Editorial - Slow September

I’ve always felt that September is the slowest month of the year. You begin the month wishing the Summer goodbye, returning home after three months abroad or counting down the days until you return to college. As soon as you get back however, lecturers decide to snap you back down to earth with readings, assignments, deadlines and tutorials, and it takes a week or two for your brain to  reach its full capacity and potential. Almost as soon as you arrive in a lecture theatre, you get the sense of already being behind.   As the days turn into weeks of September, you find yourself receiving more emails than you have over the entirety of the past three months. The class Facebook page is keeping you awake with its irritatingly loud beeping and your phone is constantly glued to your hand, trying to keep track of where you’re meant to be, what meeting you’ve got to make and which deadline is strictest.  We’re just about coming to the end of the month and it’s only around now that people have found their rhythm and gotten used to having to pay attention and people begin to realise they’re already two weeks behind. But that’s okay, we’re all in the same boat.   One of the most important things you have to remember, as you find spare time harder to come by, is that it’s all about balance. It’s not good for anyone to be running between the library and your lectures all day, you need to sit down, relax and take a break. If you’re reading this in the library while you’re meant to be studying then good, you’re doing this balance thing fantastically! What I personally do as a method of balancing out my day is going for walks, maybe just 20 or 30 minutes, but time away from the world of deadlines and practicals. I normally just walk around either campus or the rock, headphones on, listening to either the newest music out that Friday or one of the numerous podcasts I’m subscribed to (Shout out Joe Budden and all at Dead End Hip-Hop). It’s not a lot but even if it’s just the walk between lectures or to campus, it’s something to look forward to in the morning or evening.     Enough about me however, this week we have another great issue of Byline for you to read, think about and consider. As editor, when an e-mail came through saying that this month’s interview was confirmed and conducted I was absolutely delighted. I’m not a big gamer by any means but I understand the significance of gaming in many people’s lives. Our Gaming editor, Tyrone, had the pleasure of interviewing the creator of a game that he himself is working on, Yandere Simulator. In this insightful interview, he discusses his humble beginnings in the gaming industry, how it was the fans that pushed him to create Yandere Simulator and the ins-and-outs of the game itself. Elsewhere in this issue, Lucas gives us the latest episode in his series of reviews of important literature that may have been ruined for you by its inclusion on the Leaving Certificate curriculum.  This issue, he takes a look at the work of Emily Dickinson, and looks at how we can see positivity in her often bleak poetry. Our fashion section features the latest on Rihanna’s new makeup brand, Fenty, and the first celebrity to have her collection sold in Lidl. Our music section features the reviews of the latest albums from your Dad’s favourite band, and my personal review of the Sounds From A Safe Harbour festival that took place in Cork last weekend. Aaron, our film editor, takes a look at the economics behind Netflix’s $20 billion debt and how Netflix is hedging its bets and the company’s future on their Netflix Originals.   I hope you all enjoy the latest issue of Byline, take care of yourselves and be sure to take time for yourself!