Two Years' Resolution

We're halfway there, or so The Mirror and Bon Jovi tell us.

But halfway where? Halfway finished with "the best four years of our lives" is a pretty depressing thought but these four years have been damn good ones.

In order to take advantage of our time left at Dartmouth, here is my list of resolutions for the next few years.

1. Meet new people. Turns out that running into the same people on the Collis porch during 12s doesn't mean I actually know more students, I just recognize faces. As the campus divides into smaller Greek houses and friend circles, the prospect of making new friends seems less and less likely. Two years in, I'm starting to miss the rush of freshman Fall when everyone was new and friendly, but there's no reason not to make the effort now and again.

2. Ignore the relationship X-factor. This popular myth exists for the sole purpose of helping freshmen boys compensate for their insecurity, senior boys justify their sketchiness and upper-class girls explain their "standards." I see no reason to let stupid ideas like the X-factor get in the way of having a good time.

3. File a major card. Oops.

4. Rage right. Limit partying to days ending in "y". Just kidding. As exciting as a party might sound, I recently discovered that the frat scene doesn't actually change between weekends. In fact, it doesn't really seem to change ever. How much fun I have depends on my mood, not on the number of "DANCE PARTY TONIGHT!! 12-10A" blitzes in my inbox. It's taken me a long time to learn that it's fine to stay home if I'm tired.

5. Don't forget to sleep. It's amazing how much more enjoyable a day is when I'm actually awake for it. Classes go by faster when I'm not fighting to stay awake, and drinking three Diet Cokes before noon isn't actually healthy. If I don't sleep long enough for my cell phone to charge all the way, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the day.

6. Enjoy being active. Having spent a good chunk of the summer in an AirCast after fracturing my foot, I have a newfound appreciation for the many, fun ways we have of generally being healthy. Too often, going to the gym becomes a factor of the number of fries I consume multiplied by the caloric content of a Keystone Light. Hiking, kayaking, skiing and swimming are all good ways to burn calories that make me feel more like a person and less like a hamster on a wheel.

7. Schedule days off. As daunting as an empty schedule might look, spending an entire day with nothing to do can actually be rewarding and pleasant. "Mental health days" were all the rage in high school, but now the idea of taking a day to relax seems totally unthinkable when activities and classes get hugely demanding.

8. Pay bills or live on campus. Losing power stinks see our fridge for proof.

9. Drink because you're thirsty. If something doesn't taste good, don't drink it. Coffee, for example, does not taste good unless I drink it with a chocolate hazelnut biscotti from Dirt Cowboy or unless it is mixed with hot chocolate. Yet I still find myself drinking it for the caffeine. Drink because you enjoy it, not because you feel like you have to. This extends to various other areas of your life...

10. Stop sleepwalking. Literally, bad things happen. See AirCast, #6, for details.

11. Stop sleepwalking. Figuratively, I have a hard time not getting stuck in the rut of classes/work/weekend and often forget to push myself to go to an interesting lecture or do something fun off campus. College has so much to offer, and my favorite moments are the spontaneous trips to the Ledges or other unplanned activities.

12. Don't be in denial about life after graduation. It's going to happen whether I like it or not. One day, our time at Dartmouth will end, and we'll be faced to confront a real world where people are expected to socialize outside of frat basements and we attend one class five days a week all day something called work. This is not meant to be scary, but rather a reality check. My days at the College are numbered, so I'm going to make the best of them.