Well, real estate is different in every area. In PA, average rent is about $800. Since you are like me and love to SAVE money, I looked for apartments that have utilities included. That honestly is the best way to go. The only thing is that internet, house phone (but you have a cell so there isnt a need) and cable are not included, however, if you have a laptop internet is free if your in a range of a connection!! But if utilities are not included, your looking at about $700 per person. You might want to consider getting another roomie or two so the cost goes down even more! Make sure they're a good fit with your personalities though. Craigs list is a good place to start. Some people might be lookin for roommates to move in already so that helps with actually hunting on your own because they already have a place. Also, you know its available and ready to move quickly into. On craigs list, they have cheap rent listing. But keep in mind when looking is that utilities are included in the rent so that way you have a better idea of what you'll really be paying. This really helps out with the idea of getting all your other costs together into your rent price ( meaning not just rent but cell, car, gas,ect.). In PA, the cheapest i've see was 550 for one bedroom all utitlities included except internet, house phone and cable.

There is just one very IMPORTANT rule...

MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT THE PLACE BEFORE YOU MOVE IN!!!!!

:) Good luck and happy hunting!

Honestly, If he doesnt know right away whether he'd go out with you or not, then he's not worth waiting for. You like him now but you will find better. Time will tell of course, or that's what they say, but he's taking too much time. You don't want to waste your time on something thats never going to happen. He's just playing with you. You dont want to be that "back burner girl", you want to be the girl. His first choice. So if your not a guys first choice, than don't waste your time. He's not worth it and he'll never know what he passed up. So dont let him waste your time. You're young still! You can have any guy right now! So go on the prowl and find yourself a man who knows they want to go out with you right away! :)

From personal experience, being the traveler than I am:

GAMES- Dont forget, you can make all these into competitions!

1. Alphabet game. Directions: Start at letter A and go A my name is (a name that starts with A) Ex:Anna. I live in (a location starting with A) Ex: Albany. I work at ____ and sell ____. (a work place and something to sell starting with the letter "A") Ex: Applebees and sell Alfredo sauce.
Basically, you go through the whole alphabet and then you can start backwards. So you'd do A and your friend would do B, so on and so forth!

2. Liscense Plate Game. You're goal is to find a liscense plate starting with the begining of the alphabet to the end. However, the letter of the alphabet has to be the first letter of the liscense plate. Keep track of wins each round to make it competitive.

3. Color Game. Considering you'll have crayons to go with your coloring book, randomly pull one out and try to look for a car of that color.

4. Cash Cab Prank Game. If you've ever seen the TV show of Cash Cab then you'll know that the objective of the game is to put people in a random situation where they have to answer a question on the spot. They will recieve money for every question they answer correctly. They have things that are kinda like life lines. They can do shout outs to people on the street and call a person for the answer. Do caling a person. Get hyped up and start talking really quickly. Tell them that you only have 30 seconds to get an answer from them and you thought they'd be a good choice to call. ex " Hey ____! Im in the cash cab and i need your help! We only have 30 seconds to answer! The question is _____?"
A good question would be name the 9 planets in order! You can call all your friends and switch up the question to name them all backwards! This really gets people stumped and its super hilarious!

5. You can play I Spy. Thats always a good one.

6. You can count how many car you pass or semi's.

7. Make a Honk sign. Tally up how many car you can get to honk.

8. Cards! You can play 21, 500, go fish, or if your into magic try and get down your magic tricks!

9. Count the number of cars you see color wise or by model.

10. You can play hangman. Its a classic!

11. You can pick out words of exit signs and see how many other words you can make out of the ones on the signs.

This list should last you a good while in the car! Hope you guys enjoy your trip! :)

I want to first make it clear that I am not an expert on this. However, I minor in psychology and have been studying personality or mood disorders and changes.

I would have to agree with you that this could very well be a case of paranoia. And I wanna let you know I recognize that your interest in it is the first step. :)

If your paranoia is so severe that it enables you to be constantly threatened by the world, enviroment, and people you should definitely seek help with this. Paranoia can make you feel like you can't trust anyone. Having positive relationships with people is essential in life. So you want to try your best to overcome these negative thoughts.

Anxiety is a huge factor in paranoia. You should sit down with your parents and discuss everything you feel. If they are against medication you should try to convince them that you just need someone to talk to who is trained in that field. They will be able to fully let you understand where you are in a sense of paranoia. There are many different levels and rates of paranoia. Everyone experiences paranoia but just on different levels. For example you can say: "Everyone is "cautious" but just on different levels. And I feel like I am on a higher level then most people. I want to calm down my anxiety and live life without worrying so much."

Talking to a professional with help you realize what options you have to defeat this. Once you realize what kind of help is out there you can do what is best for you.

From what I know and have studied there are many different pills to ease the anxiety. Chlorpromazine, haloperidol, clozapine, olanzapine, or risperidone are used to help treat anxiety and hallucinational symptoms.

Behavior therapy and pyschotherapy may also be useful. These are professionals who train you to think a little different and work with you to make sure that you can regulate your thoughts.

Hearing voices inside your head definitely is an experience of a psychiatric symptom. Although, we all have that inner voice from time to time...some people might experience a more persisting voice which indicates that the person needs to be taken seriously and be treated for it. Auditory hallucinations can promote people to act out in attempts at sucicide so this is very serious. Typically, this symptom usually occurs in people who have schizophrenia or mood disorders.

Does he take any current medication for anything now? I'm just asking this because sometimes medicine has side effects which can lead to auditory hallucinations.

It is vital for him to be check out. If he doesn't agree to be put on medication it will only make matters worse. Some patients have a sense of denial. But it's extremely important to encourage your boyfriend to take this seriously. Maybe the best idea is to have him talk to a therapist. He will have someone to talk to and learn what his options are. There is no reason for him not to at least be informed what kind of help is out there. And how will he know without asking or talking to people who are professionals in that area?

Tell him how valuable he is to you and that you want him to be strong and at least find out some information. His life is not worth this and this can be taken care of. He needs to realize that even though his parents aren't always there for him you are. And you need to be firm and strong throughout this proccess because you love him and he needs your strength to help him through this.

Breakfast at Tiffany's...hands down. It's one of my favorites and incrediably romantic!

Honestly you know where you stand. You said yourself you can't stand how she changed for the worse and that bothers you. Not only does she not seem to care about you right now but she seems to think that if she becomes a different person she'll have a better life. And really how much does that make sense? Not a lot.

When it comes down to it, all she really wants is attention. She's being selfish and not caring about anyone else. Is this truly a person you want as a friend? She definitely won't benefit you in any way by acting like this.

Your life is stress free and you seem to have friends who are right for you. You really don't need her. It's hard to lose a friendship especially when you were close. But even if you don't realize it now, you'll find out later on that everyone you met in your life makes you learn something new. You know what to look for in friendship. If people don't possess any of those qualities that you look for they aren't worth your time.

When you see her at school try not to make it seem like a big deal. Don't be rude to her, just keep casual. Always make yourself look approachable because then if she has anything to discuss with you, she'll feel like she can without it being awkward. I would focus not so much on her but on you and your new friends. Get to know some people that you haven't spoken to in awhile. Get involved in activites or do things that you always wanted to do. If you can keep busy and fullfill things you want to do then you'll have a happy life. Learn from her but don't dwell on the memories. Remember, it's a new year of school and things will change. Live in the present, not the past.

It's a mind over matter concept. You need to be determined to get what you want. And in this case, it's that guy. Being confident (but not cocky) is key in attracting yourself to others.

Think of it this way: If you don't get to know him how will you ever know what could've happened? You will always wonder "What if? You deserve it for yourself to get to know him. He seems like an awesome guy and it's always great to surround yourself with people like that. It'll make you happy.

As for your friends, you don't need their approval for who you talk to. If you want to talk to different people for a little bit, by all means, do so. You can include them in the conversation too. Or just politely tell them "Hey, I'll be right back. I'm going to talk to him for a bit."

I always like to start slow and simple when talking to a guy I like. You need to first get to know him. Plus, when you get to know him it will be much easier for you to not confuse him with his twin! If your in the same class you can ask for help on assignments, make jokes about the teacher, or just start casual conversation. Ex: If you notice he wears a shirt with the same band you like you can always bring that up too. It's always important to really listen to what his comments are. Remember you're trying to get to know him. Ask a lot of questions about him and get him to elaborate on some stories. He'll be impressed that your asking a lot about him and less on you. Most girls tend to talk about theirselves way too much. When you talk about yourself start out with some interesting fact about you. It will grab his attention and make you stand out from all the other girls.

After you get to know him and he gets to know you, start flirting. Gently touching him when you talk to him is a pretty good way to start off. Smiling a lot will make you seem optimistic and interested in what he has to say. And eye contact is very, very good. When you're shy you tend to have a confined gesture like avoiding eye contact, crossing your arms, and looking nervous. But if you have an opened expressing it will make him less nervous too. Try and make yourself easy to approach so that he doesn't feel awkward around you.

