Letting guys pay for your drinks is just one of the perks of being a girl, right? Recently, this has become a subject of heated debate between my girl and guy friends.

Personally, I never expect a guy to pay for me, whether we are on a first date, in a serious relationship, casually hanging out, or just meeting for the first time. In fact, when he pays for too many things too readily, it makes me uncomfortable. But if I am flirting with someone at a bar and he offers me a drink, am I going to turn it down? No way.

What if you aren’t into the guy, though? Maybe you’re not single, or maybe he’s just totally unappealing. Is it okay to accept the drink? I’d be tempted, since I currently have no job and no money, but if I’m not interested, I have to decline. I feel like accepting will obligate me to chat, at least for the entire time it takes me to finish that drink. And if I don’t like a guy, I’m just trying to escape the conversation. The last thing I want is to encourage him. The only time I’ll say yes is on the rare occasion when he persistently insists, in which case it’s more awkward to repeatedly refuse. Read More »

There is something about Mary Kate Olsen that sets her aside from Ashley. It could be the Boho wardrobe, the sad Cupie eyes, or the protruding collar bone. Whatever it may be, Mary Kate is becoming an individual. MK’s recent departure from her identical (yet, fraternal) twin included a small part in last year’s Factory Girl that wound up on the cutting room floor but that doesn’t seem to be discouraging Olsen from venturing off onto her own.

This season Mary Kate will make her television return, sans sister Ashley, on the hit Showtime series Weeds. Olsen will be playing Tara a Christian girl from a church community called “Majestic”. It is reported that Tara will become the love interest of Nancy Botwin‘s (Mary Louise Parker) son Silas.

Set to appear in 10 out of 15 episodes, it leaves us wondering if audiences are ready for Mary Kate’s solo debut or if the CEOs of Dual Star Entertainment have become a package deal. Read More »

As many of my close friends know, I have recently gone a little green. Not green with envy (though I do envy every single person still in college); green like the plants and the trees and all the good things that make this planet so beautiful.

Oy. Now I sound like I’ve gone a little granola too.

Anyways, I have become quite conscious of the effects I have on the environment and have been taking strides to change. I have made small changes – like bringing my own travel mug to coffee shops – and I have made big changes – like replacing my gas guzzler with a more fuel efficient, Jetta.

I haven’t always been this way. In fact, it took a little man named Al Gore to really make me stop and smell the roses…and realize that my giant SUV and constant runs to Starbucks could make those roses obsolete one day soon. And even though people make fun of me for being earthy (like my paper-plate loving brother) or hate me for forcing new conservation tactics (like my printer loving bosses), I really do feel like I am making a difference. Read More »

Last summer, thanks to my posh hometown gym, I got into the habit of watching television while working out on the elliptical. MTV reality shows, mostly. But then I returned to school and found that music alone just wasn’t doing it for me anymore. Without a visual distraction, my daily cardio was just too boring. And when I read magazines I slowed way down. So I spent the fall semester gaining weight and asked my parents to upgrade me to a video iPod for Christmas. That video iPod revolutionized my gym experience. (And I’m pleased to report that by extension, it also revolutionized my butt and thighs.)

Now that I’m home again, I can once again enjoy the luxury that is a personal television on each piece of cardio equipment. But now I’ve discovered that I don’t push myself as hard when I’m watching My Super Sweet 16 as when I’m rocking out to my music videos.

If you have a video iPod, I wholeheartedly recommend the following music videos, all of which are available on iTunes, to energize you on the elliptical or stationary bike. (After a terrifying experience that nearly spelled the end for my iPod, I cannot recommend watching videos on the treadmill unless your headphones have an exceptionally long cord.)

“Fergalicious” – Fergie

I like to start with this video because of the line, “I be up in the gym just working on my fitness.”

“Don’t Cha” (Busta Version) – The Pussycat Dolls

Not every video is good cardio material. First, I look for a quick, catchy beat.

“Promiscuous” – Nelly Furtado

Videos featuring the extremely toned bodies of female pop stars can be very motivating. Read More »

Gwen Stefani has always had a kick-ass sense of style. I think we can all agree on that.

But lately, ever since No Doubt as all-but-confirmed a full-blown reunion, Gwen has committed a mighty fashion crime that I hope does not catch on (which is exactly how I feel about the Cloggens).

The Boyfriend Jeans.

First defined by the girls at Go Fug Yourself, Boyfriend Jeans are five sizes larger than they should be, ratty, torn-up and unflattering. Maybe they’re supposed to be all “weathered” and trendy, but the difference between Distressed Jeans and Boyfriend Jeans is that these babies look like your man should be wearing them instead of you.

