SparkNotes

Sparkler hannakathryn breaks down post-Halloween eating rituals in this fantastic post. But we wonder, what type of eater are YOU, hannakathryn? —SparkNotes editors

So, it's the first weekday after Halloween, and you're probably exhausted from staying out too late trick-or-treating and hanging out with friends all weekend. Halloween was insanely fun, of course, and now you have a bag full of delicious candy, simply waiting to fatten you up. However, every person is different about her candy:

The Hoarder:
You like candy, maybe a little too much. You promise yourself that you're going to make this stuff last until next year, even if it kills you. You count your candy every morning and surround it with an army of house-elves (or, okay, stuffed animals) to protect it from little brothers. You may not get to enjoy the candy, but heck, if you can't, no one else will either.

The clocks were set back yesterday, turning my usual Sunday blues into a case of Sunday lying-on-the-futon-catatonic-with-sadness-blues. #1 on my Christmas list: a lightbox.

Today's thesis is about the ultimate mope, Antigone, which means it's a perfect fit for my mood.

In the play, Antigone reveals her stubbornness to only care about her opinion on burying her brother. Antigone does not care what Creon, Haemon, nor Ismene says about her trying to bury Polynices and is going to do what she wants even if the punishment is death. While Creon and Antigone are fighting, Antigone says this, “and if this hurries me to death before my time, why, such a death is gain"(-). This quote shows that Antigone is willing to do anything if it means Polynices is buried properly. In the end, Antigone’s stubbornness gets the best of her and causes her to kill herself.

Happy November! We once again gaze into the future to bring you your monthly horoscopes.

Aries (March 21 – April 19)
If you see a Gemini, run the other way! These people will bring you nothing but trouble, especially if they whistle. You will drink from someone else's cup during the first week of the month, and come down with a cold during the second week of the month. (You do the math.) Check your essay, because you need a comma in the second sentence. Someone who has the letter E in his/her last name really likes you. However, someone else, who also has the letter E in his/her last name, is just pretending to like you. Use a spoon more often than a fork, and true love will find you.

Today we have a special guest blogger: Gwyeth Smith Jr., also known as Smitty. Enjoy!

After spending nearly 40 years as a guidance counselor, I can’t help feeling apprehensive whenever November arrives. Early application time is here, and that means even the calmest 12th graders and their parents lose their cool.

Just a few years ago, a mother called me from her garage. She whispered that her daughter was in tears as she tried to sort through conflicting advice on essays from an English teacher, a guidance counselor, a private consultant, and of course the mom herself. Here it goes again, I thought to myself, the stress of November.

Sparkler lemondropofdoom brings up a problem we all face, but rarely discuss: what to name those pesky characters in our fiction projects. Enjoy! —SparkNotes editors

Maybe you’re an aspiring young writer aiming to pen an award-winning novel amazing enough for Dan Bergstein to write a positive blog about it. More likely, Coach is going to drop you from the team if you don’t pass English, and your teacher has assigned a fictional narrative for you to write.

Fiction writing requires a lot of thought and creativity. You have to pick the setting, create the events, and make believable characters. For many people, the innovative process of fiction writing is a fun experience, but for others, the creative freedom makes their blood run cold. Picking names is one of the millions of tasks would-be authors must face. "What do I name my characters? I like the name Jezebel. But doesn’t that mean something…bad? What if I name my main character something bad or lame, thinking it’s really cool, and everyone makes fun of me?" As a survivor of these panic attacks, I offer you my condolences, and a few tips that might help you pick a decent name:

This week's Cute Thing is not only cute, it's kind of timely, too.

We hope the balloon inspires you* and the puppies make you melt a little.

And for those of you suffering from PHSD**, here's a link to some of the finest dog getups of 2009 to calm your costume-craving nerves.

Hey Sparklers, we've got a health alert for you! Did you wake up yesterday feeling jittery and out of sorts? Can you still taste Butterfingers on your breath? Is there shaving cream in your hair, egg under your fingernails, fake blood in your eyebrows, and a stray tail of toilet paper clinging tenaciously to your sneaker?

No, it's not swine flu; you've got a Halloween hangover.