So, as I sat down to write, I looked outside at the crisp, bright snow melting as it hit the ground. It made me remember why I love the holidays (with the exception of commuting in the snow, of course).

As my grandma would say, if everyone was as nice as they were during the holidays, the world would be a much better place. So, instead of giving you advice on how to get the most out of college, I want to ask for a favor.

The holidays are a time of giving. I’d guess that every student at John Carroll has at least one thing to be grateful for this year. So, think of all of the ways you might be able to enrich someone else’s year.

The other day, I stumbled upon something in my Facebook feed that made me take a moment to remember what’s important in my life. Above a call for donations to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, my cousin’s post read, “The family stayed here when Rosie was sick – it was a blessing to be so close to the hospital and not have to pay for a hotel room.”

My cousin Rosie passed away several years ago at the age of five. She was outgoing and she loved to dance. She died of a rare form of brain cancer that there was no specific treatment for at the time.

For that reason, every time I get a letter in the mail asking for a donation to a medical research fund or if someone at a department store asks me if I’d like to donate a dollar to help a charitable cause, I always give. Even if it’s as little as a dollar, someday it might help cure someone like Rosie.

The favor that I am asking of you is this: do something to help someone this year. Donate to a cause, volunteer at a hospice center, participate in a food drive, or just simply say “yes” the next time you are out shopping and a cashier asks if you’d like to donate a dollar to an organization like St. Jude’s or the Ronald McDonald House.

It doesn’t take much on your part, but you could make a world of difference in someone else’s life. There are plenty of organizations at John Carroll that I’m sure would be happy to have your help. Last year I spent the day with a fabulous little boy at Circle K’s “Through the Eyes of a Child” event, and this year I plan to spend Christmas Day helping to feed the homeless for Labre.

During the holiday season, when you’re surrounded by family, friends and everything that you are thankful for this year, remember that there’s always someone that’s less fortunate than you. The smallest gesture of kindness or support can go a long way.

But, for each one of those instances, there’s also a way to make sure that chick never speaks to you again. So, for the fellas, here are a few things you should consider when you start dating someone new.

Do not, under any circumstances, tell a girl that you think her friend is hot. Regardless of the situation (or your blood alcohol content), this will never produce positive results.

If you’re just starting to date a girl, don’t call her more than once a day; you’ll scare her away. I can say with certainty that the majority of the girls you’ll find will have caller ID and they’ll know how to check a voicemail. Unless you’re in a life-threatening situation, one call is enough.

You are in college; chances are you have a lot going on between classes, athletics, volunteer work, creeping on Facebook, reading the latest issue of The Carroll News cover to cover and whatever else you deem a priority.

Thus, giving the girl you are head over heels for a detailed run down of what you plan to do each day is not only annoying, but also a little creepy. We don’t care that you plan to check your mail today or eat a sandwich at exactly 1:30 p.m. We have more important things to worry about.

Say you pay for dinner every time the two of you go out, and just to be nice, your girlfriend offers to pay one night. Do not respond by saying, “Great! Let’s order an appetizer.” If you do, it will undoubtedly be the last time she offers, possibly even the last time you see her.

If you’ve just started dating a girl and you’re hanging out at your place, it’s probably not a good idea to randomly say, “Get into my bed, I want to see what you look like when you sleep.” That’s a bit creepy.

Finally, know when to move on. When a girl tells you to leave her alone, it is not a suggestion. Do not call, e-mail, text or send flowers. Just find someone else.

There are plenty of options out there. Why would you pursue someone that is clearly no longer  interested?

Now that I’ve told you what not to do, here are a couple things that will most likely work well on a majority of women.

Show up with flowers. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive, even if it’s a single bloom. Believe it or not, it really is the thought that counts.

Be creative. Dinner and a movie is always good, but sometimes it’s the random, seemingly spontaneous adventures that make for the best dates.

I hope this advice helps some of you. And, if the things that I’ve told you seem a bit ridiculous, you’re right. These situations are a bit ridiculous, but sadly these are all real experiences that either myself or one of my fellow female CNer’s have encountered.

So, for those of you who do in fact live in your own secluded existence, here’s what went down: Last month a CBS employee attempted to extort Letterman out of $2 million in exchange for not revealing that he had affairs with some of his female staff members.

