Fall in Providence — Anne Simons / BlogDailyHerald

We’ve all been there. Students happily leading parents with giant cameras around campus, showing off their growing knowledge of their school. Parents gazing adoringly at their astonishingly capable students. Parents taking their kids to dinner or to the mall. It can be hard if you feel like the only one whose family couldn’t come for the weekend. Here’s some advice to drive away the non-family Weekend blues:

Get away
If the presence of happily reunited families is bumming you out and you have a free day, take the train up to Boston for a day. Stay out of the vicinity of Boston University though — their Parents Weekend is the same as ours.

Hibernate
It’s the perfect excuse to sleep, watch movies, eat crap foods and, if you’re really serious, get some work done. Just hide out in your dorm or the library. Yes, it’s still a little depressing, but at least at the end of the weekend you’ll have gotten some sleep or made progress on your task-list.

Mooch
Got a roommate or suitemate or best friend whose parents are coming? Casually let them know you’re available for lunch or dinner any time they’d suggest. Hint that you’ve really been wanting to go to Target, IKEA or Trader Joe’s but can’t because you don’t have a car. Maybe they’ll take pity on you.

If all else fails, just avoid Thayer and Providence Place.

Happy Fall Weekend! Here’s what’s looking good on campus:

Never Let Me Go, Avon Cinema 6:30, 8:40

Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go tells the story of three adolescents straight out of an English boarding school. As they try to navigate the testy waters of their love triangle, they’re faced with a whole new set of problems: THEY’RE CLONES!  Designed to be organ donors for people out in the real world, the three friends are forced to come to terms with their mortality a tad on the early side. And you were expecting a run of the mill coming-of-age story. Kiera Knightley, Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan star.

Boe Titla, Apache Balladeer, List 120, 5:30-8:00

Boe Titla  is a singer, songwriter, and artist from the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. His performance serves as the opening convocation for the Native American Heritage Series at Brown. Check out a preview here.

Megabus, Kennedy Plaza

It’s rained every day this week. We have Monday off. Tell Providence to stick it where the sun don’t shine (very convenient, considering Providence is already in Providence) and get outta here.