The Wall

The purpose of notes on lectures and reading is to organize YOUR thoughts, not to list someone else’s. When they’re done well they end up being a summary in terms you understand of the themes and topics. Sometimes that’s a multi-step process (write down what you heard/read, then fill in the parts you don’t understand, then connect it to the rest of what you’ve learned), and that’s the part I think lots of people miss. It’s also the part an AI summary can’t do for you. Also, my friends downstairs at the Connors Family Learning Center can set you up with a tutor to talk about setting up a system that works for you. bit.ly/BC-connors

Who wouldn’t love Star Trek? A universe-wide egalitarian society plus a deflector shield? And Spock? Sign me up! (No, but seriously, thanks for the visit Mr. Spock.)

It is hard to move away from friends, even for exciting reasons like college. I am always advocating for more snail mail! Send your friend a letter! Stamps available at any post office, including the campus post office in McElroy. Odds are, they’ll write back 🙂

Those kinds of questions usually fall under metaphysics, and you’ll get different answers depending on what kind of expert you ask. I’m feeling philosophical rather than astronomical, so maybe start with this very short introduction to some early Greek philosophers who were super interested in questions like that: bit.ly/greek-universe

It is totally normal to feel some loneliness after a full day of social activities. Fortunately, the semester starts in a few days, so there will be plenty of opportunities in and outside of class to meet and hang out with people. Welcome to BC!

New dining options are always a good thing, though i’m sure Five Guys, Tasty Burger, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King would all disagree.

IDK, but here are some solid tips about the whole process: https://bit.ly/nfl-fantasy-tips

Walls are pretty diverse theologically, but most of us believe in some kind of recycling. No idea, I’m sure it will also be great.

Take the green line to some cool parts of town!
-Coolidge Corner. Shops and restaurants abound.
-Back Bay. Copley Library, shopping, boba tea, and more!
-On campus, be sure to look up lectures in the Lowell Series, find this fall’s theater production schedule (Enemy of the People, Midsummer Night’s Dream), and in general get in the habit of scrolling through events.bc.edu.
-Go for a walk in the Webster Conservation Area, Hammond Pond Reservation, and nearby Houghton Garden

Same guy who stabs the Cyclops in the book version of The Odyssey. Nobody!

Aside from family (Mom is a sea-wall on the north shore), I have to say China’s Great Wall. Huge fan. It was never very effective keeping out the Mongols, but it’s a massive success as a tourist attraction, and as one US President famously commented, “It is indeed a Great Wall.”

Boston College chose me, but I do find the welcoming attitude and intellectual diversity of this campus fascinating.

I am not a theologian (IANAT), but it looks like both of those would be day five activities. Genesis 1:20-23. bit.ly/genesis-chicken-egg

I love my wall job! BTS: RM, of course! He waves at me from across the lobby when nobody’s looking.

Rationally I know that “best” varies each season, for example, the Knicks won the championship this past season so they were the “best” in 2026. But, as a Boston Wall, I have to say the Celtics!

GO CELTICS!!

Valid! GO CELTICS!

There are lots of options, depending on where you are. There’s a complete list and rundown of what’s open when here: bit.ly/bc-dining-open

The top 10 circulating books in the Pop Collection (to my right, your left) in the last year are: 1. The Raven Boys (graphic novel), by Maggie Stiefvater, Stephanie Williams, Sas Milledge, and Abel Ko, 2. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, by Kiran Desai, 3. Alchemised by SenLinYu 4. Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall, 5. Don’t Sleep with the Dead, by Nghi Vo, 6. Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor, 7. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins, 8. The Eights (no, really!), by Joanna Miller, 9. The Names, by Florence Knapp, 10. Amity, by Nathan Harris. None of these individually surprise me, but I’m pleasantly surprised by the diversity of genres and authors.

The wonderful and hard thing is that you get to decide, and you can answer that questions several ways though your life. A bit of BC advice, from long-time BC faculty member Father Michael Himes, is three questions: What gives you joy? What are you good at? What would be of service to others? Maybe try and find something that does all three.

Here’s something that works for at least one of my human assistants: every day, write down at least one thing you’re grateful for, whether it’s something nonhuman like weather, or something human like a friend’s success or a small favor someone did. When you can, tell someone how or why you appreciate them. If you’re inspired, do a good turn someone else might be grateful for. Happiness will follow.

It turns out they have 4 stomach compartments. The short answer is that digesting grass requires several steps, which is why animals with only one stomach have a hard time getting nutrition from grass. Here’s a good explanation by the University of Minnesota Extension program: bit.ly/cow-stomachs