Summer events taking place in Edmonton this June 2016 (or what's left of it)

Every summer I tell myself not to fall into the routine of waking up at lunchtime and going to bed at 3AM. Not only do I end up midnight snacking, but I also miss half the day and by the time August rolls around, I feel like I have wasted my entire summer. So, just as I am currently on the verge of slipping back into this lazy routine, I decided to do some research and figure out what events are going on around Edmonton during the month of June. This way, I will have the motivation to wake up early, and will hopefully be tired enough to go to bed at a more decent hour. For those of you who, like me, don’t know what to do with yourselves once school is out (I know, it’s sad), why not join me in filling your summer schedule with some of the Edmonton events that will be taking place during the month of June.

Mercer Summer Super Party

Image courtesy of Mercer Summer Super Party 2016 on Eventbrite

Who Might Enjoy It? 

Who are known to be the best partiers? Students! Combine our partying skills with various interests like food (obviously), live music, and art and you have the perfect recipe for a good time. So please, art lovers, music lovers, foodies, take your student-partying responsibilities seriously and jam-pack this event!

What Is It? 

The street will be closed for this special event where the Mercer Warehouse opens the street to all ages for live music, food, art, and dining. And personally, I find nothing better than a summer dance party!

When Is It?

Friday, June 17th 2016 | 5:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m.

Where Is It? 

Mercer Warehouse 10359-104 Street

Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market:

Image courtesy of U of A Inside Out's Nathalie Batres 

Who Might Enjoy It? 

To those who want to keep a healthy diet, the farmers market is the place to go if you want to find affordable and organic food. What’s even better is that you are buying it directly from the people who grow it.  

What Is It? 

A personal favourite of mine, the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market is the perfect place to spend a Saturday morning or afternoon. The smell of fruits and veggies sold by local farmers has the extra benefit of giving you warm fuzzies because you know that your purchase is helping to support the local community. Not only will you get to enjoy handmade arts and crafts and fresh produce, you may also have the chance to eat the best breakfast bagel you’ve ever tasted. 

When Is It? 

Saturdays 8AM-3PM

Where Is It?

10310 83 Avenue NW

Edmonton International Jazz Festival

Image courtesy Jazz Fest

Who Might Enjoy It? 

This is most definitely a call to all arts and music students. I know for sure that music students who specialize in this genre of music will probably be the ones who will most greatly appreciate this event. 

What Is It? 

For those with a love for music, especially jazz, you would probably like to know that the annual International Jazz Festival, produced by the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society will be taking place in June this year. Jazz usually isn’t my go-to genre, but I will admit that the sultry sound of a saxophone would probably be enough to lure me to this event.

When Is It?

June 24 to July 3, 2016

Where Is It? 

All around Edmonton (including a right here on campus!)

Freewill Shakespeare Festival

Image courtesy of the Freewill Shakespeare Festival

Who Might Enjoy It?

Yoohoo, English Majors! I don’t mean to say that every English major loves Shakespeare, because I know for a fact that this is not true. However, you will not be tested or quizzed on these performances, and you wont have to memorize quotes or act them out yourselves, this is 100% for your own enjoyment and entertainment. So why not make an appearance? 

What Is It? 

As stated on their website, you must “get thee to a performance” and experience the spectacular outdoor performances at this season’s festival: Romeo and Juliet (a personal favourite) and Love’s Labour’s Lost. While doing so, you’ll likely be supporting a few of your fellow of U of A comrades and alumni (as the production usually includes a lot of U of A students). 

If this doesn’t already sound tempting enough, the festival sympathizes with our empty wallets by offering a student rate and “pay what you will” for the matinees. If you are unfamiliar with Shakespeare, this would be the perfect opportunity to gradually ease yourself into the world of romance and tragedy, alongside beautiful sets and serious talent. 

When Is It? 

June 21, 2016 to July 17, 2016

Evening performances start @ 8:00 p.m. every night (minus Mondays - they don't do Mondays)

Saturday and Sunday Matinee performances start @ 2:00 p.m.

