April 28, 2022
Writing Exercise
Life as an Inanimate ObjectThis writing activity focuses on the personification of inanimate objects. The following piece identifies what objects without speech abilities would say if they could talk.
River: I supply water to the Earth and all of its creation, fertilizing land, hydrating the land creatures, and giving refuge to the fish. I am sacred to the world in all three of my forms, and I have lasted for billions of years. I am loud, but also silent, because I feel ill more often these days. I have been accumulating strange foam and goo, peculiar foods of peculiar tastes. As for the fish who reside within me, illness is rampant. I do not know how much more of this I can handle.Tree: I give unconditional refuge to the critters who live within me. Squirrels and birds create their homes on me, and I have no problem with that at all. I am honored to share my gifts to Earth’s creation. My fruit is imperishable, and it arrives every year for all creatures who buffet on me. But it has been rather lonely these days. Some of my brothers, sisters, and cousins have been uprooted and killed. I watch in horror as they are dragged away and chopped up into pieces.
—Conner Tuthill
There are some people who love going outside when summer comes and hovering over a grill making some burgers, brats, or even a steak. And then there are people like me, who passionately despise mosquitos. So, when the semester ends and you want to relax and unwind, maybe a little sushi could do the trick.
It’s almost time to throw off your backpack, treat yourself to a celebratory beverage, and maybe walk across that big stage every 
If you’re in the Green Bay area and in an artsy mood, I highly recommend you check out The Art Garage located at 1400 Cedar Street. They offer tons of classes and workshops such as watercolor, oil paintings, and portrait drawings with amazing artists. The Art Garage also hosts a Spring Art Market every year; it’s filled with beautiful work that you can purchase from local artists, as well great conversation. This year, the Spring Market will take place June 18th from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. If you’re wanting to attend or you’re just looking for some creative fun on the weekend, visit the website for more details. They are open Wednesday and Saturday noon – 4 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Police inspect a crime scene where a babysitter and three children have been murdered, one-hundred or so miles away from where high schooler Jill Johnson lives. A babysitting gig that begins as punishment for exceeding cell phone minutes (hello early 2000s) becomes a lucrative set up when she arrives at the massive home of the wealthy Madrakis family with kids already in bed. Instructed to help herself from their stocked fridge, Jill will bear her punishment well. Soon, the phone rings. When Jill picks up, the caller says nothing, though incessant raspy breathing can be heard, before hanging up. This goes on for a long time, and Jill naturally assumes it’s a prank every time. That is until the nameless voice asks, “Have you checked the children?” Panicked, Jill phones the police who eventually trace the calls from INSIDE THE HOUSE. This is a babysitting nightmare…literally. I remember watching this in theaters when I was in middle school, genuinely feeling spooked as I watched Jill meander through dark corridors with a ringing phone in hand. I do also remember that even then I found the caller’s ceaseless breathing kind of funny. I mean, why was this basically the entire plot? Somehow, I don’t think I’d find it suspenseful today. If you’re not into the scaries like me, then this might be the movie to ironically watch for some mild-mannered fun. Available to stream on Netflix.
The Poltergeist of Borley Forest is a low-budget horror film about a high school senior, Paige, who attends a party in the local haunted woods. She stumbles upon a tree with a rope dangling down from a branch while looking for her ride home. From then on, Paige is trailed by a spirit, claiming that he loves her. Why does he fall in love with Paige at first sight? It’s never explained, but who cares? Not the screenwriter, that’s for sure! The rest of the film focuses on Paige and her friends and family as they try to stop this spirit from hurting anyone. After the spirit brutally attacks Paige’s friend, the rest of the film focuses on Paige and her friends and family as they try to stop him from hurting anyone else. They even left the ending open to a sequel!
Nothing sucks me into the Trash Vortex like a 1980s vampire film, and the original Fright Night tops the list. When a handsome, mysterious stranger moves into dorky teen Charlie Brewster’s neighborhood, he can’t help but get out his binoculars to spy on the parade of beautiful women that go through the man’s front door. However, it eventually dawns on him that he never sees them come out. Then, one night as he peers through the blinds, he spots the neighbor and his roommate carrying out what looks like a body. And my, what big, sharp teeth the man has.
Most say that the sequel can never live up to the original, but in this case, it is incorrect. XCOM 2 stays true to previous XCOM games with its turn-based combat. The major twist that most veterans of the series did not see coming was the fact that the XCOM project failed, due to how many players lost in the original game. Twenty years after XCOM: Enemy Unknown took place, the aliens have fully taken over the globe and now go by the name Advent. Advent is the new government and wants to keep everything and everyone under their control, with more sinister plans behind the scenes. Due to the new world they now live in, what is left of XCOM must stay vigilant and cautious with their base now being a hovercraft.
The classic horror stories of famous author H.P. Lovecraft have been reimagined in this serialized fiction podcast. We follow the hosts of the fictional true-crime podcast The Mystery Machine as they look into three interconnected cases, all based on three of Lovecraft’s longer tales, The Strange Case of Dexter Ward, The Whisperer in Darkness, and The Shadow Over Innsmouth. In season one, we meet Matthew Heawood and Kennedy Fischer as they examine the mysterious case of Dexter Ward, a man who went missing from his room in a mental institution. As more strange details come to light, Matthew and Kennedy begin to realize just how deep this mystery goes. Add in a slow-burn romance and eldritch horrors galore, and you’ve got an interesting and terrifying show.
If you think our last book recommendation, Gone with the Wind, ended too abruptly, then you may be satisfied to know there were numerous sequels made. Shortly after original author Margaret Mitchell’s death, Alexandra Ripley was permitted by the family to write a sequel. Ripley’s 1991 Scarlett picks up right where the 1936 novel left off, leaving you right in the emotional wreckage dumping ground that is now Scarlett’s post-Civil War existence.