Columns

Dear Barb—Relationships’ End

Dear Barb: I have been dating my girlfriend for three months.  We get along great and have lots of common interests.  I just assumed we were exclusive, but apparently not.  She thinks we should be dating other people because, according to her, it is too early in our relationship to limit ourselves to just dating… Read more »

The Fit Student—What to do When you hit Rock Bottom

Today was my birthday, and my sister, who phones me once a year, never phoned.  Instead my beloved niece wished me a happy birthday from my sister via Facebook text message.  I felt like crying. I messaged my niece that every human has a low point in life.  When we hit our low, which we… Read more »

Porkpie Hat—Embrace the Chaos

If there is one thing I should probably not be doing in this life, it is giving advice.  Whatever good fortune I have come across, I have typically stumbled into ass-backwards rather than achieved through any sort of strategy or wisdom.  Nevertheless, you just never know when somebody might benefit from a word or two… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Canada Day: A Celebration of Us

We’re a pretty fantastic country.  Other nations have linguini or lederhosen, croissants or crumpets, Guinness harps or apple pie and on and on.  But Canada has beavers and brews, hockey and maple syrup.  And at a deeper (if more ambiguous) level, we like to think of ourselves as a nation with a big heart that… Read more »

Six Japanese Street Foods to Try

For AU foodies looking for a trip filled with unusual, ethnic street foods, making a trip to Japan should be at the top of the list.  Summer brings out some of the best street food in Japan.  In my most recent trip to Japan, I explored the areas of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto to sample… Read more »

The Study Dude—Focus to Success in a Day

“How many important things did you get done last week?  I’m talking about the things that actually brought you closer to your bigger goals and dreams.  Take a second to think about it.  Chances are zero to none.  Why is that?  Because of one thing, your FOCUS” (O’Brien, location 138 of 308, 35%). I had… Read more »

Course Exam—COMP 369

COMP 369 (Practical Game Programming) is a three-credit computer science course that is designed for students to learn how to develop platform-independent computer games using programming languages C/C++ with Allegro, an open-source, cross-platform library which is both powerful and versatile.  Allegro can be used on Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms.  Although the focus of this… Read more »

Dear Barb—The Age Old Question

Dear Barb: I am in my late twenties and live at home with my parents and younger brother.  Recently, I began dating a guy who is 50 years old.  We get along great and his kids love me.  We seem so compatible; we are not aware of the age difference unless we look in the… Read more »

Study Dude—If Lonely at AU, Woo Yourself a Pal

“If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re very scarce.  If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere” (Zig Ziglar as cited in K. D.). At AU, you might miss the friendships found at physical universities.  You might even feel isolated or lonely.  “Friendships are important—if not… Read more »

The Struggling Student Rants—Manpower or Gaspower

Gas prices across Canada are not going down anytime soon.  Just this past April, prices went up in all of our provinces as the federal carbon tax kicked in.  According to Global News, in late April, the price of gas in British Columbia almost reached $2 a litre, with some unsuspecting vehicle owners waking up… Read more »