That is the question that I am usually greeted with when I  walk out of the  building where I take most of my classes in my college. For some reason, that is the “smokers’ hang out spot” where the smokers gather to share a cigarette  and basically fry their lungs while the rest of the non-smoking population is forced to breathe in their second-hand smoke. And then smell like it so their friends, parents and teachers think they have picked up a new extra curricular activity.

So when I read an article about Rockland Community College, a school that has totally banned smoking both indoors and outdoors starting September 1st, I kinda sorta considered transferring. A school that is completely smoke-free? A school where I can go anywhere on campus and not have to worry about coming home smelling like an ashtray? Heaven!

But is that really possible?

I can see this ban working at community colleges, as students don’t live on campus and can light up as soon as their car leaves the campus lot. But what about a regular university? Could a school really enforce that rule? And would banning smoking on campus really promote a “healthy environment,” (the goal of the ban) or are students just going to get in their cars, drive to the edge of campus and enjoy a cigarette over there?

Even more, is this really fair? I am all for a place where I don’t get smoke blown into my face, but is it really fair to take away a legal individual’s right to smoke when they have the urge?

What do you guys think? Would a ban work at your college or university? Would this ban help the nearly 30% of  American college students who smoke?

Of course I am excited that I will no longer have to wake up 2 hours before my class to get onto 2 over-crowded and always-late buses to get to school. I will finally get to move out of my parents house and have what most people call the “real college experience.” I will, at last,  get to prove to my parents that I can survive away from home.

However, I can’t help but be consumed by thoughts about various things relating to this upcoming experience.

First, there’s the whole roommate situation. I’ve never lived out of my house, let alone in a small room with a stranger. Thankfully, my friend who is transferring to the same uni as I has agreed to be my roommate. But I’m still a little nervous. I’m not used to sharing my space with anyone and I’ve heard that it is unwise to be roomies with your friends, as you may end up hating each other in the end. Will I end up calling my mom in tears after a giant fight with her over using up the milk?

Then there’s the thing about making new friends all over again. When you enter a new school as a transfer student, I feel like it’s more difficult than entering as a freshman because people will already know each other. They will have their friends already and I’ll just be that weird new girl that no one knows.

And then there’s the downside of living on campus. At a commuter community college, it doesn’t really matter if you hate your lab partner or classmate because you just have to deal with them for about three hours a week. But when home is the same place as school, there is no getting away. What if I have to live on the same floor as that annoying classmate and see them all. the. time?

Then come the parties and night life. Living with my kinda strict parents means that I don’t get to party as often as I can, and I definitely cannot stumble in after 4am reeking of a brewery and leading some drunken stranger from the bar into my room. Will I be able to handle the freedom that comes with leaving my parents? Or will I end up being labeled the “crazy-always-drunk-transfer-girl?”

There is so much going through my mind right now and I’m really freaking out. Anyone got any tips? Anyone else dealing with the transfer blues?

Some movies make you laugh till your tummy hurts, while some movies inspire you with their message. There are some that make you terrified to sleep alone after watching, or ones that are so graphic and disgusting that they make you puke in your mouth and consequently scar you for life. And then there are  the ones that make you shed a tear (or in my case, bawl my eyes out till they are puffy and swollen).

Those are my favorites. Sound strange? Then tell me you’ve never had one of those days when you just wanted to have a good cry. It’s ok. Everyone needs a little release (followed by a giant brownie) now and then. If you’re having a day like that, check out on of these: my list of the best tear-jerkers of all time.

Titanic.

I do not believe anyone who says they never cried at all during this two and a half hour love story. I can’t seem to hold back the tears every time I see Jack shivering in the water telling Rose that she shouldn’t give up and that she will have plenty of babies and grow old. By the time Rose realizes that Jack is dead, I’m  sobbing and running from the room to grab tissues to wipe the dripping snot from my nose.

The Notebook.

I always say that The Notebook is the best romantic love story since Titanic. How could you not cry when the old version of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams dance in the nursing home after she finally realizes that he is her husband and former lover? When she starts losing her memory two minutes after that it’s heartbreaking. By the time they die in each others’ arms at the end of the movie (shoot, did I ruin the ending?!), I am down a box of tissue…and a sleeve of my sweatshirt.

A Walk to Remember.

In this classic bad-boy-falls-in-love-with-good-christian-girl story, the tears begin to fall when the guy decides to show his love for his dying girlfriend by building the telescope, and start flat-out pouring when he learns how to dance and even asks for help from his estranged father. I cry for the sad ending, but also for the realization that there are only like 5 guys on earth who could actually turn from being the jerk to the devoted sweetheart.

