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- Monkey Monday #11
“Focus,
Speed,
I am Speed.”
For some, the storm has not yet been brewed. For others, the has has already been run. But here at Carroll University, we are smack dab in the middle of finals week. I am so proud of you all for making it this far (except Quan)! Keep pressing on! Lock in! This week we’ve got
Monkey Monday #11, triumphantly storming in….
Long Live the Princess!
This week last year, on December 11th 2023, we had to put our dog Leia down. She made it to 14 human years of life, which is quite old for a dog! She was around for most of my childhood, all the way until adulthood. This week I want to make a little column of remembrance her, to show my love for my girl!
Baby Leia
This is Leia when we adopted her, at less than a year old! Her exact mix of breeding is unknown, but experts told us she had Border Collie, Lab, and Golden Retriever in her, so she was a smart, sweet dog with lots of energy. At the adoption center she was labelled as having a “Medical Condition”, and when my mom asked why, they said it was because “she’s missing a toe.” So really, she was in perfect health.
As the story goes, she was a rescue found allllll the way down in Georgia, with a missing toe. We don’t know how she lost it, but I assume she lost a fight to a squirrel (more on that later).
While she bonded INSTANTLY with my momma, she and I were homies from the get-go. She was super duper affectionate, loving snuggles (and kissing people). She and I would often take naps together…..
 From childhood…. |  to adolescence… |
to an adult!
While she was super sweet and loving, she was also very protective of my momma. She would follow her all around the house, and growl at every car that drove by. She developed an incredibly annoying barking habit to anyone (not named Christine) that came up the driveway, so you could always expect noise when you were coming home. Despite this, she was a coward. She would bark and growl, but she was scared of everything, hence why I think it’s not too far-off that she lost her toe to a squirrel.
twas a goober
One day, we decided it was time for her to be a big sister, and we brought Diana home!
We were a little nervous, given how protective she was (especially towards dogs that walked by), but she understood immediately that Diana was her little sibling.
 asserting her dominance |  getting beat up by baby Diana |
As dogs do, they get old. Leia started to really slow down around age 12, but kept chilling for another couple years.
still a snuggly puppo
She started developing hip pain as she got really old, so we put her on different doggy-painkillers.
She also started to get really really anxious, to the point where we couldn’t leave her for any period of time, even at a shelter. So we started giving her “doggy-xanax”, and it totally mellowed her out. They made her a little too mellow though, where she would trip over herself, so naturally we stopped. But there were a couple days when she looked really at peace for the first time in forever, walking around by herself for once instead of attaching to my mom. It was so beautiful to see her relaxed.
chill doggy on doggy xanax
Eventually, in December 2023, while I was still at school, I got the call that my family decided she was in too much pain to continue, so they put her down. She lived a long, peaceful life, and was such a good girl!(minus being loud and annoying) We miss you lele! ❤️
-Nate
Pick of the Week
I was talking to my beautiful girlfriend about music, and she pointed out that I have yet to talk about a Clario album on Monkey Monday. Straight up, Claire Cottrill is my queen. I had always dreamed of going to a concert of hers, standing in the front row with a sign saying “WILL YOU BE MY FIRST KISS?” and her being oh so kind to offer me an innocent touch of her warm, beautiful lips upon mine. My senior photos include a picture of me kissing her cheek on my vinyl copy of this record. I love Clairo. And this is (yet again) one of my favorite albums of all time!
Clairo had risen popularity with the fun, indie, bedroom pop music on her freshman album Immunity, with hit songs like Sofia and Bags. People eagerly awaited her next big work of music for three years, expecting more fun, cute, heartbroken jams. But what we got was Sling.
Clairo took to a wildly different sound with her second album, venturing into a mellow, warm, folksy 70’s sound. The instrumentation was less about those bedroom made, fun drum loops and electric guitar riffs, singing about heartbreak, or infatuation, and more about acoustic guitars, and strings, with mature, vulnerable songwriting including (but not limited to,) existentialism, growth, insecurity, suicidal thoughts, and peace.
While some people were butthurt that she didn’t release another Immunity, I couldn’t have been happier with what we got. She clearly matured as a songwriter, and seemingly as a young woman as well.
Over the years, this album has become the warmest of soup for the coldest of winters, my comfort music. Put whatever you know about Clairo aside, and go listen to this album top to bottom, it’s really something special. Still her best work (sorry Charm, I love you too don’t worry.)
-Nate
Is it Ripe?
I have a dark secret: I like a little bit of Metalcore 😮 😮 😞
It all started when I was about 12 years old, I was playing Guitar Hero Live on the Playstation when I came across 2 particular songs. Something about them was different, they were scary, loud, but also…. incredibly groovy? Thus gave birth to a seed, one that would sprout many years later in life.
Eventually I would reminisce on those two songs, remembering how fun they were. The first one, titled Shadow Moses by Bring Me The Horizon, led me to the album Sempiternal, and subsequently Bring Me The Horizon as a whole. I was starting to dive into heavier music for the first time, also listening to a ton of Deftones. And now, years down the line, I’m a big fan of both bands, (especially Deftones).
