Maura Chen/Staff

Contact Maura Chen at mchen@dailycal.org.

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Winter is coming. Well, not actually winter, but the end of summer break is quickly approaching, with its ominous threat of class looming in the distance. Not to worry — here are some friendly reminders (and some more here!) of why the end of summer and the start of school are far from the worst things that could happen to you.

1. August and September bring the summer heat — finally. Although May, June and July constitute most of our break from school and are therefore deemed “summer,” the beautiful weather that really should accompany summertime typically makes its appearance in Berkeley beginning in mid-August and lasts through October. While there are certainly warm parts to these earlier months, we’ve all noticed by now that the weather isn’t very sunny majority of the time. But come school time, the gorgeous and highly anticipated sun shall return.

2. School isn’t starting just yet. We understand that the start of August seems to bring with it the cloud of school and the air of urgency of the end of summer. Well, school doesn’t actually start until the very end of August, so there’s plenty of time left to fit in all those summer plans that haven’t quite become reality yet. It can be especially fun if you plan on coming back to Berkeley early and have missed all your favorite places.

3. New classes mean new opportunities. Going back to school doesn’t have to be all bad; it can also bring with it an array of new additions to your life. The start of the semester brings all new classes with some new professors and the possibilities of new friends. Class doesn’t have to be looked at as something that is taking away from the fun aspects of life; rather, they can be seen as something that can add fun opportunities as well.

4. Football! While we understand that not everyone loves football (or really even understands what’s going on), the Cal home games are pretty awesome. Whether it’s the collective excitement at the beginning of every game that results in enthusiastic cheers or the stellar halftime shows put on by the marching band, the games create a sense of school spirit and collective enjoyment that can be extremely hard to come by in a school with more than 35,000 students.

5. Midterms don’t start for a few weeks. Even once school has started again, the time to buckle down and cram before midterms doesn’t surface for at least a few weeks. The start of school can still be filled with exploration and social time after class and on the weekends. Take advantage of the slightly lighter schedule while it lasts.

So while school is drawing near and the end of summer can be seen on the horizon, it does not mean that bad things lie ahead. There is still plenty of summer to be filled and excitement of the new school year to anticipate. And, personally, we can’t wait to have a little more sun around these parts again.

Image Source: ~Wei~ under Creative Commons

Contact Mackenzie Bedford at mbedford@dailycal.org.

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Cal is a school infamous for its stressors. We all are pretty competitive, and often we’re even competing against ourselves; we came to Cal to make ourselves better, didn’t we? In the quest for bettering ourselves, though, the basic necessities are neglected during the semester. Eating and workout habits go awry, sleeping patterns tend toward the nocturnal and relationships are strained.

But did you ever stop to consider that the weather could push us even further and make us take our stress out on other people in even worse ways? A recent study published in Science — for which two of the researchers are from UC Berkeley — found that hotter temperatures in weather really do make people more hot-headed. The study suggests that, historically, wars and other kinds of violence tended to occur during periods of extreme weather.

We think there has to be some truth to this research. We’ve done our own observations when it gets warm in Berkeley. Everyone feels a little groggier and crankier when we get an uncharacteristic “heat wave” of 80-something degrees. There’s no air conditioning in most Berkeley housing, so we don’t feel like doing anything in our puddles of sweat. When we don’t get anything done, we’re annoyed (mostly at ourselves). And then we take that annoyance out on the people surrounding us.

So though you may love the sun and complain of Berkeley’s “bipolar weather,” be grateful that you have one less stressor on you. Clouds and colder weather can make us sad, but a little chill may help you keep your own cool.

It’s not like we need any more reasons to sweat during that first exam of the semester.

Image source: Giulia Forsythe, under Creative Commons

Contact Jessica Rogness at jrogness@dailycal.org.

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Bonnie Mata Matthews/Senior Staff

The Daily Cal arts staff searched the Berkeley campus for summer looks that capture the distinct individuality of our student body. As temperatures soar, tank tops can be tempting, but these trendsetters embrace any chance to express themselves.

