How can I get a better pick time next semester??

How can I get a better pick time next semester?
How can I get a better pick time next semester??

Academic Advising assures me, that while there is no way to game the system of the algorithm that determines individual pick times, you will have a better pick date next year, by dint of your class year. And do contact faculty for an override, if a class is really important to you. Here’s to getting into the classes you need!

Will long distance last?

Will long distance last?
Will long distance last?

Maybe. There are certainly couples that do make it work. But it takes work and commitment from both sides. I recommend setting up regular video chat dates so that you can see each other. Seeing a loved one’s facial expressions or the way the laugh is a lot more powerful than just hearing them talk. And have these dates regularly. So regularly that they get boring because you have nothing to talk about. That’s what an in-person relationship is like at times. It’s not always an exciting day.

Any explanation for the recent replacement of original M&Ms w/ Raisinets in all the vending machines?

Any explanation for the recent replacement of original M&Ms w/ Raisinets in all the vending machines? Where can I submit feedback and is God punishing me?
Any explanation for the recent replacement of original M&Ms w/ Raisinets in all the vending machines? Where can I submit feedback and is God punishing me?

Perhaps God is testing you. This is almost as horrific as biting into that amazing chocolate chip cookie, only to find it is, in fact {shudder} oatmeal raisin. You can (and should, for the well being of all) send feedback to service@abvendingco.com.

Can you install a shower in O’Neill Library so I can live here?

Can you install a shower in O'Neill Library so I can live here?
Can you install a shower in O’Neill Library so I can live here?

As a resident of O’Neill, I can understand the attraction! We can’t install a shower, but the bathrooms all have soap and paper towels. We don’t have laundry machines, so please bring lots of clothing. Also, you can only live here while we have 24/7 hours, after that you’ll need to find somewhere else to spend the night. Welcome home!

Do pineapples belong on pizza?

Do pineapples belong on pizza?
Do pineapples belong on pizza?

Food questions are always tricky for the wall, because as a wall I cannot taste things. Often I am forced to turn such questions over to my minions who are always willing to risk burned mouths and tomato sauce stains on their shirts in pursuing these difficult questions. After their diligent and arduous testing a broad majority concluded that pineapples belong on pizzas: 59.1% in favor, 18.2% maybe, and only 22.7% opposed. Here are other toppings they recommended: Anchovies, goat cheese, fresh basil, onions, avocado, mushroom, sausage, arugula salad, peppers, a runny egg, left-overs from my fridge, ham, pineapple fried in coconut oil, kalamata olives, mushrooms, Bot pineapples, BBQ chicken, artichokes, extra fresh tomatoes, AND whatever you want! It’s your world, squirrel.

Pie chart showing BC Libraries staff response to "Does pineapple belong on pizza": 59.1% yes, 22.7% no, 18.2% maybe
Pie chart showing BC Libraries staff response to “Does pineapple belong on pizza” (44 responses of 100+ surveyed)

What is the optimal attitude/disposition that a person graduating college should have?

Optimally What is the optical attitude/disposition that a person graduating college should have?
What is the optimal attitude/disposition that a person graduating college should have?

Many qualities will help, but the central one is a commitment to honesty. After you graduate, you’ll get the indescribable pleasure of your work & life having real impact on others, not just grade impacts on you. The flip side is the anxiety of unanticipated impacts: sometimes things don’t go as planned. Being the best you involves conflicting attitudes: bring the confidence & boldness when it’s time to act, persistence when things don’t go as planned, humility and flexibility when you need to ask for help and change plans, and adaptability and teachability when it’s time to grow. Why is honesty central? You can only understand a situation, other people, or yourself when you assess honestly, and you have to understand a situation to know which attitude to bring to it.

What’s your favorite meme?

What's your favorite meme?
What’s your favorite meme?

Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise? I thought not. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life… He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying. The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself.  bit.ly/darth-plaguies-meme

Why are black bodies hypersexualized?

Why are black bodies hypersexualized?
Why are black bodies hypersexualized?

There are many thoughtful, scholarly takes on this problem in books in our collection: bit.ly/BC-af-am-sexualized. It’s quite likely an old stereotype with its ugly roots in the slavery era, when exaggerated black sexuality was employed to coerce & control sexual behavior, to distract from the systemic rape of black women by slaveowners, and to justify lynchings as a threat to control black men.