Where Is It?

Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park (9930 Groat Road)

The Works Art and Design Festival 

Image courtesy of The Works

Who Might Enjoy It? 

Anyone who has an appreciation for visual art would absolutely love this festival. It is not too challenging to simply look at things, so if you are on the fence about attending this event because you think you are not artsy enough, stop right there and click the link. 

What Is It? 

This completely free event (hooray!) displays over 200 exhibits throughout 1 square kilometer of Edmonton’s downtown. And it lasts for 13 days, so you pretty much have no excuse not to go, unless of course you are going on an international voyage (then by all means do not listen to me). Enjoy visual art, design and entertainment (get hyped because that includes work from fellow University of Alberta students), alongside the company of fellow locals as well as people from around the world.

When Is It? 

June 23, 2016 to July 5, 2016

Where Is It?

There are 28 venues spread throughout Edmonton (although most seem to be concentrated downtown).

Spring Events at Sir Winston Churchill Square

Image courtesy of the Edmonton Arts Council

Who Might Enjoy It?

The great thing about these events is that Churchill Square caters to a variety of interests. So there is a little something for everyone. Whether or not you are a fitness guru, an amazing chess player, or a die-hard Star Wars fan, there will most likely be an event that interests you in one way or another.

What's happening?

So it turns out that Churchill Square actually has a weekly events and activities schedule for the spring. Who knew? (Admission: I did not, but now I do!) Check it out if you have an interest in or are curious about Zumba, Yoga, Live at Lunch featuring local musicians, daily games like basketball, table tennis, ball hockey, and wait for it….drumroll please….LIGHTSABER TRAINING! 

When Is It?

Activities are held on a weekly basis throughout the spring. For more times, events, and schedule information, visit http://www.edmontonarts.ca/eac_projects/eac_projects_churchillsquare/

Where Is It? 

Sir Winston Churchill Square 

Now remember, the fun doesn’t end here. Edmonton oozes with exciting events, festivals, and activities during the summer. As someone who has lived here for most of my life, I can vouch for Edmonton summers by saying that whether you are new to this city, or have lived here for a long time, it will definitely be worth getting up and out of bed at a good hour, and going on a adventure, local style!

Niabi - YouAlberta Contributor

Niabi is a fourth year BA student double majoring in English and Spanish. She’s a relentless optimist, hazardously curious, and loves a good laugh (her friends would say that she has a juvenile sense of humor). When not jamming out to Reggaeton, you can find her trying to cuddle every dog she sees, or serving herself “eyes-are-to-big-for-your-stomach” helpings.

Rachel Eats a Tombstone

I have to admit, I have been bested. Never before have I experienced the meat sweats so intensely. The air of SUB felt heavy, and I could feel the grease in my bones. I ate a Tombstone. More like, most of a tombstone...

When I signed up for this, I had no idea what I was in for – but apparently my friends and acquaintances did! When I told them my plan, I was met with faces that were mixed with worry and an evil sort of excitement. One of those faces belonged to my fellow YA contributor, Niabi, who was kind (or evil?) enough to offer to document my tombstone attempt, because, as she put it “no one should ever eat one of those alone.” So, here’s what happened (with commentary by both Niabi and I).

Rachel: Before the Deed

As I walked away from Marco’s Donair in SUB, the weight of the Tombstone in my hands, I could see the next hour of my life: I had been warned of the meat sweats, the grease, and the heaviness that the donair/poutine’s mouthwatering yumminess would leave in my stomach. I was remaining confident, but when the workers at Marco’s had asked me how many forks I needed and I replied with “only one,” their eyes silently conveyed the message “good luck with that” before they went back to helping the line.

Niabi: The Delighted Observer

After 15 minutes of eating, Rachel’s facial expressions started to change, and so at this point I decided to write down her reactions and the things she was saying. The result is this time log. And yes, I timed her.

16.00 minutes in: At this point, a good two quarters into the Tombstone, Rachel said “I think I’m full, because when I move, it hurts.”

17.00 minutes in: Removing her cardigan Rachel said, “I want to sit on the floor.”

