Muahaha!
If you don't know what The Game is, ask a friend who does. Or Urban Dictionary it. Point is, you and 24,741 other people just lost it. Please email me with other games to play, in the car or otherwise.
Shout-out to my fellow geologists and MiddKids, my fellow Ridgefielders and Madrileños and Christmas Cove-ers. Shoot me an email, I want to know you.
In my 20 short years, I have figured out how to keep myself happy. You may chuckle at my naïveté, but these are my thoughts:
1) Talk to strangers (but use your intuition). If you let yourself have a brief conversation, the wall is broken, and friendship becomes infinitely easier. If you get nervous, just pretend you've turned your brain off and say anything. This method works.
2) Take a moment to be silent and appreciate where you are. I find this often takes the form of a "Mountain Appreciation Moment" when driving in the car with friends, or pausing to let sunshine soak into my skin.
3) Don't let deadlines kill you. Chances are, if you send a polite and nicely-worded email to your professor, you can get a little extra time. Professors are people too, they don't want you to burn out. Alternatively, some experiences are simply worth a few points off.
4) Cats and dogs are the solution. Don't waste your time on an animal that lives in a cage and isn't happy to see you when you come home. Also, don't be so quick to dislike little dogs. They are so uniquely wonderful.
5) It's okay to do what feels good. Don't beat yourself up over taking a break. Surround yourself with some people who make you feel good and have a beer every once in a not very long while. Take pictures.
6) Call your mother. She loves you, even when it seems as though the rest of the world doesn't. My mother's best quotes: "Everything's washable." "You're so full of shit, your eyes are brown." "Up with this, I will not put."
Looking for an entertaining movie to watch? Try My Cousin Vinny or Big Fish. But my real, all-time favorite movie (I'm serious) is The Lion King. If you're like me this time last year and haven't started watching Game of Thrones, stop being stubborn and watch it. It adds to the human experience.
Enough from me! Enjoy your day.
-CC
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Christchurch, NZ and New England, USA