Cheers:

The sun came out!? Ah, the hallowed permacloud, whose gloomy visage is a hallmark of any South Bend winter. Perhaps you only remember it as a figment of your imagination, but there was a 60 degree day of glorious outdoor procrastination not long ago. Always remember, never forget the sun sighting of January 21, 2017.

Salt Bae Meme. We know you sorely missed the campus dining fare, so hopefully Salt Bae inspired you to spice up your parents’ cuisine. One thing’s for sure, no one will ever salt a steak so lovingly again, not even at the Morris Inn.

Extra Flex Points. Speaking of dining halls, North’s renovation and the $250 in extra flex points have been the subject of many concerns. Obviously, the most pressing one is an unquantifiable all-class weight gain. If you escaped the freshman 15, it’s coming for you now. For North regulars, the occasional trek to South may counteract the calories, but there is no safety net for South Quad residents. There *might* be benefits to the arrangement, but as a student body, we are still trying to figure out how daily Smashburger could be one of them. Who knows, maybe you’ll even see Reckers in the daylight.

Jeers:

Basketball Season.  Now I’m not saying there’s a black market for tickets, but you know what happens when a good in demand is taken off the free market (you definitely didn’t skip any econ lectures freshman year, right)?  If you’ve gone to just enough games that entering the lottery is fruitless, welcome to the club.

New Year’s Resolutions. For the one percent of students who have kept their New Year’s resolutions, I salute you. You have overcome terrific odds to regularly exercise, get enough sleep, or maybe just not have Taco Bell twice a day. I mean, we’re supposed to be one of the most active campuses around … right?

Syllabus Week. After the unbearable workload of 24/7 binge-watching Netflix over break, powering through syllabus week must have been a remarkable feat of endurance. If you’re still traumatized from reading syllabi every night, try taking a break from classes now. Just remember, next semester, don’t get too silly.

Therese Konopelski is a freshman PLS major whose minors are too wordy to list in any bio, as per usual Notre Dame style. To commiserate, contact her at tkonopel@nd.edu.