But that second song, King For A Day by Pierce The Veil, never really brought me anywhere. Sure, I loved the song, but I never checked out the band. Even after seeing countless comparisons between Sempiternal and Collide With The Sky by Pierce The Veil, I never really gave it a chance.
This past week, I was itching for some fresh, heavy music, and decided, “You know what, I’m finally going to check out this album I’ve heard so much about.” Even RA Juan likes this stuff, and we both like Deftones, so surely it’ll have some good songs right?
BOOM! I turned it on, at the gym. First 2 songs, okay kind of crazy, then they kept being good, and kept being good, and I came to a joyful realization: It was like I was listening to Sempiternal for the first time again. What a rush! Insane, groovy riffs, crazy blast beats, infectious melodies, I can’t get enough.
Anyways, I have this album on repeat right now. Probably will be the edgiest, most emo, heaviest kind of music you’ll ever see me write about on here, and I don’t recommend it for everyone, but I wanted to share my love for the genre. Great listen.
Favorite Songs: A Match Into Water, King For A Day, Bulls In The Bronx
-Nate
Ripeness: 8.5
Interview Time!
This week we interview Hailey!
Ballboy Ben’s Ball Update
GREEN BAY PACKERS
The date is September 12, 2010, and five-year-old Ballboy Ben is excited to watch the Green Bay Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles. His dad has been named The Greatest Packer Fan of all time, the walls of his kitchen are striped green and gold, and his family has eaten nothing but cheese for months. Ballboy Ben had never actively watched a Packer game before, and is eager to experience the mystery that is the greatest sports franchise of all time.
Three hours and eight minutes later, Ballboy Ben’s fingers are covered in Cheeto dust and his eyes are covered in the sweet bliss of blue light from the 30-inch TV. The Packers had just defeated the Eagles in a 27-20 road win to kick off the season. Aaron Rodgers threw for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns while John Kuhn barreled his way into the endzone as well. In that moment, a strange chemical reaction impacted Ballboy Ben so much so that the general makeup of his entire body would be changed forever...it attacked his blood. From that day onward...Ballboy Ben bled green and gold.
Aaron Rodgers
“I live between two worlds, of the extroverted, and an introverted lover of silence”
This season, the Packers are back at it as one of the best teams in football. As of writing this they are currently 9-4 this season (hopefully they are 10-4 when this is released to the public). Quarterback Jordan Love has thrown a lot of interceptions this year, which is poo poo. But he has made some great plays too and is a huge reason why the Packers are averaging about 27 points per game! Running back Josh Jacobs is also performing really well and being a game changer for this team!
And let’s not forget about our favorite kind of fence, the D-fence! The defense for the Packers has done a complete 540 since last season, going from poo poo to woo woo! Safety Xavier McKinney has been playing great for the green and gold and has 7 interceptions on the year so far (hopefully that number will be 20 after the game against the Seahawks on Sunday night).
Jordan Love moments before throwing the worst interception ever seen
I think Napoleon Bonaparte said it best when he said, “Don’t ask me why I’m a Packers fan, ask yourself why you’re not.” Those are words we should all live by as we continue to support the greatest sports team to ever exist. Go Pack Go!
Ashley’s Animals
Elephants!
There are 3 living species of elephant: the African savanna elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant; they can be easily identified by their ear and tusk shape. |  Asian Elephants |
In both species of African elephant, male and female elephants grow tusks (savannah tusks growing more curved and forest tusks growing straight). However, only a few Asian elephants have large tusks. Most have smaller only slightly protruding tusks called tushes. |  African Elephants |
At Mount Elgon National Park in Kenya, there is a herd of elephants that for generations have been going deep into Kitum Cave to gather nutritional minerals (like calcium, magnesium, and sodium) that they can’t find elsewhere, with a single elephant being able to mine up to 20 kilograms (44 pounds) in a single night. |  Mining Elephants |
An elephant herd is made of 6-20 individuals who are all mothers, daughters, and children. The females stay in family herds for life, and develop close tight bonds as evidenced by their protective nature and elaborate rituals of grief and mourning. Male elephants leave their mothers herd slowly between the ages of 10-15 |  |
All three species of elephant are endangered, with African Forest Elephants being critically endangered due to poaching and habitat destruction. An estimated 415,000 African elephants remain in the wild, and 40,000 - 50,000 Asian elephants left in the wild. |  Sad Elephant |
Bonus: Delevan Wisconsin has a life size statue of Romeo the Elephant: a circus elephant, who killed 5 of his handlers, 25 horses, destroyed theatres, and was just a general menace. Ghost stories speak of Juliet the Elephant, Romeo’s gentle and charming partner, haunting her final resting place of Delevan Lake. They say Romeo ‘turned mean’ after the death of Juliet. -Ashley |  Romeo |
Quan Quotes
“My sister and mom were up at 4am, just to hear that I lost”
Verse Of The Week
“And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places".”