Summer in Berkeley 2015

In the now-infamous words of Alice Cooper, school’s out for summer! Summers in Berkeley present a unique opportunity for students and community members alike to embrace the slightly warmer (and slightly quieter) neighborhood.

Sweaty from all of that commuting to and from your summer internship, job, classes or daily CREAM “appointment”? How about getting sweatier in a way that’s far more enjoyable than trying to cram onto a BART train during rush hour?

My friends and I went to Yosemite National Park over the weekend. We chose one of the most strenuous trails: the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. When we passed the Columbia Rock landmark, it suddenly rained. We debated whether to continue, especially because it was kind of late — about 5 p.m. Eventually, we decided to continue, because we had already spent three hours hiking and it would be a pity if we gave up now.

When a journalist gets assigned a piece on alcohol, she simply does not say no. She puts on her serious face, enlists the help of her alcohol-friendly friends and begins the grueling research. And that’s exactly what I did this week to warmly usher in summertime in the Bay Area.

Peaches, nectarines, pluots, plums — I tried one of each at a sampling station at Sunday’s farmers’ market in the DMV parking lot, and they tasted like peaches, nectarines, pluots and plums, respectively. Now, initially, this may not seem surprising, because they tasted like what they are. But the same cannot always be said for the food that many of us eat today.

Reading for fun — what a novel idea! After braving the flood of required readings for class, at long last summer has come, and with it, the perfect opportunity to kick back and start reading for pleasure again. Though hitting the library to build your own reading list can be part of the fun, if you’re on the lookout for a specific book recommendation, we’ve got you covered.

As I lamented over upcoming research papers at 3 a.m. one night, it hit me. I didn’t want to be productive anymore — not when it cost my health and happiness. I stared at a vintage desktop Mac that ran Internet slower than a sleeping snail, trying not to wake my roommate. Sticky notes, which contained revised versions of my weekly to-do list and research ideas, plastered my cheap Goodwill desk. I crumpled up half the sticky notes, flicked off the lights and sprawled on my frameless mattress. After surviving three all-nighters, I was done.

The University of California and Gov. Jerry Brown’s office have deliberated for months on the amount of UC funding that will be provided by the state in the 2015-16 fiscal year.