Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
Slow down, you move to fast. Got to make the morning last.
Yes. It is. It’s a snail. It’s not a pigeon. Or a butterfly. It ‘s also not a snail, if you follow the example set by Rene Magritte about his painting of a pipe. Or were you talking about my response? In that case, it’s a meme’s ancester, aka an allusion, in this case via a quotation, from Simon and Garfunkel’s “59th St. Bridge Song.” It’s a roundabout compliment about the happiness evoked by the drawing.
![[Nike symbol] Just do it](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AW01212020-01.jpg)
Just gotta shoot your shot. Maybe get to know her a little bit first to see if you have common ground? Maybe suggest going for coffee – it’s the ideal first date. You have to give each other long enough for the coffee to cool and drink it, but that doesn’t take too long if the date isn’t going well.
![Imagine being [name redacted]?](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/aw012120-12.jpg)
When I have nothing else to do, one way I pass time is to imagine being someone else. It’s fun! Just yesterday I was imagining I was Yvon Chouinard on the first ascent of El Capitan’s North America Wall.
He is. The House has impeached him, which means it’s now up to the Senate to rule on whether he should be removed from office. Here are some historical resources on impeachment at BC Libraries: bit.ly/bc-impeach1, and a brief (55 page) analysis of impeachment and the Constitution by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan branch of the Library of Congress: bit.ly/bc-impeach3.
You can still do well despite your procrastination. Ask yourself: why do you procrastinate? Are you anxious or nervous about suceeding? Is the content overwhelming? Develop a plan to address this issue. Would a tutor help? Perhaps getting advice from a friend? Consider breaking down the work into small components and make it a goal to complete one at time. You will feel more accomplished and gain confidence as you finish each part of the larger project.
I’ve been around a while, but I found my true calling answering questions in O’Neill in early 2017. I celebrate my “birthday” on February 1. Whiteboards aren’t actually born, they’re – oh never mind, I’ll let your folks tell you about that stuff…
I’ve heard a rumor that my assistants are going to try to surprise me with a birthday celebration on February 3 at Noon. (Do me a favor and don’t tell them I know. I’ll pretend to be surprised.)
Hating a class can be kind of fun, especially when you can commiserate, but figuring out what you can get out of it would probably be more interesting in the long run. How do people with very different belief systems and values talk to each other and make themselves understood? That’s an important question in any context. If you think reading some contemporary fiction involving religious differences could engage your interest, try Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, set among English, Bengali, and Jamaican people in London.
You need to give your studies the attention they deserve, but it’s important to make other activities a part of your life. Your years here are an opportunity to learn, grow, and try out new things, and that doesn’t happen just in the classroom or the lab. The solution might be developing your time management skills. Why not try Academic Coaching at the Connors Family Learning Center (bit.ly/BC-connors)?
No labs are currently listed on the student job listings (bit.ly/BC-student-jobs). I’d recommend getting to know the lab faculty–maybe even volunteering to assist–, and asking other student lab assistants how they got their jobs.
I love Utah! Donovan Mitchell has had a great 3rd season and dominated the Pacers last night. It was like watching a concert from a master jazz pianist. Oh. Right. You probably meant the music. Well I love jazz music too (especially piano). Did you know O’Neill Library has over 1,000 jazz audio recordings? Check it out: http://bit.ly/BostonCollegeJazz
It can be hard to find new friends, and not uncommon to assume you’re going to find your lifelong bestie in college. That doesn’t always happen, and it’s perfectly OK that it doesn’t. Try joining some clubs around things your interested in. Or notice who keeps showing up in classes you really like (they probably have similar interests). Good luck!
It tickles when they run through the walls. I try to warn them this isn’t a safe place for them, and not to nibble the books, but they won’t listen, and then they taunt me by singing Thank You Falettinme be Mice Elf Agin.
The buzz is that they are all awesome! From the course listings, however, it appears that many are already closed. But take a closer look at New Media and Society (COMM227201) and Advanced Public Speaking (COMM 229301).
Yeah, some writers are pretty good at telling stories to make themselves sound bigger than they are. Also, all the writing experience in the world just makes for decent craft: the story itself is more important. Craft comes with diligent work. If this is your passion, fight for it. Show up, and keep showing up. Whatever you decide, I, The Answer Wall, believe in you.
That works for some. Some think it works for them. It’s not really related to whether you’re filling the page with words, though.
Math in the afternoon is challenging if you’re a morning person. Maybe fit in a quick walk around campus right before class starts? And make sure you’re getting enough sleep – most people don’t. The Office of Health Promotion has some great tips on sleep: http://bit.ly/BCSleepy
You have a couple of options: carry on like nothing happened, or tell the person very briefly something like, “I want to apologize for my behavior the other night, as youĀ can tell I was out of sorts.”Ā Everyone sees the environment through their own lenses, so don’t spend too much time trying to change someone’s perception.
Billiards are available at the O’Connell House Student Union, as well as at The Murray Center (for grad students).
There are a wide range of potential climate change scenarios. The upper extremes of temperature increase (6 celsius) pose major challenges for humanity within the century, due to food shortages (droughts, changing growing seasons, collapsing fish stocks), flooded cities, and the social upheaval & wars that likely accompany catastrophic changes. The lower range of temperature change (1.5 celsius) suggest difficulties, perhaps even major ones, especially for poorer nations. Read the most recent IPCC report for more detail: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/. The important thing is to work on two fronts: reduce greenhouse gas emissions and begin planning for crises.
I’m more a live-in-the-moment kind of wall than a planner, but #14 and #15 on this list sound pretty good. And I’ve already got #3 covered. http://bit.ly/bc-resolve
