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Valentine’s Day Special: Building an Open Relationship

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By Tali Green and Lisana Nithiananthan

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It happened again today. I was in the middle of dragging myself across campus to my next class, and given the climate conditions, I wasn’t sure whether my fingers were still attached to my body. To add insult to frost bite, I did something I probably should not have done: I looked at you.

First longingly… and then in utter despair, I looked at the shell of what you were supposed to be. You stared back at me, naively oblivious in all your naked glory. They said you would be mine already. Winter 2015 semester, remember? They said you would be mine.

Call it a story of unrequited love. I have dreamed about you for so long. So, so long. Dreamed of– a warm companion on a cold winter day. I gazed at pictures of your glorious curves, your bright and airy interior. I stole glimpses of your stylish adornments, your luscious seating areas, and the promise of a non-Ned’s place to grab processed food. Alas, you have managed to slip through my grasp, semester after semester. After semester.

But Valentine’s Day is approaching. This is a time to finally shake off the debris of my crushed expectations. And to construct a new reality – one in which I can be truly happy – without the confines of a monogamous building relationship.

10 reasons why I’m glad I’m getting to know other buildings:

  1. Walking across campus five times a day gives me the exercise I need to stay fit and attractive for any future building pursuits.
  2. And once I’ve actually managed to find the right building (only fifteen minutes late, no biggie), I know I’ll never get bored in what otherwise would have been the same old, same old.
  3. Having to bump into so many paintings of important white men as I fumble around looking for the right room, I know I will become truly acquainted with our University’s illustrious past.
  4. Similarly, moving from building to building is often the only chance I’ll have to experience the sheer joy and wonder of a time machine, as I travel from washrooms of the late 50s to modern cubicles.
  5. After finally making it to class, I know the view is going to stay interesting when I have not one, but many buildings to gaze out of and think lovely little thoughts during Admin.
  6. Walking around campus and seeing so many non-law students reminds me of how inordinately intelligent I am – a spike of self-esteem that can be especially useful during exam times.
  7. Having to interact with said non-law students in these varying buildings also teaches me how to speak to laypeople and helps me maintain a foothold in the real world.
  8. After suffering through exams in the buildings like Pharmacy (I still can’t feel my left rib cage) I will always be grateful to U of T Law that I didn’t have to pursue a career in the medical field.
  9. The law is abstract, and so is not having a building. I feel that I now have a better grasp on the intangible.

And lastly but not leastly: never getting attached means no painful goodbyes. Convocation should be a breeze – assuming I make it to the right building in time to graduate.

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