And how I learned Last week, I found myself in the Cairngorms in a cabin with nine friends. We finally got to live out our first-year uni trip dreams and have a getaway to the middle-of-nowhere for a three-day holiday. This particular vacation, for me, came at a singularly bad time — midterms, last-minute travelling, and a general sense of ‘no matter how much I plan it all goes wrong’-ness had come to haunt me in the days leading up to Spring Vacation Week. But as we must all realise by now,...

How has categorization leached into our interpersonal lives? I plan birthdays, I give pep-talks, I care deeply, and — in more ways than one — I keep my friends sane and safe. Who am I? Ding! Ding! Ding!  I’m the quintessential ‘mum’ of the friend group.  Let's try another one … I am funny, witty, and usually self-effacing in my humour. Any guesses? Yep, you got it again … I’m the joker.  I could go on forever, but you get the point: friends have labels. The Cast List has been released, and...