Print Edition: May 22, 2013
Beach volleyball court on campus is a great idea
The possibility of a beach volleyball court on campus has me intrigued.
I was introduced to beach volleyball last summer and I loved it. On weekends, I would drive from Abbotsford to Vancouver to get in on some of the action. The commute is a long one but where else is there to go?
There are a few positives to having a beach volleyball court on campus. First – the cost to build and maintain would be minimal. If a homeowner can afford it, why not UFV? Second – while our campus is small, not a great deal of space is required to accommodate a few beach volleyball courts.
UFV’s student population is growing and the more things to do on campus the better. Too many students come to campus simply to attend lectures and little else. The more things to do outside of academic life, the more vibrant campus life can become.
The big question is whether enough students will use it, and I think they would. I for one would certainly take advantage of the close proximity. With enough awareness and promotion generated through Student Life and social networking, a beach volleyball court on campus is a great idea.
Living the routine dream
From pretentious brick-walled coffee shops to youth hostels and gorgeous alpine trails worldwide, at this very moment, the prospect of routine is getting an unfair shake.
“Fuck the status quo, man,” one scraggly, bearded guy opines.
“Right on. Carpe diem,” agrees the other.
Don’t get me wrong. Changing things up can be exhilarating, even liberating. On a social and political level, change can lead to progress; it can create a more equitable, compassionate and sustainable world.
But what I’m talking about are those little day-to-day, week-to-week, or even month-to-month appointments that can lead to a balanced life and stronger relationships with friends and family. They can make you healthier, happier and less anxious.
About a year ago, a few of my oldest friends and I started meeting for a late breakfast at the local pub every Sunday afternoon. We can’t all make it each time, but no matter how busy our schedules get, we can count on catching up over some good food at least biweekly.
Adding a little routine to your schedule is a far cry from button-up shirts and working the 8 to 5. It’s not giving in, it’s not settling, it’s making the most of the time you have by investing in the relationships that matter most to you.
Sunset on battery hill
I remember how the battery recycle initiative kicked into high gear several years ago. This movement regarded the large volume of AA and AAA batteries finding their way into our landfills.
Now-a-days I can barely remember the last time I used a standard battery cell.
Since the incoorporation of rechargable battery cells within electronic devices, the need for standard AA and AAA cells has decreased dramatically. (Although I still find myself hunting for one occasionally to power my now-archaic Wii-mote.)
Still, the question remains: is this any better for our landfills? We may not have as many individual battery cells being used, but what about the ones built into our electronic devices and cell phones?
To be honest, when it comes to discarding an aged electronic device, it may be easier to forget the battery cell within. Since we are no longer constantly aware of its presence (and in some cases it is not even removable without a fight), we may be more likely to discard them in the garbage.
On top of this, there is no readily available battery recycle bin to deposit them in. I fear that now that the AA and AAA have fallen into their twilight years, we will be facing an entirely new problem in the area of battery recycling.
Overwhelmed by how-to tips
As a frequent magazine-reader—or, more truthfully, magazine skimmer—I often get overwhelmed by the sheer number of tips that those glossy pages can hold.
How to get the perfect wall colour. How to match your patterns. How to get your skin clear. How to get a beach-ready bod in six weeks. How to look thinner, greater, younger, keener, sharper, scarier and older all at the same time. If you follow these six simple steps over several weeks while also coordinating the simple steps in that other article and in that book that’s being promoted, your life may finally come together.
It’s both inspiring and discouraging. I feel compelled to follow the simple steps until I realize that, try as I might, I can never follow the simple steps without complicating them. And before I can even take the first step, I quickly talk myself out of it by writing off every how-to article with a scoff, though part of me thinks I should be following the advice of this glossy how-to guide.
Try as I might to ignore the how-tos, as soon as I see one advertised on the cover, I can’t resist. It calls to me from the newsstand until I buy it, flipping past the advertisements, ready to be inspired – at least until I put the magazine down and wait for more how-to tips to not complete next month.
