| Show i i ii i l Spring S PrIng fever fi ever 1 b. b j n hit r sc 4 has I Dave Jensen Staff Writer There is a sickness on the loose It afflicts millions of us each year It can strike anytime anywhere any And while it is not contagious it tends to reach epidemic proportions mainly between between between be be- tween the months of March and June in the Northern Hemi Hemi- sphere What is this dreaded infirmity Is it malaria typhoid the plague No the condition referred to here is that most salubrious of ills known as Spring Fever Or as the dictionary defines it A lazy or restless feeling commonly associated with the beginning of spring While this is basically correct it is a gross understatement to say the least east There is no common denominator among the victims of Spring Fever Being a disorder of despicable nature it is not a respecter of age or ethnic origin or social soda status Its indifference indifference indifference ference to these and other factors make an attack of this ailment ailment ail ail- ment difficult if not impossible to predict but not to diagnose The symptoms manifest themselves in numerous ways I recall the time a friend of mine called me up on Christmas Day to inform me that he had received a brand new speed 10 bike Ah the perfect stimulus to induce a premature case of the fever The human immune system is unable to cope with such a formidable invader So we went riding Had it not been Christmas Day we may have inquired of our local bike as to whether they sold studded snow tires for 10 I discovered later that they dont With spirits undaunted and in spite of the conditions of a blustery winter day we ventured boldly forth the unsuspecting ing victims of an irrepressible condition Clad in winter attire with the exception of our feet its it's difficult to pedal with mo moon n boots on we were impervious at first to the biting cold As the miles rolled by however we became became became be be- came increasingly more aware of it To make a long story short the return trip was spent in search of convenience stores Being the only places open on this holiday they were an enticing retreat from the cold and the only way we knew to warm our toes short of torching our sneakers that is Oh thank heaven for 7 eleven 7 The results of this little episode bring up an important point The symptoms of Spring Fever are sometimes incorrectly incorrect incorrect- ly diagnosed as something entirely different In the case history history history his his- tory above for instance the actions of my friend and I were attributed to plain and simple insanity Conclusions such as these tend to label the chronic Spring Fever sufferer with unfair unfair unfair un un- fair stereotypes which can lead to this eventual ostracism from an unsympathetic unsympathetic society Of course Spring Fever symptoms vary from case to 10 case But there are warning signs Be alert to them They in included the the following 1 Having a compelling urge to mow the lawn during the January thaw 2 Clearing snow from the picnic table in February so that you can eat breakfast on the patio on the first sunny day after afier a prolonged foggy spell 3 Sleeping outside at the first sign of good weather only to be driven back into the house in the middle of the night by a blizzard which the chance of meteorologist referred to as a 10 percent precipitation 4 Watching and waiting for the thermometer to soar to at least 33 degrees so you can wash the car and the doors wont won't freeze shut And finally n number 5 The most commonly recognized symptom of all It can be observed in students whose soaring spirits with the arrival of spring collide col collide col- col lide lade on head-on with their plummeting plu grades It is a restless yearning to be free of the classroom to lie introspective on a grassy hillside under blue skies basking in the radiance of that friendly stranger the spring sun While it is far from being a illness Spring g Fever nonetheless requires that something be done Catch it almost almost al almost al- al enjoy it and tough it out It will go into remission by itself most as quickly as it came No there is no cure for Spring Fever and hopefully there never will be |
