this ghost is going to join the people from my high school in my nightmares

It happens at least once a week, though it’s been increasingly more common in my current sleep-deprived, midterms-induced frenzy. I’m walking to Hamilton for my LitHum class or enjoying the sun with the rest of the Columbia student body on Low Steps or in JJs at 3 am and full of regret. Whatever it is, when I’m not entirely paying attention, I catch someone out of the corner of my eye and everything stops. Because I am convinced I have just seen someone I went to high school with and that’s quite possibly the worst thing that could happen to any college student.

This isn’t super weird for some people, given that they went to school from some of their fellow classmates which might not always be ideal. Still, at least if you know that you might run into them and can prepare for the possibility. No one from my hometown is here so whenever I think I see the girl from my 9th grade biology class who asked if rocks were alive or my old calc teacher on College Walk, I’m not prepared in the slightest and I immediately begin to freak out, wondering how they got here from literally hundreds of miles away. And once I remind myself that’s it perfectly normal for people to come visit New York City on vacation, I start wondering why they’re on Columbia’s campus at 9:30 in the morning. I don’t even want to be on Columbia’s campus at 9:30 in the morning, and I live here.

Usually, by then I realize it’s just someone who looks similar but I’ve already lived through ever shitty high school memory all over again. Maybe, someday, I’ll move past this but until then I’m stuck trying to avoid doppelgangers of all the people I despised for four years of my life. Or, I’ll be right one of these times, I’ll actually know them and it’ll be incredibly awkward. Only time can tell.

Our reaction when we heard Rite-Aid was closing down :(

Fresh off the heels of beloved restaurant Amigos, yet another MoHi familiar face is closing down soon. This time, it’s Rite-Aid on 110th – an institution that for years has provided us with well-priced prescription medicines, bars of soap, and friendly, sassy staff workers. We hope that these memories, shared by friends, students, and alums alike, will help comfort you in these grievous times of hardship.

• @Sitting_quietly on Twitter said, “Buying a case of natty lite and running a beer mile in riverside park on a cool June evening in 2017. RIP rite aid”
• When our Thursday daily editor went shopping there for an entire semester to get cash back, because there’s no ATM for her bank nearby and she wasn’t sure where else she could avoid fees.
• Joe Milholland commented on Facebook, “When I played tabletop games with my friends, I’d get snacks from there.”
• When our sports editor bought emergency pantyhose there, after realizing she hadn’t shaved her legs in advance of an interview she was wearing a skirt to
• Soap, water, shampoo, medicine, mixers, and other goods that were always more reasonably priced than Duane Reade
• One staff writer said, “The number of times I, a 5’2 blonde little girl that looks like she’s 15, have bought a giant Keystone Lite 30 pack or other giant packs of beer from Rite-Aid is insane. I went last weekend and they didn’t have Keystone and the guy at the register and I had a long chat about how upset we were about it closing down and the limited selection of beers everywhere else.”
• When one staff writer popped into Rite-Aid with her best friend to buy safety pins for his makeshift Halloween toga.

More memories below!

The email in question

Earlier in the semester, Bwogger Isabel Sepúlveda got an email from her residence hall director for information about the broken TV in her floor lounge. Not knowing who committed this act of “floor vandalism,” she didn’t have any information to share, but she wondered, what would happen if you did? She put what she learned in her single political science class to the test, and this is the result.

It happens before winter break. You and your roommate are messing around in your suite’s lounge, drinking away the impending doom while staring down the barrel of half a dozen midterms and messing around when you playfully shove him too hard and he goes flying into the TV. He’s fine but it sounds like something else cracked. With a quick glance, everything looks okay so you both head to bed without at second thought.

The next morning, everything from the night before is kind of fuzzy and you’ve almost managed to put the incident out of your mind entirely when one of your suitemates invites you to a Netflix binge outside of your respective rooms for once. She tries to turn on the TV, only to discover that it has cracked from the inside. She calls over the RA, who takes a look and promises to put in a maintenance request as soon as possible. They both wonder how this happened and who could have done such a thing. You try your best to commiserate and not out your roommate on the spot. Eventually, you all leave for break and everyone forgets it even happened. The TV is replaced and still, no one uses the lounge when you return. Life is good.

