I was walking back to Max Palevsly Residentials, just as I always do, after my Quantum Mechanics II 11:30-12:20, preceeded by Real Analysis III 10:30-11:20. Last lectures of this spring quarter, marked the end of my second year. There was a long, collective applause after Prof.CW’s consistently indecipherable physics lecture —— that is, a reiteration of phi’s and brackets he improvised on the slidable blackboards; there are six of them. The emotion composition of this applause is, complicated. A mixture of finally-served-this-term&released-from-jail reassurance, comradeship, regret-infiltrated humor and a strangely masochistic longing: Now that it is over, you start to miss the pain.
I was walking past the frontdesk lady when I grabbed The Chicago Maroon (the student newspaper), just as I always do, when I want to feel old again. It’s part of the playing it cool actions, which includes my insistence on handling cash at the divinity school basement coffee shop (Grounds of Being), carrying pocket knife, and installing a funny ringbell on my bicycle. Sadly and obviously, non of these gestures grant me, and perhaps other young people, any desired independence and maturity. It is better to defend oneself with good montly salary and a decent number in the bank account than a pocket knife, that’s what I figured out. It’s only unnecessary nostalgia.
But back to The Chicago Maroon. These newspaper served as nice lunch companions, either in the form of an entertaining read or, a table cloth to handle the oil from a cooking pot. (And all sorts of things people use newspaper for: packing sandwiches, floor protection…) The issue today is the graduation issue for the Class of 2026. Things are funnily relatable:
“College Plans to Expand to 9,000 Students, Provost Says at Budget Town Hall”
I guess we are still very broke. I cannot imagine the Reg trashbins overflow status after we have even more undergrads. That place always smells like energy drinks and human sweat and fear in finals week. It is my perverted enjoyment to admire this scene. There will be more outside the east door smoking cigarettes on the concrete staircase; and some would quit sooner or later, some would not, just like everything.
“The Decline of the Liberal Arts at UChicago, by the Numbers”
It is said that the “Life of the Mind” and the archetypical UChicago student body are becoming a myth. I don’t deny that at all. Scholars and intellectuals as we imagined are gone, along with the liberal arts education, whatever that means. We must say goodbye to the latin grammarians is what I mean. But who and what do we say hello to? This is what heavies my heart.
“A Brief History of Ida Noyes”
Ida Noyes is one of those places you can get nostalgia again. It is home to DocFilms, the student run movie theater for old films. No popcorn no coke, a serious watch! Bring your (imagined) date and waste some evenings here. Then there is The Pub. THE PUB. An old tradition. Jimmy’s (Woodlawn Tap) and The Pub are the two places to go for drinks. I haven’t got the chance to go to either. I have to cut drinking to only necessary occasions. But the concept of a bar don’t hurt, hopefully.
I like playing the prophet so that I can indulge in pessimism. The age of the circular time is gone. The old are not wiser than the young. The next summer is hotter than the last. The trees by your house will not provide shade for your grandson. The red-crowned birds are departed.