The Breaking Point

If you could change something about yourself, what would it be? Would you talk less? Talk more? Quit biting your nails? Pay more attention in class? You understand. Without drumming up any deep-seeded insecurities, I would like you to think of your most annoying habit and ways you could kick it to the curb perhaps once and for all.
I’ve started to consciously make an effort to get rid of my own bad habit, and I wonder how long it will take for me to be a completely changed person. Okay so that was drastic, but seriously. How long is long enough? If you stay on a corrective path for a certain amount of time, does it start to become the norm? If you decide to make a life change starting today, will you still be consciously making that change in 5 years? 10 years? Assuming you don’t give up of course, we aren’t quitters here.
It’s just… before I begin my journey of self alteration, I would like to know that there is – in fact - a finish line waiting for me; a feeling of accomplishment and success. It would be nice, you know.
Bad habits tend to follow us around like an annoying younger sibling (not that I know!) but the only difference is that we have the power to change this minor annoyance and make ourselves better, stronger and more positive people. No one wants a nail biting, fast talking, procrastinating friend. Where’s the good influence in that? So see if you can make small steps to a better person…. see ya at the finish line (or approaching finish line, that’s most likely where I’ll be).

Newsweek can't catch a break

The New York Times ran an article recently about Howard Fineman, a former correspondant for Newsweek Magazine, leaving to pursue online journalism through the Huffington Post. This article is yet another example of the trend across the board for the careers of many journalists. The NYT did not specify this as an isolated incident either. They said that many prominent Newsweek employees are jumping ship to pursue everything from Yahoo finance to advanced education. When a major print publication has difficulty retaining even its editor in chief, the supposed most passionate member of a magazine’s staff, that cannot be a good sign for its future. It’s a bittersweet situation. We in the magazine field hope to see people in a dying publication stick around long enough to change its structure and synergize it with an online media strategy. If its top recruits are flat out leaving to pursue straight online media such as Yahoo and Huffington Post, it doesn’t give us a clear picture as to where the future is really headed. They must know something we do not.


http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/newsweeks-howard-fineman-to-join-the-huffington-post/

And then Dallas realized there was a recession

Have you ever waited for that one new website that changes the way things are right now? You don’t know exactly what it is, what it will do or how it will raise the bar yet again, but once it arrives you think to yourself “okay, I like you and I will be using you” in the utmost anti-that’s what he said way. Well I had that moment today.

In the past, I had a similar experience with Facebook (duh), Twitter (double duh, follow me!) and Gmail. AOL was on its way out anyways. The website to which I am referring may not apply to many of my readers, but take notice and you could be the next website superstar franchiser. Welcome to Dallasonabudget.com. Damn that packs a good punch. For the land of the pretty people who can’t really afford Botox but go without dinner, I’m surprised a legitimate website about Dallasite penny pinchers didn’t surface sooner. I think it’s because no one wants to admit that they actually watch their dollars like they watch their calories, and minutes on the treadmill…

         But anyways, I found this great website for anyone who is in Dallas and on a budget and I have to say – the blog looks promising. For a basic wordpress format, I was impressed by the organization, frequent updates and quality of posts. I hope people take notice of the one bold girl who decided to put Dallas on a budget. I always knew it could be done. If you would like to be the frugal traveler in your own city then check out the new-found website and see if you can do the unthinkable and gasp! Actually save some dinero in the process.

 

Underpaid, Overperplexed

If you so kindly would, fast forward to today and you will find me knee deep in a brand spankin new semester. The second half of college has begun, and the first half of the week is almost over. So I guess you can say I'm at the beginning of the end. But please, I'm nostalgic not morose.

Classes are alright, yawn...but one class in particular is the absolute highlight of my week. And if I were to choose a highlighter color for this one, it would have to be pink. Yellow is too generic and no one can really read under green highlighter anyways. So back to the pink. Magazine management by Dr. Hume is the first class I've ever been to where I just feel like what I'm learning will actually be of use in the future. I'm so sick of memorizing acute and obtuse angles, shapes of clouds and who led the confederate army .. while mathmaticians, meterologists and history buffs are most likely rolling around in their graves, I'm just done learning facts I'll never use again.

Which brings me to Mag Management. Having a dream to launch my own magazine one day, I can't help but feel the overwhelming sense of "ahh" that I do when I walk into that room every morning. I guess it's like a sorority girl who finds her perfect sorority after a long hellish week of rush, but I won't go there...really I won't.

As a budding magazine entrepeneur, I am posed with the challenge of creating my own magazine. I suppose I'll start a magazine highlighting my second greatest passion, travel and relate to current affairs (aka the economy) to end with a magazine designed for the american traveler on a budget...but that's about as far as I have gotten.

I can't come up with a name, people. Good names are like gold on the newsstands and by god I want to be there with my pan ready. "HELP!"

