Great Ways to Meet New People

I know have a lot of friends who are uncomfortable in social situations, who struggle to come out of their shell. Here are some ways to come out of your shell and meet new people.

1.) If you have an interest, join a club!

This doesn't just include school. If you look, you'll find clubs for almost anything. There are crochet and knitting groups you can join, political groups, social groups...Google it! I even have a friend who has a video game group who frequently has parties. You'd be surprised by how many different groups may exist around you. If there is something you're passionate about, maybe you should consider making your own group.

I've heard a lot recently about Live Action Role Plays. Even if you're not sure how to participate, my friends say that it is a lot of fun and also a great way to meet new people. If you aren’t sure how to participate but are interested, usually people are more than happy to help you learn.

2.) Open Mike

This is another way to experiment socially. There's a frequent open-mike night at least on coffee shop in every town I've ever been too. If you like performing, maybe you could participate too. But just going to see the acts is a great way to socialize and enjoy the local talent.

3.) Try out new restaurants!

This one is an extension of the one above. Trying a new restaurant may be a good way to branch out, try some good food, and maybe even meet new people. Usually coffee shops work pretty well for socializing too.

4.) Reach out to friends of friends

One of the most frustrating things for me, when meeting new people is when I'm introduced to a friend of a friend and I really hit it off but don't ask for their number or try to get any closer to them. Friends of friends are great people to make friends with because you probably already have some things in common and know a little about each other through your mutual friend.

5.) Reach out to your neighbors!

I live in an apartment complex that has a handful of social events in the summer. I only recently moved in so I haven't had time to attend any of these events but I'm planning on attending the next one that pops up. A neighbor makes a great fun, if not for any other reason because you don't have to drive across town to see them.

Overall, the best thing you can do to meet people, I believe is to push the limits of your comfort zone. If you stay cooped up in your house all of the time of Facebook or playing video games you'll miss out on great opportunities to make lifelong friendships.

Being Young

If you're feeling depressed, insecure, and your partner is one of the contributing factors making you feel this way, it's time to move on.

This is a tip to all of the teenagers I know here at my high school and all of my friends who get stuck in unhealthy or unhappy relationships. It's not worth it. Being young doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to date and shouldn't have fun meeting different people and setting standards for what you'd want in a potential mate. But you shouldn't sacrifice your happiness just to be in relationship.

People are in such a rush to settle down, move in together, I just want to enjoy being young which is why I finally broke it off with my boyfriend of about two years. He proposed to me twice and was already talking about having kids and spending the rest of his life with me. It was too much. I never even got to enjoy being young and having fun with him. We always just sat around doing nothing. I never got to be taken out on a real date. He made me feel insecure and unimportant. It took me months to realize that I deserved better.

I believe the high school atmosphere pressures students quite a bit into feeling the need to have partners. It seems like there’s always a dance coming up or something. I have friends who aren’t even going to prom because they don’t have a date. And to be honest, that’s one of the reasons I was delaying breaking up with my boyfriend. I wanted the whole story-book romantic night – looking like a princess, going out to eat, slow dancing. But I’ve realized that I can have just as much fun with a group of friends. You don’t have to have a date to enjoy going to dances at school.

So, I dumped him and I'm surprised by how good I feel. There's this guy who has been taking me out on real dates. Who wants to spend time with me and doesn't treat being around me like a chore. Even my friends have noticed a change in me. People are saying I look a lot happier.

When you’re young, life should be about enjoying being young. It took me a while to figure this out because I was in such a rush to grow up. I hadn’t realized that in rushing to start my own life, I was settling for someone I was incredibly unhappy with and increasingly frustrated with. Now, I feel so much better. I feel free and I finally feel alive.

So if you feel stuck in a relationship that you’re unhappy with, don’t settle. Putting off the breakup for as long as possible will only make it worse. You’re young. Break it off, open your heart and I’m sure someone better will come along.

That's so Gay

Gay. It's a word that a lot of us use, but very few of us actually even know what it means.


While surfing the internet, I found quite a few definitions for it.


According to Dictionary.com, it could be any of five things:


1.) Homosexual
2.) Relating to homosexuals
3.) Being in a merry mood
4.)Showy or brightly colored
5.)Given to social or other pleasures


On the Meriam Webster Dictionary website, it had four different defintions, very similar to the definitons on Dictionary.com


1.) "Keenly alive or exuberant"
2.) Brightly colored
3.)Partaking in social pleasures
4.) Homosexual


Funny, I did not see in any of the definitions I looked at, gay offically defined as stupid. Gay is not a synonym for stupid. What a shocker.


