The second half of the Academic Year is upon us. For some of us, it can be the second semester trudge, or the final semester before graduation or transfer. Normally, this is a time of year where I look forward to the Blossom Trail that begins here in our valley and the gradual return of sun and blue skies. I CAN DO HARD THINGS- has become our mantra this past week. I would like to pass on what my family and I are being reminded of each day. We are making ourselves stop and no

In my essay in the Paper Jam ’s December issue, I reflected on learning that we only have limited time and what that means for communication and relationships. In the context of relationships, “…It would be easier to imagine anything else than not associating with the other person.” Recent events, however, mean that fully unpacking and elaborating upon its implied depth is both worth doing and necessary. As it stands, the description has an incredible amount of dimension, b

Cows are everywhere these days. They’re eating in fields, drinking from and soaking in water troughs, chewing atop a hill, jaywalking on the dirt road, over here, over there. I’ve seen models sporting perfect cow physiques on billboards and appreciated their skill in acting in milk and cheese commercials. People draw them in cartoons, squeeze them into cartons, sprinkle them as fertilizer under heirloom tomato plants, slap their roasted loins onto white plates. Cows are even

February 14, Valentine's Day, is the day that couples all over the world get together and celebrate love. If you are still enough, you can sense the romance in the atmosphere. Stuffed animals and chocolates flood through the aisles, only for a brief moment. Not many people know the original story of Valentine's Day. Let us visit Rome, 50 A.D at this time, the Romans were fighting multiple wars. The ruler was Claudius the Second, or a.k.a. Claudius Gothicus. There was a need f

“No days off,” they say, or "I'll rest when I'm dead,” are common sayings associated with burnout and hustler culture. Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, or even physical exhaustion due to prolonged and excessive stress. Interestingly, modern society has romanticized and celebrated burnout like it's a badge of honor. Similar to how a soldier shows off their scars from war, it's become a bragging right to show off how you survived studying all night on an energy drink. O

Love. This word, four letters long, is meant to be something raw, something real. It is something that everyone dreams of having and looks forward to in their life. At least it's the version that I learned. This version didn't come from real life for me. It came from movies. It was the kind where two people hated each other in the beginning. They slowly fall madly in love until something is exposed when one person leaves, then the other does whatever it takes to win them back