My First Attempt At Being Philosophical

   “The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” - Aristotle

I frequent a blog called AllWomenStalk.com. Some see it as AllWomensTalk.com, but I'm not keeping score.

Basically, the premise of the blog is to provide as many freelance bloggers as possible a platform for them to contribute to a growing archive of lists about Fashion, Love, Beauty, Wellness, Celebrities, Dating ... well you get the picture. From the beginning of my discovery of this hidden gem, I have learned everything from the 10 Signs You Are Dating the Guy of Your Dreams…
to 7 Mistakes Women Make At Parties, and How To Avoid Them to 15 Tips for Passing Exams Successfully … Seriously, if there's something you want to know - I guarantee my handy website has addressed the issue and covered it in the utmost comprehensive manner as possible.

As I was browsing the headlines and starring the ones I would surely return to later, I clicked on a 9 Things We Cannot Live Without list. I agreed with the top couple of items. Surely we need H20 (or my equivalent...coffee) and who would argue with needing food and the sun? Yes..the list was that literal. But then our resident bloganista Aprille Ross started to get a little crazy with her suggestions. She concluded the list with money and the Internet. Talk about getting technical.

Okay Aprille - so we see where your alliances lie and remind never to accidently cut off your wifi for fear of death, but couldn't you be at least a little philosophical in your needs to thrive? What about happiness? a sense of purpose? healthy relationships?

Have we as a society gotten so far off track that our list of top priorities comprises of literally food water money and the Internet? Throw in some food and electricity and you have yourself a functioning robot.

I'm not sure what my 9 things I cannot live without list would look like, but I hope that it would include satisfaction, humanity and peace. If not all 3 then at least 1 of them. Lately I have started to realize life is about more than meals, the gym and class. To the average college student, those 3 things ARE life. But once you switch the sorority tees for business casual - something has to be driving you to continually grow and prosper in this cat and mouse world.

But what is it? Is it really dollar signs in your eyes? Or is it more than that..like the need to feel needed or the strive to be a part of something bigger than yourself?

With the shifted focus of this blog to "reflections on human nature" I promise it will not be a continual griping on the lack of emotion and depth in our world but rather a kind of "world as i see it: including the good, the bad and the ugly." Not sure where it will go after that though, stay tuned.

I hope you appreciate that I am continually refining my focus and improving the content. If you aren't working towards something then what are you doing really? I need to find a good quote out there that sums it all up but until now I'll leave you with one question.

What can't you live without? And if you say money and the internet then you should hit up Aprille Ross. You two have loads to talk about. Perhaps you can IM each other.

From Happy Meals to Happy People

I like to keep to myself. I don’t stick my nose – or any other body part for that matter – where it is not wanted, and so far it’s been so good. I’m unabashedly un- confrontational, and if you want to pick a fight with me, you win. That’s why what I’m about to stay goes against almost everything I stand for. The only reason I am choosing to write a blog so grave in opinion is because it’s a notion with which I have been wrestling for quite some time. People who are at a disadvantage in physical attractiveness make up for it in personality, humor and charisma. Phew. Saying that was like ripping off a band-aid: you know it’s gonna sting but you still want to do it anyways.

Comedians aren’t generally the upper echelon of society’s beauty. In general (as always, exceptions do exist) they are the frumpy Joe Shmoes at the party who got heads to turn by their quick-witted comebacks and laugh inducing self-deprecation jokes. How do I know? Because I observe the hell out of everything.

There was a sex and the city episode where Miranda becomes the center of entertainment for the bachelor party when she refreshingly makes fun of herself to a room full of girlfriends and fiancées as she chronicles the miseries of SoloVille. She later tells a confused Carrie Bradshaw that the only way she avoids the pity is with the jokes.

Very few things she said after that (or before, for that matter) ever made more sense to me. Beautiful people don’t often need to cultivate humor and wit because it’s rare they’ll ever be left off the guest list in the first place. Seth Rogan, one of Hollywood’s current funnymen uses his Jewfro and spare tire to create hilarious content and maintain a high demand. He used what God gave him, and he used it wisely.

I’m really not saying that all beauties are bores and all fatties are funnies, but if you look back a few years, the latter seems to be a growing trend. John Candy, Rosie O’Donnell, Jonah Hill…I can keep going if you’ll let me. I’m just really proud of these people for not shying away from the spotlight because the heads don’t turn when they walk into a room. What’s the use of staring at a tight-lipped super model? Looks fade, sweetheart.

There, was that so bad? Tell me if I’ve become too opinionated for you. I’m giving away a freshly ripped Band-Aid as the first comment prize.

A Ticking Time Blog

How does so much time pass between thoughts? I will never understand how there are times when the minute clock slows to a sweat inducing crawl almost to the point of stopping altogether, and other times I blink and it's been 2 weeks.

One of those times is now.

