Call me course registration Katniss

I'm doing my best Katniss impression right now, and not just because my hair is in a braid and I have a perma-scowl.

Today marks the beginning of the 76th annual Hunger Games, a.k.a. course registration.

The online interface Coursicle offers to solve students’ problems when “course scheduling sucks.” I hope it can help me get into JOMC 434. 

Or at least help me get to the Cornucopia first so I can get the bow and arrow and fight my way into the classes I need to graduate.

— Kelsey 

QUICK HITS

• PlayMakers Repertory Company has a new producing artistic director. I'm sure she's great, but I'm going to miss the old one who looked just like the dad from "Phil of the Future."
• Student government plans to convert single-stall bathrooms on campus into gender-neutral bathrooms.
• Looks like that alleged pharmacy in Student Stores is actually going to happen in December.
• Polls show Pam Hemminger and other new challengers are in the lead for Chapel Hill municipal elections. One thing is for sure — it's gonna come down to the wire. Get out and vote, people!

IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES

We chatted with Jeffrey Cranor, the co-creator of my favorite nightmare-comedy-dystopian-fiction podcast. "Welcome to Night Vale" is a fake radio broadcast from a town that's a lot like Chapel Hill (if Chapel Hill had five-headed dragons and lizard people).

IN SPEEDY SPORTS

Fire up your random insult generators and stir up your body paint — UNC plays Duke on Saturday. Here are three things you need to know about that.

IN LOVE

Geology lecturers Joel and Melissa Hudley met 13 years ago at a Halloween party. They played Taboo and got 13 correct answers in three minutes. Their love is alive and real, and the only date I've had in weeks is a D8 from the office vending machine (a Diet Dr. Pepper. It was fine. I'm fine.)

IN THE BLOGS

One of my staffers threw a bunch of food in a waffle iron just to see what would happen. This is the kind of investigative journalism that we need digital desk to be doing.