A Tale of Two Kitties (Plot Twist: One of Them is a Rabbit)

If I were to give a State of the Union address during my Fall Break on Haverford Campus, I probably would have included my frustrations with my living situation. Here’s the thing: I was being completely spoiled by m wonderful mentor. She was letting me stay in her house, use her kitchen and her laundry machine (that was NOT coin operated), and generally exist in her personal area as opposed to my very empty hall in Barclay. The only catch? I was responsible for her two pets: a cat named Pip and a rabbit named Hector.

How To: Play Mao

Here's a new card game for you to play, readers! It's absolutely ridiculous, a little abstract, and completely different every time you play. Basically, it's the best card game ever.

And just because I love you, I've included the rules below. The name of the game is Mao. And it is spectacular.

All you need to play this game is 2+ players and a deck of cards. The more people the better, but this game is fabulous no matter what.

20 Songs That Shaped Me

Some songs come and go; does anyone actually remember Fountains of Wayne? (Yes – THAT’S the band who gave us “Stacy’s Mom”.) But some songs stay with us for a lifetime and a half. Those are the songs I’m focusing on. So I give you 20 songs that not only dominated some portion of my life and was stuck on repeat for a month, but also helped me through something. Maybe I even go back to these songs when I really need them (or when I miss hearing them).

PS. These definitely aren’t in any kind of order.

Aftermath of the Honeymoon Phase

They say that when you start a new relationship, there's a Honeymoon Phase. Basically, all relationships begin with this sort of courting mentality where both parties are attempting to be their better selves in order to impress the other. And for a few months, both parties are blissfully in love with the other because wow this new person is so great and I love this person so much.

And honestly, the Honeymoon Phase is one of the best parts of a relationship. It's fun and exciting, and getting to explore a new person is a whole new kind of adventure. But eventually, things settle down. You kind of understand the other person - you know their pressure points, their insecurities, you know about their favorite childhood pet and whether or not they like onions on their burgers. But one of the biggest changes that occur is that when people start to get comfortable with another person, they stop trying to impress them all the time. 

This is where the Honeymoon Phase can cause problems.

Lessons in Love from the Resident Hopeless Romantic

Hello there, beautiful readers that I've been imagining this entire time. Today, I'm going to talk about love. And I definitely mean the knock-your-socks-off, I-Wanna-Hold-Your-Hand ballad-worthy kind of love that begins with fireworks and ends with the rest of the universe.

Why Doctor Who Should Be Your Favorite TV Show

Doctor Who is easily my favorite television show. So many times, people have asked what it is about. But the problem with that question is that there is no good way to answer it.

You see, essentially Doctor Who is a kid’s show. It’s about an alien who travels time and space, fighting monsters for the purpose of protecting Earth and saving lives. And let’s be honest – that’s a pretty basic concept. It’s not new. It wasn’t new 50 years ago when Doctor Who first began – there’s absolutely nothing extraordinary about it. But why, then, has Doctor Who survived so long?

Bad Breakups with Old Friends and The Bad-Boy Replacement (AKA Arctic Monkeys)

Your first real, serious relationship is generally an important one in your lifetime. I remember the first relationship I had that felt like a relationship was with a boy named James. He was a couple of years older than me, and I remember singing love songs as he played piano. I remember falling madly in love with his family - so much so that I continued to love and visit with them long after we broke up.

James was that first, beautiful relationship for me. And the relationship ended messily, terribly even. It's a wonder that we still occasionally talk. And when he comes to town and I happen to see him, it takes a great deal of self-control to not bring up that relationship - to not go back to it. Because it WAS my first real relationship and it was one filled with happiness...when it was happy.

So what does that have to do with Arctic Monkeys?

Emotions + College

They're very strange - these feelings I've had in the past few months. It's this weird mix of just about everything you can come up with. Sadness, happiness, anger, confusion, fear, excitement, determination...the list could go on forever.