing this. Only in Oneonta can you go to the bar and walk in like you own the place because you go there often enough for everyone who works there to know your name and get your drink order all set up before you even get through the front doors. Only in Oneonta can you pull a muscle playing Twister at the Sip on game night. You can even go to Trivia Night and hear a homemade rap from an Oneontian about all the great parts of O-State. And Saturday, as I accept my diploma — or rather, the mock piece of paper that they’ll hand me and then mail me the real thing later — I’ll think about all of these things, all of the things that can only be done in the one, the only, Oneonta. Because this, this can’t be replaced. Jennifer Tighe is a senior majoring in English at SUNY Oneonta. She can be reached at tighjj53@suny. oneonta.edu.