Back To School

I do have one quibble with Hollywood’s Harry Potter: nobody listens to secular music. While I enjoy a sweeping, stolidly British orchestral score as much as the next person, it’s also an interesting exercise to imagine which local bands might suit the tastes of individual Harry Potter characters. I took my best crack at it, […]

I have the worst travel karma. I book a flight and the country blows up. Case in point: Japan, my original vacation destination. I planned to visit my friend who was teaching English—Mother Nature had different plans. Scared out of going for fear of one day giving my parents three-headed grandchildren, I was forced to […]

Hogwarts has Hogsmeade, Halifax has downtown: When Hogwarts students need a break from strict professors and all those confusing, moving staircases, they’d head down to the village of Hogsmeade for a beverage at a pub. Likewise, Halifax students can find respite at local taverns. They may not serve butterbeer, but Henry’s House’s six British-style ales—non-pasteurized, […]

The Sorting Hat sits atop every first year that enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and determines to which of the four houses they belong. It is a mysterious item and takes the student’s traits, feelings and even their desires into account. In real life, there’s no sorting hat to tell you where to […]

For some, university seems to be all about experimentation. Equally important as getting the grade—or perhaps more important—are the parties, friendships and adventures that centre around drugs, sex and alcohol. For those who are eager to participate in these three realms of life, it’s not too hard—hit up the local watering hole and there are […]

Herring Cove If you’re looking for a rural area without getting too far out of the city, the 20 Herring Cove bus will take you from downtown to just far enough to feel like you’re on the coast, but can still get home for dinner. Get off by the end of the line and walk […]

Now kids, college is not all about schtupping and perfecting your recipes for bathtub gin. When you arrive at your noble institution this year and start unfurling your Bob Marley and Magic Eye posters, don’t forget the third and crucial element that makes up your university experience: a good ol’ fashioned pranking. Our universities aren’t […]

Skaters According to knowledgeable Pro Skateboards sales associate Nick Hanlon, skaters hang out at the skate park (the Halifax Common). It’s a concrete jungle gym for those who associate their feet with rolling and their elbows, knees and faces with bloody gashes. When casts and scabs call for some local anesthetic, suggest to your new […]

Residence Your tiny dorm room can serve a multitude of uses. I’ve known students who’ve held seances, brewed vodka from old potatoes, recorded albums, shot short films, launched opera-singing careers and made sun-dried tomatoes all from their dorm rooms. If your room is an inviting hub of activity, potential lovers will be more likely to […]

During frosh week you can douse your body in flour and egg yolk, drink enough beers until you ride your bike home but find out in the morning you actually rode a goat, or get a ticket for jaywalking. During such a majestic week of wonder when anything seems possible, one might develop the sense […]

OK, I’ll admit it: I’m a procrastinator. When I’ve got work to do, I like nothing more than imagining its potential brilliance in my mind for days on end. Of course, by the time I actually have to sit down and get something done, I’m not only strapped for time (having left everything to the […]