Where are you from? I’m from Colombia!

Where are you from? I'm from Colombia!
Where are you from? I’m from Colombia!

Welcome to BC! I’m from right here! I’m not sure where my constituent materials all came from (oak cabinetry, concrete, brick) but they were all assembled right here in 1984, and my library assistants discovered that I was more than an inanimate structure in 2017.

Why do the Red Sox suck?

Why do the Red Sox suck? #redsux
Why do the Red Sox suck? #redsux

Because baseball is a game of inches. Because draft picks. Because pitching. Baseball giveth, and baseball taketh away. Don’t worry, they’ll rock this town again.

Can you name all the states in Mexico?

Can you name all the states in Mexico?
Can you name all the states in Mexico?

Here they are: 1. Distrito Federal 2. Chihuahua 3. Sonora 4. Coahuila de Zaragoza 5. Durango 6. Oaxaca 7. Tamaulipas 8. Jalisco 9. Zacatecas 10. Baja California Sur 11. Chiapas 12. Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave 13. Baja California 14. Nuevo Leon 15. Guerrero 16. San Luis de Potosi 17. Michoacan 18. Campeche 19. Sinaloa 20. Quintana Roo 21. Yucatan 22. Puebla 23. Guanajuato 24. Nayarit 25. Tabasco 26. Mexico 27. Hidalgo 28. Queretaro 29. Colima 30. Aguascalientes 31. Morelos 32. Tlaxcala

How to overcome anxiety, self-doubt & not believing in yourself

How to overcome anxiety, self-doubt & not believing in yourself
How to overcome anxiety, self-doubt & not believing in yourself

Talk to someone! When you’re having self-doubting and anxious thoughts, it’s easy to feel like you have to rely on your own understanding alone — but that’s not the case! Speak with your family, friends, and other members of your support system for a dose of reality when you’re feeling down on yourself. Don’t be afraid to speak with a professional counselor too; dialectical behavioral therapy has been particularly useful for some of my more anxious assistants. bit.ly/BC-counseling

How to overcome childhood trauma

How to overcome childhood trauma
How to overcome childhood trauma

I’m so sorry you experienced childhood trauma. What has a way of sticking with people for years is not so much the trauma itself, but the strategies those heroic little child-selves created to protect themselves from the trauma. Those strategies were absolutely brilliant & served their purpose well at the time: you survived. Adults no longer subjected to the trauma need new strategies that won’t interfere with adult relationships & situations, at the same time that they need to recognize (and celebrate!) the remarkable self-preservation accomplishments of the child-self. There are many different avenues of healing; almost all of them begin with some form of therapy. If you are a student at BC, avail yourself of counseling (bit.ly/BC-counseling). If you aren’t, begin with your primary care physician – you may need a referral for insurance purposes.

这 儿 虫 子 好 多!!! (There are so many bugs here ! ! !) 嗨, 哪 个 食 堂 最 好 吃 啊 !! (Hi, Which is the best restaurant for us to eat! !)

这  儿 虫  子 好 多!!! (There are so many bugs here ! ! !)  嗨,  哪 个 食   堂   最   好   吃  啊 !! (Hi, Which is the best restaurant for us to eat! !)
这  儿 虫  子 好 多!!! (There are so many bugs here ! ! !) 嗨,  哪 个 食   堂   最   好   吃  啊 !! (Hi, Which is the best restaurant for us to eat! !)

Bugs… you mean in America? at BC? In the library? Bugs tickle my walls if they’re on the interior, but I haven’t felt many lately. If you mean outside, sure, July and August are buggy months in Boston. Many restaurants in Boston & environs. It all depends on what kind of food you like. Mexican? Locally, El Pelon. Speaking of local, the best pizza is Pino’s or Frank Pepe’s. Taiwanese? People like Mu Lan in Waltham. Speaking of Waltham, Cuban: Gustazo, and Guatemalan: Mi Tierra. Another locale with many restaurants: The North End. Try Carmelina for classic Italian and then Caffe Vittoria for espresso and gelato.

