In Yiddish, dank is the opposite of kvetch, and means “thanks.” Dank to Cornell for holding the first week of classes during Inauguration. Once I got past being bitter at not being able to go to inauguration and having school on MLK Day, I was able to see the positive side of things: not having two of my five classes this week because of Inauguration. So dank Cornell for keeping me in Ithaca while my profs woop it up in DC.

— JM

Both of my parents called me today. Not because they were concerned about their daughter, wanting to tell her how bursting with pride they are at my mere existence. They wanted to talk about the weather. “Oh, it’s an uncomfortable 80 degrees here, sun shining, not a cloud in the sky ... How’s it there?”

Very funny, Dad.

“Well I just wanted to call and tell you how beautiful it is here in Sunny San Diego. Glad you left to go to school in Ithaca, eh? Where do you want to go to grad school again?”

Hilarious, Mom.

Apparently a sick sense of humor is one thing they can agree on. And sleeping until 3:30 p.m. today can no longer comfort against the cold when classes start. God it feels good to be back.

— MOT

“Damn, you know, it really sucks to be back in Ithaca now, what with the cold weather and the classes and the schoolwork and the ... cold weather.” Wow, it would be so lame if I were saying that, wouldn’t it? Lucky for me, I am not in Ithaca, or in the cold weather, or in class right now. Hello, Nepal. Have fun, non-abroad losers.

— JAB

As my hands turn numb and it begins to snow, I look around the frozen tundra that is Ithaca, and I wonder why they named this city after the balmy island in the Ionian Sea, which takes its name from an Ancient Greek word “ithy,” meaning “cheerful.” The faces of those around me, red from below-zero wind-chill, faces wrinkled from the wind and frustrating fights with course enroll, express anything but cheer. If the classical Ithaca was anything like this, Odysseus would never have tried so hard to get home. As I trudge about yet another hill, a stitch forming in my side, I suppose that this Ithaca and Odysseus’ mountainous homeland may have one thing in common: According to Homer, “It is rough, but it raises good men.”

— DKK

Everybody complains about the weather in Ithaca, but seriously, what about all of the ice and salt that results? Sure, the salt is supposed to keep it nice and un-slippery, but all it does is RUIN MY SHOES. Which wouldn’t be a problem, I’d rather be safe than have pretty shoes, but seriously, it is still slippery enough that I fell on my ass the other day on College Ave. So, Ithaca, thanks for ruining my shoes and my tailbone.

— LK

I’m less-than-thrilled that I had to leave 80 degree weather (San Francisco) to return to the freezer that is Ithaca. On my 15-hour journey back here, I had the pleasure of sprinting across O’Hare (twice) to make a connecting flight and arrive in Ithaca with just the clothes on my back. I guess US Airways doesn’t prioritize holding onto your bags when they delay and cancel their flights. Now that classes are about to begin, I’ve realized that not only does Cornell ignore MLK Day, but I also have class the next day during the inauguration. The upside to all this is that campus heating is way better than the heating at my house, so at least I’ll be toasty in lecture.

— GD

LAW SCHOOL! LAW SCHOOL! Oh, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. Everyone I know is going to law school. And here I thought getting into law school was supposed to be hard. They say a legal mind is a valuable thing. But by the time we’re middle aged, they’ll be a dime a dozen. And let’s face it — for most of those going to law school it’s not about the intellectual challenge. (Arts and Sciences hurt my brain. Bring on the vocational training!) Oh, and its really, really, REALLY unnecessary to list the schools you were admitted to on facebook. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

— KE

It is cold; this much we know is true. Upon returning to campus, most of us have exclaimed some version of “holy @#$% it’s &#$@-ing cold!” But now it’s time to move past this atmospheric misfortune. Yes, the walk to campus is frigid, icy and gray. Even walking to the nearest corner seems like a form of punishment. Still, if we continually and redundantly exclaim that we can’t feel our fingertips, that our lips won’t move properly, that our brain is too frozen to function, the cold will win. We must be interesting, even if we can’t be warm, and think of something else to talk about.

— JR