By Mallory Sherwood, Features Editor
Face the Facts
It is the fastest spreading virus on campus since the flu hit in late February.
Spring Fever.
The damage: empty classrooms across campus, louder chatter than usual during Chapel and slipping grades across the board.
This column is for all students who could care less about finishing the semester strong, for all seniors itching to get out of class and away from Abilene for good and for the frustrated professors who can’t just skip class, although I’m sure they would if allowed.
Consider this a pep talk from a self-proclaimed nerd.
As many of my friends and roommates know, I am obsessed with doing my homework. I hate it, but I can’t change it. I have tried not writing down homework, but I still check the night before class just to make sure. I have tried to not study for a test and wing it, but I panic at 1 a.m. and start to cram. I can’t help myself; I love to learn.
I say all this as a disclaimer, but I forgot my little secret: Nerds are okay. It’s not a bad thing to be a nerd. It’s okay to learn.
Don’t let the restlessness of spring stop you from learning.
And by learning I don’t just mean going to class or doing homework. Learning is about experiencing things, it is about paying attention to things around you and caring. Learning expands into the crazy little things you do that no one knows about. It is the stuff Jeopardy is made of, and it is the dumb questions that only two people ever know the answer to.
To explain, I am going to share the most random facts I can to enrich your learning for the day. There is so much crazy, useless, fascinating, yet interesting information you can discover by reading, listening to people and watching television.
Did you know that there are 12 ways to get out of Abilene and more than 470 stop lights to slow you down?
Did you know that there are more than 193 countries in the world you can travel to once out of America?
Did you know that more people visit the city of Paris than any other city in the world?
Did you know that a snail can sleep for three years?
Did you know that in every episode of Seinfeld a Superman is lurking in the background?
Did you know that the average life of a baseball in the major leagues is 7 pitches?
Did you know that it is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not down stairs?
Did you know that the forefinger is the most sensitive finger?
Did you know that March 18 was National Awkward Moments Day, when people around the world relived their most awkward moments?
Did you know that if you put a rat in cola, it will dissolve?
Did you know that in California it is against the law to use your dirty underwear as a dust rag?
Did you know that in Colorado it is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your neighbor?
Did you know that on average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year?
Did you know that the longest flight recorded for a chicken is 13 seconds, but that you can’t sleep with chickens in Clawson City, Mo.?
Did you know that a cat’s urine glows under a black light?
Yes, I know I am bizarre for knowing these random facts, but aren’t they interesting?
I encourage everyone to learn something new every day, whether it is something as dumb as random facts, or something worthwhile that will help in the future. Learning is as simple or as hard as you choose to make it. That choice is up to you.
