I am a television addict, so it’s only fitting that I learned the word “penultimate” from watching “Sex and the City.” In the penultimate episode of the series, Carrie is in Paris with the Russian, and everyone’s cringing because who doesn’t know that she’s supposed to be with Big. Every moment of callous rudeness on his part is just another confirmation. The penultimate, or second to last, tends to be a mess. It’s the last bit of dramatic chaos before everything gets neatly resolved for the happy ending, the peak of unhappiness before everyone rides off into the sunset.
So here is the penultimate Mirror of 2013, and of our tenure as editors. In fact, as much as it pains me to admit it because I find Carrie Bradshaw to be one of the most irritating characters ever put on television, I feel a bit like an American girl in Paris, in the unromantic sense of being lost and confused. I think we all feel that way when something that’s become habit draws to an end. This week we explore the experiences of students whose lives are at cultural crossroads and the ways that students deal with long-distance relationships, both of which can evoke that same sense of confusion. For now, we’re dealing with it. Check back next week.
