Last night was a rough night for basketball. Not only did Gordon Hayward suffer a horrific leg injury... but three (three!) of the guys I like playing with were unavailable for pickup, because it was "date night."

​What are the odds, right?

But it got me thinking, "How come I've never done date night before?"​

While technically Halloween is on the 31st, everyone knows that the joy of terror, horror, and benevolent transgressions must be celebrated for the entire month of October. 

I started my month by thinking about these adorable and ridiculous Halloween shoes. But soon, I started seeing elaborate displays in some of my neighbors' yards. 

Everyone who's been paying attention knows that if anything mattered in 2017, it was La Croix. 

I studied psychology. When people learn this, they often ask, "Oh! Are you analyzing me right now?"

The answer is yes. Absolutely. And here's my analysis of you: 

Cyber bullies are mean -- especially to women, but also to men. Which is why so many public figures, from Lindy West to Ed Sheeran, have "quit social media" and "left Twitter."

But bullies can also be a blogger's greatest ally! My email list basically doubled this week because a few damaged people decided to call me names on our high school alumni page.

That's the silly thing that bullies don't realize. By "hating" on me... they're kind of giving me exactly what I want. (Kind of like how protestors of conservative speakers take what would have been a one-time audience of 50-100 students, and turn it into an international sensation

​So I saw this funny video on my newsfeed last night. Though I enjoyed watching it, it also made me a little sad. Like... Watch it. What man actually thinks the first guy would ever get a woman's number?

With the exception of one small (err, actually kind of major) thing (see also: Phillips Exeter Faculty Lie to Sexual Assault Victim, Tell Her She Wasn't Assaulted), I totally love my high school. I mean, come on! Our classes took place around a Harkness table -- we constantly debated, discussed, and learned from each other. It was a totally epic learning experience.

But that didn't stop one of the most ridiculous Facebook conversations ever from happening on the alumni page this week. 

So I had another Pretty Little Liars dream last night. 

After an entire adolescence of having my every move watched by a mysterious hooded figure, I was on the cusp of unmasking A. And I wasn't going to do anything idiotic, like hide in a dark shed, alone, unarmed and in heels, to confront my omniscient stalker.

Then all my friends turned up dead.

As the young folks like to say, "YASSSSS!"

As a college counselor and life coach for gifted teenagers, a social scientist who values the scientific method and the quest for truth, and simply a concerned citizen, I have watched with growing alarm as American universities have spiraled out of control.

After Berkeley announced it had literally installed escape hatches so administrators could stay safe during violent student protests and Evergreen State College was shut down when police could no longer assure public safety, I knew that something would have to change. 

My "thing" is adult playfulness, happiness and leisure skill development. But I also love language. Which is why I notice spelling and grammar mistakes. It's why I wrote Not to Nitpick, But Try Takes The Infinitive (Or a Gerund), NOT a Conjunction. It's why I wrote It's Not "Rediculous" -- It's RIDICULOUS. Here's Why. 

And it's why I'm writing today to share this important public service announcement: it's not "prejudice." It's prejudiced. Here's why: