Taking a moment to breathe
Sydney Marchand
Admittedly, I haven’t given myself a day off in about eight months. While I have the luxury of working remotely for my job and a lot of my coursework can be done at home, I have found myself working seven days a week, often working late into the night or into the early morning.
Some people (like myself), praise this seemingly impressive ability to stay on top of responsibilities. It is often said that these busy, stressful, sleepless times are to be expected in this phase of life and I had fallen into the trap of believing this. But I’ve had enough. This week during one of my many Zoom meetings, I was called out for sending someone an email at 2:30 a.m. and it was the slap in the face that I needed to put my laptop away, spend some quality time with my loved ones, and eat a damn meal without my email open beside me. We are all busy, and sure, this phase of life may be incredibly hectic and overwhelming but our schoolwork and jobs shouldn’t completely control our lives. So here’s your sign to slow down. Take a moment to step back from your responsibilities for a moment and breathe. Trust me, if you don’t, you’ll find yourself spiraling into a burnout like me.
It’s always after 5PM
Emmaline Spencer
I still remember getting the email updates for the Kickback event last year. Most of the emails I had received promoted the fact that there
would be “free beer” available. For a second year those emails are trickling in with the same emphasis on free beer and all I can think about is why is the SUS promoting drinking in the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday of all days?
Normally alcohol is reserved for evenings, after 5:00 p.m., or for weekends where people are free from the responsibilities of work and school. Promoting drinking on a Thursday in the early afternoon when students could still have classes to go to afterward seems like an odd choice. Why not just host the event on a Friday? UFV is also known for being a commuter school so it’s odd to endorse drinking while knowing most students would be driving home. Outside of that, Streats is open from 11:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. which means their own alcohol is exclusively sold during the day. I suppose for some people it’s always after 5:00 p.m.
Smoothie heaven
Teryn Midzain
My best friend’s wedding is approaching, and among the other duties that come with being a member of the bridal party, I’ve been doing my best to make healthier food choices to drop those pounds and look my best for the pictures. I say this with a Fruit by the Foot danglin
g from my mouth while I type this up.
My journey back into fitness has been painful, but it has been a blessing as I got reintroduced to having a smoothie every training day — and I couldn’t be happier.
The post-workout soreness that once echoed with creaks of my aged 28-year-old bones going up the stairs is now a small dance up the stairs to the NutriBullet so I can toss blueberries, banana, vanilla almond milk, collagen, and of course protein, for the bros, into a cup. I give it all a quick blend and then find bliss.
They’re never boring. You can be creative with recipes with the same amount of cleanup. Trade the blueberries for strawberries and kiwis, raspberries and passionfruit, or cherries. You can even add spinach if you need greens. The tastes of summer all in a cup. No matter what you throw in, smoothies are divine.
Falling for fragrances
Brad Duncan
I think my mind’s been hijacked. It’s September, and as the days grow shorter my proclivities shift. Iced coffees turn hot; I sub out fruity Hefeweizens for nutty, amber ales; and I put away my tropical-scented soaps and haul out some fall-festive candles. It feels nice to seasonally cater to my senses. I’ve never enjoyed a pumpkin spice latte, but I appreciate the olfactory experience of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Certain aromas lend themselves to specific months: peppermint in December, flowers in May. But did capitalism commandeer my mind?
I can’t be alone — Bath & Body Works makes billions from shoppers who shell out their dollars for an aura of citrus or spice when they wash their paws. I could buy a tub of generic goo that will do the job, but I reliably opt to indulge in a momentary hoax on my senses — to pretend I’m somewhere tropical, or floral, or cozy, instead of where I am — which is nowhere special. But I think that’s okay. If life is a composite of small moments, why not infuse them with a little whimsy? That momentary little Proustian escape might provide just the respite you need in a time of stress. So breathe. Breathe deep. That’ll be $10.95.
Sydney is a BA English major, creative writing student, who has been a content contributor for The Cascade and is now the Opinion editor. In 7th grade, she won $100 in a writing contest but hasn’t made an earning from writing since. In the meantime, she is hoping that her half-written novels will write themselves, be published, and help pay the bills.
Emmaline is working on her BA and ambitions to become an English teacher. They always say, those who cannot do, teach. She spends her free time buying, reading, and hoarding books with the hope that one day she will have no furniture and instead only have piles of books.
Teryn Midzain is an English Major with ambitious goals to write movies and a full-time nerd, whose personality and eccentrics run on high-octane like the cars he loves. More importantly, Teryn loves sports [Formula One], and doesn’t care who knows. When not creating and running deadly schemes in his D&D sessions, Teryn tries to reach the core of what makes the romantic and dramatic World of Sports, the characters and people that make the events so spectacular.
Long ago, when DeLoreans roamed the earth, Brad was born. In accordance with the times, he was raised in the wild every afternoon and weekend until dusk, never becoming so feral that he neglected to rewind his VHS rentals. His historical focus has assured him that civilization peaked with The Simpsons in the mid 90s. When not disappointing his parents, Brad spends his time with his dogs, regretting he didn’t learn typing in high school.