Author: Darren Bridges

The only thing better than getting gifts is giving gifts. At least that’s what people want you to believe. Giving gifts evokes a sense of greatness within yourself and you feel like you are going to have something good happen to you soon, as a result. Unfortunately, karma doesn’t really work like that but go ahead and believe that giving gifts will get you something in return. The purpose of giving someone a gift is to make them happy. It should be a selfless act and should bring you joy by seeing the joy on another person’s face. Whether it’s a birthday gift, christmas gift, valentine’s day gift, or anniversary gift, gift giving is an altruistic act. The only time you should give a gift for your own enjoyment is when you are giving a gift to a frenemy.

A frenemy is someone you like in public but secretly hate in private. You usually meet your frenemy at work. They are the ones that say hi to you when you walk into the office but are also the ones that spread vicious rumors behind your back. They try to hinder your career success and sabotage your work projects, but they do it all in secret. They will sit with you at lunch and laugh with you, but they are laughing at you when you are not around. The kind act of gift giving takes a turn for the worst when you decide to give a gift to your frenemy. You want to embarrass them, hurt their feelings, make them cry, or make them quit, but through a not so generous gift. You give them something on their birthday in front of all of your co-workers, but you have an ulterior motive. To help you pick the perfect underhanded gift, here are six types of gifts to give to your work frenemy.

1. The “I’m Going to Make You Unattractive” Basket

You compliment your frenemy about their good figure and gorgeous hair, even though you want to shave her head and hate that she actually has a near perfect body. You smile and spew horrid lies to her face and when it is time for her birthday you decide to get her a basket full of things to make her lose her amazing body. You pack the gift basket full of chocolate, donuts, bread, candy, and other not so healthy items. Being her frenemy, you have come to realize that even though she has a good body, she doesn’t have self control when it comes to indulging her appetite. You know that she won’t be able to resist the empty calories and cavity inducing foods. Just the thought of her with bad teeth and a flabby belly makes you grin. She thinks you are grinning because you are happy it’s her birthday but really you are just excited for when she turns into a monster.

2. Items That Evoke Fear

Humiliating your work frenemy in front of all of your colleagues is one of your main goals at work, besides your actual job duties. You never tell her when there is something stuck in her teeth. You never let her know when she is walking around with a huge stain on the back of her shirt. And you never let her know that she accidently walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to her shoe. You don’t feel guilty about any of your sealed lip moments because you know that she would do the same to you, and has on many occasions. Another way you embarrass your frenemy is by giving her a birthday gift that frightens her in front of your peers. If she has a huge fear of spiders, get her a bag of them, real or fake. If she hates clowns, hire a clown to come and perform at the office. If she is frighten of her mom, make her birthday “bring your parents to work” day and invite the mommy monster. When your frenemy confronts you about your fear inducing gifts, just say that you completely forgot that she was afraid of said items. Then walk away with a hair-flip and a smile. Mission accomplished.

3. Gift Card to a Place They Hate and Never Go

There is nothing your frenemy hates more than wasting money. You know this because the entire time you were pretending to be her friend, you were just picking apart her faults and weaknesses. You were determined to take this vicious person down. Reminded of how she doesn’t like to waste money, you give her a gift card to a place she despises. Whether it’s a clothing store where she never finds anything cute to wear or a restaurant that she has gotten food poisoning at, give her a little money that she will never ever spend. Better yet, give her a gift card with no money on it. So when she goes to spend it, she will be rejected and humiliated.

4. Things They Can’t Use for Awhile

Useless gifts are the perfect gifts for your frenemy. It shows her that she was not even worth a thoughtful gift. Useless gifts include things they she can’t use for a long while. If it is summer, get her a cheap winter coat. And don’t forget to pick the ugliest, and non-flattering coat as well. If it’s winter, get her the most revolting one piece bathing suit, that even your grandmother wouldn’t wear. You have successfully bought her a gift that is pretty much useless for another six months. That will sure to ruffle her feathers every now and then when she looks at it.

