I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that the week of VEISHEA is, without a doubt, my favorite week of the school year. I love everything about this time of year: the warm weather, the parties and the music.

Since I know everybody’s feeling good this week, with or without the help of alcohol, I decided I didn’t want to kill the VEISHEA “buzz” by writing about anything except VEISHEA. So instead of the complaining and criticizing usually found on this page, let’s all just focus on the positives. There certainly are quite a few this week, after all.

This beautiful tradition that we all love so much happens to fall right when the sun fully returns, making the long walks around campus finally bearable without a jacket.

From reading “Just Sayin'” the past couple of weeks, I know how happy everyone is to see girls back in dresses and skirts and shirtless boys playing frisbee on Central Campus again.

Wednesday, I even saw a group of men sunbathing in Speedo’s, and one proposed to me, offering his key ring as a symbol of his love and fidelity. I said yes; how could anyone deny a man brave enough to “put it all out there” like that?

We can hope the weather will continue to be this pleasant, despite the horrible words we’ve been hearing such as “rain” and “snow.” That negativity has no place in this column, though. We’re focusing on the good things right now. Rain or shine, VEISHEA will go on, but for now, let’s hope for the best.

That’s the thing about VEISHEA: It brings out optimism and childlike happiness in nearly everyone you see. Even the trees rejoice and begin blooming, giving us a more attractive setting for our week-long party.

That brings me to the thing we all love the most about this week: the parties. I’m not just talking about the drunken gatherings at the bars, Welch Avenue and the surrounding house parties; those are fun too. The entire festival is one big party, with fun activities going on every single day. It’s also a great opportunity to avoid the trip to Des Moines and see some sweet music shows right here in Ames. The VEISHEA committee does a great job, and they don’t receive thanks enough for their hard work.

I hope you have enjoyed this week as much as I have, and I hope your weekend is even better. I’m sorry if you have lame professors that assigned projects and tests this week, but I hope you still made the most of it, because this is our time.

So sit back, relax and crack open a beverage of your choice. Soak in the moment and enjoy being a college student. Enjoy being a Cyclone. Enjoy that VEISHEA buzz. Take time to meet people and enjoy the festivities, because VEISHEA comes but once a year.