If you’re going back to the nest at the end of the week, as I am, here are some ideas for those who won’t be entirely couch bound. 

1) Make your parents dinner. They fed you for 18 years and would probably be thrilled if you took over the kitchen for one night, even if it’s to make baked mac and cheese (with bacon on top!). Show them you know how to pair pasta with alcohol by grabbing a bottle of white Chuck Shaw instead of red. For the creative, recipe database Epicurious.com lets you search by keyword and users’ comments can help you modify recipes or make wine pairings. 

2) If you’re so inclined, have a nightcap with the parents. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but you probably noticed your relationship with your makers has evolved since you’ve moved out. The last time I was home, my dad made us sidecars and we ended up talking about everything from relationships to uh, what college students did for fun in the ’70s — stuff that would never have come out while I was in high school. Whether or not you’ve reached legal adult age, it’s nice to start being treated like one by people you love and respect.

3) Read a book. Yes, I know that most people’s time is consumed by class reading, but reading for pleasure is like the great lost pastime. For COM kids, or anyone who needs to write accurately and engagingly, grab George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. Several non-fiction writers cite it as a necessary, ripping read and, at a slim 200 pages, you’ll probably make a big dent in it waiting for your delayed flight to leave Logan Airport.  

4) Don’t spend all your time at ‘the bar’. You know the one, where you’ll inevitably see everyone you went to high school with. You might play a couple rounds of “Who got fat?” or start doing shots with your high school girlfriend (note: If you’re currently in a relationship, that’s probably not the best idea), but in any case, people usually end up doing stupid things there and it gets old. Plus, in this Internet age of ours, someone could end up filming you acting stupid and put it up for all the world to see:

As the guy in video has inevitably found out, it’s going to end up on YouTube, even if you drunkenly ask for otherwise. Save ‘the bar’ for the first night home and then spend the rest of your time with people you actually want to hang out with.

P.S. Yes, this video is lame, but so is the guy in it. I am proving a point.

5) Pick something you’ve neglected thus far this semester and do it! Hit up the local art museum, raid the Blockbuster for all the movies you missed, or grab a couple classics you keep saying you need to see, finish that scarf you’ve been crocheting, or whatever. Pick something that’s been neglected and see it through for that lovely sense of accomplishment. 

In conclusion, why am I telling you this? My warning is this: Beware the couch! Typical scenario: you roll out of bed, perhaps after your night at ‘the bar’. You plop down on the couch, thrown on some OnDemand and suddenly it’s 5 p.m. and there’s not much else to do besides eat and go to the bar again. It’s fun and relaxing, but every time I finish a break spent in this pattern, I always feel as though I’ve wasted it. 

So if none of these suggestions are inspiring, that’s OK. My charge is this: do something with the time. Rest and recharging are totally necessary, but have some fun, too!