In response, Letterman had the man that tried to blackmail him set up with a fake check. Ultimately, the man was arrested. The late-night TV host announced the situation last week on his show, detailing everything that had happened and poking fun at the situation. Rather than paying the ridiculous $2 million or just denying the allegations, Letterman chose to lighten the mood by doing what he does best – turning the situation into something humorous, and gaining a good amount of laughter from the audience. 

“Would it be embarrassing if it were made public,” said Letterman during his show. “Perhaps it would. Perhaps it would. Especially for the women!” Attaching his comedic wit to the situation allowed Letterman to turn something that he could have been attacked for, into something that simply got him more applause.

Even during his on-air apology to his wife, whom he married this past March, Letterman still kept audiences laughing.

This is brilliant. The publicity spin he put on the scandal was genius… why hide something that you know is true? Only Letterman would think to turn something that is probably tearing his family apart into something that has increased his ratings.

Yet, other talk show hosts are still attempting to poke fun at Letterman. Jay Leno said at the start of one of his shows, “If you came here tonight for sex with a talk show host, you’ve got the wrong studio.” Weak, Jay. Weak!

You can’t legitimately make fun of someone that has already made a joke out of his own situation.

Now I should probably clarify that I do not condone infidelity in any way, shape or form. There’s never a valid excuse for cheating. And, it would be hard not to feel sorry for Letterman’s wife, who is inevitably suffering from her husband’s extra-marital activities. However, it does happen. And, in terms of the way he handled the incident, I give Letterman props for stepping up, admitting what he did and turning the scandal into a ratings booster.

So, I started to write my column this week about Issue 3 and the fact that it’s a bad idea to encourage something that could bring more problems to Ohio. Sure it’ll bring jobs, but at what cost?

However, as I began writing down all of the reasons I think that allowing casinos to be constructed in Cleveland and other cities in Ohio (i.e. attracting degenerate gamblers), it occurred to me that there is a very good possibility that many of the students at JCU may not care about Issue 3.

You might not even know what it is (until I just told you a couple paragraphs ago), or the trouble that it could bring if passed.  

The fact is most of you probably won’t even vote. This worries me. 

And, please don’t use the excuse that you aren’t an Ohio resident, it isn’t a sound argument. Any student living in University Heights can vote, even if you’re only here temporarily. 

The right to vote in the Democratic process is one that not everyone has, you should take advantage of that. Even if you don’t care about Issue 3, there are many other matters that I’m sure you have an opinion on. 

You have a voice, so let it be heard. Voting is the best way to let your opinions and beliefs be known. There are enough JCU students to make a drastic difference in voting results on Nov. 3. So, why not take advantage of that?

This upcoming election is especially important because for the first time in as long as any of us (the average college undergraduate) have been alive, University Heights will have a new mayor. And, let’s face it: We all know that the University has not had the best of luck with the current U.H. administration. 

As informed college students we have a moral obligation to do what we feel is best I’m not telling you who to vote for… just vote. 

As trite as it sounds, you really can make a difference in the city and the way it approaches it’s relationship with John Carroll. Anyone with a modicum of respect and concern for Carroll would, and should, do whatever they could to help ease the University’s relationship with the city.  

Oct. 5 is the last day to register. And if you do plan to vote, be informed. Know the candidates; know the issues – because you aren’t helping anyone by playing eeny-meeny-miny-moe with your selection. 

And if in doubt, you can always write in Bob Seeholzer (if you aren’t smiling right now, read page 18).

It never fails to amaze me how much the incoming JCU classes stick out each year, like red socks in a basket full of white laundry.

Friday I was walking through the English department and coming toward me was a pack of freshmen, looking as though they were desperately trying to make sure that everyone saw that they had friends. FYI, no one cares how many friends you have.

And as if they weren’t obvious enough, two of them were wearing pajamas. Now, I’m all about comfort. You’ll often see me in worn-out jeans and T-shirts. But, PJs are just a bit too lax.

Allow me to give you some advice that may make the next four years easier for you. You’ve chosen to go to a Jesuit College … act like it! You are paying good money to attend a prestigious school, so have respect for it.

