Forgot to pick up your tickets? Got a paper you have to write instead? Couldn't find a ride? Could find a ride but couldn't afford almost 3 bucks a gallon for gas? Found the ride AND the three bucks AND finished the paper early, only to discover the game is here and NOT in Cortland, and you could have easily found a ticket if only you'd tried?

Don't be so sad if you can't attend this year's Cortaca Jug game! There's much happening here in town that can satisfy your need for fun, shouting, and camaraderie. Here are 7 things to do with yourself, because lists of 10 are everywhere, and tend to make one listless after a while (hey hey, hee hee, ho ho).

1. See a show! With Dan Deacon (or not -- he canceled), Ani Difranco, and great shows all around the Commons, there's no reason to stay inside and mope about not being in a crowded awesome noisy place this weekend.
2. Go home, mooch your mom's cooking. If anyone says this is a lame alternative then they either haven't been eating the dining hall food long enough, or their mom isn't that good of a cook (sorry).
3. Stage your own football game. Play for rewards much more epic than a jug. You'll think of something. Please keep it legal.
4. Play a South Hill-wide game of Capture The Flag. Choose two friends' houses as bases. To make things lively, be creative with your choice of flags. Consider using a large ham, or perhaps a small classmate.
5. Take the bus to New York City. Discounted student bus rates, and even the busiest city block in Manhattan will be completely, mercifully devoid of people painted red and white and screaming at you about Cortland, yeah, wooo, arrgggh, blerrggch, mehhh...
6. See one of the great plays going on right here in Ithaca. Along with some amazing theater, you'll escape the weekend without a single fight song or monosyllabic chant stuck in your head (unless you see the Simpsons' production of A Streetcar Named Desire).
7. Play a game of Calvinball.

Hey! What are you doing this weekend? Oh, you're not opening for St. Vincent?

Congratulations, you're inferior! (Don't worry, I am too.)

On the other hand, senior Rosie Newton is doing just fine considering she and her friends in The Red Lions are slated to open for St Vincent on the Ithaca stop of their nationwide tour. Nice.

Fall break edition!

Have all your favorite on-campus activities gone into hibernation for the long weekend? Perfect excuse to get out and about in town, and see for yourself why many call Ithaca one of the best college towns in the nation!

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Wednesday, October 14th - Wine Dinner at Blue Stone: If you're of the over-21 persuasion, start your fall break right with a 6 course wine dinner at Blue Stone Bar & Grill. for 35 a person, you get 6 different wines by Lucas Vinyards and some of the best food Ithaca has to offer. Great date idea! 6pm.

Friday October 16th: Califone - Califone brings their new film AND album to Willard Straight hall this Friday. Come watch Red Red Meat veteran Tim Rutilli and friends give a live rendition of All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, their stunning new album. Tix at the Cornell Box Office 7pm.

October 14th thru November 1st: Kitchen Theater's First Day - the fabulous Kitchen Theater company's awesome twist on the cliched "young kid in the big city" plot. Promises to be awesome. Visit their site for more info.

September 16th thru November 30th: Farm to Fork Ithaca - a fabulous week celebrating the best of local food, wine, and farms. Too many to list here, but delve in on the Downtown Ithaca Alliance's website.

Sunday, October 18th - Climate Change Festival: Not a festival supporting climate change, but a sustainability-themed fest for all of Ithaca. Live music, refreshments by CTB, a community swap meet, and a display of some ultra-fuel efficient cars (I bet they look real sweet) in downtown Ithaca from 12 to 3pm.

And as always, Cinemapolis is showing some of the finest indie films in cinema today!

After seeing The Cove at Cinemapolis this weekend -- another gem from the good folks at IC's very own Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) -- I was stunned. The thing was, I was not stunned in the way I expected to be stunned. Coming into the documentary of Taijian dolphin slaughter in a specific cove, I had expected to be upset. I had expected to be somewhat revolted. I had not expected to be quite so motivated towards change as I was.

The movie was beautiful, in a terrible way. It showed the secrecy of the slaughter, and let us follow the filmmakers through the espionage that brought the terrible practice to light. The real gem of the experience though was the discussion that took place after the screening with Christopher Clark and Todd Schack, professors at Cornell and IC, respectively.

Between Clark's knowledge of dolphins and bioacoustics and Schack's experience in investigative journalism, they offered an insight into the experience of The Cove that would have been almost impossible to glean otherwise. Through all their academic knowledge, though, the most important thing that they emphasized was that horrible practices such as these are not at all beyond our control. With the proper motivation and exposure, things can and will change.

