Ok, before we get started here, I want to specify that while this is my first post, it may not be an indicator of things to come. You see, I truly enjoy bitching; that?s just how it is. I like to think I?ve gotten it down to an art form. So for the past week, I?ve been trying to decide just what my first rant should be about. And don?t get me wrong, I had all sorts of great topics. But as it became time to write this, I just couldn?t justify complaining. After much self-debate, I?m gonna have to write some praise. The way the Holtman transformer problem was handled impressed me greatly. You see, this article was of interest to me for more than its news value; I live there. When I returned from classes on Friday and found out the power had gone out, I was bummed to say the least. For someone as addicted to electronic devices as me, power is an integral part of daily life. 

My first instinct was to try and incite some kind of civil unrest just to make things even more interesting, but fortunately for all involved, a light bulb snapped on (in my head, not the building, obviously). I realized the potential for a news story and my reporter?s instincts kicked in. (In other words, while I was still trying to turn up problems and find someone making mistakes, I hit the mute button on the complaining portion of my brain and just listened to people?s responses.)

And I have to admit, as hard as I looked for someone who had dropped the ball or was making critical mistakes, I couldn?t find anything to complain about. The transformer?s failure seems to have been an act of God, and the university?s response to the situation was very well executed. I went down and talked to the maintenance crews who were working on the situation, and they seemed to be in control and didn?t feed me any BS lines when I asked questions they didn?t know the answers to. Those same crews also worked 16 hour days all through this weekend to get power restored. The Holtman residents are putting together a lunch for them tomorrow in the Holtman lounge, and there?s no doubt in my mind that these guys deserve it.