You know the YouTube hit “David After Dentist,” the video a dad took of his young son after a dental procedure involving some type of anesthetic. You laughed at it, right? Don’t lie. As much as you questioned why Dad just so happened to have a video camera at that moment, you still laughed. “Is this real life?” David slurs under the influence. “Why is … Continue reading The importance of being humerous

In shaping a teeming and generally senseless group of people into something resembling a society, empathy is probably the most important social adhesive. It is, for our purposes, the ability to discern and understand the feelings of others. It is a direct symptom of a kind of internal language to which most humans are naturally privy. As a result, it is a concept most strongly … Continue reading Empathy?! I’ll show you Empathy.

Even with the little thaw we’ve experienced this past week, I still need plenty of insulation to be comfortable outdoors. I’m not a warm-bodied person (although I was when I was younger, but that was when I was also much heavier … I mean, when I had more natural insulation) and frequently get cold—not just outside, but basically everywhere from drafty classrooms to my own … Continue reading Living an insulated life

Television commercials can occasionally be more entertaining to me than the program I’m watching because of the overwhelming number of hilariously unnecessary products out there. Some simply make me giggle, like the women who cannot crack eggs with anything less that Hulk-like dexterity, thus necessitating the “EZ Cracker” to make the process of cracking eggs less physically demanding. Other commercials make me want to cry … Continue reading Watch out! Your soap may have germs on it.

This week I feel I have to take a break from my usual rants about campus politics to address a more important, national issue: what the hell was with the Super Bowl!? It was the strangest thing: I went to watch “the game,” fully expecting to be more bored than usual with the actual game. It’s hard to choose the lesser of two evils between … Continue reading Reflecting on the game

At Campus Center: Female, Redhead. You in the green sweater. You have the prettiest eyes and I love to get to know you more. Coffee sometime? In Nobel: Male, Brunette. I always see you after lab doing your chemistry homework—wouldn’t you rather do me instead? At the Dive: Female Blonde. Girl, you know how to work it on the dance floor, what can you do … Continue reading Dislike a little

I am that kind of person. The one who fills every single slot of the schedule with meaningful and meaningless activities. You know the type: always a little late, always spilling a little bit of coffee, yawns frequently, has a laugh that makes you think it could very easily turn into tears—there are many of us on this campus. And the truth is—I like being … Continue reading Spending time thinking

Once upon a time my family was taking a trip by train and trudging across Eastern Europe. Apparently we were feeling that Poland in the winter was just a little bit too cheerful so we decided to visit the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. Despite my pretensions to confidence and my youthful indifference, I along with the rest of my family felt deeply saddened and … Continue reading The fluidity of comedy and tragedy

For much of the fall, Student Senate worked on creating a new Gus Bus system. The idea has been in the making for a while and remains a constant topic in Senate since it was created. The Gus Bus system has gone through numerous changes in the past seven years. The Gus Bus has been used as both a “taxi” service, where people call in … Continue reading Optimistic about the Gus Bus