Does the Balrog from Lord of the Rings have wings?

Does the Balrog from Lord of the Rings have wings?
Does the Balrog from Lord of the Rings have wings?

This controversy seems to stem from the tragic encounter with the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-Dûm described in the FOTR. The text reads, “…the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings,” and later, “…its wings were spread from wall to wall.” Yet, Gandalf’s description of the defeat of the Balrog in The Two Towers suggests the it was unable to fly: “he fell from the high place and broke the mountain-side.” Did Gandalf so destroy the Balrog that it was unable to fly to save itself? Are Balrogs the penguins of Tolkien’s universe? Were the wings merely a simile? In his foreword to the second edition, Tolkien admits that he “finds many defects, minor and major,” but “will pass over these in silence.” So perhaps this is one of the minor defects of this otherwise brilliant epic.

I am so tired of having endless commitments and work

I am so tired of having endless commitments and work
I am so tired of having endless commitments and work

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!

Can the printer system have an option to print all in our queue instead of going and picking one by one?

Can the printer system have an option to print all in our queue instead of going and picking one by one?
Can the printer system have an option to print all in our queue instead of going and picking one by one?

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.

Any good poem recs?

Any good poem recs?
Any good poem recs?

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.

Is Venus in retrograde because life is whack right now?

Is Venus in retrograde because life is whack right now?
Is Venus in retrograde because life is whack right now?

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).

Is it bad to date during freshman year????

Is it bad to date during freshman year????
Is it bad to date during freshman year????

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.

How do I find underclassmen to buy me meal plan?

How do I find underclassmen to buy me meal plan? -BC senior (I will! text me)
How do I find underclassmen to buy me meal plan?
-BC senior
(I will! text me)
Me 2 you too :) text me
Me 2
you too 🙂
text me

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!

I want to FALL in love w/ someone

I want to FALL in love w/ someone
I want to FALL in love w/ someone

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.

Why does BC love football and grass more than counseling services?

Why does BC love football and grass more than counseling services?
Why does BC love football and grass more than counseling services?

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.