I love to write, honestly - I wouldn't make that up. I haven't stopped this time for lack of content, lack of motivation, or lack of internet access. (Hey, things are best in 3s). I really truly ran out of that precious asset we love to call time.

But, as always, I did not stray for too long. I'm back now and feeling more productive than ever. I did well in my Economics class (If an A to you is doing well, but feel free to be the judge), and my job is great! As I previously mentioned, I am the resident Social Media Guru and I couldn't be having more fun.

Accounting is alright, only made better by a fellow UGA-er and my Betty White channeling teacher. Seriously, she couldn't be cuter.

So stay tuned...because where there is time, there is always a way. It's the time part that's the struggle folks, not the will.

"Count Off!"

Quick, give me your top 3 goals for the day. Top 5? 10?

Bet you kept reading. Would you like to know how I know that? Because anything that requires lists or counting off is just plain intriguing. A famous quote by Mark Twain expressed our society’s power in numbers. One hundred years later, he couldn’t be more accurate.

But why?

Why is our society so fascinated with numbers and lists? Everyone knows David Letterman’s famous Top Tens. The spoofs and spin offs are innumerable. I’m not posing the question because I think I have solved one of nature’s greatest mysteries. I’m simply curious.

With all of the ADHD and ADD diagnoses in our world today, could it be that we, in fact, are all a bit deficient in attention spans? Top 100 of anything, whether it is books, movie or songs, is about the highest well go, and even that’s a stretch. Listing 5 or 10 of anything is much more comfortable.

We looove to count. We love statistics and demographics and ratings because they provide a constant series of change. And if life weren’t dynamic, it would indeed be boring.

So quick, think of your top 3 goals for the day. And go do them. Then think of some more! And if you need a little help, I can only imagine the Google hits you would get in response.

Here today, butterfly tomorrow

So you’re standing in front of your classmates at graduation, and as you rise to receive your coveted high school diploma you look down and realize you are buck-naked. You use your hands to cover yourself up and hurriedly scamper off stage.

Of course this didn’t happen in real life, please. And no, I don’t know anyone who suffered this fate either. What I do know is that we all too often feel as stared at and targeted as a naked grad on his high school’s stage.

The reason why all of you were able to so easily to relate to the shame and embarrassment the dream situation aimed to convey was because many people become humiliated too easily. Did simply reading my opening paragraph cause you to grin and have flushed cheeks? Snap out of it!

Stop being embarrassed! Stop being afraid of the worst! You are wearing clothes right now, ill give you a minute to check it out again and make sure. We good? Thought so.

As long as you continue to keep yourself out of the naked limelight, you will go far. If you can remove that one-foot from the cliché nightmare grave, you too can free yourself of self-consciousness and become a butterfly. Fly away into the successful sky. Just don’t come back for your diploma.

She's baaaaaack

How did I get back here again, computer? I started the blog not because I thought I'm awesome and my life is great (shout out to Jessica's Daily Affirmation on Youtube) but because I had a steady stream of ideas and witticisms that I wanted to share with my eager audience. Alas, alack I revved up the old writing engine and got my creative juices flowing. 10 posts and 100+ blog views later, the well ran dry.

Looks like my followers are going to have to settle on listening to my life in its entirety. Not that the existence of a young, jewish single about Dallastown isn't fascinating in of itself. Please, who are we kidding? Dallas is the younger and less cooler but diehard wannabe version of Los Angeles, you can't deny. And I am here to utterly reap the hand-me-down benefits. So far, Summer 2010 has been 50% everything I ever wanted and 50% everything my parents ever wanted for me. It's funny the way life works isn't it?

So say hello to my daily mon-fri 9-5 routine. I will walk you through it like an LA reject working the nightshift at the Dallas Museum of Art. iPhone-turned-alarm-clock goes off at 8. I'm out the door 8:30 listening to Kidd Kraddick in the morning all the way to my Microeconomics class commencing at 9. Kidd has been on the radio for as long as i can remember and I embrace the time I can spend with him and his team of entertaining workaholics. keep doin yaw thang. I spend 3 hours with a bunch of state school kiddos who need a boost in their GPAs and opted for summer school. Hey, I never said I wasn't one of them.

Class ends. I rush to car. I come home, quick change of clothes to go from drab to fab. eat some lunch and off I go! Only to arrive at the most fabulous internship ever invented, ever. Did I say ever? I meant to. At North Texas Kids Magazine, I sit with my head boss and second in command boss-turned instaBFF (Dr. Riordan and Heidi, respectively) from 1-5 being the extra set of eyes, ears, hands, brain and the like. Don't you wish you had one of me?

Anyways, I love it and I think it loves me. June wedding planned. Stay tuned.

So there's my cooler-than-yours life. Next to come: what happens when you find love at community college? or how to let your smarter-than-you boss win on words with friends? life can be complicated, but i didn't say it wasn't fun!!

