A definitive ranking of all the eggheads based on how bad of nightmares they induce

By MALCOLM LANGE —- mslange@ucdavis.edu

Everyone at Davis has heard of the famous eggheads. These Davis landmarks are spread throughout the East side of the UC Davis campus. Each egghead is special and expresses a fun and unique character. These sculptures were created by late UC Davis professor of ceramics Robert Arneson, with the first installment in 1991 and the last in 2009. They are widely accepted as a quirky representation of the university; the town of Davis has also embraced them with their love for unconventional public art.

However, as much as they are received with positive attitudes from faculty, students and residents, there are specific egghead designs that I question more than others. To get to the bottom of these strange statues, I will go through each egghead and rank how nightmare-inducing it is on a scale of one (not being scary at all) to ten (even Freddy Krueger has nightmares of this).

The least scary egghead, with a ranking of one, is Bookhead. Bookhead is the lovable little egg that stands guard at the entrance to Shields Library. Bookhead ranks this low in scariness because there is no apparent oddity about him. He has a neutral and relaxed expression. There is a sense of comradery that most UC Davis students feel with him — always being stuck at the library. Bookhead is also a part of a superstition where students will rub their head for good luck on a test. How could anyone be terrified of a studious egg who helps you on a midterm or final?

Next on my list is Stargazer. Stargazer ranks three on the scare-o-meter for his lack of malicious oddities. Similar to Bookhead, there is nothing too obscure about this egghead. His most prominent features are his swirling eyes and uncomfortable smirk. Even with these less-than-normal features, there is nothing inherently evil about this egghead. There is no danger when looking into Stargazer’s ceramic, swirly eyes. He also seems to be having a good time. I mean, who does not like looking up at the stars every once in a while? Some would even go as far as to call Stargazer “a vibe.”

Now we start to get to the eggheads that truly intrude on my slumber. One of the duo eggheads ranks next with a six. It is the Yin and Yang, near the art, music and theater complex. These eggheads feature one lying on its side, looking thoroughly unamused, and the other upright with its eyes closed, yelling at the first with an angry expression. The one on its side does nothing for me; he is normal. If I ranked that one by itself, he would have a relatively low score. However, it is the angry, screaming one that brings up a sense of panic. He definitely is the most aggressive out of all the eggheads. If you were to bump into him, I would expect him to turn around and start yelling at you. He is not having a good time and definitely needs to take a chill pill.

The runner-up for scariest egghead is See No Evil and Hear No Evil. These eggheads were moved right near King Hall, UC Davis’ law school. Both eggheads have no ears and are looking across at each other with warped faces. One eye is closed and the other open but with an uncomfortable slit for the pupil. Their eyes are not proportional to each other, and the closed eye drags down slightly. They are speaking out of the corners of their mouths, which gives them an odd shape. It truly looks like they were left in the sun a little too long and melted a bit. This gives them an eight on the scare-o-meter.

Finally, the scariest egghead, Eye on Mrak. This egghead is upside down and squashed into the concrete, flattening the head. He is wrinkly and looks as if his forehead is slightly deflated as a result of being slammed into the ground. He has closed eyes and a huge smile showcasing his pearly whites. While he has the biggest smile out of the other eggheads, seeing his teeth for some reason is very uncomfortable. He also has the weirdest feature, which is an eye on the back of his head to symbolize that the chancellor is always being watched by the students, as it was pointed at the chancellor’s office. However, the chancellor’s office has been moved, so he is creepy with no extra meaning attached. Eye on Mrak receives a whopping 11 on the scare-o-meter for genuinely being a nightmare to bike past every week.

Written by: MALCOLM LANGE — mslange@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

A hate letter to the ‘Boo Basket’

By MOLLY THOMPSON  — mmtthompson@ucdavis.edu

You thought the spookiest thing that happened this October was your 8:00 a.m. Monday morning calculus midterm after “Halloweekend?” Think again. “Boo Baskets,” as they’re called, are a recent trend of Halloween-themed gift sets that couples curate and exchange around Halloween. The plastic buckets full of sickly sweet candles, gaudy fuzzy socks and cheap (but granted, festive) mugs that haunt your TikTok and Instagram feeds? Those are spooky. They’re a product of the immensely wasteful and unsustainable culture that’s especially exacerbated by the rapidly shifting social media landscape — it needs to change.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a lover of holidays — I want an IV drip of gingerbread and pumpkin spice. This is in no way an anti-celebration perspective, this is an anti-unnecessary-waste appeal. The thing about trends and phenomena like the Boo Basket is that they prescribe buying stuff for the sake of buying stuff. You’re not necessarily purchasing products because you think the receiver will love them so much (of course, you think it’ll make them happy) but you do it more for the concept itself. We’ve all been there: you’re walking through the holiday aisle of Target, picking up random stuff that’s cute, cheap and holiday-themed. It’s not stuff you would have bought otherwise, it’s not necessarily stuff your partner actually wants and, let’s be honest, it’s not often stuff that they’re going to want to keep. You can only have so many novelty mugs with ghost faces on them or cranberry muffin-scented candles before you start having to make cuts — which means that a lot of it is inevitably going to be thrown away.

