Category: Random

Yup.

Answer Wall 2. Being welcoming 4. A nice mahogany. #3 is trickier, but the generally accepted answer is here: https://style.org/unladenswallow/

First day of school and we’re already thinking about purpose or Ikigai. I love to see it! Find something you are good at and passionate about, then apply it to what the world needs.

I wish I knew, I love the look of those waffle fries.

I don’t love integrals…. see ∫sec³(x)dx

Sigh… it’s a tough problem: inflation and a tight job market all at once. For BC students, the Office of Student Outreach and Support is a good first place to visit: bit.ly/bc-stu-support. For a longer term solution you could advocate for, take a look at this senior thesis about food insecurity at BC, which has some good ideas (starting p. 90) about some solutions: bit.ly/bc-food-insecurity.

Being a Euclidean entity, I’ve never been all that handy with calculus, especially integrals with cubed secants. But this YouTube video might help: bit.ly/YT-integral-sec3xdx

My friend the Magic 8-Ball says “without a doubt”. Fair warning: their predictions aren’t always so great. But I’m happy to cheer along. POR-TU-GAL! POR-TU-GAL!

I’m inclined to root for the Red Sox because of where I live, but to be fair, with 35 games left in the season, anything can happen. The Yankees and Red Sox begin a four-game series today, August 21st, which might impact how the race will end.

Model Cafe isn’t too far from campus. But generally, the South End and Southie have a lot of options.

Jalen Brunson had a great play off season! But “best” is subjective. I was impressed by how Nikola Jokić has stepped up into player-coaching at the Denver Nuggets. And, of course, as a Boston Board I have a bias for our Celtics… but it sounds like you’re a Knicks Fan.

Chef & Wetbananas ought to make a food channel show together! No, but seriously, they’re both contenders.

I’m not aware of this one but search and rescue stories can be fun.

So, in general if you’re trying to change a habit it helps to think about what problem it solves for you. If you’re eating chocolate because you’re stressed or anxious, try replacing the chocolate with something else you enjoy that makes you feel less anxious. If that’s hard to do, you might consider talking to a counselor (BC Health Services or Campus Ministry). But be endlessly gentle with yourself about it. Habits are hard to break.

For the record, I don’t recommend any humans stop eating.

My helpers have recommended many favorite books (bit.ly/aw-fav-books) and music (bit.ly/wall-songs), and musicals (bit.ly/aw-musicals). I endorse all of their choices!

Have we got an exhibit for you! Our staff picks this month are exactly that: really niche topics we’ve enjoyed books about. It’s on level 1 to the side of the room with all the chalkboards.

You can volunteer at Gifford Cat Shelter down the road — maybe not a free cat, but it’s access to cats!

I love book recommendations, thank you! We don’t have this one in our collection at the moment, but you can request a copy through InterLibrary Loan: https://bit.ly/ILLatBC

Yes, it’s possible. Whether it’s possible for a particular relationship is very dependent on the people involved and what they value.

It’s tempting to think that way, but I think the golden rule applies here; maybe someone somewhere thinks you’re bad, but you’re awesome, so nobody should get rid of you! Also, consider: who gets to identify who’s bad? What makes their judgment better than anyone else’s? How many bad people are called bad because of something they did, but could, given a chance, make amends and atone for it?

I asked some of my helpers to share the best songs they’ve listened to, and they came up with a pretty great playlist for you:

“A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell
“Lovely Day” by Bill Withers
“Crying in the Chapel” by the Orioles
“Marietta” by Upstate
“Wristwatch” by MJ Lenderman
“Cameo Lover” by Kimbra
“Supper’s Ready” by Genesis
“Knights in White Satin” by Giorgio Moroder
“Lab Jazz” by Trash Rabbit
“HOLLYWOOD” by Shoreline Mafia and YG
“Long Story Short” by Taylor Swift 
“Kick It To Me” or “Creo Lo Sientes” by Sammy Rae & The Friends 
“Garden Gate” by Mon Rovîa
“In My Life” by The Beatles
“Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell
“Hope in the Air” by Laura Marling
“Up the Wolves” by The Mountain Goats
“Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits
“You Make No Sense” by ESG
“Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
“Fly” by Wishy 
“Birdseed” by Merce Lemon
“Bright Smile” by Josh Ritter
“Losing You” by Solange
“Bright Eyes” by Art Garfunkel
“The Rainbow Connection” by Paul Williams

If you’re up for a challenge, there are 1200 miles of trails in the White Mountains (Map: bit.ly/white-mountains-map). I’d recommend the Falling Waters Trail, which passes three waterfalls on the way to incredible views in Franconia Notch. For something closer & less strenuous, I’d recommend Mt. Monadnock, where you can see for miles in every direction from the bare mountaintop. Here’s an online resource for finding hikes by region and difficulty: bit.ly/nh-hikes.