17.38 minutes in: “You need a fan to eat this.” (The Tombstone is not spicy people, it is just so large that you may work up a sweat while eating it).

18.00 minutes in: “I think I’m gonna call it quits.” Rachel burps. “It hurts to laugh.” She said.

18.30 minutes in: Rachel asks me “Niabi, did you wear stretchy pants? Because I wore stretchy pants.”

18.33 minutes in: Rachel lies back on the couch and closes her eyes, proceeding to take a nap.

21.00 minutes in: Rachel is eating the Tombstone again.

Image Courtesy of Simpson's Quotes on Pintrest

But how did we get here? Why is the Tombstone even a thing? What kind of person says, "I want to stick a full order of poutine inside an already packed donair?" It turns out that the answer is David McBean, U of A alum, and former SU Services volunteer and staff member. Meeting in front of Marco’s, he told us some insider information about the Tombstone, how it was named, and what it takes to finish one.

First up, he explained the name to us.

David: Well, the first donair that we made was called the Wild Cat donair, which was inspired by our favourite band called Ratatat (Note: he was wearing the band’s shirt!), and they have a song called Wild Cat. At the time, when my friends and I were eating donairs a lot, we were pretty obsessed with the song Wild Cat by Ratatat and that’s how we came up with that name.

For the Tombstone, we were all eating Wild Cats in SUB and playing Oregon Trail, which is like an old, 1990s video game. (Note: he would have been playing this around 2010 or 2011…. So, he’s not THAT much older than we are.) The gist of the game is that you load up a caravan and you try to make it across the United States and not die of terrible diseases, and when we reached the end of the map, everyone had died except for one person, Flavour Flav. He was the last person left, and as he was sailing down the final Oregon river, he crashed and died, and a big tombstone appeared in the game. If you look at the Tombstone’s poster, it’s a screenshot of the tombstone from Oregon Trail.

Next up, was the inspiration for adding poutine to a donair.

David: In high school, we had a poutine club, which started out as four friends (shout out to Eric, Wyatt, and Tyler!). Right by Harry Ainlay there was a Poutine Palace restaurant, and every Friday we’d get poutine there. It just started as the four of us and as the years went on, the size of the poutine group got bigger and bigger until eventually it was like 30 people.

When we were all in grade 12 the poutine palace shut down, tragically, and in place of it a donair store opened up. So instead, the group of us went and got donairs every Friday, and when we all went to university we wanted to keep this tradition, so we started the donair club. We’d go to Marco’s every Friday as a big group in SUB and we’d all eat donairs, and after doing that for about a year, we first came up with the Wild Cat, and maybe six months after that, as a tribute to our poutine roots, we wanted to put the poutine inside of the Wild Cat, and ended up calling it the Tombstone.

So, obviously, I couldn’t finish a tombstone. Which lead us to ask, can David?

David: I…have been one bite away, and it’s been one of my greatest regrets. That was the first time I tried it, and I’ve tried multiple times, and I haven’t been able to do it. I’ve seen lots of people do it, and Wyatt Young, the other co-inventor of the Tombstone, is the first one to ever complete one and he finished it on his first try.

Image courtesy of reactiongif.com

*Niabi and I applaud*

So knowing that, we asked David what kind of personal attributes one would need to finish a Tombstone.

David: It’s a lot of lying to yourself. I think you need to tell yourself that you still have space in your stomach. Maybe some stuff to wash it down, like some tea or water, would help you finish it. But it’s definitely one of the most challenging things to eat. It’s a lot of mental preparation. And as long as you do it fast enough. Don’t they say you can eat as much as you can in around 5-10 minutes? Yeah, so you’ve got to trick yourself.

David then told us why he thinks people should give the Tombstone – now a U of A quirk – a try.

David: *laughs* Um, you know, I feel like it’s part of being alive, like it should be on everyone’s bucket list. At least a onetime thing, just to say you’ve gone out there, you took a risk, you ordered a Tombstone, and you accomplished it. And I think it just kind of helps us all experience life in a nutshell.