5. Cute Items for Couples

Remind your frenemy that she is single and has no potential lovers in the near future. Buy her “his and her” items for her birthday and give it to her at the office. For example, you can give her couples’ towels, mugs, shirts, hats, and pretty much anything that is made for a pair of love birds. Which she surely is not. That will definitely make her cry later and that should bring you great joy. When she asks why you bought her that, just tell her that you want to motivate her to date people so she doesn’t end up an old cat lady. Even though you secretly want her to be an old cat lady. Giving her couples gifts puts a curse on her single life and makes it last forever. At least that is what you hope for.

6. A Card

To really show your lack of affection for your frenemy, simply give her a card. It will be sure to send a settle message that she is irrelevant to you. A generic card with not so special words is perfect for an underhanded slap in the face. It will show that you put just enough effort into getting a gift, but not a lot. Getting a card is basically the same thing as giving nothing. Which is exactly what your frenemy deserves.

Giving gifts is not supposed to be a self serving act. It is supposed to be free of rudeness and indecency. But when it comes to taking down your work competition, it is necessary to turn gift giving into a weapon. The gift turns into a way to ruin the morale of your frenemy and hopefully gets her to back off, and maybe even quit. That would be the ultimate reward. Until then, you will continue to be a fake friend to your frenemy till you figure out a way to get her out of the company.

There are three different types of people in the world. You have the people that enjoy the sweat inducing summer. They love wearing their Gucci sunglasses while the sun shines on their face. They love the sand in between their toes and sometimes in other unsavory places. They also love to tan, turning their skin into a different shade of color thanks to those harmful, yet much loved, sunrays. The fact that they can show a little more skin in the summer is icing on the cake for them. The people that love summer always complain about the weather during every other season because of the lack of sunshine. It’s definitely one of the most of annoying things about them. 

Then, you have the cold hearted people that love the winter. They love risking their lives doing outdoor activities like ice hockey and ice skating. I’m just saying that they are pretty dangerous because you could slip, fall, and break something. Playing on ice is no joke. Lovers of winter love to look like hibernating bears with their oversized coats and clunky boots. They oddly enjoy being close to a fire and drinking hot chocolate, which defeats the entire purpose of winter but they find it calming. They love cuddling up to their significant others and sneaking a kiss during the cold weather. I’m not even mad about that part though. Who doesn’t love a good cuddle?

Finally, we have made it to the most amazing people in the world. Those who love spring and fall. They enjoy the neutral weather that is perfect for anything. They love the mixture of sun on their face and the cool breeze on their skin. The thing they love most about about spring and fall is the rain. There is just something about water falling from the sky that puts them in a good mood. People that love the rain are called pluviophiles and here are ten signs to know that you are one.

1. You Enjoy Playing in the Rain

Who needs a cell phone or video games when you can splash around in a puddle. You enjoy the sound that it makes and that soggy feeling you get afterwards. You don’t mind getting a little dirty , that’s when you know that you had a ton of fun. It doesn’t rain often, but when it does you soak up every minute of the rainfall.

2. You Have Multiple Rain Outfits

One brightly colored umbrella, one pair of obnoxiously squeaky boots, and one loose fitting raincoat is not enough for you. You have multiple outfits and accessories for rainy days. It’s kind of sickening. You could care less about having a lot of bathing suits or sunglasses. Your main concern is what will make you look cute on a stormy day. You have this idea that the rainy setting makes you look radiant and you can’t wait to instagram a picture of the rain splashing on your face. There is just something about the rain that makes everything seem more beautiful and you love to look glam in all of your rain attire.

3. You Take More Than Two Showers a Day

Unfortunately, it doesn’t rain nonstop, all day, everyday. But let’s take a moment to be realistic. That would actually be terrifying if it did. But in your ideal world, it wouldn’t be so bad. It would actually make all your dreams come true. Nonetheless, it doesn’t rain everyday. To make up for the lack of rain, you take more than the normal amount of showers. You try to replicate the calming feeling that rain brings by standing under the shower head. It’s not the same but it will do.

4. You Enjoy Water Parks

Forget ferris wheels and roller coasters, you are all about swimming like a fish at water parks. You love riding the mechanically engineered waves and tubing down a huge waterslide. Water parks are more serene than other amusement parks. It’s just something about water that makes you feel safe and excited at the same time. You also like to pretend that the water park is your kingdom and you are its ruler. But we’ll keep that between us. Our little secret your highness.

