What Are *You* Doing This Weekend?

Praise it or blaze it. According to the Internet, these are the two options that have presented themselves for the coming weekend. Celebrate Easter, or indulge in the revelry of 4/20. The polarizing nature of these two celebrations leaves a few of us sober agnostics stranded on the middle ground. I want to have fun, sure, but I’m not in the mood for the Spirit or spirits of any kind. So with Cal Day passed, Dead Week fast approaching, and tickets to Coachella (and probably even Disclosure) long since sold out, I’ve schemed up some alternate ways to make this weekend totally dope.

1. Carnival for the Cure!

Probably the most exciting event this weekend at Berkeley, Sigma Nu, TKE, and Tri Delta’s co-sponsored charity event will feature – in addition to a plethora of carnival games – a Strong Man competition, raffle (prizes include a TV), photo booth, snow cones, hot dogs, cotton candy, water balloons, you get where this is going. The event also features food trucks and student dance/choral ensembles (including the Golden Overtones). Explore another side of Berkeley’s Greek Life by supporting this incredible philanthropy. The Carnival runs from 3-8 p.m on Saturday at Sigma Nu’s house on Bancroft (right across from Kroeber Fountain). All proceeds benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which provides free lifesaving treatment to children with cancer. It’s a fabulous cause, and there will be snow cones. I mean, come on. That’s not even a question.

 

2. Movies

Check out the showings at the Pacific Film Archive, wedged snugly between Hearst gym and Sproul Hall. Although the films tend towards the vintage or indie, cheap student tickets get you a cozy spot in a gorgeous old-fashioned theater. Martyrs of Love, Jan Nemec’s 1967 black and white Czech film, plays on Friday at 7:00pm, followed by Beetlejuice at 8:30. Saturday offers Satyajit Ray’s The Middleman at 6:00pm and Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend at 8:30. If you want something you can discuss with your friends, try Wes Anderson’s new dramedy, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

 

3. Fine Art

The more sophisticated student can take a trip to San Francisco and visit the de Young Art Museum, whose Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit closes May 11^th. The de Young’s location directly opposite the Science Museum promises to turn your day into an intellectual smorgasbord. Admission for college students is a sweet $6. Plan to make this excursion a day trip, though, because the de Young opens at 9:30 am and closes at 5:15 pm (on Fridays, the museum stays open until 8:45).

 

4. Recipe time!

Tired of Ghirardelli brownie mix? If you decide not to get baked, you can always do some baking instead. Challenge yourself with these three springtime recipes.

For all you novice bakers and foodies with the artistic ability of a three-fingered earthworm, these Chocolate Chip Cookies prove that the classics always win. My mom cut this recipe out of the LA Times when I was in first grade, forever altering my childhood. Officially called “Scripps Chocolate Chip cookies,” my sisters and I dubbed these glorious, salty-sweet, buttery, oatmeal daydreams “Cowboy Cookies” for their hearty crunch and rugged texture. Looking back, it’s a miracle that we ever got to taste the final product, because we’d steal gobs of dough behind Mom’s back. Cowboy cookies appeared in my first care package at Cal, and promptly disappeared in my building’s study lounge. They hold up great against milk, can tough it out with ice cream if you want to outdo CREAM, and take weeks to go stale. Substitute them for breakfast (oatmeal, eggs, caffeine…that’s about right, right?) or surprise a friend with a care package.

Get fancy with Lemon Raspberry Bars. Although my father staunchly refuses to indulge in these so-called “girly desserts,” I maintain that you are never too manly to enjoy edible lemonade. Adding raspberry puree to the lemon curd topping delivers both some fresh April sweetness and a delicious smack of coloring.

If you’re feeling particularly artsy or want to actually try something you saw on Pintrest, challenge yourself with Bird’s Nest Cupcakes. I’m breaking down the recipe into three parts. The no-fuss vanilla cupcake comes from the creative genius of Joan’s on Third in LA, and is the only vanilla dessert that can satisfy this chocoholic’s cravings. Since all buttercream frosting recipes are variations on a theme – butter, cream, sugar, would ya belive it? – you can use your own, but this Food Network concoction will serve just fine. Add lemon, coffee, tea, chocolate, mint, or any desired flavoring to personalize your cupcakes. To vary the thickness, add more or less confectioners sugar. But since I personally think buttercream is too rich and too sweet, I’m also including a link to this browned butter frosting, which works like buttercream, but with a marked edge to its flavor. You can add cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger if the fancy strikes. To make the nests, simply dip crispy chow mein noodles into melted baking chocolate and mold the nests upside down over an upturned cupcake pan. This means, set an upside-down mini-cupcake pan on a cookie sheet, and shape the chocolate nests around the bumps. Refrigerate until the chocolate cools. Mini Cadbury eggs are the best-tasting candies you can use.

 

5. Support Cal Athletics!

I know, I know, but we actually have a decent baseball team and they’re playing Washington this Friday at 7:00 pm on Evans Field. Get ready for the Boys of Summer by cheering for Bears. Besides, baseball is totally different from football. Just ask George Carlin.

 

7. The (never cliché) Beach Day

Lastly, one of my favorite memories from freshman year will be the Pescadero beach trip I took with my dorm friends in October. About an hour south of Berkeley, the state beach has huge stretches of cliffs, sand, wetlands, and small coastal towns. The Los Angeles beaches had ill-prepared my So-Cal veins for the icy shock of the water, but I waded into the waves with no regrets. Seated on a driftwood bench, shivering in a towel, with my feet in the white sand, and my eyes locked on the setting sun, I could pretend that school never existed. There is a world beyond Doe Library, fraternity row, and VLSB. Bring a guitar, a picnic, or a Frisbee. Just bring friends! The ocean has not lost its ability to draw out the human imagination from her secret corners, and the fresh salt air delivers a high unlike anything you’ll find on Memorial Glade. Or, you know, bring the party with you…