So that’s the story of Rachel eating a Tombstone, with some extra background for anyone who has ever said “who’s idea was this?!?!?”

Difficulty Scale (form 1 to 10):

The first half is like a one, but then it gets exponentially closer to ten at the end. The last two bites are a ten out of ten, like it just feels greasy, you’re sweating from the meat. So overall a ten, but it definitely starts out easier than it finishes.

Note: Difficulty rating courtesy of Tombstone creator, David McBean.

Rachel - YouAlberta Contributor

Rachel never leaves her house without a pair of good headphones, her current favourite read, and a cup of tea. She’s a third-year English Major and Linguistics Minor who mainly enjoys hanging out with cats, but will leave their side for the promise of some live music and the company of friends. Some of her dreams include sleeping in and never running into a scary insect ever again.

Niabi - YouAlberta Contributor

Niabi is a third year student just starting a BA in English with a Spanish Minor. She’s a relentless optimist, hazardously curious, and tends to laugh a lot (her friends would say that she has a juvenile sense of humour). When not spending money she doesn’t have on clothes, or jamming out to Reggaeton, you can find her in a movie theatre, reading a book that involves sword fighting and dragons.

To Enroll, or Not To Enroll: How I Make A Perfect Schedule (Or Something Close To It)

Picking courses: In my personal opinion, the most stressful and confusing point in the student life cycle.

It took me a while to get used to the course selection process. Since first year, I have switched programs, double checked and then double-double checked whether I am fulfilling all my requirements, had Bear Tracks “Watch-List wars” fighting for a spot in the class with the decent prof, and tried to avoid being stuck at school with a 5 hour break between two classes. I won’t lie though; now that I’ve got the hang of it, I actually enjoy making my schedule. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I produce a timetable that fits around my work times, my extra-curricular activities, the other responsibilities that eat up parts of my day, and that of course offers me some free time: it’s the perfect timetable.  

Although I feel like I have the hang of it, making my timetable is still an experience. It took me a while to figure out a system that worked for me, and even in my 3rd year I am still a little rusty at the whole process.

As soon as I receive the email from my faculty that says “hey, you can start looking at your classes/your registration date is [insert date here]” I start my search for my dream courses. [Full disclaimer: that might not be the actual wording that my faculty uses in their emails.] But, let’s be honest, my search is never as simple as just looking for the courses that I like. Instead, it involves having 10 tabs and 5 windows open at the same time, placing a hard copy of the courses listed as my degree requirements by my keyboard, and I also keep a notebook open next to me in case I need to write down any important information or reminders about my program or my courses. I also hate having multiple tabs and windows open, so I try to limit myself to just five (BearTracks, the Course Catalogue, Rate My Professors, the University Calendar, and Universal Student Ratings of Instruction).

Seriously - fill these out people! Help your fellow students.... and your profs. Let them know how they're doing.

I always have to remind myself to get my priorities straight. Some classes look incredibly interesting and these often distract me from what I am supposed to be registering in. So, I highlight all of the courses I HAVE to take, so that I remind myself that these have top priority when it comes to enrolling. In my first year, I also made the decision to take 4 courses a semester instead of 5. It was the best decision I have ever made, as I was able to ease myself slowly into the university routine instead of trying to do as much as I could all at once. This strategy really helped me cope with stress, taught me discipline, and helped me keep my grades up.

Through my schedule building experience, I have also had the pleasure of making a new best friend whose name is RateMyProfessor.com. In first year, this website was literally the difference between an A and a C for me. I use it to search up the ratings of the professors that are teaching the courses I need to take, and I let it be another deciding factor in the process of making my schedule. When things get a little bit tricky and there is an equal distribution of both positive and negative reviews, I give the prof the benefit of the doubt and usually end up enrolling in the class with the hopes that I will be one of the students who will leave a good review. So far, I haven’t had any issues with this strategy. If I love the prof, I always give them a rating on the website because it will be really helpful for them and for other future students.

