My fellow worn-down students: we are so close. Spring break is finally here, bringing a much-needed break from boring lectures, aggravating group work and tedious papers.

Maybe for you, this spring break holds adventure and excitement in store. Maybe you have big plans to party on the beach or sip fancy drinks on a fancy, exotic island. Maybe you’re even visiting a big, glamorous city such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles or even Miami.

To those of you who have planned an exciting spring break for months, I say, with the slightest tone of sarcasm mixed with jealousy, good for you.

I’m happy that some of you are going off and having the college spring break experience, but I’m also a bit bitter from all the times I’ve been asked what I’m doing over spring break and am forced to reply grudgingly with a shrug, “Nothing, really…”.

For whatever reason it may be — lack of funds, lack of friends, friends that “forgot” to include you, job responsibilities or procrastination — there are plenty of us dreading a break filled with nothing but homework and eating Nutella out of the jar alone on the couch.

To those of you in the same boat as me, dreading a lackluster break, I propose we still make the best of our time off. Why not take advantage of our allocated week to avoid the reality of college papers and exams by having some fun?

Stay local

Don’t roll your eyes at this one yet. By now we’ve all experienced Downtown Fort Collins in all its glory. But there are plenty of events taking place next week that people going out of town will miss.

• The lovely Lyric Cinema Café has notable events next week, including a showing of “Pulp Fiction” every day from March 13-19 as a part of its Quentin Tarentino Retrospective showcase. Tickets are a mere $9 and totally worth traveling back in time with this 90s classic. Bonus: You can finally see the scene that inspired the catchy new Fall Out Boy song “Uma Thurman.”

• Pets make the best friends, especially because they can’t yell at you when you dress them up in ridiculous outfits. At 5:30 p.m. March 17, the Humane Society is holding a pet costume contest in Old Town Square. Whether you have a loving dog or cat to dress up or not, it’s still worth going and crying over all the ridiculous cuteness.

Treat yo’ self
So you can’t afford a plane ticket to the Bahamas? So what. You can still pamper yourself in less expensive ways.

• Bathe yourself in the luxury of a spa for a day. Get a massage to relax those tense shoulders from all the days spent hunched over a desk and lugging a 50 pound bookbag around. Get a manicure and polish up those lovely hands of yours after they’ve been cramping up from all the note-taking. Get a pedicure to prep those puppies for warm weather footwear.
• Shop until you drop. Spend a day rewarding yourself for all your hard work this semester, and go shopping with friends who are staying behind, your mom, your significant other or even your imaginary friend. Park Meadows and Pearl Street Mall are my personal favorites. Bonus: seeing all of the spring and summer clothes selections will make you even more pumped for warm weather.

Be a tourist in your own state

We live in a beautiful state, people.

As someone who originally came to CSU from the east coast, I realize just why Colorful Colorado deserves its nickname. For people from Colorado, this may not be the most appealing option, but it’s one to consider if you take the sheer wonder of nature for granted and need a reminder of why this rectangle-shaped state is anything but square.

• Visit Rocky Mountain National Park and stop and walk around to all the cool shops in Estes Park on your way back. Bonus: it’s not as much travel time as you’d think.
• Take a trip to Colorado Springs and see Garden of the Gods and Pike’s Peak.
• Take a trip to the Royal Gorge and appreciate the architects who built such a stable bridge to stand over and view “the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas.”

Collegian A&E Writer Erica Grasmick can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @E_Graz_.