Editorial | Top 10 things to do around Oakland as the weather cools

This weekend we’re seeing highs in the mid-60s and full sun, according to The Pitt News weather channel, which is sourced from accuweather.com. Worry no more about sweating through your shirt or removing your mask to sneak a sip of cold water, because the temperature is finally borderline bearable. Based upon Pittsburgh weather trends in the past, we’ll probably have days in the mid-60s well into December, unfortunately. But now, these lukewarm temperatures are welcome, and this calls for celebration. Here are our top 10 things to do in Oakland now that it’s not 95 degrees. 

10. Rewatch The Twilight Saga

The Twilight Saga is now streaming on Hulu, and it’s one of the most distinct cooling weather movie franchises ever produced. We will not further explain what this means, but for some reason, we never have any desire to watch the movies when the temperature is higher than 65 degrees. 

9. Take a purposeful walk

People have been spending much more time on walks lately to pass time, and to think. But that’s not what we’re getting at here. Port Authority buses used to be our favorite place to cry. But in the time of COVID-19, it doesn’t really make sense to get onto a Port Authority bus and cry — i.e. germs. Instead, throw your headphones on, listen to The 1975, think about your chemistry exam and walk up the Chevron stairs. You won’t even be able to parse why you’re crying. 

8. Continue wearing summer clothes 

We’re not saying be that guy from high school who wears shorts during the deep freeze. But what we are saying is that socks are a waste of time, and that you should wear sandals until it’s 45 degrees.

7. Change your name on Zoom

It took us about 45 minutes to figure this out, but apparently if you log into your Zoom account through my.pitt, and you change your “name” it automatically changes your display name. Now your 250-person chem lecture classmates won’t all know your full legal name. 

6. Knit 

People just do this in the fall so why not hop on another quarantine trend that you’ll probably fall off of in seven to 12 days? 

5. Start watching lectures

It turns out that even if you’ve been pretending your asynchronous lectures don’t exist all semester, they still do, in fact, exist. And you probably have an exam next week. You should start watching the lecture videos. 

4. Make a sourdough starter 

Actually please don’t.  

3. Make a “to do” list 

List-making is the greatest trick of all time because you feel like you’re doing something when really you’re just productively preparing to do absolutely nothing. And then the next day, you can make the list and do nothing on it all over again. It’s foolproof. 

2. Carve a pumpkin with your favorite Pitt administrator’s face

It’s a Pat-O-Lantern, or a Jack-O-Lantern. Except there is a reddit thread circulating claiming that there’s a canned pumpkin shortage in some parts of the United States. Maybe this means there’s a Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin shortage too? You could probably carve a Patty Gourd-agher instead.

1. Stare at the tent

It’s been like 40 days since Provost Ann Cudd’s tent was pitched on the Cathy lawn. It is now in moderate use. Just like our daily planners and motivation.