When the old look to the wise

My sissy turned 18 today. She entered the big bad world of tattoos, cigarettes, lotto tickets (I wish I may I wish I might) and fake IDs. Yeah you read that correctly. Receiving ones very own fake identification card that falsely asserts the legality of alcohol has become as commonplace as the ability for an 18-year-old boy to buy his first issue of Playboy.

I hate that I had to drop that bomb on you parents, but if your child falls between the promiscuous ages of 18 to 20yearsand11months, then I think it’s safe to say they have illegally purchased this generation’s liquid courage.

Do I think that it’s morally or ethically right, absolutely not. Do I think you need to drink to have fun? Absolutely not. Did I get my own damn fake at 18? Heck yeah I did, no one wants to sit at home with mom and pops while precollege teens are busy downing mike’s hard lemonades in their parents laundry rooms. I can smell trouble like a mix of Tide and Coors light.

Sister, be smart, make good choices, only buy lotto tickets when you feel lucky, and please, if you want to buy alcohol come to your 20-year-old sister. I look much closer to actually being 21 than you do, let’s use our heads here.

Writing to avoid reading

You ever wonder why your room is its cleanest during finals? Or why you’ve checked and responded to every email/tweet/Facebook wall post instead of studying? Or perhaps you don’t really think about it you just know that you have managed to take care of everything else in your life before having to do the one thing that’s actually looming before you.

I bet if a study were conducted, it would find that students who haven’t set foot in the gym all year average 3x a week before cracking open the books. Anything to put off the task at hand. But really, why is it that we absolutely haaate studying?

I don’t enjoy cleaning my room. I don’t particularly love to drudge through 200 items of trash on Gmail. But I do ‘em both happily, nay, daily, this time every semester. Laundry? Check. Trash? Taken out. Twice.

I would put studying on an equal level of boring with the rest of these monotonous tasks, but for some reason we students have a particular aversion to absorbing yet another stack of index cards/notes/chapter outlines/insert random study method here. We’re just hardwired this way.

Perhaps if our mothers tested us on how to do the laundry we would be begging for that extra homework assignment. Hmm.

The Road Less Traveled

I often think a little too far into the future. Okay, I always think too far into the future. It’s something I come by naturally, as both of my parents are most definitely the planning type.

Many people try to claim that they, too, think in advance – but I’m not sure if they catch my drift. I’m not wondering what’s for dinner tomorrow – or even next week. I often find myself looking at jobs online in cities such as Seattle or Atlanta, wondering if I could actually be daring enough to start anew after graduation.

I obviously haven’t committed myself to a new life after school because for all I know I could find a too-good-to-pass-up opportunity right back at home (hey mom and dad I’m going out to the bars). Could be an interesting mix up.

Leaving behind friends and family to try something different will be a struggle at first, but if the job is good and the city has life, I don’t think I’m one to complain.

Although, I don’t think you’ll find me in a Boondockville, USA…because then you’ll know I’ll be planning my first one-way ticket out. Come get me mom?

Especially K

I had an encounter yesterday. With a cereal box. Yes, you heard me correctly. I woke up and rushed around frantically, trying to cram a 30-minute morning routine into a 10-minute time slot.

Downstairs I went, completely committing myself to the notion that I would be eating my special k in a Ziploc bag on the bus. There’s college life for ya.

That’s when it happened. Since I was one of the last girls to breakfast, I was undoubtedly not the first to notice the HUGE, unmistakable, glaring error of the cereals. You know that clear plastic gizmo people use to pour cereal because of the grip it provides and the nice open top for maximum pouring ease? Well our house so kindly provided us with one for each and every cereal. Thank you house.

The Special K lid was on the wrong way, so when you go to grip the cereal and pour into your chose apparatus (99% bowls, 1% Ziploc) the hole for the cereal is on the wrong side. Still following me? Good.

It took me less than a minute to switch the lid to the proper side, but the most upsetting thought was that 30 girls before me that morning probably noticed the same thing I did and didn’t do a thing about it. Preposterous? Maybe. Insensitive? Maybe. Lazy. Of course.

So it got the brain wheels turning. How many times do we notice something wrong with the world that would take us LITERALLY 2 seconds to fix but yet we don’t think we have the time in our day nor the motivation to make a change?

Well maybe my morning routine went from 10 to 11 minutes, but I left the house knowing that next time a hungry girl goes to grab the Special K, she will comfortably pick it up and it will come out of the right side. One small step for her, one giant leap for hungry girls everywhere.

Road Block; Danger Ahead

I’m gonna talk about writers block. The block. Of writers.

When many regular people decide they want to become doctors/lawyers/artists – turned-authors, they think that the job of writing is easy. Stick to what you know, talk about your life, keep the thoughts churning…I’ve heard it all – and continue to question the notion of writer’s block.

