I believe my work proves I am eligible for a promotion at work. Currently, I am leading a team of four — unofficially, though at the request of my manager. Other employees who are official team leaders are paid 62,000, while I currently make 49,000. This is a significant gap in compensation for work that is very similarly executed. My team does not currently have an official team lead, and I want to request a promotion into the official position. Even though I have not worked at the company for as long as current team leaders, I believe my performance more than reflects my aptitude for the position, and I deserve to be recognized in an official capacity. I would like to make more friends at school, and need to find ways to connect with a few specific people. At school there are 3 primary groups of people who are connected through interests: sports, music, drama. The rest of us are outsiders, but I would like to be a part of a group of friends. Since I am most interested in music, I plan to try out for both the choir and vocal jazz ensemble. Each of these music groups spends at least 2 afternoons or evenings together to practice, and they also go on trips for performances and competitions. I know I can sing, and I just need to get out of my comfort zone and try out. Hopefully then I will make some new friends who have similar interests to mine. My 10-year old Honda Civic is starting to cost me a lot of money in repairs, so I want to buy another used car in better condition. Currently, I have about $4,000 saved up, and would prefer to get the best car possible for that amount. Also, I don’t want something that is going to start costing me a lot in repairs in the near future, so I will need to search for one in great condition with a record of any past fixes. Autotrader is a good site to search on for an idea of what I can get in that price range, but I will also ask my dad, since he knows a lot about cars and would be happy to help me buy a new one. Recently, my husband and I won a vacation, with two options offered to us: a sunny Caribbean destination, or a winter ski package. We aren’t sure which to choose. Both of us are fair-skinned and burn easily, though we do enjoy some time on the beach reading, or in the water snorkeling. On the other hand, we often have a lot of fun skiing or snowshoeing; it is an exciting and enjoyable experience to race down ski hills only to get cozy in front of a fireplace in the evenings. My one big concern is I recently injured my knee and I’m not sure whether I could handle skiing any time soon, so I think we will opt for the sunny resort experience. I need to choose my first semester of university classes, but there are so many options! I am told there are breadth requirements for any degree, so I know I have to take a variety of courses, but I want to enjoy my first year and experience university life without getting too overwhelmed. I have always been really good at math and sciences, so I will sign up for Algebra 100 and Biology 101 — plus, I hear the Biology professor is excellent! I also don’t mind language classes, since I took a few Spanish classes in high school. I will sign up for first-year Spanish, and that way my knowledge from high school won’t get too rusty. A language course is also part of the breadth requirement. Lastly, I will take on one course I’m not terribly excited about, just to get one over with: first year English, a writing composition course. I’m confident this group of courses will be a good start for my first semester. I want to break up with my boyfriend, but I’m not sure how to do it! We have been together for almost 2 years, and I have realized I should end it before our anniversary, otherwise it would be so awkward to fake celebrating that milestone. I could write him a letter or do it in person — a letter affords me the opportunity to explain myself thoroughly, but I know speaking with someone in person also can be important for closure. He should get a chance to respond. Maybe the best approach is to write a letter in order to sort out my own thoughts, and then communicate those feelings in person, preferably in a public place so that the break up won’t be dragged out with a long emotional discussion. I want to show I care about his feelings and how hard this will be, but I also want to make it clear this is over. There is a box of his things I’ve already put together, which I will give him, and that can be part of the break-up. Just down the street from my house there is a crosswalk, and recently someone was clipped by a passing car while crossing. The crosswalk alone is not sufficient, so I want to propose to the city council that this is a dangerous, high-traffic street that needs more controls for the protection of pedestrians. Two considerations are especially important: first, the crosswalk is just around a curve on the road, and so some drivers who may be a bit distracted will not immediately see the crosswalk in time. Second, there is an elementary school about a half a block down the street. Children who are walking to or from school should never be at risk. The only reasonable solution to this problem is for the city to install a pedestrian controlled light at this crosswalk, and signs a short distance away up and down the street to prepare drivers to watch for the blinking lights.