Chips trips: Back to school picks

It's school time again, and you know what that means! The familiar smell of freshly-sharpened pencils, the creak of textbooks as they open for the first time and, above all, that sense of overwhelming, all-encompassing dread as you walk through the doors on the first day.

Yes, it's back-to-school time, but don't despair! Here is a list of movies, books and even a restaurant to keep your spirits high — and since they're all accessible from Downtown Silver Spring, they'll keep you cheery and close to home even as your soul begins to shrink and wither into a shriveled soul-prune.

The Tastee Diner

Sometimes after a long, hard day at school, all your plans for diet and healthy food go flying out the window. If you're feeling down in the dumps — or just hungry — check out the Tastee Diner, a small restaurant where milkshakes, onion rings and french fries are the order of the day. Forget celery. Forget low-fat, forget Atkins, forget reduced-calorie and choose to lose yourself in a big helping of comfort. The frosty shakes come in tall metal cups with whipped cream piled on top, and they are more than enough to drown even the most overwhelming of high school sorrows. The french fries and onion rings both have flaky, crunchy outer shells and wonderful, warm fried-goodness. This isn't the kind of diner where you order a salad, but it is the kind of diner with character that will have you coming back even when your arteries beg you to reconsider. The Tastee Diner is located at 8601 Cameron St, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Borders

You've been pummeling your mind to death over the past few weeks, trying to slog through textbooks, articles and works of fiction so dense that you're not sure they actually qualify as books. You need a break. But don't go home and just flick on the television to escape your literary troubles! The best antidote could very well be one of fall's new novels, and since you've probably already devoured the last installment of the Harry Potter series, it's time to try something different. Let yourself unwind and enjoy the excitement with Vince Flynn's action-packed political thriller Protect and Defend, out Oct. 30, or you could try a grisly murder mystery novel like Patricia Cornwall's The Book of the Dead, out Oct. 23. And if you just can't bring yourself to let go of Harry, try another enchanted world with Libba Bray's The Sweet Far Thing, out Sept. 25. Whatever your literary preference, you're likely to find it here, so dump your backpack, grab a book and a coffee from the cafe and forget that you ever even set foot in a high school named Montgomery Blair. Borders is located at 8518 Fenton St, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Hollywood Video

The best back-to-school movie has to be "The Breakfast Club." It's a story that every high schooler can relate to, and if you haven't yet seen this '80s classic, then you have not truly lived. Five seemingly stereotypical kids, stuck in the library for an entire Saturday of detention, initially clash before uncovering their hidden similarities. The memorable and incredibly talented cast features Molly Ringwald as Claire the princess, Judd Nelson as Bender the criminal, Emilio Estevez as Andrew the jock, Ally Sheedy as Allison the basketcase and Anthony Michael Hall as Brian the brain. This movie is perfect for after-school unwinding, and after you see it, the song "Don't You Forget About Me" will never fail to bring a smile to your face.

If angst-filled teen movies really aren't your style, pass by the dramedies and head straight for the action flicks. These movies are mindlessly entertaining enough to help you forget even the toughest of Calculus homework, but don't waste your money on the recent releases. What you want are the classics, starring tough, rugged action heroes and evil, twisted villains that you could respect like "Air Force One" (which features Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Glenn Close), "Die Hard" (the defining role for Bruce Willis, with Alan Rickman as his criminal mastermind) or "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (Willis again, along with Jeremy Irons and Samuel L. Jackson).

The Majestic Theater

Lucky for movie buffs, the upcoming months promise some interesting films for the silver screen. For fans of movies about contemporary political issues, check out "The Kite Runner," opening Nov. 2 and based off the popular novel by Khaled Hosseini. While probably not considered family-friendly, the film is both powerful and relevant. Want something lighter, something to take the younger siblings to? "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium," coming out Nov. 16 and starring the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman is the upcoming release for you. Young children are bound to love Hoffman at his craziest, and the performance from talented comedic actor Bateman (Michael Bluth on the underappreciated "Arrested Development") will entertain even the most jaded of teenagers. And don't forget the much-publicized "Fred Claus," about Santa's bitter, continually-overshadowed older brother returning to the North Pole. The movie come out on Nov. 9 and features Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti (as Santa Claus — who'da thunk?) and Miranda Richardson. The Majestic Theater is located at 900 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910.