Alright DeKalb, let me first state that I love you before you think you’re not appreciated. When it comes to the weekends, though, I think we could use some space from time to time. The reason being: insanity. Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

So, considering what I typically do every weekend in DeKalb (bars, parties, video games, play a little basketball, more bars) maybe you’re driving me a little crazy.

While I definitely enjoy everything I do on a typical weekend, it would probably do me some good to get out of DeKalb more. Every once in awhile, a good concert comes to the Convocation Center or Huskies football has a home game, but the range of options that one has for something to do is fairly limited.

I don’t necessarily need to go skydiving or plan a weekend trip to Malibu, but a little change of pace would broaden my horizons.

For example, while it’s still warm and open, I could head about three hours north and have a blast visiting some of the world’s largest water parks in the Wisconsin Dells. I saw that Noah’s Ark has a new looping water slide. I have no idea how that is safe, but the thrill of near death never gets old.

Or I could head a little south on I-39 to Starved Rock State Park and go camping. Ottawa is only an hour away.

Even if I wasn’t a big outdoors man, I could still have a great time experiencing the upcoming Art in the Park or the many bands playing at the end of this month and throughout September.

An easier and more obvious getaway is Chicago. The city is filled with plenty of museums, parks, festivals, live shows and a beautiful lakefront, as well as tons of night life. For some of you, maybe a lot, it is home, and from the wise words of Dorothy, “There’s no place like home.”

Maybe you don’t need to get away from DeKalb for more excitement, but actually less. Home tends to be the place for that, and as I have gotten older, the nostalgia I experience in simple pleasures is the most satisfying.

Whether it is the serenity of a state park or the exciting buzz of the city, it’s just nice to mix up the activities you’re free to do. Again, I love DeKalb and have a blast here, but it’s also great to take a break from the normal routine, even if it’s just to get free laundry services. Thanks, Mom.