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November, 2012

  1. Death By Chocolate… What a way to go!

    November 29, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that this wasn’t the last week of blogging, and that there would no longer be any cleverness associated with the fact that I was reviewing a flavor with the word “death” in it for the end (death) of my blog.

    So much for witty titles, eh?

    But I thought we had established that I wasn’t very good at those anyway.

    For this week’s flavor, I ventured into the dark underbelly of East dining commons in Findlay. As I looked around there were no signs of life in this dingy, desperate place reeking of freshman awkwardness.

    (Don’t worry it was actually pretty clean, light and decently populated. Still reeking of freshman awkwardness, however.)

    Seeing as I usually spend as little time in East as possible, I was unfamiliar with the way that their dining commons was set up, and at first I panicked because I wasn’t able to find the ice cream. But with a little help of my East-savvy friends, I found it just fine. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the fact that Findlay had a much wider assortment of flavors than I was used to at Pollock. Nothing compared to the Creamery, but it did ok. I started to think that maybe this place wasn’t too bad after all.

    Ha.

    Anyways, Death By Chocolate seemed like an excellent classic to review, so I happily scooped some up and got busy doing some very serious and very necessary research that may or may not have required second helpings, to ensure that I was able to give the most honest report I possible good.

    And the verdict is…

    Excellent. I hardly expected to be disappointed. How hard is it to mess up such a traditional flavor? Well, not only did the Creamery not mess this one up, they actually did quite a stellar job. If you’re a fan of chocolate, get ready for a chocolate coma that is sure to ensue after consuming Death By Chocolate.

    Death By Chocolate is a chocolate based flavor with chunks of fudge embedded in it, a delicious swirl of chocolate running throughout the ice cream, and also chocolate flakes sprinkled throughout. In all honesty, you have to be committed to your flavor with this one, because when it chocolate rains, it pours. (Well now I can’t stop singing Chocolate Rain. Ah well,  what one sacrifices for a witty blog post). However, if you are ready to consume that much chocolate, you won’t be sorry.

    Overall, great edition of a classic flavor. It was sweet (but not sickeningly sweet like some flavors that shall remain nameless AHEM HEM Apple Cobbler Crunch), and as always, deliciously creamy. The only downside was that I found myself wiping chocolate smears off my face for the rest of my night.

    Worth it, though, without a doubt. Death By Chocolate comes with the Sam-seal-of-approval, and two thumbs up.

    (As if the Creamery really needs my justification and opinion on their flavors. Come on, let a girl dream a little.)

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  2. Happy Cheermageddon, everyone!

    November 29, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    Ah, it’s that time of year again. No, not for turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, and not Christmas either. No, no, no, I speak of the one, the only: CHEERMAGEDDON.

    For those of you sensible people who didn’t venture out this Black Friday, kudos to you, first and foremost. Fight the power. Secondly, let me just explain what Cheermageddon was, before I get into my blog. This year for their Black Friday marketing campaign, a couple geniuses at Gap Inc (founders of Old Navy) decided that this year, Black Friday would become an event all to itself, and they thought would be best described by the word: Cheermageddon.

    You’ve GOT to be kidding me. It sounds like all of holiday cheer will come to an apocalyptic halt on this dreaded day, never to return again. It sounds like all cheer and happiness will forever slip out of our hands as the world crumbles around us. Who thought it would be a good idea to mesh cheer and the end of the world together?!

    Now I’m the first to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of my job in the first place, but I can say that this was the first time in my life that I was ever embarrassed to be working at Old Navy. Why? Not because of the ridiculous theme of the sales this year, because that was just stupid. No, it was the way that Cheermageddon was carried out that really made me embarrassed to be working there.

    The thing was, Old Navy was open all day on Thanksgiving, so that shoppers could get their hands on the much needed, once in a lifetime type Cheermageddon sweaters before anyone else in the world. The store never closed, and remained open through Black Friday. Black Friday, in a sense, has completely eclipsed Thanksgiving.

