Hello my dear readers! Thank you for all the questions, I’ll try to answer all of them timely, but it does take a while for the papers to get from Earth to up here and back down again…

The first thing I’ll be helping with is some love advice!

I like this girl a lot but she is extremely out of my league and I don’t know what to do. I’ve never asked anyone out before and the thought of confessing to her is so nerve racking. I’ve tried ignoring my feelings but it isn’t working, what do I do?

Thank you so much for the question! Asking someone out or confessing can definitely be really scary, but the only way you’ll know their feelings is if you ask them. I don’t know your specific situation, but if ignoring your feelings isn’t working, I’d probably not ignore them and ask this girl out! Even if they seem out of your league, you never know. One of our fellow journalists never thought him and his current boyfriend would get together, he thought the guy was way too cool for someone like him, but they’ve been in a happy relationship for a while now. I think something that can help is to talk to them if you don’t talk to them a lot otherwise, get used to talking with them and get to know them better! When/If you decide to ask the girl out, I would recommend thinking of what you’re going to say beforehand, even just maybe like a general idea. Rehearsing what you’re going to say in the mirror or something like that could definitely help with nerves. As for what to say, I would say to be clear about what you’re telling/asking them, make it personal to the person and add a little spice, and just be a kind person. You can also use our Benson themed pick up lines. I would recommend asking them out in person, it seems more important and personal.  If you do that, finding a good place and time to ask them out is also important, you should find a place that is private and a time where you aren’t rushed or busy. Wishing you luck with your love life, and I hope all goes well with this girl! 

The other advice I’ll be giving today is about what to do when you take on too much work.

Hi Astro! I worry that I have taken on too much but there isn’t anything I am willing to drop… how do I make sure I can handle it all?

Hello and thank you for the question! It can definitely be hard when you take on too much work, I know from personal experience, as I have had this exact problem one too many times. 

The first thing I would recommend is if you don’t want to drop anything, you can try to be less involved in some of the things. Now, I’m not saying you should just go and take a backseat in everything you do, but it might help to not be the person who spends the most time and effort on each of your activities. For example, instead of being the president of a club, you could just be a member. If you volunteer, do four hours instead of eight. If you’re learning how to cook, learn one new recipe this week instead of three. Obviously, there are some situations where this isn’t possible, but honestly people are usually pretty understanding if you have other commitments. You don’t have to do the most all the time. 

The second thing I want to mention is that if you are doing a bunch of things, especially those you work at at home, learning time management can be really helpful. Think about what has time constraints, what’s the most important to do (ex. What assignments are worth the most for your grade, what needs to get done vs what’s just for fun), and how much time everything will take and plan accordingly. Try to split your time up into the different things you need to do based on this. Do important things or things due soon first, although try not to forget about other things happening. Allot different amounts of time to different activities based on how much time they will take, etc. If this sounds overwhelming, you don’t have to do all this, just start small with something like a to-do list! And of course, remember to take breaks.

Lastly, if things just aren’t working out, or if it’s too stressful, you might have to drop something. I know this can be really disappointing, but it’s not worth it to burn out. I know it sometimes feels like you have to do everything, especially with the pressure that’s in high school, but you still have years and years of time left to do things. 

The last question I’ll be answering is about mac and cheese!

Elbow or shell mac and cheese which is better? and also what cheese type?

I will eat basically any type of mac and cheese, all mac and cheese is fire. I think I’ll have to go with shell though because I really  like the texture and how the cheese gets in it. I do like how you can put elbow mac and cheese on the prongs of a fork, though, that’s pretty cool. As for cheese, that’s a hard question as there are so many yummy cheeses but I’m in a cheddar cheese mood today so I’ll go with that.

Thank you to the students whose questions I’ve answered today, and thanks to everyone who has voted in the murder mystery poll. Currently Zahra is at 63.6% with 7 votes, Mr. Huntington is at 27.3% with 3 votes, and Zayne is at 9.1% with 1 vote. Look out for the second part of the murder mystery (where we reveal who knocked out the Astro) on our website. Want to vote on the poll or ask the Astro for some advice? Click here!