I need more tissue.

Newsflash: No one likes to be dumped. It’s the ultimate feeling of being unwanted, unloved, and just not good enough.

Welcome to the last month of my life. After spending the last year hoping to do so, I finally reconnected with my high school sweetheart — someone I had tons of history with and who knows me better than anyone. After many, many ups and downs, it turns out that college life (even when it was the summer) was just not conducive to our relationship. I could sugar coat it saying that “we broke up,” but the truth is that I was dumped. Ouch.

At this point I should probably clarify that I’m not hating on this guy (or even angry), especially since his reasons for ending it were completely justified. That being said, losing the person you’re closest to is just not an easy thing to do. Not only are you losing what you had in the relationship, but oftentimes you could be losing a best friend as well.

So what do you do? As much as it might feel like your world is ending, spending more that 3 days in your pajamas on the couch watching P.S. I Love You calls for a heartbreak intervention. While the sting of being relationship sh*t-canned will stick around for a little while, it’s important to get back on your feet. I hope these tips will help.

Don’t play the blame game. While it’s really easy to start hating on the SOB who broke your heart, it’s important to remember that relationships often end. Unless your man cheated on you (in which case, I hope you dumped his ass), the breakup is quite possibly nobody’s “fault.” Chances are that you’ve both made some mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and for sure nobody is perfect in a relationship. As much as it sucks, sometimes things just don’t work out. Read More »

The times, as Bob Dylan says, they are a-changin’ for those of us counting down the days until obligatory public schooling ends.

While change has been the topic on everyone’s mind since second semester senioritis kicked in, it didn’t quite hit me until last Friday, the official college decision day, on which my classmates proudly wore t-shirts to school bearing their college’s name to celebrate this momentous milestone. Some called it tactless, others called it pointless, but I saw it as truly emblematic of the change we are all about to go through. Especially since just a day earlier, we had received our caps and gowns for graduation while the rest of the school elected next year’s student government. Talk about symbolism!

The more I’ve thought about it, the more interested I’ve become in what this seemingly insignificant ritual truly means. No longer are we going to identify ourselves as high school seniors, students that attend X High School or live in X town. Starting in the fall (or even sooner for those who can’t wait to get the hell out of Dodge), we will refer to ourselves as freshmen at Y College or Z University. This transition is almost like a change in our identities as we move on to the next phase of life, discovering our passions and skills and setting the groundwork for future careers. Read More »

Shortly after taking the oath of office at his inauguration today, Barack Obama delivered his highly anticipated inauguration address. In the speech, Obama pointed out the problems with our country that he now must face as President, focusing mostly on the “badly weakened” economy. President Obama told the people of America:

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.”

As usual, Obama was inspiring and eloquent. I thought the speech really set the mood for the next 4 years to come, and the mood of “change” was definitely in the air. I’m excited to watch Obama fulfill his goals and bring about the change everyone is hoping for.

What about you? What did you think of Obama’s speech?

(And if you missed the speech, you can read the transcript here.)

So you’ve grown up, moved out, and now you’re living on your own. Still, whenever anybody asks where you’re from, you proudly state the place where you grew up instead of your current address. And no matter how much you love your college experience, there is still a comfortable feeling associated with returning home.

Your old bed.

Your old couch.

Your mom’s cooking. Mmmm.

However, no matter how long since you’ve left home, goin’ back never feels the same. Something changes; it may be a tangible difference or a change in emotion, but it’s different just the same.

When I returned home for the first time for Thanksgiving of my freshman year, I discovered the intensity of my mom’s home improvement kick. I drove away from a white house in September and pulled up to a blue one in November. My dingy twin bed was now a queen, complete with a handcrafted quilt and a wool blanket (a welcome change, don’t get me wrong). The pictures of my friends and I were out of site, and my shelves were now ridden with family photos and potpourri.

My room was no longer my room and it just felt weird.

However, there were also changes that run much deeper than my mother’s new home makeover. What would you do if you came home and the family you thought you had was completely different? This happened for me two years after I left for college. My dad took me out to dinner this past summer and told me that he and my mother were separating. The next day, he moved out. I had never lived in that house without him, and having to pick up the phone to talk to him just felt wrong. Read More »

The name may not sound fierce to you (in fact, it may sound more like a group of Paris Hilton and friends who wreak havoc on designer clothing stores), but the group of pink-clad women in Banda, India are instilling fear wherever they go.

Sick and tired of gender inequality, political injustice and other unfair atrocities that run rampant in the corrupt Indian government, a group of Indian women, who call themselves the Gulabi (pink) Gang, have decided to take action into their own hands.

“Nobody comes to our help in these parts. The officials and the police are corrupt and anti-poor. So sometimes we have to take the law in our hands. At other times, we prefer to shame the wrongdoers.”

It is hard to imagine the need for such a vigilante group (or the strength required by women to stand up and start one), but that is because we don’t have to face the same discrimination that women in India do. The Indian society, especially in the poorest areas, is one dominated by men, where women have no choice but to marry to get ahead in life. Most women are not educated, are married off at an extremely young age, and are blamed for everything that goes wrong in the household. Read More »

It is one hell of an evening. It does not matter which candidate you supported today, we should all be proud of our country and ourselves. Not only did we elect the first black president in American history, but we came out in record numbers to do so.