The Christmas stocking is another prime example of buying stuff for the sake of buying stuff. Most of the time, “stocking stuffers” are little trinkets and things that you forget about a couple hours after you receive them. Big conglomerate companies turn massive profits selling little plastic gadgets and miniature cosmetic products with extra-festive packaging that you don’t actually want, but you like it because it’s there. Welcome to capitalist heaven: the Walmart dollar section.

But as aforementioned, I’m no Grinch — I want to be embalmed in peppermint and cinnamon. I fully support you wanting to show you affection and embody the holiday spirit, I just don’t want you to throw it away afterward. So consider this: instead of buying a plastic bag of individually wrapped candy, make a batch of cute, themed cookies. Get your loved one a cozy, fun book to read. Show them how much you love them by taking them apple picking and treating them to a hot chocolate instead. Stuff your stockings with biscotti from a local coffee shop, a box of tea or a bracelet you made. It’ll mean more than the Target candle too. Your “Boo,” the planet and your wallet will thank you.

I don’t want you to give up your fun. I want you to let the holidays bring you all the best warm and fuzzy feelings. In the draining, soul-sucking world of higher education, we have to take what we can get when it comes to serotonin, and holidays are a wonderful source of this. But I urge you to find your joy in a way that is, at least, slightly less wasteful and unsustainable than society so often demands. I mean, we want to be able to enjoy a lot more Halloweens, Hanukkahs and Christmases, right? We’ve got to give the planet some of that holiday love too if we want to keep celebrating. The Grinch himself, true icon that he is, really says it best: “Maybe Christmas (he thought) doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.”

Written by: Molly Thompson — mmtthompson@ucdavis.edu

Tips from a recently mooved-in student

By MAYA KORNYEYEVA — mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

Often, a blank canvas is seen as daunting and perhaps even overwhelming. The amount of empty space requires quite a bit of imagination to conceptualize, and then lots and lots of patience and hard work to bring into fruition. When I moved into my new apartment in Davis this summer, I felt all those feelings associated with staring at a blank canvas.

I had just a few things with me — my bed, my desk, some kitchen supplies, some clothes and a box of sentimental objects. Now, I just needed to figure out how to arrange them. Initially, this wasn’t so difficult, but when I finished putting everything away my room looked bare and a little sad: it’s as if I just put some random stuff in an empty space and convinced myself it was fine.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I worked diligently to ensure that my apartment felt less like an assortment of storage rooms and more like a lived-in home — a place where I could feel comfortable and rely on to bring up my mood after a rough day of classes. Here are a few tips that really created an impact on my interior space, and which I believe made all the difference in generating a cozy and warm atmosphere in my new apartment.

1. Add some indoor plants: With the off-white walls and the gray carpet, my apartment was initially quite devoid of color: almost like those “sad beige toys” that everyone is advertising nowadays. After walking though Trader Joe’s for the first time this fall quarter and noticing the glorious display of plants in all colors and sizes, I couldn’t help but take a few with me. The second my Monstera entered the living room, I felt my spirit lift. My small pink rose and assortment of fresh herbs followed, and soon the space was brimming with vegetation. Many indoor plants like the Monstera, Golden Pothos and Snake Plant require minimal maintenance, which makes them perfect for busy college students balancing their school/work schedules.

2. Fill up the wall space: Walls are an important part of your apartment not just because they hold up the ceiling (duh), but also because they can hold paintings, posters, calendars, cards, photographs and almost anything else you can think of. These additions to an interior space add so much life to your room and can showcase some of your personality. Whether it’s a poster of your favorite band, a collection of quotes from your friends, a massive painting, a wall mirror, a hanging shelf or even LED lights, optimizing and designing the vertical dimension of your apartment is crucial to creating a room that is curated to you.

3. Add some decor: My third and final tip is to keep an eye out for interesting objects and/or pieces of furniture. Facebook Marketplace is a great tool to use if you’re looking for cheap, second-hand household items, and often there are some real gems hidden among the old mini fridges and dusty pans. For instance, I recently collected a tall corner shelf for my living room, which proudly holds my wifi router and a miscellaneous assortment of books and gadgets. Not only is it functional for storage, it’s also an unusual piece of furniture that sparks curiosity and conversation amongst my houseguests. Similarly, I also tracked down a gorgeous tinted-glass bowl, now filled with fruits and sitting pretty on the kitchen counter. The bottom line is, don’t hoard unnecessary items; instead, collect a few pieces here and there that tell stories and add contrast to the bountiful Ikea furniture already present.

I hope these recommendations help make the “blank canvas” of your new apartment or dorm room feel less intimidating, and perhaps a little more like a creative adventure. Just have fun with it, and in no time your residence will start feeling more like a home.

Written by: Maya Kornyeyeva — mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.