20 Things to do while your computer’s Wifi is loading

​By Lily Curlin and Ria Patel

We all the know the SMS Wifi isn’t the best, so we have gathered a list of productive activities you can do when you encounter the “spinny wheel of death!”

​1. Eat a snack! -  During your ALAPP, run down to the WSR lobby to grab yourself a Bosco Stick to munch on. Chances are that when you return, the Wifi should be working properly, and if not, at least you’ve gotten yourself a tasty treat!

​2. Play the dinosaur game!  - It’s a classic! Try to see how many levels you can get to on that infamous dinosaur game that appears when Google Chrome is loading! It’s just you, your dinosaur and the long, endless road, baby!

3. Take a nap! - We all agree that SMS girls are some of the most sleep-deprived people on the planet. Take this time waiting for your computer to load as a sign to take a quick nap. We highly recommend Ms. Goodman’s couch and the Weir Study!

4. Drink some water - 64 ounces per day, pal. That’s 2 Nalgenes, bare minimum.

5. Do yoga - Track down Lily Curlin, your built-in, ready-to-go yoga instructor! Find her in the breezeway listening to music or Goodman’s couch hurriedly completing her Foner quiz due next period. BYOM (bring your own mat).

6. Reconsider the old pencil and paper - It’s an oldie but a goody.

​7. Play chess with Mr. Soun - If you are not aware that we have a resident chess champion in this school, you have been living under a rock. Take your shot at a chance to oust Mr. Soun.

8. Use this as an excuse to use your phone! - There’s no doubt that you, too, have been on the receiving end of a teacher’s disapproving glare when he or she sees you using your phone. Well look no further, you’ve got a new excuse!

9. Do a face mask - With your busy St. Mary’s schedule, it’s hard to find some “me-time.” Take a moment to pamper yourself. Your skin will be glowing by the time your page actually lights up.

10. Draw some doodles - Some say it’s a lost art. Prove them wrong.

11. Chat with Ms. Pitts - A good listener. Some Jolly Ranchers. The sky's the limit.

12. Mindfulness - Close your eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out the negative energy that the internet is imparting on you. Clear your mind and watch your anger float down that stream.

13. Let out that anger - We’ve all felt it. There are few things more infuriating than that spinning rainbow wheel of death. Sometimes, you just gotta let it all out. Scream. Wail. Throw things. Don’t throw your computer though … that won’t help. 

​14. Untangle your earbuds - This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Just get ‘er done, folks!

15. Repeatedly click the refresh button - It’s honestly therapeutic ... in a twisted kind of way.

16. Word: it exists. - Yeah, we tend to forget it does. Even though my loyalty does, and always will, lie with Google Docs, it’s okay to cheat once in a while ….

17. Organize your locker - Ah, we tell ourselves that we will do it tomorrow, then next week, then the week after, and suddenly it’s late February, and my locker is still a pigsty.

18. Close that tab that’s been up since last month - It may not actually help your computer load better, but maybe it will. Tell yourself it will. Believe it will.

19. Help out a friend - Pretend to listen to your fellow mockstar as she practices her opening on you, or actually listen to that whiny friend that rants on and on about her boyfriend troubles 24/7. Either way, someone feels better at the end of the conversation.

​20. Watch the construction - Longingly gaze as you dream of the future memories in an actual cafeteria. Or distract the entire class by pointing out the oh-so-talented welder that seems to have taken up residence outside Dr. Lyon’s room.