Two tenants occupy the top floor of my highrise of irritation: Avril Lavigne and construction. Since the former has nothing to do with Northwestern, let’s move on to the latter.

I am not an opponent of progress. I realize that you have to get your hands dirty to make improvements.

But the industrial dumpsters and Caterpillar equipment seem to have set up residence in Evanston. This went on all last year, when inexplicable troughs in the earth began opening up all over Sherman Avenue.

This year, it’s moved on to Maple Avenue, where night scenes of headlights cutting through the dust in the air evoke thoughts of a war-torn Somewhere.

I’ve heard this is all in the name of fixing the sewer system. If that’s true, toilets better be abolished when they’re done for all the trouble students are being put through. I envision a world where NU students only will have to think of going to the bathroom, and everything will be taken care of. Anything short of that will be a disappointment.

Oh, I’ll pardon your dust. But only if something nice is waiting for me when it clears.