November 7, 2005 11 p.m.

Will I cut it?

You know how in the Wizard of Oz everything is controlled by the man behind the curtain?

Well, see, here in blogland, there is no secret man behind the curtain controlling this site and my blog on thewhig.com. It's just me. When the blog went live Nov. 7 and we launched my site, I was a little nauseated. I'm not going to pretend I'm some writer who is impervious to criticism and doesn't feel a pang when one of the readers commenting on the site asks why the Whig doesn't hire real journalists.

I wanted to say, Um, excuse me kind sir. May I please tell you something?
I am real.
I have a degree from Queen's University.
I worked at the student newspaper for two years.
I've worked at a daily newspaper for almost five years.
I put out our paper's magazine every week.
I've worked very hard to be respected.

But I also can't change what people will say and I can't change who I am, so I'm going to share a little more with you.

My biggest fear about the blog and this site is that I can't take it back, I can't take any of my words back and so, 20 years from now when I'm 48 years old and I desperately want to be the editor of the Financial Post (OK a little suspension of disbelief would be good), I will be judged because of columns and blog posts I wrote when I was a 28 year old girl who really thought life was about being in love, being happy and the sky was the limit.

Well, the truth is, I don't know what life will be like 20 years from now and so I'm going to try this blogging thing for awhile.
And so I will continue on this path and write you little stories and take the criticism (and the kind words, too).

In the spirit of truth and sillyness and self-deprecation, I give you a hard-hitting, investigative column I wrote when I was a 22-year-old assistant entertainment editor at The Queen's Journal.

See, I didn't know then what I know now: Just because it's 5 a.m. and you've got a sociology class at 8:30 a.m. and a trillion hours of work at the newspaper and overdue essays coming out the wazoo and you've got to write an editorial in 12 minutes doesn't mean you necessarily should.
But I did. And I must take responsibility for my actions. And words.
OK. Without further ado: I give you bagels.

Title: Marriott doesn't cut it
Date: Friday, January 29, 1999

There's definitely a hole in the system.
Last Thursday, I went to the Fireside Grill in the JDUC to get the standard breakfast - a coffee and a bagel. I was very confused however when the bagels weren't in their little glass case - displayed to tempt the salivating Queen's masses.
I asked where the bagels were and I was directed to the new little bagel table.
I took my bagel and asked the guy to toast it. Nope. No toasting. You had to cut your own bagel and then toast it and then wait in line and ask for cream cheese.
Why?
Let's think about this.
Firstly, I don't want everyone's skuzzy little hands handling my food.
I think it's unsanitary for everyone to be rummaging through the bagel bag trying to decipher which bagel lives up to their taste. This wouldn't be an issue if a Fireside Grill employee was selecting the bagel wearing gloves.
Second of all, there are problems when the bagel and soup lines collide. The toaster only toasts two bagels at a time. Does this seem like an adequate number of customers being served? I think not.
Is this service?
With such few services on campus, is it too much to ask to have our bagels toasted?
Well, apparently not.
As of Tuesday, there is now a sign over the new bagel station stating: We still serve bagels at the Grill but if you are in a rush try the self-serve station.”
So what does this mean?
It means everyone will still be pawing through the bagel bags so they don't have to get one with poppy seeds and there will still be congestion around the bagel and soup station.
It also means the people at the Fireside Grill didn't rationally think this initiative out well - or it wouldn't have been modified so quickly.
So bagel lovers of the world unite!
Refuse to go to the self-serve station and demand that the employees of the Fireside Grill make your bagel - isn't that what they're there for?
Like all issues, however, there is a larger concern at hand.
The Fireside Grill's rapid decision to toast our bagels again means someone is listening to students' complaints.
Students often complain that they're ignored on important issues such as tuition, campus facilities and safety.
But rest assured kids, when it comes to a critical issue like bagels, Queen's is listening.

Dear readers: It's OK. Go ahead and judge me.