    Now, this isn’t simply a problem because Thanksgiving is the most magical food holiday in the history of man-kind, but rather because of the ideals that are being crushed when we put Black Friday before Thanksgiving in our minds. See, in my opinion, giving thanks is an incredibly civic thing to do. It’s all about a sense of community and the blessings we’ve been given within that community. In this affluent part of the world, we all have so much to be thankful for.

    Am I the only one that sees the irony in the fact that people are willing to be so violent and greedy not even 24 hours after a holiday where we’re supposed to come together as a society and show some gratitude for all the things WE ALREADY HAVE? I saw a woman scream at one of my coworkers over twelve cents (oh the irony in the fact that the “Cheermageddon theme song” that played every twenty minutes in the store stated “Cheermageddon… An Old Navy shopping session, a Black Friday without aggression”…huh). That just made me sad and frustrated, that people are neglecting all they have to be thankful for and the civic opportunity to give thanks, in exchange for such hostility and flat out gluttony.

    And, well, maybe I was a little embarrassed at the name too. Cheermageddon, really? CHEERMAGEDDON? Come on, people.

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  3. Electoral Controversy

    November 29, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    For our history of a controversy, we have some general plans laid out:

    Firstly, we will begin with a broad overview of a lot of the ideals that Americans feel are important to our country, such as democracy, equality, etc.

    Then, we will go into a description of the history of the electoral college, and how it was created to fit those ideals. However, we will be sure to mention the times that the electoral college has “failed” in the eyes of the public, when a different leader was elected than the popular vote called for.

    This will segue into some of the bigger questions such as, is the electoral college actually a fair process? Has it become outdated in the advent of so many new technologies? Does it make people feel like their vote doesn’t count? Is there a better way to handle this issue?

    Throughout the project we hope to interview a local politician, and see their take on things, in addition to possibly some college students who either voted or didn’t vote, and some children for comedic relief at the beginning of the presentation.

    I have to admit, class on Wednesday made me a little scared, because it seems almost impossible to use anything without stepping on someone’s toes. I guess we’ll see how it goes!

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  4. Peach Paterno Packs a Punch at PSU

    November 9, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    Not a punny title, but plentiful in the “P”s. I like alliterations, ok?

    I’m really excited about this week’s flavor and the blog in general. Peachy Paterno was the reason that I chose to do this blog in the first place. I felt so guilty about being such a Penn State fanatic who had never had one of the most iconic symbols of the University.

    This is also a blog of firsts… the first time that I had to pay for my ice cream, the first time I had ANY CHOICE I WANTED, and the first time I ventured all the way up to the Berkley Creamery to select my flavor. I have to say, it was quite nice to sit and eat in the Creamery. I used the trip as a bit of a mental break, and it was nice to sit and enjoy my ice cream in peace. It was also nice to sit in the facility that has been producing the ice cream that has allowed me to blog all these weeks. I can rest easy knowing I’ve done the Creamery justice by finally visiting in person.

    As I said, this was the first time I was actually allowed to chose for myself which flavor I would try, rather than getting whatever Pollock had to offer. However, as I surveyed the list of flavors for the day, I discovered something rather interesting: for the most part, I had tried all the flavors. I could only pick out two or three that I had never tried before, most others I recognized from past blogs.

    This, however, proved to be no problem. As soon as I saw Peachy Paterno, I was sold (literally, $3.55. So worth it, though). Peachy Paterno is a flavor that every student at Penn State should try, in my opinion. It’s so wrapped around PSU culture that it’s sort of a milestone for students to trump all the way up to the Berkley Creamery and enjoy some good ol’ Peachy Paterno. Like so many other important milestones, this was on my bucket list.

    Trust me when I say the cost is so worth making the trip, even if you have to sit alone and awkwardly take selfies in the Creamery like this blogger.

    Awkward, right? Just roll with it.

    When you go to the Creamery, you get enough ice cream to feed a small herd of cattle, and have some left over. This, I found, was both a positive and a negative: this much ice cream is always excellent, especially when it’s of Creamery quality. However, it was, sadly, simply too much to handle, and I couldn’t finish it.

