Articles by Caitlin Boersma

Fond Memories of My New Yorker

Everyone’s first car holds sentimental value for the driver, even if it’s a gas guzzler with provocative leather interior. Caitlin Boersma reminisces about her mammoth-sized sedan and all of its idiosyncrasies.

Helping Others or Helping Yourself

What motivates people to participate in volunteer work–genuine altruism or mere self-interest? Humanitarian Caitlin Boersma commits to a local food bank and finds that our perceptions of volunteering hardly matches the reality of it.

Seven Days of Tears or The Week Without My Computer

For many, computers make our lives more efficient, but at the same time, less productive by offering us distractions. With her laptop out of commission, Caitlin Boersma goes cold turkey and survives a week without compulsive email-checking.

Cynic Duty: Thoughts on the Washington State Caucus

With Washington under heavy campaigning pressure after an indecisive Super Tuesday, conscientious objector Caitlin Boersma gets wrapped up in the presidential race and finds that, in spite of all the enthusiasm, it still comes down to slogans rather than issues.

My Workout Goes Swimmingly

It’s hard being motivated enough to exercise. That is unless you’re Caitlin Boersma, whose new swimming workout has her racing elderly women.

How to Watch the First Season of “Battlestar Galactica” in One Sitting

The new Battlestar Galactica has been widely-recognized as one of the best shows on television. Cylon Caitlin Boersma provides all the Olympic-caliber training necessary for tackling the entire first season in a single viewing.

My Bedroom Wall is Famous: YouTube as the New Form of Communication

The phrase “social networking” brings to mind MySpace and Facebook, but few think of YouTube. Caitlin Boersma takes a look at YouTube’s future potential as a way to keep in touch and make new friends. She interviews Alex Day and Tom McLean, two of the site’s most popular personalities.

English 345: The Strangest Hour in My Day

College inevitably breeds pseudo-intellectualism, and almost as inevitably is that single annoying student in your English class. Caitlin Boersma endures five of these ignoramuses in one class.

The Natural Selection of Modern Man: Holiday Shopping

Holiday shopping can be a frenzy, motivating people to extreme ends just to buy presents at a discount. Caitlin Boersma discovers that people’s behaviors are at their most Darwinistic come Christmas season.

It’s All About Balance: An Interview with Small Sins

Indie socialite Caitlin Boersma chats up Thomas D’Arcy, frontman of the electronic pop group Small Sins. Topics discussed include the band’s new record Mood Swings, tire-changing, guns, and handclaps.

In Defense of the Wes Anderson Formula

Wes Anderson has been paid to make the same movie over and over again for the past decade. His new movie, The Darjeeling Limited, is no exception. Perturbed by critics who view this similarity as a flaw, Caitlin Boersma offers a defense of the Anderson motif, which emphasizes beauty over reality.

Coffee and (Other People’s) Conversation

Caffeine and people watching are an exceptional combination. Wallflower Caitlin Boersma admires the idiosyncratic patrons of a 24-hour café in Tacoma.