But why do we continue to use it this way? Do you have any idea how many synonyms there are for stupid already? Let me give you a hint.


These are the synonyms I obtained from Synonym.com:


anserine, dopy, dopey, foolish, goosey, goosy, gooselike, jerky, blockheaded, boneheaded, duncical, duncish, fatheaded, loggerheaded, thick, thickheaded, thick-skulled, wooden-headed, cloddish, doltish, dense, dim, dull, dumb, obtuse, slowgaumless, gormless, lumpish, lumpen, unthinking, nitwitted, senseless, soft-witted, witless, weak, yokel-like.


And I'm sure there are thousands more. Look them up, I dare you.


I'm aware that words like lumpen and loggerheaded aren't quite as catchy as gay. I mean, come on, it's one syllabel! When you're insulting something or someone else for being stupid, you're not only using a word incorrectly but you're also too lazy to use more than a one syllabel word. I'd call you stupid, but I'd rather say lazy. I'm sure you have the capability that I have to look up synonyms on the internet and incorporate them into your vocabulary. I'm sure you're smart enough to know that gay is most definetely not a synonym for stupid, but you're too lazy to eliminate it from your vocubulary.


Not only does it make you sound unintellegent to use a word incorrectly, but it hurts people. I have many gay friends and even straight friends who have been offended by hearing it in the hallway. Treat others how you want to be treated. How would feel if catch phrases like, "That's so jock" or "that's so straight?" How would you feel if people were mocking a piece of you so nonchalantly that they have incorporated into not only their daily word bank but their hourly word bank.


I just don't understand why out of all of the words in the dictionary that are synonymous with stupid, people have to use a word that isn't intended to be used for that purpose.

"Gay." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. N.p.  n.d. 

Web. 25 Apr. 2012.

"Gay." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. N.p. n.d.

Web. 25 Apr. 2012.

"Synonyms for Stupid." Synonyms Thesaurus with Antonyms & Definitions. N.p.

Web. 25 Apr. 2012.

How to Take Advantage of a Sunny Day

In Iowa, we're finally starting to come out of the cold, awful winter and into spring. The temperature has been in the sixties this week. All of us want to take advantage of that perfect warm and sunny day and here are a handful of the best ways to do it.

1.) Fly a kite

I know it sounds a little silly, but you'd be surprized how many people I saw at the park the other day flying kites. It's a great way to enjoy being outdoors and is a lot of fun. Not only that, but it's a great way to spend quality time with someone. I used to love flying kites with my sister and my dad when I was very young.

2.) Take a walk

It sounds typical, but one of the things I enjoy the most on a nice day is taking a walk. It's even better if you live near an ice-cream shop. Having a place to walk to (whether it's a grocery store or a restaurant) makes it even better. I used to love walking up to the gas station and buying a candy bar and a can of pop on a nice day. Walking is not only a great way to enjoy the day but it's a great way to get exercise.

3.) Sit outside

It sounds simple, but one of the best things you can do on a nice day is just sit outside. When I lived at my old house, I used to sit out on the patio and read a book. Sometimes I'd sit on our swing and work on my homework on my laptop. You can do a lot of things outside, even chores. You can fold laundry outside. I always enjoyed husking corn outside.

4.) Go to a strip mall

I love shopping. I love going to the mall. And there is nothing better than shopping outside when the weather is nice. I went up to Iowa City recently and walked around the shops there. Find a place like Iowa City and plan to spend a few hours there. You get to enjoy being outside and also get to visit some interesting shops. It's a lot of fun.

5.) Eat Outside

Whether you go out on a the patio of a restaurant to eat your dinner or go on a good old-fashioned picnic, eating outside is a great way to spend a nice day. Who wants to be cooped up in a crowded restaurant on a nice day? Who wants to eat inside when its beautiful outside?

I'm sure there are a hundred other ways to take advantage of a nice day, but these are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy the nice weather!

Wanderlust Review

Recently, I went to the movie theater. I very rarely go to the movie theater but I had a little extra money, some free time and thought that this movie I'd seen previews for looked funny.

I saw the movie, "Wanderlust" starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. It was directed by David Wain. The movie follows a Manhattan couple, who lose their jobs and must leave New York to live with family. In this case, the family is George's (played by Paul Rudd) obnoxious older brother and his wife. On the way to his brothers house, the couple stumbles upon a bed and breakfast. The bed and breakfast turns out to be a rural commune called Elysium based around free love. George and his wife Linda (played by Jennifer Aniston) decide to stay there and have trouble adjusting to their new life.

Though the plot sounded funny enough, the movie was a huge let-down. It just didn't have the certain pizz-azz I was expecting it to. The movie seemed to drag on forever and the jokes were far and few between.