First photo: After picking it up recently at a flea market, Woodrow considers his leather jacket a modern and versatile staple. He is now rarely seen without it and swears that both his jacket and hat can be worn in all weather.

Second photo: Angelica Garcia spices up a light summer dress with T-bar sandals and her signature hair wrap from Venice Beach.

Third photo: Ashley Morgan opts for a shorts and flatforms combo to take her from class to the dance floor.

Fourth photo: Velour enthusiast Pat Simpson ordered this track suit online because he believes it is “all-purpose attire” and ideal for shooting hoops with friends.

Meadhbh McGrath is the arts editor. Contact her at mmcgrath@dailycal.org. Check her out on Twitter at @MeadhbhMcGrath.

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Remember the days when summer signified three months of wonderful nothingness? School was over until August or September, and the warm days stretched on endlessly in front of us, promising way too much relaxation and a whole lot of free time. Alas, by the time we get to college, summers just aren’t the same. The three months become filled with internships, volunteer work, paying jobs and anything else that could be substantially useful to our resumes. So this begs the question: Why add a summer class to that lineup and remove any of the lingering signs of summer? In case you’re weighing your options for next summer (or are just wondering), we’ve come up with some pros and cons:

Pro: The class sizes are usually smaller.While the classes at Berkeley are usually pretty large — typically ranging from about 100 to 600 people, the summer classes are made to accommodate fewer people. Most classes have less than 100 people, and only the basic classes, such as Chem 1A, still fall within a few hundred. The smaller group of students can allow for more engaging discussions that involve the whole class and don’t just consist of a professor orating from the front of a lecture hall. It also means that it is significantly easier to get to know the professor and establish an academic relationship with them.

Con: It can take away that summer feeling. Adding a summer class to your repertoire can stifle even the smallest glint of summertime. Having to attend class in our months off — even if it’s just two or three days a week for a few hours — can make the school year seem never-ending and take away our one time to let our brains take a breather. Summer days don’t seem so carefree when you’re aware that you’ll have to cut activity time short so that you can get to English by 2 p.m.

Pro: It’s a productive use of your time. Just taking one class can serve to lighten the next semester’s course load or remove some of the concerns about graduating on time. It’s commonly used to help complete the requirements of a supplemental minor. It can be especially useful when the prospects of an internship or job are slim and you don’t want to go home to loaf around for three months. Taking a class can be added to a resume just like work experience can.

Con: It can be pretty pricey. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean that tuition is any less ridiculous. Just taking one class runs typically upwards of $1,000 — not including the cost of living and eating in Berkeley for the summer.

Pro: It can allow for some intellectual exploration. While during the regular school year, most of us are entirely focused on remaining on our intended paths, the summer allows for some freedom in class choice. It seems our duty as students of a fantastic university to branch outside of our comfort zones and explore the multitude of classes offered to us — and the summer is the perfect time to seize that opportunity.

Whether you’re looking at a class out of necessity or just out of interest to fill one of your summers spent here, the classes can be quite rewarding. It can be used as a time for growth as an intellectual and for the creation useful academic relationships. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a death sentence for your fun in the sun, if you can manage your time correctly.

Image Source: Ken Colwell under Creative Commons

Contact Mackenzie Bedford at mbedford@dailycal.org.

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With about a month left of summer, you probably feel like school is going to start too soon. But there are also some things — fun or quirky things — that you might actually miss about Berkeley. The good thing is that you can try to get those things when you’re not in Berkeley. Here’s how:

Go to Peet’s. Even if you don’t need the caffeine for an 8 a.m. discussion, enjoy a cup of coffee. You can go get an iced latte at Starbucks too, but we recommend Peet’s because it was founded in Berkeley and can be found on nearly every block in our city, including in front of Crossroads.

