It happened again. But this time, it was more than just another tragic news story – at least for me. This past weekend’s events hit way too close to home. I’m a UCSB graduate. I’ve partied in the same streets and eaten at the same restaurants where a coward named Elliot Rodger murdered 6 innocent people whom he blamed for his own personal shortcomings. If this had taken place three years ago, I could have been a victim. My friends could have been victims. It’s pretty surreal for a college
Read Morea.k.a. “iPhone: A Love Story” Author’s Note: This is not a promotional story about an iPhone. This is the story about how my phone helped me fall in love. To start this story off, I feel the need to clarify that we did not meet on Tinder. I recently reconnected with an old friend of mine. Okay, I say friend, but what I really meant was someone that used to come into my work and I would relentlessly flirt with because she was a 10 and I
Read MoreThree hundred and sixty-five days ago, I walked across the stage at Radio City, diploma in hand, gauze on my post-Senior Formal feet and mom in the audience. I said goodbye to sharing secrets, stories, and clothes with my closest girlfriends, Tuesday night drink specials, and the corner-deli guy. I said goodbye to all-nighters, gin buckets, and afternoon ragers. I said goodbye to friends, to family, to professors-turned mentors. I said goodbye to one home, and said hello again to another. I said goodbye to college and hello to home.
Read MoreChances are, if you’re reading this website, you’re somewhere in the same broad demographic that I am: 18 – 35. I read a lot of similar sites and try to consume content written by people who are in similar places in their lives. It helps me, in some ways, to know that people go through the same struggles as other people. To that end, many of the columns here and other places regarding relationships and relationship advice focus on people in their early to mid 20s; jumping from relationship to
Read MoreIf you would have asked me ten years ago if I would have done most of my socializing online, I would have given you an emphatic no (and probably would have thrown the nearest drink in your face). While everyone was busy glitzing up their MySpace profiles, I wagged my finger in the background swearing that social media would never take off. Well, you can’t be right about everything. There’s no getting around it, our lives today are inexorably tied to a little social network that you may have heard of.
Read MoreI think I finally understand how the Trix Rabbit feels. Earlier today I was peeling a mandarin orange–otherwise known as a Cutie–and I noticed a little sticker that read, “Cuties are for kids!” So, is that a requirement? Are some angry children going to run after me demanding I hand over the Cuties? I find myself asking the same questions that poor rabbit asked regarding his colorful bowl of Trix. Why can’t I have a Cutie? Why do only kids get to indulge in their juicy deliciousness? Little a$$holes, nobody
Read MoreDon’t get me wrong; I’m a supporter of the modern day selfie. In fact, I’m a founding member of the selfie sisterhood, dating all the way back to disposable cameras and MySpace mirror shots. See: Mom and me, age 13. Dog and me, age 16. Whatever I’m wearing and me, age 17. I’m all for the self-love and self-empowerment that comes with sharing one’s face (hair, makeup and shoe choice) on social media. Seriously. Let your multi-colored hair down and (for those out of high school) show off that Atlantic City dress you
Read MoreIn a recent article by The Huffington Post, I came across Victoria Siemer‘s “Human Error” series. The artist’s polaroids perfectly capture love and life in the digital era in which we live. I don’t know about you, but the emotional struggles us Millennials go through each day continue to increase in shades of grey and I don’t see any black and whites in our horizon. Not only do we deal with uncertainty, the hook-up culture, feelings, and heartbreak, but when things go bad we can’t simply take that person out of our lives.
Read MorePlease note: It is highly recommended that you step off your Pussy Riot pedestal prior to reading this article. Now, ladies: We do not shed all responsibility for our actions the moment we start drinking. Responsible adults are able to make responsible decisions. “I was SO drunk” is not an excuse. You do not become a victim the moment you suck down your first vodka tonic. Women love to blame men for just about everything that happens during a night out, but let’s be honest—you know your limit and if
Read MoreBarbecue sauce, weekend benders, porn, television, movies, Hulu. What do these all have in common? In reasonable doses they can add new dimensions of fun and texture to your life, but too much and the law of diminishing returns kicks in. What’s delicious? Hot wings and barbecue. What’s disgusting? One wing in a tub of Stubb’s. This is what personal media has become to me: a constant binge of distraction. Let me clarify something. I’m 28. I’m in the doldrums of the twenty-something. I’m now filling the void which was
Read MoreInstant gratification is exhausting. We are a generation that can get what we desire immediately, we want what we want when we want it, and we can have it. In a time like this, the word “patience” can be as foreign to us as the idea of mailing hand-written letters for communication purposes; both unnecessary and rather annoying. This instant gratification mentality can leave us in an uneasy state of quantity versus quality, and distracts us from a more meaningful existence full of things out of our control – a
Read MoreThis is a poem I wrote about selfies: Think twice Smile nice Or pay the price Of your ugly selfie vice We live in the ultimate culture of narcissism. Us twenty-somethings love ourselves more than any generation before. Ever since the first smartphone maker manufactured the first reversible camera, we’ve been obsessed with ourselves: seeking self-validated self-esteem gained from a self-taken picture of oneself has manifested in the onslaught of obnoxious selfies and selfie behavior. Surely, you’ve seen it. The airport is one popular spot. Right in front
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