September 2007 Issue

• Latest Articles
• Tips For Parents Whose Kids Are Starting School
• Tips For What You Need in Your Backpack as a Continuing Education Adult
• Tips for Decorating Your Dorm Room with Your Roommate
• Tips for Individualizing School Uniforms
• Fashion Trends, Suits for Women, Fall 2007 Fashion
• Why Dates Are Not Just For The Weekend Anymore
• Humor in Relationships and Attraction
• About April Masini
• April In The News
• April's Readers Poll Results

New Articles

Here are the latest articles on AskApril.com:

Tips For Parents Whose Kids Are Starting School
Q: My little boy is starting preschool this year! Of course I am excited for him, but I'm also extremely sad for myself. I have to admit I even almost decided to hold him back for an extra year just because I want him home with me for a little while longer. What can I do to make myself feel better about my little one going off into the real world?
Sincerely,
Don't Leave Me

A: Dear Don't Leave Me,
I'm so glad you didn't make the decision to hold your child back a year; this wouldn't have been healthy for you or your son.

Tips For What You Need in Your Backpack as a Continuing Education Adult
Q: I'm going back to school...as a fourty-three year old! I'm so used to packing my 8-year-old's backpack full of wide-lined notebooks and magic markers that I have no clue what I need to pack in my own backpack. I'm assuming I don't need to bring show and tell on the first day, right? Anyway, do you have any advice of what I should be packing for back to school as a continuing education adult?
Sincerely,
Back in the Backpack

A: Dear Back in the Backpack,
Congratulations on going back to school! Your backpack will certainly need to to packed a bit differently than your 8-year-old's, so check out my tips for the necessities you'll need.

Tips for Decorating Your Dorm Room with Your Roommate
Q: I am starting college in the fall and am moving into a dorm with a roommate whom I haven't yet met. I want our dorm room to be the coolest in the building and was wondering if you could tell me what the hottest trends in dorm room decorating are this year. Also, are my roommate and I supposed to discuss our decorating plans ahead of time or just decorate our sides of the room how we want? I don't want to start any roommate decorating wars!
Sincerely,
Decorating the Dorm

A: Dear Decorating the Dorm,
The trend in dorm loot is technology and electronics. Laptops, iPhones, Mp3 players, and PDA devices are what's hot. In addition, mini-refrigerators, microwaves, and cappuccino machines are what will set one dorm room apart from another.

Tips for Individualizing School Uniforms
Q: I just found out my high school is requring all of us to wear school uniforms. I am not happy about this since I love fashion and setting myself apart from the rest of the students. Do you have any ideas for how I can individualize my school uniform and look different from everyone else?
Sincerely,
Not a Clone

A: Dear Not a Clone,
School uniforms generally aren't much fun for students, but they're actually a good idea and should help get rid of some problems at your school. And even though your uniform will be the same as everyone else's, there are definitely things you can do to look like an individual!

Fashion Trends, Suits for Women, Fall 2007 Fashion
Q: I'm looking to get some new suits for the Fall, as I'll be graduating college and starting work. The investment bank I'm working for is asking me to work on both the East and West coasts, so the climate changes will be pretty drastic, and since I'm on a budget I need things that can travel. What should I be thinking about?
Sincerely,
Suited Up

A: Dear Suited Up,
The big news for both men and women in Fall suits is that there is a slimmer silhouette with more emphasis on tall and thin -- or taller and thinner -- depending on your body!

Why Dates Are Not Just For The Weekend Anymore
Q: What ever happened to Saturday night date night? It seems like whenever I get asked out on dates these days, the guy suggests a week night? I don't really have a problem with going out on a week night but I just thought weekends were reserved for dates? Do these guys not want to waste their weekends on me?
Sincerely,
Hot Wednesday Night Date

A: Dear Hot Wednesday Night Date,
You're right! The trend does seem to be moving toward going on first dates during the week nights rather than the weekend. In fact, a study showed that 41% of singles believe that Wednesday is the best day for a first date.

Humor in Relationships and Attraction
Q: I am dating the perfect guy. He's the hottest person I've ever been out with, has a great job, treats me like a princess -- the whole nine yards. He's really smart and we have a lot to talk about but when I get home from dates I'm left feeling a little bit empty. To be honest, for all his intelligence, his humor is a little bit off. He relies on one-liners and dumb blonde jokes whereas I'm more of a sarcasm and wit type of girl.

It frustrates me to think I'll have to dump him over this. I've certainly put up with a lot worse! What do I do?
Sincerely,
Laughless and Loveless

A: Dear Laughless and Loveless,
There is so much joy and a feeling of “clicking” with someone when you both share the same point off view on family, life, career

Author of the critically acclaimed Ask April advice column and the driving force behind www.AskApril.com, April Masini is also the best-selling author of four books: Date Out Of Your League, Think & Date Like A Man, 50 First Dates and The Next 50 Dates. Nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media and interviewed for over 2,750 national and international articles, radio and television shows...Read More

April In The News

FOXs' O'Reilly Factor, April Masini one-on-one with Bill O'Reilly, Click here to view the video (13MB)

Hotel Interactive, Travel Agents Strike Back by Glenn Haussman, August, 20, 2007

Contra Costa Times, Can Nessie Survive The Internet? by Tony Hicks, August 19, 2007

Galveston Daily News, School Supplies Costly For Parents by Rhiannon Meyers, August 18, 2007

April's Readers Poll Results

When asked "How would you rate the first impression you make on others?", respondents voted:

32% of respondents were male, 68% were female

Express Yourself: When does a date become a relationship?