Want to know what you can do to help?

The brief yet harsh cloudburst Wednesday night did nothing to deter the crowd of eager ticketholders at Castaways door from their goal: one of the most amazing shows in one of the smallest venues that Sufjan Stevens has played in years. Buzzing with anticipation, the crowds came early and eagerly to claim their front row spots for this uniquely amazing show.

Kicking off the show was Cryptacize, a band that's been personally nurtured from the beginning by Sufjan himself. Signed to his label Asthmatic Kittie, they've been accompanying him on this recent tour, and complimenting his music style perfectly. Playing a sunny and charmingly off-kilter pop rock, Cryptacize and lead singer Nedelle Torrisi set the tone perfectly for the evening. Highlights for me were a beautiful Beach Boys cover ("Because we're from California" Nedelle chimes in) and "Constant Sing-Along," their disarmingly charming set-closer.

Coming onstage to set up his impressive array of pedals, Sufjan took a minute to chat with the almost frighteningly enthusiastic fans in the front row before launching into a set front-loaded with brand new songs. Sporting a slightly electronic edge, Sufjan's new songs were alternately beautifully soothing and shockingly epic (the epicness mainly due to his horn player, one of the best I've seen lately) and though they weren't his most well-known songs by any stretch, proved just as enjoyable in a "You never know what kooky awesome hi-jinks Sufjan will get up to next" kind of way.

While these new songs were thoroughly entrancing, as Sufjan and his band launched into his best loved material the energy in the room definitely kicked up a notch.  "Casimir Pulaski Day," "The Dress Looks Nice On You," and "To Be Alone With You" were met with nothing short of a rapturous response from the audience, as Sufjan showed definitively the sunning strength that somehow comes through the fragility of his music. No one though, was prepared for the awesome that was "Chicago." Played in the worn wooden room of Castaways, the warmth of the song was amazing, and it truly seemed as if we were hearing it in a way that was very rarely heard, but was really the way it should be. Remarkable. Finishing off the night with two separate encores, The first new and the second "John Wayne Gacy Jr.," Sufjan left Ithaca dazed by his unique brand of amazing.
 

Be one of the first 50 people to bring your student ID to Cinemapolis for The Cove screening this Friday, and you can be one of the chosen few to receive a free ticket to the documentary that the New York Times called  "one of the most audacious and perilous operations in the history of the conservation movement."

The Cove, easily one of the most revolutionary documentary films made recently, follows Ric O'Barry on an expose of the heinous activities going on in an otherwise scenic cove in Taiji, Japan. Protected by barbed wire fences and armed guards, a six month-long slaughter of thousands of dolphins takes place every year. Dolphins are herded into the cove by local fishermen; for them, it's the killing of competition, as the dolphins represent a rival for daily fish consumption.

O'Barry and his crew infiltrated the operation using divers and high-definition cameras camouflaged as rocks, as the local police and fisherman provided tight security at the site of the brutal slaughter. An espionage film as well as an environmental documentary, it's not a screening to miss. The Cove has already won many awards, including the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance, and the Best Feature Film at the 2009 Nantucket Film Festival.

See the sidebar for deets on screening times and prices.

It's official: I have a new favorite Ithaca tradition. It's Porchfest, a festival of musicians playing on porches and front lawns in Ithaca. I spent Sunday blissfully wandering around Ithaca, following the music. My first stop was to see The Small Kings, described as "Post-pop Funk-daddy rockers on Bluegrass" on the Porchfest website.

Members of the Small Kings.

I was instantly drawn in, not just to the music, but to the whole atmosphere of the event. It seemed like all of Ithaca was there, from college students like me to families with babies and couples galore. Already psyched to see who else was playing, I wandered away down the street. I ran into quite a few wonderful musicians in the next couple hours.

Johnny Zachman charmed audiences with music and a smile.

Nate, of folk pair Nate & Kate.

Members of the Fall Crikkers.

Not only were the bands wonderful, but the people watching was some of the best I've ever participated in.

My favorite pair of the day- learning to play ukulele with Ukuelelese as a Second Language.

A fan of the Yardvarks.

I even spotted two IC professors out enjoying the day! Yes, apparently they do have lives outside of the classroom. Who knew?

