Which type of water

    You would think, water is water, what is the difference between different brands? You would be in for a world of suprises if you thought that. I know people in my life that refuse to drink different types of water and certain brands, and would rather die of dehydration than drink spring water over purified water. This leads me into the different varities of water. I really did not know that there were so many until I started working in retails. They range from Mineral Water, to Distilled Water, to Alkaline Water. There is flavored water. spring water, sparkling water. Nine different types in fact. 

    Now what exactly are the differences? Most of the time, it is obvious what is inside of them. Mineral water has exactly that, minerals. Spring water is water that comes from an underground source that rises to the surface, aka a spring. Sparkling water is just carbonated water, which "sparkles". Distilled water is just water that has everything stripped from it. It is just simply water, with no additives. Purified water is virtually the same thing as the latter, except it does have some minerals in it. Flavored water, is exactly that, flavored water. Lastly, there is alkaline water, which has a higher purity level than any other water and "can neutralize acid in your bloodstream", suppousidly being the healthiest.

    I have had all of these, and they virtually all taste the same, except for flavored and sparkling water, as the carbonation and flavoring change the taste. Sparkling has got to be the absoulte worst kind, as it just drinking bubbles. I love flavored water however. But other than those two, they are replicas, even if they have different components. As mentioned before however, I have friends who refuse to drink Ice Mountain Spring water, and almost throw up thinking about it, just because it is not purified. I really do not know how people think that water is nasty (apart from sparkling of course).

Au Bon Pain

     One of the greatest places known to mankind on North Central College's campus, is a little place called Au Bon Pain. Open Monday through Friday from 7 AM until 5 PM (with the exception of Fridays closing at 4:30 PM). This is one of four spots to get food on campus, and it is arguably the best tasting there is through the meal plan. You can either spend your own money at this spot, through cash or a credit/debit card, or you can use your "Bonus Bucks" as a student. Which is money you obtain through your meal plan that is automatically added to your student ID at the beginning of every semester. Each meal plan has a different amount of Bonus Bucks. I have the one consisting of the most, with $700 worth of bonus bucks to spend not only at Au Bon Pain (ABP), but also at other locations on campus such as the Cage and the Café.
 
    Back to why this is the greatest place on campus. Every morning, I wake up, do my morning routine of taking a while to get out of bed, shower, etc. Then I head over to ABP and get my usual of a Turkey and Cheddar sandwich, with bacon and mayo. Sounds a little odd, but it is one of the best things they got on their menu. I walk in and they say, "Hey Cooper, you want your usual?" because I go there so much. Typically, I only go here for breakfast. Monday through Friday, getting my same sandwich and occasionally an energy drink. Lunch and Dinner I am elsewhere. 

    Right around 9 AM is when the rush starts to come in, so I always get there before that. There is a long line, almost out the door, and the small area becomes packed, like sardines in a can. That is one downside, but the taste of the food combats that. I am glad that this place is staying even with the departure of Chartwell's next year, because I do not know what I would do without it.

What is Matter?

     I have been in a variety of classes over my academic career. From AP History classes, to Finite Mathematics, to my favorite, gym classes. None however, have been as interesting as one that I have enrolled in during my Spring 2023 Semester. It is called, "What is Matter?". Reading the name of the course, I knew that it was a little different from the start. The true reason that I took the class was due to the fact it knocked my science credits out of the way without having to do any labs. It was a very enticing to say the least.

    Me and my roommate decided to take the course together so we could both see what it was like. The course description reads this, "Western ideas of matter proceed from the Pre-Socratics through Aristotle, medieval scholastic-Aristotelianism and alchemy before being reshaped by the views enunciated by Bacon, which herald new practices and ideas (mathematization, experimentation, and mechanism). Through texts, experiments and observations developed from ancient to modern times, we see a shift in fundamental questions, particularly regarding the nature of matter. Through historical accounts of the transition, we come to distinguish between the ancient project to understand the world and the modern project to predict and control it." I really had zero clue what this meant and just went in blind to the first class.

    I walk into the classroom, and its just one table. 12 chairs. In a circle. It was very interesting and I knew what this was going to be like. Every class we talk about a reading that we did before class, regarding the history of science. In addition to this, we also have to write a 250 word reading journal about the reading. It is a very demanding class where you constantly have to read. I thought I would breeze through this, but it is my most difficult class this semester. And not to help, all our readings are primary sources, from the 1st to 18th century. This is a class I would recommend only to those who have a deep interest in the history of science and how it has advanced. But remember, no labs.