5. The Rain Changes Your Mood

When it downpours your mood can change so fast as if the rain switched a light on inside you. It’s actually quite astonishing. You go from being an untame fire breathing dragon to a cute adorable puppy in five seconds. The power that rain has over you is incredible. It keeps you calm, happy, and at peace. I’m sure your significant other loves it when it rains. You are way more agreeable when it does.

6. You Gravitate Towards Dark Colors

Your entire wardrobe is full of dark blues, blacks, and greys. You didn’t pick that color scheme purposely. Those are just the clothes that popped out to you and you thought they were cute. You’ve never been a bright color person. Neon colors make you want to puke. Darker colors remind you of a cloudy rainy day. People think that your dark attire makes you seem gloomy and angry, but they are wrong. You are as happy as can be. Dark colors are your joyous colors.

7. Rain Helps You Fall Asleep

Whether it’s actual rain or just your super random CD with rain sounds on them, the sound of rain helps you fall asleep. While other people have night lights, their favorite blankets, or lots of pillows, you have the sweet sound of drip drop in your ear to rock you to sleep. The sound of rain takes you to another place, a dream-like place, and you drift away like a baby. The power of rain has no boundaries.

8. You Love the Smell of Rain

It’s true. Rain has a smell and it smells amazing. If you could buy a candle or air freshener that smelled exactly like rain, you would buy it. Every single one. You would probably feel and look like a hoarder with the amount of rain fragrance items you’d have in your home. But you wouldn’t mind. Forget about the fruity smells or the eye burning fragrances, you are perfectly happy with the soothing smell of rain.

9. You Love to Draw on Car Windows

Well, not just car windows. You love drawing on any frosty surface. It’s like finger painting without the mess and semi socially acceptable. You love the way it feels on your fingers and you feel like Picasso, even though you are only drawing smiley faces and spelling out your name.

10. You are Entranced by Rainbows

The afterglow of rain showers is just as good as the downpour. You love rainbows and all of its transparency. Sometimes there’s one and sometimes there’s more. It amazes you that they are neverending and you can never truly reach the end of one. You would know because you’ve actually tried to find the end. That incident didn’t end so well. Now, you just gaze at rainbows and admire their beauty.

You are a pluviophile if you exhibit these traits. This list has key signs to know if you are absolutely obsessed with rain. You love pretending like you’re five again and playing in it. You love the pacifying smell of it. You ditch the sheep and doze off to it. You love it’s afterglow and everything about it always puts you in the best mood. Don’t shy away from who you are. Be the pluviophile you were born to be.

You met your prince charming on a night out with the girls. He was charismatic, funny, and oh so sexy. He also had a “bad boy” edge that you really liked, but never thought anything of it. He was basically everything you’ve ever dreamed. You’ve been dating for a few months and you really think he might be the one. To you, it was love at first sight. To him, you are just the girl on the side. His actual girlfriend is somewhere out there oblivious to your existence. She is his old ball and chain, and you are just the leftovers he eats when there is nothing else in the fridge. To keep you from falling into this trap again, here are 10 ways you know you are not the queen of his world. You are just the side chick. 

1. He Only Texts You, He Never Calls

It would be suicide for him to talk to you on the phone. Especially if his other girlfriend is sitting right next to him.

2.Long Periods of Time Between Text

He doesn’t make it a priority to text you back. He has other things to do. Like play video games or something.   

3. You Always Initiate the Conversation

Don’t you think it’s a little odd that he never text you first? Just saying. 

4. He Only Texts You When the Sun Goes Down

His daylight time is for his primary girlfriend and the nighttime is for booty calls, aka the texts he sends you.

5. He Buys You Expensive Gifts

Yeah, they may have cost a lot of money but they mean absolutely nothing. When was the last time he bought you something after listening to you talk about it? You know, something with an emotional attachment. I guess you wouldn’t know what I’m talking about since you’re the side chick. 

6. You Only Go Out At Night

He says that going out at night is more romantic, *cough, yeah right. He just doesn’t want to be seen in public with you. And it’s not that you’re not attractive, I’m sure you’re gorgeous, but the risk of people seeing you two together is too high.