    But boy did I want to. Peachy Paterno was delicious, and I would highly recommend it. For the most part, it’s pretty simple: peach flavored ice cream with chunks of frozen peaches. There’s just something about it, though, that gives it the extra punch. Maybe it’s the significance of the name, or the fact that it’s so widely renowned. Either way, I tried my best to eat every last bite I possibly could.

    Usually I’m not a fan of fruity flavors, but unlike Apple Cobbler Crunch, Peachy Paterno was spot on with the flavor and texture. The peach flavor was strong but not too strong, and the chunks of peach were small enough that the texture of the ice cream was not as disturbed. As always, it was creamy, thick and smooth. There’s a reason they’re keeping it just as is, even with all the controversy surrounding JoePa.

    I ate the ice cream as I walked back to my dorm, and I had a pretty cool realization as I munched away: I was here, as a student at PSU, eating Peachy Paterno as I walked back to my dorm, close to the end of my first semester. Now that might seem obvious, but it was crazy to think that this will be my life for the next four years, and this is what I had been looking forward to for the past several years. We’re here, and we’re finally living out our lives at Penn State. I don’t know, pretty cool to think about, huh? Time for a random but mildly appropriate set of song lyrics:

    “We’ll remember this night when we’re old and gray; in the future, these will be the good ol’ days.” – (Good Ol’ Days – The Script)

    🙂

    (Sorry to get all oddly sentimental there. Just go eat the ice cream, ok?)

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  5. A Work Without Progress

    November 8, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    Time for a little irony…

    The name of this blog is the “Work In Progress blog”, but the problem with that is, there has to be progress to blog on, which I don’t seem to have a lot of at the moment.

    In my defense, after class on Wednesday I thought I still had a week before I would have to give me TED talk, but I caved and e-mailed Mary to let her know that I would go on Monday if she needed someone to. So I’m running on less time than I thought.

    But have no fear! I have made some progress planning out my talk mentally, and I’ve already started thinking of potential jokes I might want to use (so I hope you all laugh). I know I want to use facts and statistics to support my thesis, but I’m not quite sure where to find them, since I’m really the first person to make the connection between stupid children, child proofing, and the thug life.

    So we’ll see how that goes. For the mean time, though, I’m still really excited to give my talk, for that very reason: I really feel like for the first time ever, I have a concept and thesis that is something truly unique and truly my own. I’m really looking forward to the talk, and I hope you guys enjoy it too!

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  6. Brace Yourselves

    November 8, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    Brace yourself… another RCL blog related to the election is coming…

    I like memes. Expect more in the future.

    On Wednesday after class, I walked back to my dorm with Austin for a little while, and Caleb the whole way.

    I know what you’re thinking… “Well that does certainly make Sam civically engaged, doesn’t it?”

    But before you get all sassy and sarcastic in your heads, hear me out. This was merely the platform for my RCL blog this week, and it got me thinking.

    Here’s the thing: Caleb and I (and Austin and I) do indeed have very different political views. We supported different candidates and had different takes on the major issues that took center stage during this election. Caleb and I are (I’m assuming, back me up here) members of different parties, and we probably always will be.

    But we’re friends.

    Woah woah woah wait a minute. You mean to tell me that two Americans who affiliate themselves with different parties can remain friends after the 2012 election? Well, I’m here to tell you: yes.

    It seems to me that being “civically engaged” and doing your “civic duty” in America became a little bit warped with this election. People assume that if you’re voting and you affiliate yourself with on particular party, it defines you, and you will radically defend and promote the values of such a party. When people find out that you’re (insert political party here), they often immediately go off on what you must think and what you must believe based on that party. If you share your political opinions with some (particularly if they don’t agree with you), you’re often judged and looked down upon. It is the end -all-be -all in terms of who you are as a person.

