SUVs Aren’t The Only Things That Rollover…
After graduating high school, I never really thought I’d ever have to carry a heavy load of books in my backpack again. But that is definitely one of those myths about college that needs to be dispelled. I remember when I was a freshman and I had to lug my heavy books from class to class because I had no where else to put them and I needed all of them in class. That sucked. I’ve since lightened the load by either taking classes that required only paperbacks or just not bring any form of bound tomes with me. Unfortunately, the issue of having to haul hundreds of dollars worth of educational texts from point A to point B still remains for many others. So what’s the solution? Rolling backpacks…
I saw some of those things when I was in high school, they didn’t work indoors and they don’t seem to work outdoors. Throughout my time here I’ve managed to see so many rolling bookbag rollovers. It’s actually pretty funny to see someone rushing to class dragging this monstrosity on wheels and it hits a sidewalk crack wrong which causes it to tip and tumble over on its side, resulting in the person losing their balance and momentarily looking bamboozled as to why their bag fell over. With all the ice, snow, mud, rain, or whatever Chicago weather leaves on the ground, it just doesn’t seem logical to use one of those things with their tiny little mini-wheels.
The next time any of you see someone using one of those things, please laugh at them when it tips over. Because it is only fitting that something so ridiculous be ridiculed and mocked by all of those that either just sucks it up and carries everything on their back like a pack mule or those that try to forgo books altogether. In the words of Nelson from the Simpsons: Ha! Ha!
A Military ID IS An ID!!!!
Over the break, my best friend and I went to Bennigan’s and she ordered a beer. Of course, they’d check her ID. She goes to the Naval Academy and her Illinois driver’s license still says she’s under 21, so she pulls out her other form of identification: her military ID card. The waitress at Bennigan’s stares at it, flips it over a few times, examines it, pretty much all but biting it to determine its worth before saying, “I’m not sure if we accept this.” HUH? How can you not accept it? It’s a valid photo ID issued by the United States government. She takes the card to her manager and it takes a long time before she says, “We’ll accept it this time… but next time bring a different ID.” At this point my record not only skipped, it stopped, rolled over like a rolling bag, and jumped out the window.
A military ID identifies someone as being a part of the United States military, it has all of the person’s vital information contained on it, including even blood type. It clearly notates a person’s date of birth, so it did prove my friend’s age. Why wouldn’t the ID be accepted? It’s issued by the United State, which easily trumps the measly state issued ID cards. This is absolutely appalling and ridiculous that the men and women carrying these cards go off into battle endangering their lives in defense of this nation’s freedoms can’t buy a beer with it! The world just is a ridiculously unjust place.
I Get That Crazy, I’m-Getting-Ripped-Off Feeling…
Every semester the book buying and the book selling season are crazy on the student body. Books being bought by students are grotesquely overpriced and books being sold back are disgustingly devalued. I actually sold back a textbook I bought for about $100 dollars and I was given a mere $5 back, because, “This is not the edition we use anymore.” I grunted and accepted this as the truth… but when I went into the bookstore and saw the SAME book, SAME edition, being sold for the price I bought it the year before. Not using the same edition? BULLSHIT. As if that didn’t irk me enough, I paid $37 or so dollars for a packet for one of my classes. When I left there and looked at it, the cover said $25. What the hell is the deal with that? This is a packet! It’s a bunch of Xeroxed papers bound cheaply with little plastic rings! And I’m glad that some professors have us go pick up packets in random copy places downtown just so we won’t be overcharged.
I’m sorry, but the UIC Bookstore has been consistently a symbol of the screwing of the student body via overpriced goods. But there’s almost always little to no choice but to buy your books there because special packages of books are exclusive to there or only they would sell those ridiculously overpriced packets. Professors don’t release what books are needed almost right until the time you need them. It’s hard to go to online and buy a book you need to read tonight for a quiz tomorrow. We’re being taken hostage and our pocketbooks are being raped by a system that won’t allow for any fairness. You need to have a platinum credit card these days to buy all the books you need for a semester. I’m glad this is my last semester. I’m tired of paying too much for ever so little.
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