7. You’ve Never Met His Friends

In fact, you are not even sure if he has friends. He has never talked about them before. That is probably because he doesn’t want you to be too involved in his life. Stay in your lane. 

8.He Doesn’t Like Taking Pictures

The only way you’re going to snap a photo of him is if he’s sleeping. He doesn’t want you snapchatting, tweeting, posting, or instagramming photos of him. His other girlfriend might see. 

9. He Never Spends the Night

I bet he uses excuses like ‘I can’t stay, I have to check on my dog’ or ‘ I’m leaving tomorrow to go to *insert random city here’ If you want him to stay, you better chain him to the headboard.

10. You’ve Never Spent a Holiday Together

He tells you that he has to work on holidays, but really he is just spending it with everyone else but you.

You meet a ton of people at college. You meet the people in your major, random people at the bar, and people who you work with. These people tend to be from all around the globe. If you go to a great university, then it will honestly embrace the word diversity and you will have had the chance to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures. Some of these people will turn into some of your closes friends. You will share some of your best, and most amazing moments with these people. You will dance your hearts out together, pull all nighters as a group, and laugh till you cry. These people will become your best friends.

After four or so years in school, each of you will have to separate and either go back to your hometowns or start a new life in a new city. You will cry like a baby before graduation, during graduation, and a couple of weeks after graduation because you know that nothing will ever be the same. I still tear up, to this very day, because I desperately miss my best friends from college and all the things we used to do.

You want to keep these people in your life for as long as you can. They may not be right down the street anymore, but you plan on keeping them one phone call away. Here are ways to keep your long distance friendships.

1. Buckle Up and Go for a Ride

Make plans to meet up. Go to your friends’ hometown or make plans to visit your alma mater. Visiting  their hometowns would give you a chance to learn more about them, outside of your college activities. It would also give your friends the opportunity to introduce them to their family. And who wouldn’t love the chance to visit their alma mater? I know I can’t wait to go back and visit my school soon. Having one weekend to just let go and forget about all of your responsibilities is something everyone wants.

You can also make plans to vacation to an exotic place. You can explore the world together and make new memories. One of my friends is moving to Sweden this year and I plan on visiting her as soon as possible.

2. Tweet, Post, and Text

You should take advantage of technology and utilize social media. Social media and smartphones help us connect with your friends faster than ever. It can be as if you are right there with them at every part of their life. You can use technology to contact your friends daily and catch up. I don’t know about you but I feel incredibly lucky to live in a time period where technological advancements are taking place. You can share experiences in real time. You may not be there with them while they skydive, but you will feel as if you are there, with the use of your smartphone.  

3. Involve Your Friends in Big Decisions

Let your college friends know that you still value their opinions and want to include them in all of your big decisions. By including them in all of your major decisions, you keep them connected to you no matter where you are. When you have to make a decision on whether to dump your boyfriend or give him a second chance, ask your friends. Or if you should quit your job for a complete different career choice, ask your friends. They know you probably better than you know yourself and will give you valuable advice. It will be as if the “heart to hearts” you used to have at college are still a part of your life.

4. Invite Them to the Big Events

Are you getting married, having a baby shower, or celebrating a birthday? Don’t forget to call up your college friends and invite them to the party. They may not be there for the small stuff, but they will definitely make an appearance for the big events. As life goes on, you will have photos of them at every important occasion. They will be there when it matters most.

5. Reminisce Together

There is nothing like catching up on the “good ole times” with your friends. You and your friends will laugh about the time you accidently got lost at three in the morning, after a night of dancing. You will all smile, cheek to cheek, thinking about the cute guys you each had a crush on. And you have a dance party to your favorite songs from the college years. There is nothing more fun, yet slightly sad, about reliving the past with your best friends from college. You can reminisce on the phone, in person, through webcam. Being able to do it any time is the best part about it.

6. Start a Book Club

One of the things you miss about being so close to your college friends is sharing ideas. To help satisfy that desire, you can start a long distance book club. Pick a book and have all of your friends read it, within a time frame. Then, you can either meet up and discuss it, or you can utilize Skype and video chat about it. You can share your opinions, reactions, and thoughts on a particular book. You don’t have to be in college to exchange intellectual ideas with your peers.

