Lately, I have not been able to step into the lounge without seeing an array of strange cards littered across the table. Well, maybe not littered. There is a definite order to the layout of these cards and there are people behind them, picking them up and placing them down with authority.

For as long as I can remember, I have wondered what exactly mathematicians do for a living. I often imagined them as serious, intellectual types who spent their days solving problems and writing proofs. You know, kind of like in math class.

I walked into chemistry class today, late, expecting it to be just another day in the lab. I immediately say down in front of a computer and got to work. I was doing research for a biochemistry project. Drug metabolism, to be exact.

The clock is ticking down. Thirty-five. Thirty-four. The pressure’s mounting. My whole team is counting on me. I can’t mess up.

What can I do?

In a different setting, one might take a shot or run it in for a touchdown. But not me, not today.

Instead, I pick up my pawn and move it to a5.

As the last race is finished, the last ball is kicked or volleyed, and the last lap is swum, a new type of competition begins for some Uni students. Unlike the fall athletes, these students compete on a much smaller field, a field made up of 64 squares to be exact.

Ah yes, it’s chess season again, and my teammates and I are ready for another successful run at state.

Athletics are a huge part of American culture, especially at the professional level, where top performers earn millions of dollars every year. But even at the high school level, athletic competitions draw a large amount of attention.

As the summer fast approaches, I have been continually looking forward to summer reading. Last summer, I think I only read two books excluding the required summer reading for English. So this year, I really want to spend more time immersing myself in fine literature.

Remember the earthquake that was felt across Central Illinois a few weeks ago? Even though some people slept through it, there were many people who found the slight shaking of the earth to be a source of entertainment. However, Monday served as a reminder of natural disasters and their ability to kill countless people.

We have all heard the stereotypes surrounding the responsible older sibling and the somewhat less responsible younger sibling. According to a recent study done at Johns Hopkins University, these stereotypes may very well be true.

Since the latest installment in the “Grand Theft Auto” series, “Grand Theft Auto IV,” was released on Tuesday, it has gotten

Violence is portrayed everywhere in the media. From movies to music, there is not a single medium free from it. And we as a society enjoy this.

You cannot walk into a movie theater without seeing an advertisement for a movie involving some form of violence. Why is that? Why has this become such a big part of entertainment?

Boys are different from girls. I know, shocking, isn’t it?

While the truth of this statement may seem blatantly obvious when first considered, there are many people in this world who would argue that women are inherently similar if not superior to men in an array of fields such as sports, science, and chess.

Yet we still think of these areas as typically male dominated.

Last Saturday had started like the many other days of spring break. I woke up around 11 a.m. and planned to relax the day away. Around 6 o’clock in the evening, everything was continuing like normal. I was surfing the Web and my 8-year-old brother was watching TV when all of a sudden the house went dark.

One of the best parts of competing is the prizes. Everyone loves to win, and the feeling of victory is immortalized when a giant trophy is placed in your hands along with a large monetary sum. But for those who don’t win, a feeling of bitterness and defeat lingers long after they go home.

Competition shouldn’t be a strange concept to anybody who goes to Uni. As students, we engage in competition almost year round, whether it is athletic, intellectual, or even musical.