New Year, Same You and That's Ok!
Counting down to a new year makes me anxious especially in the age of social media. I’m overwhelmed by all the year-in-review countdowns--top 10 songs, top 10 TikTok trends, top 10 most searched terms on Google! UGH! Even worse are the messages of “New Year, New You." They feel like a personal attack. Did I live up to my goals? Do I have any new goals? Do I have to work harder, read more, take better IG photos, eat better, vote, save the world? All this new year resolution stuff is just too much pressure. When did this even start? According to History.com and Almanac.com, new year…
You Ask, We Answer...Asexuality
Question: Can I be asexual even as a virgin? Answer: What a great question! Thank you for your courage in trusting me to provide you with some information. The short answer is “yes,” but let me delve further. First, let’s define what does it mean to be asexual or “ace.” Asexuality is a sexual orientation where people have a lack of interest in having sex. It doesn’t mean that this person will never be in a romantic relationship or have sex. Sexual desire is a complex and individual experience. “Asexuality is an orientation not an ideaology.” For more information and to find support,…
Destigmatizing Periods: An Intergenerational Conversation
When my aunt, Desiree, was 11 years old when she first got her cycle. At that time, she thought menstrual cycles were disgusting. Seeing her older sister get her period was also uncomfortable to her, because she did not want to experience the same cramps, pain, blood, and messiness that she saw her sister going through. My aunt’s mother told her that menstruation was part of becoming a woman, and that she would eventually get it some time in her life. She never received a full conversation about menstrual cycles from her mom, and was left to figure it out on her own. Desiree wishes she…
Ask Us Your Sex & Puberty Questions
Nearly seven years ago, my supervisor gave me the okay to facilitate puberty and sex ed workshops for teens at my branch. I had not planned on becoming the “Sex Ed Librarian” when I started here 17-years ago, but here I am offering to help you answer some of your biggest sex and puberty questions. My kiddos were on the cusp of puberty and starting middle school nearly a decade ago. Since they have so much access to information at their fingertips, I didn’t want them to enter into a new social world with inaccurate information. Sure, they knew how babies were made, that people with…
Vaping, Not the Safe Alternative
Since 2014, E- cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product in the U.S. In 2020, over 3.6 million U.S. youth, mostly high school and middle school students, have used E- cigarettes in the past 30 days. Using one e-cigarette, also known as a vape, is like smoking 20 regular cigarettes. Children and teenagers younger than 18 years old are especially vulnerable to addiction. “Nicotine can change the biochemical pathways in the body, making paying attention more difficult and priming the brain for addiction,” says Dr. Jennsen, a primary care physician and reseacher at…
Silence
Silence Silent night Silent morning Silent fun Silent boring Cost me a great deal Worth the peace Quiet to observe my happiness That I alone have given to me “WHy SIlence,I want to scream!!!!!!” As I watch the souls express As they understand themselves but not others As I understand the standards of those who do not test their selves It is my silent day It is my silent moment It is my silent pleasure And my silent life that I have been enduring Silence once again…
Where Did My Democracy Go?
I have always loved America. The idea that everyone’s opinions can be represented through democracy makes me feel validated as a citizen. Lately, I feel like this right of mine is being pried from my hands. All across social media, respect for others and their opinions has become a foreign concept. People are being attacked and unfollowed for their political views. Peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters are labeled as violent. Recently, a student at my school told her friend that he was brave for telling people who he was voting for. Why should we have to be brave in order to express…
The Joy in Quarantine
It’s absolutely wild to think that we are approaching the one-year anniversary of our lives being put on pause. Many of us were so busy before being abruptly forced to stay at home with limited options of how to occupy ourselves. I confess that the first few months, sitting around being overwhelmed by my boredom were pretty rough. I realized that this period in my life was going to last longer than I initially anticipated, so I decided that I needed to find some things to make quarantine more bearable. Taking up a New Hobby With my days now free, I wanted to put all that extra time to good…
Finding Quarantine Hobbies
Over the past year, people have picked up many different hobbies. Seeing others’ success in sewing, music, writing, and painting made me want to try these pastimes. But each thing I tried never worked, and I would get frustrated when I was not an automatic expert. Ultimately, reading became my favorite thing to do because of the comfort it brings—certainly needed during quarantine. It was something steady I could lean on after being thrown into such an unusual year. I researched many books and realized that I wanted to start with the classics—the “blueprints” of literature. Anyone looking to…
Join us on Discord!
Discord is an instant messaging platform designed to build any kind of community imaginable. It allows communication through voice calls, videos, text messaging, media, and files in private chats or as part of groups called "servers." At one time, Discord was used only by gamers, but it has taken many strides to make its platform more mainstream and secure in the wake of the pandemic. Since then, many others have found a home on the site, creating communities to discuss anything from Star Wars to their favorite anime. Some even exist just for people to send each other…