7. Watch Television Together

I don’t literally mean watch television together, but share a common interest in a television show. Once a new episode airs, call or text them and asked them what they thought about it. What was there favorite part? What do they look forward to next week? What do they want to happen? Television is a great way to stay connected to your long distance friends and pop culture. In college, you were around young people that knew everything about what was trending. In the real world, the adult world, you are less aware of what is going on with your favorite celebrities. Watching television with your college friends is a way to stay on top of new things, people, and events.

8. Set Up a Schedule

This is probably the simplest way to stay connect to your long distance friends. Set up a strict schedule for you all to call each other and catch up. This may be difficult, seeing as how you each may live in a different time zone or have different work schedules. But you should try to stick to it. If you are really committed to keeping you long distance friendships intact, you will be able to do it. That will be motivation enough.

Long Distance Friendships are difficult to keep but very doable. With dedication and creativity, you will be able to stay connected to your friends. You will be just as close as you were in college. You can watch television together, read books together, visit the past together, and connect on social media together.You will grow together, change with each other, and encourage one another. When you all decide to meet back up, it will be as if nothing has changed. It will be as if time had stood still and you are picking up where you left off.  

Your big interview is coming up and you are filled with nerves. This may be an interview for your dream job or it may be your first post grad job interview. You feel very inexperienced but you take the advice you found online on how to get ready for an interview. You have researched the company and picked the perfect outfit for the big day. Somehow, you still fill extremely nervous. One thing you probably haven’t tried is listening to music. Music can help you go from a nervous wreck to a boss b**ch. Here are the top 15 songs to listen to before your big interview. 

1. How Bad Do You Want It (Oh Yeah) by Sevyn Streeter?—?This song is all about working hard for what you want. How much are you willing to sweat for your goals?
2. Sheezus by Lilly Allen– Embrace your inner Sheezus and never settle for being second best. 
3. Verge by Owl City– This is your time and your moment. You are young and ready to take over the world. 
4. Warrior by Havana Brown– Those other interviewees better watch out, you are a warrior. 
5. Who Dat Girl by Flo Rida– Walk into the office building as if you are making your debut at NYFW. The employer what now what hit him. 
6. Work B**ch by Britney Spears– If you want the fancy life, you have to work for it. Work hard, play hard. 
7. Fancy by Iggy Azalea– This song reminds you that you are a boss and you should hold your head up high. 
8. Supa Dope by Kat Graham– Make this song your mantra. You are supa dope and funky fresh. 
9. Roar by Katy Perry– This is the anthem for self-empowerment. 
10. Impossible by Tiffany Evans– Don’t ever let anyone ever tell you, you can’t do something. Prove them wrong. 
11. BO$$ by Fifth Harmony– The sassy anthem for anyone who hasn’t dished out a good hair flip in a while. 
12. Girl Get It by Raven Symone– This song is all about knowing who you are and what you can do. Your nerves are all in your head. 
13. Worth It by Firth Harmony– Just tell the interviewer to give you the job because you’re worth it. You will take their company to the next level. 
14. Impossible Is Nothing by Iggy Azalea– Another great mantra to live by: impossible is nothing. 
15. We R Who We R by Ke$ha– At the end of the day, you have to always remember to be yourself. Your personality will shine through during the interview. 

Listen to these songs right before your interview and you will feel like you own the world. Your confidence within yourself will sky rocket and you will own that interview. Did I miss a good pre-interview song? Tell me what songs you listen to before the big day. 

I’m not going to lie, being single has its down moments, like everything else. You want someone to cuddle with when you’re lonely. You want someone to text you, just to say they were thinking about you. Who doesn’t want someone to do the cute twosome stuff with? 

Being a virgin is awkward. I didn’t necessarily choose to be one, it’s just the way it is. I’m just not the type of person to go have sex with strangers. And since I’ve lived in two of the most country places, no one is knocking down my door wanting to rock my world. And I’m completely okay with that. 

I remind myself that I am young and on the verge of my life. At this stage of my life, I can justify being picky and having high standards. I also think I might be more in love with having fun with my friends, than actually being in love. 

