It has taken me a lot of thought to decide on my favorite place to be. At first I tried to imagine the most amazing places I’d been, cities and parks and sights around the world. The problem with those was that I’d witnessed many of them for only a short while. There’s a little town in the Netherlands that is one of the most beautiful and quaint places I’ve seen, but I was only ever there for a day. My favorite place has to be one that I can visit often, that can consistently make me happy. That place is 
in a tree. Yes, a tree. Hear me out. Not only does it satisfy my basic hippie child nature needs, it’s also nice to look at the world from a higher vantage point. Incidentally, have you ever read a book on a nice spring day high up in a tree? Oh, it’s great. Never mind the people walking past me, realistically thinking that I’m strange. It really doesn’t matter. I’m the one feeling peaceful and connected to the world. Meditating in a tree? Try it. You will definitely know what I’m talking about. The biggest advantage of a tree is that they are almost everywhere. Depending on your tree-climbing ability, 9 times out of 10 you will find one that is right for you. There are always new ones to find a comfortable perch in, sit back, and indulge in the tranquility.
Becky Burlak
When asked “if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?” people usually hesitate, give it some thought, and finally answer with some exotic faraway place such as Hawaii or Europe. Next time I’m asked this question, I already have my answer prepared; and no, it’s not some tropical island or distant land. It’s this little known utopia called Scott Hall Room 121, particularly on 
Mondays between the hours of 9PM and 10 PM. What makes this area so exciting at this time? Well for one, just being there makes me feel like I’m in this amazing group of people, and somehow everyone’s still unique in their own ways! The excitement begins right from the start-when each person states their name in a kind of orderly fashion…now I know what to call these people, besides “awesome” of course. Soon after, usually I’d hear a voice saying “things to write about this week!” Upon hearing this, I, along with everyone else, am sitting on the edge of my seat, impatiently waiting to hear which topics have been thought of for me (or one of the many other equally genius minds) to write about within the next few days. On some lucky weeks, special events are even discussed. There is no greater feeling than the heart rush that you’ll get when you realize that you could attend events like the Dodge Poetry Festival, or a shorter but cooler version of Hack-a-Thon. As hard as it may be to believe, the best excitement is saved for last, when the room discusses the creation of the ultimate magazine. This magazine is so outstanding that it is only to be created twice a semester. Any more would just be too much awe for a person to handle. What makes this the “ultimate” is that this writing publication is forged by not one, not two, but by everybody in the room! That’s right, the entire room takes part in this creation-no wonder why there’s so much awesome contained in those sheets of paper! But of course, all good things must come to an end. As it nears 10PM, the room starts to disperse, and eventually everyone goes home. But when this happens, I fear not, because I realize that I can relive these moments in merely 167 hours…and that’s what gets me through the week.
Boris Klimushkin