ABOUT
US
Idle Reader,
We are six college friends who study a wide range of subjects in the sciences and humanities. We believe that pooling our life experiences in a single location can be a gateway to thought provoking commentaries on a variety of topics. We hope you enjoy.
With love,
Drew, Alex, Ben, Matt, Marcus, and Matt
Contributing Members:
Andrew Hamel
Andrew, commonly "Drew," "Hamel," or to his Bostonian friends simply, "Ham," does indeed go HAM. We've never quite figured out the difference between a nerd and a geek. (Maybe they consist in the realm of a Venn diagram—blurred distinctions with significant crossover.) Regardless, as a bioinformatics graduate student and LOTR mega-fan ("All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"), Drew fits both descriptions, yet somehow still manages to be a gregarious character. When Drew isn't busy constructing DNA models (see picture at left), he likes to play the role of mixologist, curating a party vibe second to none, complete with dancing, leg stretching, acoustic guitar playing, and a good mix of musical hits spanning from The Beatles to John Mayer to Kendrick Lamar. (Rumor has it that Drew washes pots and pans to Lamar's "DNA" because of its motivating properties.) Ham loves to sing in octaves he can't reach and collect literary classics, yet he has never finished a book—with the mind boggling exception of Moby Dick. Call him Ishmael, if you will.
Alex Downs
Alex is the the kind of guy who will push aside dinner after eating three bites but Downs an entire ice cream cake for dessert. Bad puns pushed aside, Downs spends most of his time reading cases and writing briefs for his law school classes at the University of Pittsburgh while listening to Coldplay; "call it magic, call it true," he's also the We Went To College Together legal consultant, a beer connoisseur (ask him about Dancing Gnome Brewery—Pittsburgh's finest), and an expert on all things Pittsburgh—especially the Pirates. Alex is an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins ("The Pens") and has been an armchair general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates for as long as we've known him. When Alex isn't too busy following the Pittsburgh sports teams, he can be found hitting them long and (sometimes) straight at Connoquenessing Country Club, near Pittsburgh. Did we mention that Alex likes Pittsburgh?
Ben Taylor
Great Lakes beer enthusiast and former bachelor, Ben Taylor (emphasis on the whole name-—it is essential for understanding Ben's personality) is the We Went To College Together expert on Nietzsche, Foucault, and making excessively detailed and intricate arguments that nobody understands but somehow always win. Ben studies the theory side of political science at Johns Hopkins University, where he is a PhD student and roommate of fellow We Went To College blogger Matt Ehrenburg. We expect that Johns Hopkins will bestow him an honorary degree in "procrastinating to the last possible second but still writing the best paper the professor has ever seen." Within political theory, Ben's interests are in constitutional law, continental philosophy, ethics, identity, and political economy—topics which he has a propensity to write at length about in the comments of other people's facebook posts. As a group, we can't decide whether Ben is rationally irrational or irrationally rational. Regardless, Ben's love for Bubba Watson and refusal to make a bitmoji are both decidedly irrational stances that highlight Ben's stubborn nature. And that's not to mention his love for the Cavs...
Matthew Ehrenburg
That Matt Ehrenburg, he’s got opinions, and he sure isn’t afraid to express them. As such, Burg is the resident expert on R&B and Hip-Hop music—and stubbornly argues that most modern rap music “isn’t really rap” excluding, of course, Kendrick Lamar and J Cole. He loves to express himself with “edgy” male fashion like bomber jackets and Chelsea boots, but ultimately feels male fashion is “very limiting”. If you’re up early enough, you can faintly hear him singing John Legend ballads of old into the shampoo bottle or even see him practicing his dance moves to the latest Chris Brown tune while getting dressed. Ironically, Burg idolizes Noam Chomsky—rumor has it he even has votive candles surrounding a portrait of Chomsky in his room—but has never truly read a significant amount of his work. Burg hopes to one day become a neurotologist and often reminds the other members of We Went to College Together to not listen to their music too loud and to NEVER USE Q-TIPS. When he’s not performing neurosurgical experiments at Hopkins, you can find him flexing his soccer muscles entirely too hard in pick-up games. Burg is easily the cleanest, most organized member of the We Went To College Together community, which doesn’t bode well for his living situation with fellow contributor Ben Taylor. Will Burg become messier or will Taylor clean up his act? It remains to be seen, and we will all watch with intrigue.
MarCus Carano
We're lucky to have two style experts amongst us. Want to wear black shoes with that outfit? Better check in with Carano, you might be making an egregious mistake. One of the best golfers that Wooster has seen, Marcus isn't the longest hitter, but he can get up and down from anywhere—his short game is on par. That's not to say that Marcus is interested in hitting it in the rough and finding short-term fixes to bigger problems; Marcus played an active role on Wooster's campus during college, seeking change through various outlets, and he brings valuable insight to the We Went To College Together community on a wide range of topics—he even dabbled in science before deciding to take his talents elsewhere. Marcus works for the admissions office at Wooster and plans to pursue a masters degree in higher education, which will help him work toward improving education equality. A consummate professional, Marcus doubles as a hardcore Ohio/Cleveland sports fan. Just ask him about the WWWWWWWIndians. Marcus may come off as a bit serious, but once you get to know him—or get a few of his favorite JAFB IPAs in him—you'll realize that he is one of the most affectionate people you'll meet and a loyal friend. Let's be serious; how can someone be a fan of the Akron RubberDucks and not have a soft side?
Matthew Loberg
Chronically indecisive, as a teenager, Matthew “Loberg” Loberg waited until after the May 1st deadline to commit to The College of Wooster. If that’s not emblematic of Loberg, we don’t know what is. We’re still not sure why Loberg wants to stay in school forever, but we’re guessing that his apparent love for pondering large life decisions without coming to a decision might have played a part. Tired of living in scenic, ocean-view states, Loberg is working toward his MD and PhD degrees in the heart of Tennessee at Vanderbilt University, where he will remain for the rest of his 20’s and part of his 30’s. Luckily, Nashville is full of venues for drinking citrus IPAs and listening to Loberg’s favorite genre of music—sad dad music. If you’re not familiar with sad dad music, be on the lookout for soft alternative rock with mildly depressing lyrics from bands such as The National, The War on Drugs, and Bon Iver making appearances on our song of the month list. While Loberg’s natural habitat is at a desk with his highlighter orange hoodie pulled to his eyebrows, don’t be surprised to find him procrastinating with a healthy dose of card games or an occasional ping pong match, amongst other sports—Loberg drifted toward more unique sports once his childhood aspirations of following Jed Lowrie’s ascent to the major leagues faded away. Alas, Loberg will not be taking any more bludgers to the head, as Vanderbilt does not have a quidditch team.
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