âThe whole thing is a scam. Birthdays were invented by Hallmark to sell cards.â âRon Swanson
Hi. Iâm Jacey Gibb. You may remember me from such articles as âMy descent into a cat-atonic state: a cautionary tailâ and âExtreme irony: extreme ironing for beginners.â But Iâm here with you today for a reason other than silly trends and bad wordplayâokay, maybe a bit of bad wordplay. As of this Lettitorâs printing, Iâm your new Editor-in-chief.
Though Iâve been with the Other Press for three years now, this publication wasnât my first foray into the world of student journalism. When I was in Grade 10, I enjoyed a brief stint as a Contributor to my high schoolâs newspaper the Dawg Dish, where I wrote a music review on the latest Blink 182 album: Greatest Hits. Thatâs right. The first article ever to bear a Jacey Gibb byline was a review of a compilation album of songs from other albums put onto one. I gave it four out of five stars.
It may be the narcissist in me speaking, but I like to think that Iâve come a long way since those days of reviewing repeated mediocrity. I feel like Iâve matured as a writer and I would hope that those of you whoâve followed me would agree. At the Other Press, Iâve gone from Contributor to Opinions Editor to Badass MC to Assistant Editor, but now itâs time to hang up my Ass. pants and slip into some big-boy slacks.
While I undergo this wardrobe transition of responsibility, Iâm pleased to announce that weâre starting the 2013/14 year off with a bangâor rather, a bash. As you could probably tell from this issueâs delightful cover, your favourite college newspaper is celebrating the milestone of publishing 40 volumes. Â Convert those volumes to years and if this paper were a human, theyâd have kids, a career, a mortgage, and even some cellulite to their name. But because newspapers can neither get pregnant nor develop physical signs of aging, we have 40 volumesâ worth of other things. Like sharp writing, witty headlines, hilarious comics, and maybe even a few ulcers as a result of late-night deadlines. And unlike most humans at the age of 40, this bullet-train of a paper shows no signs of slowing down.
The last 12 months, governed by the ineffable Sharon Miki, have been tremendous, to say the least. Itâs been three years since I was a freshman, writing awkward concert reviews and learning for the first time what a serial comma was. Now, here we are in 2013. I feel like Iâve just been handed a FabergĂ© egg, a 24-page, glossy egg that I will do my best to nurture and help grow for the next year. Youâve done real good, Miki. I guess Iâll take it from here.
Thus, my first-ever Lettitor nears its first-ever conclusion. I know where the paper has been and I know where itâs at now. But what Iâm most excited about is where itâs going next. Weâve got a whole roster of talented folks ready to dish out the latest in News, Sports, Opinions, and more. Am I nervous? Most certainly. Am I excited? Youâre damn right I am.
It may be because our office is located on the basement floor (Room 1020, that is!), but Iâm convinced that for The Other Press, thereâs nowhere for us to go but up.
So it goes,
Jacey Gibb
Editor-in-chief