I have realized that more often than not, I have to judge whether I want to risk enrolling in a course without an assigned professor. When I enroll in a class without an assigned prof, I use my notepad (because I have very bad short-term memory) to write a reminder to keep checking for when a professor is assigned so that when the time comes, I can check their rate my professor profile and decide if I still want to stay in that class.

I always ask myself:

1. Do I want an excellent professor?

2. Do I want a break between my classes?

3. Do I prefer 50-minute or 80-minute lectures?

4. How badly do I need a few extra hours of sleep?

5. Should I take this GPA booster, even if the topic sounds extremely boring?

6. Should I take this course because it sounds really interesting, even though it will be challenging?

7. Am I okay with taking a class that has a midterm worth 40% and a final worth 60%, or should I switch before the add/drop deadline? How will this effect my requirements?

I remember that the day I discovered that faculties do credit checks was the day that a huge amount of weight was taken from my shoulders. I visit my faculty office and ask for a program check after each term. Other than the fact that it takes a few weeks for these to process, credit checks have been very helpful to me during my university degree.

For more information, check out Edward’s Pro-Tip #1 for a description of what a program check is.

The most difficult decisions that I have to make in relation to my schedule are around choosing electives. GAHH! THERE ARE SO MANY COURSES TO CHOOSE FROM…I was lucky enough to have complete elective freedom in my first two years of university, so (with great difficulty, debating, and restraint) I chose classes that interested me and that I knew I would do well in, in order to boost my GPA. And it worked like a charm…most of the time.

Let me just talk a little bit about “GPA Boosters.” I choose my electives with the mindset that I know where my skills lie and that I know what classes I will most likely ace. This is always hard, especially because I am basing my judgment off the title of a course. I try to listen to what other students say about classes that I am interested in taking as GPA boosters.

Each year, planning my schedule become easier  - and while this might have something to do with the fact that I have fewer requirements left, I’d like to think that it has more to do my self-knowledge of what I like and what I want to get out of my degree. Hopefully.

Hit the comments to share your course planning experiences!

Niabi - YouAlberta Contributor

Niabi is a third year student just starting a BA in English with a Spanish Minor. She’s a relentless optimist, hazardously curious, and tends to laugh a lot (her friends would say that she has a juvenile sense of humour). When not spending money she doesn’t have on clothes, or jamming out to Reggaeton, you can find her in a movie theatre, reading a book that involves sword fighting and dragons. 

This is why I eat cold food: A Semi-Rant and FYI About Campus Microwaves

Recently, the microwave in my house crashed, which means that I’ve been eating a lot of cold food. Of course I could heat my food on the stove, but then I think of all the dishes I will have to wash afterwards, and it just doesn’t seem worth it. So at home, I get no heat – no big deal, because at least I can use a microwave at school and can therefore have hot/warm meals between classes, right? Nope, nope, nope!

Why not? Because this is what usually happens:

I put my food in the selected campus microwave. Then I close the door. Then I push the button. And the result is always a cold and dark silence. No sound. No light. The microwave is dead. My heart drops.

This has been my experience with almost every microwave on campus. It always seems to happen as my ravenous 4th block hunger pains ramp up. When it doesn’t happen, and I can see that the microwave does work, I find myself stuck at the back of a giant line, since everyone else has decided to pounce on the one working machine. And as if standing in the line wasn’t bad enough, I usually end up behind the person (or in most cases, the persons) who think of the microwave as their own personal slow cooker - seriously, what are people trying to do when they heat their food for 10 minutes? Disintegrate it? I am ashamed to admit that it can be a real struggle for me whenever the student at the microwave takes their food out, checks it, and puts it back in for 4 more minutes – my inner Hulk is really hard to repress in those moments. Really, really, hard. Even just thinking about it…. Makes…. Me…. So…. Angry! Ugh.

And speaking of potential explosions, for those who don’t know, or who pretend not to know, you are NOT supposed to microwave metal…or highlighters, or pencils, or gummy bears, or light bulbs. Not only could doing so start a fire, but it can increase the number of dead microwaves on campus, which I think we can all agree is not needed.

