Go outside. Like, right now. Spring might have decided to show up fashionably late this year, and we might still be a bit bitter from the overcast Spring Weekend. But the sun is out, the grass is soft, and it’s socially acceptable to take off clothing during the day.

On a day that’s as nice as today is, here’s what you should be doing:

1. Iced, iced coffee

If you’re not drinking liters of iced coffee, you’re doing it wrong. Because, seriously, who’s going to need Flex Points in two weeks from now? Alternatively, find out when fresh baked cookies come out of the Blue Room oven and attack like a cloud of descending locust.

2. Throw a frisbee.

Or, if you’re like me, get hit by a Frisbee.

3. Get a farmer’s tan…

… and then lose it. Let’s lose those shirts and show some skin. Who cares if you’re shivering because it’s just a few degrees too cold for your outfit? Refuse to put on a sweatshirt because you look too damn good.

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Puppies, everywhere!

Health Education and Health Services held Heavy Petting on the Main Green, when Brown staff and faculty brought their dogs to school for the petting/making-silly-noises benefit of the student body.

Held once or twice a semester, Heavy Petting helps relief the stress of upcoming final exams, papers and projects.

Better hurry: The dogs are only here from 11:30 to 1:00.

Rumor has it that the Main Green will be closed to the public starting at 4:30 p.m. this Friday, the twentieth day of the fourth month of this fine year. Yeah. Enjoy your 10 minutes of freedom before BCA starts setting up for Friday’s concert.

When asked to comment on the Main Green’s closing so shortly after the most beloved time of day, BCA member Danny Sobor ’15 commented, “I hate to say it, but you do what you have to do to get Childish [Gambino]… It’s not a BCA decision; we wouldn’t be making that call, but it’s protocol. We’re not happy about it either.”

There you have it: reeling in a big act like Gambino involves making some sacrifices. I see a slightly mutated form of an Occupy movement taking shape on the Main Green this Friday. That, or a drastic shift in students’ bedtimes to around 5:00 a.m.

Hey, at least we don’t go to Colorado University.

Image via.

If you’ve got some free time this evening (HA!), lie down and look up at the night sky. The Geminid Meteor Shower is going on … well … everywhere tonight, starting at 7 pm. The best place to watch would be dark corners (also good for hook-ups, hint, hint), or the Ladd Observatory, if you’re feeling up for a trek.

Besides, it couldn’t hurt to make some wishes during these upcoming weeks.

Please let me pass Chem0330, please let me pass Chem0330, please let me pass Chem0330 …

Image via.

Photos by Paige Gilley, Glenn Lutzky and Corine Szczesny.

Remember that book that all of us freshmen bonded over our mutual dislike of? No, not Twilight. I’m talking about Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie Chang. People like to be down on the First Readings seminars, but try to think back to all the things you liked about Factory Girls: the deeply compelling stories of Min and Chunming, their adventures in and around Dongguan and the intertwining vignettes of Chinese history and the author’s own family story.

For those of you who haven’t seen the thousands of posters on bathrooms and bulletin boards already, Leslie Chang herself will be visiting campus tomorrow for a First Readings Lecture. She will be speaking about her difficulties writing the book, what she learned while writing it and the changes that have taken place in the characters’ lives and the Dongguan factory world since the book was published. This is an amazing opportunity to hear an author talk about her book in her own words, especially since it’s a book that we all read and put so much time and energy into thinking about. The lecture takes place tomorrow, Tuesday October 11, at 4 pm in Salomon 101.

The sprinklers on the Main Green are finally running!  How’s that for a sure sign of summer?  (Un)fortunately, the University seems to be much more interested in spraying passersby than watering the grass.

Photo courtesy of Natalia Nazarewicz

“Does the Moon look bigger than it usually does tonight?”  Yes, in fact, it does. According to NASA, tonight’s Moon is a “super perigee moon,” which will be the biggest Moon since 1993. While it may not be even close to warm out tonight, this is definitely worth a late night Main Green trip.

While Snowpocalypse 2011 continues to make mobility difficult and socks wet, many students have taken this opportunity to make some really beautiful and intense snow creations all over campus.  Arguably the most impressive of all these, however, is the igloo on the Main Green right outside Faunce. Learn about it’s builders and their design, plus more photos, after the jump. [Read more →]