Claire Hopple

Nothing makes me get my Grinch on faster than glitter-bombed Christmas wrapping and nasally voices ringing in my eardrums at every store.

Sure, happiness is too abstract a concept to measure perfectly, and it’s safe to say that a serious case of the Mondays can find you no matter what poorly drawn boundaries you’ve planted yourself within. Still, an environment can make a significant impact on your overall mood.

California tooks its post-election protests to a very intense, very new level recently.

Good news: Festival season is upon us. Allow yourself to rock with the best of them by compiling your own crucial folk festival kit with these must-have items.

First, if you’re bored, congratulations are in order.

Whether it’s moving to a different country, starting a new career in a completely different field, or even something tiny like how to compose that text to a friend or which movie to see, decisions big or small can wear you out before you even have a chance. Below are some questions to help you think through tough decisions. But first, keep in mind: no matter your choice, you will most likely be alive when it has run its course. And you will most likely still be you. Deep breaths. Keep reading.

You more than anyone should try to carve out some space for yourself.

Though most associate this blessed occasion with Frank Costanza boisterously shouting “A Festivus for the rest of us!” and attempting to wrestle his own son to the ground, Festivus has an even richer history than you might imagine. The list of Festivus supporters is continually growing and the event’s practices are evolving at a rapid clip.

When the publishing industry gets it right, it needs to be celebrated, especially in a time like this.

Sometimes just saying the words “fast” and “food” back to back makes us want to sneak a glimpse behind us, waiting for the