Good vibes, man (via digitalmomblog.com)

Let’s face it: we’ve all wished at least once that our lives came with dramatic movie background music. Every moment could be spiced up a little with its own theme music. Thankfully, now that we live in the 21st century, sites like Spotify and 8tracks can give us just the right playlist for when you want to study, sleep, or party. But that doesn’t really cover the scope of what people experience, especially at a place like Kenyon–it’s time for the mixtape artists of the world to step up and start churning out tunes for all those little “only at Kenyon” experiences. Luckily, I’ve come up with a few ideas.

1. The Last Mac and Cheese Wedge – The only thing worse than ordering pity mac and cheese wedges to your dorm while stress writing an entire 10-12 essay due at 8:00 the next morning is when you realize you’re staring down at the last morsel of self-indulgence and that your “food break” is coming to an end soon. Your grief intensifies; for a moment everything feels still, and you’re suspended in the seconds between crying and laughing. You swallow that last bite around the anxious lump in your throat, and lowly in the background, a morose beat picks up. Suggested listening: Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day

2. ~*~ ReAdInG DaZe ~*~ – Freedom. Freedom to do and experience all those Kenyon Quirky (TM) things you’ve been too busy to experience since you arrived on campus, all those things you’d been looking forward to since you got your acceptance letter last spring. You drag a picnic blanket out onto the lawn and sit around laughing and drinking iced tea with all your shiny new friends. You chat excitedly about maybe going into downtown Mount Vernon tomorrow. Someone brings a speaker along, and you turn up the tunes as you sit back and enjoy the sunshine (from the library window, a pale-faced senior takes a study break to glare down at your happiness, but don’t mind him; this feeling will go on forever, right?). Suggested listening: San Francisco – The Mowgli’s

3. Housing Lottery – There are only 2 doubles in Bushnell left, but 6 people in the line in front of you. No, wait, 8. But surely–surely there are other dorms people are signing up for. Right? You ask your friend, and she makes a humming, anxious noise while she checks her phone. “Wait, now there’s only one spot,” she says, and you watch, anxiety wrenching up in your stomach, as two smiling girls walk off chattering. You envy them. You want to push over all the other people still in line and claim the double that is rightfully yours. As the flight or fight instinct ramps up and you clench your fists, angry music floods over the KAC’s speaker system. Suggested listening: The Winter Soldier – Henry Jackman

4. Prospie Dinner – Time is dragging on and on and on until finals. You’re tired, maybe a little malnourished, and in need of something, anything positive. You rub your eyes, trying to starve off the tension headache building at your temples, and take a break from your reading to check Peirce’s facebook page. Your breath catches in your throat. Your spirit lifts. Everything on the menu is among your favorite meals; your stomach rumbles in appreciation. There is goodness in the world, and you have found it. A smile slowly breaks across your face and you start packing up your stuff. You slip on your headphones, nodding along to one of your favorite songs as you make your way to bliss. Suggested listening: Somebody Loves You – Betty Who

5. The Cove – You see them, and maybe it’s all the vodka swishing around in your stomach, but you are in love. Is there really anything else to say? Suggested listening: We Found Love – Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris (in fact, this is the only song on the mix, playing on loop, forever).