Last week was pretty rough.  Between my dwindling finances, the tragic deaths of some amazing celebrities, and the AWOL status of my latest romantic interest (yeah, another guy who stopped calling), I was pretty down.  In the midst of these disappointments, I had to attend a going-away party for one of my best friends in NYC.  Claire and I knew each other from undergrad, and we both moved out to NYC for graduate school.  She was one of the people I could best relate to in terms of dating.  We had both struggled through our share of frustrating relationships, and always had each other for support.  I went to her party with a heavy heart, knowing that I was saying goodbye to such a wonderful friend. I arrived to the party not knowing anyone.  Though Claire and I were good friends, most of her NYC pals were her co-workers and fellow grad students.  Just as I began to feel even more upset and alone, the party hostesses, Lauren and Lanie, began chatting with me, and turned out...

Well, that's one way to approach fixing California's deficit. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger advocated Tuesday for a large-scale study of the possible benefits of legalizing marijuana use and selling the crop. He said: "I think it’s time for a debate. I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues; I’m always for an open debate on it. And I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs. What effect did it have on those countries?" Interestingly enough, an April poll shows that 56% of the state's registered voters support the idea of taxing marijuana use in order to help repair the deficit. But while these hypothetical sales could raise up to $1.34 billion, the deficit itself could reach $20 billion by July 2010. So, hopefully Schwarzenegger's study will be put into effect soon, if only to determine the possibilities. [Via The New York Times] [Image source: Broccoli City]

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I have been dubbed "Dateologist" here at Ology.  I guess I seem like a "typical" 20-something New Yorker who has a semi-interesting perspective on dating in the city?  I mean, I don't have a boyfriend, I tend to do the WRONG things when I date guys (think of a more subdued version of the crazy Ginnifer Goodwin character in He's Just Not That Into You), and I'm kinda addicted to those dating info books (read: I need help just like everybody else).  With that said, think of this blog not so much as an advice column, but more of a source of anecdotal dating tidbits from my life (a bit more Carrie Bradshaw and a bit less Dear Abby); whether or not you choose to learn from my mistakes, well that's up to you.  At the very least, I hope you get a laugh out of my dating adventures! Let's see, where to begin... Well, I guess I should give a more substantial introduction to myself than "20-something New Yorker."  I moved out here from California...

...or as people are calling it "H8" because it's a hateful law. New Yorkers are for gay marriage? Shocking! Not breaking news, I know, but it is a valid conversation and demonstration to have in this generally liberal community because hey--it passed in Cali, which is FULL of gay people. The protest--which drew crowds in the thousands--suggests the worry and frustrations of the gay community. People might feel safe or somehow immune to gay-hating in the big cities, but remember that the rest of the state also gets to vote on civil liberties laws. While it is a loaded stereotype to merely suggest that people in obscuria are conservative and immovable on the gay marriage issue, it is still very much something to remember when approaching political activism. You basically can never rest, never stop promoting awareness, and never stop working to secure rights until it becomes a mainstream societal belief. I guess I would suggest that protesters now move the protest to Buffalo,...

Unless Stanford, presently down 21-14 at TCU in the fourth quarter, comes back, the Pac-10 could start this big weekend 0-3 (and Purdue just jumped on Oregon 7-0). Folks at USC should take note of the way Maryland, which lost last weekend at Middle Tennessee State, physically manhandled California. The very idea that USC wins in a walkover today against Ohio State just seems so... wrong... to me. Consider: In week two, Maryland gets whipped by a mid-major. Ohio State barely handles a mid-major. California looks dominant on its way to 2-0 and a national ranking. USC looks dominant at Virginia on its way to a No. 1 ranking. In week three, Cal, a heavy favorite, lays an egg to a Maryland team that was a laughingstock from the laughingstock ACC. Whither USC against the most maligned elite program from the maligned Big Ten? Here's a big difference, though: USC is playing at home. And, of course, USC is still USC. As for Cal, we probably can close the book on RB...