Nipissing Napissing

Based on recent events, and through suggesting this lovely option to many of my colleagues, I have come to the conclusion that Nipissing should have nap rooms. Some of you may be aware of this trend existing in companies, such as Nike, Sprint, Deloitte, Airway companies, and the US Army. That's right, the US Army even gets to sleep on the job. A number of companies in the Silicon Valley even have rooms complete with mini showers and alarm clocks (that's right, I did my research), and in all my research I have yet to find a university with nap rooms.

Now, some of you may say "that is what the library is for" or "who needs sleep when you have Red Bull?" To you I say "You are in denial." If you think about it, who wouldn't want a nap room? The library is hot and stuffy and crowded and to sleep in that atmosphere wouldn't give you the good, quality sleep you need to pass that quiz in your bio class in an hour. And who wants to show up with binder ring marks on their face? Pas moi. And why pay for Red Bull when you can nap? That's my theory.

So, I propose that our new library, the "Learning Library," be equipped with said nap rooms. We can be innovative, ahead of the game! Just imagine the stats, people's marks will obviously be affected drastically, there would be more cheer in the hallways, it would be great. I see no downside to this plan, and if you see one, kindly keep your negativity out of our cheery, well-rested halls.

We are the first university to have the iTeach program, and I feel such innovations should extend beyond the world of computers, and into the realm of sleep.

On a slightly related note, what is with the random bed in the second-floor bathroom by the small cafeteria? When the door says occupied you can't go in. It happened to me once. I was just an innocent little student needing to use the facilities and I was denied access. If this is a nap room, then that is just more proof we should have more as students. Sometimes I'm tempted to seek out said bed and set it to occupied myself.

Also, just one final note -- we wouldn't even have to invest in blankets for said nap rooms, if finances are an issue. I know my earlier post convinced us all to start wearing our snuggies to school cape-style to keep us warm in class, so we're all set blanket-wise. Just give us some beds :)

(After completing this post I searched for an appropriate photo accompaniment. I found "Power Pods" from the UK. We wouldn't even need whole rooms! Check it out!)

Weather Dorks

In this installment of embracing your inner dork, I wish to explore the "stupid/foolish" aspect of "dorkism". My best example can be summed up in North Bay's weather paradox.

It's mornings like today, when I wake up and look out my window to see the weather, that my mind likes to play tricks on me. This might be because I live in a basement apartment and my window actually faces another wall and has overhead shelter, but I can never know for sure what the weather is going to be like. We would assume that since it's JANUARY, it should be bitter cold, snow blowing in blizzards, etc. But this past week didn't start out that way. It started out fairly warm, and people wore leggings to school (myself included - don't pass up a chance to wear out-of-season clothes when they're out of season! Especially if it means you can avoid wearing clonky winter boots! Sacrifice for fashion, people!). Then came the rain. RAIN! In January! The fact that the public bus system always makes it up the hill even in the freezing rain we had this week is a testament to our dedication as students, even if we have nothing to do with the bus system really.

And then suddenly it's Thursday, -17 degress, windy, squally, and just plain COLD. Then the complaining begins. Yes, fellow Nipissingites. I am guilty of it too. We are all dorks. We all complain about how cold it is, how windy it is, how we wish we could be at home in the warmth of our beds, or even in the library, because all NipU students know that is the warmest place to be in the building, aside from forming a group huddle. But the irony is that we knew what North Bay was like before we moved here. A lot of us come from the South, and we made a conscious decision to move north. What did we think was going to happen? Obviously NORTH Bay isn't going to be Florida.

Maybe we thought we would be able to sit beside fire places when we didn't have class, at home under a blanket, creating a cabin-like atmosphere but keeping our cultured tastes and conveniences, like running water. Well, I think we all can agree that houses with fire-places are not quite within the price range of most student budgets. Heat is extra in my apartment, and I am willing to admit that I have sat in my living room in my snowpants. It's been known to happen. But we all have to admit, there's nothing like the picturesque landscape surrounding our university when it is covered in fresh-fallen snow. What other university can claim to have as beautiful a scene as our pond in winter, with the trees backing the montage? Or this picture of the road right in front of the university?

So, my fellow students, I have a solution! It's a simple one, that will allow us to enjoy the beauty of North Bay in person, and keep us warm at the university! If you're one prone to being cold in class, take a snuggie, the blanket with arms! You can write notes, stay warm, and even eat snacks while wearing them without ruining your clothes in case of a spill! How will you get these to the university? Well, that's the easy part! If you wear it backwards it doubles as a cloak. So you can pretend you're in Harry Potter and stay warm on the way to class too!

[Photo by author; no license infringement]