Print Edition: March 11, 2015
Interrupting the interrupter
When you’re deep in conversation with someone — say, in a discussion about divestments, or an argument about the colour of the dress each person will have reasons for the position they take and should be allowed to express them. This is usually how things start, but when they get heated and reasons turn to rants, rudeness in the smallest form appears. When you are making your case for the black and blue, and you notice your gold and white opponent opens their mouth in the middle of your speech, please stop. In the middle of your presidential address, they have thought of a clever sub-point to inject, or they want to clarify your usage of the word “retina.” These notes are time-sensitive, so if you ignore your opponent’s sharp intake of breath and open mouth, those clever sparks will be lost in the muddle of your pre-meditated purge. You begin gathering your breath, satisfied you’ve won — and you have! Reason being, you stampeded the other person’s thought process so all they can say is, “I don’t remember what I was going to say.”
Wind blows
I’m a fan of most weather. It doesn’t get better than when it’s screamingly hot and sunny outside. I’ll also give it up to the extremely cold and crisp days, which are quite rejuvenating. Even rain is acceptable on the odd occasion. But there’s one aspect of the weather that will ruin any day, and it’s been happening far too much these past two weeks.
I’m talking about the wind. I am not a fan. I’m not a fan of this movement of gasses at any strength and I’m taking a stand here and now to express my displeasure.
Driving on the highway in high-gust areas (I’m looking at you, Chilliwack), the wind blows my awesome but small car around. The next reason: my front yard has large evergreens whose branches bend and snap off, messing up my yard and sometimes causing havoc on the power lines. But really, the primary source of my hatred stems from spending the morning getting my hair finely coiffed, only to have it irreparably tousled within seconds of walking out the front door. It’s impossible to return to my sleek, initial combing. Wind blows.
Why don’t you stick around?
UFV is a commuter university. We’ve heard it a hundred times before and usually in conjunction with something about community or student engagement, but the reality of it is that students don’t live nearby, they don’t have as much spare time as they’d like, and their excuses all suck. Students would rather stick to what they know and go home or hang out with their established friends, not branch out and expend time on something unfamiliar.
But the excuses need to stop. Regardless of where students live, campus engagement is a necessary part of university life. The benefits reaped from investigating the latest lecture on culture or cheering on the sports team at their game leads to an all-around better university experience.
Resting isn’t laziness
There’s a certain shame associated with taking a break in the modern world. While we may in theory feel sympathetic to other people’s stress, we generally need to be known as hard-working before others will consider our pressures authentic, and so we work and work and work.
Perhaps this is because we have the internet and so there’s less excuse for not being in “work mode” as long as we’re awake. But previously, more people used to be able to relax after nightfall, and I think we ought to approach that kind of daily structure again. In any case, we all need a break once in a while. So have a nap, skip a class, and recharge your spirit; there’s no need to constantly exhaust yourself for fear of looking lazy.