Scrapbook. Do you walk into Michael’s and walk out two hours later with more craft supplies than you know what to do with? Next time you crafty people do that, pick up some scrapbook paper and an album. Summer is a great time to reflect on your years at Cal, and it’s a great time to put those reflections on paper.

Don’t just go to the movies. We all appreciate a good summer flick. But it’s good to check out something a little different too. Maybe your hometown has a free concert or a Shakespeare festival you never knew about. Outdoor events that offer cheap student admission don’t just exist in Berkeley.

Read a book. We’re from Cal; a lot of us are total book nerds. But even if you love books, you might forget to read if you’re too busy. Before you know it, you’ll be out of sorts and wondering why. It’s because your brain’s probably crying out for something imaginative or thought-provoking. Whether it’s the latest thriller best seller or a Victorian-era novel, remind yourself how much you love reading.

Find a squirrel. You can find the greedy little fur balls in more than just your college town. Don’t believe us? Check out a park you haven’t visited in a while. Different varieties of the species inhabit all of North America. But if you really just cannot find a squirrel in your local park, there’s always the Berkeley Squirrels Facebook page.

Are there other things you miss about Berkeley? How do you stay connected to your adopted city when you’re not there? Let us know in the comments!

Image source: tobucil & klabs, under Creative Commons

Contact Jessica Rogness at jrogness@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @jessarogness.

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Contact Josh Escobar at jescobar@dailycal.org.

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Sangria is a great drink for summer because it rivals good beer and pairs well with any dinner. It’s delicious and very hard to mess up. One bottle of wine can make enough for 8 to 12 servings, depending on the sweetness desired. Also, you can make really good Sangria with $4 wine. Live a little! (We recommend not using Two-Buck Chuck for Sangria because each bottle is just a bit too tart and dry.) Here’s a recipe that is cheap, quick and delicious.

Ingredients:
1 bottle of red wine
1/3 cup of brandy
1/3 cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/3 cup to 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda or sparkling water (depending on sweetness)
2 lemons, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
1 lime, sliced
Sliced fruit of your choice (we highly recommend peaches, cubes of watermelon or both)

Directions:
1. Pour wine into a large container.
2. Combine with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Stir twice.
4. Cover container.
5. Refrigerate for two hours.

Tips:
Use seasonal summer fruits, and cut into bite-size pieces.
The longer the fruit sits in the Sangria, the soggier it gets, so don’t let it sit for more than 24 hours.
There is not a significance difference in taste between $4 wine and more expensive varieties, given that most of us college students are used to Tw0-Buck Chuck. We find that Blue Fin at Trader Joe’s works wonders.
If preferred, you can make a bitter batch of Sangria and let your friends add more soda or brandy to their own servings.
Experiment with sweeteners! Use coconut rum instead of brandy or honey and mint lemonade instead of soda.

Have any suggestions or secrets for the ultimate sangria? Post them below!

Image source: Kevin H under Creative Commons

Contact Josh Escobar at jescobar@dailycal.org.

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Elsa Pearson/Staff

After finals, most Berkeley students scatter across the globe to study abroad, visit families, explore and party. The city left behind is altogether different. Here are a few signs that summer has hit Berkeley:

1. Open tables at Caffe Strada. Bustling and booming during the year, this cool and close cafe is humbled by the end of finals week and the pledges of students campuswide giving up their caffeine addictions.

2. Pine smell on the Fire Trails. The redwoods in the hills, which don’t like it very hot, dust the trails with the smell of their resin. Those with seasonal allergies might want to hike in the morning or late afternoon when it’s cooler.

3. No one takes the fog seriously. When it’s summer and rainy in Berkeley, everyone just wonders when it will be sunny again. On foggy days this summer, expect to see students in shirts, skirts and shorts rebelling against cool weather of any kind.

4. On frat row, there are fewer “walks of shame” (or strides of pride). Fewer students and parties mean one thing for walks of shame: fewer sightings. Plus, lighter summer school schedules allow everyone to party throughout the week rather than packing all the fun into one night.

