What are some tasty, fast, and easy snacks to make when you get home from school? — Silly Susan  

Sharon: Dear Silly Susan, Try ice. Zero calories, pre-made by your freezer, and almost everyone likes the taste!

Karen: Hi Susan. Personally, I feel like cheese and crackers is a pretty solid after school snack.

Carol: Dear Silly Susan, I recommend carrots and celery with ranch, chips and salsa, yogurt, or cereal.

How do you become friends with people who you are not close with? — Silly Susie

Sharon: Dear Silly Susie, Walk towards them. Do not stop. Now you are close.

Karen: Susie, my advice is to grab their attention with a joke. My personal favorite is “What do you call a person who tells dad jokes, but is not a father? A faux pa!” Next, find out what they like to do in their free time. Maybe they love knitting as much as you do! Once you find a common interest, the friendship will develop naturally!

Carol: Dear Silly Susie, Figure out what you have in common (a class, teacher, sport, club, etc) and start a conversation about that. You really get to know people when you talk to them, so ask them questions about themselves and listen to their responses.

How to not have seniorits and how to not fail calc. — thatsenior

Sharon: Dear thatsenior, First, I would see a doctor about that condition… Second, devote your life to Calculus. Drop all other activities and classes and focus solely on Newton’s brilliant contribution to the world. You will succeed.

Karen: Hi thatsenior, I’m afraid that senioritis is not curable.

Carol: Dear thatsenior, First, to fight senioritis, try to go out and have fun with your friends. Try to enjoy high school while you still can because it is going to be over before you know it. If you use all of your time wishing you were in the future, you will waste the time you have now. My advice would be to have fun, don’t worry too much, spend time with your friends, and continue to work hard in school because that will help you in college. Second, to succeed in calculus, I would recommend to really pay attention in class and take good notes. Then when you get home, really put in effort on the homework. Don’t just right down something random to get the completion point and don’t copy from the back of the book. Really do your best to figure out what you are doing wrong or what you don’t understand. The next day in class you can ask the teacher to explain a concept or show how to do a problem on the board. By learning over time and figuring out what you need to work on, you will have an easier time studying for tests and quizzes because you have already worked hard to learn the material. I hope this helps!

What are some good sci-fi movies and television shows? Also do you consider Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) a sci-fi film? — Curious Coral

Sharon: Dear Curious Coral, Life is a sci-fi film.

Karen: Hmmmm Carol, I would say that Star Wars and Star Trek are both considered sci-fi.

Carol: Dear Curious Coral, I agree with Karen that Star Wars is a good option. I haven’t seen the new Jumanji movie so I’m not sure whether or not I would consider it a Sci-Fi movie.

The book I am reading for English is almost 300 pages. Our teacher told us not to worry about reading it over winter break but then she gave us what felt like two days to read it and write our theses. What do you recommend I do to read all 300 pages as quickly as I can? Thanks, it’s been quite a struggle. — Slow Samurai

Sharon: Dear Slow Samurai, I have been told that I am not allowed to promote summary services… So… What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Karen: Hi Samurai, I would say the best strategy is reading the first and last sentence of every chapter and that will get the job done. Good luck!

Carol: Dear Slow Samurai, I would recommend reading it or at least skimming it. It will be hard to write a paper about a book you haven’t read! Try to set a schedule of when to read it and you will be done in no time.

Answer this Koan: When you look into a mirror, you are not looking at yourself. Delve into the depths of your tortured soul to discover the solution. May the force be with you.   –Existential Emily 

Sharon: Dear Existential Emily, No. Thanks, though.

Karen: Hi Emily, this is mindblowing. I just realized, I will never see myself in person. I only see myself in reflections or pictures. That’s super weird. Anyways, thanks for leading me to this conclusion

Carol: Dear Existential Emily, I cannot answer this koan for you as the very nature of koans is they are very specific to you as an individual. I wish you luck as you discover the solution.

Have a question of your own? Submit it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NDK9VZF