Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2002)
—----------- Feature 7 WEch^^y, M ay 1, 2002 T he C lackamas P rînt In the spring, a notebook isn’t just for taking notes bar Marvin G. Baker Guest Columnist 1 Isn’t strange how spring puts people you’ve known all win ter long in a whole new light? I have several female friends on campus, many of whom I have known the better part of this year, and, until recently, I was pretty used to seeing them in heavy sweaters or coats, all toasty and bundled up with scarves while we chatted over coffee. In many cases, I began tak ing it for granted they were women - which was fine back in January when my brain could compute, “Ice pretty, fire bad.” Now that the sun, spaghetti straps, bellybutton T’s and sandals are coming out, that critical reasoning skill has been shot to hell. I’m just going to come right out and admit it: it’s becoming more and more difficult to sit across from one of my “friends” and maintain casual conversation when I’m really dying to point at her chest and ask whether or not those are new. Don’t get all indignant on me ladies, I’m not the only pigman just waking up from a nap. I’ve been watching the otheAr guys to check myself, and I’m not flying solo on this. During the winter, most men on campus were happy to slog around with their backpacks slung over a shoulder, eyes downcast, seeking the driest route to class. These days they’ve got a folder strategi cally clutched in one hand, and the other hand is buried up to the wrist in their pocket. Who are you guys fooling? I’ve never seen so many spiral note book codpieces in my life. Aside from the minor enter tainment value, all this people watching has paid off with a new theory. Get ready to wrap your minds around a paradox: I propose that women are far more farsighted - and logical - about sex and relationships than men are. Heresy, you re ply? I say thee nay, so read on, true believers. I have noticed that men and women catalogue the opposite sex differently during the off months. A guy will usually de cide “Yea” or “Nay” pretty quickly - “Nay” is almost al ways comes within sight of some other girl he thinks he might have a better shot with - and then he will try leaving a back door in place with spurned girl in case things don’t work out. He’ll stick to this plan, until, months later, when the sleeper he ignored all winter smiles at him from across the top of her sun glasses. An epiphany usually follows. Am I wrong here guys? That woman has never looked bet ter than she does in that mo ment of clarity. Everything you overlooked is right there in the open, and you know with ev ery fiber of your being you just screwed the pooch. More of ten than not, we are left to la ment our decision when the sleeper suddenly refuses to give us the time of day strictly on principle. This, by the way, is where the term “foolish mor tal” originated. This is also why many men live to regret tormenting their best friend’s annoying little sister. Conversely, women only de cide for certain whether or not they are going to sleep with you in the near future. Beyond that, everyone else gets shuffled into categories based on the degree of the likelihood of sex occurring. The categories range from “If- the-lights-dim-for-any-reason” to “There-isn’t-enough-alcohol- on-the-planet.” If you’ve dis missed her first, you may still be on the list, but it’ll be somewhere between the boy she used to babysit and Urkel from “Family Matters.” This is where I would argue that women are more logical and farsighted in relationships; they know better than to deal in ab solutes. I don’t believe they dis miss anyone completely out of hand. There’s always qualifiers to bail them out if they change their minds: I’m older, he’s older, he learned how to dress, he lost weight, there’s not as much body hair poking out from around the collar of his shirt, etc.... Take it from someone who’s learned the hard way, guys. You will lose if you try hedg ing your bets with every girl who has potential. As the saying goes, “One in the hand is better than two in the bush....” Come to think of it, there is no way any man ever made that up. Forget what I just said. Stick with “Practice makes perfect,” and you’ll be fine. To reach Marvin Baker e-mail mbaker296@hotmail.com or drop by B-104. Meditate your stress away • New meditation club offers increased awareness SHADRA BEESLEY Staff Writer College students are a very diverse group of individuals. However, we all have one thing in common: STRESS. A group of students and a philosophy instructor are pulling together to help Clackamas students with this problem. I attended a meet ing of the college’s Aware ness Meditation Club after an anxiety-inducing episode in the biology lab and, after just five minutes of meditation, left feeling refreshed and posi tive. That’s right, instant re sults. Shawna Pettigrew, the presi dent of the club, admits that “de-stress is the main ben efit.” She wanted to create a club to help* students deal with personal issues, and she knows from experience that meditation is a useful tool. Pettigrew presented Social Science instuctor Randy Thornton, who has been teaching an introduction to meditation for three years, with the idea of the club, and he was happy to lead the group. Thornton considers medita tion a basic life skill. “It will enrich anyone’s life,” he said. “It works for me!” He hopes that giving Clackamas stu dents an on-campus location to meditate will encourage them to do so. He also hopes to create a non-threatening environment where newcom ers will feel comfortable dis covering and discussing medi tation. He admits that the club is an experiment, but he is confident the group will be helpful to many people. He sees the club MAGGIE JIRASEK / Clackamas Print Instructor Randy Thornton (with back to camera) leads the Awareness Meditation Club In a group started to help students gain a life-enhancing skill. The club meets every Monday and Friday at noon in M253. as a starting point for stu dents and hopes to refer those who are interested in continuing meditation to other teachers who can en hance the experience. “Meditation is just learn ing to do exactly one thing at a time,” he said. The club’s goal is to teach students inner discipline and the ability to concentrate by blocking out distracting thoughts and focusing on what is happening at the mo ment. Thornton asserts that spending a few minutes a day keeping your mind focused leads to increased awareness in daily life. Pettigrew has observed many positive changes in her life due to her increased awareness. She used to suf fer from panic disorder, which made it impossible for her to speak to large groups. However, since she has started meditating she has conquered her fear of public speaking. Pettigrew firmly believes that meditation al lowed her to overcome her chemical imbalance, adding, “I can’t explain how it worksj it just does.” Pettigrew promises that you will know immediately if meditating is right for you. She encourages students to try it, and see how it affects them. Thornton agrees: “Unless you actually do it, you will never know.” The Meditation Awareness Club meets every Monday and Friday at noon in M253. To reach Shadra Beesley e- mail shadrab@hotmail.com or drop by B-104. 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