The other big problem I had with the movie was the nudity. It was a rated R film and I should've checked what it was rated R for before I saw the movie, in its defense. There's a scene where Elysium is having a meeting for nudist winemakers and all of the nudist winemakers go running from an out-of-control car. The scene was supposed to be funny, but was just disgusting. I didn't hear a single person in the theater laugh.

The other problem is the on-going theme of free love. Everyone who stays at Elysium must share their partner. George and Linda decide to stay and abide by this rule. Linda ends up embracing free love and has sex with one of the residents right away and George's heart is broken. This just weighed the movie down. I believe it was supposed to add some sort of drama to the movie, but it really just weighed it down.

If you're looking for a movie to watch this weekend, I don't recommend seeing Wanderlust. Overall, it was a dumb movie that dragged on and on. It's not worth your money.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655460/

Awkward Embraces Review

I recently had the pleasure of stumbling upon a charming web show on YouTube. The show, "Awkward Embraces" chronicles the adventures of Jessica, Candis, and Lyndsey. Many of the episodes focus on Jessica who is a Sci-Fi nerd and always seems to have the worst of luck with guys. Her two best friends struggle to help her through her dating misadventures.

"Awkward Embraces" is a quirky and hilarious show. It's easy to admire and even see yourself in Jessica's character. She is a strong woman with a great sense of who she is. She openly talks about her love of science fiction such as her adoration for Star Wars and enjoys playing video games. Although she hits it off with a couple different guys in the series, she still seems to remain clueless about men and often seeks her friends' help.

The actress who plays the character of Jessica's name is Jessica Mills. She not only plays the protagonist, but she also writes and produces the show under her own production company called Project A.

So far, there have been an accumulative twenty-two episodes (there have been two seasons). Each episode is between five and ten minutes long. I never cease to be amazed by how each episode has enough time to play out an edgy, hilarious scenario in that limited amount of time.

Besides being able to watch the hilarious episodes on YouTube, the show also has its' own video blog, where the actors from the series read viewer submitted comedic (some even disastrous) dating stories. This part of the channel is almost as fun to watch as the series itself, though I’m still hoping that the third season will be uploaded soon because I’m very eager to watch it. I made it through all twenty-two of the episodes the first day I stumbled upon it. I just couldn’t stop watching it.

I recommend this show for anyone over the age of sixteen considering there is a lot of mature humor in the series. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys shows like the Big Bang Theory and Sex in the City, considering the show seems to be a mix of the two. I guarantee you will love the show. It’s hilarious to see the three main characters bounce off of each other. The chemistry between the actors makes the show even more delightful for the viewer. If you look up the show and give it a chance, I’m sure you’ll be as charmed as I am by it.

http://awkwardembraces.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1833839/

"She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders" Review

I enjoy reading autobiographies and memoirs, so this book was a great fit for me. The author tells the story of her life as a female being stuck in the body of a male. She talks about her childhood, her family, even the gender reassignment surgery,

 I’ve met a handful of transgendered people in my life which I felt helped me to better understand the condition that the author, Jennifer Finney Boylan has. So the hardest part for me wasn’t relating to the main character as it may be for others. The hardest part for me was keeping track of what was going on in the story. In this book, it switches a handful of times from the present to the past and sometimes I got a little confused on what time the author was writing about.

The only book I’ve read that I can really compare She’s Not There to is Luna by Julie Anne Peters. Luna also tells the story of a transgendered male wanting to be female, although it is fiction. Luna is told from the point of view of the transgendered males sisters perspective. The sisters name is Reagan. Reagan is very protective of her transgendered brother in the book the point where she’s so busy taking care of him that she’s not even sure of her own identity.

Although the books chronicle the same condition, they are very different. Luna is seventeen in the book and at the end she leaves for her sexual reassignment surgery. Jennifer Finney Boylan is in her forties when she gets her sexual reassignment surgery. There is also the obvious difference that, She’s Not There is a first person narrative and Luna is told from the sisters point of view, although I’d love to read a nonfiction book about living with a transgendered person and watching their transformation, for example, a book from Jennifer Finney Boylan’s wife’s perspective or a book from one of his children’s perspective.  Boylan writes about his family in the book (he has a wife and two sons) but it would be interesting to really see his transition through their eyes.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to anyone who is curious about being transgendered, any transgendered persons or anyone involved in the LGBT community. Being the president of my schools gay-straight alliance I’ve heard a lot about Transexuality and this taught me a lot more about it. I’d also recommend this book to anyone who enjoys autobiographies. It was very interesting.