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Thursday, January 25
by Laurel
Boredom? What boredom? I am not bored.
Over the month-long winter break, I came to this standstill in which I wasn't bored in terms of "things to do." I'd happily entertain myself with my new origami kit for hours on end, for instance. However, after two weeks or so my obligation-free days morphed me into the part of my home in which I resided. I mean, I hardly ever moved some days. I recall waking up relatively early (9 am, not noon) one day because I was excited to play The Sims 2 (with new Pets expansion pack) on the computer. I didn't conclude my play until that night (I lie: the next morning) when my mom woke up heinously early (5 am) to get ready for work. Work? It's a weekday? And so days like this would go by, which would be followed by days when I'd punish myself for not doing anything productive, which would be followed by more days of playing The Sims 2. It was a violent cycle.
If you've ever played the Sims, you could liken this experience to using the money cheat, in which you supply your poor sims with many simoleans, making them rich. Although I realize college students on break don't have unlimited money, they do lack many responsibilities, which is another seemingly beautiful but dangerous characteristic. So after you've constructed the house of your dreams equipped with the hi-fi telescope in hopes that you'll be abducted by aliens as well as installed the pool that's actually a moat ... you begin to run out of possibilities. Or perhaps you get too tired. And it's then that perhaps you decide to kill off your sims in every way possible, including the rare "death by satellite." After you've exhausted the game's resources with all that cash, the game seems pointless. If only you had something to strive for...
... like going back to school? Ka-ching! So although my example was quite exaggerated, it's true that by the third week of break I was ready to go back to Macalester. However, that's not to say I didn't enjoy my time at home: I enjoyed Christmas with extended family, trips to downtown Chicago with friends for movies and concerts, and my new typography book. When I had a week left, I realized perhaps what I needed was a break from the cold. So I booked a flight to Austin, Texas, to visit my aunt. When I arrived, it was freezing rain.
When I left Austin, it was still freezing rain. However, when I arrived at Macalester a few days later it was beautifully snowing and a few students were making the most glorious igloo in the center of campus amidst a snowball fight. And then on Monday new classes began, and life has been going swimmingly ever since. For instance, today in Spanish I explained why I'd like to be a male seahorse...
"Si pudiera ser cualquier animal, me gustaría ser un caballito macho del mar. Todos me preguntan, "¿Por qué no quieres ser un caballito hembra del mar?" En la especie del caballito del mar, el macho está preñado. La hembra se traslada sus huevos al macho, y el macho da la luz a los bebes. Si fuera un caballito macho del mar, sería una novedad debajo del mar y viviría una vida ideal."
I'm glad to be back.
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