Let’s just say that I’ve resigned myself to eating my food cold - yes that includes munching on depressingly dry and grainy rice.

But is eating cold food really a good idea?

I did some Googling on “if eating cold food is bad for you?” and learned the following:

• The human body has still not quite evolved to handle cold foods, so it will actually expend energy warming up the cold foods you put into it. Let foods warm to room temperature before eating.

• When we consume cold food or drink our body starts doing all the efforts to heat it up, because it is only possible for our body to work on a temperature, which is the optimum temperature.

• The digestive process requires heat to break down what you eat and drink. Cold is, by nature, slowing and contracting - therefore cold drinks, and very cold foods like ice cream, slow and impede digestion, causing digestive upsets, abdominal pain and discomfort. 

• Excessive consumption of cold foods may also lead to a number of health issues including fatigue, weight gain, cysts and tumors, the development of unhealthy bacterial infections, excessive bloating and gas, brain fog, chronic sinus infections and problems with elimination. 

And all of that lead me to Google one more item…. Which lead me to find [insert fancy announcement music here] the UAlberta Microwave Map! It’s a real thing! And
I wish I could give an award (like a microwaveable lunch) to whoever thought of the idea.

You can find the map here.

The thing I love about this map is that it also tells you how many microwaves are at the location. So, if I were in a hurry, I could go to a location with more than one microwave with the hopes that I will find a decently clean microwave and spend less time waiting in a long line. Just make sure to zoom in; otherwise it just looks like a confusing cluster of microwave symbols.

Before Zoom vs. After Zoom

So, depending on how much you love ice cream, it might not be such a bad idea to save the Microwave Map link on your phone or computer. I think for the New Year, I am going to try and decrease the amount of cold food I eat, even if it does mean using extra dishes at home, or waiting a little bit longer before I eat my lunch. To be honest, if in the end I have a full stomach, I’ll be happy. 

Niabi - YouAlberta Contributor

Niabi is a third year student just starting a BA in English with a Spanish Minor. She’s a relentless optimist, hazardously curious, and tends to laugh a lot (her friends would say that she has a juvenile sense of humour). When not spending money she doesn’t have on clothes, or jamming out to Reggaeton, you can find her in a movie theatre, reading a book that involves sword fighting and dragons. 

To Click or Not to Click: The Thoughts I Have While Waiting for My Grades

Sweaty palms. Racing heartbeat. Do I click it? Just click it! No wait. Wait! Take a deep breath. It’s not the end of the world, worst-case scenario you feel depressed for a few days, or ruin your entire holiday, or cry alone in the bathroom for a few hours…or don’t graduate. Just do it! Ok here goes. *Click…

Now what happens? This is that cliché moment where the whole world stops and nothing else exists, nothing but the weary gaze between your red, sleep-deprived eyes and the computer screen. You will finally find out whether all the sleep, personal hygiene, fun, and sanity you sacrificed during the term were worth it. I really hope that I am not the only one whose mind has been plagued with these thoughts while I wait for my grades.

So, how many of these thoughts have you had while waiting to check your grades?

1. Simplifying the Situation 

Illustration by H. Brodie

“I mean, at the end of the day it’s just a letter. Haha, why am I freaking out so much over a simple letter? I refuse to allow myself to be victimized by a mere letter.”

2. Summoning the inner Houdini 

Illustration by H. Brodie

*Covers screen with hand and slowly reveals the grade, as if this will magically change fate. “Oh that looks like the left side of a B! Ohhhh Ohh! Abracadabra…. yup that’s a D.”

3. Putting the Past Behind You 

Illustration by H. Brodie

The deed is done, there nothing I can do about it. I can shake this off. I can forget about it. I wonder what outfit should I pick for my GPA’s funeral?

4. Delaying Gratification

I want to check really badly, but what’s the hurry? I’ll just wait a couple of days anyways.

5. The Grades that like to take their time 

Illustration by H. Brodie

Then again there are the times where you aren’t given the luxury to delay gratification because you mark seems to be pulling a classic “Where’s Waldo?”