How to score higher on SAT? How are you?

How to score higher on SAT? How are you?
How to score higher on SAT? How are you?

Practice & Study. The official College Board study guide for 2020 is available for a modest price via most booksellers, as are many, many other print and online guides such as Khan Academy, Princeton Review, and the SAT Prep Black Book. The Khan Academy online version is free, and was developed with the College Board. You can also take an SAT prep course, but gains are modest, given the fees & exaggerated promises: bit.ly/sat-prep-results. I’m fine, thanks for asking!

To be honest which school is better? BC or Brandeis?

To be honest which school is better? BC or Brandeis?
To be honest which school is better? BC or Brandeis?

“Better” for schools is not really an objective thing, despite the attempts of the people who do rankings. “Better for people who study X” is a little more knowable. But it still ultimately comes down to where you personally feel comfortable, because a very short time after college you’ll begin to find that people are more interested in what you’ve done than where you went. Brandeis has some really fine, upstanding walls, though..

Recipe for a happy life?

Recipe for a happy life?
Recipe for a happy life?

As a wall, I’m most content when I’m living in the moment and appreciating what’s around me. Our busy lives often get us thinking (and stressing) about the future rather than just seeing what’s in front of us. For me, the practice of this mindfulness leads to greater contentment and happiness in the day-to-day. If you’re interested in reading more about this, check out Jon Kabat-Zin’s ‘Full Catastrophe Living’ at RA785 .K33 1990! I hear therapy really helps personalize your path to happiness, too… 🙂

Where is the line of doing to much or to little for your kids?

Where is the line of doing to much or to little for your kids?
Where is the line of doing to much or to little for your kids?

It’s a tough call. Knowing what is developmentally appropriate at a given age, and taking into account what you know about your child, you can give them the expectation that they will do the things that they can, and you will help and teach them to do the things that they can’t (yet), and you are there for them to cover the things that are beyond their abilities…. until they’re not. The goal, in my opinion, is to raise functional adults, while not crushing the child. We have many books on parenting in the HQ 755-792 range (O’Neill floor 4, shelf 121), but don’t expect the experts to agree!

Was Catholicism the same religion that rebuked Galileo for declaring that the earth moved around the sun.

Was Catholicism the same religion that rebuked Galileo for declaring that the earth moved around the sun.
Was Catholicism the same religion that rebuked Galileo for declaring that the earth moved around the sun.

Catholicism is a variety of Christianity rather than a religion, but yes, it was the Catholic Church. Galileo’s works were removed from the Church’s index of banned works in the 19th century, and Pope John Paul II issued an apology of sorts in 1992. Historians, theologians, and scientists all have opinions on this, and they’re all represented in our collection if you’d like to go deeper: bit.ly/bc-galileo

Is water really wet, or does it just appear that way when it makes other things wet?

Is water really wet, or does it just appear that way when it makes other things wet?
Is water really wet, or does it just appear that way when it makes other things wet?

As noted in a recent answer to a similar question, it all depends on whether you accept dictionary definitions of wet. If so, then water can make itself wet (instantiation!). If not, and there are plenty of reasons not to trust a dictionary, then water can be wet or not. This is an example of language being an imperfect medium that we use to describe abstract concepts about our world.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

An amount roughly comparable to that which she would generally be able to chuck of a substance approximating the density and other physical characteristics of wood, taking into account her frame of mind. Although you do specify “could” and not “would”, so frame of mind might be irrelevant. I suggest conducting experiments, keeping in mind the policies set by the BC IACUC (bit.ly/BCIACUC).

你 认 识 我 吗?

你  认  识   我  吗?Responses: NO 傻 [Do you know me? NO. Fool.]
你 认 识 我 吗?Responses: NO 傻 [Do you know me? NO. Fool.]

Do I know you? Of course I know you. You’re the person who asked, “Do you know me?” in Chinese. And no, in spite of the comment, you’re not a fool.