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Collegian The
Volume 102 | Issue 03
Microbes Inside Us? pg. 7
“Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity” --Hippocrates
October 12, 2017
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Last Things First college place, wa | walla walla university
| October 2017 Issue 3
Cringe By Meghann Heinrich You know those moments you wish you could take back? The times where everything would’ve been fine if you had just kept your mouth shut? The snapshots of your life that you’ve done your best to forget, but, instead of disappearing, wait in hiding until you’re lying in bed four years later, and unexpectedly choose to resurface? Then, suddenly, instead of drifting off to sleep you’re wide awake, reliving the time you consciously messaged a guy you thought was the cat’s pajamas, but instead of saying, “Hey, what’s up?” or even “Hi friend,” you led with “God bless you.” I believe the technical term for such instances is “cringe” — something I feel uniquely qualified to talk about. However, instead of regaling you with a lengthy cringe tale, I think it’s best for me to pass on some quick tips on how to navigate through common cringe situations:
Shower Thoughts “The other day I was cooking and a lid flew off of one of my pots and I just thought “That’s why household accidents are so scary: you never see them coming. Cooking is a high-contact sport!” -Lauren Heinrich
1. Hug etiquette. You know what I’m talking about. Two people acknowledge each other and start to move toward one another while simultaneously raising their arms in universal hug gesture. In these pivotal moments before embrace, you have to make the decision — both your arms above theirs, both your arms below theirs, the classic one up/one down situation, or the sad side hug? It’s a lot to think about; one wrong move and you could be smothered in their armpit. Solution: keep raising your already elevated arms, get that funky beat in your feet… 5,6,7,8... IT’S FUN TO STAY AT THE YMCA!
2. Awkward door-holding distance. There are those wonderful souls who always wait to see if there’s anyone behind them they can hold the door for. They’re lovely human beings , and I have no beef with them until they misjudge the distance between you and the door. Then you not only feel obligated to go into that building (even if you have no reason to) but also must shuffle-run with your backpack1 to acknowledge their kindness. Solution: door-holder sees you 50 feet. away, make eye contact and smile. Then simply lay down on the ground and chant “potato, potato, potato” until they leave. It won’t happen again.
Verbatim
3. Unsolicited, unwarranted and unwanted confessions of love. Solution: two words — finger guns. I am a firm believer in the power of finger guns. Imagine, if you will, a person you are perfectly indifferent toward makes a move. No problem, you’ve got your quick draw. Whip those babies out, point them at the source of the cringe and back out in the direction of the nearest exit and just “pew pew” your way right out of there.
4. When your tummy starts to gurgle and whine. This is a frequent and natural occurrence for the average human being. The people in your immediate vicinity will most likely cast judgmental glances in your direction, pressuring you to somehow tell you tummy to hush up. Solution: lean over conspiratorially, give a saucy sailor wink and say, “My tummy trolls are tap dancing.” They will move, and you can gurgle in peace. Now you know how to navigate the cringe. Embrace it. ATTENTION: In the next week or two I will be doing a Last Things First: Joke Edition. If you have any chuckle-worthy anecdotes or puns, send them my way! meghann.heinrich@ wallawalla.edu
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“You’re too big. If you were a grasshopper you could breathe out of your butt and it’d be fine!” -Professor Kyle Craig “If you put a clown on crystal meth the odds of the clown going in a straight line are kind of limited.” -Professor Tom Ekkins “I am an ignorant peasant hoeing in my garden” -Professor Terry Gotchel “Math can be hard, you need a bit of humor to get it down” -Professor Tim Tiffin “Be weird, its OK. Be knowledgeable, be weird.” -Professor Bryce Cole
Email your faculty verbatim or shower thoughts to meghann.heinrich@wallawalla.edu to be featured!
© 2017 KYRA GREYEYES