Being only 22 means that I have so many chances to travel. Not being attached to someone and with minimal responsibilities, I can go to Paris, Australia, or anywhere I damn well please, because I’m single!

This is when I start screaming Natasha Bedingfield’s song right now.

Another reason why I’m completely okay with being a single virgin is that I don’t need the distraction of sex or a relationship. Post-grad life consist of me focusing on my career(or lack of). That’s it. Money is my motivation right now. If I could have sex with money, to make more money, I would. 

Being broke is not attractive. I wouldn’t even want to date me right now. Why would I expect someone else too? 

When I do decide to have sex or be in a relationship, I want it to be something special. And I know that it will be, because this millennial has ambition and goals. And no boy is taking those away.  

I’m sure we all know at least one gay man. If you say you don’t, he probably just hasn’t told you yet. Gay men are constantly asked the same questions over and over again. It gets really annoying, if I do say so myself. There are also numerous stereotypes in society that need to be stomped out. I’m going to let you inside the mind of gay men everywhere:

1. We don’t want to have a threesome with you and your boyfriend. 
2. Yes, you’re a guy but that doesn’t mean we think you’re cute. Get over yourself. 
3. We don’t know your other gay friend. 
4. There is NOT a secret gay club where we initiate every gay person that decides to come out. 
5. There is no such thing as the gay agenda. 
6. Only our close friends can refer to us as girl.
7. The word faggot is offensive, no matter how you use it. 
8. You can’t “catch” the gay.
9. We are not all sluts. 
10. We are not all fashion gurus. 
11. We don’t all think shopping is fun. 
12. Beyonce is God. Don’t deny it.
13. We made being different cool before it was a thing. 
14. We both wear the pants in the relationship.
15. Some of us actually like sports. (Go Mountaineers!)
16. We want a family. 
17. No, we don’t want to date your other gay friend. 
18. Please don’t set us up. 
19. We are not going through a phase. 
20. Shout out to all of the LGBT supporters! 
21. Especially the parents that accept their kids for who they are. 
22. No, all the cute ones are not gay. You are just looking in the wrong places. 
23. Stop using me as your fake boyfriend.
24. We did not choose to be gay. 
25. But we sure as hell know how to embrace it. 
26. We are not trying to disrupt your life. 
27. We come in all shapes and sizes. 
28. Stop saying we remind you of your other gay friend. 
29. Yes, we love the same as everyone else. 
30. We are not going to tell you who’s the pitcher and who’s the catcher. Don’t ask. That’s rude. 
31. Yes, We are going to keep talking about gay rights because the fight is not over. 
32. We need more LGBT character on T.V.
33. Yes, we can ruin your face but we choose not to. 
34. We don’t wear our clothes for attention, we wear them because we like them. 
35. We can do anything you can do. 
36. Saying “that’s gay” is offensive. Come up with something else. 
37. We make jokes, we are not ones. 
38. Gaydar does not exist. 
39. Just google it. 
40. We have insecurities, but we are better at hiding them. 
41. We all want to be accepted.  

Now take a minute to let those facts marinate. Soak it all in. We would gladly appreciate it. 

Job applications and interviews are the definition of time consuming and tedious. You can never just send in your resume. You have to send in a resume, a cover letter, a list of references, and examples of your work. Some applications go even further than that. They ask you to go to their personal application platform and create a user name and password. Then, the application goes on to ask you basic information such as your address and email address. After that, it gets pretty in depth. You’ll be asked scenario questions as if you’re already working at the company you are applying to. You will be asked to take a test to determine your work style. You could even be asked to write an entire essay. If you have the patience and are lucky enough to move on to the next phase of the process, you’ll be asked for an interview. 

When I say interview, I mean multiple interviews. First, you will have a phone or Skype interview. Next, you will have an in person interview. And then, you will have another in person interview with someone completely different. The entire time you are going through this process, you wonder what more could they possible need to know and why didn’t the interviewers interrogate you together? 

