“Dear Natalie
My roommate recently discovered she really, really, really loves avocados. That doesn’t matter to me — I like avocados too — but she buys them in bulk. Like Costco bulk. She eats a lot to be sure, but she doesn’t eat enough for the amount she buys. We always have to throw out at least three avocados a week because she buys them, but can’t finish all of them. Is it my place to say anything? I just feel like it’s a waste of money.”
On one hand, it’s her money, her food and her choices and you have limited say in that.
But on the other hand, avocados are expensive! At least a dollar each. If she’s throwing out that many avocados a week, that means she’s throwing out at least 12 bucks a month. That’s ridiculous. I mean, you could buy 12 avocados for that kind of cash! Why is she eating so many? That can’t be healthy. Is it? I don’t know. I’m not in LFS.
Whatever, people are crazy.
Offer to buy some avocados off her if you are also buying avocados separately. Maybe her avocado dealer only sells by the dozen. Use those beautiful avocados for what they’re good for — eating delicious, delicious meals.
“Dear Natalie,
When can you finally unfriend someone on Facebook?”
Whenever you want. That’s the power of the unfriend button — it doesn’t have to be a mutual decision. If you don’t want to see someone’s posts about their crappy ex or over-political nonsense, you have the option not to. Unfollow or unfriend, totally up to you.
If you’re worried about hurting their feelings, don’t be. If they’re a close friend, then you’ll be talking about it sometime anyway. I’m sure if a conversation needs to happen, it will happen — outside of the internet.
If they are not a close friend, then it’s a non-issue. The only reason they would notice that you unfriended them would be if they looked you up on Facebook and that means they can never bring it up because that would mean admitting that they were the unwanted one.
Facebook’s made for creeping and I’d say half of my friends I have on Facebook aren’t people who I stay in regular contact with — or, now that I’m thinking about it, any contact at all. If I unfriended them I think no one would notice until I was brought up in a conversation years in the future and someone goes, “I wonder what Natalie’s doing?”
It doesn’t matter what that answer is because that answer is always, “Oh wow, I forgot how much she likes cats.”
“Dear Natalie,
I was rejected to be an RA and I’m really confused. I thought I had really good references and I wrote my application well. I’m really upset about this.”
I have never been an RA or have ever been involved with the RA hiring process, but I know a lot of people of have applied and done variously well in the process.
Don’t take it personally. They say they are “looking for something special,” but just because you didn’t make it doesn’t mean you don’t have whatever it is. It just means there happened to be a lot of people who also had that whatever.
Maybe they were looking to balance a few things. Maybe they needed more upper year RAs or more RAs in Science. I honestly have no idea what the process is like, but I know a lot of amazing people who would have made amazing RAs who didn’t get it, so I’m not completely sold on the process. Don’t take it personally, because it wasn’t personal.
“Dear Natalie,
What are the 10 things you should do before you graduate?”
Did you know The Ubyssey publishes a list every year of things every UBC student should do before they leave this magical place?
My personal list:
1. Pick your major
2. Hate your major
3. Come visit The Ubyssey’s snazzy new office (2208 in the Nest)
4. Go to all the lovely bars on campus as least once – even if you don’t drink
5. Get lost in the Buchanans at least once
6. Wonder how a university like UBC still seems to have a Board of Governors that acts like a high school clique
7. Explore bus routes other than the 99
8. Run into that one person you hate on campus at least once a week
9. Buy candy in bulk at least once. Like stupid bulk. Like, “I never have to buy Smarties again in my life” stupid bulk.
10. Graduate
Need advice? Contact Natalie anonymously at asknatalie@ubyssey.ca and have your questions answered in an upcoming issue.