Top 5 things to do on a rainy day

Thoughts of summer weather usually include constant days of golden sunshine, unless you're in Indiana where the weather could be anything, including a torrential downpour. Rainy days are usually reserved for building arcs and playing games with funny, exclamation-pointed names like Yahtzee! and Jenga! But those games usually end in tragedy, heartbreak or both. The next time your summer fun gets rained out, try some of these ideas instead of spending 45 minutes searching for the little top hat and the wheelbarrow.\nThe old standbys\nIf the rain forces you to cancel your picnic there's always the movie theater or the bowling alley. The Back Alley at the Indiana Memorial Union is open from noon to 11 p.m. every day.\nIf you don't feel like leaving the house you can always hold your own American Idol competition or create your own film series based on your favorite genre or actor. Mary-Kate and Ashley marathon, anyone?\nGet domestic\nWhen was the last time you baked cookies, cooked a meal or made toast for that matter? \nThe Bloomington Cooking School website, bloomingtoncookingschool.com, has recipes and information on registering for summer cooking classes.\nIf you experiment in your own kitchen, you won't have to step out in the bad weather or endure that guilty feeling in the pit of your stomach when you see water dripping from the pizza delivery guy's nose.\nTurn tricks\nPlaying cards originated in China in the 10th century with a form of paper dominos that were shuffled and dealt, according to USplayingcard.com. Europeans began mass producing four-suited decks in the 14th century. The card game tradition is so old—why stop now? Get some friends together for some euchre or poker, no natural light required.\nAnd if you've seen or read The Da Vinci Code you can revel in the secret meanings of the symbols on the cards and impress your friends who have no idea what you're talking about.\nLearn something\nBloomington has several places that provide indoor entertainment for absolutely free. They're called museums, but don't let the name scare you away. Special exhibits going on this summer could actually be the cure for boredom.\nMonroe County History Center, located on 202 E. 6th Street, has two special exhibits running this summer. "A Collection of Collections III," a variety of collections gathered by locals, will be on display until June 20. Some of the collections include hotel silver, antique dolls, thimbles, pocket knives and pigs.\n"A Garden Wedding" opens June 17 and features wedding gowns from 1902 through the 1980's.\nThe Mathers Museum of World Cultures, located on 416 N Indiana Ave, has a new exhibit called Japan in American: The Turn of the Twentieth Century. The exhibit displays everything from paintings and illustrated books to sheet music and post cards to demonstrate the influence of Japanese culture in America.\nThe Indiana University Art Museum, located on East 7th St, currently displays "Horses in Classical Art" in its Special Exhibitions Gallery. The exhibit features images of horses throughout history from jewelry to sculptures.\nDon't fight it\nDamp clothes and pneumonia might be unpleasant, but there's no rule that says you have to avoid the rain. If it's only raining and the weather isn't dangerous, you can embrace the rain and take your sports to the next level. Juliette McNamara, a junior on IU's intramural women's ultimate Frisbee team, called Calamity Jane, offers these tips for playing Frisbee in the rain.\n•Wear cleats or go barefoot in the rain because there's no traction and it will probably be muddy.\n•You can't worry about getting dirty because when it rains, it is the best time to layout for a disc. (Laying out is when you jump horizontally in the air to catch a disc.)\n•Obviously the rain makes the disc slippery, so you have to focus on your catches and throws more than usual.\n•Don't play if there's lightning because that would be really dumb.\nIf you master the art of the flying disc, Calamity Jane is recruiting new team members for the fall.\nIf all else fails on your rainy day, you can revert back to childhood and make good, old fashioned mud pies. The recipe is two parts dirt and one part water, says the leading authority on mud cuisine, otherwise known as your little sister.