6. Walking out of the class after finishing the exam 

“Deep down I know what grade I should be expecting. I know that the only studying I did was a 1-hour cram session at 3AM. However, I also know that I firmly believe in miracles.”

7. How do I tell the parents 

Illustration by H. Brodie

*formulates epic plan with siblings, “Okay, you start talking about this, and then do this and make sure to laugh a lot so that we create a very relaxed atmosphere, then I’ll casually mention it and hope they don’t hear me. Deal?”

8. Remaking your entire graduation plan 

Illustration by H. Brodie

“So the withdrawal deadline is Friday at midnight, so if I get less than a 50.001% I can withdraw from this class and retake it in Spring term (which I will obviously ace because I basically know everything) and use the A+ that I will get to resurrect my GPA. Phew!”

9. What did everyone else get? 

Illustration by H. Brodie

I mean everyone else failed too since the average was like pshhh…like….80 or something. So, I’m obviously not alone. And besides, all of my friends failed too. So there is nothing to worry about. It’s obviously the exam, not me.”

10. To ruin or not to ruin the holidays 

Illustration by H. Brodie

“I could save checking until after the holidays, but then I will be preoccupied and nervous for my entire break. What if the mark isn’t that bad? No, who am I kidding?”

11. Coming to terms 

Illustration by H. Brodie

Either way, this will end with a bottle of wine, so why bother freaking out? I’ll work in retail for the rest of my life if I really have to.

The Aftermath:

Now don’t get me wrong. At the end of the day, your life does not amount to one letter on a transcript. And to be honest, there are multiple occasions when I expected to get a horrible grade only to find out that I didn’t do as badly as I had thought I would! So study hard, stay focused, and hang in there! An A+ is waiting for you to achieve it. Or an A. Or maybe even  B… there is nothing wrong with a good old respectable B.

Niabi - YouAlberta Contributor

Niabi is a third year student just starting a BA in English with a Spanish Minor. She’s a relentless optimist, hazardously curious, and tends to laugh a lot (her friends would say that she has a juvenile sense of humour). When not spending money she doesn’t have on clothes, or jamming out to Reggaeton, you can find her in a movie theatre, reading a book that involves sword fighting and dragons. 

Just In Time for Reading Week: Holidays You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

While wallowing in the feeling of excitement surrounding of the first Fall Reading Week I’ll ever experience, I’ve been spending my time well… I’ve even taken the opportunity to read… about some of the wackiest and strangest holidays celebrated during the month of November!

Sandwich Day

Date: Tuesday, November 3
This is a holiday to commemorate the 4th Earl of Sandwich (yes I actually just said that). John Montagu is known for being the first person to make a sandwich. Being a heavy gambler, he put a piece of meat between two slices of bread to make eating more convenient while he gambled. Taadaa! The sandwich was born!

Image courtesy of thecookinmama.com

Use Your Common Sense Day

Date: Wednesday, November 4
While this holiday may be a struggle for some people, for example myself, an individual who often misplaces her common sense, November the 4th is a day where people are encouraged to use practical common sense, especially because “common sense ain’t that common.” Hopefully you participated. Even if you didn’t know it was a thing.

Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day

Date: Saturday, November 7

If there were any strange holiday that I would die to celebrate, it would probably be the one that involves chocolate. Yes, some people don’t love the taste of dark or bittersweet chocolate, but who is going to stop you from substituting it with your favourite kind of chocolate for this holiday? Trust me, bittersweet chocolate with almonds is good for you! Chocolate comes from cocoa beans, which makes it a vegetable, and everyone know that almonds are healthy, so no guilt will be felt!

Image courtesy of tumblr

Pizza With the Works Except Anchovies Day

Date: Thursday, November 12

Talk about being specific; imagine taking this person’s restaurant order. This holiday will resonate with the anchovy-free pizza lovers who know better than to ask for everything on their pizza. So indulge! Just do it without the anchovies…unless you love them of course. 

