In a world of people who are all doing the same thing, it is really refreshing to find an artist like Lady Gaga.

Instead of conforming and trying to please people with her work, she does what she feels like doing and does not always expect people to understand her work. This kind of confidence is hard to come by; artists expect people to like what they do and they let the public dictate their music and persona. Lady Gaga does not let the public boss her around.

Getting a job in May during the economy’s downward spiral was like a dream come true. Right when everyone was freaking out about summer jobs disappearing, I had found one.

            I would finally be able to buy the things I wanted without having to beg my parents or hear “wait until Christmas” the standard response to most of my requests. But I should have remembered the words of Notorious B.I.G. “Mo’ money mo’ problems.”

            I find myself spending money constantly even on unnecessary items. My wallet practically has an eating disorder; stuffed to bursting one minute and then super skinny within the hour. It only gets worse online, where my bank account shrinks without me ever seeing it happen.          

            Looking over all the printed receipts and cringing at the total amount, it dawns on me that I must be addicted to shopping.

            Sounds a little strange, but it is more common then people think. According to The Journal of Consumer Research more than twenty five million Americans are compulsive shoppers meaning they cannot control the urge to shop.

            Growing up in the Age of Technology, credit cards and instant gratification, it is easy to develop such an ‘addiction’ of sorts. It seems as though sadness, boredom, anger and a slew of other negative emotions can all be soothed with a little online spending. But the one thing it cannot cure is guilt.

            After splurging on another scarf or pair of sunglasses, I feel awful. In the few moments before I click to order, it seems like my temperature jumps about ten degrees every second. Even afterwards, I get all jittery and jumpy, feeling horrible because there was no need for the item. 

             With a practically endless wealth of stores online, it is easy to spend hundreds of dollars in a month without even realizing it. Online shopping has made me even more susceptible to spending money because there is no concrete way of seeing how much you are buying. Unlike actually going to the store and having to lug all the clothes to the changing room and register, I can sit at home with my latte and add items with out realizing how many are actually in the cart until I go to check out and see there are twenty-five things; then the guilt trip sets in.

            Somehow being able to recognize what was going on I stopped actually buying and now settle on just looking; like window shopping through the computer screen, staring wistfully at gorgeous sequined tunics and cozy knit cardigans. Wait until my parents see my Christmas list…

It’s that time of year again; a time for family, and celebrations but also for a fresh round of New Year’s Resolutions. Resolutions are those promises to do something different or better than the year before, which are almost always forgotten around Valentine’s Day, if not earlier.

            People associate the New Year with new beginnings and new chances and come up with New Year’s Resolutions they do not often keep.

            “I’ve never kept one in my life and I doubt I ever will,” said Matt Swick (‘11).

            In reality the chances of undergoing a dramatic change in the ten seconds it takes to count down the ball dropping in Times Square are pretty small. Expecting immediate progress is unreasonable, but many people anticipate their resolutions to be fulfilled quickly after the New Year announced but that is impossible.

            “People don’t keep their resolutions because it gets hard and they give up after a month. People only make one because other people say you are supposed to,” said Kelli King (’11)

            Sometimes people even make resolutions with no intention of keeping them at all; the resolutions are only to make themselves feel as though they are achieving change when they are not.

            “I don’t think anyone cares enough to keep them. They are pointless,” said Swick (’11).

            When making resolutions for the New Year, it is important to consider the likelihood of actually completing the resolution, whether it is reasonable or not. It is also important to make the resolution as specific as possible so keeping it is easier. People need to be patient and realize that instant gratification does not apply to New Year’s resolutions.