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The Rice Thresher
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Michael Nalepa opinion editor. We're right in the middle of the best part of the year - those few weeks when Houston is actually beautiful. Outside right now, birds are singing, flowers are blooming and white puffy clouds are drifting across impossibly blue skies. All is well with the world. Or, at least, that's what you hear, since you're stuck in the lab, library, wiener hole or some other awful, dull study space on campus. But it doesn't have to be that way. I'm not advocating slacking off from your classes (well, not much at least). However, there are some smart alternatives that allow you to study and enjoy the outside world during the brief period of time before the temperature jumps up to 110 degrees and you have to swim through the humidity. What follows is by no means an all-inclusive list, just a few ideas to spark your creativity for finding a pleasant spring studying location. The days that we are experiencing are just too beautiful to waste. There are some great places on campus to soak up the sun while working on problem sets or studying for a sociology exam. Obvious study spots include the outdoor amphitheater on the roof of Dell Butcher Hall, Willy's statue and the Brown Courtyard at the Rice Memorial Center. But what about Reckling Park? Afternoon or weekend day games at Rice's baseball stadium strangely provide the perfect backdrop for a study session. The upper seats on the left field line usually have a lot of free space, allowing you to toss your stuff on the seat next to you, kick your feet up on the seat in front of you and hit the books. If you get bored, just look up and watch a few minutes of the game. If you get hungry, the concession stand sells nachos downstairs. All this, and you can work on your tan at the same time. Take that, Fondren. If you're not a baseball fan, there are a multitude of study spots across Main and Fannin in Hermann Park. For a few bucks, you can get into the Houston Zoological park or the Japanese Gardens. Both of these locations have plenty of places to sit, and are surprisingly conducive to getting work done. And, like studying during a game at Reckling, if you get bored you can just take a break and look around. If you're flat broke like me, there are still plenty of nice trees that you can be productive under for free. The hill at the Miller Outdoor Theatre is also a comfy place to get some work done. There are countless other locations in Houston to get work done that are not sensory-depriving brick rooms without windows. The possibilities are endless, and sometimes they can even be places you'd rather be instead of studying. If you wish you were swimming, why not take your books to a friend's apartment complex pool? Read a chapter, swim a lap. Sounds pretty fair to me. Where you study outside isn't as important as just enjoying these few perfect days. There aren't many left, and pretty soon going outside during the middle of the day will not even be an option. There are air-conditioned tunnels connecting the buildings in downtown Houston for a reason. If you're reading this indoors, take a look out your window. Is it nice out there? Then why not head outside and finish reading this paper, do some work, try to find pictures in the clouds, or count planes passing overhead? Enjoy the nice weather while you can - it won't be here for long. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head outside myself. Michael Nalepa is a opinion editor.
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