Marley and Me.

I know that all dogs (and humans) grow old and die but as someone who has an attachment to dogs, finding out that the playful and mischievous Marley got sick and died sent me into fits of sobs. (Note: this might have something to do with the fact that I have yet to forgive my mother for accidentally running over my puppy when I was 9. Either way – sad movie.)

Forrest Gump.

How could you not feel sorry for Forrest? He’s just so naive and cute and kind. Forrest lost everyone that was important to him and each passing sent me running for more tissue. Not a good movie to see with a boy. Just sayin’…

Anyone have any other tear-jerkers to add?

Well, it’s real.

Eight college students from Madison, Wisconsin were each given cameras and were told to film their college life. The footage would then be used as part of the show on MTV.

When I first heard about the show, I was very curious.

Would this be an extended version of True Life?
Would they edit out any illegal activity?
Who would actually agree to film themselves getting trashed at a frat party where they would possibly have a drunken make-out session with some random person in their Stats class and have the whole world watching it?

What? Just me?

MTV is hoping that the absence of a camera crew will give the show a real edge. No makeup crew, no one shoving a camera in your face as you try to escape from your ex (cue “The Hills”), no scripts. This would be real.

I’m just not sure how I feel about it. (Apparently MTV wasn’t so sure either as it was supposed to premier two weeks ago and never did.) On the one hand I think it would be awesome to follow some real college kids around, but at the same time, is MTV just exploiting them for their own gain? Do this kids even realize the implications of putting their whole life on camera for the world to see? What if a potential employer is watching the show?

MTV has been known to have a reputation of “editing” in a way that makes things happen that never really did all in the name of entertainment. Who knows how this “real footage” will be cropped?

I guess we’ll all find out tomorrow night at 10:30.
I know I’ll be watching, will you?

My only wish was that the next twelve months whizz by so I can finally be 21.

Don’t get me wrong – I was excited that I will no longer be labelled as a teenager. But being 20 still means that I can’t get into most clubs without using my sister’s ID, or drink myself to oblivion (without my sister’s ID).

I’m tired of my friends having to plan their birthdays or events around the fact that I’m not yet 21 and can’t get into a 21 and above club. Sure, some clubs don’t check IDs when the bouncers think you look older, but  I’m a 20 year old who looks like a 16 year old, so there’s no way that works for me. And the few times I tried, I spent the whole time stressing about whether the bouncer would notice that I wasn’t looking him in the eye, or wearing layers and layers of makeup that made me look like a drag queen.

Once I did get in, I would be so paranoid that someone would notice that I was under age and would have me kicked out of the club that I never had much fun. Not to mention the fact that nervousness, adrenalin, those disco lights and the 2,000 other sweaty people gyrating on the dance floor created a serious drag makeup meltdown.

So I stopped trying. And now here I am: an adult, yet still a full year away from taking advantage of that new title. And all my friends are out living it up.

I know that there’s nothing I can do to make time move faster, so I guess I will spend the next 12 months convincing my older friends to hang out at home with me. Maybe I should pick up knitting? That’s an adult activity….

Being 20 sucks.

I believe that it’s a well known fact that almost all guys above 12 look at porn. It usually starts with the magazines stashed under their beds for secrecy, then progresses to scrambled porn channels and online porn sites. And, though you don’t want to believe it, it doesn’t matter whether they are single or in a relationship. Try “borrowing” your boyfriend’s computer and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

According to the guardian.co.uk website,”In the US, with the pornography industry bringing in up to $15 billion annually, people spend more on porn every year than they do on movie tickets and all the performing arts combined. Each year, in Los Angeles alone, more than 10,000 hardcore pornographic films are made, against an annual Hollywood average of just 400 movies.”

That’s a lot of porn! Clearly someone (or a lot of someones) is watching it. I am not a dude, so I can’t say for sure why guys feel a constant need to watch porn, but I can speculate.

Maybe they watch to discover new sexual positions. Or maybe it makes them more secure because they think that they are better at sex than the guys in the video. Maybe it’s a frequent topic of discussion in the locker room, or they watch it because it really isn’t as hard to follow as a television show like One Tree Hill or Lost. The story lines seem pretty simple in porn movies: something is broken, someone calls a handy man, boom! Sex.

Or, most likely, maybe they just like sex and want to watch people doing it.

The truth is, for most guys (I’m not talking about those creepers who live in their parents’ basements and look at naughty websites all day in their underwear), porn is not personal. They aren’t watching because they long to be with the girl(s) in the video or watch it because they find us unattractive. But we can’t help but feel that way.

