Unwritten

As I walked through campus today wearing a jacket and jeans, noticing that some trees are already beginning to look empty, I couldn't help but crack a smile. Autumn is definitely my favorite season. Sure, the first snow of winter is beautiful, the first warm and sunny day of spring seems like a gift from God, and the long hours of sunshine in the summer are energizing, but fall... fall is majestic and romantic. Yes, romantic. I know most people talk about falling in love in the spring or summer love, but to me, those are seasons of fleeting, whirlwind romances that take your breath away but were never meant to last forever. To me, having someone to be with in autumn is far superior. Hay rides, bonfires, apple cider, wearing his jacket, cheering on the same football team, feeling the crisp autumn wind ruffle your hair as you walk hand in hand laughing and talking while the sounds of crunching leaves underfoot underscore the scene: it all seems to point toward a romance built on simp...

So, Eve Ensler, author of the infamous Vagina Monologues has written a new book. This one is for and about teen girls, and it's called I'm an Emotional Creature . I highly recommend investing in this if you have (or will have) a teenage girl who is looking for some challenging monologue material. This is the very titular piece from the book, and I just wanted to share it because I love it. "I AM AN EMOTIONAL CREATURE" I love being a girl. I can feel what you're feeling as you're feeling it inside the feeling before. I am an emotional creature. Things do not come to me as intellectual theories or hard-shaped ideas. They pulse through my organs and legs and burn up my ears. I know when your girlfriend's really pissed off even though she appears to give you what you want. I know when a storm is coming. I can feel the invisible stirrings in the air. I can tell you he won't call back. It's a vibe I share. I am an emotional creature. I love that I do no...

What makes two people compatible? Plenty of dating sites, self-help books, and talk show hosts claim to know the answer, but the funny thing is that they all have different answers. How do you explain it, though, when two people seem so completely compatible, and yet they're not? They understand and respect each other, share common views of the world, fill one another's needs, are comfortable being honest with one another, enjoy being physically close to each other, love spending time together, can talk all day long and not get tired of it, but for one person, something just isn't computing, and they can't figure out what it is. A year ago, I would have answered this question by saying that the one person who isn't feeling it is probably just scared or doesn't realize their feelings. After reading, He's Just not that Into You , though, I learned that we can't make those kind of excuses for guys because usually all we're doing is luring ourselves int...

Lately, I've found myself questioning even further my identification with a particular religion. Currently, I don't really have a label for what I am. People seem to ask me a lot of questions about why I've made the choices I've made lately, and I can't honestly say that I can explain it entirely, but for anyone who cares, this is an explanation of how I've come to this place. When I was in high school, I was a Christian. I was very devoted and very zealous. I believed what I was taught and accepted what leaders told me was the corrected interpretation of the Bible to be the truth. I also spent A LOT of time struggling and feeling guilty. I cannot tell you how many times I prayed to God for the strength to stand up to temptation, and every time, I ended up giving in and messing around with whoever my boyfriend was at the time, and feeling terrible at it the next Sunday at church. My desire to have a boyfriend who loved me and wanted me and found me attractive wa...