By the end of the day, I was exhausted but happy. Community events like these are some of my favorite parts of living in a town like Ithaca, and Porchfest was an example of a community gathering at its best. I walked away humming one of the many tunes I'd heard that day, already excited for next year.

If you were lucky enough to catch Ra Ra Riot's show at Castaways Thursday night (and so many people were! The place was packed to the gills) your head's probably still buzzing from the radiant indie-pop that was positively brimming from the venue. Hailing from Syracuse, they're easily one of the best bands to come out of the upstate area in recent memory, and they proved it with a passion at this show.

Following stellar and thoroughly groove-able sets from Princeton and Maps And Atlases, Ra Ra Riot took to the stage and treated the packed house to the soaring orchestral dance-pop that made their debut LP "The Rhumb Line" one of the best albums of 2008. Sawing away at their various instruments (violin and cello included) they energized that Thursday night like rocket engine strapped to a Buick, sounding something like a mix between the Arcade Fire, Passion Pit, and Vampire Weekend. The best part of the show, though, was that you could tell that the band was having just as fun a time as the audience. Singing along with the crowd to their own songs, it was a magical night for all involved.

In Ithaca this fall, the concert lineup is straight up absurd. Between St. Vincent, the Meat Puppets, Ra Ra Riot, Gov't Mule, Built to Spill, Sufjan Stevens at Castaways (Still. Can. Not. Believe. It.), and Dan Deacon and the Mountain Goats brought to us by our own Bureau of Concerts (BOC), I doubt there has ever been a fall before in which students and residents alike have had such plentiful opportunities to get so thoroughly up to the neck in the blissful sweatiness that is live music.

The Hold Steady

The icing, of course, on this cupcake of aural awesomeness has to be the Positive Jam. Aside from the fact that it's named after a Hold Steady song, this music fest on the shores of Stewart park (willow trees are SO rock 'n roll) can't NOT be a killer party considering the lineup. Starting off is Caution Children, an IC band that has been described as "Bruce Springsteen with bipolar disorder." They're followed by Deer Tick, the Rural Alberta Advantage, and the Felice Brothers, three bands whom I've had the total pleasure of seeing this year, and can say with complete conviction are amazing live.

Deer Tick

Topping off the festival lineup is the indisputably (I guess you could dispute it, but I would dispute it right back with a FERVOR) amazing Hold Steady. That's right; Craig Finn and the boys are back for the second time in three months because, apparently, they just love Ithaca that much. This July they came to Castaways (a nice underplay, after having opened for Dave Matthews Band all summer) and played a show that no one who was there will soon forget, as everyone's faces were rocked clean off.

Get ready for a set packed with stupendous sing-alongs, the best modern rock 'n roll out there, and one of the greatest mustaches in the music world.

The Hold Steady at Castaways this summer

The Jam starts at noon this Sunday -- a perfect Labor Day weekend treat. I'll be there from the very beginning, gathering concert photos, videos, and probably stories of failed attempts at socialization with the bands for your viewing pleasure here on Rattle! Come out for yourself, though, as you'll never find a better way to start out the new year.

As for the Hold Steady, don't be afraid to get up to the front during their set. Sometimes it hurts a little bit, but it's worth it.

I know it was nigh on impossible to tear yourselves away from a summer full of awkward moments with high school friends who think "you've changed, man" and repeated explanations to your parents about the sociopolitical significance of assorted piercings and tattoos, but in time I suspect you'll be glad you returned to Ithaca.

In fact, since this is probably the last weekend (sprits willing) many of you will see your parents for many moons, I think it would be sweet if you shared a little local culture with them this evening. Think of it as family bonding, Ithaca-style.

I'm referring, of course, to the SufferJets roller derby bout at Cass Park tonight. First jam starts at 7:30; first dental projectile at 7:31.

Having traveled the world in pursuit of the finer things in life, I can say without hesitation that few artistic endeavors offer so poignant an encapsulation of humanity's beautiful potential than 10 rough-and-tumble gals -- many working on graduate degrees between blood-lettings -- whomping the ever-loving snot out of one another while skating in a big oval. Ithaca is easily one of the smallest cities in the country with its own roller derby team, which is a testament to our collective will to excel...or a damning indictment of a morally dubious band of rogues masquerading as an enlightened community. To-may-toe, to-mah-toe.

Anyway, think of this as an unofficial welcome back to all that is weird and wonderful about life at Ithaca College. Our community may be a little different, but then who wants to be ordinary?