If so many people are writing about surefire concepts, then how can they ever run out of things to say? Perhaps it’s only the author celebs i.e. Nicholas Sparks and J.K. Rowling that wake up to blank thoughts and an even blanker Word Document. Say hello to my current situation.

I’ve already established that I don’t have a specific category that I write about, just whatever comes into my head at the time, but I think I’m suffering from my first case of Writer’s Block. Unfortunately, there is no itching, sneezing, rash, headache (or possible death) to provide symptoms of the illness, but boy if you’ve had it before you know what it’s like.

I just can’t think of the next great thing! How do you do it Steve Jobs?

So for now, I wrote about the blockage itself – and I should probably warn you, the next entry may be from Writers Block Anonymous, the club I’m thinking of creating…new hobby anyone?

Putting the "Cool" in School

So we all knew those kids growing up that said they never studied, yet persisted to proudly display one big A+ after another. What gives?

I think one of life’s mysteries (among thousands, im aware) is the question of natural smarts. Do these said straight a students actually put real time into their grades?

For years I sat by Jim**(name changed, duh) who received the top grades in our class, yet touted that he spent half his night in front of the TV and the other half on his Wii/Xbox/Rockband/GuitarHero/Anything with a plug and a screen. I don’t get it? Was he really born with this inherent talent to waltz into class on test day and by reverse osmosis just know the right answer?

It just cant be! He had to have been going home and if nothing else, at least spending 20 min reviewing the days material. And, furthermore, if he did secretly study, why did he feel the need to lie and boast his lack of effort? We would have respected his ability to succeed whether he put the time in openly or in the dark.

Lord knows we all had to hit the books pretty hard to remain competitive.

The strange thing is, when I got to college, those i-didn’t-study-but-graduated-with-a-4.0-types oddly disappeared. And I’m pretty sure they went to a college. Everywhere you look, the top achieving students are the ones staying after to talk to the teacher, attending the review sessions and raising their hands in class. It just proves I was right all along (as if im never not..)

I wish someone could revert back to their 12 year old self and tell those snotty braggarts that not studying is well, not cool … but as for now I guess im satisfied knowing that their secret isn’t safe for long. I saw you at the library last night Jim.

And then God created two days of rest

And another one bites the dust.

I’m here to personally apologize to every single Saturday birthday child out there (all futures included). No more birthday checks from grandma on the day of.

Wow, what a shame. We just received news that the U.S. Post Office will be cutting Saturday mail delivery. Are you freaking kidding me?? Jumping the gun now are we?

Yeah, yeah, I understand the whole Sunday is religious and we’re in church so therefore we cant be bothered with the lowly mail service – but by the U.S. removing the ability to receive birthday money (I cant really think of what else I get..stay tuned) I think this is the beginning of the end.

A friend recently commented that she sees the future of mail days as the equivalent of trash Tuesdays. Could be? But as of now I am eager to see where else the recession will rear its ugly head.

Please wait until next year Uncle Sam, my birthday this year falls on, of course, a Saturday. Why else would I complain?

Where in the World is Karma San Diego?

Karma. According to Hinduism and Buddhism, the effects of a person's actions determine his destiny in his next incarnation

So that’s the hype? I’m nice to you today and I come back as a Queen? But say a mean thing and you’re condemned to be a lowly grasshopper. Yeesh - the Buddhists were quite unforgiving. Wonder what Perez Hilton is gonna come back as.

But seriously! The current notion of Karma is just so, evasive. Somehow, over the span of human existence, Karma has evolved into not only existing between life cycles but has become somewhat of a Jewish Bubbe, AKA a constant reminder what goes around comes around. You visit the old-age home and poof! You got an A on your history midterm (or was it English?)

That’s the Western world’s version of Karma for you. It leaves nothing to luck, chance or pouring over the books – good things happen to us because of our daily do-rights.

It’s a fanciful idea though, don’t you agree? Taking a Buddhist slash Hindu teaching, tweaking it a bit to fit our own values and then applying it to everyday life? Someone had a good sense of humor back in the day.

Don’t let me scare you though – I’m sure some variation of Karma exists on a daily basis, but if not then just continue doing things out of the good of your heart…just don’t come crying to me when you failed your math test because you didn’t take your sister to ballet class (or was it English?).

Princess Desires on a Pauper's Budget

iWant. iNeed. iSee. iLike.

iPad? The inner technology geek in me craves the granddaddy version of the iPhone. Its just so: awe-inspiring.

So close, yet so very far away.

Not only does the iPad debut tomorrow, but Apple’s newest creation that sent shockwaves through the internet community (but has somehow craftily avoided mainstream hype) is still about $500 over my budget. Which now rests at a comfortable $0.

I just can’t quite justify exactly why I need the iPad, which I think is its biggest problem thus far. It’s not like telling dad you need a new phone, computer or tv, which have all found their niches in our content driven society, there’s no real reason to own the ipad.

