Lauren Messman

Jennah and Lotus do almost everything together. They wake up together, go to class together, venture on roadtrips together, and even go out to the bars together. Lotus has many qualities of a good companion and friend; she’s loyal, loving, observant, and sweet. She’s not too clingy, low maintenance, never snaps, and is a great listener. The only downside is that she might crawl all over your man if you don’t keep an eye on her, but she can’t help it! That’s because Lotus is a beautiful 7-month-old ball python, Universty of Oregon student Jennah Stillman’s pet and loyal companion.

Jennah and Lotus’ friendship began at the beginning of the school year. Having grown up in Northern California, Jennah remembers having always loved reptiles. Once she heard that one of her hallmates from freshman year was selling baby ball pythons, she knew she had to have one. Like any responsible potential pet owner, Jennah talked with him about the maintenance, care, and lifespan for a ball python snake and a few months later, Lotus became a new addition to her home.

While pets can be fun to have around the house, they also can require time and money, two things that many college students are short on. While Jennah agrees that having a pet in college might not be for everyone, she assures that snakes are fairly easy and cheap to care for. In contrast to
domestic pets, such as dogs and cats, snakes are opportunistic eaters, meaning that they only need to eat every 2-3 weeks, and can last up to 3 months without eating if they have to. Other than food and water, snakes only require a moist environment, a terrarium and a heat source, such as a heat
lamp, all of which can be easily found from previous owners on Craigslist.

The long wait is over. Festival season is rapidly approaching and music lovers from all over the country are preparing to make the journey to see their favorite musical acts at one of the many music festivals this spring and summer. Along with the anticipation of attending a music festival, the release of a festival’s lineup can be an exciting event all on its own. Recently, popular festivals such as Coachella, Bonaroo, Snowball, and Hangout have released their star-studded lineups. Among these festivals was the Northwest’s very own Sasquatch! Music Festival.

Sasquatch, which takes place over Memorial Day weekend at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington, is known for having an eclectic mix of alternative and indie rock, hip hop, and electronic acts that appeal to a vast variety of music lovers. Last year, the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with a stacked lineup including acts such as Foo Fighters, The Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Bassnectar, Skrillex, Ratatat, Flogging Molly, Bright Eyes, and Cold War Kids. While the festival’s headliners were primarily showstoppers from the 90s, the overall lineup had something for everyone. It contained popular and up-and-coming acts from multiple genres scattered throughout the four-day festival. This year was expected to be even better.

Yet when the lineup dropped this month, there was a somewhat mixed response from veterans and prospective first time attendees to the Washington festival. Overall, most people were shocked at the somewhat unexpected and lackluster array of headliners for the 2012 festival.