I think it’s probably safe to say that Spring has sprung. Well, don’t hold them to that. Knowing western Pennsylvania it’ll be sunny today, hail tomorrow then we’ll have snow the following three days, Call it sporadic, haphazard, or just plain random: any of these words hold true. Yet recently I’m starting to think we may be in the clear. Spring semester is always pretty tough for me for that reason: the weather is simply gorgeous. Looking outside of a window takes on a world of its own when the weather is sparingly this good.
During fall semester, it’s not nearly as hard to get everything done. We have fall transitioning to winter, two seasons where looking out of the window is actually preferred to going outside. Spring semester? I guess the beginning is a little cold, but when the weather breaks, it does so rather noticeably. By the time we forgot that birds even existed in Slippery Rock they’re waking us up at 6:30 a.m., 7 a.m. and reminding us to get up and get to work. Don’t even think about shutting your windows though. Well, not unless you’d like your own personal sauna. Which I hear are pretty expensive, so smart decision.
At least our course loads, and for some of us upcoming graduation, kick us into shape. I know that if I forget my responsibilities just to go outside and take a kajillion walks that it’s all going to catch up with me. Longboarding has to take a halt, and pick-up games of any sport will have to be preserved for the weekends. Although I don’t think it would be too hard to find a group of people willing to take part in either of these activities. People tend to want to do practically anything physical when it’s this nice out.
This brings me to another point: social life here in Slippery Rock springs back to life like it got zapped by a defibrillator. The desolated picnic benches and the abandoned patios suddenly have people swarming all around them. It’s nice to see the outside life being rejuvenated, even for a few hours until it starts thunder storming again. Hey, you have to capitalize on what you have while it’s there in your hands. If we were somewhere else where nice weather was a lot more common, we would see this kind of outdoor social activity all the time. I don’t think it would get old, either. Nice weather is just one of those things that you can’t get sick of.
But then as soon as it gets nice, the semester ends! While this is good because then you have a clear schedule to enjoy the outdoor festivities, it’s bad because everyone peaces out. They peace out to a place where normal weather patterns exist, hopefully. Either way, the fun of the quality weather is relatively short-lived because we lost the people that help make that weather fun. Except grilling. That’s always fun no matter how many people are hanging out. Then you can work off the hot dogs and hamburgers you just ate! The opportunities are endless!
So as the semester comes to a close, please remember a few things. Remember that class is still important. As fun as it would be to skip and just soak up the sunshine, we’ll have plenty of time to do that on our own later. Also, follow Baz Luhrmann’s advice: wear sunscreen. There really aren’t any negatives to applying a good 30-spf sunscreen to keep those nasty burns away. Unless you’re one of the lucky few that doesn’t get sunburnt. In which case, we’re beefing. Because that’s just not fair.
