Mount Hood

Sweet smoothie recipes

Rylie Horrall |  Lifestyle Editor

Smoothies are one of my favorite drinks — or is it considered food? They are great because there are multiple combinations to be made, not to mention they’re healthy. During this quarantine, smoothies can be an easy treat to make and alter, if there’s extra fruit lying around. Here are the basic steps to making a smoothie, along with some fruity combinations to try.

First, grab a blender. Then grab whatever fruit that will be used for the smoothie. Dice all of the fruit up into smaller chunks — they don’t have to be extremely small, just littler pieces than the whole fruit to help with blending.

Once the fruit is diced, add them to the blender along with a couple handfuls of ice cubes. Before blending, make sure the lid is secure to avoid a mess. Blend everything together — some blenders have ‘smoothie’ options, but I personally use the ‘puree’ mode. Adding liquid, such as juice or milk, can make the blending process easier and add more flavor.

There are also other things that can be added to smoothies other than fruits; sometimes I throw in vegetables like spinach and carrots to add extra vitamins. Other add-ins could be coconut, yogurt, flax, chia seeds or honey.

Once finished, pour into a cup — or make a smoothie bowl, if preferred — and enjoy.

 

 

COMBINATIONS:

  • Strawberry, banana, peach
  • Raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry
  • Orange, banana, pineapple, coconut
  • Mango, pineapple, peach, apple
  • Peach, strawberry, mango
  • Raspberry, strawberry, kiwi
  • Peach, coconut, mango
  • Pineapple, strawberry, orange

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photos by Rylie Horrall

How to relieve tension from sitting too long

Rylie Horrall |  Lifestyle Editor

Many students may find themselves working for long periods at a desk or table. With our current pandemic, some may note that they’re sitting even longer than normal. While sitting at a table or a desk may be better than working on a bed — according to info.achs.edu, it can decrease productivity due to less space to organize study materials — staying there for long periods can cause the body to ache or become stiff. However, this can be combated by stretching in various ways.

An easy one I always do is a ‘one armed hug’; reach one arm across the body and place it on the opposite shoulder, then use the other arm to push back on the elbow. Another way to do it is to extend the arm out instead of placing it on the opposite shoulder, so it’s draped across the chest. 

A stretch I generally pair with the previous is one that I usually call an ‘up-and-over’ stretch. It’s done by putting one arm up and bending it back so the underside of the arm is facing the back of the head. Like the stretch before, use the opposite arm to push the elbow back, which will stretch the triceps.

To stretch the lower back, there’s a few options to help with stiffness and pain. There’s back extensions, which can be done a couple different ways — with palms placed flat against the lower back and then leaning back, or by interlocking hands above the head with palms facing the ceiling and pushing upwards. Both of these can be done while standing as well. Another option is a seated twist; by crossing one leg over the other then twisting the body towards the leg on top, this will stretch, and maybe pop, the lower back. Variations include crossing the arms over the chest, or using the arm of the chair to pull into a deeper stretch

For the legs, try sitting in an upright position and straightening the legs, then folding the body towards the toes. When I do this stretch, I like to try and touch my toes with my fingertips for a deeper stretch to my hamstrings. An important thing to keep in mind with this one is to keep the back as straight as possible.

There are some simple things that can be done while continuing to work or study. For instance, rotating the neck in a circle or even just tilting the head from side to side and front to back is an easy way to relieve neck pain caused by looking down for too long. Shrugging the shoulders and rolling them back can alleviate stiffness, and rotating the wrists in a circle counter-clockwise and then clockwise will help with pain.

An important thing to note is to pay attention to posture and to sit with the chair close to the desk or table to keep from hunching over. Sit back in the seat, and, if possible, try to keep a computer level with the eyes.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Rylie Horrall

Live theatre available on Youtube

Never Retallack |  Entertainment Editor

Theater has been a creative way to tell stories for centuries, and with the closure of theaters across the globe, many are missing the drama on stage. Luckily, there is a way to watch one of the most famous shows from the National Theatre in London, “Frankenstein.”

The show was originally performed and filmed in 2011; it was such an instantaneous hit that 800,000 people across the world experienced it. It was directed by Danny Boyle, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller as they take turns alternating in the roles between Victor Frankenstein and the creature.

The viewing for “Frankenstein” with Cumberbatch as the creature will air from April 30 at 7 p.m. to May 7 at 7 p.m. The alternate play with Miller as the creature will air May 1 at 7 p.m. to May 8 at 7 p.m.