The professors that I’ve had the pleasure of taking courses with at John Carroll have done amazing things in the professional world. Do you think that they want to stare at some kid in their flannel PJ pants?

Not only are you showing a lack of respect for your educators, but you’re showing a lack of respect for yourself. You are in college now, your mommy isn’t here to dress you (though I wish she was, for your sake).

Now, I’m honestly not trying to pick on you. On the contrary – I’m trying to make your lives easier. Trust me, you’ll get a lot further in life if you take a little pride in your appearance.

The other thing that really got to me this week, happened just outside O’Malley. A student, who I can only assume was a freshman based on his lack of tact, was on his cell phone having what was clearly a private conversation.

The young man’s voice was noticeably elevated and he was swinging his arms emphatically as he said, “This is a little more important than coffee, Dad! I don’t know if you know that or not.”

I was standing at least 30 feet away from him, and yet I could still hear every word that was said. There’s a proper time and place to have private conversations. And, in between afternoon classes, in front of O’Malley Center, isn’t it. You’re in college now. For the first time, you don’t have your parents around to make your decisions for you.

With this newfound freedom comes responsibility. There’s no one to blame if you make an ass of yourself. Your actions are your own. 

So, make sure that the person you’re molding yourself to be is someone that you’re proud of.

College, among many other things, is an opportunity to start fresh; to leave behind all of those high school embarrassments. Do you want to be the guy or girl who doesn’t care about his or her appearance and screams at their parents on the phone in public?

Freshmen, I’d encourage you to ask yourselves the following questions when you are about to do something you are unsure of. First, what does this say about the person that you want to be? Second, is this something that you want other people to remember you for?

Last week I had approximately 24 hours of sleep. That’s less than half of the recommended 49 to 56 hours that one should get over the course of seven days. This is pretty standard for me; generally I get about four hours of shut-eye per night (if I’m lucky), with the exception of Tuesdays.

Thanks to this wonderful publication you’re currently reading, I’ve been entirely deprived of any sleep on Tuesday nights/Wednesday mornings. That’s not to say that spending 15 plus consecutive hours with my lovely staff on Tuesday night (our print deadline night) isn’t entertaining, but let’s face it, getting out of the office before the sun comes up on Wednesday would be rather amazing. (It’s a goal I hope to achieve some time next semester.)

Over the course of my years at Carroll, I’ve become accustomed to sleep deprivation, as I’m sure many of my peers have as well. In high school, I took my eight hours per night for granted, not realizing that someday a full night’s rest would become as elusive as the tooth fairy is to a 4-year-old.

In all honesty, I don’t necessarily mind my sleep deprivation. While I cherish my slumber time, each hour that I spend awake, I accomplish something. So, it isn’t as if I’m wasting my time.

Sure I could drop an extracurricular activity or opt out of one of my jobs, but let’s face it, we’re in college. If higher education teaches us anything outside of the classroom, it’s how to survive with the least amount of sleep possible.

It’s funny, prior to college I couldn’t function after staying up all night. Sleep was essential – kind of like eating or bathing. Now, sleep is more of a privilege than a need.

Caffeine and coffee, more specifically cappuccino and Pepsi, have become my main sources of energy. The foamy goodness of a French-vanilla cappuccino has become a prerequisite to the start of my day. And, the tried and true pop machines cater to my mid-day/evening/wee hours of the morning caffeine needs.

Earlier this year and last, I was spending just shy of $4 a day on Starbucks, but as my nights of rest became less frequent, I began to realize that my bank account just couldn’t handle such a luxury. Thus, I quickly discovered that a $1.19 machine-made pick-me-up from my local gas station could provide the same affects as the over-priced venti latte from Starbucks.

I am not the biggest fan of coffee. It isn’t a taste that I crave, or something that I simply must have. However, without it, I fear I would be dead to the world – a walking zombie.

For these reasons, I simply can’t wait for summer. While I will be working full time and participating in an internship or two, it will be the first time in many moons that I’ll be able to go home and not have anything that I absolutely have to get done.

