BEST. FALAFELx EVER. TABLE TALK PAGE 3B. HOW TO DEAL WITH THE MORNING AFTER PAGE 3B. B THE MICHIGAN DAILY NOVEMBER 2, 2006 Presenting: the art of the mix ou like music. She likes music.Youlikeher. She likes music. What do you do? Make her a mixtape, of course. It's an ages (OK, maybejust since the advent of the cassette tape) old matingritual common to nerds and romantics alike. When done right, your mixtape, or, in this day and age, mix CD, might actually give you a shot with that mysterious, arty girl you're struggling to get to know - but done poorly it can come off creepier thanthat dudethat takes pictures LLOYD H. with his CARGO camera phone in class. There are but a few simple rules that'll hopefully help you walk that proverbial line straight to her heart. Expand yourselection. Check out the music library on North Cam- pus, or find a friend with a killer record collection. As familiar as you are with your own music, the variety you can find with someone else's collection might prove more inspirational. Pick a theme. Don't just look at the "favorite music" section of her Facebook profile. In fact, don't look at it all - pick a theme for your mix, like soul music or flow- ets or nighttime, and stick to that. It won't matter if it's not neces- sarily the music she's most into as long as it's well done. In fact, it's probably more impressive when you can make a mix that intro- duces new music. That's why it's Si upgartant to ... Be obscure. Not so obscure that &e traklist looks totally inacces- w le. but kbcure in that maybe, you don't pick the most clich6 Bob Dylan track. It's not bad to have familiar artists, especially amid a sea of esoteric songs, but if you go with obvious tunes you run the risk of prior associations getting in the way. Do you really think you're the first dude who's gotten laid to Astral Weeks? Spend a lot of time sequenc- ing. Rough drafts aren't just for papers. It might seem excessive, but burn yourself a copy first, lis- ten to it a few times and then make another one. You're bound to find some harsh transition or mood- killing track that has to go. The first and last songs are incredibly crucial. This is also a good time to reevaluate the message your mix is sending. The infallible law of non-lit- eral lyrics (except emo, which is grounds for a restraining order.) Yes, what the songs actually say in them will, for better or worse, generally be regarded as what you are trying to say. If every song you pick is about unrequited love, your message will likewise be as literal. This absolutely doesn't mean that you ought to pick songs based on what they do or don't say. Switch it up a little bit so that while you can still convey a mood or message, the person won't be searching for secret meanings. Ignoring this tenet is the fastest way to a creepy mix, and an incredibly awkward conversation the next day. Make it look pretty. The packag- ing is almost as important as the music it contains. Take a little bit of time and some colored mark- ers to make the CD look nice. Be a bit crafty and make a personal- ized booklet for the jewel case, and don't even think about giving it to her in a plastic sleeve or folded up in a piece of paper. See CARGO, page 2B mLST Nov. 2 to 5 The Daily Arts guide to the best upcoming events - it's everywhere you should be this week and why. Meet Detroit's newest museum By ANDREW SARGUS KLEIN Managing Arts Editor Although Frank O'Hara's poem "Meditations in an Emergen- cy" serves primarily as a reflection on his love life, the new Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit has adopted the title for its first exhibit, which runs through April of next year. While not intended to imply that every work on display is a literal meditation on an emergency - the emergency being Detroit - the title is more than strong enough to unify the wonderfully diverse selection of art- works under an umbrella of social awareness. After its grand opening this past weekend, Wednesday marked the museum's first "normal" day of business. But its journey from brainstorm to the abandoned car dealership on 4454 Woodward Ave. is by no means complete. Danielle Auburt, a graphic designer for MOCAD, described the early beginnings as "abstract for a while. There were many off-site meetings. We were waiting for the construction to be complete." Several of the exhibit's installations were completed just days before the opening, such as Nari Ward's "White Flight Tea Bar" and Jonathan Pylypchuk's "Press a weight through life and I will watch this crush you." But the plywood front desk, great ventilation machines vying for floor space and cavernous ceilings only add to the SHUBRA OHRI/Daly MOCAD's "Meditations in an Emergency." FROM TOP LEFT: Globules of red rubber by Roxy Paine, Nari Ward's "White Flight Tea Bar," Kara Walker's "8 Possible Beginnings or: The Creation of Africa-America, Parts 1-8, A Moving Picture." museum's youthful charm and promise. Driving down Woodward past the Detroit Institute of Arts is an appropriate prelude to MOCAD. The beautiful museum, with its ago- nizing renovation and wide range of artwork, is an excellentcounter- point to MOCAD, where contemporary artists will be exhibited. The former is a resplendent work of marble and wrought iron, and could not diverge more from MOCAD's facade - a full-scale piece of graf- fiti spelling out "Amaze." What looks like the artist himself dangling from the roof doing touch-ups with a can of spray paint is actually a life-like machine, which has caused no small amount of alarm from concerned passers-by; it has also appeared on ABC's "Good Morn- ing America." The mood is established immediately: The viewer is expected to be fully engaged before even entering the building. In fact, the viewer was meant not only to be engaged, but also per- sonally involved prior to the museum's own opening. Beginning Oct. 24, the museum distributed "Art Arrow" stickers which instructed users to put them next to whatever they felt to be art and send in a photograph documenting their work. The results were assembled and displayed as a collage with an accompanying plaque, which read: "MOCAD's mission is to engage the public and fuel collaboration and See MOCAD, Page 5B AT THE PIG Sunday might be your only chance to see Ivri Lider stateside for a while - andit's for a good cause. The Israeli pop sensation comes to The Blind Pig this Sunday. Lider has received sev- eral major and national "Male Singer of the Year" awards in Israel, and has also composed for film soundtracks and dance ensembles. Tickets are only $7 for the concert, and all pro- ceeds go to help the Darfur crisis. Doors are at 7:30 p.m. and Amazin' Blue will be the opening act. ON SCREEN Shared skis! Japanese direc- tors! Free film screenings! As part of the CJS film series "University of Laughs," Askwith Auditorium in Lorch Hall will shows "Ski Jump- ing Pairs: Road to Torino 2006" 7 p.m. tomorrow. The movie "proves that there can never be too much of a good thing," especially when it comes to, uh, skis built for two. The buzz-heavy mockumentary received an award at the 2005 Toyko Interna- tional Film Festival. OUT LOUD Renowned LSA Prof. Ann Carson will give a reading in Room 1324 of East Hall on Church Street tonight at 8 p.m. The poet, translator and essay- ist will read from her new translation of classic Greek tragedy. Aside from reading, Carson will also sign cop- ies of her collection, "Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides," which brings together Alkestis, Hekabe, Herakles and Hippolytos. Admission is free and the event is sponsored by Shaman Drum. ON STAGE Members of The Royal Shake- speare Company production of "The Tempest" will give a talk tonight as part of the School of Art and Design Penny Stamps Lecture Series. Titled "Designing Shakespeare," the lec- ture will feature director Rupert Goold, stage designer Giles Cadle, sound engineer Adam Cirk and light- ing engineer Paul Anderson among others. The event is free and will take place at the Michigan Theater at 5:10 p.m.