Every bar in every college town hosts a "$1 shots for everyone wearing an I Voted! sticker" night. (And for the under-21s, I dunno, bowling alleys do something similar?)

You register by tying your name to a specific address. That address determines not only the state in which you're eligible to vote, but in many cases the local elections (state senate & representatives, county measures for things relating to budget or local laws, school board members, etc.), so it's important to…

Sadly, I'd have to agree with that assessment. Also, judging by the prevalence of "Keep government out of my Medicare!" idiocy, I'd say a fair number of people fundamentally do not understand how a government-run safety net would work.

I lived in Argentina for a while and heard the exact opposite of this sentiment. Their economy crashed and burned badly in 2001 and they're still struggling to recuperate. If you show up in Buenos Aires with American dollars, you can get double the "official" exchange rate by trading on the street; this is because the…

Woman here. I also hate online dating, because I also get very nervous the first time I meet someone, and the nerves are compounded if the "someone" is a potential love interest. That said, it can be a really great option so I hope you'll reconsider it in the future if your circumstances change.

Yeah, I want a pair of Sorels and they sold out everywhere in DC last year. Time to get on the ball.

That sounds difficult as hell. I'd love to pretend that once I pick a Person, that's the only Person I will ever want, but I know in real life emotions don't necessarily stay inside our neatly-drawn boxes.

So, as an old (30), I definitely remember the relationship drama of college. VIVIDLY. It's very possible that you're giving off don't-tell-me-about-your-boyfriends vibes, but it's also possible that your friends are trying too hard to spare your feelings because they are uncomfortable about the fact that you're the…

That's good to hear - glad you enjoyed it and glad you found a way to get back where you really want to be. :)

Ooh, I'm not normally an MK fan, but that I like. Functional is key. Thanks for the Macy's tip! 50% off is huge - opens up a lot of their coats that I was ignoring because they were out of my range.

If mid-butt isn't a length, it should be! Cuffed sleeves are a nice touch. I really hate the feeling of wind sneaking into the sleeve, so I will add that feature to the alarmingly long list I'm starting to acquire.

My most memorable encounter was with a nutjob who ended up screaming, "You're hot and you're cold, you're red and you're green!" at me in the middle of the night on a deserted street. I honest-to-god don't even know what race he might have been, and he was less than 5 feet away from me.

I hadn't thought of LL Bean; why did I not think of LL Bean? There's a store not far from me actually. I guess I know where I'm going after work tomorrow!

Lol, I'm sure some people do here and there, but it's DC, you know? Most women are trying their damndest to be Olivia Pope.

Yeah, neighborhood makes all the difference. I'm not gonna lie though, I'd be happy to end up in a warmer place during school; Philly is about the farthest north I applied, but I'm originally from NY so I know what you mean about the gray dirt. Congrats on your impending graduation! Will you be moving back West, or is…

Oy, hadn't even thought of that.

Amen.

Ha, well I was in Arizona, thinking I'd get a job there, and foolishly donated my old peacoat to charity. I keep hoping to find something new for less than $200, but that Banana Trench is verrrrrrrry tempting. Maybe I'll get lucky and catch them in a 40% one day sale or something...

I've never heard of Aritzia, so thanks for opening my eyes! They're also out of my price range, but so pretty.... The one you chose is gorgeous - it seems deceptively simple, but I bet there's not much else exactly like it. I'm going to NY in December so I can always hit up their store if I haven't bought a coat by…

I'm definitely coming around to the advantages of layers, though I kind of like having the excuse to buy multiple different coats ;). Also, Philly, holla! I'm applying to a graduate program at UPenn so we might be neighbors in a year (or not, very likely not, but a girl can dream). How do you like living there?