Hi Katy [Volume II, Issue VI]

By Katy

Hi Katy,
Can you give me some gardening advice? I want to start a garden when it starts getting warm outside but I don't know where to begin.
-Greenthumb Gil

Hi Gil,

I would start with some land. Some land that you can cultivate. Since I don't know where in the world you're writing from, I don't know what sort of land you're farming and therefore, it's difficult to be more specific so I'll start with something simple and universal.

To till or not to till?

There's a lot to be said for the advantages of tilling versus not tilling. This Wikipedia article offers some general tilling pros:

Plowing loosens and aerates the soil which in turn facilitates deeper penetration of roots. A drawback is the compaction of the lower layers of soil.[citation needed]

It helps in the growth of microorganisms present in the soil and thus, maintains the fertility of the soil, though fertility can decline as microorganisms' boom period after tilling is followed by a bust period. It is debatable whether worms benefit or suffer from tillage.[citation needed]

It helps in the mixing of organic matter(humus)and nutrients evenly throughout the soil.

The no-till method has shown increasing emergence in the agricultural world because it's greatly beneficial to soil quality by increasing the amount of water and decreasing erosion. It also prevents the compacting of soil that is caused by tilling.

Do some research on this stuff, let me know where you live, and we can get down to the dirty truth of garden starting.

hi k8y
i just heard of this website called www.twitter.com do u know anything about it i think it looks kind of kewl but idk 4 sure lol do u have 1? also is it safe to have sex w/ no saran wrap or condom if i havent gotten my period yet? lol
-tweet tweet like a bird

Hi Tweet,

I was an avid Twitterer (Tweater, if you will) for a solid week and a half about six months ago. It was really great and I was able to find out absolutely everything Glenn and Jacob and OYIT were doing during the day. I'd wake up at 10PM and go through three dozen text messages detailing Jake's latest meal or Glenn's re-tweets to Nate. It was exhilarating, and taking up a great deal of texts messages.

I had considered, just yesterday, getting rid of my Twitter altogether because I just don't use it. I have status updates, OYIT updates, Gmail Buzz updates, text messaging, e-mails, a life, etc. BUT, Twitter is nice to keep up on my latest Joss news without the inconvenience of having to visit whedonesque directly. So, should you get a Twitter account? I think everything I've said this far answers to a very obvious, "Of coruse." Everyone has Twitter, man, get with the program.

As for your saran wrap/condom question. If you haven't gotten your period yet then you're already pregnant with triplets. Of course you can have sex without a condom and be okay.

hi katy,
i'm a 20-year-old who lives in a really big city. it's hard to meet people here! especially since i hate/judge 76% of the population three minutes into a conversation. do you have any advice? besides getting over myself?
-Who Am I Kidding This is Maddie

Hi Maddie,

Oh Maddie, such bravery it takes to come out so boldly.

I think you're missing the bigger picture here. You have the good fortune to find yourself in a city amongst millions of other people who hate/judge at the very LEAST 76% of the population three minutes into a conversation. In fact, you've probably met several people you could have been friends with but they didn't like you because they hate blogs and you immediately told them you write for OYIT. It's understandable.

The good news is that you have a real opportunity here to meet the perfect people you should be surrounded by. If you can get past that three minutes of conversation, and you and said other person find each other tolerable, you'll probably have everything else ever in common.

Some ways of meeting people:

OKCupid: This is a really easy way to meet people even though you'll probably hate almost all of them. I certainly did. If a jewel manages to get through to you on the vast vastness of the Internets, they're a keeper.

Speed Dating: Since you only have one minute with each person, you won't have to worry about hating them right away. YOu can save this for your first and last date.

Volunteer: I suggest you volunteer somewhere you really care about, that way when you meet other people, you'll know you share at least one common interest, or choose a site ripe with criminal offenders working off their community service.

Get a Job: 89% of my romantic and platonic relationships have been with my co-workers from various jobs. It feels really pathetic, but it's better than being pathetic and alone.

Get a dog: and walk it. People in NYC love dogs and walking them and seeing other people walk dogs. It's the number one way people meet other people (and dogs) in the Big Apple. If you really want to draw some attention, get a sloth and walk it.

Go to a Show: No, I don't mean take in a movie or spend $200 on Mamma Mia! tickets, I mean go to a show wherein bands you like play. People with similar music taste usually share other common interests. Get drunk, try some drugs, and taking to people will be as easy as vomiting in a dank and remote corner.

Home Depot": or another home improvement store. Men like to improve things; homes, cars, j/o techniques, women, and television sizes. You'll have quite the pick at a store like this, plus, you already know they can help out around the house.

Central Park: prior to 8PM is a nice place to act out a romantic movie fantasy. You can accidentally bump into several people, judge them immediately, and carry on a conversation based on those judgments. If you hate 'em, yell at them for bumping into you.

Sex In The City For Real: I found this article I hope will help you, not necessarily because you're looking for sex OR women, but because it lists off the exact TYPES of people you'll find wandering around these places. I hope you like yuppies and hipsters. They're EVERYWHERE in New York.

I hope this helps Maddie, otherwise you'll welcome to live with me in Iowa.