Fun things you can do while waiting for the JWW elevator

J. Walter Wilson. JWW. J. Walty Walt. JWoww. It's a classic Brown University staple, home to the iconic and musically unparalleled Mail Services, as well as a whole host of other useful spaces for students. Whether you're making good use of the now-limitless CAPS services, stopping by the Office of the Registrar to grab a course overlap form, or just trying to get to your morning English seminar, you probably find yourself in J. Walter Wilson quite often—perhaps more often than you'd like. Before you know it, you're trapped in a cycle of logistical setback after logistical setback.Yes, Mail Services can take awhile, but the real kicker is when you're trying to get to those upper floors. The building is always warm and you probably walked there at a brisk pace, so the thought of climbing five flights of stairs has you already dripping in sweat. You buckle and decide to take the elevator. It's only on floor 2, anyways, so it shouldn't be more than a couple of seconds away. The elevator just has to move down a floor, and then you'll be good to go.And then it moves up. All of a sudden, minute after minute has flown by and you've gone from maybe-acceptably-tardy to blatantly late for your morning class. Time is ticking, the anxiety is crippling, and you feel yourself growing more impatient than you thought possible.It's a classic nightmare, one Brown students face far too frequently. So much time can be wasted while waiting for that godforsaken elevator, it's almost painful to think about. But amidst the horror, an opportunity arises. There are so many things that can be accomplished during that brutal wait—just think of the possibilities! In fact, while waiting for the elevator this morning, I was struck with the inspiration to compile a list of some of the best ways to pass the time while the elevator meanders its way up and down the building! Check out some of my favorite ways to pass the time below!

1. Actually do the reading for that seminar that started eighteen minutes ago. If you're going to be this late for class, you might as well come prepared. You've got plenty of time to get through War and Peace, anyways!
2. Pick up a package from Mail Services. And drop it off at your room in Perkins! Maybe even take a shower while you're at it!
3. Squeeze in a quick workout! Run up and down a few flights of stairs, do some bicep curls with your friend's Amazon package, and do some elevated push-ups on the lobby steps if you're feeling especially strong. You've got plenty of time to tone your entire body before the elevator slides its way back down to the ground floor!
4. Start writing your first novel! As a Millennial, it's always been your dream to write a book. Now's the perfect time to get to work! Find inspiration in the angst-ridden, impatient peers that surround you; explore the plight of humanity as the elevator gets stuck on floor 4 for the next ten minutes! The sky really is the limit!
5. Finish writing your first novel! The elevator hasn't even made it up to floor 5 yet, and you've already cranked out ten chapters. Now you're in the homestretch, and there's no better place to add those finishing touches to your first foray into fiction. HarperCollins, here you come!

As you can see, the possibilities really are endless! So turn that frown upside-down and make the most of the inexplicably exorbitant wait next time you find yourself needing to get to the fifth floor of your new favorite building, J. Walter Wilson!Image via.