Our demographic – the “apathetic young people” – stood up and made a choice. We campaigned, we were engaged like never before, and today we voted.

This country is in serious need of a change, and while both candidates were more than capable of bringing that change, Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States. I know I am not the only one who is excited for him to take office. And I know that his daughters, who are definitely stoked about getting that new puppy, aren’t the only ones excited for him to take office. This country as a whole is ready for Barack Obama.

I could feel it when I was watching the returns. I could feel it when the bar I was in erupted in cheers. I could feel it as I drove back to my house and heard people screaming on the streets.

Today was an awesome day and the next four years promise to be the same.

When I moved to college, the first thing I did after unpacking my shower caddy and twin extra long sheets was buy a parking spot. I had to have my car. Had to. It gets cold in Colorado, obviously, so walking all over campus in the winter was not an option. Plus, I got so used to having a car for errands, Costco runs, etc., that I just couldn’t bear to be without one.

I am sure most students feel the same way, especially since I can never find anywhere to park on campus these days. Ugh. Why do I even have a car if I can’t use it to drive to class?!

But I digress.

All of this campus street congestion that is no doubt a problem on college campuses nationwide has led many schools to start a revolution…with bikes.

The University of New England is one of a few schools (that will soon be many) that is offering free bikes to any student who leaves their car at home. Other schools are setting up bike share programs, which entice students to pedal around campus instead of hopping in the car. These schools are hoping that by giving students a real alternative, they will not feel the need to bring their car to campus.

And it looks like it’s all working – for more than just the parking sitch:

“We did it as a means of reducing the need for parking, but as we looked at it from the standpoint of fitness, health and sustainability, we realized we have the opportunity to create a change.”

The whole idea is really quite smart. By opting for a bike instead of a car you could help the environment, save money on parking (and parking tickets…), get healthy, and free up some of those parking spots for the rest of us reduce the number of cars clogging your campus streets. And all for free!

This looks like a total win/win.

I know I’m lucky. Five of my best friends from childhood live within 5 minutes of me in the city. Most of us have been friends for 17 years (wow, that number scares me). I’m not going to lie and say it’s been easy for all of us to remain friends.

We all split up for 4 years of college, sometimes had sporadic contact, and occasionally went months without talking to each other.

Even now, living so close, sometimes a month or two will go by and we’ll realize we haven’t hung out. We’ve all grown into much different people than we were as kids, and if we met today, we wouldn’t necessarily all be the best of friends. But we grew up together and have enough in common that we’ve chosen to remain friends.

Key phrase: We grew up together.

In addition to my close childhood friends, I’ve collected friends from college and from post-college as well. These people didn’t know me as I was learning my multiplication tables, but they got to know me as a person much more like the one I am today. They chose to be friends with me, and not the childhood version of me.

I sometimes think about those friends from my past that I didn’t keep in touch with. Those girls I once referred to as my best friends. One in particular, I was best friends with from kindergarten all the way to 10th grade, when we slowly started drifting apart. We had sporadic contact in college, as in, “Oh my God, we so totally need to hang out!!” but of course we never did. Sometimes I get seriously sad thinking that someone who once knew me better than anyone else has no idea about what I’m like now. Sometimes I wonder why we let our friendship go when we had so much history together. Read More »

Sarah Palin had her first interview since joining the McCain campaign last night, and McCain himself – along with Obama – spoke in a televised “kind of” debate at almost the same time. Along with their wordy and vague answers to hard-hitting questions, the Repubs and Dems have been insisting since forever that they’re “one of” us.

A few weeks ago, the Conventions were full of politician life stories; I was once poor, I’ve had some hard times in my life, I come from a small town, I’m just a hockey mom…blah blah blah blah blaaahhh. These would-be presidents and VP’s spend hours convincing us that they understand what it’s like to have bills, to choose between a full tank of gas and certain grocery items, and to raise a family in today’s trying times.

But here’s my question: once you’ve ascended Politician status, are you still really “one of us”? Read More »

So, I was out at the bar with some coworkers last week, and a guy started talking about “The New Facebook.”

“There’s a ‘new’ Facebook?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Is it bad that I want to go home right now just to try it out?”

“Definitely,” I responded. “Stay here and get drunk. New Facebook will be waiting when the bar closes.”

Facebook has had quite the impact on American pop culture. I mean, really? This guy wanted to leave the bar to try it!? Whenever there’s even a minimal change in the layout and operation of the social network, it causes an uproar.

Remember when mini-feed first popped up? Immediately, groups sprouted all over the internet:

“Down with Mini-Feed!”

“Boycott F/B if They Don’t Get Rid of Mini-Feed Immediately!”

“Facebook Makes Stalking Easier with Mini-Feed!”

You get the point. Of course, now we’re all used to the program, and many of us keep updated via mini-feed every day: “Hey, I saw on Mini-Feed that you got a new job, congratulations!”

So, even though I’m hesitant to add too many applications (I don’t like that we have to check a box giving the ‘application’ full access to the info in our profiles), and even though I’m fully content keeping tabs on my friends the “old way,” I decided to check out the hullabaloo that is The New Facebook. Read More »