Written by Aanika Ruutopold - Last Sunday afternoon, I stepped out onto Yestermorrow campus and I could just smell fall. It’s something so hard to describe, but I knew it instantly that day. You could see the edges of the trees begin to blur to reds and browns, and the morning chill seemed to settle in for longer hours. 

In general, the colder months are where I thrive. That crisp air that makes my cheeks pink, and the promise of winter (and skiing). No more sticking to a plastic chair or swatting every  bug that exists from my face. It’s all warm socks, hot drinks, good books, and clothing with adequate pockets. 

It’s all about the pockets, in the end.

And so! To get to know our semester students a little better, I thought I’d ask the question “What do you have in your pockets?” The answers may surprise you!

Hadley

Hadley only had a cake flavoured Glossier lip balm in her pockets. She let me try some and then I came back for seconds because I just ended up licking the cake taste away. She says that she usually has her phone, some gum, and gum wrappers in her pockets.

Archie

Our architect major, Archie, is usually seen with his sketchbook and writing utensil in hand, but only had his phone in his pocket. Phones become a common theme, surprisingly.

Sawyer

Sawyer always seems to have clothing with multiple pockets, and puts them to good use. He had the most things in his pockets out of everyone. He had a wallet held together by a bent spoon, his phone, keys, knife, and hacky sack “in case you need to hack”. 

Lily

Lily had many pockets from which she pulled three used napkins and tissues. Allergies are the worst. But thankfully, that’s another good thing about colder weather: no pollen!

Emma

When I asked Emma what was in her pockets, she told me it was usually her phone and retainer. She then sent me the above photo someone else had taken of her, holding these two objects. “It’s such a character photo,” she laughed. That it is, Emma!

Chris

It may have been an inopportune time to catch Chris, as he seemed to have come back from a run, not enough fabric to really allow for any pockets. This is why I need colder weather! Colder weather means more clothing or fabric which means more pockets which means less things I need to hold. 

Tre

Atreyu only had his phone on him, but assured me he usually had more. Supposedly, the night before he had eraser bits, notes, and a lot of quarters. I guessed the quarters were for laundry, but a comment from Lily made me rethink their purpose. Supposedly the two of them had a bet and Lily owed him more quarters. More questions always arise when one’s pockets are turned out. 

Madi

Our devoted TA had been wearing her olive green windbreaker all day, but only had the plastic wrapping from her pack of cigarettes to show for it.

In the end, most of the objects found in our students’ pockets were quite telling and interesting. I’m foreseeing that as the semester goes on, we’ll begin to see more pencils, measuring tapes, wood shavings, with the odd surprise now and then. We have an incredible and diverse group of students, and the pockets just don’t lie.