Making the most of your nights

Like most college students, I often find myself stumbling in to my 8 a.m. class, balancing a coffee in one hand, and a laptop in the other. As lecture begins, my mind tries to remember all that the weekend consisted of. Most times, it's thoughts of great memories, new friends, and parties. Other times it's thinking about crawling into bed and catching up on much needed sleep. At times it's so good that we don't even remember what happened, other times it's so bad we wish we could forget.Here in Long Beach, there is much fun to be had. Club V2O is known by pretty much the entire student body at Cal State Long Beach for throwing the best parties, but when I don't feel like dancing, I go to 2nd Street with a few friends for dinner and shopping. The nightlife is great in Belmont Shore, because it is always lit up for a charming atmosphere, perfect for bar-hopping or people-watching.

Sometimes house parties can call for a fun night out, especially if they're themed. In honor of Tiger Woods' mishaps, there was a party in which all of the men were dressed up as golfers and the ladies as mistresses. The more creative the better I think. You can't go wrong with originality, because no matter how it turns out, it will always be the topic of discussion.

And then there are those unavoidable nights, the ones spent buried in text books and computer screens. This typically happens right around finals week, or maybe a little more often for some studious people. It is these nights that matter most, because they determine your grades. Nightlife takes on a whole new meaning in this sense.

You never know what to expect once the weekend starts. The possibilities are endless. Some of my best memories are when my friends and I just go with the flow, with no expectations or set plans.

Now, as you sit in class on a Monday morning, reflect on your weekend. No matter if it was really good, or ridiculously bad, you will remember. As a student, my goal on the first day of the week is to be tired from having too much fun, not too much studying. The nights gone to waste won't matter so much, so long as you are having more good times than bad. After all, who says there can be too much of a good thing?