Overheards
'12 Guy: Dude, she's not an object, she's a lady.'11 AD: No, she's an object.
'12 Guy: Dude, she's not an object, she's a lady.'11 AD: No, she's an object.
It may be hard for students today to fathom a holiday weekend without female Dartmouth students both attending and hosting festivities, but in Green Key's early years the presence of women was limited to those bussed to campus from neighboring colleges for short visits.
Green Key arguably the most underappreciated of Dartmouth's big weekends is usually dismissed by students as just another excuse to party. Without a powerful emblem like the bonfire or snow sculpture, Green Key is often said to lack meaning, but this weekend is as rich in tradition as Homecoming or Winter Carnival.
We know, you're shocked. The drunkest girls were asked to talk about a weekend that has nothing to do with anything besides blacking your face out to pregame nothing. Well, the two of us quickly realized that our memories involving this most holy weekend are scarce and that the most important detail is that this holiday means nothing.
It's inevitable. This weekend, every single one of us will get sucked into a conversation with at least one crusty, close-talking alum with whiskey on his breath rambling on about the good ol' days.
After a weekend of sunshine and spring weather, I woke up on April 28 to snowfall. Not the beautiful, light snow of January and February, but sloppy, wet globs of half-melted snowflakes.
Are Dartmouth students happy? That depends, of course, on how we define happiness. Measured in units of consumption and standard of living, we seem a safe bet.
In a rare attempt at optimism, I just want to say that whenever confronted with dark times and troubled waters, we can always find solace in the thought that good times are around the corner even though that's often not true.
'11 Guy [playing pong]: If we win this game, you have to kiss me'10 Girl [pong partner]: No ... this is what's wrong with Dartmouth. '13 girl: Is it a sin that I've hooked up with all of 3rd Floor Berry? '13 Girl 1: I know how to get energized for going out tonight ... 5 hour energy!'13 Girl 2: That sounds like such a bad idea...'13 Girl 1: No!
Happiness is probably the closest thing we have to a universal human goal. Much of what we can say about happiness is highly subjective, but is there anything about happiness that is empirically true?
When I am alone on a long run in the rain in May, heading out through Norwich, up past Maple Hill and down past Bradley Hill; when the pavement ends, and I pass those sad cows at Goodrich Four Corners (not people, cows); when, after miles of trying to visualize my legs (not legs, life) like a train on the tracks, I catch sight of Baker Tower between a crease in the hills, away across the river: This is happiness, for me. When I am running far and long and hard, I am happy.
Stephanie Han / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Stephanie Han / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Happiness Chart
T `hinking about happiness makes me sad but it's a little hard to avoid. As Dartmouth students, what we choose to do with our time reflects a lot about our opinions about happiness.
So I was just on Wikipedia clicking through random articles and accidentally spending two hours reading about bizarre UFO conspiracy theories doing research for this column, because when I first sat down to write this I discovered that apparently I'm a mildly disgruntled person who didn't have anything to say about happiness.
The first experience many of us had at this place was Trips, an experience carefully tailored to provide the most upbeat and positive portrayal of Dartmouth possible.
Auriell Towner Auriell Towner Auriell Towner Auriell Towner Auriell Towner Auriell Towner The warm evening merited an outdoor, Collis porch interview.
I never felt more in touch with my half-Italian heritage than when I heard the old country saying "dolce far niente" or "it's sweet to do nothing." Doing nothing is a little taboo at Dartmouth but I'm taking the first step and admitting that there's nothing I'd rather do. I could live without homework.
Dear Miss Muffin Top, Room draw is next week, and I have no idea how to manage the process.
With a campus as small as ours, it's impossible not to run into someone you know every time you step out the door.