These performances can be found on YouTube under the channel titled “National Theatre. Not only will they have “Frankenstein,” but they also have several live performances on their channels for viewing pleasure.

While watching a live play at home is not the same as sitting in an auditorium, it still offers the same entertainment value. Check out National Theatre’s Youtube channel for the other available plays.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Claire Nicholson

Western Howl’s songs to stay sane during quarantine

Compiled by The Western Howl staff

For those interested in checking out these songs, Western has a Spotify account with any playlists we have compiled. This playlist can be found under the account name TheWesternHowl and the playlist title “Finding Sanity.”

 

“Talia” — King Princess

“Fly Away” — Lenny Kravitz

“Boss Bitch” — Doja Cat

“Death Bed” — Powfu 

“I’m Ready” — Sam Smith, Demi Lovato

“Ordinary People” — John Legend

“I Want It That Way” — Backstreet Boys

“STFU!” — Rina Sawayama 

“Million Pieces” — Bastille

“Bohemian Rhapsody” — Queen

“Don’t Stop me Now” — Queen

“Let’s Go Crazy” — Prince

“I’m Not Okay” — Weathers

 

Photo by Rachel Hetzel

Need a distraction? Here are a list of the best comedies sure to help

Never Retallack |  Entertainment Editor

  1. “I Love You, Man” (2009)

Directed by John Hamburg, “I Love You, Man” is a knee-slapping funny comedy, starring Paul Rudd, Jason Siegel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg and other big name actors. The film centers around Rudd’s character, Peter, who gets engaged to his girlfriend and it isn’t until the wedding planning begins when he realizes he doesn’t have many male friends. His journey to find his best man for the wedding includes a couple awkward ooooo man-dates, mistaken sexuality and the meeting of Siegel’s character, Sydney. This movie is full of awkwardness, strangeness and lots of Rush. Available on Amazon Prime.

 

  1. “Spy” (2015)

Paul Feig directed this masterpiece starring Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Jason Statham and other notable actors. The story revolves around McCarthy’s character, Susan, who works as a CIA analyst until her big moment comes where she must go undercover. The somewhat outlandish tale showcases German dancing, poison, ridiculous fake identities and most of all, empowerment. The movie is fun to watch as Susan becomes more confident and delivers intense battle scenes. Plot twists and intense action sequences padded by dry and witty humor is a crowd pleaser for all. Available on Youtube and Amazon Prime.

 

  1. “What We Do In The Shadows” (2014)

This masterpiece was created by two directors, Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, who also happen to play two of the vampires in this mockumentary. The concept of the film is that a group of vampires — mostly notorious ones at that — have permitted a film crew to come and observe their lives. Viago, an awkward, quirky and love-sick vampire, acts as a peacemaker in his flat. Vladislav, or better known as, “Vlad the Impaler” is sexual, old-fashioned and hurt by an ex. Petyr, or better known as Nosfaratu, resides in the house as well, he also made Deacon and Nick, the two youngest, into vampires. This mockumentary is clever, weird and timeless in cinema, capturing the bizarre in the most hilarious fashion. Available on Kanopy, a site free for students.

 

  1. “Between Two Ferns: The Movie” (2019)

Scott Aukerman, director of the show “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” is also responsible for the movie adaptation. This mockumentary is painfully awkward with equal part hilarity. What could go wrong with having Galifianakis play himself while roasting different celebrities to please Will Ferrell? Prepare to be shocked, amused and horrified all at the same time; it is the perfect reward after a day’s worth of Zoom meetings and online readings. Word of advice, watch until the very end for hilarious bloopers. Available on Netflix.

 

  1. “Little Evil” (2017)

Eki Craig directed and wrote this modern tale of Antichrist hilarity, casting Adam Scott as Gary, a step dad struggling to connect with his twisted stepson, Lucas. This movie perfectly demonstrates common tropes around the Antichrist and uses references to horror films such as “Poltergeist” (1982) and “The Omen” (1976) to really draw in the audience. The obvious evilness of Lucas, the naiveness of his mother and a group of struggling stepdads who all see their children as the Antichrist make for one brilliant movie. Available on Netflix.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of imdb.com

Art rethought and reproduced by the quarantined across the globe

Never Retallack |  Entertainment Editor

During this strange time, people are having withdrawals from all sorts of things in their lives, including going to art museums. Maybe painting or drawing isn’t a skill that everybody practices, but going to art museums is a great way to appreciate those who have honed such skills. 

