Ciao everyone! I can’t believe that this is the last post of the semester. In efforts to channel the upcoming break, here is a nice joke pertaining to the holiday:

Why was the turkey put in jail?

The police suspected fowl play!

I would rate this joke a 9/10 because I like the pun here. I know I enjoyed it and I hope you guys found it funny as well!

But why should we care about turkeys? Are they associated with Thanksgiving because of their loaded tryptophan concentration? In fact, why do we have turkeys at all?

Well, in the past, we simply didn’t. The first Thanksgiving didn’t have turkey, traditional family gatherings, post-dinner naps, or enraging football games.  Sounds kind of boring, but in reality, it’s important to acknowledge the history of this holiday and its origin.

I’m assuming that most of us are familiar with the Pilgrims, who voyaged on the Mayflower in September 1620. We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but what do Mayflowers bring? Pilgrims, apparently.

With only 102 passengers that landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts after a 66-day trip, the Pilgrims seemed more than happy to escape England. As a group of Puritans that were persecuted by the Catholic monarchy, refuge in the American colonies was a pretty solid idea. Life was looking pretty good, until the winter hit…

Weather exposure wracked the bodies of the colonists, scurvy silently killed select groups, and contagious diseases caused countless casualties. Everything looked pretty bleak for the remaining half of the Pilgrims and they were ready to return to their homeland.

History.com states that, “In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from a member of the Abenaki tribe who greeted them in English.” From here, their friendship, especially with a friendly Native American, named Squanto, grew. Squanto, originally a previous slave captured by a past English settler, taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers, and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans (History.com).

To celebrate this relationship, as well as a bountiful harvest, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, on Thursday, November 25, 1621, had a festive dinner. Lobster, seal, and swans were on the Pilgrims’ menu, which is way different from what we see nowadays. Thanksgiving Day was named a national holiday in the United States in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War. From here, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Unrelated, but I was digging through the archives of the blog and found this from my first post: “The purpose of this blog is to make people laugh, or cringe, or perhaps even feel a small distraction from our overwhelming and crazy lives as college freshmen. I know that I was, and still am, feeling stressed, and I believe that sharing this small happiness with others can make a world of difference.” Hang in there for finals season guys and catch ya on the flip side. 

Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Until next time my jokers!

Reference: History.com Editors. “Thanksgiving 2021.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct.                                    2009, https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving.

Ciao everyone! Welcome back and I hope you all enjoy this week’s post:

What’s a boulder’s favorite type of music?

Rock music!

I would rate this joke a 9.25/10 because I really like rocks and I find it cool how it incorporates geology and music.

While I could talk about sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks for a while, this post will focus on something a bit more groundbreaking: rock music itself.

What is rock music, where did it originate, and how has it played an important role in society?

Rock n’ roll focuses on a collection of instruments forming a strong beat that can be sung to, as well as accompanied by guitars, basses, drums, and keyboards.  While focusing on the rhythms from instruments and a raw sound, rock music strayed from any traditional blues album or the overplayed pop songs on the radio.  With the introduction of electric instruments, rock music synthesized an edgier tune and was known to definitely get people on their feet.

This genre has been rocking our worlds since the 1950’s, originating here in the United States.  According to Britannica, rock music shattered the industry and surpassed several other genres, including classical, jazz, country, folk, and more in American culture.

But who are some of the trailblazers that shredded their way through history? Well, Elvis Presley, starting in the 1950’s, is one of the first contributors. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Presley incorporated his southern culture into his music.  By drawing on blues, country, and church music, Presley mixed these traditional sounds with a modern electric guitar that created a new type of culture: rock & roll.  This ideal furthered the concept of “rock stars,” who embodied the trendiest and coolest “bad boys” that defied the rules.  Inevitably, this genre heavily targeted teenagers and young adults, which increased rock and roll’s prominence in record sales, radio time, music videos, and more.

Which artist came next after the birth of rock and roll? It was, in fact, the Beatles, from Liverpool, England.  The Beatles’ fame was amplified in the 1960’s, since their international clout furthered their allure.  Additionally, with less elements of country music and more of the electronic and upbeat sound, the Beatles altered the concept of rock and roll, which was loved by the world.

Following the Beatles, we see the introduction of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.  These talented and renowned guitarists built off of past rhythms and increased the popularity of this genre through faster-paced songs that audiences vibed to.

Rock music took the world by storm and seemed to unite everyone under one commonality, which seemed somewhat necessary during Cold-War times. In the upcoming decades, we begin to see the evolution of classic rock in the 1970’s, with The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and many more. Next, in the 1980’s the concept of “Hair Bands” became the norm, from Bon Jovi to Def Leppard to Motley Crue to Van Halen.

While rock music isn’t played as often anymore, it’s important to recognize how it has influenced the music industry and all the awesome artists that have succeeded during this time.  I’m not sure if you guys listen to this type of music, but definitely drop some recommendations below!

Talk about getting stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Until next time my jokers!

Reference: The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Authenticity and Commercialism.”

                       Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.                               

                       https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-music/Authenticity-and-commercialism.