    This mindset has become increasingly popular in America, especially with the advent of social media, where people have a platform to preach their views from, and know what everyone else is thinking too. Some people think that if they’re a hardcore fan of one party, and campaign for that party, and shoot down others that don’t agree with them, that they are the epitome of civic duty fulfillment.

    It seems to me, however, that the opposite is true. I’ve said it before, and after the election it still holds true: we all know someone who gets WAY too into political arguments on facebook, and who can be borderline rude and offensive based on their opinions (at this point, let me differentiate between those who simply really enjoy politics, elections, and the government, and the kind of people who attack others based on their political views, refuse to engage in intellectual debate, and tend to be in general very biased). These people, it seems to me, are anything but civically engaged.

    Most everyone would agree that as able Americans, it is our civic duty to be aware of what goes on in our government, and to elect leaders who we think best reflect them. However, more often than not, I’ve been so frustrated by people who are overly obnoxious and biased that I tend not to want to be affiliated with them in any way… even if it means I don’t vote or don’t participate in the elections.

    Personally, I try not to let such people get in my way in terms of doing my civic duty, but I do know of people who have been turned off to voting because of such people. An example would be “the gauntlet” that PSU students had to walk down before getting in line to vote in the HUB: papers, stickers, pens and buttons were shoved in people’s faces, and dirty looks were thrown by members of the opposite party when you accepted the paraphernalia of the other. My roommate (who tends to be introverted and not enjoy large crowds of people) confessed that even though she did end up vote, the “gauntlet” made her want to turn back.

    I guess what I’m getting at is just because you have an opinion and means to share it by doesn’t mean you’re civically engaged. Just because you yell and scream and get defensive about an issue or candidate doesn’t make you involved, and political opinions don’t define who we are as people (for the most part, it is, I suppose, a small component).

    Like I said, I think America got it a little bit twisted around this time. In closing, some food for thought: the words of Thomas Jefferson:

    Well spoken, like a sir.

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  7. Stupid Kids Make Excellent Gangsters

    November 1, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    In my paradigm shift paper, I discussed how in the media industry now, the gangster lifestyle is portrayed in a positive light, which is a big influence on teens and young adults, and is a major cause of the acceptance of the violent ways of gangsters. But for my TED talk, I would really like to focus on why violence in the media is so effective at capturing the attention of the youth of America. Why are we as a culture so drawn to the dangerous, violent ways of the gangster?

    The answer, I believe is in childhood.  These days, everything is child proof, and because of that, children are sheltered. Playgrounds are safe to the point of being boring, kids aren’t allowed to play outside after dark, anything and everything has a childproof lock on it… the list goes on. This, however, seems to me to be more dangerous than letting kids deal with things themselves. The problem with child proofing the world is that kids are no longer allowed to do stupid or dangerous things.

    At least he wont grow up to be a thug.

    This seems positive, but in actuality, it can be harmful to the mindset of a child, because they learn that there are no consequences in life, that bad things wont happen to them.

    So at first exposure a child that is sheltered is eager to deviate from this sheltered world and try anything and everything… because they don’t understand just how real and just how serious the world can be.

    The thing with the world of gangsters is that it is a vicious cycle: once you’re in, you don’t really back out. And when violence is portrayed as cool and fun in the media, it’s tempting for young adults to try. It seems rebellious and fun. But if a child grows up never living though the painful consequences of some minor experiences, and if they’re never given the opportunity to do something stupid, then they’re going to get to the real world, and they will make stupid choices, like joining a gang, because they haven’t learned that what seems fun and cool isn’t also dangerous (just like those rusty old monkey bars on the playground).

    This is just a thought. But the more I think about it, the more I like it, and I kind of want to take it and run with it, even if it might seem like a stretch at first. I still have to work out all the details, but thus far, that’s the basic general consensus.

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  8. Vanilla Ice Ice Baby

    November 1, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    Now, before anyone gets upset about this week’s flavor, let me explain myself.

    Yes, the only flavor I had this week from the Creamery was Vanilla. And yes, I am well aware that most people have tried vanilla and know what it tastes like, so one could argue that there is no purpose in me doing this blog. However, just hear me out for a little.