5. Movies sell out on Sundays. Catching the late-night showing of “Monster’s University” or “This is the End” on opening weekend? Forget the snack. Ditch the friend who takes forever to get ready. Get there early because everyone else is going to the movies, too. Not convinced? Think of it this way: Take the lackluster number of blockbusters this summer compared to last, and multiply it by it’s-Sunday-in-a-college-town, and you’ll get lines and crowds at the theaters on Shattuck Avenue. Few things suck more than missing a good movie on an otherwise sleepy night. For a flickering moment, you feel as empty as campus is in the middle of a hot summer day.

Dog plays with shadow on Memorial Glade. Credit: photo department.

What are some surefire signs of a Berkeley summer to you? Let us know in the comments!

Contact Josh Escobar aqt jescobar@dailycal.org

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Gabrielle Nguyen/Staff

As college students on a well-deserved summer break, many of our summers are full of awesome vacations filled with parties, clubs, music festivals, indulgent meals, exciting outdoor adventures and infinite sightseeing trips. But if you have ever been on any fun-filled vacations before, you know that for every exciting trip you have, there are always post-vacation blues — those melodramatic mini-depressions that we get after going on vacations we will never forget. Here are a couple of tips to help you out when you’re feeling down:

1. Get some ZzZzZs. If you’re a Cal student, there is a very high chance you’ve had to deal with little to no sleep before (especially during midterms and finals weeks). And if you’re an adventure seeker who doesn’t want to miss out on any of the fun during a vacation, you’ve probably put those nocturnal skills to use. The period of time right after you’ve arrived back home from your vacation is prime snooze time. Soon enough, you’ll have to start up again with work, school or whatever it is you have to do. So take advantage of this precious, peaceful time while you still have it, and catch up on some Zs.

2. But don’t sleep TOO much. One thing you need to remember is not to extend that shut-eye period TOO long. If you have those post-vacation blues, lying around in the dark under the covers all day is only going to make your semi-depression worse. Make sure to go outside, enjoy the summer sun, run some errands and get back into the swing of things OUTSIDE of your vacation-land. Easing into the process will make coming home mentally easier.

 3. Exercise. Cal students lo-o-ove to eat. Vacation is the best time to indulge and stuff ourselves to the brim, so we know when to put those stuffing-our-faces skills to use. It’s nice to lose oneself to a meal every once in a while, especially on vacations, but once we get home, there’s usually an “uh-oh” reaction when we try to fit into those jeans we bought before the vacation. It’s important to remember that when we’re done with vacations, we need to get back into the swing of things — and that includes eating a regular, healthy diet again (or for the first time, if you never have before) and getting in some exercise. Once you start doing this, you will feel better about yourself, get those endorphins running and be able to mitigate those vacation blues.

4. Avoid looking at vacation pictures … at least for a little while. We know you will want to do this, but at least for the first couple days of being home, we suggest you avoid it. Looking at the million pictures you took on your Cabo trip is only going to make your Cabo withdrawals worse. Wait until you’re comfortable with being back home with all your friends and family, and look at the pictures a couple of days, or maybe even weeks, later. By that time, you’ll be able to enjoy the photos instead of complaining about how depressed you are that you aren’t in Cabo.

5. Know when to STFU. We all have this problem, and sometimes it’s hard to control: Your friends want to know about your trip! Of course they do — they’re your friends, after all. But you need to know when to stop. If all you’re talking about for the next 72 hours after you’ve arrived back at home is how awesome your vacation was, you probably need to stop. Ask about how your friends’ time while you were gone was. Ask about their vacations if they went on some too. Avoid saying things like, “Ughhhh, (insert vacation location here) is SO much better than here!” or, “Seriously, I wish I could go back. Those people are SO much more fun than my friends!” This will probably give off some bad vibes that you or your friends probably don’t want to deal with.

Do you have any tips for dealing with those post-vacation blues? Let us know in the comments!

Contact Gabrielle Nguyen at gnguyen@dailycal.org.

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