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Despite being a full-time graduate student that has three classes a week, an internship, and a part-time job, I still try to find time to “play”.  Sounds difficult, huh?  For the most part, it is, or can be rather.  However, the DMT & C program at Columbia firmly believes in the importance of recuperation as a means to sustain self throughout graduate school.

So, that’s exactly what I did this past week—I had some fun!

On Wednesday night, I went to the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings pre-season game at the United Center.  The restaurant I work for was selling cheap tickets, and since I am from the Detroit area, I found this to be a great opportunity to cheer on the Wings.  All those myths you hear about Blackhawks fans hating Wings fans, well, it’s true…all in jest though (sort of).  Despite the fact that my beloved Red Wings lost, it felt great to get out and go to a professional hockey game, even if it was pre-season.

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Thursday night, I headed to Columbia’s Dance Center to see the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co.  The company performed Valley Cottage (1980), Continuous Replay (1977, revised 1991), and Monkey Run Road (1979).  The pieces were both beautiful and somewhat difficult to watch, an aesthetic of Jones’ in general.  My favorite piece of the show was Monkey Run Road, which discusses a couple’s recent break-up.

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Next, I attended the first ever GCE: Urban Diversion on Friday, along with a fellow DMT & C student.  We met up with other graduate students at Floyd’s Pub for a pre-show drink.  After, we headed to the Gorilla Tango Theater to see BOOBS and GOOMBAS: A Super Mario Burlesque.  As the title suggests, it was a Super Mario themed burlesque show, which anyone growing up in the time of NES could appreciate.  Following the show, we all grabbed a drink at Green Eye Lounge.  The show itself was awesome, but the outing as a whole was fun and a great way to meet fellow graduate students in a casual setting.

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After such a week of fun and work, I had a pretty lazy Saturday.  I did manage to leave my apartment and head to the Design Harvest Festival on Grand.  The Design Harvest Festival features Chicago-made furniture, all of which cost more than I’ll probably ever be able to afford (ah the life of an artist/therapist).  I could afford, however, a delicious vegan cupcake from Swim Café, who had a food booth.  The overall atmosphere of the festival was very fall-like, featuring hay barrels/cornstalks, and it was a great way to commence my favorite month of the year!

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So there, I proved it—you can still have fun while in graduate school, and having some fun is actually imperative if you’re going to make it through.  Just make sure you get your work done first!