As this crazy semester rapidly winds down, I am not feeling truly serious enough to contemplate the state of this fluctuating planet for one week.

It’s the holiday season and I am in the mood to become Ms. Santa Claus, bearing gifts, observations, and dedications for everyone who has been “naughty and nice.”

Before handing out the “goodies,” I wanted to go on the “Rodman World Tour” for winter break but I couldn’t find a travel agent who was willing to book me a ticket. I should have dyed my hair yellow. (Just kidding!)

No more diversions… on with the gifts, observations and dedications.

Gifts

Now that I am handing out the gifts, I am going to have a nicer holiday season as these recipients have brought out the best and worst of this column during the semester.

Here are your presents:

1. 105th Congress: Get to Work!

2. 9/29 Movement: a lawyer.

3. 11/14 Movement: a pop distributor.

4. Deantrious Mitchell: intense professional counseling and PHIL 230.

5. GSB: a special JLMC 101 section.

6. Oasis’ dysfunctional Gallagher brothers: separate searches for their inner children.

7. Troy Davis: Please stay at Iowa State and skip the NFL for a year.

8. Smashing Pumpkins: no more 5-CD sets!

9. President Bill Clinton: a “mature” cabinet.

10. Iowa State Men’s Basketball: a higher preseason ranking than the University of Cincinnati (they were number one) in 1997-98.

11. Senator Tom Harkin: a home somewhere in Iowa.

12. President Jischke and Diversity Advisor Derrick Rollins: old-fashioned everyday common sense.

Now enjoy them…

Observations

Now that I’ve gotten the gifts out the way. I have some new observations that I want share.

Part-time Cubbie games will be a major new adjustment for me when TCI pulls the plug on WGN after January 1. By tradition, I am a die-hard New York Mets fan. Since moving here, I started to watch the Cubs with strange new admiration. I cannot stand Harry Caray with his awful singing voice during the seventh inning. I have difficulty keeping a straight face as I find myself laughing out loud through the worst version of “Take Me Out of The Ballgame” that I’ve ever heard.

Tim McCarver and Phil Rizzuto (primarily gabbing through their own life stories) are equally irritating when both the Mets and Yankees are sometimes losing by the sixth inning. Too bad that they don’t sing, but I don’t think that I would care to know.

Dedications

Writing this column has been a wonderful experience of pure joy (as well as therapeutic) for me. The response to it has gone beyond my own wildest expectations. By realizing that I was “overshadowing” Angela Davis at a lecture (with people coming up to me instead of her), I knew that it finally clicked.

There are some very special people with whom everything would not be possible for me to exist as a Daily columnist:

1. Tim Davis: A giant thank you for opening up a window in which I can freely express myself.

2. Carol Kenealy: I have learned a whole lot about combining education and volunteerism from working with a wonderful lady.

3. Diane McComber: my no-nonsense advisor who keeps me “normal” among fellow Food Science/Dietetics/Nutritional Science majors.

4. To my family: for its consistent support.

5. To my closest friends (you know who you are): for making sure that I remain “grounded” by not allowing me to become an”Editorial Diva.”

6. Drew Chebuhar: There are way too many positive words that could be said about you and I truly enjoyed sharing this page with a fellow Progressive. You are an awesome columnist!

7. Kim Smith: I can only say thanks for providing honest lessons about journalistic issues that inevitably worked themselves into this column.

8. The readers: I have appreciated all your responses either by physical approach or through my personal e-mail account. As readers, you have made it work. I can simply lay the groundwork by writing. For that, you deserve the fullest credit. Thanks, again.

See you around…

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Adrian DeVore is a senior in food science from Newark. She has a B.A. in English from Rutgers University (Douglass College).