The world is a pretty messed up place most of the time. And things definitely aren't helped by the cold of winter that we here in the northern parts Northern Hemisphere are experiencing. As the days get shorter, darker, and altogether less enjoyable, seasonal depression can make it hard to put things into perspective. Getting out of bed to greet the bleak world is a trial. That's why we have to do everything in our power to keep it together. Sometimes that means overdosing on coffee so you're n…

Being an Airbnb hater is a big part of who I am and what I do. I distinctly recall being on a family vacation, waiting outside in freezing weather for over an hour for the owner of the apartment to give my family the key. The owner drove a moped and I could tell that he did not feel sorry, not one bit. The best Airbnb experience I had was at a place virtually identical to a hotel, and honestly, that doesn't even count. Despite my bitterness, Airbnb's used to be novel and fun as a concept for mo…

Diagrams are supposed to simplify information. In school, venn diagrams were definitely my favorite. It felt like that was the case for everyone. Bar graphs? Lame. Pie chart? They are somewhat better. But nothing compares to the curvature of a proper venn diagram. The overlapping themes are a joy to acknowledge, and the charts are easily converted into extra clever memes and astute observations. While we appreciate a venn diagram that offers us some important information, there's something a bi…

No offense

One of my favorite parts of the Harry Potter books were the Quidditch matches. There's something so relatable and simple about the fact that on that Quidditch pitch, Harry was just a normal kid. Sure, he was a jock and a sports prodigy, being the first first year to join the Quidditch team, but it was uniquely special watching him thrive in something. Harry wasn't a star student like Hermione and didn't have a great wizard family life like Ron. Quidditch is one of those things that he could suc…

Squidward smells...good

It's not that I'm overthinking, it's just that the rest of the world is UNDERthinking

Terrible

Everyone has those friends - or is the friend - who is always late. While some rude people l iterally could not care less about your time, there are those who are simply incapable of getting their shit together. My friend Mary* is one of these individuals. She doesn't even have to be going anywhere to screw up time. Just last night I was invited to her home for dinner. I suggested 7 pm so we could have plenty of time together. I also suggested a recipe that is thrown into a slow cooker so there…

Life can change in an instant. Sometimes, you see tragic things coming from miles away. If a loved one is slowly succumbing to an illness, it might not hurt so much when they die because at least you had time to prepare for the inevitable emotionally. But when a death or a tragedy comes out of nowhere, the surprise of the occurrence can be extremely traumatic . You don't have to be a wreckless or clueless person to suffer in a horrible accident or have your life ruined instantly. These things c…

Parenting is the most amazing thing and also the most insane thing you have ever done, but that's just show biz, baby!

Most gamers who have played an RPG or two understand the humor in seeing a custom character end up in a serious cutscene. The experience creates a sense of unexpectedness and breaking the fourth wall, especially if the character is heavily modded. When you create a custom character in a video game , you are usually creating a unique avatar that represents you in the game's world. So when that character suddenly appears in a pre-made cutscene, it can be pretty hilarious to see your personalized…

If there's one thing I hate about Twitter, it's the people who use it . I'm not saying this to be a hater. Still, longtime Twitter users like myself will recognize a type of defensive rhetoric unique to Twitter users that makes the experience of using the bird app kind of miserable. They will always assume the worst about a situation and respond accordingly. They act like everyone is the enemy who needs to get told off by their righteous army. I don't know why Twitter is like this, but if I had…

This week, the trailer for the new Peter Pan & Wendy movie came out. I'm shocked that Disney is attempting to do a Peter Pan live-action remake; If they think they can compare to Hook , they are out of their minds. Personally, I was obsessed with the made-for-TV live-action Peter Pan starring Mary Martin in 1960. It was an adaptation of the Peter Pan Broadway musical, so Disney didn't get their greasy paws on it. My favorite thing about Peter Pan the musical is that they cast a middle-aged woma…

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The internet can be a strange and dark place, and nowhere is this more evident than deep within the weird world of online gaming . At first glance, a game like Roblox looks like a cute, harmless kids game where you get to be a Lego man. And while Roblox is a popular and beloved platform, like many other online communities, it can also be a place where gamers do a little trolling. This type of behavior is often referred to as "griefing" and can take many forms, from verbal harassment to sabotagi…