Its cool, I’ll gladly label it that. But somehow Apple forgot about its younger than 30 set who don’t have a disposable income to spend $500 on a not-quite-a-phone but not-quite-a-computer.

So if you can think of some urgent reason why the iPad will help me get better grades (for you dad), get a boyfriend (for you mom and grandma) or live a better life … then please, help my case.

Because as of now, one thing I can’t say is iPaid.

It's a Disaster, Naturally

Power Outages. I’m gonna attempt to write an entire blog about power outages.

They aren’t cool, in, hip, or “groovy”, but theyre something we Americans – yes, every-single-american have experienced at least once in our lives. If I attempted to write about some form of natural disaster and the ways in which I coped to whether the storm I honestly couldn’t come up with one traumatizing experience. How do I know? Because I tried. And failed.

The closest I ever got to a real-life close up storm was the one serious tornado threat (and I emphasize the word threat) to my neighborhood. Sister and I sat huddled in the bathtub with some JIF and Saltines, ready to face whatever green monster was spiraling its way south of Oklahoma. Then the power went out.

The power’s out! We screamed. Its soooo gonna be a tornado. No lights, no computer, no clocks and gasp! No tv. I think power outages trump every single natural disaster out there.

After all, power is what were all after right? Or is that the other kind..

Laughter is the best medicine, and the funniest.

Coca Cola is like Comedy. Haha, funny right?

Execs at Coke tout that they have come up with the perfect blend of ingredients so their product perfectly complements any menu item on earth. Comedy should seriously look into that marketing shtick.

No one, and I mean no one, dislikes comedy. Sappy Romance movies don’t appeal to the masses (don’t pass the tissues, puh-lease) and I am perfectly content for Mystery to remain a mystery, but laughing is just fun. Whether you’re down in the dumps or just looking for some good quality entertainment, Comedy movies are the surefire way to amuse.

In fact, unless you’re calorie, carb or sugar conscious, (in which case you go for the four letter D word) then you have probably enjoyed a good ol’ Coca Cola in the past week. No matter what you paired it with, it was probably an awesome experience from start to finish.

I’m not saying you have to pair Comedies with Cokes – although the two fit nicely, I’ve just noticed that there aren’t very many things in this world that have an almost 100% likeability factor. As far as I can see Cokes and Comedies take the cake.

So drink your drinks and laugh your asses off (or attempt to?) because someone somewhere is jealous of at least one if not both of those little pleasures.

Wishin', and hopin', and thinkin', and prayin'

Birthday candles, Dandelions and Wishbones …. What could these 3 things possibly have in common? Nothing comes to mind? Okay, you’re normal.

If you thought “things I can wish on!” then you’re my target audience. When you look around at our world today, one can wish upon so many things. Other than the above, you have the ever-mysterious shooting stars and the in synch clock. How many times have your friends screamed, “11:11! Make a wish!” Yeah, we’ve all been there frantically thinking of something before the time runs out. Okay – so I may have wished that I could come up with a better wish next time... once or twice.

Regardless, I feel as if every time I turn around someone is urging me to set goals, dream big and reach for the impossible. It’s great in theory, but how many of us turn those once all-important wishes into actions?

I just think that beyond that split-second birthday candle blowout and those shooting stars, we should carry our wishes with us wherever we go and continually strive towards there attainment. The reason we have given ourselves so many times to create wishes is that I think we’re secretly afraid to wish crazy impossible dreams for no reason.

It can’t be that every wish I ever made on my candles came true – or else I would have about 15 ponies sitting in my backyard. There goes that myth (sorry to any and all of my 5-year-old readers.)

So think about it … stop waiting for 5:55am and pm and start creating those wishes on 5:54 and 5:56. They have just as much chance of coming true!

Gotta Go, my friend found a wishbone and there’s a guy I have my eye on.

Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game

So, about this time last week I caved in and got an iPhone. Things were going great in the land of Apple until I discovered the free scrabble app Words With Friends. (never heard of it? Good. Keep it that way). I don’t think ive been this addicted to gaming since summer camp and the card game war. Those were the days.

So WWF comes into my life and its safe to say for the past week I’ve been on a word frenzy flipping from one game to the next, checking and rechecking for the coveted free letter tile and prime triple letter spot. Until I realized something.

Im not that good. I mean, I know my English, please – im a writer. but something about the word placement and the making things fit and the stress of the solo q gets me every time.

On the flip side, I have an opponent, well call him Jim*(names have been changed to protect the privacy of the scrabble prodigies). Jim has talent. Jim can play and see the board through eyes that I just cant. Funny thing is, you would never know. Seriously, never. He isn’t the most eloquent speaker, hes not majoring in English or Comparative Lit, and he spends most of his time on the bball court. Makes you wonder right?

