Spring Break
Amusing activities without morning hangovers
Jeff Sullivan
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
10/03/08 - Although my friends would say I am being hypocritical by suggesting there are other things to do besides drink, believe me when I say I have turned over a whole new leaf.
Recently, I have been introduced to fun activities that are relatively cheap and will not result in waking up half-naked on the roof of Roosevelt with a helper monkey in a diaper hanging off the chimney. Here they are:
1.Cooking- While you may not think so, cooking can be a fun, time consuming and social activity that you can do with your friends. Just find a recipie online, buy the cheapest ingredients possible and --this is the important bit-- get a boatload of good spices. I've found that a good old-fashioned gruel is the most fun to do with a group and the most fulfilling. All you need to do is find a soup you like, some broth to go with the soup (chicken or beef works well with noodle soup or stew) some sort of bread-like substance, (stuffing crumbs is my favorite) and any spices/pasta/vegetables you see fit, and boil. While it may sound extremely unhealthy, just adding a ton of vegetables will even it out, as the Survivorman Les Stroud said, if you boil your food, you get the most amount of nutrients out of it.
2. Build a Fort in your Dorm- Now this is great fun if you can get a decent amount of people involved. Build your forts and then develop a scoring syste. Capture the flag is a good start, but the more irritating and indecent you get, the better. For instance, underwear works extremely well. But keep in mind, like when you made forts as a kid, label your underwear, otherwise the resulting confusion could have you ending up with a drawer full of g-strings or racing-striped briefs.
3. Haunted Houses- No seriously, abandoned buildings are awesome. Trust me. Bring a tent, sleeping bag, lantern and a small fire pit (only if you're in an abandoned hospital or mental facility; they're mostly concrete) and you have the perfect setting to scare the crap out of someone. It's way more fun than it sounds, if that's even possible. Just sneak out when they've finally fallen asleep and come back with in some sort of costume, or, even better, get some good makeup and fake blood. A gorilla suit can be just as effective. Just do some research on the place first, you never know who you might find. Oh, and one more thing, mousetraps and insect repellent are completely essential.
4. Go to a University of Rhode Island event - Why? Because someone has to. Let me tell you, I've covered enough forensics lectures in my time toknow that you may find something interesting, informative or even slightly creepy. You will learn certain things about corpses you wish you never had, and that CSI is NOT like real forensics. I myself found out that back in high school at the bowling club, I met, conversed and shared a beer with a man who at the time was an active serial killer. You'd be surprised at the people you've met.
I'm sure you'll find better, and safer people at URI events.
Recently, I have been introduced to fun activities that are relatively cheap and will not result in waking up half-naked on the roof of Roosevelt with a helper monkey in a diaper hanging off the chimney. Here they are:
1.Cooking- While you may not think so, cooking can be a fun, time consuming and social activity that you can do with your friends. Just find a recipie online, buy the cheapest ingredients possible and --this is the important bit-- get a boatload of good spices. I've found that a good old-fashioned gruel is the most fun to do with a group and the most fulfilling. All you need to do is find a soup you like, some broth to go with the soup (chicken or beef works well with noodle soup or stew) some sort of bread-like substance, (stuffing crumbs is my favorite) and any spices/pasta/vegetables you see fit, and boil. While it may sound extremely unhealthy, just adding a ton of vegetables will even it out, as the Survivorman Les Stroud said, if you boil your food, you get the most amount of nutrients out of it.
2. Build a Fort in your Dorm- Now this is great fun if you can get a decent amount of people involved. Build your forts and then develop a scoring syste. Capture the flag is a good start, but the more irritating and indecent you get, the better. For instance, underwear works extremely well. But keep in mind, like when you made forts as a kid, label your underwear, otherwise the resulting confusion could have you ending up with a drawer full of g-strings or racing-striped briefs.
3. Haunted Houses- No seriously, abandoned buildings are awesome. Trust me. Bring a tent, sleeping bag, lantern and a small fire pit (only if you're in an abandoned hospital or mental facility; they're mostly concrete) and you have the perfect setting to scare the crap out of someone. It's way more fun than it sounds, if that's even possible. Just sneak out when they've finally fallen asleep and come back with in some sort of costume, or, even better, get some good makeup and fake blood. A gorilla suit can be just as effective. Just do some research on the place first, you never know who you might find. Oh, and one more thing, mousetraps and insect repellent are completely essential.
4. Go to a University of Rhode Island event - Why? Because someone has to. Let me tell you, I've covered enough forensics lectures in my time toknow that you may find something interesting, informative or even slightly creepy. You will learn certain things about corpses you wish you never had, and that CSI is NOT like real forensics. I myself found out that back in high school at the bowling club, I met, conversed and shared a beer with a man who at the time was an active serial killer. You'd be surprised at the people you've met.
I'm sure you'll find better, and safer people at URI events.