My jobs don’t require any type of “homework” and my internships shouldn’t require much at-home effort. I look forward to being able to leave my work at work and come home to my bed – my dear old friend. Sleep and I have been separated for some time now, and I look forward to May 8, when we can reunite for a full eight hours of uninterrupted snoozing.

Amazed by how Twitter allows one person to have as big a presence as an entire media company, Kutcher posted a video on qik.com last week, challenging the media giant to see who could reach 1 million followers first. Prior to this dare, no Twitter user had hit the 1 million mark, according to TwitterCounter.

During the online video, shot inside Kutcher’s vehicle, he said, “I just thought that was just kind of an amazing comment on the state of our media, and I said that, if I beat CNN to 1 million viewers, then I would ding-dong ditch Ted Turner – because I don’t think it’s gonna’ happen.”

I agree, this is an astonishing comment on the state of our news media. I personally was rooting for CNN. It may not be my first choice for gathering information, however, it’s the principle of the challenge.

Kutcher was right; he didn’t beat CNN, and as of Tuesday afternoon, Kutcher had 1,137,100 followers and CNN Breaking News had 1,302,790 followers.

One person can be as “followed” or as popular as an entire news outlet. That is disturbing to me. That’s not to say that I am not a Kutcher fan, but I don’t believe that he is more important than the news.

For those of you who haven’t Twittered, Twitter is a social media Web site that allows you to post 140-character updates as often as you like. It is a way of micro blogging, in a sense.

For news outlets specifically, it allows a constant flow of the day’s news, literally at your fingertips, in real time. Media outlets, such as CNN Breaking News, have used the site to form a conversation with their audiences. Considering CNN’s phenomenal amount of followers, the idea of news as conversation is really taking off.

But I find it remarkable that one person, such as Kutcher can have the same effect on people as CNN Breaking News.

This truly does say something about the state of our media. More and more, we’re seeing a decline in print journalism.

Some claim that print publications are dying and that they’ll soon cease to exist. I would contend that this is a bit harsh. Print is declining, but I believe and hope that it will always be around in some capacity.

If you follow news regularly, regardless of the publication, you’ve probably read that many print media outlets are cutting back their publication areas, reducing the number of days they publish and shrinking their circulation, while others have either moved entirely to the Internet or completely folded.

As someone who hopes to pursue a career in journalism post-graduation, it is scary to see such a decline.

This year’s Pulitzer Prize winners were announced this past Monday, and reading an article on the winners, I was shocked to find that one of them had recently been laid off.

Paul Gibbon, who with Ryan Gabrielson, won a Pulitzer for local reporting, for their work on a five part immigration piece that ran in the East Valley Tribune, was laid off this past October.

According to an article by Robert MacMillian on Reuters, the East Valley Tribune cut its staff by 40 percent, in addition to reducing its publication and distribution area. If a Pulitzer winner can’t keep a job, there isn’t much hope for the rest of us.

While Kutcher’s challenge may not seem like anything important – just a game – it is an indication of the trouble that our media outlets are in.

And while print media is probably having the most trouble, they aren’t the only ones that need to step up their game. If Kutcher’s provocation has taught us anything, its that entertainment has become just as important to the public as actual news. This is a frightening concept to grapple with.

So, if you care at all about the pirates in Somalia, the coverage of a campus sex crime or the latest political coverage, please put down US Weekly or Cosmo (I know its difficult, I love it too), and pick up The Wall Street Journal. Stop checking the post secret tweets on Twitter and follow CNN Breaking News or whatever other media outlet you prefer to get your news from.

With summer internship interviews, fun nights out and other events that called for dressing up, I’ve spent most of the last week in exceptionally tall heels. Glossy red pumps, printed wedges and black stilettos worked together this week to bring me many blisters and dire back pain.

And it got me thinking about all of the money we women spend on designer shoes, only to purposefully put ourselves in pain. One could argue that the key here is to purchase a pair of high heels that are stylish yet comfortable, but I would have to contend that such a shoe doesn’t exist. The words high heel and comfort simply don’t mix.

Pain is just something that women must endure to dress up. We’ve been raised to tolerate the blisters and the agony that comes along with our fashionable high heels – it’s what’s expected of us; a part of womanhood, if you will. So much so that women are now getting fat injected into their feet in order to continue wearing their adorable Jimmy Choo platforms or sexy Manolo Blahnik stilettos.