Image courtesy of imgur.com

Homemade Bread Day

Date: Tuesday, November 17

There is nothing I love more than the smell of baking bread! Now imagine that smell wafting throughout your entire house for the entire day. How drool worthy is that? Trust me when I say that the taste of homemade bread 101% outdoes the taste of sliced store-bought bread. While the origins of this holiday are unknown it is quite evident that this person wanted to remind us of how enjoyable homemade bread is, and how it tastes ten times more delicious after your arms ache from all the kneading. 

Image courtesy of barbicanandcommunitylibraries

“Have a Bad Day” Day

Date: Thursday, November 19

A holiday designed especially for the stressed out and tired customer service and retail workers. All of us who have worked part-time jobs in these environments know how tedious it can be to tell every customer to “have a nice day”. So instead, people who celebrate this holiday tell customers, in the nicest way possible, to “have a bad day.”

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Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day

Date: Monday, November 30 

Why not take a day off, not because you are sick, but because you are feeling fabulous? This holiday, created by Thomas and Ruth Roy vouches for calling in “well” instead of “sick” and encourages participants to take a chunk of their morning to get a good sleep (no one would have to instruct me to do that), and spend the day in relaxation. Would your boss appreciate your honesty if you call in “well”? If not, pretend like you didn’t just read this paragraph. (Also, given that we have class on the 30th... let's just say that we're all celebrating this one this week.)

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So whether or not you are completely weird-ed out or absolutely intrigued and by these wacky and random holiday celebrations, there is one very important thing that reading this list has done for you. You now have even more holidays to celebrate this month! Happy First-Ever-Fall-Reading-Week to you!

Sources: 

http://www.holidayscalendar.com/holidays/weird/

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/2015/11/

Niabi - YouAlberta Contributor

Niabi is a third year student just starting a double major in English and Spanish. She’s a relentless optimist, hazardously curious, and tends to laugh a lot (her friends would say that she has a juvenile sense of humour). When not spending money she doesn’t have on clothes, or jamming out to Reggaeton, you can find her in a movie theatre, reading a book that involves sword fighting and dragons. 

18 Awkward Moments We've All Experienced on Campus

Take a little time to relax and enjoy these extremely (and unfortunately) relatable situations that you may or may have not experienced during your time on campus.

1) Passing the person you said bye to 3 minutes ago.

2) Sitting next to someone you weren't fond of in high school.

3) Immediately forgetting the name of someone who just introduced themselves to you.

4)     

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5) Getting stuck at the end of the bookstore line on the first day of class.

6) Thinking you've set the perfect price for that used textbook you want to sell, only to find someone's advertising an unbeatable offer on the Used Book Registry.

7) Having your only pen run out of ink 5 minutes before the end of your in class essay and hoping that your prof will be able to read your last paragraph if you just etch it into the paper.

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8) Getting caught pretending that you're a wizard when activating the automatic taps in the bathroom.

9) Entering the only available bathroom stall... to find that it's the one with no toilet paper.

10) Going to buy a coffee in the middle of your 3 hour spare, but forgetting that it's class change time.

11) Trying not to pant after going up the LRT stairs.

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12) Taking your headphones out to see if you are panting as loudly as you think you are after going up the LRT stairs.

13) Entering class late and having to disrupt the unfolded desks of 10 students to get to the only empty seat…the one in the middle of the row. 

14)  

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15) Setting an alarm for a 9 minute nap.

16) Thinking you've spotted a couch to sit on in SUB, only to discover someone napping on it when you get closer.

17) Putting your laundry on the bed to inspire yourself to fold it, but putting it back on the floor at bedtime. 

18) Every Tuesday and Thursday class be like:

Image courtesy of Buzzfeed

Niabi - YouAlberta Contributor

Niabi is a third year student just starting a double major in English and Spanish. She’s a relentless optimist, hazardously curious, and tends to laugh a lot (her friends would say that she has a juvenile sense of humour). When not spending money she doesn’t have on clothes, or jamming out to Reggaeton, you can find her in a movie theatre, reading a book that involves sword fighting and dragons.