I try not to play favorites and I also love lots of different kinds of books, so if you ask me on another day I’ll probably give a different answer. Today I’ll say my favorite is The Landmark Thucydides. It’s a history of the war between Athens and Sparta and a lot of it is about armies moving back and forth around really small towns in every part of ancient Greece. What makes me love it is the maps, which show you where all those places are, and the chapters explaining all of the things about Greek armies the author assumes you know. Least favorite? We’ve got some stuff on eugenics that was classified as science when it was published in the 19th century–not even going to name names. My fave is the red book on the shelf to my left.

Thanks for the love! ❤️ In brief: you can get an alumni library card for borrowing books at the O’Neill main desk, and there are several databases available through the Alumni Association. Here are more details: https://bit.ly/alumni_guests.

No worries, you’re not alone–lots of my helpers feel that way every time they do a search. A couple of pieces of advice. 1) Your application should be about how you help them solve a problem or problems. 2) Use your cover letter to point to how your resume and experience match what they’re asking for, or rewrite your resume so it’s in their terms (or both). 3) Do not be shy about applying if you don’t meet all of the qualifications. Good luck!

I can’t tell you what the right decision for you is, but I can absolutely tell you that you will have plenty of occasions to make up and change your mind about what your life is for. This might be one of those moments for you. Talk to some people you trust about it (thanks for including me!) and see if it feels like a good idea. If it does, go for it!

I’m here all summer most years. Occasionally I travel to conferences, but mostly I hang out here.

‘Hope is the Thing With Feathers’ is a bop. And, a great poem too.

Thanks for the love-filled drawing! Is that Rudy, who visited the library yesterday?

You have plenty of time to decide what your life is about, and to change your mind about it. Enjoy the ride!

Very few non-residents of St. Mary’s have seen the apartments. But walls DO talk, and I’ve been told that they are very similar to a 300-350 square foot hotel room, with a combined bedroom/living space, bathroom and closet.

I’m not sure where I saw that person in a black watch cap, but a dim memory of an apron is giving me barista vibes.

Of course! What the RSF is doing there is horrifying. The tricky question is whether and how the UN should intervene.

I’m longing to experience summer, too! We’ve had a little fore-taste of spring weather, which has whetted my appetite to feel a warm breeze coming through the lobby doors.

On the one hand, honesty is good. On the other hand, roommates are a captive audience, and this revelation could make them uncomfortable. Consider waiting until you’re not roommates.

❤️️?❤️️

Sorry, I can’t do names or promotional stuff here. But the Libraries do have an IG if you want to chat.

Yes!

It’s more an art than a science. Some things are more under your control than others, so try focusing a little more on those. Make a decision about where you think you want to be and you’ll often find the other uncertainty gets out of your way.

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Scared to leave. Give me a parting quote or poem about life, Wall?

Rebecca Solnit: “Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act.” If you have 20 minutes to spare, listen to this moving commencement address by the author Richard Powers, from 2023: bit.ly/powers-commencement