These slide shows looked like so much fun that I had to make one for myself.

I was sitting with a group of friends (all girls) and we were talking about things that had happened to us in the past. One girl admitted to being raped by her ex boyfriend. This was a very sensitive subject -- one that requires tact and, preferably, sympathy. She told her story, and we listened respectfully and then told her how sorry we were that this had happened. At least, most of us. One girl, one lacking tact, said, "Did you report it?" "No." the first girl answered. "I was too...

So, I thought that I would have a little "farewell" party to say goodbye to some of my favorite younger friends. I figured we could come up with some fun ideas that everyone could participate in -- you know, something the under 21 crowd could enjoy. I asked everyone for ideas... but I got no help from them. My brain is very tired right now, and I'm not feeling creative at all. Can someone please help me? I thought about bowling, mini-golf and the movies... but apparently, those ideas a...

Because I have no life, I develop little crushes on TV characters. Not the actors, mind you, because you have no idea what actors are like in their real lives. Nope, I get crushes on the characters. So, here’s a little list of my character crushes: Harry Dresden -- "The Dresden Files" Sci-Fi channel Harry is my latest crush. Any one who knows me should know that I would fall for a wizard. A witty wizard detective who's pretty hot, smart and powerful and has a smart ass ghost as a fri...

I wasn't going to write any more articles today... but the gauntlet has been thrown. Gideon has challenged me to an earworm competition. For those of you who do not know what an earworm is, read this article: Link The battle began with: "I closed my eyes, Drew back the curtain, To see for certain What I thought I knew..." DAMN YOU, SHE!!! LOL I countered with: "It's a small world after all... It's a small world after all..." Gideon quite evilly came back with: ...

A friend of mine posted the video seen below, and I thought it was a good example of how distorted our sense of beauty is. I've written before about the false images of beauty that are pushed on women of all ages and how those images are damaging. Here's a quote from an article I wrote... oh, years ago: "We are sold cosmetics, hair dye, teeth whiteners, hair gel, bikini wax, diet pills, anti-wrinkle cream, lip sticks, self-help books, exercise videos and scary looking tools ...

As most of you know, I am a college student. Every day, I walk around campus, to and from class, to and from meetings, to and from the library... you get the point. In the five years I've been here, I've noticed a certain trend. When I started school, at least half of the students I saw walking across campus would be talking on their cell phones, and another 10-15% were smoking. Only about 10% were listening to mp3 players. Fast forward to five years later, and only about 10% of the stud...

I got a new Dell laptop a little over a year ago. The computer came with a game consul that allowed me to sample several of their games. I played stuff with penguins, and stuff with jewels. Then, I played FATE. It's a silly little game where you complete quests in a dungeon to gain money, fame and experience. You can learn different kinds of weapons, be a magician, and all kinds of neat, dorky stuff. I was dating a gamer at the time, so I thought this would give me something to talk abo...

While I'm supposed to be writing my paper, I've also been watching movies. It isn't exactly conducive to writing to watch movies, but I do it anyway. I usually watch movies that I've seen multiple times so that I don't really have to pay attention to know what's going on. But I digress from the point. I'm watching, appropriately enough, Easter Parade with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. I really adore this movie. It has one of my favorite lines of all time in it. Judy had been singing...

I presented my thesis on fantasy literature yesterday at an academic conference. I had a lot of fun answering questions, and especially in the 2.5 hour conversation I had with a member of the audience after my panel section was done. I tell you that to tell you this: I heard a paper by a young woman who had an eating disorder, and she opened my mind to something I could have never thought to be a problem. True, her paper had nothing to do with literature, and should not have been include...

Over my spring break, I visited the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and was unimpressed by what I saw. The campus was falling apart, the people I spoke to were snobby and unhelpful. You would think that, since they did let me in, I would be worthy to talk to, yet they each acted as though I were wasting their time. I also discovered that the wonderful English major community that had been described is an illusion. Bleh. Not to mention they add an additional $12,000 for out of state ...

As a few of you might be aware, I have been working out, eating right and losing weight lately. I feel better, I look better, and things are going well. I don't mind it when people say things like, "Wow, you look good! Are you losing weight?" or "Hey, you look like you've lost weight." It's nice that people notice... but why is that the first thing they notice and the thing they think is most important? I saw a friend recently that I have not seen in close to a year. Since that time...

As some of you may or may not know, I am an RA in an on-campus dorm. (I'm supposed to call it a Residence Hall) My job is to insure the safety of the residents, to provide them with information about campus, be a mentor, be a counselor, be a resource, plan programs, build community... and a bunch of small things. I also live in the newest dorm on campus. This is the first year that it has been open. Newest freaking building on campus. Already, the students have vandalized it tremend...

Finding Love... Online? Since writing Part II, things have changed. While Zach and I have had some communication over MySpace and Facebook, we have not spoken on the phone. We have not talked about getting together again. I wonder if he's changed his mind since it looks like I might be moving 10 hours away... Kinda sad because I like the guy, but I'm not broken up about it. I'm neither giving up hope, or getting my hopes up. I'm also not making first contact again. He still has time...

I am a member of the Honors College here at my campus. This is an unusual community: we don't simply take "honors" classes, as is typical of most honors colleges... we take specially designed classes first as a part of the Honors program, and then you present a paper to become a part of the Honors College for your Junior and Senior years. We do an undergraduate interdisciplinary thesis, and graduate with a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies. We all live together, from Freshman to Super-Sen...