Students at Ithaca College, past and present, can tell you that this town does things with a certain style.

Take the untimely demise of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson (the deviant among you might suggest his death untimely because it happened 20 years too late -- don't be impolite). Did fans weep while clutching funeral bouquets and citing various spiritual tomes?

Fool, don't waste my time. This is I-Town -- we had a party!

Part of the Ithaca experience is making your own fun. The dude was strange beyond words, but his beats remain solid, and in any case part of living in close quarters as one does in a college town is making the best out of every situation. Can't study every minute of the day -- gotta make time to dance, yo.

Near as we can figure it kicked off in front of Viva Taqueria around 6 p.m. By 10:30 or so the crowd was easily 100+, shakin' their bodies down to the proverbial ground in the middle of the State Street construction site. Then it moved down the Commons in front of Korova, where the thirsty moved inside and the rest just kept dancing out front.

That's right, not one but TWO spontaneous MJ parties happening right next to each other. Off the hook.

I shot video, but the thing about phones is no matter how fancy they get, they're still mostly for talking to people who aren't there. If you turn it way up, you can hear "Don't Stop til You Get Enough" rockin' the Commons.

Original Video

For something far more visually rich (if obviously lacking in spontaneity) check out what IC alum Mark Romanak '81 did for Mike's "Scream" video (our boy won a Grammy for it, in fact).

I have absolutely no idea why anyone would go to school anywhere else. This place has it all.

Valentine's Day is upon us once again (like a biblical plague, the lovelorn might suggest). To celebrate this holiest of Hallmark holidays, I heartily recommend you spend tomorrow evening (7:00 p.m. - ?) snuggled up with your sugarpie at Cinemapolis watching a movie about sectarian hatred and slaughter.

No, not the film version of my ex-wife's diary -- last I heard that was still in post-production.

The flick in question is Ari Folman's surrealist documentary Waltz with Bashir, an account of his time in the Israeli army during the Lebanon war in the early eighties (historical spoiler: it was bloodier than a Cosa Nostra dinner theater production of MacBeth). Reunited with images of a horror he had tried to forget, Folman animates his tale -- one assumes because the stark reality is a little too, well, real.

Does it work? Hell if I know, I'm just the guy with the blog. I do know it's up for an Oscar, and the distributor is sufficiently psyched that they're allowing FLEFF just the one sneak peak before hustling off to butter up the Academy (or whatever it is distributors do -- they're so mysterious).

Until Oscar night this is a one-off, so go check it out for yourself. Get there early -- the place will be nuts -- and stick around after for the panel discussion. Just a guess, but I reckon you'll be able to roast marshmallows on the opinions in that room. So play nice and, to paraphrase Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, everybody be cool.

Oh, and be on the lookout for the FLEFF staff. They'll be blogging about this event and all things Finger Lakes, environmental, film, and festival related right up through the big event itself (March 30-April 5, if you're booking ahead). They'll also embrace Twitter like the forward-thinking brilliant minds of the new generation that they are. Ain't it tweet? (Oy.)

It's a funny ol' place, this Ithaca. One minute you're desperately trying to unstick your frozen tongue from the flagpole following a somewhat foolhardy stab at self-amusement; the next every single cool Canadian band in history is playing in town.

Tonight rock music's answer to chamomile tea, Cowboy Junkies, will be ensconced at the State Theater. Since they brought the glories of church acoustics to the most committed atheist, you can probably count on a mighty fine performance (though don't be surprised if they've kicked it up a notch or two from the old days -- Michael Timmins apparently believes age and feedback should advance in step).

Friday your very own IC Bureau of Concerts has helped to bring Montreal's Stars to the State, and this reporter is kinda thrilled. For the uninitiated, Stars are another of those semi-orchestral pop treats that have become the specialty of Canadian indie gods Arts&Crafts (Broken Social Scene, Feist, Constantines, Dears). They sing real purty-like, and their newer stuff just sounds BIG (though I remain a devotee of earlier tracks like "Elevator Love Letter"). With students from "that other school" also getting a deal on tickets, they may be going fast. Best get on it lest the cool kids think you...um...less cool.

And just in case your thirst for Canadiana remains unslaked, head (New) Pornographer A.C. Newman will be here March 10 to prove once and for all that red hair and power pop are not mutually exclusive. Dude's got more hooks than a one-handed pirates convention.

No matter where you end up this weekend (well, okay, I probably shouldn't leave that quite so open-ended), we want to hear about it, see pics, et cetera. Use that comments thingie, people.