That’s right: There are podiatric surgeons who now offer aesthetic foot treatments like injectable foot cushions and even Botox treatments.

Sara Bouraee, a podiatric surgeon in Philadelphia, Pa., specializes in cosmetic foot surgery and “Facial for the Foot” treatments, according to her Web site, drsarabouraee.com. Bouraee offers surgeries that help women continue to wear their stylish high heels, including fat injections to the ball of the foot, shots of Botox to help with hammer-toe spasms and, for the true designer high heel wearer, the removal of foot bones to allow for a better fit in high-priced narrow heels.

Forgive me, but this just seems a little unreal to me. I can’t imagine turning to surgery simply for the sake of my pretty Steve Madden’s. But it comes back to this idea that it’s expected (the wearing of high heels, not surgery). As women, we are socialized into the idea that high heels are something that makes us attractive, a weapon of sorts. Just as a suit is vital to any business person, a high heel (sometimes dangerously high) is necessary to every woman.

Even as children, females dress up in their mothers’ high heels. When we are young, they are part of the magical world that is womanhood. They rank right up there with lipstick and skirts.

Yet, I have to wonder: Are we taking it too far? We all subject ourselves to podiatric distress in the name of womanly fashion, but when are we going too far?

I love my stilettos as much as the next girl, but blisters and Botox are two very different things. The blisters are worth it, but I’d rather opt for flats than put my feet under the knife. I would argue that when you reach the point of turning to bone removal, it’s time to ditch the fancy footwear and pull out the sneakers.

If all of them were my fault, I’d gladly take the blame. However, three, arguably four, of the incidents were completely out of my control.

The first accident occurred about six months after I bought the vehicle. I was on my way to class one December morning when I hit a patch of ice on I-480. Technically, this one was probably my fault; I can’t control the weather, but I can control my reactions to it. And of course I reacted in the worst way possible.

As I felt the car sliding out of control on the slippery pavement, I decided to stomp on my brake pedal, sending my car into a tailspin. While I didn’t hit any other vehicles, I did cause a considerable amount of damage to a guardrail (which the city of Maple Heights later billed me for).

Accident No. 2 was rather minor, but still upsetting. Last summer I came out to my vehicle to find a bright yellow scuff on the corner of my bumper – apparently someone had clipped my rear end and decided not to leave a note. I have yet to identify the culprit and while the yellow paint was able to be buffed out, several large scratches remain.

Not convinced that my car hates me? This past fall, during a wind storm, a brick just happened to come loose from the chimney on my neighbor’s home – care to guess where it landed? Yes, even though my car was parked at least seven feet away, the brick still managed to land on it. Did it jump? I just don’t get it.

At this point, I had decided that my car is simply attracted to trouble. Or perhaps it’s the opposite; maybe trouble seeks out my car. Either way I was reaching the end of my rope.

With this track record, Thanksgiving Break would not have been complete without something unfortunate happening. A day after Turkey Day, I was stopped at a red light and wouldn’t you know it, I was hit from behind. I began to think that there was a sign visible to all but me that read ‘hit me’ affixed to my car.

To make matters worse, the person who hit me decided that it would be a good idea to back up and speed off, which he would have realized was a bad idea if he had bothered to look around and notice that a police car was on the opposite side of the traffic light. The 17-year-old unlicensed, uninsured driver was caught about five minutes later, and the vehicle he hit me with did not belong to him – go figure.

Bear with me, there’s just one more. As both Summer and Thanksgiving Breaks brought accidents, it would only stand to reason that Spring Break would hold the same fate. And it did.

Unfortunately, the damages were a bit more severe than the last few incidents, costing more than $5,000 (thank God for insurance). So, the Chevy dealership decided that they’d need at least one to two weeks to repair everything. Living roughly 40 minutes away (and that’s not accounting for traffic), it isn’t exactly easy to be without a vehicle. So, my week was less than fabulous.

I’ve decided to put my car up for sale this summer. On the up side, just about every part of the car’s body has been replaced. Anyone interested in a freshly painted, possessed Chevy Cobalt? I’ll give you an excellent deal.