Dear Barb: My mother and I had a falling out and I have chosen not to speak to her for the last year. Recently I ran into her and we talked a bit. She wants to get together, but I’m not sure that’s what I want. I feel awkward around her and would rather not… Read more »

Our educational pursuits will eventually lead to a career. But, what if the career you are pursuing is a bad fit? Karl Pillemer’s book 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans interviews over a thousand seniors on various life topics. We will look in depth at one of those topics:… Read more »

Ever quoted a blog? Ever wondered how to? Maybe it was a fleeting thought. Maybe it was an obsession that haunted you in your sleep that night (you know you’re an editor when?). Either way, rejoice: in this week’s Toolbox, we’ll look at how to approach blogs and blog posts in your writing, and when… Read more »

There is nothing more that The Study Dude wants for you than to get your head out of the gutter. Climax and size applies here to writing sentences, not to digging your climber’s nuts into a giant nose on Mount Rushmore. Well, in these articles, as The Study Dude, I’ll try to give you the… Read more »

There is nothing more that The Study Dude wants for you than to say all the right verbs. Well, in these articles, as The Study Dude, I’ll try to give you the study tips you need to help make your learning easier. I’ll also give you straight and honest opinions and personal anecdotes?even the embarrassing… Read more »

Goal-setting plants seeds for goal-getting. Any student benefits from goal-setting, including the ones chasing the loftiest goals, such as medical degrees. Recently, my hour a night of goal-setting led to many opportunities and many dreams: I landed extra work. And I aimed to teach at a college, start my entrepreneurial activities, get a doctorate degree… Read more »

Last week we began our mini-series on parentheses and when, where, and how to use them. This week we’ll go a little deeper, focusing on the way they interact with other sentence elements?particularly where capitalization and punctuation are concerned. Capitalization The general rule is to avoid capitalization if the parenthetical is located midsentence, even if… Read more »

Band: Yes We Mystic Album: Forgiver Rules are made to be broken. At least, that seems to be the motto of Winnipeg’s orchestral rock group, Yes We Mystic,’ while composing their latest album Forgiver. Full of genre-busting and rule-breaking musical compositions and melodies, the tunes on Forgiver are unique, imaginative, and beautifully odd. Formed in… Read more »

“PISS-OFF! wants to wet your pants and blow your mind. They combine powers to create noisy, jumping, dancing, screaming, bouncing, rap, punk, electronic, hardcore music. PISS-OFF! is the anti-band. They rock rap shows and turn avante-garde dance performances into dirty raves.” – from the band’s website PISS-OFF! is the Brooklyn-based electro-hip-hop duo consisting of Anika… Read more »

Dear Barb: My boyfriend and I have been dating for three months. We get along pretty well and have a lot of fun together. Recently he’s been talking about going to watch strippers. He even wants me to go with him to see them! To be honest I never really thought much about strippers, It’s… Read more »