Lifestyle Category

I used to hate running.  I would talk myself into doing it every now and then but I never really enjoyed it.  Kinda like flossing.  But then something changed.  I developed more issues than Vogue and suddenly running reintroduced itself to me as a free therapy session.  It became a sweet escape that included a brighter outlook on life and a tighter ass.  And then something really incredible happened.  My mom ran an entire half-marathon after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  You know, that disease where you can’t feel your legs?  That’s when I reallyRead More

Building a structured life as a twenty or thirty-something is challenging to say the least.  Despite the fact that you may be doing all the right things, you might be so overwhelmed that you can’t imagine when things are finally going to get easier.  If you’re feeling more hopeless than hopeful, you are not alone.  However, I guarantee that when you take a moment in a couple years to reflect on this time of your life, you will absolutely notice the transformation that has occurred as a result of your dedication toRead More

When you grow up with a father who is an alcoholic, either recovering, recovered, or who currently has a problem, you learn a lot of things. In my case, my parents divorced when I was very young, and so many of these things I did not learn until later. I have always struggled because of this. When your father is an alcoholic, you learn that it’s weird that you come from a broken home. There is a special bond between a father and his daughter, and you learn quickly thatRead More

I’ll just come right out and say it: Georgia has the best drivers. Everyone likes to think their state has the best drivers but I’ll tell you, Georgia drivers are the best. From the way they never honk their horns at people trying to pull stupid and/or illegal moves, to the way that they never seem to have anywhere important to go, man I just love ’em. The only place with better drivers is LA, where they are aggressively stupid and try to commit vehicular manslaughter. Here’s some of myRead More

Growing up, most adults will tell you how you need to experience the world while you’re young and that now is the time to travel the world. I’ve always wondered: what’s the rush? Is it really that bad to travel once you’ve settled down? Why would you only want to experience the world while you’re young? And I think I’ve finally figured it out. We live in a generation where we millennials seem to have it easy. We get the chance to experience life; go to college; fall in love aRead More

In these uncertain economic times, a young man’s pursuit of a career has changed from how it was 10 or 20 years ago. Everyone’s heard the stories of their fathers and grandfathers sticking with a company and going from the mail room to the manager’s desk in 50 years. That simply isn’t the case with our generation. People don’t feel loyal and responsible towards companies anymore unless they can get exactly what they want. Nor should they. Nowadays, companies looking to attract the services of hip, young and savvy professionalsRead More

I’m currently sitting on one of America’s fabulous Amtrak trains. And no, that’s not sarcasm. I think people need to rethink their thoughts on the train. While yes, it may take me an extra hour to get to my destination than if I would have driven, but the leisure time is worth it.   Pros to riding the train: No one rides Amtrak. Therefore, I get an entire row to myself. You can change seats. Smelly person next to you? Move across the car. Screaming child? Move to an entirelyRead More

In my high school, band kids were nerdy. We were great at what we did, winning marching and concert contests every year, but we were nerdy. We stuck in our own little cliques, formed in 5th and 6th grade when we chose our instruments and started out, and still today I feel like I am connected to the people I met through band, at least in some way. I still follow them on facebook, and several of them, my closest friends, I still see and talk to on a regularRead More

Pretty self-explanatory. I promise at some point I’ll write an article for Writtalin that’s not a listicle (maybe), so fans (mom), stay with me here.   1. Unlimited boozy brunch after a night of drinking “Okay, Sunday we’re going to Red Pepper and doing unlimited mimosas, finally,” is how the conversation usually starts. But obviously it’s Saturday night so you’re not going to not go out, that would be ridiculous. So you go out and get a lot drunker than you planned (see #2) and by the time you wake upRead More

I’ve decided to do a social experiment to see how much I have changed in the past decade. I’m 26, so I selected some things that were part of my life at 16 and still are now. Then I analyzed how I view or react to doing them.   Getting a paycheck. 16: This is fucking awesome! $84 for stocking shelves and running a cash register! I knew this job would make me rich! I’m going to treat myself to some books, and then I’m going to give the restRead More

Hello my name is Shannon. Professionals tell me that I suffer from both generalized anxiety disorder and depression. I used to be pretty pissed off about that, until I realized that, “you have a mental illness” is actually code for, “the universe is turning your life into a comedy.” Here’s what that comedy consists of:   Panic Attacks: I like to think the way I gulp air and struggle to breathe while I’m experiencing a panic attack is somehow cute and endearing. In my mind, I look like I’m practicingRead More

-The window seat thief – This not so stealth individual will typically pretend to be sleeping, or reading, or have their headphones in, basically anything to keep them from making eye contact. OR, they keep guiltily looking up to see if anyone realizes. Either way, they’ll always play dumb and keep squinting at their boarding pass as if they’re reading some kind of encrypted text, because they’d rather look clueless than admit they’re actually just an asshole. I’m sure some of you readers are thinking maybe the alleged thief reallyRead More

1. You can’t go out just the two of you Not because you don’t have fun together, you do. That’s why you’re friends, duh. But if just the two of you go out, you know she will get scooped up by some model/personal trainer within 10 minutes of you arriving to the bar, and then you’re all alone, which is the prime place for you to get a very special rape/homicide combo. Either that, or you’ll have to cab home alone, which sucks too.   2. They probably have awesome clothes,Read More

Since I was a child, one of the most important life matters to me has been traveling the world. I am lucky enough to have lived and taught abroad, and although the list of countries I want to visit is longer than the list of countries I have been, I have learned much from street food consumption, peeing in holes in the ground, and sleeping in hostels with kittens, mosquitos, and Austrian men.  The following lessons may be clouded by my personal experiences, but they are an assemblage of advice thatRead More

I consider myself to be relatively intelligent, but there are some products and trends that I completely do not understand.   1. Liquid Eye-Liner Make up is complicated enough as it is. Now I have to go around and paint perfect lines with symmetric curves on my eyelids? You have got to be kidding me. I tell myself it can’t be done, but then I look around, and it’s definitely being done successfully. I’m now under the assumption that everyone has a live-in make up artist.   2. Juicing ThereRead More