Happy Single's Awareness Day! (For Real!)

You see it everywhere. The hand holding, red roses and pink carnations, ‘just girly things’ referencing The Notebook: Valentine’s Day is about as inescapable as Justin Bieber’s fate as being Lindsay Lohan’s roommate in rehab. Too soon?

You tell them, Christina!

Some Steps to Maintaining a Healthy Relationship

    With college starting up again it means that it is time for studying, junk food, and ( yes ) dating. You're going to notice all manner of special guys/gals in your classes, but where before I've brought up some topics about STARTING to build a relationship, it is just as important to know what to do once you're IN one.

Side-Blog - Disney Princes

   So first I need to acknowledge that this post is a counter-blog to the very well written piece by Julia Bodiford which can be found here.

Stuff the Disney Princesses Taught Me About Life

Growing up, I loved Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I mean who doesn’t want to live underwater, have fish friends, sing about thing-a-ma-bobs and brush your hair with a fork? In fact, on several occasions I attempted brushing my hair with a fork. That didn’t work out.

This doesn't hurt at ALL!
Via austenrisolvato

I wanted to be like Ariel. I mean, she is adventurous, has many talents and is extremely sociable, what’s not to love? Now, looking back, I see that there are a few huge drawbacks with Ariel’s story that Disney legitimized. Like… selling your soul and your voice to an evil sea witch for some guy you just met.

For the last portion of my “Stuff I learned” section, I’ll be giving close inspection to the fair, the sweet, the animal-charming Disney Princesses. The negative messages characterized by Disney Princess movies and franchises can be broken down into four parts, so let's get this video cassette tape rolling! 

Via SilentMermaid21

Stuff Twilight Taught Me about Dating

(Along with other books, television ads, and movies.)

I know what you’re thinking, guys. I’m just going to rag on the media and literature because I’m a stuffy feminist who always has a bone to pick. And yeah... I kinda am.

But seriously. The question you’re probably asking is “What the hey? I thought Julia was a hard-core fan of Twilight when it came out and even had several bad fan fictions to prove it!” Wherein I would say… I don’t know you. Get out of here with that slander. (Except I totally did and I definitely do.)

I really did, though, guys.
via Tumblr Phanfics

 But that was before I became more in tune with the messages portrayed in media, novels, and popular culture. There are some really messed up themes portrayed to us externally, and we need to talk about some of those bad boys- no pun intended. So let’s take a minute to debunk these disillusions, shall we?

*This month I’ll be doing a three part blog series tackling the dating messages portrayed in popular advertisements, movies and books. The Twilight Saga is the first segment, so pull out your cheap plastic vampire fangs and your Team Alice shirt and let’s sink our pearly whites into some lit analysis.

Let’s start with Twilight.

Via York Vision

(For those of you who fan-girl-squee-LOOOOOOVE twilight, I'm warning you now, this is not a gushy I-so-love-twilight-Edward-please-bite-me blog post. I'm sorry. Turn back, Google image Robert Pattinson.)

How To: Long Distance Relationships

Being a military kid, I know what it's like to keep in touch for long periods of time over large distances. At least with friends. With them it's easy. I never worry about moving to new places and leaving my friends behind, because I know that I'll still hear from them all the time and eventually see them (if they're as good a friend as you think they are). Then if I don't, I just know that that person was never really a friend you were meant to have. 

When it came to ROMANTIC relationships I was the biggest cynic. 

As a senior I'd talk to my friends with boyfriends and ask, "What are ya'll gonna do next year?". They'd answer with the usual, "We'll just see what happens" or "We won't be that far from each other, we can visit each other all the time", etc. In my mind I would scoff and think, "Sureeeeee..."

To me, the thought was that a young long-distance relationship could never work.

But now I really hope they can.

I honestly never thought that I would be in this situation, but now that I am, I am going to make my first long-distance romantic relationship work. I think since I've dealt with separation and moving before, I'll be okay. But looking through websites and etc, these are the helpful tips that I am filing in my head to help me (and anyone else in a similar situation) through the long lonely nights away from my loved ones. 

1. Video Chats!

I see my roommate and her boyfriend do this all the time. They call each other and set up a time to Skype each other, then they make it. On time. Whether she has to take a break from studying for about 30 minutes, she will. 

So no matter how far away you are, you can always see each other

2. Communicate in more than one way!

Phone calls get old. But everyone loves getting mail, so be sure to send people you care about little small packages and gifts, maybe even a long handwritten letter or two (if you remember how to do those).

3. Remember, it's not all bad!

Now you have time to ACTUALLY do homework, study, see your friends, make new friends, spend time with your family, play video games... whatever it is that you like to do that you never had time to do before! Maybe you can even take up a new hobby, the possibilities are endless.

4. You can still do things together!

   <<-------------------->>





Watch a movie individually and call each other to talk about it when it's done, start a little mini-book club together, synchronize watches together... anything that you can do to still feel connected to them.

5. You can always visit!

Whether it be by plane, by train, in a box, or with a fox there is ALWAYS a way to get to see your loved one. Schedules get busy, work and school get in the way, even money starts to become an issue, but no matter how long it takes, you can always go see your special someone. Just take advantage of the time ya'll have together and have as much fun as possible.

There are so many people in long-distance relationships. Ask your friends who have already dealt with it how they did it (I know I do). Just remember to communicate, to be honest, don't be controlling, be patient, and know that it's only temporary. 

Relationships & Responsibility

Relationships & Responsibility on Campus

   This kind of an article is difficult to completely manage a whole “feel” for since the way people view, practice, and experience relationships are all difficult. What I will be focusing on are very loose concepts, however I will try to point to real-world examples from my college experience.

   Also, if my words don’t match up with your religious, cultural, family, or personal beliefs, I apologize!

   MEETING PEOPLE vs. MAKING FRIENDS --- This one might seem obvious at first glance; it is actually a very important thing to think about when you are out and about in social settings. In college we meet anywhere from 50 to 300 new people over the course of a semester, primarily from classes, but also from meet-up study groups, lunch, sports events, and more. College is simply a place with so many people, it can become overwhelming to process everything.