Sonia_
HOLLIMON-STOVALL
Whipped cream and bikini wax
Remedies for cabin fever require creativity
“Though the weather outside is
frightful, indoors can be delightful.”
Rhyming the rest of that song was
just too much work, so here’s my
message.
What are
the two major
things affecting
our lives as
students right
now ? Snow and
school. Are
either of those
prospects even
remotely
tantalizing?
Not even. Want to hear something
that is?
Spring break.
Ahhh yeah, now those are the
magic words. Sandy beaches, parties
‘til dawn and flirting with people
you’ll never have to see again in your
life.
Unfortunately, it’s not time to
break out the bikini wax just yet,
kids. It’s not even February and
we’ve got three long months to go.
Never fear, sweetlings—Auntie
Sonia’s got a cure for cabin fever.
One of the First things you’ve got
to realize, especially if you’re in a
relationship, is that this is crunch
time. On one hand, you and your
baby want to snuggle up, but on the
other hand, it’s a little too close for
comfort.
My advice — hang in there at
least until Valentine’s Day. It’s such a
shame to see all that lingerie in
Victoria’s Secret just hanging there,
with no place to go, and no hope of
ever finding a home.
Looking for a way to escape the
bleak Nebraska landscape? Head for
the Rec Center—not only is it a
great way to get your own butt in
shape—you could be checking out
someone else’s in the process.
If a little self-rejuvenation is in
order, turn yourself on with an
aromatherapy bath, complete with
candles and a fairy-tale favorite like
“The Lion, The Witch, and The
Wardrobe.” (Sorry dormrats—you
know the candle rules.) Not oily will
your senses get a lift but your spirit
will too.
If “alone time” isn’t what you
need, get a tub of Cool Whip and
some friends and play some games
— sorry, the Cool Whip is for the hot
chocolate. (Miss Hollimon-Stovall
and the Daily Nebraskan are not
responsible for whipped cream
misuse.)
Videos are always an old standby,
but who wants to just sit around? The
biggest problem with February
frenzy is being cooped up indoors —
so go roller skating, have a pillow
fight in the snow—anything that
will make you laugh and get you
through midterms will do.
And if you’re looking for a good
laugh in the wintertime, any Saturday
night you can go downtown and
watch all the morons traipsing from
bar to bar without their coats on. I
always get a kick out of that one.
So go forth, winter warriors, and
make snowmen while you can, ‘cuz
soon there’ll be finals, and you’ll be
trying to get a tan.
Hollimon-Stovall is a senior
broadcasting major and a Daily
Nebraskan columnist.
Jason Gildow/DN
Patrick
MACDONALD ^
Rent is due on the...
Collapsed ceiling, kindness mark relationships
When thinking of a typical
landlord, I often picture the large
lady with the loud, shrill voice
always demanding to know where the
rent is. 7
Or
perhaps he is a
withered, old
man—chain
smoking—
banging on your
apartment door
at some odd hour
querying you as
to the strange
noises emanating
from your domicile and “his”
apartment.
I have experienced these types of
landlords—and found other places
to live as soon as possible.
I remember the calls to my
landlord notifying him that the
ceiling in my bathroom was about to
cave in because water was leaking
through the floor of the upstairs
apartment.
My landlord said it would be
“taken care of.” Three weeks later,
with half of my bathroom ceiling
lying in my bathtub, the maintenance
man appeared at my door and told
me I should have contacted my
landlord days ago.
I have certainly stereotyped
landlords, but most are good people
who try to leave you feeling as
though you have some humanity left
after paying your rent. They try their
best to take care of your needs.
The only things they ask in return
are prompt payment of rent and
leaving the place in a reasonably
clean state, so they don’t need to
have the apartment declared a federal
disaster area.
I have been a home owner. As a
“landlord,” I think of myself in the
stereotypical sense.
I am sitting in my easy chair,
playing a Nintendo game with my
children. Imagine the following
conversation:
WIFE: Honey, the garbage
disposal is making that strange
humming noise, and it won’t turn
again.
ME: (to myself) Why can’t I just
play this game with my kids without
being bothered?
WIFE: We also had more plaster
fall out of the ceiling in the basemen
today.
ME: I'll get right to fixing those.
Why don’t you make me a list of
everything that needs to be fixed, ant
I’ll get busy making repairs? (Mind
you, I never really plan to leave this
chair.)
WIFE: I’ve made you a list, but
they keep disappearing.
You get the idea. I am by no
means any better than the landlords I
have spoken of previously.
Recently, my family has fallen
upon hard times, and we have had to
rent a home. This was something we
hoped never to do again.
In seeking the right place to live,
price was of paramount importance.
Rent in Lincoln is not cheap.
We have a very limited budget
1 which resulted in a number of
refusals to rent us a dwelling by
several different landlords. They
want to receive their rent in a timely
1 manner. Not once did any of these
landlords go out of their way to help
a family in need, until...
We found a young gentleman who
took good care of his units, and
unlike those previously mentioned
landlords, gave us a place to live
without making us feel less than
human.
We know the sacrifice he and his
family made on our behalf. He knew
that we would not stay long, yet he
was kind enough to give us shelter at
a fair price.
He is the owner of a trailer park.
The trailers, while not particularly
new, are well-equipped and clean.
He and his wife rented our family
a trailer based solely on us as people.
It is unique by today's standards for
someone to take you at face value,
and with a simple handshake, make a
gentlemen's agreement.
They are role models for anyone
wanting to succeed in life—provide
good service at a fair price, and
always treat your customers with
dignity and respect.
I will never be able to repay them
for their kindness, not financially
anyway. I can only hope that their
trailers will always be lull of people
who appreciate both the condition of
the trailers and the quality of their
landlords.
To my favorite landlords, Steve
and Michelle, all I can give is my
sincerest gratitude. If anyone needs a
place to live, Steve and Michelle
recently had a trailer become open.
They will be the best landlords
you ever had.
MacDonald is a freshman
electrical engineering major and a
Daily Nebraskan columnist
Aaron Steckelberg/DN