If I actually caught my boyfriend red-handed watching porn I would feel insecure, because I would think that my boyfriend wasn’t satisfied with me. I would think that he wanted me to be doing all those yoga-like sexual positions like those girls in the movies. I would think that every time my boyfriend was having sex with me, he would be imagining that pornstar with the Beyonce booty and Angelina Jolie lips.

I can’t help it; that is just how I feel. Yes, even knowing that all guys are watching.

How do you feel about it? Do you mind if your guy watches? Would you ever watch with him?

“Wanna see what happens when people stop being nice and start getting real”? Well if your answer is yes, then you may get your answer by tuning into MTVs 21st season of The Real World. (Yes, it’s been on for that long!)

Most people stopped watching Real World after the fork incident in Las Vegas. I don’t blame you. I, too, swore off the awful drama, but then I found myself with nothing to do and 100 reruns of the first episode showing on MTV. So I watched. And you should too. Since you may have missed the premier, here is a little cheat sheet to get you all caught up.

The Real World Brooklyn is the same crap as every other season, but with a few small changes:

Instead of 7 housemates this time, MTV has added another housemate in the mix, which should be interesting. In my opinion, it’s to improve the ratings and create more drama. I mean, the show has been around for so long that people have seemed to forget about it, so they needed do something new. Other changes to the show include an aftershow where ex-housemates from past seasons, as well of some of the cast members, will appear and answer questions about the current season. Oh, and instead of working together in a group project (which was always a total sh*tshow), the housemates will try to make their dreams come true on their own.

So who will be causing the drama?Here’s a short bio of the housemates.

Ryan is a 23 year old from Pennsylvania who was in the US Army and served a year in Iraq. He’s focused on making music with his guitar and writing a book.

Beya is 21 and dreams of being a professional hip-hop dancer. She will go to auditions in this season in hopes of getting her big break.

Chet is a 23 year old strict metrosexual Mormon from Salt Lake City, Utah, who loves to sew his own clothes and is saving himself for marriage. (Editor’s Note: gay and won’t admit it? Definitely.)

Devyn is a 20 year old beauty queen who counts Miss Missouri and Miss Teen America as some of her pageantry titles.

Scott is a personal trainer who recently appeared in Men’s Fitness Magazine.

JD is a 22 year old dolphin trainer (Um, NY may not be the best place for your break in dolphin training…) who was raised by his abusive father who did not support JD’s homosexuality.

Sarah, who is the tattooed lesbian turned straight 22 year old, was also abused when she was young.

Katelynn, the housemate who may cause the biggest stir, is the show’s first transgendered housemate. Desperate for ratings, MTV?

I’d like to make predictions as to what is coming this season in Brooklyn, but this is Real World. I mean, I never would have expected someone to get smacked for throwing a stuffed bear in the water in Seattle, but it happened. And it was awesome. What I can say is Real World Brooklyn is gonna be a trainwreck. And totally worth watching.

Even after 21 seasons.

I have watched you since the first season of The Hills and now on The City, so it’s kinda safe to say that I know you, or at least the parts of your life that are shown on MTV. I was there for the big transition to life in NYC and it looks like have navigated life in the big city pretty well so far: you’ve found your dream apartment, you have your dream job, and, of course, you got your “dream boy.”

Well, that’s why I’m writing. As a loyal and caring fan, I would like to give you the guy advice that Lauren would have given you if you hadn’t left her to get your own show work for DVF. Only I won’t be as harsh or bitchy as her. And my mascara won’t run all over my face when we start crying and hugging and loving each other again.

You are being naive, Whit. Or maybe you are just so in love with Jay that you’re blind. I understand that he is cute, he dedicates songs to you (awww) and has an Australian accent; I would probably melt too. So whats the problem, you may ask.

See, the thing is, dear, Jay seems to be playing you. (Ok, he’s TOTALLY playing you.) He’s seeing other girls apart from you. But it’s not like you didn’t know this already from Alex, that model guy you met but ditched for Jay (who I will gladly take for my very own). Yes, I get that you may not believe Alex because you may think that he’s trying to ruin it for you after you unceremoniously ignored him when Jay came around. But trust him this time. Then pass him my number.

Remember when you confronted Jay about Alex’s accusations and he said that he was going to call that Danielle chick (that was her name, right?) that he was supposedly with, but you wouldn’t let him make the call? Shoulda let him call, girlfriend. Should have let him call. Then we wouldn’t be having this awkward conversation.

