The Wake

Everyday, Chelsea Votel straps on a big black vest attached to a 17-pound machine. Air pumps through the connecting tubes and into the vest’s hollow lining, producing vibrations that shake free the mucus clinging to her lungs. She ingests four to eight enzymes (proteins that help digest food), eats breakfast and swallows eight or nine pills before heading to class at an all-girls high school in Mendota Heights, where her roster of extracurricular activities includes battling opponents on the lacrosse field, editing the yearbook and singing in a select choir group, to name a few. Before finally sliding beneath her …

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When people hear the words baseball and Hunter, the next word that usually pops in their heads is Torii. But there’s another Minnesota player named Hunter and he’s been a mainstay for Gopher baseball for the past four seasons.Andy Hunter, a preseason All-Big Ten pick and current .349 hitter, is a fifth-year senior on this year’s Gopher team and a St. Paul native. He also excels in academics at the U and was named an Academic All-American the past two seasons. The Wake: What are your thoughts about playing such a tough non-conference schedule year in and year out?Hunter: It’s …

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The Minnesota Twins have oiled up the leather, stretched out the lumber and limbered up their arms in anticipation of beginning the 2006 regular season with the hope to reclaim the American League Central title. To do so, however, the Twins will undoubtedly have to hit better—especially when it comes to power. In an era known for power hitting, the Twins have not had a 30-homerun hitter since 1987 (Gary Gaetti with 31, Tom Brunansky with 32 and Kent Hrbek with 34).So, where are these extra-base hits and long balls going to come from? This year’s Like many other Twins …

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Ninjas, Hawaiians and Gothics. No, it’s not Halloween. This is the different attire worn by a team in my intramural volleyball league from week to week. Since there isn’t a dress code for intramurals, they decided to make their own. Many students, like myself, play intramurals at the U to have fun and stay active during their time at the U. Since most students at the U can’t compete competitively at the varsity level, like the Gopher Men’s Basketball team, a variety of intramural sports are available. These sports range from broomball, to bowling, to hockey. Many people play intramural …

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I’ve always thought that eventually the ugly would inherit the Earth. It seems logical that the less attractive people wouldn’t be so plagued with social obligations and would spend their time studying. The studying would make the ugly smart. Freakishly smart. Inevitably, in my mind, the new nerds would become consumed with anger at the successful, yet stupid, sexy people in high profile positions. The unbeautiful would then develop robots to kill the beautiful people. There would be a bloody battle of machine versus (wo)man. The robots would obviously win. And we would all live happily ever after. Well, most …

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Coming out of Oklahoma, the Starlight Mints are about as quirky as a band can get. From the throaty vocals of frontman Allan Vest to the extensive use of unconventional instruments, it’s easy to make the assumption they are trying to be original in the shadow of another unusual Oklahoma-based band, The Flaming Lips. However, as long as they keep their focus on general weirdness, they keep themselves in the Lips’ shadow. I get the impression that their intent was for a comparison to be made: “Holy crap, did you hear about that cutting-edge band from Oklahoma? They are, like, …

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There is a small part of me that wishes to be a child again, even if for only a day. I secretly long to revisit the time in life when your crush could be won over simply by sharing your Snack Pack, outstanding homework always went on the fridge, and even the biggest, scariest obstacles could be tackled after a quick nap on a carpet square.I was temporarily transported back to such a time with Paper Bag Records’ See You On The Moon! Songs For Kids Of All Ages, a delightful, surprisingly hip, compilation created to unite the young and …

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Documenting the career of an aging rock star is always a gamble. There’s a chance of severe disappointment, a chance that the hero in question can’t live up to the expectations set by the records that the audience knows so well. In the case of Jonathan Demme’s new movie, Neil Young: Heart of Gold, that gamble paid off big-time.Filmed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Heart of Gold documents the two-night stand which premiered the material from Young’s latest release, Prairie Wind. With the exception of a few interviews at the beginning, the movie lets the music do the talking.Young’s …

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There’s something about actors wanting to be rock stars and musicians wanting to be actors. As many of you may know, Outkast will be featured in a film, Idlewild, tentatively coming out this summer. And this isn’t the first. Before Eminem starred in 8 Mile, there was…Prince in Purple Rain! If Prince just worked at a car part factory by day, I’d swear they were the same damn movie. Yes, fair readers the connections between the two are all there: The much sought-after babe, the family strife, and the final nightclub showdown. Well, maybe not.At the start of Purple Rain …

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Camille stands naked, save for a nude thong and the metal rings piercing her navel and each nipple. A heavy bass pounds through the floor and into her rectangular dressing room as she slides into a black cocktail dress dripping in sequins of black and red, gold and white; sequins in the form of giant playing cards strewn across her hips and waist and chest; sequins that seem to leap under a stage light’s unfaltering glare. Next, she slips two chicken cutlet-shaped pads over her flat chest and under the sparkling dress, glides a brush through her lengthy blonde locks, …

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How exactly does one achieve zen? For the historical Buddha, Siddhattha Gotama, the regimen included years of meditation, self-starvation, and deliberate destituteness. Sure, you’re probably barely subsisting on Ramen and tap water, but it takes a special kind of dedication to voluntarily live on a single grain of rice per day.There is much wisdom to be attained in understanding Siddhattha Gotama’s journey from prince to enlightened Buddha. And, as we all know from our childhood hours spent with Mr. Roger’s World of Make Believe and Sesame Street, puppets are one of world’s the most effective vehicles for education. This …

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i once went to a family restaurant
because i missed, and felt alone.
i went to catch the feeling of a kid
in-between the tables a carousel (alive).
i sat and drank and watched it spin,
never with the courage for a ride
antes de morir yo quiero
echar mis versos del alma,
con los pobres de la tierra
quiero mi suerte echarmorire de cara al solone time came down the mountain, i saw,
an ancient moon
with the voice of god and mother earth
spilling from her womb
and it whispered– …

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too cold to play
the too long in bed
against the wall
…

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Louise Erdrich, known for both her poetry and her fiction, calls herself a storyteller under all circumstances. Yet her poetry makes one believe she is clearly a poet at heart. Drawing on her Chippewa and German heritage, she has won many awards for countless novels, and her poetry manages to be timeless and yet specific enough to capture a different chord with readers of all backgrounds. Baptism of Desire was published in 1988, which may seem like ages ago in a time of infamously big hair, leggings and scrunchies, but it still makes a staunch impression on readers today. “Baptism” …

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At the Café Du Borg the exhaling marijuana
plays nostril hair endings like a loose mandolin.
The girls who brought us here are Dutch and after
mayonnaise and french fries I realize two things—
that life is all we’ll ever have,
and everyone is lonely.
After the café they run us to their favorite bar,
a place called Bogart’s with its neon lights shining.
I get a Guinness and Dave has an Amstel and the girls
all order up the same mixed drink. I am unimpressed.
They love this place. The walls are wood and dark.
We get a table, …

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