We are a month into 2016 already. That means we're a month into resolutions, new beginnings and a new semester. For some, the fact that a month has already flown by may seem disheartening; there wasn’t as much time to work out or write or study or do whatever it is you promised yourself you would do this new year. For others, it may seem as if the time is dragging on. Although it has just begun, you’re already over it. Still for others, this year so far has been one of the best, and you’re just trying to hold on to the excitement and motivation that comes along with the beginning of a new semester. No matter where you are in the spectrum of loving or despising 2016, don’t give up and don’t lose that new-year spark. With 11 months to go, there are still plenty of things to look forward to and plenty of time to start doing exactly what you want to do. Here are some things you can use to bolster your motivation and help you fall back in love with 2016.
1. A Whole Week Off for Mardi Gras
In the first time since I’ve been a student at Southeastern, we get a whole week off for Mardi Gras. For most of us, that means we escape and head out of town, but if you’re a Mardi Gras fan, you get to go to all the parades this year! Take this week off while we are still at the beginning of the semester to get all of your school stuff organized, your studying caught up, and your desire to just relax or have fun fulfilled.
2. The Presidential Election
As absolutely terrifying as it is this go-round, there are some things to look forward to about it. For one, you get to enjoy making fun of Donald Trump and his multiplicity of blunders, like telling Liberty University students to read Two Corinthians or telling people he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any voters. Not to mention, it brings along hilarious speeches like Palin’s speech in Iowa and, better yet, the SNL skits that come along with all of it. On a serious note, you actually get to make a serious decision and vote for the next President of our country. So there’s that.
3. Friend's Reunion Movie
Okay, so maybe Chandler might not be in it, Monica is unrecognizable after all her plastic surgery (why, Monica, why?) and Joey has gray hair, but who can resist all your favorite friends back in action together? Even Gunther, Janice, and Peter make an appearance! I’m not completely sold on it yet, but it’s definitely something to keep on your radar.
4. Adele's U.S. Tour
For the first time in her career, Adele is coming to the United States! Clearly she doesn’t know much about the United States, because she chose Minnesota as her first destination and didn’t even include New Orleans in her list. However, if you’re a huge fan and want an excuse for a road trip, she will be going to Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Nashville - all of which are within a day’s drive.
5. Autonomous Driving Cars
Sounds crazy? Maybe. But California (who else?) will be allowing the first autonomous driving cars on their roads, hopefully sometime in December of this year. Ford and Google have been doing some serious work over the past few years, and we all may see this new technology come into fruition this year. I have a feeling our world will be unrecognizable in thirty years.
6. New Music Albums Galore
It would take all of 2016 to listen to all of the new albums dropping this year. There are so many artists coming out with new albums this year, I couldn’t even pick out one for the headline. Selfishly, I am most excited about Daughter, OneRepublic, and Sia’s new albums. For my hardcore music fans, we’ve got Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Bon Jovi and Macklemore all scheduled to release new albums. On the pop end, Azalea, Grande, Perry, West, Spears, Stefani and Aguilera are all planning to come out with new albums in 2016, as well. Now if only Lorde will come out with a new album, nothing could beat this year. Tennis Courts is starting to get a little old.
7. The Movie Scene
From Disney remakes to Nicholas Sparks to everything superhero, 2016 has every movie you could dream of. Apparently, there is going to be a "Batman v. Superman" film, "Star Trek Beyond", "Captain America: Civil War", and another X-men film. Those type of movies not your jam? If you prefer raunchy humor, "Neighbors-Sorority Edition" is coming out, along with "How to Be Single" and "Dirty Grandpa" (I do not endorse these films). Want to be scared out of your mind? I couldn’t even watch the commercial for: "The Boy", "10 Cloverfield Lane" and the "Conjuring 2." As for me, you’ll only find me at the movies for the new Tarzan movie, the "Jungle Book" and the real winner here, "Kung Fu Panda 3."
8. Olympics
Head out to Rio de Janeiro for the summer Olympics! In approximately 185 days 17 hours and 22 minutes, the games will begin. Explore Brazil and cheer on the U.S. as you watch everything from water polo to Greco-Roman wrestling. As much fun as it is to watch the Olympics on television, it's probably unbelievable in person. And hey, it also might make you more motivated to go run that lap around campus, instead of curling up, watching Netflix and eating macaroni.
9. Summer Vacation
No matter what happens this semester, there’s always hope. Summer is a magical world where school doesn’t exist, unless you take summer classes of course. A whole world opens up. You could travel across the U.S., fly to London for study abroad, intern at your dream job or sleep the days away to your hearts content. I mean, if you’re like most of us, the summer will be spent working to make up for the cost of college, but hey, we all can dream a little right?
10. iPhone 7
A new iPhone isn’t exactly shocking, but still, people line up to get one every single year, so I figured I’d put it in here. Even if you’re just looking forward to the other iPhones getting cheaper with the release of a seventh, there’s always something to look forward to. Bad news alert: there won’t be a headphone jack with the iPhone 7, according to rumors. So start saving for being forced to buy wireless headphones eventually. Anyone else notice that all Apple’s new inventions just force us to buy more products?
11. Odyssey Improvements!
I know the best part about your 2016 is already reading all of our Odyssey articles every week, but it’s about to get even better! With 20 million unique visitors every month, Odyssey is growing literally every day. Soon there will be personalized content based on articles you’ve shared and searched for, new video content, and most likely even an app! It’ll be even easier for you to share all my articles with an Odyssey app. You’re welcome.