Do little things to show that you care about him. You could help him with homework, pick up papers for him if he drops them, look up a question he asked, research on his favorite hobbie and let him know something new. Also being nice to everyone really impresses a guy. You can show this by nto talking badly about anyone. Sometimes they like a little bit of a bad girl too. So mention something you did that was pretty intense. Like how you love doing dangerous stuff and like the rush of adrenaline.

So to review :

1. Have the right attitude and be determined.
2. Do what you need to do to talk to this guy.
3. Start with casual conversation.
4. Get to know him.
5. Flirt
6. Make yourself stand out
7. Listen to what he has to say
8. Be approachable
9. Show you care
10. Show him you're the best of both worlds

Good luck! :) Hope all goes well!

"I also like another boy". Right there what does that tell you? You're confused. And I'm not sure if you really know what you're doing. So before you confront either guy find out for yourself. :)
I'm not trying to sound mean. All I'm trying to say is that it's not fair for both guys to hear something that you may not be so sure of.

It sounds to me that this guy who you tell everything to is kind of a friend for now. Will it turn into something more? I'm not so sure of. But with all the provided information you seem to be comfortable enough to tell him what you what to say without feeling he'll go behind your back. That feeling sounds like a type of thing you would do to a very good friend. If you like this guy more than the other, I would start gradually. If you're not sure yet DO NOT lead him on. That would be just plain cruel. You always have a risk of losing a great friendship, be aware of that.

Find out which guy you like more before you make any choices. And youralso still thirteen, so you don't need to rush any serious relationship or anything. Personally, i think its better to keep your guy friends and see what happens from there.

Here's a thought: If you hadn't made any mistakes in your life what would you learn? Honestly, I believe that the mistakes we make morph us into the person we want to become. Mistakes are made so that we realize there's a consequence for certain actions. We learn that there is some bad parts of life. If we didn't already experience this we wouldn't know how to handle obstacles that come our way.

The people that you met have affected you in some way whether it be good or bad. In a way you should be grateful for that. The people who weren't the best in your life have made you realize some problem and in some way you dealt with it. Use this and think what you can do next time you meet someone like that again. The people who are good in your life you need to keep and use them for inspiration of the person you want to become.

Try not to think about doing your life over. Learn from the past and build for the future. You can change the way you think and avoid similar problems you had in the past to make your life more simple. Start your life over by remembering experiences and grow on that. :)

You call her a best friend. And what's even more unbelievable is that each quality you listed about her was negative. What traits does she possess that is positive? If the bad outweighs the good there are many things to consider about her.

Calling you a bitch and a slut does not make the situation any better. You're going to become more negative beacause of her overly confident mind. Generally when you surround yourself with people who only say negative things or do negative things you only hurt yourself by becoming negative as well. Try finding people who are very open-minded, accepting, and have a positive outlook on life and you'll find yourself improving and being more happier.

You need to find a new best friend. Seriously, you need to think of yourself better than that and not tolerate her behavior and actions.

If you are going to keep her around I wouldn't be as close as you are with her now.

1. Don't take her shit: She must feel like she's more superior and better if she talks down on you and other people. Sadly, people like this thrive on bringing you down and using your kindess to their advantage. You, on the other hand, have the intelligent to not become a follower and to do your own thing. You know who and what you are, ultimately that's the most important thing. Don't let her get to you. If she sees you feeling hurt or sad she's winning at her own game.

2. Talk to her: Tell her you don't agree with what she does and you expect her to know that your not going to follow her. When you talk to her be firm and informative but don't yell. You're the more mature one here. Explain to her that if she doesn't want your help you won't help her. But ask that she listen to what you have to say. You deserve that much at least. And if she doesn't care about it then that goes to show you what kind of person she is.

Dehydration is key to having a hangover. So to prevent this drink water - lots of it. Drink a glass or two when before you go to sleep and drink water in the morning when you wake up. Also drink it trhough out the day. Your body needs to gain that hydration that it lost the night before. Gatoraid will also help.

Wait until your stomach settles. It may be impossible to keep anything down at first. If you feel like you can try to eat something go for saltine crackers and giner ale.

Get some rest. Seriously, you are going to need it.

Antacids will help ease your symptoms but will not mask it. Try it and see if it will help you.

*Use a hydrating shampoo and conditioner, as previously stated.
-Neutrogena Triple Moist
-Redkin Moisturizing
-Dove Deep Moisture

*When buying products for your hair including shampoo and conditioner avoid the folllowing:
- Alcohol. It will dry out your hair.
- Wax. It adds to greasy build ups.
- Silicone ( sometimes )

*Deep condition twice or once a week. And use conditioning products on your hair.
-ION leave in conditioner
-Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum - which I swear by and smells amazing! :) This contains little alcohol, but it does actually work!

