Clarissa Tan
Do: Sunglasses, Electrolytes, Write it down
Don’t: Snooze button, Zero chill, Dead weight
On what planet would these random collections of dos and don’ts make sense? Well, based on where I got this info, I think all of the planets.
At the end of last school year, I was invited to a birthday dinner for one of my friends. It was a beautiful evening in April, and we were all sitting outside. As the sun slowly set and the night sky descended upon us — filled with stars and a shining moon — all of a sudden, many of the other guests began talking about their stars and moons, and I was incredibly lost in space.
The only thing I’ve ever known about astrology was that I’m a Scorpio. I never knew what that really meant, though. I just thought it was some fun birthday categorization, but apparently, there is so much more to it — in fact, an entire universe more.
I was curiously listening in on the conversation around me. People were sharing their zodiac signs — even their Venus and Mars signs — and I sat there, fascinated by what I was hearing. And amongst all of the sharing, some of the dinner party guests would comment, “Oh, that makes so much sense!” or “I could definitely see that!”
I went back to my suite that night, skeptical yet intrigued by the whole idea. Do our zodiac signs truly reflect our personalities? Should we care what they tell us?
After that night, between being busy with finals and end-of-year festivities, I honestly didn’t give much thought to all of those questions. Not until one day over the summer when my friend and I were trying to decide what activity we wanted to do, and she suggested, “Let me check what my Co-Star says today!” I thought to myself, “What on Earth is a Co-Star? And why should I let it dictate my day?”
For those of you who don’t know, it’s an app that gives you a “guiding” statement of the day and a list of three “dos” and three “don’ts” based on your birthday and time of birth. Essentially, it outlines a daily horoscope for you given your zodiac sign, your moons, your stars and whatever other celestial bodies are involved — I’m a novice when it comes to this whole astrology thing, so frankly, I still don’t understand how it works. My friend decided that amongst Co-Star’s dos and don’ts, we could determine what would be the best activity for the day. I don’t even remember what her Co-star said; that’s how much of an impact it had on our agenda.
However, I was still so intrigued by the possibility that it could have been helpful. Had something resonated with us, would that have altered our decisions and choices? The next day, I decided to download the app. That’s how I got those two lists for today:
Do: Sunglasses, Electrolytes, Write it down
Don’t: Snooze button, Zero chill, Dead weight
But let’s be candid: Will drinking a Gatorade make my day any better? Will I be doomed if I hit the snooze button just once?
If you’re curious, this morning I hit the snooze button — twice — and so far, I feel fine.
Nevertheless, I did have office hours that I wanted to attend at 9:30 a.m. for a pset due at noon. So, if I did hit the snooze button more than twice, and I didn’t attend those office hours and I didn’t finish that pset before noon, then yes, I guess my day would have been doomed. Right?
Is that how it’s supposed to work, though? Am I supposed to connect all of the dots and conjure up my own line of reasoning to justify what the app has forecasted?
I haven’t latched on closely to what Co-Star tells me because for all I know, the lists could be randomly generated and recycled from person to person. Yet, sometimes there is a part of the daily horoscope that resonates with me — that feels relevant to my present situation — and I wonder: should I listen?
No matter what your beliefs may be — whether or not your life revolves around your suns and moons — here is my WKND-star for you:
Do: Silliman brunch, Koffee? date, East Rock hike
Don’t: Wake up early, Bass Library, Dirty laundry pile
Trust me, if you follow this advice, you’re fated to have an amazing weekend!