Category Archives: Writing

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OU Confessions Connections

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Written for Sooner yearbook online.

“I view the page kind of like a party, and anonymity is the alcohol.”

The administrator of OU Confessions, who started hosting this “party” in February 2013, certainly has a lot of guests to look after. While he does have some help managing the hundreds of posts that come in every day, it is his responsibility to keep students interested in the page.

“I am a gardener,” he says, “I tend and take care of pieces of the page that need growth, and I pluck out the weeds that limit growth.”

He says his goal is not to control the page, but to help it become what users want it to be. “The only reason I exist is to serve the community what they want. So if people want to use the page for more functionality it’s my job to deliver on those needs.” The functionality he is referring to in this case is the use of the page as a place to post missed connections or, more accurately, as a way to hit on someone without fear of rejection, and according to him there have been some success stories.
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Save, Splurge or DIY for your Valentine

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Written for Sooner yearbook online.

Let’s give Valentine’s Day a much-needed makeover. We shouldn’t feel obligated to spend hundreds of dollars to show someone we love them. More importantly, we don’t even need a significant other to have a reason to celebrate. The great thing about love is that it comes in many forms, including friendship and romance. So, even if you are single this holiday remember: you are still not alone. Even if everyone is busy and you end up flying solo on Valentine’s Day — no problem — show yourself some love this year. Cook your favorite meal and watch a movie that you have secretly been dying to see. You don’t have to compromise for anyone today.

Valentine’s Day has grown to be a day filled with disdain and sadness for many people. If we refocus and see goodness — the love and happiness that those around us bring to our lives — we may just find a good reason to celebrate this year.

Now, if you are feeling inspired to bring a little Valentine’s magic into your life this Thursday, here’s some food, fun and favors to help you make it a day to remember (no matter the budget or company).
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Then and Now: Graffiti

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Written in 2012 for Sooner yearbook online.

Graffiti can be found in bathrooms across the world. We expect it; we read it. It can make us smile, laugh or shake our heads in disgust. It can feature half-hearted romantic decrees (Sarah ❤ Gary) that one of them is destined not to see, life questions, profanity and grammar police attacks that are bound to also have a mistake that will be fixed by another grammar officer (one assumes of a higher rank).

It is no different on the OU campus. Many a stall door on campus has been covered with the hastily written renderings of the bored.
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Review: Lo

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Written in 2012 for Sooner yearbook online.

Do you love theater but don’t have time to actually go see a play? Then I have something for you. Just in time for Halloween (four years ago), a dark comedy from writer/director Travis Betz—it’s Lo! He may be a demon, but he is still loveable—and gross, sarcastic and a wee bit evil.

The film takes place on a stage with two different sets and relies heavily on lighting to help tell the story. It goes a bit like this: Justin (Ward Roberts) summons Lo (Jeremiah Birkett) to help him find his girlfriend, April (Sarah Lassez), who has been taken by another demon that goes by the name of Jeez (Devin Barry). And then the fairytale story begins…
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Review: The Town

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Written in 2010.

In his third film-writing venture, Ben Affleck takes on federal crimes in Charlestown with the drama, “The Town”. Although Boston may not actually be “the bank robbery capital of America”, director Affleck creates a fascinating and seedy underbelly for the town.

Based on Chuck Hogan’s book “Prince of Thieves”, the two-hour film tells the troubled tale of bank robbers Doug MacRay (Affleck), the mastermind, and his out-of-control but loyal friend, James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner). Their lives are only made more complicated by the women, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) and Krista Coughlin (Blake Lively). Jon Hamm plays FBI Special Agent Adam Frawley, a man who seems to have a severe vendetta against the robbers.

Affleck balances the cunning, cutthroat quality of a bank robber with the gentle nature that slowly reveals itself throughout the film. As calm MacRay, Affleck plays a man who is facing a challenging decision: staying faithful to a life of corruption or making an admirable change with an innocent woman. Renner powerfully portrays Coughlin, MacRay’s unstable friend who is quick to choose violence over rationality.
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Artist Spotlight: Natasha Alterici

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Written in 2010.

“I’m a person (not a dinosaur, in case you were wondering) that doodles dinosaurs on a regular basis, so I thought, ‘What the czech?’ I can scribble things and talk about other things, totally doable. So I’m a doin it.”

Natasha Alterici, who began her blog in April 2010 with this declaration, is a 23-year-old artist with a striking fascination for dinosaurs. With great ease, she is able to combine her talent for art with the simple joy that prehistoric creatures bring her. Her blog, which is titled “Candysaurus” and features the tagline “weekly randomness sprinkled with 200 million year old magic,” provides a great representation of the creative person she is.

“The goal has been to document my progression as an artist and also as a human being,” Alterici said. “What I am trying to do with the blog is to try to make people think about what it is that they believe. And then random drawings of dinosaurs. Gotta break it up once in awhile.”
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He(art) of Oklahoma

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Written in 2010.

Oklahoma has never been a very popular topic in American media. The state is not considered a political force, financial center, or powerhouse of industry. It tends to quickly fade into the dark, dusty corners of the minds of non-Oklahomans. The lack of national news channels and newspapers featuring life today in Oklahoma can only perpetuate stereotypes that people have of the state. Stereotypes that classify and describe Oklahomans in a narrow, fragmented, and unrealistic way. In the article “How to Break the Stereotype”, Sister Elizabeth Thoman comments, “Stereotypes can become too rigid and when there is no room for growth the label becomes stifling, both for the individuals who are labeled and for the category itself….Absolutism is not a virtue in our constantly changing world.”

Not all Florida residents are senior citizens; not all of the people living in San Francisco are homosexual; and not all New Yorkers are rude. So it is logical that not all Oklahomans live in rural areas and make their living through agriculture. Farming is a respectable and prominent career choice in Oklahoma, but it is crucial that people realize that there are thousands of Oklahomans who have never been near a horse and only wear boots to be stylish. Oklahoma is just as diverse as any other state, and with this diversity comes a unique mix of interests, passions, and goals. By categorizing Oklahomans with one notion the individual is lost, true identities are masked by ignorance, and first impressions occur before contact is actually made. Oklahoma is more than flat land, cows, farms, and rodeos, and Oklahomans are not rednecks, hicks, or hillbillies. Oklahoma is culture and inspiration. Oklahoma is art, and its people are artists. Other Americans do not make this connection easily, but if they were willing to dig deeper—past the red dirt exterior—they would uncover a world of art that exists in Oklahoma.
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