Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
I sent one of my helpers out to listen for the 1 PM bells. The chimes (bit.ly/ChimesSound) sound before the hour strikes, of course, but the 1 o’clock bell struck at 1:59:47 according to my helper using time.gov. Are you gonna ding them for 13 seconds…?
I think T.S. Eliot was wrong about which month is cruelest, at least for college students and professors! October’s a busy month, for sure. When things calm down a little, take some time for yourself to reflect on what’s most important to you; you might find some of your commitments can be adjusted to fit your priorities. Sometimes, feeling overwhelmed comes from making someone else’s priorities your own. Also, it’s important to take breaks, even if it means having to tell someone that the thing that was going to be ready Friday will have to wait ’til Monday. I hope you can put this tired & busy time behind you soon!
If you are at a release station that has a keyboard, you will be able to print all of the jobs in your queue by holding down Shift and then using the mouse to click each job. I have reached out to my friends in IT to see if we can get more keyboards set up in the print areas.
Not really an O’Neill secret, but lower campus used to be wetter. Before my time, fortunately. bit.ly/bc-reservoirs
There are just so many good poems that this is a really tough one! What subjects do you enjoy? What styles? Eras? One place to go is the Poetry Foundation (bit.ly/PF-poems), where you can find editors’ picks, or browse by subject or school (style) of poetry from Poetry Magazine’s 100+ year history of publishing, with over 40,000 poems. On their newsletter page, you can sign up for poem-a-day via email. Here’s a nice poem about a wall: bit.ly/goodman-wall.
I recommend talking to the Office of Student Involvement (bc.edu/osi), who oversees student organizations.
No. While initial rotation of Venus during primordial times was probably fast and prograde, Venus has been in its present configuration of slow retrograde motion within the age of the Solar System, possibly during the first billion years (Correia, 2003; bit.ly/spinofvenus). It is believed that the present motion of Venus is a steady state between gravitational tides and thermally driven atmospheric tides, as well as tidal dissipation effects due to proximity to the Sun (Correia, 2010; bit.ly/tidalevol).
I don’t think so. Freshman year is such a great period of exploration in general. I would, however, caution about getting so involved with someone freshman year that you limit your other activities. On the other hand, dating seems like a much better option than the hook-up culture, so kudos to you for thinking about it.
Venmo? GoFundMe? No, but seriously, if you’re food insecure, that’s a problem. I’d talk to the Financial Aid office to see about options. Start by visiting the Office of Student Services in Lyons; if you’re an undergrad, they can usually get you a next-day or a day later appt. (But if you’re on a flex plan, it might be just that you’re finishing the “bonus bucks” on your flex plan before the actual dining bucks kick in.) Good luck!
Of course! It’s Fall. But sometimes it’s hard to let go of the fear of failure and rejection, as in the classic Chris Isaak song “Wicked Game”: “No I don’t want to fall in love (this girl is only gonna break your heart).” Confide in some good friends, and then take the plunge. May you succeed & feel that rush! If your love isn’t requited, well, that’s why you confided in your friends. They’ll be ready with whatever can console you.
It’s as simple as offering it yourself. Or it’s as complicated as all these poems about unrequited love make it: bit.ly/poems-unrequited. May you find the love you need.
Short answer: it’s not just BC. See this report by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health: bit.ly/ccmh-2017. There’s been a huge increase in anxiety, depression, and threat-to-self rates in college students nationwide that has been increasing demand at counseling centers faster than they can respond. Perhaps you can get your student representatives (ugbc.org) to pressure the administration to do more.
Beautiful Gargan Hall in the Bapst Library may be just the ticket for you; not nearly as bright as O’Neill. You may want to try our study animal quiz (library.bc.edu/animal) designed to help you find your perfect study space.
It depends on how you define “thought”. Bees have demonstrated behavior that goes beyond instinct. They can solve experimental problems never encountered in nature. They make decisions based on an effort/reward calculation. They communicate what they learn to each other. But has a bee ever wondered whether to be or not to be? That is a very good question.
Humans seem to be fascinated by ambiguous classifications, especially about hot dogs. Here are other answers: bit.ly/AW-hotdog, bit.ly/AW-hotdog2, bit.ly/AW-hotdog3. The Oxford English Dictionary definitions of sandwich (bit.ly/OED-sandwich) imply that common usage permits broader definitions when those are accompanied by a modifier: e.g., submarine sandwich, open-faced sandwich. Maybe a hot dog is a sandwich when you say, “hot dog sandwich.” While you ponder, listen to this 1949 Louis Prima Band recording of “Yes, We Have no Bananas”; at the 2:40 mark you’ll hear how they said it in New Yawk. bit.ly/YesNoBananas
The Wall is happy to report that two Surface Chargers are available for loan at the O’Neill circulation desk. The loan period is four hours. Staff are monitoring usage and will increase the supply based upon demand.
Great that you’re taking a proactive approach. I’d recommend talking to University Counseling Services (bit.ly/BC-counseling). They can probably give you ideas on how to ward it off and stay happy and healthy this winter.
![Why is BC Dining so awful!?!? [response: Agreed.]](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/aw101818-5.jpg)
Ponder what you find awful, and send them feedback about it: bit.ly/BCDiningComment. Maybe they’ll make some changes. My own answer: is it? I’ve had a number of people write about stuff they really like at various dining halls. Maybe it’s a matter of finding the options you like. Or maybe you just needed to vent? At times like these, I’m reminded that I’m glad I don’t eat anything but post-its. It must be so hard finding agreeable food!
![a present [with a foil origami crane attached]](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IMG_7526-7.jpg)
Thank you! Here’s a little something for you.
Even though trusting sometimes feels risky, I’d prefer to extend trust than have a hole drilled in me. Wouldn’t you?
