It’s been about a month since we all came back to Ithaca and, naturally, everyone has begun to contract diseases from one another. Such is life on the hill, or whatever administration colloquially refers to campus as. From class to class, everyone seems to either be wheezing or coughing — so much so that one of my professors actually stopped class to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. Regardless, everyone is gross and I hate it here, but that has nothing to do with flu season.
Some surprising benefits can be found during this wheezy period at Cornell. While you probably can’t find those microwavable Campbell’s soup things at Libe, you can probably find a myriad of parfaits or pudding cups. The same goes for cold brew and skim milk, because for whatever reason everyone thinks dairy products increase mucus production. I’m a science major, so I can tell you that’s probably not true. I’m actually an art history major, but regardless, you can find lots of milk-based shit at Libe right now, so go get your daily recommended serving!
Another interesting thing you can find in abundance this time of the year is NyQuil. For some of you who aren’t familiar with NyQuil, it’s like DayQuil but it makes you drowsy. If you’re not familiar with DayQuil, it’s a magical cure-all for your cold and flu symptoms. Also if you take enough of it you can apparently hallucinate, but don’t do that!
This past Saturday was pretty low key in all regards. I went to a philanthropy event and took a long nap, so I wasn’t really trying to go out or anything. My girlfriend was also sick, so a girl’s night in was the only viable option. As she began to take her NyQuil, she explained to me the sleep inducing effects that came with it. I wasn’t really trying to be awake for the Chelsea Handler show, so I decided to take some NyQuil too.
To say I went to sleep almost immediately is an understatement. I remember Chelsea Handler talking to a panel of diverse politically involved people and then I remember all the strange dreams I had. I was only asleep for nine hours, but I somehow managed to have four to five distinct dreams. I’m not one to remember my dreams, but this NyQuil had me on another level. I remember almost every dream vividly. It was as though I watched a series of short movies about my life and it’s possible trajectories. It was spooky to say the least.
I could sit here and list out the strange dreams I had, but that’s extra. If I could leave you with one theme all the dreams shared, it would probably be loneliness. Every dream had me either displaced or in some way far away from my comfort zones. Whether you want to pin that on the NyQuil or my own consciousness is up to you, I’m no Freud. Regardless, my NyQuil dreams did leave me yearning for more. I wanted to be able to remember and think about my dreams.
Maybe I’ll try NyQuil again. Maybe I’ll try and put myself into a position to get sick so I don’t mess up my kidneys. Either way, I can honestly say you probably shouldn’t recreationally try NyQuil. It’s definitely more than a cure-all for cold and flu symptoms.
Akshay Jain is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at [email protected].College Stuff appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.