I met up with some old friends from grade school today for some good old fashioned hiking, reminiscing, and movie watching. We try to get together a few times a year during breaks to fill each other in on our lives, and it’s always a comical time hearing about each other’s adventures. The last time we really saw each other was back in summer – I had had them over to my house for a barbecue and they left pretty late that night. Somehow we got to talking about speeding tickets, and one of my friends admitted that he had actually gotten a ticket that night, driving home from my house. read more

A brief tyrade: NO ONE KNOCKS ANYMORE.

It is simply common courtesy to knock on a single bathroom door to see if it’s occupied. I shouldn’t have to even lock the door if people obeyed this little rule. But I do, as there have been literally countless times that I’ve heard someone try to burst into the bathroom while I’m using it.

Don’t assume that I’ve locked the door. What if I forgot? Then you’re legitimately walking in on me. Awkward for me, sure, but even more awkward for you. JUST KNOCK. read more

A week ago I was at my home climbing gym in Upper Saddle River, The Gravity Vault. I didn’t have much time to climb that day, as I had to cover for a girl at work in the afternoon, but I was making the most of it. I bouldered hard for a little over an hour and was going to pack up when my former coach, Ferdie, approached me.

Ferdie sets routes for the gym every few weeks. He doesn’t set as much in the Upper Saddle River location, but you can see his signature on the start of many routes there regardless. He asked me what I thought of the setting at the gym, having had the opportunity during the school year to climb in gyms in Colorado, a major climbing state. read more

As it is Father’s Day, I feel it’s only right that I talk a bit about dads and their invaluable contributions to family, society, and well, the universe. They play a subtle role that very few could begin to master – and they do it without really trying. Here are some, but not all, things that only dads are good for:

Allowing you to shamelessly eat pizza for breakfast or chocolate cake for dinner. 
In this scenario, it must be noted that Mom ISN’T present. Not only is Dad cunning enough to keep this a secret from Mom (until you spill the beans of course – “MOM! GUESS WHAT DAD LET US DO!”), he also is able to paint the situation as something that you all deserve and would be wrong to refuse to do.  read more

As this is the ECC, failing to mention the power of cereal would be a terrible shame. Whenever you’re having a breakdown, cereal is there for you. Through thick or thin, 2% or soy milk, whole grain or chock full of sugar, it really never fails to cheer you up. Not only that, it has sparked inspiration within me recently – inspiration to co-mingle.

I’ve always liked to mix cereals. Most commonly, I’ll mix a plain cereal with a sugary one: Rice Chex with Lucky Charms, Cheerios with Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Corn Flakes with Frosted Flakes, etc. However, of late, I’ve gone a little crazy. Now in my bowl of cereal, you can find Pecan Great Grains, Banana Great Grains, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 2 types of Granola, and Wheat Chex. I’d add more types of cereal if there were more in the house. I guess I’ve just decided that there is no limit to the number of textures and flavors I can and should add. If they’re all good, why not add them all? read more

What is it about campuses that causes squirrels to act so strangely?

After attending boarding school, visiting other boarding schools,visiting colleges, and now attending college, I think I have enough experience to say that campus squirrels are a rare variety of their own. These squirrels fear nothing. They’ll come right up to you like they’re dogs.

BUT THEY’RE NOT DOGS.

They’re gross. They’re creepy.

I’ll be walking through campus, minding my own business, when a squirrel will scamper across my path, getting within a foot of me. It’d be one thing if this creature were cute–then this action would be endearing–but its beady little eyes tell otherwise. read more

I recently visited a school friend, despite thinking that we’d never organize ourselves enough to actually make plans. Yet sure enough, we were able to time it and I made the drive over with ease. We enjoyed each other’s company for a few days and then parted ways. I’m still surprised it all worked out.

However, what struck me about the visit was how comfortable it all was. I had never been to her house; in school, while we were very close, we didn’t live in the same dorm, were in different friend groups, and shared no classes. In a way, this was the first time we were spending an extended time together. read more

Since I’ve just returned from spending a week in Florida, I feel it’s only necessary to touch upon some of the irritating things one may encounter in a theme park. It doesn’t help that almost anything can annoy me, but these behaviors are despicable no matter who you are, and they seem to be happening increasingly in these parks. I could probably list dozens, but here are the top three (or at least the first three I could think of):

1. Poor attire. I swear, people have decided that theme parks that have one water ride are now water parks and will walk around in swimsuits. I saw several girls get on a rollercoaster in bikinis, no joke. Nobody wants to see that. Get it together. read more

My sister and I actually dragged ourselves out of bed this morning to go to church. It wasn’t our idea. When we got there, we naturally ran into a lot of adults that are friends with our parents, but that we don’t know too well. As best as we could, we mingled with them and tried not to seem too awkward or really desperate to leave. We had relative success, but one interaction rubbed us the wrong way. As we headed out, nearly free, one familiar adult came up to us and said, “My, you girls are getting so BIG! I can’t believe it!” read more

I had a revelation early today that if I was left with nothing but Pinterest to guide me, I could survive on my own.

I could learn how to make crafts and ceramic pieces to sell.
Spend the money on food to cook all of the recipes I’ve learned.
Take the recipes to start my own restaurant and save up more money.
Spend the additional money on interior decorating (which Pinterest also helped me with) and on vacations in the various places Pinterest has recommended.
Dress with perfect style and know how to do different hairstyles.
Give the best homemade presents to people.
Be an expert at hosting parties.
Have a kick-ass daily work-out routine. read more

Another absurd story. I have a friend obsessed with condiments–she’s always putting ranch, seasoning, or most importantly, soy sauce, on her food. She recently told me, “You know, my friend ordered us some Chinese food, and she got these dumplings. They came with the best soy sauce, and lots of it. It’s way better than regular soy sauce. I can’t believe I’ve been ordering General Tsao’s chicken for so long when I could’ve been ordering these dumplings with this soy sauce. So you know what I did? I put all the extra soy sauce in a water bottle and I carry it in my bag. Now when the dining hall has no more soy sauce, not only do I have some, but the best kind.” read more

I’m always baffled by how people can simultaneously insult and compliment me. Earlier today, a teacher approached me about an article I wrote for the school paper. She verbatim said to me, “I mean, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, but I was definitely engaged reading it!” Thanks? I’m so glad my article was interesting, but not that interesting, to you.

Talk about absurd. Today, a friend of mine showed up to inform me and a few others that someone stole half her sandwich. Stealing a sandwich is one thing. Stealing half a sandwich isn’t much different. What’s important here is what “half” means. In this case, someone took the top slice of bread with the meat and mayo, leaving the full bottom slice of bread with the lettuce and tomato. It’s times like these that I question why I exist.

As I recently discussed with my mom, typing is so taken for granted nowadays. I can type fine now, but I remember how tortuous it was to learn the skill. In third grade, my class had a space-themed typing program where you had to type a certain phrase or sentence correctly and within a certain time period in order to advance to the next level. Imagine the 9-year-old stress as my peers and I anxiously tried to type quickly – quickly enough that the phrase wouldn’t erase and restart – and not make a mistake. If you rushed it, you’d make a mistake and be forced to start over. If you took your time, you wouldn’t complete the phrase in the time limit. You could be literally (and quite easily) stuck on the same level for the full 45 minutes of typing practice, trapped in this vicious cycle. The kid who sat next to me during these typing exercises routinely cried or banged his fists on his desk in frustration. Learning to type is anguish, people. read more