Miscellaneous Category

So, I live in Atlanta and if you don’t know, the weather here is a fucking joke. As in, “Today will be a low of 30 degrees and a high of 75.” That’s not even an exaggeration, that was the weather report two days ago. Which means I start off many a morning like, “WTF am I supposed to wear? Do I dress for winter or summer? Hellllpppp!!!” Unfortunately I’m not in elementary school and can’t just ask my mom what I should wear. Thankfully, my friend told me aboutRead More

For my Firefighter, who already proved he can. Could you love a cancer patient despite my burdened health? Can you provide the love and care that my heart has never felt? Are you ready for hours spent at the hospital waiting, for news you don’t know if you’ll be loving or hating? Do you have the patience for the brain fog I possess? Or the ability to smile through my CAT scans, nonetheless? Will you research conditions I’ll develop over time, and learn the medical jargon the specialists love toRead More

Where I come from, and in many small-town parts of the country, high school coaches are the most respected and revered public figures in the neighborhood. Growing up, I kind of accepted this and even bought into it a little bit. It’s not until you get older and have the benefits of real life experience and hindsight that you realize how absolutely bonkers this is. I mean, watch TV for 20 minutes on a Saturday and you’ll realize that people who coach football (and most popular sports) are, for theRead More

Corgis!!                 Corgis have been dog royalty for centuries (cough cough Queen Elizabeth has at least 3). But recently it seems like they are mainly  known as the dog darlings of the internet.  But they are amazing for many reasons…     They Are Resilient                       They Are Always Ready To Play                       They Know How To Chill          Read More

I’m turning 27 soon. I wouldn’t say that qualifies me as old, but just like anyone else, I am definitely getting older. And I’m starting to feel it. There are signs I encounter almost daily. Here are some of the signs I’ve experienced or witnessed that indicate you are getting older and/or maturing:   You look back on the not-so-distant past, like when you were in late high school or college, and wish that you could travel back in time, slap yourself in the face, and scream “STOP BEING SUCH ARead More

Joanna Rakoff’s “My Salinger Year” is a memoir that is particularly relevant to 20-something girls. It’s a story we’ve heard before, namely on the popular HBO show Girls, but that does not make this story any less engrossing. Sometimes truth must be told several times before it sets in. Rakoff’s memoir documents her year working for the literary agency which represented J.D. Salinger. The book is not so much about J.D. Salinger, or the fans that write to him whose letters are never delivered. It is more about Rakoff’s comingRead More

If you were to Google the burgeoning metropolis of Bakersfield, California you would find it is known for many things. Aside from carrots and Buck Owens, Bakersfield has made quite a name for itself as having the worst air quality, the most illiterate citizens, and the place where lost phone calls (and hopes and dreams) go to die, due to terrible cellphone reception. Either Forbes just hates Bakersfield or it really is a barren wasteland pretending to be a functioning society. But for me, Bakersfield has always just been home.Read More

Rebecca Makkai’s The Hundred-Year House is a stunning achievement. The story is like an archaeological dig into the history of a house with many secrets. It leaves the reader plummeting through space and time, weaving a narrative with such depth and passion that it cannot be ignored. With nods to the gothic tradition, the story is not one of ghosts, but one of the inextricable link between past and present. It is a treasure hunt on the highest order and readers will find themselves engulfed and intrigued by the twists andRead More

I believe in believing in something to keep fighting – to fight for each day, each laugh, and each tear. I believe that good things come to those who hustle, but luck has a instrumental part in some outcomes. Different beliefs fill the world with love, hate, and everything in between, but for some reason, each new day continues to present itself to humanity. Whether it’s a love story, a greater power, or that ice cream is a completely acceptable dinner, believe in something.     I believe… Dessert canRead More

What is to be said about a man so heavily spoken for? Whether his family, friends or famous reputation; anywhere you go the mention of George Boisson, also known as King, leads to conversations and stories of an impressive legacy. It was the kind of impressive legacy that leads one to believe that perhaps King was not just a nickname but some form of actual royalty. What can be said about a man so widely respected? The greatest people are always the hardest to honor. Not much can be saidRead More

I write. I give speeches. I have no fear in speaking in public, and that it because of one speech that I had to deliver at the worst time of my life. Let me explain: When I graduated from high school in 2009, my mother asked me to join a Toastmasters club with her. Toastmasters is a club for people who want to learn and improve on leadership and public speaking skills. I was 18, barely eligible to join, and learned quite a bit while there. Also that year, myRead More

Yesterday, I Skyped a girl I have never met, yet a girl I have been speaking to every day for four years. She lives in England and is starting her first year of university this month. She occasionally sends me sparkly stickers and British jewelry, and I whimsically mail over cards covered in amateur doodles of cartoon animals. I watched as she picked out a prom dress, I listened to her rants about her qualms and insecurities, I told her dumb jokes to alleviate the stress of exam season. SheRead More

There is no sensation quite like the anticipation of imminent departure. I remember my final week at home before returning to college, each morning awaking next to friends I cared about deeply. It would be 7am, the sunlight freckled across our statuesque faces—our arms in legs entangled in a silent refusal to move and an unspoken plea to stay. Then, the sudden jolt of our rainforest alarms, the slam on the 15-minute snooze. The lethargic, reluctant roll over to friends on each side—groggily, but oh, so acutely, understanding that ourRead More

This past summer, I took a solo roadtrip meant for “self-exploration and discovery”—and some other hippie bullshit I thought would make me more introspective as an individual. Ironically enough, though I exuded a pseudo-whimsicality and spontaneity for adventure, I rigidly revolved my life around rules and schedules. My first stop was Mount Washington in the New Hampshire Whites, which was the highest peak I would’ve ever climbed. I joined a group of other solo hikers, but it was clear that I was the expert in the group—in tip-top shape toRead More

At first glance, the cover of “Season to Taste,” by Natalie Young looks like another boring chick lit novel, clogging the shelves of bookstores. Upon closer inspection this notion is dispelled. “Season to Taste” is a cautionary tale about not getting stuck in a loveless marriage–duly noted. The story chronicles the actions of a sad woman who has just done the unthinkable. Lizzie Prain kills and eats her husband. But this is not the end of the story. Merely the beginning. The story is told in snippets which include flashbacksRead More