1992

So last summer a Dartmouth 'oo that I was acquainted with moved to Chicago, and we started hanging out as I guided her through the rigors of post-collegiate life. I helped her with a lot of logistical matters, as well as the emotional aspect of being out on your own for the first time. This type of older and wiser guidance, I believe, can be found at your friendly neighborhood Barnes & Noble or Borders—look up any book that explains the English language and specific phrases. The chapter would be "blind leading blind."

Why do I fill this space with such an inane story? Well, one is to let you believe there's a 22year-old female out there who thinks I'm the man (she doesn't, of course. I'm just "a really great guy"). The second is to let you know that Tara Bray could have made my job a lot easier.

Her book Why Won't the Landlord Take Visa?A Crash Course to Life After Graduation was recently published by Random House/Princeton Review Books. And what, you ask, makes her an expert? According to the release that accompanied my free book (perks...nice), "after graduating from Dartmouth, she lived in several cities, worked at a variety of jobs and moved six times in six years." I would add that she has likely hit the 30-year plateau in her life, which automatically makes her tons smarter than anyone 29 and younger. Especially guys...l mean, I'm 32, and I've already found myself on numerous occasions saying, "Why didn't I think of that?" as I glance through it. I think that says as much about me as it does her genius.

Another book by another classmate takes the next step. Kate Cohen recently authored A Walk Down the Aisle: Notes on a Modern Wedding. She was inspired to write it in the aftermath of her own wedding to Adam Greenberg in 1997, as she began to realize there were many traditions she participated in without even thinking about it. Kate and Adam live in New Scotland, N.Y., with their son, Noah.

What can I say, people? It s a self-help world out there, and at least we can say we're taking the advice of our peers. Now, if I can just find the dude who moved my cheese..

Quick notes: Robin Witt Allen is happy to report that her road is leading back to Hanover. Her husband, Matt, has been accepted to Tuck for next fall, and so they are leaving their jobs at Genentech in San Francisco.

And finally, I love the South and its ways. I received a news release from the New OrleansTimes-Picayune announcing the May 5 wedding of Ellen Donaldson to fellow Big Greener Robert Adams. In the release, Ellen was called the "brideelect" (well, they do live in Washington) while Robert was "the prospective bridegroom." A tad fatalistic, methinks, but it makes for great copy.

1501 Central St., Evanston, IL60208; (847) 491-7503; m-mahoney2@northwestern.edu