*Give your ends major attention. Work a conditioning product onto the ends, leave it in for a little, then rinse.

*You are right to avoid heat on your hair. So towel dry or use the cool settings on your hair dryer if possible. Try to limit curling irons and straightners.

*Limit dying it. It probably needs a break. I know this is easier said than done. If you seriously need it dyed then try only touching up the roots.

*Oil. Oil will add and lock in moisture to your hair, which is needs right now. So after washing your hair use some olive oil or jojoba oil especially getting the ends. Leave on for a little bit and then rinse.

* Trim your ends. It keeps your hair healthy.

* Ask for Deep Conditioning Treatment at the salon next time you go. Major improvement. :)

Yes, that is a canker sore. Canker sores are little open sores found inside the mouth.

Canker sores don't need treatment to go away. They will go away on their own. Usually a few days to a week or so. But there are some things you can do to prevent irritation and pain.

Use ibuprofen to make it become less painful. And use orajel to avoid it becoming any more irritated. Avoid spicy and acidic foods because they will trigger more irritation to the canker sore.

I think everyone can relate to feeling alone. Some more than others. I know that I can completely identify with that feeling because I felt like that most of my life. Sometimes it's so unexplainable but sometimes we never really get the answers to why we feel the way we do. I will say, for me, that the feeling has subsided with time. Highschool may have been the main culprit because there is a lot more emotional issues that come along with highschool than people realize.

Your friends and family should be the people who you turn to when you feel this way. When you go away to college or choose to live in a different township or area you learn to adapt to a new lifestyle, new friends, and independence. So in general you need to appreciate your time with them because it goes by a lot faster than you think. And you'll be able to maintain relationships with them as long as you are fully committed. Spending more time with your family and friends will help you realize that they are the people who will always be there for you through everything.

Ask yourself why you feel so lonely. Example: Maybe it's because you some of your friends went out and you weren't included. If you can't think of a reason why you feel this way that's completely normal. As I said before, sometimes we don't have answers for our emotions. My main reason why I feel so lonely was because I was constantly around people. And when I wasn't..even for like a few hours...I was like "Now what? Okay..I'm bored". Life has us surrounded by people so sometimes it's hard to break away from being away from people. And you know what? Alone time is actually a good thing. We need to feel like we are worth it to actually spend time with ourselves. I learned this through a very wise professor. He told me that artists ( that's my major ) need alone time to create amazing pieces. And if we don't devote enough time on our projects it's not because we didn't try hard enough...it's because we are not completely comfortable enough with ourselves to spend a decent amount of time alone.

Try an be comfortable with yourself and know that it's okay to be alone. But don't associate that with feeling lonely. You do have people in your life. And unfortunately, other people aren't so lucky. They don't have relatives, parents, and friends who support them. So consider the people in your life and appreciate that.

We all make mistakes and do things that we aren't proud of. I'm probably like the best model for that! Haha! Maybe you're not doing the things you want to do but eventually you'll be happy you did. All in all, you tried something at least once and it either made you accomplished or made you learn from it. It will add to your experience.

One more thing! You only have one life and you want to fullfill everything you can. Try not to think about what life you could be living, just live the one you have right now and try and make it so that you're happy with it. You can try new things or take up a class. Keep up with your goals but also add some fun and spontaneous things in your life so that you're not completely bored.

Let me know if you need more advice. I hope everything works out for you. I know it's easier said than done!

Love,
Shannon

1.) You absolutely have a chance with him. He seems to really like you or have an interest.

2.) It's always hard to tell with guys. Most guys can put on an act and sometimes we're not sure what they're really thinking. So I might be wrong on this but I think he's trying to start "casual" flirting. Maybe he's trying to see if you're "worth" starting something. Meaning that he's going to compliment and flirt with you and see how you react. If he likes you he'll probably ask you out on a date. I'm sure he just wants to get to know you and what your intentions are. I wouldn't make assumptions just yet. He just broke up with his girlfriend so he might still want a break from a relationship right now. So continue to talk and flirt and things should fall into place eventually.

3. Maybe. As I said he recently broke up with his girlfriend. He might need some time. But you have a fair chance at this. Just keep going with it and don't rush yourself to thinking anything serious.

4. Flirting is a good way to let him know you're interested without telling him. You should do to him what he's doing to you. Flirt with him and look at his reactions. If you TRULY think he like you then let him know. But as of now it seems like you're not completely sure. You don't want to come off too quickly like you said. Pay close attentions to his body language and his words because those are usually key for telling whether he likes you more than just a friend. You said that most seniors are players and it might be true that he is too. But get to know him first before you make that decision. Open up to him about yourself and invite him to get to know you. If you want to stand out say something shoking that most girls wouldn't. For instance if there is something about you that is different from everyone else let him know that. He'll probably be really intrigued and he'll keep you on his mind.