    First and foremost, I ran into a problem this week. I knew it would come eventually: the week Pollock ran out of new flavors I hadn’t tried. This is a slight exaggeration, I suppose. Every day, it seemed, there was one flavor I hadn’t tried: Toasted Almond Fudge. Sounds delicious, right? So you’re probably thinking, “then what the heck is she blogging about vanilla for, if she had that option?”

    Now we’ve come to the perfect time for a bit of a lesson in nuts. In case you weren’t aware, almonds are a part of the tree nut family, meaning that, as the name implies, they grow on trees (shocking, right?) And there lies the unfortunate problem: this blogger is allergic to tree nuts. Thus, Toasted Almond Fudge is a no go, sorry if your interest was piqued there. It might be a good time to venture out on your own and try it yourself!

    So onto the meat and potatoes of the blog.

    Vanilla.

    Plain. Bland. Boring. The word “vanilla” can be used  as a synonym for any one of those words. I, however, am here to bring justice to poor ol’ vanilla. Vanilla from the Berkley Creamery should not be discarded simply because it is simple and plain in nature.

    I had never had straight vanilla from the Creamery before, or anywhere really. When there are other options around, who willingly chooses vanilla? Well here’s a tip… If you’re heading to the Creamery any time soon, try it. Go for it, I dare you. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

    Plain vanilla Creamery ice cream was delicious. It was thick, creamy and smooth, and the vanilla used tasted natural rather than sticky-sweet and artificial. There’s something to be said for a good bit of ice cream without all the bells and whistles: the delicious nature of vanilla proved that the ice cream produced by the Creamery is quality, that it’s not just the flavors that attract customers. There’s something to be said for simplicity. Every once in a while, it’s good to appreciate the ice cream for what it is: ice cream.

    Vanilla is the base for about half of the flavors at the Creamery, so really, it has to perform. And perform it does. What would any of those flavors be if it weren’t for the solid foundation that vanilla provides? Kudos to vanilla for having the ability to either stand alone, or be the solid base of countless other flavors. It’s simply delicious either way, and it was a great change of pace.

     

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  9. Remembering to Remember to Watch the TED Talk on Remembering

    November 1, 2012 by Sam Lebold

    Last night, quite late at night, I went to watch the TED talk by Joshua Foer about memory and how human beings remember things. Much to my disappointment, it was 20 minutes long, and I braced myself for a boring talk that would surely put me to sleep (which for sure wouldn’t have happened due simply to the fact that it was 2am). However, a few minutes into the talk, I found myself riveted.

    What Mr. Foer discussed was how competitive memorizers were able to do what they do, and how he had become one too. At first, I thought the concept of a competitive memorizer was ridiculous (and I still do, ever so slightly.) However, as ridiculous as this “sport” (yes, sport) seemed, it revealed a lot about society, and a paradigm shift within society as well.

    Mr. Foer mentioned how we have created technology that thinks and remembers for us, and so our brains have slowly become trained not to memorize or remember things. If we have technology that can do it for us, why would we ever WANT to remember anything? Remembering and thinking is hard, so we try to avoid as much unnecessary memorization as possible. I agreed with this at first. Who wants to have to put their brain under more stress than it already is? I don’t know, maybe I’m just an overwhelmed college student, but it seemed to me that no one would be jumping at the bit to ladle even more information into our already jumbled minds.

    That was, until Mr. Foer made a statement along the lines of “our lives are really only comprised of our memories of them”. Woah there, Josh. Now you’ve got the sleep deprived, hungry, college student’s  attention. He went on to explain that our lives really only take on significance in our own memories and in the memories of others, so if we don’t take the time to start really paying attention and remembering things, we would lose a great deal of what life has to offer.

    Now that really spoke to me. While no one wants to think more than they need to  (aside from your random Philosophy major), this is also the time of our lives where we’re really able to do and try whatever we want. And I, for one, don’t want to miss out on any part of it.

    I guess it’s time to, as Mr. Foer said, remember to remember.

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