
There will surely be more pups! (Watch for many, many pups on February 16, the Chinese Lunar New Year that begins the Year of the Dog. Here’s a preview:

Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library

Ecuador sounds like a great adventure. If I weren’t so attached to the Library, I’d book a seat and go with you! I don’t think I know your parents, so in response to your second question, I have to agree… who knows! Just read up on safety and health precautions so you arrive prepared. The U.S. State Department travel site is a great place to start your research. Go to: bit.ly/usdos-ecuador

You’ll get some chances to ask BCPD directly: BCPD is planning to carry out a series of “knock & talks” among off-campus dwellings in conjunction with the Boston Police Dept. The first ones are actually tonight (Wednesday, 2/21). That might be a good time to ask about patrols & parties. There will also be a “Police & Pizza” event tomorrow (2/22) at 2150 Comm Ave, 5-7pm: bit.ly/BCPD-pizza-feb22.
Here is some coverage in The Heights about the BCPD/BPD initiatives & outreach about break-ins among off-campus housing: bit.ly/BC-break-ins

Think of all the risks, and become more comfortable with them. Then just dive in, and say, “Will you be my valentine?” Some kind of object imbued with human sentiments of romance (chocolates, flowers… or perhaps a book, for bookish types…) might sweeten the deal.

If two people have mutually agreed to be in a polyamorous relationship, then having a relationship with another person isn’t “shady” at all. Although they may have rules about openness and honesty that are being violated. It sounds like at least one person in the relationship isn’t actually comfortable with the polyamory, which is something they may want to discuss. However, if the relationship truly is polyamorous, then snooping would be a violation of trust and privacy. It is possible for both people to be at fault here: Person A for snooping and Person B for cheating (if the relationship isn’t an open one). Both need to take responsibility for their actions if they want the relationship to move past this.

There is no need to work in an investment bank if you don’t want to! You should talk to the BC Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career). They can help you to figure out a career path that will let you use your passions. In the meantime, you should also consider joining one of BC’s many dance-related student organizations (bit.ly/BCStudentOrg).

Sorry to say that you can’t make your toes smaller. And please don’t try to. People have crippled themselves trying to make their toes and feet smaller. Give your toes lots of room and enjoy their glorious shape. If anyone makes fun of your toes, you have my permission to give them a (gentle) kick.

I often turn to the OED when I’m curious about the history of a word like “woe” (bit.ly/OED-woe – sign-in required). It’s quite an old word, dating at least back to bronze age proto-Iranian, and appears independently in non-Indo-European languages as well, suggesting its derivation is onomatopoetic, that is, it’s based on the sound of human expressions of sadness & grief. The Yiddish form (“Weh,” as in “Oy Weh!”) probably has more currency now than the English “Woe,” which is a little archaic. In recent history, Jews have good reason to be standouts in acute woe, and yet they’re also standouts in expressions of humor. It’s a mystery. Unfortunately, humankind seems to distribute woe generously, so there is no one group or person who can claim to be the most woeful in all of history.

According to the Wall’s friends at Parking and Transportation, it’s mostly two things. The first is lack of space on campus, which creates a lot more demand than supply. The second is more subtle: prices are partly high to encourage people who can to use other ways to get to campus, like the campus bus system, public transit, bikes, or feet–that makes for a greener campus, a healthier community…but it also helps with the first issue. The walls at T & P are sympathetic, as is this Wall.

If you aspire to do this type of work – and who wouldn’t – perhaps you would like to look into a career in libraries. Reference Librarians specialize in being prepared to answer any questions that come at them, and the excitement of never knowing what you’ll need to research (and learn) next is real.

The BC Libraries do offer ebooks. It sounds as though you are a looking for books through OverDrive, since you mentioned the Libby app and the easiest way to browse these books is to go to our OverDrive site (bc.overdrive.com). There you will find lots of ebooks and audiobooks too. Happy reading!

Join a student group! BC is fortunate to have a ton of great student groups that you can connect with, including groups on everything from acting (Dramatics Society) to musical theater (Musical Theatre Wing) to the oldest collegiate improv group in the country (My Mother’s Fleabag). Check out the Student Organizations website for these & others: bit.ly/BCStudentOrg

I would argue that most employment can be approached in an honorable manner. You will have to come to your own understanding of what is “respectable” and the standards you need to maintain to respect yourself. Do contact the BC Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career) for help in your search.