That is, until about two weeks after classes start again, when you receive The Email.

What did the email say?

This Bwog article is *not* brought to you by Stamps.com.

Deputy Editor Zack Abrams always has voices inside his head but he’s pretty sure he’s not crazy; he’s just a podcast addict! Here are his recommendations for a good podcast to listen to when working out, commuting on the subway, or generally trying to avoid other people. Sources say if you like enough of his Tweets, he’ll give you a personalized suggestion. 

Anything ending in the word “Studies” : S-Town

Created by the producers of Serial and This American Life (which you should listen to no matter your major), this podcast tells the story of a “Shit Town,” and the intriguing man who gave it that title. It’s one of the best narratives I’ve ever listened to, and I was hooked instantly. Listen to the first episode below.

Economics: Planet Money

From NPR, Planet Money discusses how the economy actually works in our lives by telling compelling stories. They’re short, sweet, and with 800+ episodes to catch up on, you’ll never run out of new content. Listen below to an intriguing episode on capitalism in North Korea.

Plenty more recommendations after the jump!

What a team…

Sports Editor Abby Rubel and Guest Writer Gloriana Lopez are updating last year’s post about identifying men’s basketball players from a very long way away. This year, they’re identifying a whole new crop of first-years and some fan favorites!

Most Satanic Player: Nate Hickman
Nate has played a total of 666 minutes. Good thing next week’s games don’t conflict with the Columbia Satanists’ meetings.

Bad Boy: Patrick Tapé
Last year, we awarded this title based on sheer number of personal fouls. Technically, then, it should go to Lukas Meisner and his 71 personal fouls this season. But Patrick Tapé has only one fewer fouls, got into a fight with a Brown fan during their away game, and has the most blocks, so we’re giving it to him. Good job, Patrick! We highly recommend adopting this aesthetic—everyone looks good in a leather jacket.

Katy Perry Hot and Cold Award: Quinton Adlesh
He’s nationally ranked eleventh in three-point field goal completion percentage, but (in what some would say is the true spirit of Columbia Athletics) Quinton is as inconsistent as a JJs mozzarella stick. Last weekend, he made literally zero three-pointers against Yale. Earlier this season, he shot 50% from beyond the arc against the SAME TEAM. To paraphrase Katy Perry, “the shots are in, then they’re out.” We do not, however, recommend adopting this aesthetic.

But who’s most likely to be the next Conor Voss?

This can be your protest sign for when Congress inevitably takes an eternity to act.

Happening in the World: According to officials, the wife of the ex-president of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, has been arrested on graft charges that including taking funds from programs for the poor. She is accused of stealing 16 million lempiras ($650,000) along with other former officials. (Reuters)

Happening in the US: Donald Trump has surprised lawmakers (and basically everyone else) after seemingly embracing gun control in a televised meeting. He called for expanding background check, attempting to keep guns away from the mentally ill, securing schools and restricting sales to those under 21. Given that this time last week, he was calling for arming teachers, only time will tell if he actually understands anything he just said. (NYT)

Happening in NYC: New York City has reached a settlement with three women who had their hijabs removed by police officers before their mugshots were taken after being arrested. Each woman will receive $50,000 and is marked by one of the women’s lawyers as a step toward addressing police policy on religious head coverings. (BBC)

Happening on Campus: Still trying to land that perfect summer internship? Lean In @ Columbia is sponsoring an event in which experts in career development will be hosting four discussion circles. Moderated by representatives from Columbia and Barnard career service offices, the panels include Networking Follow-Up and Salary Negotiations. Come to Lerner 555 at 5:30 pm to check it out!

Overheard: “You have to be so next level smart to tattoo a meme on yourself.”

Word of the Day: Defenestration, which means the act of throwing something or someone out a window. Used in a sentence: I defenestrated my LitHum books after the midterm, because I forgot we still have a final.

common sense gun reform via bwog archives