The Aubrey has had a very rough week, health-wise. I’ve got a bunch of chronic stuff that randomly lays me out and makes me sick, and I haven’t really been able to handle food in four… five? days. Bleh. I’ve been eating meals, or at least trying. It’s just not pleasant. So, I also haven’t been sleeping at night. This has led to an overabundance of time in which I could be listening to music. Tonight, I put on “Fearless” by Pink Floyd in the early evening. I am now about 5 tracks away from completing the entire discography.

Yes, all of it. I’m… kind of a fan. Cough.

So anyway, tomorrow, I get to go home and sleep in my own bed, and effectively become a basement dweller for the next month. I’ll be freelancing illustration, and hopefully freelancing for my local newspapers back home! (Because, y’know, I couldn’t just enjoy my break from the Torch and be free from journalism for a month…)

I’msoverytired.Soverytiredohmygoodness. Bleehhh. Hahaha. I don’t want to quit now. Four more songs! I must finish Dark Side of the Moon and top off the first few tracks of Meddle so that I can come full circle. Next time, I’ll put them in chronological order.

When Gilmour opens his mouth and hits that certain note in that song… I weep. Openly. I even forget, for a moment, that he’s my least favorite Pink Floyd vocalist and just savor the moment. It’s haunting. And…three more songs to go. But uhm, yes. I am a *huge* Pink Floyd fan. My mom attended at least one concert during pregnancy, and saw Roger Waters later the same week. I’ve grown up loving them. Some people stay up drinking at the end of the semester, and I stay up with Pink Floyd. (I’m so cool, right?!)

Oh man, Eclipse is suuuuch a good song. Two songs to go.

See you later Space Cowboys,

Aubrey
News Section Editor

I know we already ran an article on this, but FYI I’m totally going to the Inauguration. I’ll be blogging and such from there, possibly with some video entries courtesy of my webcam.

Also, I hate final I hate final I hate finals….and so on and so forth. Seriously, it’s not the holidays that depress me…it’s the end of the semester. I’ve watched the sun rise several nights in a row because I’ve been too stressed to sleep. Crazy, huh?

My tired brain demands tribute in the form of a Shopping Penguin.

Peace,

Aubrey Ramsdell
Torch News Editor

Betty Page

My heart also goes out to the friends and family of Carly Fiasconaro. I’ve lost a loved one every semester of my college career, and I know how painful this must be for all of you. Take care, breathe deep, and be well. You’ll be in my thoughts.

Peace,

Aubrey Ramsdell
News Section Editor

Someone posted on my last blog post and mistook us for UMass Amherst. Well, boys and girls, I’m from the Pioneer Valley, and I am well-versed in UMass Amherst culture and such. I generally like UMass D a lot better, except for our meal plan options.

I find it gut-bustingly hilarious that they did this whole ‘freedom to choose’ campaign and then proceeded to eliminate several of our options. I am bitter about the lack of Res-to-Go, and I’m downright irritated that some meal plans can be used at the grilles, but not all of them. What is up with that? Over in the Valley, you can use your meal plan at establishments off-campus. No no, not just snack allowance – MEAL PLANS.

Why the heck haven’t we done that yet? At the very least, they could let us use them at the grilles!

I have a 14 meal plan because someone thought it would be awesome to get rid of the 12 meal plan. How often do I use it? Uhm, maybe 3 times a week. It’s inconvenient, the times are not suitable for my schedule, and quite frankly, what they deem a good time for ‘dinner’ is my lunch. I am a night owl. I have afternoon classes, and I’m up late working on things for class and The Torch. My snack allowance was gone by mid-October. There needs to be an option for late night folks, and I think that if one meal plan can go to the grille, we all should.

Or at the very least, give us back Res-to-Go! I mean, really. That was my staple of survival! I don’t have the TIME to hike over to res for my meals.

Grr and persnicket!

Aubrey Ramsdell
News Section Editor

Are many of you familiar with the concept of Freerunning? It’s this insanely epic sport that people all over the world take part in. It’s a full-body endurance run which requires you to know different landings, and most importantly, how to distribute your weight to avoid injury. The game Mirror’s Edge borrows heavily from this concept, and while many critics are slamming the game for unrealistic physics, I bet that some of them haven’t seen videos of freerunning.

Just look at this kid!

Now compare that to this Game Trailer. It’s obviously a bit exaggerated, but isn’t it nice to know that some things are based on reality? The live action trailer is a little less impressive than the 11 year old girl, but still interesting.

In other news… Wrath of the Lich King? Love it. Good game, Blizzard. Good game. I know where I’ll be for the next four weeks…can’t wait to log in, hop on a gryyyyyphoooooon! World of warcraft is a feeling.

Seeing as how The Torch is now on hiatus until the spring, I can return to my one true love…video games. Expect more nerd ranting.

Peace,

Aubrey Ramsdell
News Section Editor