Closing Out the Fall Semester

Posted December 19, 2025 by Brooke Thomson

Hi readers! It took me longer than usual to get this blog out. The last month has been…Rough,
to say the least.

First, a positive update: I got the Tatte job! Your girl is employed! With this, I’m at least slowing the bleed on my bank account now. I’ve never worked in the food industry before so there’s certainly a learning curve, and I’m still getting the hang of things, but overall work is good. If you’re looking for Tatte food recommendations, I’ve enjoyed the Maple Aleppo Chicken and Morning Bun. Unfortunately, I’m still on the lookout for another job though. The hours and pay aren’t quite enough to keep me afloat.

And the not-so positive: I moved…
Long story short, my roommates and I experienced some troubles with our previous apartment and landlord. The move itself took place on December 7th , at the worst possible time when it came to work and school. Never in my life have I felt finals stress as keenly as I did these last few weeks, and that was with my parents driving up from Florida to help for a week. I can’t even imagine how I would have made it without them. I’d like to say I finished the semester strong, but realistically I was going through a lot and just trying not to crash out completely. I ended with more of a whimper than a bang. If any of you saw me looking like a zombie in class, now you know why. But what’s done is done, and I’ll do better next semester!

The new apartment building comes with its own quirks (i.e. we can only use the back door, the heat didn’t work for a week, they only gave us three sets of keys instead of four, and the kitchen sink water pressure is abysmal). A classmate recently said “It’s not Boston if it’s comfortable!” Maybe she’s onto something…But the place itself is nice and we’re settling in. Unfortunately, my commute went from a 10-minute walk to a 45-minute bus ride. Make that a little longer for work. I’ve managed so far, but I certainly miss being so close to class, work, and the local library. I liked Mission Hill, and despite its problems I liked the apartment too. Having to leave was hard.

In other news, I was officially elected Chair of Panopticon! I’m excited to assume this position and coordinate some great events for SLIS students next semester. It sucks to see so much of the current e-board go after getting to know them for just one semester, but I know they’re moving on to great things. The Panopticon board are the first people I made a connection with when I came to Simmons, and I’ll always be grateful to them for that. I hope to provide the same sense of community they did in my work as Chair.

Come Spring, I’ll be taking LIS 415 Information Organization, LIS 438 Introduction to Archival Theory, and LIS 505 Special Topics: International Archives. Maybe I’ll see you there! That’s all for now. I hope you all have a great Winter Break!