You finally make it to the end of the hiring process and you think you’ve got the job. They wouldn’t have asked you to come back so many times if they didn’t like you. They wouldn’t have seemed interested in your skills, if they didn’t think you were a good fit. Right? Wrong. You end up not getting the job and you are filled with emotions. You’re angry because you wasted so much time. You’re disappointed because you really wanted that job. And you’re incredibly sad because not getting the job makes you feel like you were not good enough. Your whirlwind of emotions should be compensated for. Here are five reasons why employers should pay you during the hiring process. 

1. Wasted Time

A huge chunk of your life was just ripped away and tossed in trash. You will never get the time back you wasted during the hiring process. Just like with their employees, employers should pay job seekers for even giving their business the time of day. 

2. Used Your Brain

Like any other job, you worked really hard and made it a point to do your research. You don’t stress out your brain on a regular basis. But you did for this job. You made that company a priority and they should make it a priority to repay you for your commitment. 

3. Generated Ideas

While answering all of their questions, you gave them great ideas for their next marketing campaign or growth plan. Or the project you had to complete, in order to show your skills, illustrated a way to tackle a problem they had. Ideas are not cheap and you are not Google. Your innovative idea should be reimbursed. 

4. You Advertised

You were so excited about your interview that you tweeted and snap chatted about it. You told your mom, your grandma, your friends, and anyone else who would listen because you were so proud of your self for even getting a preliminary interview. Their company is now known by more people than before. I’m pretty sure you don’t remember signing up to be their spokesperson. 

5. You Are Emotional Distressed

This may not be the first job you’ve been rejected for, so you are definitely scarred for life. After crying a river and breaking dishes, you might have to go to a therapist. The company responsible for your emotion turmoil should absolutely pay the bill. 

We can not let companies get away with not paying us for our time, thoughts, and mental breakdowns. What other reasons do you believe employers should pay us during the hiring process?

Let me start by saying that I love my girlfriends. Each and everyone of them has taught me something about myself and I value their friendship very much. They make me laugh when I’m about to cry and they are always down to party. What more can you ask for in your best friends? I absolutely adore being their G.B.F. 

But there are sometimes when having girlfriends is just not enough. There are some questions they just can’t answer and some feelings they just can’t empathize with or induce. Sometimes you just need a good guy friend there for you. Not just any guy, a straight guy. 

The moment I was initiated into my fraternity, I knew from then on, I would have brothers for life. These group of guys would always be there for me, even after college. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true. My fraternity brothers gave me something that my girlfriends could never give me. Gay guys need at least one straight male best friend and here are five reasons why.

1. Equality Over Everything

Even though we, as a society, are making big strides in making equality a reality, there are still some people who are just hateful. Or ignorant. Or fearful of things they can’t comprehend. Sometimes you expect straight guys to be weary and dodge us gays when we are near them. Having a straight male best friend changes your perspective on straight guys. He treats you just like he treats any of his other guy friends. He talks about sex, farts, burps, encourages you to do stupid shit, and hits you for no apparent reason. Even though everything he does is disgusting and sometimes painful, you love him for it. 

2. Knight In Shining Armor

Your straight guy friend is like a protective pit bull. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. When he sees someone treating you badly, he swoops in and puts himself in the line of fire. No matter if it’s a bar fight or a rude random on the street, your straight male BFF always has your back. I think it might have something to do with him believing you are more vulnerable than “regular??? guys, which is completely untrue, but why not embrace his protectiveness. If your boyfriend cheats on you, you better believe your BFF is going to put him in the ground.

3. Mutual Guy Problems

Your awkward boner you had in the middle of a presentation, he understands. Finding somewhere to urinate outside without getting arrested, he understands. Manscaping, he understands. You may be able to talk about these guy issues with your girls but she doesn’t understand. 

4. Dating Advice

Your straight male BFF knows guys. He knows what they like and can decipher their actions. He is the perfect wing man. And because you guys are not after the same mates, you can be sure that he won’t try to steal your potential husband right out from under you. 

5. Practice Your Straight-dar

Gays don’t wear signs, clothes, or give off a smell that let’s other people know they’re gay. And personally, I’m not going to bluntly ask a guy if he is gay. That’s rude and I don’t want to get punched in the face. Having a straight best friend will help you develop your straight-dar. You will know what to look for when scoping out the eye candy at the gym or club. 

Do you have a straight male BFF? How has he impacted your life?