And if you get backstage with Amy Millan from Stars, let her know I think she could kick Feist's ass any day of the week.

Let's cut to the chase: the inauguration today of Barack Obama as the President of the United States is likely to be the biggest event-generator on a Tuesday for some time to come. And even if you didn't vote for the guy, you'd be hard pressed not to marvel at the outpouring of hope and commitment to the ideals of this country. When was the last time people got this excited about Inauguration Day? Or, for that matter, the business of government?

It's safe to say that Ithaca, more than almost any city in the country, is by and large a land of very happy campers today. As the only community that voted for Obama in the NYS primary, it's not surprising that more than a few people feel vindicated and validated by today's events. And as Ithacans often do, they're going to get a bit rowdy because of it.

You

I won't lie to you, I've seen a few things of note in my time, but this is right up there with the biggest. Where once people would ask "where were you when Kennedy was shot/Armstrong walked on the moon/Cheech met Chong?" -- insert other cultural ephemera as you see fit  -- people will spend the next 60 years wondering aloud about what you were doing when Barack Obama became president. If you're lucky, the answer won't be "I was in line for the can at Starbucks because my phone was off and my watch stopped and I thought the damn thing wasn't happening until later."

Whatever you end up doing, make sure you tell us about it using the comments tool. We want to know how the IC community spent this historic day, especially if it's likely to make us laugh so hard the Guinness comes out of our noses. What can I tell you, we like the jokes.
 

Day

Much to the chagrin of tavern owners in blue state communities across the country, the actual swearing-in ceremony happens not during prime drinking hours, but rather at noon. There are countless opportunities to share this historic moment with friends and strangers alike, including

• Right here on campus at Emerson suites. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the presidential shenanigans will be shown to the gaping throng, most of whom (if they're anything like me) will be sitting around in a state of catatonic amazement, muttering the same refrain: "Really? No, really?"
• Pixel Lounge in Collegetown, for those of you who have decided to ditch class from a greater distance. Big kids only (21+) are encouraged to bring lunch and a thirst for democracy (and beer). Doors open at 11 a.m.; celebratory gestures of falling down likely to kick in around 12:15 p.m.
• If for some reason you find yourself at that other school this morning, the Straight is doing something or other that probably involves wearing "Lynah Faithful" shirts and yelling about Harvard.

Whatever you do, if you really want to see President Obama (wow, just...wow) try to avoid watching online. As much fun as it potentially could be to interact via various social media gizmos and such, the simple fact is bandwidth is being crushed today. So far today the web is crawling like a red-nosed drunk the morning after the night before, and it promises to get a lot worse. Good old fashioned TV is your best bet for clear pictures and resonant Zeitgeist.
 

Night

Inauguration balls will be raging throughout the night, and our little satellite of democracy seems hell bent on behaving in kind. There are parties galore tonight, including

• Mine, a.k.a. Inaugurate This! I'll be spinning (I use the term loosely -- there's a laptop involved) at Korova from 10 p.m. til close, featuring some favorites from the new president's iPod, as well as some tasty tunes particularly suited to the funky moment. There promises to be a surfeit of "hell yeah!" and "whooo!"
• The aforementioned Pixel Loungewill be graced by DJ Fuzzy Duck, who (if previous experience holds) will be droppin' old school beats and generally shakin' it for those who can't shake it themselves.
• Felicia's Atomic Lounge will be promoting the art of fabulousness as they always do -- they'll just be doing it with a bit more gusto and a lot more "Baracktails" than usual.

There are probably numerous booze-free events going on as well, and if you find them please let us know. Let's just say some of us (who are of age, natch) can't quite envision this event without a stiff drink and a lot of hollering.

Alright, enough of my yakkin'. Go forth and embrace democracy, and if you can, let us know how it goes. Pictures are welcome, as long as they include enough fabric to sew a loin cloth if need be.

Contrary to popular opinion, the winter crowd at Ithaca College does not go rampaging through the dorms while students are on break. We take the occasional shower, perhaps. Maybe jump on the odd bunk bed from time to time. And of course there's the fizzball league that meets every Tuesday and Thursday in Terrace 2. But other than that, we pretty much keep a low profile over the holiday season.

Suffice to say with campus closed for the better part of the next two weeks, Rattle will be quietly soaking up the holiday romance and good cheer, which may or may not be a euphemism for an eggnog-fueled 3 a.m. escapade of snow golf at the Trumansburg mini putt.