Okay, so ...over all... don't rush into things, continue to flirt and talk, pay attention to his reactions and body language, keep confident, and stand out. :) Good luck sweetie!

I was a member in 2004. I just had a different name than abstract_profanity. :)

No, I don't pay to personalize my column. Everything that I do on it is free. However, you can recieve higher features on this site if you are a gold-star member. Information is located in the FAQ. :)

-Shannon

-EDIT-
I'm sorry. Here is the link: http://www.advicenators.com/paidaccounts.php

I'm an art education major and the cool thing about college is scheduling your own classes. You have a wide range of courses that you can take that will count for once of you credits to fit your major.

I take a lot of art studios but right now I'm trying new courses that make me consider other alternatives.

You brought up your interest in history and some courses I'm taking might be something that you'd enjoy.

1. Anthropology. This is such an awesome course because you travel around the world, learn the history of culture, linguistics (different languages), ethnic food, ancient studies and subjects. As an art major I was very suprised at how much I enjoyed the course. I actually considered minoring in it.

2. Art history. You study the history of arts and artists. Maybe this isn't really your thing. But it's always good to have the course on your record being a history major!

3. Historical/Political Events. You write about events that have a historal background. You might enjoy it because it offers your interests of history and writing.

4. History education. Maybe you want to consider teaching history because you're that passionate about it. Or you could become a professor and basically become your own boss.

5. Editor for a historal magazine? This pretty much explains itself.

Those are a couple ideas. I'd be more help if I had my program of studies at hand. Haha! But don't worry too much. You still have time and it's very good to be open minded about all courses.

Oh, god! Sweetheart, I am truly sorry to hear this.

What I believe sets you back in all this negitivity is completely directing yourself to what happened. You had mentioned that your FRIENDS said your dad was a sex offended and that your FRIENDS admitted that it was a prank. YOU were not mentioned in it except for your mistake of picking bad friends. So, with all the information you provided I don't think YOU are the one who ruined his life. But if I am wrong and there's more to the story that dealt with you that you hadn't mentioned there is still ways to deal with this.

The most important thing to remember is that when we make mistakes it's better to learn from them that dwell on it. And right now it sounds like you keep dwelling on what happened. It's already done and over with. So rather than thinking of the past it's much better to move on. Once you're able to look foward in life you'll be better off helping your family and most importantly yourself. Obviously, you now realize that those friends weren't worth it. And you probably have a better sense of people who are good and people who are bad.

If it is so severe that you just beat yourself up for it all of the time you might want to get a professional to help you. Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear this but a BIG step in helping you cope is getting somewhat over it. And if you can't do it by yourself you might consider other options.

Sweetie, you're sixteen. It is not your place to be the parent for your eighteen year old sister and your father. It's very difficult to control everything in everyone else's life. What you should try to do is talk to your sister and your father.

Explain to your sister that she is older than you and she needs to start taking care of herself. You can't contribute to all of her needs. You would be happy to assist her every now and then but you expect her to be more self sufficent. There are little things she can do to help you out and that would help get some weight off your shoulder.

Your dad needs to realize that he is a great man so it would be wise to be positive around him. Once in awhile it's good to point out people's good qualities to them. It makes them feel better about their self. Gently talk to your dad and tell him what a great father he is. Bring up that you are so concerned with his health at the moment and that you would want him to seek help. Tell him what happened was beyond his control and what's most important is that you and your family realize what a great person he truly is.

Remember that YOU can not make him overcome this. He needs to be willing to do that by hiself. If he can't meet you half way there is not too much you can do to help him. Explain this to him if neccessary. This would be good for when he requests you to do something.

I'm back! 6 years on this site and counting! Let yourself be known for something. It may not be perfect but imperfections are so much more interesting and fun!

I'm well known from my high interest in people. I thrive off helping others.

A lot of people say they have been through a lot. And well, this is true for almost everyone, including me. Rather than let past harm me I embrace what I've dealt with and use it to my advantage in the future.

I'm 20. Turning 21 soon enough. Been there, done that but cetainly have much more to learn. No, I do not know everything and I wouldn't claim. I do know that I am dedicated, educated, generous, motivated, and ambitious. I give all my time and heart into each answer.

I specialize in art, education, communication, psychology, massage therapy, health, travel and destinations.

I know information regarding school, college, abuse, neglect, personalities, relationships, friendships, little bit of info on cars, licit and illicit behaviors and or subjects. But I will be willing to answer anything!

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