dear child,

Well it's four on a Thursday, October the 1st. This day last year I can remember being my high school's library, a bit chilled by the new October frost, probably well rested. This year's start to October is slightly different. For one, it's four. For two, it's four still. Three, it's five degrees. Four, it's four. Five, I am wearing sandals, gym shorts and a big fat hooded sweater, my nose is runny, my voice is scratchy, I am eating bite sized cookies, and I am not asleep.

Dear inconsiderate Victoria Hall resident or disturbed other,

Thank you kindly for setting off our 5th, yep 5th fire alarm of the year. Although it's the first one of October, there's been 5 overall, where one time, as my fellow Vics can remember vividly, as we were reentering the building, it was pulled again. That added another 20 minutes. Beautiful, right? Not even.

I am not so much annoyed about this all, but just aggravated, and mostly confused. It's not so much about the fact that we have to all wake up in sync, put on warm clothing - we have all already established a habit of almost slowly looking around for track pants and larger sweaters than we were already wearing - and for the 6 floor'ers, walk down 10 or 11 flights of stairs, still half asleep, stomachs grumbling, throats still in sleep-flem mode, eyes crusted, flustered, cold. It's the fact that since Vic is the largest residence on campus, it requires more than one fire truck. And at the beginning of the year, it was made evident that if a fire truck were to be fighting a fire at the time of a Vic Hall alarm, even a prank, that truck is to leave the burning building to come attend to our immaturity and note our embarrassment all the while. That lowers the chances of another family, other friends, other people in a burning building of survival in that specific fire.

Think about that next time before you get drunk and get stupid. Even if you're sober, ask yourself, why? You will not receive awards, you will get no recognition. You are not employee of the month, most honorable member, nor are you a very important person. You're a child. That's all.

Good morning.