Dear Readers,

Thank you so much to those who submitted questions for this issue! Unfortunately, due to a lack of space, I was unable to answer every question that was submitted. If your question was not answered, stay tuned for next issue!

Submit more questions for November’s edition of the Tribune via this link:

http://tinyurl.com/askamanda-tribune

Sincerely,

Amanda

Q: Dear Amanda,

What does it mean if someone smiles and then waves at you, and then you smile back?

— Anachronist

A: Dear Anachronist,

In the wise words of Armaan Rashid: “Normal human interaction?”

— Amanda

Q: Dear Amanda,

How do I juggle classes?

— Curious Christine

A: Dear Curious Christine,

Plan out your day in advance! Some people use planners, Google Calendar or Google Keep, which allows you to keep track of your various to do lists in an organized manner. I use the Notes app on my phone to type out my schedule for the day, screenshot the schedule and set it as my phone background so I can look at it to conveniently see what I have to do, when I have to do it and how much time I have to do it. I’m not the greatest at following my schedule, but it’s really useful for keeping track of the things I need to get done and planning out my day in a somewhat organized manner.

Q: Dear Amanda

Someone keeps eating food out of my locker when I don’t want her/him to. What should I do?

— Don’t Touch My Food

A: Dear Don’t Touch My Food,

Start by asking them to stop. It’s likely that when you ask, they will decide to stop out of awkwardness and embarrassment. If that doesn’t work, passive aggressively label everything you own. If that still doesn’t work, casually ask them if they want to work out a snack schedule, since you’re supposedly “running low on snacks,” which could serve two purposes: (1) It will force them to contribute food as well and (2) It will make them feel guilty about being the reason you are low on snacks. Good luck!

— Amanda

Q: Dear Amanda,

How do you find a date to prom (or find a boyfriend/girlfriend in general)?

— Desperate Romantic

A: Dear Desperate Romantic,

Ask the teacher of your hardest class which of your classmates has the highest GPA and ask that person on a study date, where you will pop the question (killing two birds with one stone!) Also, why are you looking for a date to prom in October???

— Amanda

Q: Dear Amanda,

There’s a person I talk to after school waiting to get picked up once a week whom I enjoy talking to. He is a friend of a friend, and consequently, we have become close friends. However, I don’t know what to talk about (besides school and extracurriculars). Any ideas?

— Lost and Lacking Love

A: Dear Lost and Lacking Love,

Here is a useful acronym for conversation starters that my friend Anumita told me:

Family & Friends

Occupation (this really only applies to adults, but you could talk about your classes, extracurricular activities, etc.)

Recreation (ask them about what they do in their free time)  

Dreams (ask them about what they want to do in the future, career goals, hopes, etc.)

However, to be honest, if you are struggling to find conversations topics, you should consider the fact that you and this person might just not have the chemistry that you want. But good luck!

— Amanda

Q: Dear Amanda,

How do you manage driving when you are prone to panic attacks?

— APPsycho

A: Dear APPsycho,

The first thing I want to say is that this is not a question I am personally experienced or qualified enough to answer. But when I spoke with one of Dougherty’s school psychologists, Mr. Matt Newton, about your situation, he noted several things: (1) You should reaching out to a professional who you can help you, whether it’s him, our other school psychologist Mrs. Lindsay Walker or your own pediatrician, (2) You should find out what is causing your panic attacks, which any one of those people should help you with and (3) You should refrain from driving at all, especially if your panic attacks are extremely severe. This is because you could be putting your own life and the lives of others at risk. Good luck! And definitely reach out to the school psychologists, as soon as you get the chance. (They are located downstairs in the 2000 building.)

— Amanda

Q: Dear Amanda,

I recently read your Lang blog post, and I was wondering what you have against the popular phenomenon that is the dab?

— Dank Hank

A: Dear Dank Hank,

It’s not that I have anything against the “dab” per se. I think it’s more the fact that hearing my brother say “dab on the haters” made realize that I can no longer protect him from the very dark world of memes.

— Amanda