Remember the Name- Fort Minor

Not all war images have guns, and not all pictures of soldiers show camouflage. Don't believe me? Just visit the Asian Culture Center Building at St. John's University- the 9/11 photograph exhibit, displaying world-renowned street photographer Jeff Mermelstein's images from a decade ago, certainly qualifies as war photography. From pictures of people blanketed in dust to messages of retaliation hastily inscribed on filthy windowpanes, the images both tell the story of the Tuesday morning and take the viewer back to where they were when everything crashed down. Do you remember where you were that day? I sure do. Back center table, doing my cursive book while my teacher attended an emergency staff meeting. I know what had happened, but had no comprehension of the full impact- and I can personally say that Mermelstein's photographs remind me of that feeling. Some of the pictures, after all, wouldn't mean as much out of context. One image in particular of a man in a simple windbreaker and thick glasses, gives no hint as to what he is staring at so blankly. that goes for many of the images- they force you to think about what was going on all around, and not just what was captured through the lens.

     The images aren't the only part of the exhibit, though. Walk to the left of the exhibit's check-in desk (the photo gallery is down the hallway to your right), and you hit a 3-walled room entirely encompassed by blackboards. Did that day bring you a new guardian angel to pray to? If so, you'd connect with whoever chalked the wings and halo onto the caption 'I wish I'd said more to my dad that morning'. Were you there? In that instance, you'd get chills reading the neat, block print talking about the sky turning black and racing to get home and tell your family you were fine. Stories, pictures, poems, questions... no matter what one wanted to share, its on the public chalk wall gallery. Here's a picture of me leaving my part of the story, taken by my close friend Diona Dacosta. Want to read what she thought of the exhibit? Take a look at her blog, http://soyouthinkyougotstyle.blogspot.com.

Tis the season for Tchaikovsky

Have you ever seen Black Swan? If not, shame on you- it's a phenomenal marriage of ballet and cinema, both visually and in reference to the stories of both the bovie and the true swan lake. That aside, though, let's take a closer look at the mastermind behind the music- Pyotr Tchaikovsky (pronounce- pee-yoh-tur tch-ike-ov-skee). Why? Well, for starters, it's been scientifically proven that studying AND sleeping to classical music is better for you, and this composer is perfect for both the seasoned classical music fan and the newbie. His compositions are exciting, diverse, and easily recognizable to anyone who doesn't want to just start downloading eight million etudes in the pursuit of sounder sleep and higher education. In addition, the first snow of the season fell all day yesterday- and for me, at least, the first snow always signifies the coming of ballet season. You should ALWAYS care about ballet season, regardless of who you are. Boys- buy your girl tickets for Christmas. Girls- bring your friends and have an excuse to dress up, or just go by yourself and feel moved by the minor falls and major lifts (and for those of you who regularly read my blog, that's a direct quote from Leonard Cohen's Hallelujiah). Back to Tchaikovsky, though. Whether listening to him for studying, or because you love classical music anyway, or because you want to put on your dancing shoes- you're bound to be enthralled by his apt use of unique instrument features, seamless key changes, and challenging, enticing time signatures. Take a listen- who knows, you might get hooked.

A little nod to Tchaikovsky himself that I forgot to mention earlier, by the way- thank him for Sleeping Beauty. Whether the play or the Disney movie, still one of the most moving scores in history.