Being quarantined limits that option, and in response, museums nationally are asking people to recreate famous paintings with anything they have at home and post it online. In the states, the museum that really kicked off this challenge is the J. Paul Getty Museum (The Getty). 

They challenged the public on March 25, and since then the number of people showing off their imagination and creativity has skyrocketed.

A couple other museums or art accounts doing the same challenge are Pinchuk Art Centre in Kyiv, Ukraine, and an Instagram account from Amsterdam called Tussen Kunst en Quarantaine (Between Art and Quarantine). This account is what inspired The Getty to start the challenge.

Complicated pieces with a lot of elements are intimidating to those up for the challenge. They use whatever is in their house — anything of similar color or shape to recreate the painting. People are also incorporating their animals or children to recreate classic pieces. 

Each interpretation of the paintings is hilarious and brings a smile to the face, a perfect remedy for times like these.

Going to an art gallery isn’t on the table, but there are still plenty of ways to interact with art in everyday life; if one is bored, trying to recreate a favorite painting may be a great solution.

Feel free to submit any of your own interpretations and send it to @thewesternhowl on Instagram to show us your creativity and imagination

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Guinevere PH Dethlefson

Demolished chances worldwide, how the Wolves “competed” in Nationals

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor

Western Oregon’s Track and Field team is known for their success, having top finishers every season and sending multiple athletes to Nationals every year. This indoor season saw some top marks and finishes with promising futures for the spring season — particularly the Men’s Distance Medley Relay. The first leg saw Derek Holdsworth running the 1200; second leg, Gabe Arce-Torres running the 400; third leg, Max Carmona running the 800; and the final leg, Justin Crosswhite running the 1600. 

The Wolves’ DMR crossed into the top 25 rankings of 2020 NCAA DII Men’s Indoor Track and Field, giving them the opportunity of a lifetime — to compete in Alabama against the top-ranked schools in the country. As the Wolves traveled to Birmingham, Alabama on March 11, COVID-19 was starting to creep into everyone’s lives. The Wolves arrived, were welcomed with southern hospitality and continued their training for the big race. Though COVID-19 began to pick up, the NCAA DII Indoor Championships was still “on” — making changes to the meet, not allowing spectators, but still giving the athletes a chance to compete. However, on Thursday, March 12, the Wolves’ season came to an abrupt end with the NCAA stating there would be no meet due to the increasing effects of COVID-19 — disbelief filled the Wolves, to say the least. 

“The virus tore my final indoor meet apart,” said Holdsworth on the decision from the NCAA, “that (meet) could have led to more looks — instead it shows I’m just another 800 guy who’s run a respectable, but not world class, time, it’s extremely frustrating.”

Not only did the decision affect those who would have competed in the Indoor Championship, but it ended the upcoming spring season for all athletes, ripping away many “senior seasons.” 

“When I found out that the Indoor Championships got cancelled, I was really bummed for the guys and all the other GNAC athletes,” stated Grayson Burke, a senior on the Track and Field team. “But it never crossed my mind that the entire rest of the season would get cancelled.” The Wolves’ Track and Field team qualifies runners to the Nationals almost every year. Having the season taken away also ripped away the chances for multiple seniors. Due to COVID-19, all spring sports were cancelled, at every level, in every state. The NCAA granted eligibility to seniors, but that doesn’t mean chances weren’t lost. 

“I feel the NCAA did the right thing by granting full eligibility to all national qualifiers,” said Carmona, “but sadly I feel like this is just a minor Band-Aid over a massive wound — this may have been the last opportunity to compete on a national level, but I will no longer be at Western and therefore cannot compete.”

Yes, athletes were offered the chance to compete again, but this does not solve the issue for those who were on scholarships, partial scholarships, grants or even federal aid — those wanting to use the eligibility will still have to go to school and pay for that schooling, which not everyone is able to do. Some student athletes feel that the NCAA has a lot to improve on. “We were put in harm’s way simply for the meet to be cancelled the day before,” said Carmona about having to travel through major international airports to get to the National Championships. 

COVID-19 continues to affect athletes nationally and globally, leaving sports up in the air to the unknown. 

“The hardest part of all this is that being done was not my choice,” stated Burke after hearing the Spring season was cancelled. 

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Illustration by Rachel Hetzel

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