But when we come back, duck.

Next semester promises to be the most exciting four months in the history of Ithaca College, at least for those of you who can put down the Warcrack long enough to get outside from time to time (a good idea in any case if you ever plan to get an actual job). Big stuff will be happening, shows will be spectacular, people of astonishing importance and jaw-dropping influence will be talking at length about stuff you can't possibly comprehend unless you do the bloody reading first. Remember folks, events on campus are only as good as the people who show up to see 'em.

Oh, and there's the small matter of inaugurating our new College president. Perhaps not the strain on the local hostelry that Obamafest promises to be in DC, but a big deal nonetheless. The last time we had one of these parties, "blog" was just a typo.

We're still working out the kinks at Rattle, but our biggest hope has remained unchanged: we want to hear from you about life at Ithaca. If you see a great band, we want to know it before you fall asleep with your ears still ringing. If you shoot a video of some totally off-the-hook performance art piece, we want to scare the hell out of your classmates with it before breakfast tomorrow. In short, whatever shapes your Ithaca experience, we want to know about it. Odds are we're not the only ones.

Enjoy the break. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with a Louisville Slugger and a case of Natty Light in Terrace 2.*

*Just kidding. It's actually Milwaukee's Beast.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (downtown Ithaca), there was a commercial building boom. On every vacant (and not-so-vacant) corner of the town, giant brick erections (heh heh, shut up, Beavis) sprang up to house all manner of automobile, brokerage house, business traveler, and ersatz Hibernian drinkery. Throughout the land, people marvelled at the sudden upward growth of the once low-rise town and collectively wondered aloud:

"When the hell are they gonna fill all that empty space with something we actually want?"

Not sure about the long term prospects, though the rumor about Urban Outfitters continues to brew without being dismissed out of hand (it did start on an Ivy League campus, after all, so it isn't that far-fetched). Tonight, however, the cavernous monument to the fickle nature of our boom-and-bust economy at the corner of Cayuga and Clinton will burst to life with IC's senior photography workshop show, "I Feel, When You, I Want."

The opening reception goes from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., and vittles and elixirs will be on offer. If the TiVo is on the blink and you can't make it tonight, further viewing hours are Friday and Saturday, noon to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6:00 p.m. Which is fine, but tonight's the night for all you scenesters and scenestresses who want to slip on your finery and hobnob with the Bomberatti. Just be sure to bring a wrap for that little cocktail dress, because empty concrete commercial space tends to double as a meat locker this time of year.

Each year this show seems to get better, so be sure to get yourself way down down down in this subbacultcha (sorry, got the Pixies on really loud right now).

One of the things I most enjoy about working at IC is the universality of the college experience, regardless of age, era, or location. Since time immemorial the week following Thanksgiving has meant one thing:

"What do you MEAN there's only a week left of classes? What do you MEAN I have seven papers due and a final in every subject? What the #@$&!?"

Yes, like your ancestors before you, you're about to discover the great anomaly of academic physics: work is multiplied by the speed at which time increases during the last week of classes (mathematically, we state it thus: holycrap x howthehellisitfridayalready = helpmemommy). You can read all the time management books you want (which is a bit silly, since not having enough time to read is what got you in this mess in the first place), but ultimately there is only one answer to your woes:

Go to the movies.

And not just any movie. The folks at FLEFF (Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, for the abbreviation-challenged among you) are leading a forum on Trouble The Water, a documentary made by two woefully unlucky New Orleans residents who filmed their impending demise on the business end of Hurricane Katrina three years ago. The film won the Grand Jury Award at Sundance and has been shortlisted for the best documentary Oscar, so in addition to seeing people exponentially worse off than yourselves ultimately survive, you'll get good value for your entertainment dollar.

FLEFF honchos Patty "The kid stays in the picture" Zimmermann and Tom "Vote or else" Shevory will lead a post-screening discussion on politics and aesthetics of the film. Showtime is 7:00 p.m. this Saturday (Dec. 6) at Cinemapolis on the always colorful Ithaca Commons. Their popcorn comes straight from Heaven's own feed bag.

And fear not -- no one's head has ever actually exploded from too much school work. You'll be fine.

Tis the season for the Cortaca Jug, the gridiron classic between IC and Cortland State that Sports Illustrated once took time off from bikini peddling to call "the biggest little game in America." This year's edition has been sold out since roughly the mid-1970s, so don't even think about going to Cortland without a ticket, lest the local constabulary beat you senseless with your own tinfoil replica trophy.

