Taking applications for valentines, housing

Wrightly so: Jogging my way out of social obscurity: how Bowdoin got me healthy

Until recently, I had not been one for exercise. I had not been one for any form of movement, really. There was little I enjoyed more than sitting around doing absolutely nothing. In fact, there is still nothing I enjoy more than doing nothing. However, I now force myself over to the Buck Center six out of seven evenings to, as the kids say, “Lift, bro.”
To be honest, lifting is not actually a part of my routine. I just said that because I wanted to be cool, and I should be ashamed of myself. Nonetheless, it is true that I have incorporated going to the gym into my daily routine.
Some days ago it came to me in a dream that I should get in shape. In the dream I saw someone with a wonderfully ripped torso and excellent calves standing in front of a mirror. Even in the dream I knew that person was certainly not me, but I couldn’t help wishing he was. The little green monster of envy began to get to me.

Wrightly so: Dorm room snacks: more than just crunch

The ideal dorm room snack should be easy on the wallet, and noticeable in the belly. It should not affect good health, which is vital to college students as they juggle academic and extracurricular commitments. Given those criteria, we can see that snacks such as Ramen Noodles, Cheesy Poofs and French fries fall short of perfection.
Fret not. There exists a food that fits these criteria of snack perfection but also tastes quite good on its own, and tastes even better when adorned with condiments. No, I am not prescribing bread as a snack option, though it may be a good one too.
I know nothing about health and nutrition, and my advice on the matter should be taken with something a bit more than a grain of salt. Nonetheless, I have determined the perfect dorm snack to be rice cakes. Some might say it’s actually fruit or pistachios. My lack of expertise in the matter leaves me with no response.
Before overreacting, consider the rice cake. It is a simple food that aims only to satisfy. While it may appear bland, unappealing, and not as hip as other snack foods, the rice cake has the qualities of a winner.
Just as any other snack, it comes in a variety of flavors. Rice cake flavors are often not as extreme as Blazin’ Buffalo and Cool Ranch Doritos or Vanilla Cupcake Goldfish, but they are always satisfying.
There is something in the tameness of rice cake flavors like apple cinnamon or caramel corn that make them seem like less of a digestive burden. Even in its neutral, near flavorless form, the rice cake provides a richer snacking experience than a serving of plain tortilla chips or Saltines.
I mentioned earlier that certain condiments can elevate the plain rice cake to grander heights. Accompanied by peanut butter, jelly, chocolate, honey, cheese, avocado, hummus or any other combination of flavor enhancing spreads, the plain rice cake is completely transformed and personalized.
It is a blank canvas of nearly innumerable snacking possibilities. It is not restricted to dipping for flavor enhancement, as is the common chip or pretzel. The rice cake can go places many other snacks cannot. There are even tales of a rice cake pizza. That bag of Blazin’ Buffalo and Ranch Doritos is beginning to look a bit less interesting.
It would be irresponsible not to acknowledge the flaws, however minor, of the rice cake. Its chief drawback is its delicacy. That is not to say that the entire cake simply crumbles away into an inedible mass, but rather to say that if seized too violently or bitten too harshly, bits and pieces of the rice cake are easily dislodged from the whole. But we might see this as a benefit that fosters gentler, tamer and more respectable eating habits.
Another drawback is that it is not quite as healthy as it could be. The rice cake lacks nutrients. Again, there is a positive side to this. The rice cake teaches that other foods, specifically those higher in nutritional value, should be a part of one’s diet.
Though the rice cake is my candidate for the ideal dorm snack, it could be that there is no uniform ideal dorm snack. So come all ye Bagel Bites enthusiasts, ye Oreo fans, ye chip-and-dippers, let us raise our collective grubby fingers and salute the freedom to pursue and consume our preferred snacks.
More than that, let us share our snacks as we would ideas.
After all, Bowdoin is a place for us to learn and grow not solely under the tutelage of professors, but also from our fellow students. It is likely that now, more than any other period in life, is the time in which we have the best opportunity to engage freely and openly with members of our community. The market for the exchange of tastes and ideas is ripe. Be sure to participate on both ends of the exchange while you can.
Who knows—you may come to find that you are more of a conservative than you thought. You may realize that “Next Generation” is actually superior to “Enterprise.” You may discover that Yiddish folk music is the bee’s knees.
It may be that none of those things happen, but regardless, it is worth taking advantage of the opportunity you have to learn from a talented and interesting peer group with which you share a unique bond.
Snacks are just the tip of the iceberg.

Wrightly so

Taking applications for valentines, housing

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Marcus Wright

Columnist

February 13, 2014

That time of year most taxing on the heart has arrived once more. Throughout the semester hints and signals have traveled innocently back and forth, imaginary plans have been made, possible scenarios thought out. Most people are filled with either fear of rejection or fear of having to reject someone. People have grown weary of hearing their friends complain and have lost nearly all ability to tolerate such questions as “What am I going to do about this situation?” and “Should I go for it or do you think I’d be crazy to?” That’s right, the time has come to begin planning out next year’s living situation.

Although I am not entirely sure whether planning out living arrangements for next year so early in the spring semester is common among students not applying to live in a College House, I know that I have already begun to delve into the matter.

As a first year, I underestimated the complexity that choosing housing entails. In my mind, all that was required was to gather a group of people willing to live together. I did not consider that every person in that group would have their own, distinct preference.

That said, I feel as if my time figuring out housing for 2014-2015 has gone much more smoothly than that of some of my fellow first years. While I have heard tales of blocking arrangements gone sour, potential roommates remaining indecisive, and future roommates coming to realize that they were on completely different pages, the most trouble my friends and I have had is determining how to stay close to each other while living apart. I suggested we forego college housing altogether, gut a school bus, lay some shag carpet down and form a commune. Though my idea has yet to catch on, I remain hopeful.

To those people whose living arrangements are not coming together so smoothly—and are not enticed by the prospect of commune living—I wish the best of luck. I also advise you to not become too discouraged too soon. There is still plenty of time left to figure things out and housing miracles are just waiting right around the corner.

We can’t help thinking about housing the way we do about the holiday that is on everyone’s mind at the moment. I am referring not to Valentine’s Day, but to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia.

Celebrated from February 13 to February 15, the festivities were held in honor of Lupercus, the god of fertility, and celebrated in Lupercal, the cave where the mythical she-wolf suckled the founders of Rome.

People indulged in various fun activities during the festival, such as sacrificing goats and dogs, and a lottery in which young men randomly drew the names of young women they would be paired up with for the duration of the festival. They went overboard at times, whacking women with skin from sacrificed animals to ensure fertility.

Given the liveliness of such an event, it is important that we do not let the festival of Lupercalia fall into the vacuity of history. Luckily, we have the scramble for housing as a replacement.
In our last-chance efforts to find roommates, and not just valentines, we can strive to keep the memory of the festival alive. It is in honor of the she-wolf that I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday.

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