I won’t tell you to break up with Jay, because you seem head-over-heels in love with him already (and then your show will be even more boring). My advice is that you be careful, because even though that “social ” bitch, Olivia, seems to be bashing Jay so she can have him all for herself, she may actually have a point.

When you do sit down and watch the episodes of your show, you will see that I am right about Jay. You will also notice that those fringy bootie things you sometimes wear are really ugly. When that time comes, I will be here with the tubs of ice cream and the tissues….and some basic flats.

So be careful for now. I’ll be watching.

Sincerely yours,

Mazuba

I don’t mean updating your status every 3 hours instead of every 30 minutes (addict), or finally getting even with your sister by posting up those New Year’s Eve pics of her passed out in her own puke (ew); I mean using Facebook for different purposes. So here we go.

Facebook resolution 1: De-Clutter your friend List.

Remember when you first joined facebook and you added everyone and anyone who added you just so that you could gloat to your friend that you had five more friends than her? Well, when the games stopped, what happened to all those random people that you added? Do you still talk to them? Have you ever talked to them? While having 200 friends verses 25 is cooler, if you don’t talk to half those people, it’s time to delete them. Do you really want that rando who friended you to know what you are doing at all times? Who knows what he’s doin’ with those pics you put up last week?!

Facebook resolution 2: Learn to use the privacy settings!

Because you really don’t want to have to deal with your conservative aunt who suddenly calls you asking “Since when where you an alcoholic and hookah smoker?” (Um, since 9th grade?) Even if your aunt/mom/dad doesn’t have a Facebook account, chances are they know someone’s daughter’s- friend’s- niece’s- cousin’s (you get the point) who has a huge mouth and grudge against you. So customize your photo albums so that only the people who you get drunk with (and a few others) see those specific pics.

Facebook resolution 3: Network.

You know, Facebook is useful for more than just stalking your boyfriends ex. It is the perfect place to reach out to the people you would never get in contact with otherwise. You may not think that the editor of that magazine you want to work for someday has a Facebook page, or that, even if they do, that they bother to check it, but some do. Add them as friends, and maybe write on their wall about how you would love to have an opportunity to work at their company. Don’t expect them to reply the same day; these are busy people. And they may not reply at all, but you never know. They may just end up sending you a message with instructions on how to apply. In the end, you have nothing to lose, so network, network, network!

Facebook resolution 4: Join a Cause or write a petition!

With the state of the world that we live in there are so many causes to get involved in. And FB is a great place to make them public. Between the Newsfeed and Status Updates, you could give your cause a ton of exposure and get more people involved.

Facebook resolution 5: Get over the new facebook already!

Yes, the new Facebook was a change and some of us resented it and complained, threatened Mark Zuckerberg, and joined those “If You hate the new FB, join this group” groups. Bottom line is: it’s not going back to the old Facebook. So let’s deal with it once and for all and move on! At least until they change it again.

I have made quite a few mistakes over the course of my college career, which have taught me quite a few things. Learn from my mistakes and this semester will be easy breasy. (I bet you expected me to say CoverGirl, right?)

Tip 1: Procrastination will kill your grades:

Trust me, writing a 10 page paper at 3am the day it’s due is never the best way to get your assignment done. Yes, you like to work under pressure, and, yes, at least you actually did the paper, but doing it in a hurry means you rarely have time to spell-check, let alone stay awake long enough to turn it in.

Tip 2: Try To Take Shorter Classes.

You may think it’s worth it to take that 3 hour class on Wednesdays so you get that full 4 day weekend, but sometimes longer classes are worse for your GPA. Let’s be honest: when was the last time you could pay attention to anything for longer than an hour? Whenever possible, try taking a 50 minute class three times a week (or whatever shorter options you have at your school), instead of a longer class that meets only once. You will be able to focus more in a 50 min class, not to mention be more on top of things when you have to prove yourself to your prof 3 days a week instead of one.

Tip 3: Don’t skip class.

Seriously. Unless you are dying from some rare and contagious disease, go to class. Some profs only take a couple points off your final grade for absences, but when you think about it, 2.5 points added to an 88% score could mean the difference between an A and a B. Oh, and the whole point of college is going to class and learning, so it might be a good idea. Professors often make it worth your while by, I don’t know, teaching you things and making it all easier to understand.

Tip 4: Don’t drop a class unless you absolutely have to!

I am the kind of person that drops a class when it gets boring, if the teacher annoys me, or if the homework is too much. I always say,”I’ll take it next semester with a better Prof.” Bad idea. Putting off classes that I need to graduate only sets me back and could mean more money spent on tuition or, gasp, summer classes.

Got any other lessons you’ve learned? Share ‘em with the class, ladies!