Well kids, the last edition of summer State Press is here. We are all looking forward to a little vacation until real school starts next month.
Here are the things that shook us, scared us and delighted us to our very core this summer.
BRAVO to the numerous construction projects around campus. It may put us out and annoy the heck out of us for awhile, but it will all be worth it in the end. New, high-tech classrooms will house the Social Sciences building's crumbling history department. And we will finally get an Einstein Bagel Co. and Coldstone Creamery in the MU. Yum.
BOO to the same construction people who have decided not to go ahead and build students a new bookstore connected to the MU. Good thing we tore down the Physical Education West building to make room for the scrapped project.
BRAVO/BOO to the monsoon season. It really is great when it rains, but it is hell the rest of the time. Nothing like 110-degree heat with over 50 percent humidity to sweeten a summer day. And where is all the promised rain? It's just like sex — all build-up, no climax.
BRAVO to Nita's Hideaway for beating old stick-in-the-mud neighbors on the club's battle to relocate. If only students knew how close we were to losing our beloved indie concert venue.
BOO to the smoking ban. Nita's may have won the battle, but they may have lost the war by remaining in Tempe. Time will only tell how seriously the ban will effect local bars once students return to school. Boy, are they in for a surprise.
BRAVO to Skinemax's "Real Sex 30." Finally, a new episode will air on Saturday. Isn't it ironic that a show titled "Real Sex" showcases the most unusual sex in our society? But that's why we love it, and why we turn it on late at night after getting kicked out of the bars. By the way, has anyone seen the pony play episode? It's a classic.
BOO to big record labels and their top executives. If it weren't for these guys, we'd be paying $5 for CDs and $10 to see our favorite musicians in concert. But such is not the case. Those greedy bastards even took away the State Press' opportunity to interview some of music's top names. Labels for the Goo Goo Dolls and John Mayer both agreed to interviews this summer, then backed out at the last minute, depriving you, the readers, of some really good reading.
A big, fat BRAVO to Club "Go Figure" for providing a nightspot that is all their own. The new Tempe club caters to overweight men and women and the people who love them. They may not be able to fly Southwest Airlines, but at least they can dance. Shake that thang.
BRAVO to my summer staff. Erin, I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for your hard work, dedication, energy and loud laugh. You made the newsroom so much more bearable this summer. Good luck in D.C. Al, you are reliable and always have your stuff together. Marisa, you can pull great photos out of thin air. Thanks for all the hours you've spent in the dungeon and on-assignment. And Rick, thanks for your inspiration.
BOO to the reader who called me a female chauvinist pig. It's like a knife, slowly twisting in my heart. Oh so slowly…
BRAVO to David Benoit and Geoff Tate, whose publicity photos have graced the newsroom's walls and whose fine faces have shined down upon us as we toil everyday at our desks.
BRAVO to the State Press. Yes, I know it's sentimental and cheesy, but thanks for the unforgettable experience, the unmentionable parties where flip cup rules and the dank dungeon you can't help but grow to love. Jodie, I've learned so much from you. I thank the paper and its many staffers for the unique newsroom dynamic that I will probably never see in journalism again but will remember always. Sniff sniff.