As the frosh among you may have noticed, the Cortaca Jug is the athletic, social, and (ahem) festive event of the season at Ithaca. Sometimes we win, sometimes it's how we play the game. Since the contest began in 1959, we've won 32 times to their 17, and last year we whomped the everloving snot out of 'em. Then we chased them naked through the Commons while making them sing "Ithaca Forever."

(Okay, I made that last part up. They sang a medley from "High School Musical 2.")

Suffice to say, when Cortland wins it's invariably because the wind was blowing the wrong way, or because our quarterback had rabies, or because the entire IC defensive line was mysteriously imprisoned off the coast of Venezuela for the duration of the game. By default, we're winners, which means they're...well, you can figure it out.

If you're lucky enough/sufficiently insured to already have a ticket in hand (we cannot emphasize this enough), here's what you can expect prior to kickoff on Saturday:

• All seating is general admission -- first-come, first trampled by those who come later.
• No re-entry. Once you leave the stadium, you might as well take in a movie or try out that killer mini-putt course just south of town. Because short of an AIG bailout-sized bribe, you're not getting back in.
• Anyone entering the stadium complex should expect to be "patted down." Which means that anything inside diaper bags, purses, medicine bottles, and threadbare undies is fair game. Be sure to get a receipt if they take your dignity.

Also, pretty much everything except the shirt on your back and (maybe) the song in your heart is prohibited. No booze, no banners or signs on poles, no backpacks or bags, no umbrellas, no coolers, no chihuahuas, no Gummi Bears, no flame throwers, no Lucky Strikes, nada. If it ever seemed essential to the enjoyment of football, just assume you can't bring it into the stadium.

For more information, see the Intercom story.

You'd think with all the rules and hassle that folks would lose interest in the Cortaca Jug, but no. In fact it seems to get more popular every year. At the end of the day, people love hating Cortland as much as they love loving Ithaca. Sure, there's a little pillaging and plundering after the game (mostly at the press box buffet), but Ithaca fans are generally the respectful, decent sort. The game is exciting and the friendly banter between fans makes for an entertaining day out.

So have fun, be respectful toward our hosts (don't break anything but their hearts), play safe, and when we win, remember: it's a long walk back to Ithaca, so don't get lippy with the SUNY parking attendants until you're clear of the lot, and don't flash anything you don't want to show up on Facebook an hour later.

Rattle knows not everyone could make it home for break (for that matter, we also know some of you would rather chew off your own ears than ride an ever-ripening bus for six miserable hours to hear another chorus of "those pants are horrible -- what were you thinking?"). We feel your pain.

There's not much action on campus this weekend, but Billy Bragg will be at the State Theatre Saturday night, which pretty much makes up for missing out on a weekend spent having awkward moments at Starbucks with your high school ex.

We're pretty spoiled for choice here in Ithaca, with some of the best indie, soul, rock, and world music year-round. But Billy Bragg is special. He's the post-punk folky love child of Woody Guthrie and Joe Strummer, and for the last 25 years he's made some of the best music you'll ever hear. His Mermaid Avenue collaborations with Wilco were epic, and his solo records bite and snarl like two pitbulls in a bird cage. Countless pop-punk and emo bands would kill to sound this tough, and Billy tends to do most of it alone with just his guitar and his guts. The pre-Madonna Guy-Ritchie-thug-movie/soccer 'ooligan accent probably doesn't hurt.

There are so many killer songs, but if you don't know Billy's stuff, you should start at the beginning with "A New England." Just don't hold the 1983 haircut against him -- different times, me pups.

Get your tickets here. If you shoot any pics at the show, send us a link with your comments and we'll flaunt your shutterbug magic.

In any other town the image below would be pretty easy to interpret.

Is it an end-of-season camping goods sale? An encampment of newly unemployed Wall Street traders? Scalpers drooling over themselves in anticipation of tickets for the oft-rumored Led Zeppelin reunion? The latest solution to dorm overcrowding?

Not in Ithaca, baby. That there is a queue for buying used books. The diehards sleep rough for days to get the best $1 copies of Ulysses and Horton Hears a Who.

The Friends of the Library Book Sale begins tomorrow. You simply will not qualify as an Ithacan until you've witnessed the spectacle.

Read all about it.

Marianne is a sophomore and a DJ at WICB.

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