How many people are walking around right now with hidden talents that the world will never discover? How many of us haven’t even unlocked our own potential for domination? Okay – ill slow my roll. But it makes sense. As soon as we think we need to be one type of person, we tend to shut down the other parts of us because of a lack of interest or previous failures. If Jim wasn’t seriously urged by his friends to download the free app, would he have ever realized his scrabble potential? Who knows?

I just wrote my longest entry about a game on the iPhone. Embarrasing? Probably. Technologically advanced? D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y. (10 points!)

Where's My 15 Minutes?

I kind of like Reality TV. Okay, so I don’t sit there with a bowl of popcorn yelling “fight fight” at the skanky drunk girls on Real World or Road Rules. But I do like the Biggest Loser and Real Housewives of (insert current city here).

In the beginning, Network Execs found a niche in the MTV community in which high school and college aged kids would spend hours upon hours to watch their alter egos down the drinks and dance the night away.

Then it got boring. So we moved on.

American Idol came at a good time – it breathed some life into the withering genre of Reality TV. Then came the other shows. Now some think that our society has been inundated with shows about other people’s lives, but I just think we have options. Now, if you don’t so much care about how people design clothes then you can watch people fight for the ultimate apprenticeship. If that doesn’t suit your fancy then click on over and watch ten women fight for the love of one fame-seeking runway modelesque bachelor. Oooh let the games begin.

Americans want, nay, neeeeed options. We love to choose what and who we watch. It’s just more fun that way. Where does the conversation go after you’ve exposed all the secrets your neighbors are hiding under your very nose? (newsflash – there are no secrets, we don’t live on Wisteria Lane people). So Reality TV steps in and gives us the juicy real world gossip we all just seem to lack. We have even coined a new term for people who are famous for well, uh…being famous.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Kim Kardashian – TV personality. And I think the Situation would somehow agree. With a fist pump perhaps?

And That's a Wrap

People often laud me for my inherent ability to end my blogs with a bang. They say that I have a knack for ending these spritely entries on a short but witty note. I just like to think of myself as any other performer (with less of an entourage, much to my dismay).

Songs aren’t over till the fat lady sings, singers always end with an encore, and the credits don’t run until the good guy wins, which he always does. Our culture just loves good endings. No matter the hell we put ourselves through – whether by reading an awful book, watching a sappy movie, or sitting through the kindergarten version of Joseph and the Technicolor dreamcoat (sorry, sis) we forget the hours upon hours of misery (again, sorry sis) if things end perfectly. Ya know that old saying alls well that ends well?

Who ever made that up could just sense the value of a great close. Don’t worry, im not going anywhere, I just wanted to relay the fact that I am highly aware that I can say whatever I want for 2-3 paragraphs and as long as I provide a laugh at the end then my day is done.

Breaking up with your boyfriend over email doesn’t have to be hard! Just end the rant with full permission to take advantage of the drink specials at the local strip bar and the boy will love ya forever.

Mother Knows Best

People say home is where the heart is. Theyre wrong. Im not cold and ruthless, I swear – I just have another opinion.

Alas, alack, home is where the stomach is.

When you call mom up and say youll be home for the holidays, does she say awh sweetheart what kind of pepcid ac can I get you for that heartburn? No (because that would be weird.) she asks you what she can cook/bake/whip up for you! Its just the natural response. We children can be away anywhere from the 8 hour school day to the 4 year college stint – and still expect a homecooked meal waiting upon our arrival.

The eastern world accuses westerners of being gastro-minded and food obsessed, but I think we just know how to make a person feel right at home. Do restaurant commercials not say “…like your mom used to make?” do matchmakers not tell single women everywhere that a way to man’s heart is through his stomach?” they do!

Home is where you hang your hat, home is where you wear your pajamas until dinner, and home is where you bring your boyfriend when you need to promise him that you, too, will one day make that killer green bean casserole. Pass the pepcid?

Frosty the Beach Bum

Let it snow, let it snow, let it – what? Are we actually singing this is in March? As young hopefuls, we eagerly refreshed our Gmail inbox every five minutes in hopes of those crucial little words, “school is canceled.” When the email finally arrived at 1:30pm, I think I speak for all of us when I say there was a wave of relief felt throughout the campus. It’s now 2:55 and I’m still in shock.

Snow – that white little flurry stuff that Northeasterners hardly notice but drives those living South of Mason-Dixon to our fireplaces and hot chocolate packets. We have a knack for rushing to shut down our lives when we see 32 degrees. Hey, I aint complaining though.

The only thing that I can think about is that Spring Break is four short days away and unless Mother Nature makes a sharp 180 degree turn like my mom sometimes does while driving, I think we’re all fixing to trade in our sunscreen for building bikini-clad snowmen.

Nevertheless, the weather in Athens never ceases to confuse me and the winter wonderland persists. Christmas in July anyone?

