The end of a semester

With every editor’s note, I struggle with coming up with a topic. I struggle with finding the time to write it. I struggle with making my note somewhat meaningful for my fan base of two, that reads these—one fan being my mother, the other an Internet troll. It has come to that point where I’m desperate for filling the word limit, because as of 2:47 a.m. Tuesday morning I am facing fatal writer’s block.

So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to think of some of the first things that pop into my head that are artsy related (because if you’re just reading us for the first time on our last issue of the semester, Recess is the arts and media section of The Chronicle) and write about them. In the spirit of the holidays and Oprah withdrawal, it’ll be a segment I like to call “Dillon’s Favorite Things,” except I promise you that you will take home absolutely nothing from this experience.

Louis CK: The man is comedy legend. What I love about Louie is that he really doesn’t have a filter and just sort of says the weird and crazy stuff people wouldn’t dare think about on stage. He’s also sort of the inspiration for this note because I was watching his stand-up while trying to think about what to write. Louie is so edgy (how edgy is he?) that some of his jokes out of the context of his stand-up just sound obscene, absurd and sometimes offensive to people who are easily offended (read Duke students). However, he has honed his craft to the point where he successively builds jokes upon jokes in a way makes the audience laugh at a thematically similar but less obscure topic and slowly progresses to his questionable material. My favorite set of his is the “Saturday Night Live” monologue he did earlier this year, where he manages to make sensitive issues such as racism, the Middle East and child molesters downright hilarious. YouTube it. Truly, a man I admire. 

Katy Perry:  Say what you will about Katy Perry, but I am obsessed with her. Yes, she may use her sexuality as one of her assets. Yes, her music is so mainstream it hurts. Yes, she may have pissed off Taylor Swift. But at the end of day, that’s what makes her my heroine. Perry’s catchy tracks on the album “Teenage Dream” pretty much ruled the radio stations while I was in high school. Her music brings back memories that I cherish forever—and yes, to that internet troll that criticized my sentimental playlist, I am special. The summer after high school, my friend and I spontaneously drove three hours to see her perform at a sold-out concert in Chicago after we decided to buy some sketchy tickets from Craigslist. Judge me, but this is the part of me that you’re never going to ever take away from me.

Forrest Gump: This is one of the few movies that makes me cry. That line at the end of movie where Forrest talks to Jenny’s grave about their son being so intelligent and making Forrest proud brings me to tears every time. I didn’t really care too much for Jenny. I get it. She was finding herself. She was a lost soul. She needed to make mistakes to find out what she really needed in her life. However, without a doubt, each time she rejected Forrest, I grew to hate her even more. Sort of like Claire Underwood in the latest season of “House of Cards.” Coincidence?

Michelle Obama’s arms — ‘nuff said.

“Beauty and a Beat” by Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj: Let me make this clear—I hate Justin Bieber as a public figure, but I’m totally in love with his newer stuff and this gem. For some reason, this is one of those songs which makes me want to move my chest like the motion of the ocean. Every time I listen to this song, I pause for a little bit, and dance (or mentally dance if there are people around). Not only does it just have an electronic rhythm that just makes me want to move, it has my bae Nicki Minaj on the track. I swear, every song that Nicki has guest verse on, she just elevates the bad-assery of the song. My guilty pleasure song.