Lifestyle Category

I’m getting older. Every year. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. This much is indisputable. But I often find myself questioning whether I’m actually growing up as time endlessly marches onward. What does it mean to grow up? To have adult responsibilities? I have a few of those. To be objectively mature? I probably have a ways to go; I still think prank calls are hilarious and my friends and I still laugh at things that adults shouldn’t find funny. To wake up early, work a nine-to-five, and come backRead More

I was four-years-old when I came to the realization that I couldn’t read. Of course, at that point, I never could read, but it was at this age that I became acutely aware that I couldn’t read and that everyone else could. My mom could. My dad could. My eleven-year-old sister could. It was basically all the guy on Reading Rainbow could talk about… Why couldn’t I? So I did what any four-year-old would do and I asked my mom, “When will I know how to read?” My mom wasn’t entirelyRead More

1. Go to a random concert – Concerts are great because you’ll actually be doing something after work, other than sitting on the couch with a box of Cheez-Its. And the upside is that usually the shows will let out at a fairly reasonable hour, either because they know nobody’s trying to turn up until 2am on a Tuesday (except you, Makonnen), or because of neighborhood noise laws, IDK. Unless you plan on going to a rap concert in which case, you’re basically going to be out until you haveRead More

In the past year, the entertainment industry has suffered the loss of renowned comedians and thespians (you know who they are). In response, general depression awareness levels were heightened on a national level. The societal fear of losing another entertainment icon (if you’re a millennial like I am, you miss the hell out of Peter Banning) has rattled the most durable of psyches, prompting those who suffer, primarily those inhabiting the vicious world of entertainment, to open up about their illness. Comedian Wayne Brady is the latest to go candid.Read More

I was halfway between my apartment and Dunkin’ Donuts when my first coffee of the day began to take hold. I felt more alert, like I always do. It’s strange, really, the profound effect that a mere cup of this brown stuff can have on you, especially in the moments after consuming your first of many doses for the day. For me, it’s the one ritualistic thing I can do immediately after waking and pissing that keeps me from entertaining the fantasies I always have of retiring once again toRead More

I can easily admit that I can be seen as one of those girls who are serial, monogamous daters. Jumping from one relationship to another, and in between relationships, consistently getting my heart wound up by different men. I wear my heart on my sleeve: pretty words, tender compliments, and promises of longevity and a future together have always been my kryptonite. Everything was just easier when I had someone with me. Someone loving me, telling me how important we were to each other, and then eventually leading to aRead More

Billy Joe Armstrong, the singer of Green Day, wrote the song “Waiting” and the title identifies some of the lyrics (feel free to continue singing along). As a young teenager, this song did not have much meaning other than it was a cool song written by my favorite band (at the time). However, as I have grown throughout high school and now, as a senior in college graduating in May, I definitely have a different perspective on this song. When I first entered college, I had no idea that timeRead More

With every year you get older, don’t you miss the magic of Halloween just a little bit more? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love partying as much as the next guy, and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to get a little bit weird. But you know what I mean. When you’re young, Halloween is exciting for many other reasons. When you’re young and naive and have no fucking idea how the world works, Halloween is a legitimately magical holiday. The spooky stuff – ghosts and monstersRead More

It was eighty-four degrees in San Francisco and I was riding the bus after concurrently confessing my love and breaking up with a boy I had been dating.  On our first date I told him that my brother had brain cancer.  I had just discovered the fact myself and wasn’t sure what the protocol was for these things in regard to first dates. Was it a sit-at-home-and-panic or an attend-with-pocketed-Xanax sort of situation? The idea of distraction and a lovely, little pill that allowed me to abandon anxiety for fourRead More

There’s nothing like a nice cocktail after a long day. There are hundreds of cocktail recipes out there, classics like Cosmos and Old Fashioneds, and then more obscure cocktails, like the ones below. Let’s be honest, not everyone keeps bitters on hand. We’re not all born bartenders. These cocktails are more practical, more convenient. Here are the essential cocktail recipes for everyday life. The Bad Day What You’ll Need: Vodka, anger, a desperate desire to numb it all. Directions: Pour vodka directly into your throat. Wince. Ask yourself if youRead More

Sometimes being short is not a big deal (ha, that pun wasn’t intended). But I’ll level with you–90% of the time it’s really annoying. Also, that pun was intended. Here’s some of the most annoying parts of being short. I couldn’t think of a pun that time.   1. That awkward moment when you can’t fully see over the steering wheel and you realize you’re basically those old ladies driving like with their hands at eye-level…   2. …And the subsequent awkward moment when you have to buy a seatRead More

When it comes to questioning gender roles and the social constructs created by society, I have always felt that it creates some rift and controversy between people. Many individuals have their own opinions on race, gender, and popular culture, although I feel that the majority of people prefer to lace their viewpoints with what society deems as “right” or “normal”. I believe that everything, especially gender and race, is a very fluid and wide spectrum of ideals and options. I’m part of a program called Gender Studies, which can isRead More

My life is hard, okay? 1. I was starving but there was nothing in my fridge that I actually wanted to eat. 2. I really had to pee but was too lazy to get up. 3. Photoshop caused all the programs I was running to move too fucking slow. 4. They were doing construction for the 17 billionth time on the one road I take to work (seriously, at this point just let it be), making me at least 10 minutes later than I might have been otherwise. 5. TheRead More

In high school, my business teacher and now close companion taught me to never dress down. She is one of the most fashionable and beautiful people I have ever met. She would say, “You never know who you’re going to meet,” and I took those words to heart. People always ask me why I dress up every day for class or even on lazy Sundays. The truth is, I love wearing old sweatshirts and baggy pants just as much as the next person; I just know you can get moreRead More

There’s a certain amount of  tact present when conversing with acquaintances. These aren’t your people that arrive with vodka and a burrito when something horrid has happened to you. They are the co-workers of your friends that have a homely, three-limbed dog, or perhaps your friend’s Craigslist roommate that masturbates loudly. Sometimes you get stuck in the backseat of their cars after a group-camping expedition and you spill ketchup on their seatbelt buckle and don’t tell them. Whoever they are, you have certainly never connected with them on a personalRead More