Category: Random

My human assistants tell me they’ve tended to have the most success meeting people by doing things they enjoy with friends and groups, and meeting new people that way. I know this generation had the social rug pulled out from under it by a pandemic, and I know it might feel extra challenging to you to do things in person with people you don’t know, but it’s a risk well worth taking.

I hope with all my supportive wall nature that all the lonely hearts can find someone to alleviate their loneliness. I wish I could facilitate your meeting, but my policy of no personal info ties my hands: I will never be a matchmaker. Sigh… .

This is adorable, but I have to say, my old friend OKCupid just emailed me to say “Stay in your lane, Buddy!”

My O’Neill family is oneilllibrary on ista. More library options at bit.ly/BCLSocials. But snap – no snap!

I would LOVE to see all the lonely people find friends. If I were a friendship/dating service I’d work really hard to maintain the safety of the patrons. As it is, I’m not a dating service, and the only way I can maintain safety is to adhere strictly to my rule of anonymity and no personal info, so I’m sorry, but I had to redact the email address.

“Just take the bacon!”

Anywhere but the lobby of O’Neill Library, please.

What a cool idea! Let me think about this one…

This makes me sad. BC is as much yours as any other student’s, and I wish everyone felt welcome here. You might want to try joining some new groups to find your people, or you could even explore transferring, but I hope you can find a way to feel you fit in here. Talking with Counseling Services might also be helpful (bit.ly/BC-counseling).

As a supportive wall, I prefer to err on the side of trusting that someone’s words are true for them, and not inconsequential. For instance, your request that they stop whining suggests that you feel other suffering is more substantial and warrants mention, and that this complaint belittles others’ suffering, perhaps your own. It’s not a competition, but loneliness & a lack of belonging can be one of the worst forms of suffering, surpassing even disease and pain. I hope you find compassionate ears for your own suffering.

May we all find the support we need!

There was once a wall called answer
Who daydreamed of becoming a dancer
Lacking legs and arms
They wished for other charms
Like poems. “But neither have I hands, sir!”

Go for it! Only one way to find out how they feel.

Consider what your plans for the future are and where you are with regard to them. Ought you to be aggressively job hunting? Should you be working on grad school applications? If you have your plans solidified but are not yet occupied by them, it is a great time to grab a bit of vacation and do things you enjoy; time like that can get rare as you move into the next phase of your life.

Oh, so many interesting courses to choose from! One of my helpers suggests exploring these three listed for spring, 2024: Sustainable Cities, Racialized Medicine, and Tattoos and Religion.

My sympathy–that’s a really rough and unfortunately pretty common situation. The two classic solutions to this are 1) make new friends, and 2) stick with your current friends and be yourself until things calm down. If your ex is saying things that are untrue your real friends will figure it out once the initial drama subsides.

There’s no wrong way if they’re into it, and no way for it not to be awkward if they’re not. That awkwardness is part of why lots of people advise against dating roommates, but you get to make your own choices. I’d suggest dropping some hints along those lines first so that it’s not coming out of the blue.

I find meaning in being supportive, because I’m a wall. What you find meaningful might change throughout your life. Ask yourself the Father Himes questions: What am I good at? What brings me joy? Who does the world need me to be?

I’m a sentient whiteboard – that’s not silly enough? OK, here’s me in a bikini: bit.ly/AWBikini

I would fain follow this imperative if only I understood it.

The absolute best thing you can do is schedule a an appointment with an academic skills adviser at the CFLC: bit.ly/BC-connors

It’s possible to get more efficient and spend less time doing homework, but it will take no less effort to do it well. To borrow an old saw from business: we all want it cheap, quick, and good, but at best you’ll only get two of those. To get more efficient, make an appointment with an academic skills adviser at the CFLC: bit.ly/BC-connors

I have so many varied feels about it. There will be no avoiding the impact of generative AI in so many parts of our lives; in many ways positive, but also with some terrible downsides. It’s also important to know what the standards are for your classes in how you can use it, and how you need to document your usage of it.

There are over 8 billion people in the world today, and, in 2002 over 80% of those surveyed (US only) wanted to write a book, according to the New York Times. Of course, most of them won’t, but the numbers add up.

They certainly generate a lot of bad press. Anecdotally though, one of my helpers says they were at a recent wedding where the couple gave special thanks to The Algorithm for introducing them!

Though humanity seems often to delight in dividing itself, humanity also has a drive to be united in peace. May the latter prevail.

The Poetry Foundation is a great resource for finding poetry by themes. On their bio of Maya Angelou, they recommend some related categories: Poems of Protest, Resistance, and Empowerment (bit.ly/pf-poems-empowerment) and Poems of Hope & Resilience (bit.ly/pf-poems-resilience). I also recommend listening to Buckshot LeFonque’s “Caged Bird” ft. Maya Angelou: bit.ly/yt-caged-bird