Rants
On Apartment Heating
Abby Hofstetter, Managing Editor
Contrary to popular belief, I’m generally an agreeable person. I don’t really complain when things aren’t exactly to my liking. Does that make me a pushover? Probably. But that’s a discussion for another time. What I will complain about, however, is the fact that I can’t control the temperature in my own bedroom. I live off-campus in a very small apartment. Like many other apartment buildings, our landlord controls the heating system. The problem, though, is that my heating system seems to only have two settings: on and off. Either I’m shivering under three blankets, or I’m shorting out my electricity with the amount of fans I’ve plugged in, even though it’s the dead of winter. I have lost track of the number of days where I left my window open overnight only to wake up to a dusting of snow on my windowsill. As I write this, it is 70 degrees outside. But I had to check my Weather app to find that out, because right now in my apartment it feels like a crisp 50. I am wearing three pairs of socks and snuggling a hot chocolate. Why? Why does my building work this way? Why are my toes never fully warm? I may live off-campus, but can I ever gain full autonomy if I can’t even control the temperature in my own bedroom? Will I ever be truly independent? Am I my own person? Anyway, I haven’t spoken to my landlord about this because I’m a pushover. I’ll probably just wait until my lease is up.
On Remakes
Kim Rice, Deputy Copy Chief
If you’ve been on Twitter nine hours a day like I’ve been since quarantine started, then you’ve definitely seen that Stephanie Meyer is making another “Twilight” book. The twist? It’s from Edward’s point of view, and I really just want to know why. What is the reason? For the love of all things good in the world, please stop making remakes and find a better story. If you could come up with a story before, why can’t you now? (Before everyone gets mad: I know it takes time, but take the time to do it then.) Now I’m not only talking about coming out with the same book just from another character’s POV either, I’m talking about the movies too. It’s part of the reason I hate Shakespeare (this is another rant and most of you will be upset when I write it) and why I was so annoyed with the “IT” remake in 2017. It’s just so unnecessary. There is nothing new that is being brought into the movie or book: no new ideas and no new plot points that were not brought up before, so it’s just a waste of millions of dollars. Movie producers and writers do not have any original ideas anymore and I am beginning to become tired of it.
And do not even get me started on superhero movies. Do I eat them up? Yes. Are they all exactly the same because the superhero trope and origin story is all the same? Yes.
On the WSN Office Keurig
Anna-Dmitry Muratova, Deputy Managing Editor
I miss everything about WSN’s office –– everything except for the Keurig. Oh, the Keurig! (Shakes fist in the air angrily.) This little machine was supposed to be providing us with the ultimate elixir of creativity and instead it provided us with endless frustration! Yes, I’m still mad at you, Third North basement Keurig, for a lot of things! For once, you burned my arm and stained my favorite hoodie, while all I wanted was half a mug of black coffee to sustain myself at 2 a.m. You broke down on me at least three times in one night! One! Not to mention when you stopped working for several weeks, leaving us with no choice but to edit out Oxford commas in a daze of exhaustion. You’re still standing there –– a smug smile on your plastic face, I’m sure –– with the note we had to put on you: “Out of service.” So, yes, I miss everything in our beloved windowless office. Everything except for the Keurig.
Raves
On Finals
Nicole Chiarella, Deputy Copy Chief
I hate finals, but I also love finals. I don’t particularly enjoy writing millions of papers or taking exams on topics I only vaguely understand. However, turning in your final essay and walking out — or now, I guess, closing out — of your last exam has to be one of the best feelings ever. Closing all your finals-related tabs, taking a nap without guilt, binge-watching a new Netflix show — these rank high on my list of favorite things to do after this soul-sucking period when the semester ends. Don’t get me wrong: I’m always quick to whine repeatedly about taking exams and having to somehow find the motivation to push through essays. But despite this misery, knowing that after my last exam I won’t have to wake up for another Zoom class makes me almost jump with joy — I’m tired of online classes and especially tired of tests and papers getting in the way of sleeping. Finals suck the joy out everything, but once you’re done, you’re done. On another note, maybe finals wouldn’t suck so much if I didn’t procrastinate all the time. But who am I kidding? That’s not going to change.
Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.
Email WSN Staff at [email protected].
