Listed: Winter bliss blues » Three reasons for our love/hate relationship with winter Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor Mlifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Lo around. It’s easy to see that most of Vancouver’s diverse population has a love- hate relationship with winter. Asa west coast city we lack the months of frequent blizzards and sub-zero temperatures, but that doesn’t mean that we adore nature’s most barren season. Unfortunately, most of the stuff people love about winter is also connected with what they hate about it, which leaves most of us conflicted over whether or not we look forward to Jack Frost’s yearly visits. To confuse you further, here’s a list of love-hate inducing winter traditions. 1. Breaking out the sweaters. Whoever said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend obviously never wrapped themselves in an oversized cardigan. It’s a yearly ritual to get excited about knitwear— it’s comfortable, it keeps you warm, and it’s soft. Hell, it’s basically like dressing yourself in an entire bed, but : ona more socially acceptable : level. All that excitement over which woolly hat you're going to pair with which scarf and what sweater youre : going to throw on before racing out the door to show off your sheepy glory almost overshadows the fact that we : wear knitwear in the winter because it’s frigging cold outside! Not to mention, this is Vancouver—winter means freezing rain more often than it means snow— so you may look cute, but you smell like an old couch. 2. Specialty coffee. You didn’t think Id leave out all the fun winter drinks, did you? From créme brilée lattes to peppermint mochas, winter has a more diverse coffee collection than fall, and people are more than willing to take advantage of it. For habitual coffee drinkers like me, this means a plethora of delicious flavours to choose from. And for people who maybe don’t drink coffee or tea so much, it’s an excuse to finally bond with your caffeine addicted lovers, friends, or family over a cup of something that resembles coffee, but is more akin to Image via thinkstock a bowl of sugar. Yep, winter is a grand and wondrous time—until spring rolls around, and you realize that all that fancy coffee has left you with a few extra pounds and at risk of diabetes. 3. Shorter days. It’s true, winter does have shorter days due to the Earth’s rotation—and most people see this as a good thing because theoretically, shorter days mean more night life. 1 mean, winter is the only season where “Happy Hour” doesn’t count as day drinking. As young adults, inside our brains we are trained to equate night time with free time, because work and school are things you do during the day. What we don't seem to realize every year is that darkness isn’t really a measure of time. Sure, the day might be shorter, but that doesn’t mean your work shift will end any quicker. It just means that you'll be commuting before dawn, and heading home after dusk. All your free time will be spent in the dark, and you probably won't see the light of day until June. LifeatDC.com » A blog for students by students Aaron Guillen Staff Reoorter t the beginning of the month, the student blog LifeatDC was launched for the students at Douglas College to enjoy. Complete with an eye- catching collection of GIFs, this easily accessible website is waiting for students like you (yes, you!) to explore and immerse yourself in. “[The gist of the blog] is to build a sense of community on campus, help students connect with each other around common experience, promote getting involved on campus, and encourage students to use the resources that are available to them at the College,” shared Debbie Molnar, who is in charge of Communications for Student Engagement. Prabh Hundal, one of the blog writers, recently shared a little more about the formation, launch, and future plans for their seven-student team. Hundal, a first-year international student, became involved while searching for an extracurricular activity : to bea part of. After missing : out on the Student Ambassador : program, she surfed the school : website to find a job opening for : a blog writer. She quickly applied : and found herself employed : alongside a group of fellow eager : students preparing to launch the : blog in the new year. With the new blog in full : swing, she writes and also : updates the Omnivex, the : software for the digital screen/ : plaque by the first level entrance. : According to Hundal, the : blog is connected to Douglas : College by the Marketing and : Communications Office (MCO). : When asked about how long : she sees the blog running for, : she replies without concern : stating that “whatever happens, : happens.” While writing about their : lives at Douglas, the group : also hosts events alongside the : Douglas Student Union. You : might recall a workshop called : Money Management, which took : place recently, and a focus group : that they helped promote to : encourage students to be vocal on : : the changes they want to see at the college. In the near future, look out : for weekly updates on their blog : titled Money Mondays, where : there will be budgeting tips for : the average student. Also, look : out for the ice breaker event, : scheduled for February 17. The : event, similar to The E.D.G.E. (a : yearly orientation event in the : fall), will be held as a substitute : to meet new faces and make : lasting friendships. Additionally, : LifeatDC will be bringing a series : : on their blog titled Humans of — : : DC. Similar to the blog and New : York Times Best-Seller Humans : of New York, they plan to involve : willing students looking to share : their story, so keep your eyes : peeled for sign-up forms coming : soon. Screenshot from lifeatdc.com While it took three months to launch and seven willing students to contribute, if you : want to get involved with the : blog, don’t hesitate! Everyone : is welcome. They'll be holding : interviews next semester, so look : out for more info on their website : in the coming months.