Illustration by Derek Alvarez

In recent weeks, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself when various students on campus told me that, based on my writing, I don't seem to like anything at all. Oh how wrong you are, my friends. Therefore, to correct this mistaken perception ÷ and because all of the serious issues were being covered by the responsible columnists ÷ I would like to present: Stuff I like.

I like John Cusack movies, not because they are all good, but because they feature John Cusack. Do I own Say Anything? Yes, yes I do.

I like gummi bears, mint chocolate chip ice cream, egg salad and carrots ÷ but not at the same sitting. I am also quite fond of coffee products. This semester I attempted to go a full week without coffee and I thought my circulatory system would walk out on me in protest. After being a loyal customer for over three years at Common Grounds, I got my first "on the house" iced mocha this past week. I liked this very much.

I like people who dislike things because, for various moral or social reasons, they feel obligated to. This includes the environmentalists who vocally hate SUVs though they'd like to own one, the vegetarians who vehemently hate meat though they sneak some on occasion and the "hippies" who hate America and commercialism but follow politics and would like to live in northern California. I fit into all of the above categories. I like contradiction.

I like camping. I also like completely enclosed tents and bug spray.

I like watching others struggle to walk in platform sandals. I like tattoos and body piercings. I like nearly any type of music.

I like the talented individuals who make music, especially the ones who go unrecognized or do it merely for themselves. The same goes for artists of any kind.

I like Family Weekend because, though my own parents have never come to this campus, I can often score free meals off someone else's.

I like national holidays and Spring Break, because I like getting out of Tucson for long periods of time.

I like puppies and the guys who walk around the UA Mall with them, playing Frisbee, trying to pick up girls. I would very much like to grab one of these puppies sometime and run.

I like monsoon thunderstorms. I like to look at the rain from the dry side of a window. I like the people who willingly splash around in puddles and laugh at themselves when caught in a downpour while walking to class.

I like squirrels, though I've noticed a significant shortage of them in the desert. I like palm trees and the insignificant shade they provide. I like jumping into the Old Main fountain.

I like that Tucson, despite what Arizona natives may say, has no winter but a continual autumn that fades back into summer. I like the Southwest.

I like the campus, despite its abstract public art and constant construction projects. I like the soft grass now on the Mall.

Contrary to popular belief, I like most people. I like parties and dancing, though I'm awkward at both. I like cellular phones, though I refused to buy one until this past May out of protest. I now constantly use this phone and like being completely caught up in the world of modern telecommunications. I like technology, and I especially like the people who use it responsibly and in the best interests of our world.

I like visiting friends and watching TV with them since I don't allow a television in my own room ÷ I like protesting things such as this without a clear idea of why I protest them. I like being stubborn. I like being proven wrong. I like controversy. I like improvising and seeing if others will believe me. Hence, I like creative writing.

I like the fact that people read newspapers and care about issues and that my generation is not apathetic. I like that there are protests held on the Mall, whether or not I agree with their causes. I like satire and sarcasm, as well as columns with no particular goal.

And I like not taking myself or others too seriously.