Fort-itude

Today I planned to buckle down and not waste my free time facebooking and watching videos of cats. While I remained strong on the whole facebook thing, I spent about 30 minutes glazing my eyes over an essay, and two hours eating mac 'n cheese, watching Mean Girls, and, more importantly, building forts.

I know what you're thinking. You're pretty darn jealous, first off. I would be too. The last time I "built" a fort, the Spice Girls were still cool and my babysitter pretty much did it for me. But you're probably also wondering why in the hell a college student would turn her dorm room into a playground. Well friends, it all started with a friend with a tummy ache.

Meet Megan Jones. You may think she's only crazy, random and adorable in full health, but you would be woefully wrong. Upon feeling sick, Megan curled up under our friend Maria's blanket, making a "human fort." Even after I prodded her about if she needed meds, water, a hug, Megan just said, "all I need is a fort." She meant it as her mini blanket fort she was balled up in, but being the outrageous people we so often are, we upscaled the idea pretty fast.

Megan in her human fort

It took multitudes of leopard print duct tape and innovative use of wooden chairs, fridges, and ottomans (oh my!), but we succeeded in getting one step closer to childhood, as every college student should strive to do. At first glance, it may seem like wasted time, but just curling up underneath my fuzzy blanket/makeshift ceiling, I felt sillier and more free to laugh than I had in a while. Even studying under a fort can seem more fun. I don't know what it is about sheets and blankets that are so playful, but hang them over your head, and you're suddenly five years old again.

I can see the appeal in normal people not wanting to be hermits and actually going with friends, but it's nice to realize that you can laugh so hard your cheeks hurt, have a fantabulous time with your group of friends without spending a dime. Buying appletinis from your local bar may seem more socially acceptable (or so says J.D. from Scrubs), but quoting Mean Girls like nobody's business is a lot less lame than it sounds. Besides, being lame together with a group of awesome people can turn out to be infinitely cool.

Be silly. Make some forts. They don't call it fortitude for no reason.

Voila, it's a dorm fort!