The month of January has come a long way since we rang in the new year, saying hello to 2017 and putting a final and much appreciated end to 2016.
For any of those who missed it or were lucky enough to hibernate through this month, here follows a review of the month as a whole, a homage to January as we archive this month with many others like it.
New year, new semester, new me. As we begin the year and return to school, New Year’s resolutions flood the brains of many as they tackle the long attainable and yet constantly discontinued notions of eating healthier, exercising more, waking up earlier and procrastinating less.
The elliptical machines at the Rec center much resemble the seats in a large lecture class, filled on the first week and diminish with every day that passes. Not to mention the beginning of the semester marks the start of a part-time job searching for textbooks.
Progressing through the month felt as if we were regressing seasons. On Jan. 11, the temperature rose to a warm 71 degrees and fluctuated in the 70s for a lengthy few days.
This significant rise in temperatures led to the University switching from heat to air conditioning; serving as a blessing until Alabama got a clue.
As the month trailed on, a new addition came to campus. January marked the cease of Burrito Del Mar and the welcoming of Chick-in-a-Box, indicating Auburn simply wants its students to eat more chicken. The school took into account the fried chicken depletion on campus and added the third and fourth fried chicken outlets.
On Jan. 14, in a turn of events, our very own beloved Aubie fell second in the National Mascot Competition to the University of Minnesota’s Goldy Gopher.
An unfortunate circumstance until you consider that this bucktooth rodent has won a third of the national mascot competitions. My reaction put simply: first is the worst, second is the best.
Just a few days later, the inauguration of Donald J. Trump took place in the Nation’s capital late Friday morning. If it were not for the grey skies and overall somber attitude in the air, one would think it was every other Friday of the month.
In no way insinuating a correlation in between this and the previous day’s event, the Southeast was hit with severe thunderstorms accompanied by tornados.
Having said that, if you cannot at all detect the irony between the change in power and the weather, it is fair to assume you are a skeptic of mother nature’s wrath, one could even call you a climate change doubter.
Nevertheless, what a better way to wake the town of Auburn on a Saturday morning before the eight o’clock hour than the campus-wide emergency system. 200 of my closest friends piled into the basement to spend some quality time with one another.
Having been caught off guard the first time and stuck in a place with a phone with less than 20-percent battery and no snacks, I made sure to come prepared the next time. For the second tornado, I came down with a phone, laptop, corresponding chargers, snacks, beverages, earbuds and a sense of confidence.
No longer feeling like I was trapped in an old-time Midwest movie. I sat in satisfaction during the second, chomping on some extra-cheddar goldfish catching up on the last week’s Bachelor.
What better way to end the month than a school-wide flu epidemic?
If you thought waking up for your early morning classes was already hard, it got exponentially worse when it took you an extra hour to fall asleep the night before due to congestion. When you run out of DayQuil it’s time to make the trip to the Med clinic and lose a quarter of your day.
This enchanting tale of being sick at college seems avoidable with enough vitamin C and a good night’s rest, but not the way it is spreading at Auburn.
This sickness is traveling fast and in just enough time to welcome in February.
As we enter the new month and people start searching for their sweet valentine, realize the flu is not sweet and act with caution when around someone coughing; cuffing season may be at a high, but coughing does not have to be.
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