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September 21, 2009

Joe Dawson ’12

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... Oh, hello there. I was just thinking about some of my favorite things here at Oberlin. Oh, I delight in hairless monkeys, Cathy comics, putting rubbing alcohol in my eyes, but above all, there are a few great places to hang out in Oberlin that have made their way into my 'favorite things' category. So to hell with bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens! Check these sweet spots out:

A messy dorm room with clothes on the floor and cluttered surfaces

Ah, my room. It's a single, which is great for my people-phobia. It's a single, so it's not great for my claustrophobia. As you can see, I just cleaned it...

The columns in front of the door at the Allen Art Museum

The Allen Memorial Art Museum is truly an impressive sight. It's where my dad spends a lot of time when he comes for Parents' Weekend and stuff. Honestly, Oberlin is unlike a lot of bigger campuses in that the buildings themselves are not made to be really impressive or huge, but this place has some really cool stuff.

The door at the Allen Art Museum with a sign taped to it

This sign says "Art Rental has sold out." They sure have. Art Rental won't even play in their own hometown anymore without the owner of the bar where they first performed paying them like 40% of the door. The museum is going to be renovated soon, but someone please tell me that I didn't miss out on my chance for art rental and that the museum isn't going to be closed until after I graduate. Art Rental is a decent band name, if anybody wants to pay me to use it.

A group of students sitting at a table in Stevenson Dining Hall

Now some Obies choose co-ops, some cook their own food,

But for the true Yeoman, there's no eatin' as good,

As that in the hall named for one Willie Stevenson.

Have chicken that's grilled, or burgers covered in cheese n' sin.

A table level view of a students sitting at a table in Stevie. In focus are two peaches and a Nalgene water bottle

More Stevie, the place of hopes and creams. Like cream of mushroom soup, creamed corn, whipped cream for your pancakes. If you're outside the dining hall and you think about it, read the plaque on the south end of Stevie about William Stevenson. This guy was super busy as an Olympic athlete, a lawyer, a diplomat, and a college president. And he did it all without limbs*. Incidentally, those peaches in the picture are pretty suggestive, huh?

A student playing the piano in a conservatory practice room

I have mentioned before my affinity for the conservatory's practice rooms. Mostly I just sit in them and listen to the talented people play cool music around me.

A student studies at a table in a very windowy, bright Science Center atrium

The Science Center atrium (technically named Perlik Commons, I think). Big windows, lots of tables to lie on, comfy chairs and couches. You can find me at one of the tables doing the NYT crossword puzzles many mornings. I saw Osteel perform here once on Parents' Weekend and this place was packed to the roof (not really) with students and parents, most of them trying to dance in the 2 and a half inches of personal space they had left. It was amazing.

A view of wilder bowl from an upper floor of Mudd library. It is a sunny day and the grass is packed with lounging students

Wilder Bowl, the most popular site for lounging on warm Friday afternoons on campus. This particular TGIF, I was the only one on the third floor of Mudd, so I wasn't severely shushed for the terrific noise my camera's shutter was making.

A student pays for their food at the decaf check out

Decafe is a tiny grocery store in the basement of Wilder, complete with a smoothie bar and sandwich place that both create tasty amazings every time I go there. If I'm hungry between (or during) mealtimes, this is my one stop shop for munchables. There are a LOT of lightbulbs in this place, so don't say I didn't warn you. I miss you late night hours, come back please.

The author posing for a selfie in front of an empty mailbox. His hand rests on his chin and he has a contemplative look

Coping with an empty box in the good ol' mail room. You would think it gets easier to deal with after it's happened a few times, right? No, not right. Whenever I get a blue slip, meaning there is a package for me at the front desk, I make a big deal out of it. "A PACKAGE? For MEEE? Why, who could have wanted to send little old me a package? OOOOhhhhh goodness I almost dropped my blue slip! What a clod I am! Better go pick up my box of 1,000 condoms! Ha! Just joking," this continues for about five minutes before I proceed to pick up my cactus-gram.

A view of the water at the arb. The water has a mirror effect of the cloud filled sky

Finally, the arb. While I usually run around this lovely plot of land in my nylon shorty shorts and running shoes, it's a great place for general walking about, picnics, and photo-walks. The ponds are super pretty, and as of last spring you could see a hawk family in a tall tree near the bridge in the evenings.

That's all, folks! Feel free to holla back with some of your own favorites!

*Not verified

Responses to this Entry

I like that you've put up some photos of your fave places, because A] I don't know what these things look like, and what better way than to skip the 14-hour drive and look at photos you took? and B] I totally think you'll appreciate having these even more in the big, bad future. The only photos I took at THAT OTHER COLLEGE were during drunken Disco Nights, drunken Spring Waltzes, drunken Hallowe'ens, drunken Dress As The Other Gender Nights (the boys always looked so much hotter than girls. Seriously, girls dressed like men? Not an attractive look), drunken Monday Nights, and drunken "Days that have an 'A' in them." There...may be a pattern there.

Oh, but also I went around campus once and took photos during a MASSIVELY foggy day, so really the only pictures I have of this pretty campus are blurry, from my drunken camera angle or the fog. Which means I have to buy a crapload of postcards every time I go back, because of sentimentality, and YOU, my brotha, are going to save yourself like five bucks each trip you take back to your alma mater, strolling down memory lane, because you already have postcard-ready shots.

So congratulations!

P.S. Our package slips were a kind of tannish-yellow. Maybe JUST yellow. Orange? And don't you hate getting them in Saturday's mail because then you have to wait until Monday to get the package? Unless you went before noon when the mail window was still open. you did, didn't you, Joe? You TOTALLY go before noon. In your shorty SHORTS.

Posted by: Genevieve on September 21, 2009 4:17 PM

I share so many places! I love the arb, but sometimes, I love the reservoir more, and the graveyard between them.

Have you been to the observing deck in Peters? Phenomenal view.

I love the public intimacy of the academic commons. I love Oberlin on early Saturday/Sundays, when all is quiet and still.

Posted by: Aries on September 21, 2009 11:32 PM

gennervieve: I'm getting a slightly different picture of your college years, I guess I assumed everyone just went straight from classes to the library and then to the bookstore to buy recycled bottle-cap belts, studying and making fashion statements all the while.

Aries: That graveyard is really cool. I ran through it once like right before/during sunset right after a rain last spring. I have been up on top of Peters as well, for a 'sun viewing' thing during the day.

Posted by: Joe on September 23, 2009 9:19 PM