We’ve got about three weeks of school left and so it’s crunch time. But to be honest, this entire semester has felt like crunch time. There’s a general feeling of sheer exhaustion and burnout all around campus that feels like we’ve been chewed up and spit out and then told to turn in three papers and take an orgo exam. With the fake mini spring breaks along with the constant stress of COVID keeping us stuck on campus, we’ve all got a touch of cabin fever and are feeling the itch of summer right around the corner. But despite many people getting vaccinated, it is still important to remember that there are communities of people on campus–immunocompromised, faculty and staff with small children at home, and pregnant women–that may not be able to get vaccinated, so diligence with our COVID precautions are still extremely important! But that being said, I also feel the stir-craziness coming on, so I recommend exploring some fun places online that might help you take a break from schoolwork and find a little escape.
- Cool Math Games
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Because we all know that we shared the same childhood, so here is a good throwback for you. This website has been helping students procrastinate for years. and whether it’s Papa’s Pizzeria 2 or 7, it’s always a hit. I just want to say thank you to Cool Math Games for pretending to be educational so our schools wouldn’t block it and always being there for us when we needed a good brain break. I highly recommend Fire Boy and Ice Girl or Duck Life.
https://www.coolmathgames.com/
- Simone Giertz
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This is one of my favorite Youtube channels to go and binge-watch. Every video is just its own brand of weird. Everyone has those crazy weird invention ideas that they made up when they were kids or just thought, “Oh, that’d be nice to have,” but then we all moved on with our dull lives feeling full of regret. NOT SIMONE GIERTZ. She wakes up and thinks, “My dog deserves the right to take selfies” and then she builds a dog photo booth. She has a bunch of plastic teeth and instead of throwing them away because they’re creepy, she decides to turn them into a musical instrument. She will not only entertain, but she will inspire you to chase the silliest, weirdest, most ridiculous ideas and help you rediscover your own sense of childlike wonder.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3KEoMzNz8eYnwBC34RaKCQ
- Drive and Listen
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I know we all desperately want to travel right now and it hasn’t exactly been the most possible or responsible thing to do, but maybe this will help take the edge off. It’s literally just driving and listening. Anywhere in the world. Just pick a city and then find yourself transported. You get to experience the feeling of aimless driving and listen to the local radio for a really immersive experience. See the bustling streets of New York or admire the mountains and valleys of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. Get a taste of home or find your next vacation destination when we can travel freely again. Enjoy the drive!
https://driveandlisten.herokuapp.com/
- Architectural Digest House Tours
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Okay, maybe I’m a little biased as an Architecture major, but let’s be real, house porn is a thing and we all love it. Plus, add on our weird obsession with seeing into celebrities’ lives and you’ve got the perfect time-waster right here: Million Dollar House Tours. It’s like a fancy version of MTV Cribs, but literally just better. We always want to see how the other half lives and here is your chance to. Maybe these million-dollar homes will motivate you to do your homework and try to make enough money to live like Robert Downey Jr.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0k238zFx-Z8xFH0sxCrPJg
- Animal Planet
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Finally, just for some gentle, calming, serotonin-inducing relaxation, I present the Animal Planet YouTube. It’s got everything: drama, intrigue, tear-jerkers, cuteness, and more in clips or actual FULL EPISODES. My personal favorite is Corgi Pups Explore the World on Their Tiny Legs, but some other good ones include Crowning America’s Cutest Cat and Waiting for a Forever Home: Pitbulls and Parolees. No amount of stress can keep you from smiling at a corgi whose legs are too short for the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS6J6BLDZoo&ab_channel=AnimalPlanet
So, before you head back to doing research, writing your final papers and studying for exams, just take a second to breathe and do something a little childish, a little bit of a waste of time, but so so much fun.