Breaking the Silence

As self-appointed Queen Chatter Bug of my generation, I never really understood the value in silence. All that silence is golden stuff was just another way of saying “I’m quiet cause I’m boring,” AKA it was foreign to me. I had so many thoughts constantly running through my brain that I was dying to share with the world. And share I did.

Whenever I found myself sitting in that gnawing, annoying thing that is the quiet I eagerly broke it because it was just plain uncomfortable. Until recently that is. I’m not saying I’m mute-bound or anything, oh god no, but I am saying that I have recently discovered there can be just as much value in what is said as in what isn’t. You can really read a person who doesn’t try to awkwardly fill the voids with mindless babble, but rather chooses their words with a bit more care.

Silence helps you enjoy the movies. With silence you can hear the bird song and with silence comes opportunity for thought and reflection.

So for my closing sentence, __________________.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit

Don’t you just hate it when I’m right? Seriously. Put down the BlackBerry and the coffee and listen up.

Do it. No, not it it, I’m not encouraging anything drastic here. I’m just giving you the little shove that you don’t realize you need - to do something you love. Like Elle Woods said in “Legally Blonde,” “Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.” You don’t want to be a husband murderer do you? So do it. Go and find something you love in the world that makes you smile. And it’s okay if you’re not experiencing an Oprah “Aha” moment. It could take some time. But start thinking about it. Instead of just getting through the day and hoping you make it to dinner without dropping dead of exhaustion first, start noticing when you find yourself smiling. Think about why you smiled, what made you laugh or feel good inside. Whether it was by picking up a piece of trash to make the world a cleaner place or just being around friends and family, there has to be something that you enjoy doing. I’m not uber religious – but people do say God put us here on earth for a reason. So don’t disappoint!

Find your calling!

There, ill step off my soapbox for the day and get back to whatever it was I was doing. Okay so studying doesn’t make me happy, but shopping with all the money that I’m gonna make as a famous Journalist will be quite the reward. Success can be quite sweet!

It's All Greek to Me

Sorority girls are just soooo sorority. Like, what about being in a sorority makes every girl feel the desire to buy Nike running shorts, Ugg boots and Seven Jeans? I just soo don’t get it! There are 17 different sororities on our campus right now, you think that would engender individuality and a sense of personal being Wrong. You can line up 100 girls (give or take a few shades of hair dye and 5 or 10 pounds) and you probably, like, couldn’t tell them apart! Am I right or am I right?

Beyond the way sorority girls dress, a qualm with which I am currently struggling is our overuse of the word girl. Here, let me break it down, “hey girl! Whatcha doing girl? Or my personal favorite, bye girl!” We know you're a girl. I just don’t get it. What about that word is so infectious that it has managed to place itself at the end of every single one of our peppy sentences. It doesn’t make you sound any happier or more satisfied with life, so why use it?

If you really want to fit in get a fake id or buy an ipod, but please – don’t end your sentence with the world girl. Ahem, we would like to be treated like ladies.

Journaling like it’s our religion, no really.

Writers are like Jesus.

Okay, so maybe we don’t walk on water (although with some skis, these days anything is possible) but we do have powers, and lots of them. Writers have the ability to make you laugh, cry, become angry and fall in love, all with a simple pen and paper. Most of all, though, writers have the power to heal. We hear your problems and we fix them. Just think of some of the journalists through time - Abigail Van Buren of Dear Abby, now that girl knew how to listen to her people. Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie had me weeping like a kid who lost her best friend. They had what we writers come by naturally – passion, insight, chutzpah - (which means courage, but for some reason our Jewish grandmothers insisted on throwing Yiddish in there as if we understand it intuitively).

Most of all though, we, as writers, care. We see problems, but desire solutions. So, my request from you, is that next time you read something that makes you want to throw down the paper and cancel your subscription – just remember, we’re just trying to find our place among the gods.

Asher Roth Knows His Stuff.

Welcome to college.

College: suppressed sexuality during the day and drunk raging hormones by dark.

College. Either you love it or you hate it. You either meet the love of your life, or end up scattering your v-card in tiny pieces like birdseed among every frat house on Greek row.
College. Just three simple words between intoxicated young lovers can change the meaning of an entire relationship. “Wanna hang out?” Hanging out doesn’t mean what it used to folks. Hanging out a.k.a “hooking up” is what our generation has termed anything in between a hot and heavy make-out session to doing it and everything in between. For those long hours past the bar scene, what used to be a true friendship between two parties advances to insatiable satisfaction and years of unexpressed desire.

Until the alcohol wears off. With the rising sun comes rising embarrassment. Now you no longer have a friend, or a boyfriend (as if it was ever going to become that) you just have that guy at the party that you loved for 3 hours 2 weeks ago, Saturday. Too bad you can’t say hi – that would be way too awkward.