Random Rants

Students speak out about what’s on their minds in 142 words, and you’re invited! If you have a random rant, email it to me at alward@grinnell.edu. After all, complaining in a public forum is always more fun than doing it alone.

Raucous Rawson residents

This is to the people who keep trashing Rawson kitchen and stealing the food in there. STOP. This time, you even broke my toaster by getting dishwashing liquid in it. MY dishwashing liquid. I still haven’t decided whether you are just MORONS or malicious little drunken fiends. I’m not the only one who suffers from petty theft and damage, but I have to say, it’s been consistent every week. What have I done to you to deserve this? What has the Rawson cleaning staff done to deserve this? And whatever happened to self-governance?! It’s more than just a free ticket to get however drunk you want, you know.

—Nathalie Lauze ‘06

The frozen man

I just want it to be warm! No, not outside, in my room! It’s bad enough that I have to wear my gloves, jacket, and hat in my chemistry seminar room; why can’t I at least have enough heat to sleep comfortably in sweats and three blankets? I KNOW other people get heat; my room last year was so hot that I kept both windows open and even turned on my fans some wintry days! Can whoever has that excessive heat in their room this year please share some of it with me? To make matters worse, a bunch of friends told me that there was a “valve” on the south campus heaters that you could turn to increase your heat. After much searching, I found something resembling a valve, but when I turned it, instead of heat, tons of dirty water rushed out. If you know what I should have done with that valve, please call me and help me out... I’ll buy you something nice and warm, like a hot chocolate.

—Brian Clites ‘05

Show your love with tapes, not CDs

How many of us have known the pleasure of a real, bonafide mix-tape? No, not a cheap-ass mix CD. The real deal, with a clever title and side names drawn from rocking songs. Being in possession of more than a dozen, I must speak on their behalf. Mix-tapes, unlike mix CDs, cannot be mass-produced, and must be made with love, care, and thought, as well as a collection of tapes, CDs, mp3s and vinyl. Furthermore, cassette tapes give off warm fuzzy noise instead of brash electronic pain, they remind us of our childhood, they come in cute little boxes, and dammit they don’t skip. They have an air of friendliness and nostalgia that later audio technology is definitely lacking.

So next time you want to show someone your love, say it with an emotionally moving cassette tape, instead of a cold, heartless compact disc. I’m quite serious.

—Emilia Garvey ‘06