Last week marked my first college spring break. I
’ve always heard stories about the crazy experiences people have
during college while on their spring vacations to Cancun, San
Diego, Lake Havasu and the Bahamas. Endless days on white sandy
beaches, gazing at crystal clear ocean water.
Last week marked my first college spring break. I’ve always heard stories about the crazy experiences people have during college while on their spring vacations to Cancun, San Diego, Lake Havasu and the Bahamas. Endless days on white sandy beaches, gazing at crystal clear ocean water.
Sitting by the shore, drinking tropical juices out of coconuts, while resting under the shade of an enormous palm tree. So I thought to myself, “Who would want to do that?”
Why go away for spring break when you can go home and be welcomed with a list of chores so severe you literally consider putting yourself up for adoption? Yes, rearranging all the furniture in the living room, having a yard sale, painting the entryway, fixing the light outside, the garage, power washing the patio and porch, doing a lot of weed-eating and a little planting all sounds much better than going to Cancun with my best friend, right?
“Honey, isn’t spring break great? You can get so much done!”
Yeah mom, it’s great.
Actually, mom does have a point. Having no place to go for spring break does give me a whole lot of time to accomplish things. Why would I want to party and dance the night away at a dance concert in Margaritaville?
I’d much rather:
Learn to knit. Honestly, it’s been on my “to-do” list for years, but I’ve just never had the time to work on it. Now, with no spring break plans, I finally have the chance to out-knit my Auntie Miranda. I have a whole wardrobe planned – skirts, cute little sweaters, socks, even underwear. I may not come back to school with a great tan, but I’m sure to wow them with my new dollie-like miniskirt.
Bake a chicken in a paper bag. I’ve heard stories of how tasty a bird can be when cooked all night in a paper bag, but with all the stresses from school and work I just never had the time to try this delicious recipe. I do now.
If Martha can bake a chicken in a paper bag, so can I. It’s a good thing.
Learn to change the oil in my car. That little red oil light has been flashing for some time now, but with all the pressures to study for midterms before my spring break trip to Jamaica – I mean knitting class – I just didn’t have the free time. That’s not a problem anymore; in fact, I may just pick up a book on how to tune up the entire car.
Why not? No better time to tune up a car than spring break.
Work out in the empty gym. With everyone partying in Costa Rica (including my uncle, who is in his 40s) there’s no need for me to wait 30 minutes for the next available treadmill. They’re all free. In fact, with so much extra time on my hands this week, I may just learn to run on all four machines at once. That’s far more exciting than playing beach games all day.
Feng shui my sorority house. My friend A.J. has a book on this and it sounds really interesting. It’s extremely important; the placement of a mirror in your bedroom can actually ruin your entire future. The girls will definitely thank me when they come back from spring break and I’ve released all the negative energy from the house.
After rearranging all the beds so everyone’s toes point in a positive direction there would be no way for me to go to the Bahamas. But my boyfriend can. I just laugh when people tell me about the crazy beach parties where topless girls wander the shore looking for guys to party with.
He’s not doing that. He’s just swimming with dolphins. Right?
Volunteer for everyone else’s shift at work, since (surprise) they’re all at spring break. I’d say it was great, because I’m going to make loads of money, but unfortunately all of our customers have left the country for spring breaks of their own.
Take advantage of the entire freed-up cyberspace to research for my next English paper. This activity was looking rather productive until I accidentally stumbled onto some Bahamas party sites. Let me tell you, I saw everything but dolphins.
Clean all the tile grout in our kitchen with those crafty new bleach pens. Trust me, once you get started there’s just no stopping. If you’re lucky, you may start to hallucinate from all the intoxicating fumes and your kitchen will transform into blank.
Get a tattoo. I’ve been kicking around the idea of a cute little daisy permanently tattooed on my body since my 18th birthday, but just never got around to it. Nothing stopping me now (except maybe the pain). I’ve already made my appointment.
With a spring break “to do” list like this one I couldn’t even begin to think of traveling to some faraway island. I’d better get started on my knitting; I’ve only got six days left.
