Dear Readers:

I almost didn't write one of these, but now, in the 11th hour, my restraints against self-indulgence have given up, lying fetal in the corner like a World Series Yankee.

Hank Williams Jr. and his rowdy friends were back on ABC tonight, Monday, Oct. 29, marking the first time their anthem has opened the Monday Night Football telecast since the Sept. 11 attacks. At the close of this year's 'Series, America the Beautiful will most likely relinquish its claim to Major League Baseball's 7th-inning stretch. Are these monumental changes in the world of sports, or elsewhere? No, not really ... but as I prepare to launch my first issue as editor-in-chief, these small omens make me think that things – at least in the Midwest – are getting back to normal.

Mourning and grieving have given way to more traditional pastimes. At NU, it means we're all bitching again. Lacking anything to be shocked about, we complain. About our food. About our placement office. About our football team. About our neighbors. I'm guilty, too. You're all guilty.

I had a prospie over at my house yesterday, a friend of my little brother's who's still in high school. There always seems to be a reasonable effort put forth by NU students during Day@NU to prove they're bad-ass enough to overcome the unbearable, oppressive conditions put unto them by the administration. Maybe Dave Bartholow and I dropped the ball a little bit, forcing the prospie to watch us work on some stupid Internet magazine for part of his stay, but we offered him a few Coors Lights to save face.

Inevitably we talked with him about enrolling at NU, and for some reason I just didn't have the heart to tell the kid not to come here on account of shoddy campus lighting and bad prices at SBX. Reason being, deep down, I think I like being here.

NU students, in general, are smart people. Most likely, you were able to recite the alphabet – and complain about mom's brand of baby powder – before you could walk. Now with legs, a brain, and a wealth of opportunity, rise out of the peanut gallery. Get your name in The Daily's Blotter. Protest the war. Surf on Greenwood Beach in the dead of winter. Contribute to a small, uninfluential magazine. Just find something at NU to be proud of. That's what collegiate contentness comes down to, doesn't it?

So, without further ado, I urge you to read the online magazine our noble hearts and even ruder senses of humor helped to create.

Then, send me an e-mail to tell me I suck.

Sincerely,

Luke Winn
Resident Taoiseach