The night I quit my sorority, I sat in Reveka's living room unsure of what to do next. I hadn't expected the identity crisis that came with leaving an organization that wasn't for me in the first place, but here I was--over a year into college and feeling more lost than when I first began. "You need a distraction," Reveka said, and brought...

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From a vigil in Times Square (via Instagram) I could recap the news for you, but the horror is well-known. I could list out statistics and rant and ask, "When is enough enough?" (Today may not have been the day to talk about gun control, as some have said. That's correct, because yesterday was when we should have had that conversation.) But I can't...

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Last week, God called one of his angels home. From yesterday's Sacramento Bee: Many days [Roy McKnight] arrived at school before 5 a.m. He unlocked the building, turned on the lights, cleared debris from around the school and "made sure everything was safe and ready for the children," said extension director Patti Sanchez. He cleaned bathrooms, emptied trash cans, plugged leaks, set up tables...

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Friendsgiving 2012. Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday growing up. It was a time when dozens of us would gather at my grandparents' house, in matching outfits when we were kids, and watch movies and laugh and eat. There was something simple and fun about the evening, something that set it apart from the other times we would gather to watch movies and laugh...

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I think New Yorkers are more expressive than a lot of people because they're constantly having to deal with and confront their, and others', emotions. New Yorkers are used to living, working, breathing in a city that throws you into crowds with zero hesitation, and they never get a moment of privacy while they're out and about living their lives. That argument on...

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Being cooped up for days, alone with nobody to talk to but a fluffy and fickle cat as a monstrous storm wrecks your city, makes you think. It makes you crazy to stare out of two walls of windows as day turns to night, and in that insanity, it makes you breathe creativity. At least, that's how it feels as a writer. All...

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I sometimes feel like I'm "doing New York" wrong. When I moved here in January, I gave myself three days to find a place to live. It took me five. I was on Craigslist non-stop for the week leading up to my move, and I visited places all up and down the city. In the end, I settled in Harlem, and I've enjoyed...

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The last thing I ate was a free bagel, which was not very good, but it was free and it was 6 a.m. The last time I went to the beach was over a year ago ... I don't think I've been to a beach since I moved east. My last vacation was about a month ago when I flew home for a...

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This is practically a no-brainer, but it's been on my mind lately: I see it on Tumblr at lot, or even Facebook and Twitter and Youtube. There's this tendency, this need to paint Adele's anthem of heartbreak "Someone Like You" as that song that will be the soundtrack for your pain and recovery. Don't get me wrong--it's a beautiful song. Adele sings it beautifully....

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1. Something I am very proud of is  figuring out how to navigate the New York subway system in less than a year of living here. I thought it would be impossible when I first moved here . 2. My favorite thing about myself is  my ability to get things done (for the most part) . 3. My favorite color for fall is ...

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Eighteen years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed the Violence Against Women Act into law. VAWA, drafted by then-Senator Joe Biden, received broad bipartisan support and cleared both the House and Senate by clear majorities (though Republicans have tried to cut the Act's funding since 1995). Politics aside, I think it's important we take a look at what VAWA has accomplished, and understand...

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"The important achievement of Apollo was demonstrating that humanity is not forever chained to this planet and our visions go rather further than that and our opportunities are unlimited." -Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong, the famed astronaut and first man on the moon, died on Saturday at the age of 82. We all know the stories and images and that famous quote--"This is one...

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The student editorial staff of the University of Georgia's campus newspaper, The Red & Black, resigned Wednesday evening in protest of the board of director's decision to name a non-student employee as the paper's editorial director. Ed Morales, who was formerly the paper's editorial adviser, was granted complete editorial control of The Red & Black, a move that led students to walk out...

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I am made up of more words than I've ever actually written. I have always been afraid of spiders. Always. I don't care what size they are. I hope to be someone people can count on. I can change ukulele strings, but not guitar strings. I don't know why this is. I dream of living near the SF bay and writing. Someone pay me...

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Somewhere between 96th and 103rd, I burst into uncontrollable tears in the backseat of a taxi. The driver actually pulled over to hand me a tissue and ask if I was okay. All I managed to get out between sobs and hyperventilating was that I lost my best friend. "As in died?" the taxi driver asked patiently. I shook my head and realized...

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Dear Nora, My autographed You've Got Mail poster from the raffle at Housing Works' "We've Got Mail" event in February. It's taken me more hours than I'd like to pay proper tribute to you after your passing, but here is my attempt now: a letter to heaven, and I hope it finds you well. You may wonder why write this to a woman I never...

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I received an email from a good friend earlier today with a very sweet response to a bit of my ranting, with three words I think we're all familiar with: "You deserve better." I think we've all said that to someone at some point, or heard it from someone ourselves. You deserve better, and you and you and you--so, in theory, we all...

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"'You have your wonderful memories,' people said later, as if memories were solace. Memories are not. Memories are by definition of times past, things gone. Memories are the Westlake uniforms in the closet, the faded and cracked photographs, the invitations to the weddings of the people who are no longer married, the mass cards from the funerals of the people whose faces you...

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The best surprise ever would be,    the invention of a teleportation device so I could go back and forth between NY and California easily.  Grandpa's 90th birthday/family reunion  is my most favorite memory . The hardest, but most worthwhile thing I've ever done was    move across the country and away from my family and friends.  The best part of my day is    ... it's...

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The three of us at my commencement. For Mother's Day when we were little, Na and I used to get up early and "make" breakfast. I write it in quotes because it consisted of Dad opening the fridge and staring blankly into it, and then the three of us pulling whatever it was we found that was acceptable for a fancy breakfast: waffles...

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When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is,    turn off my alarm and check the time to see how much longer I can sleep in.   I can hardly wait for    the weather to be warmer (but not too warm).   The quickest way to my heart is   coffee   because   coffee is the perfect thing to share in...

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The best part of New Year's Eve as a child was staying up til midnight and drinking Martinelli's cider from plastic champagne glasses. I don't remember at what age Mom let us finally stay up all night, but boy, was it an occasion. Mom painted my fingernails for the first time with a sparkly, pink polish, and we got ice cream too. The...

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On the weekends, MTV2 airs Boy Meets World for hours at a time. What better way to spend the morning than reliving one of the greatest television shows ever? I'm sure that point is arguable (but I've yet to meet a Boy Meets World hater), but sitting through these weekly marathons is more than just an amusing way to spend the day; I feel like...

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Today is a good day because   it's Friday!   . The best thing I did all week was   a long overdue Google Hangout :)    . The current weather is     perfect for spring!       and it makes me feel     like frolicking in the park all day   . The best thing about spring is    the colors! Flowers! Clothes! Even the graffiti looks a little brighter... . A...

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My greatest strength is   keeping my promises   . My greatest weakness is   being impatient at times    . People always compliment me on     sending them interesting things to read, even though sometimes I bombard people with longreads    . If you found me procrastinating you'd probably find me    watching Netflix; waffling on Twitter, Tumblr or Pinterest; playing word games on my phone . The most cozy...

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"Just get a job." I'm sure every twentysomething is familiar with those four words, and I'm sure most of them hear it from their parents. I know I have. Let's be real: it is hard these days to be a college graduate. I would argue this fact is undeniable, but when you're up against an older, stubborn generation who insists it's not hard,...

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