It seems that Gwen has not one, but two pairs of Boyfriend Jeans, or, in her case, Husband Jeans. And what goes better with your husband’s pants, then a shirt with his face on it? NOTHING! Read More »

I am loving Gmail chat, or Gchat as those of us in the know like to call it. And I am so over AOL Instant Messenger.

AIM, with its elaborate sound effects and cutesy but cluttered design, has lost its appeal for me. There was a time when I, like many of my friends, left AIM constantly signed on, just in case some crucial or exciting message might pop up unexpectedly. But over time, the many irritations of AIM began to wear on me. I signed on less and less frequently, and eventually not at all.

Those advertisements at the top of the buddy list window would make loud and abrupt noises out of nowhere, which freaked me out. I’m through spending hours meticulously crafting witty away messages or tweaking my profile, and I’m definitely through reading other people’s away messages and profiles. The internet has come a long way, and there are far better ways to kill time. Like Facebook. Also, in the many long years I’ve been using AIM, I have acquired a lot of “buddies”. A lot of random buddies, many of whom I no longer care to chat with. It’s so awkward when some long lost acquaintance I occasionally partied with during my senior year of high school wants to kill time by IMing me. I have nothing to say, but at the same time, how can I blow someone off when we haven’t spoken in three or four years? Read More »

Kelly. What. Are. You. Wearing?!

Girl, you’re full figured. I love it. It’s refreshing. It’s your body, be healthy and happy. But please keep in mind…certain outfits don’t look good on everyone.

I’ll give you an example. Guess what I can’t wear? Grey leggings. They look horrible on me. It’s like two sausages are connected to my torso. Plus, I sweat right through grey cotton. It’s a nightmare. I don’t wear nightmares. So grey leggings aren’t part of my wardrobe.

Tight, tight, tight black pants and some kind of weird, Indian/biker belt should be your no no outfit, Ms. K. There’s no need to dress like every other skinified starlet out there. There are ways for curvy girls to make their bodies look good. Let the untalented bimbos wear scary Indian/biker belts. Cover yourself in something flattering. Prove to America that beautiful comes in all shapes and sizes.

Let’s make a deal, K.C. Right here, right now. I’ll resist buying that jumper I’ve been eyeing that will only look good on a 6 foot tall model, and you stand firmly against pants that squeeze your thighs like water balloons.

Great. Glad we could have this talk.

What do you think about KC’s new look? 

Sending kids away to college should not be a scary thing for parents, right? I mean, you figure they will be heading to a community where they are protected and taken care of. This is not the case for one family whose daughter mysteriously passed away while at Eastern Michigan University.

Not only did the Dickinson family have to deal with the loss of their daughter, Laura, but now, reports are surfacing of foul play surrounding her death that the college was aware of and tried to hide. Big No-No.

The New York Times reports that “for two months after Laura Dickinson was found dead in her dormitory room, Eastern Michigan University officials assured her parents and the public that there was no sign of foul play. It was not until a fellow classmate was arrested in February that the truth came out: Ms. Dickinson had been raped and murdered.” Read More »

Holding, touching, kissing, fingering, licking, sucking, moaning, laughing, screaming, orgasming.

Hot, right? Well now that I’ve gotten you all riled up, I’ll postpone telling you what all of those things have in common until later. First let’s talk magazines.

I compiled this list after I quit reading Seventeen Magazine. I still love their make-up section and some of their real-life articles are really interesting, but I got sick of skipping past the good chunks of pages about prom, college admission anxieties, and high school drama in general.

So in natural progression I thought I’d switch to Cosmo. It’s all the same material but for an 18+ audience right? Well sure it’s 18+, but is it really useful for this 20 year old? Not so much. Turns out, I can’t afford the clothes they advertise, I don’t have to deal with office politics yet, and most of all… I really don’t need their sex tips.

No, I’m not being cocky (you’ll see the irony in that in just a second)

I am a virgin.

No that’s not a typo, no I don’t mean I’m a virgin to reading Cosmo, or an alcohol virgin (lost that one a while ago). What I’m saying is that I still carry around that big fat V-card for the old fashioned no-strings-attached virginity. Read More »

It seems like yesterday that all of us were forced (ok, willingly obliged) to sit through the two hour weekly spectacle of American Idol. I can still hear Simon’s snarky comments, Paula’s drunken ramblings, and Randy’s so-white-how-can-you-be-black-“dawgs” in the back of my mind.

Sanjaya seems to have thankfully faded into pop culture history, and we’re yet to see if the American Idol curse will hit Jordin, or skip over her in a Carrie Underwood manor.

Seriously, didn’t it just end? So why, oh why are there already audition dates for the upcoming season? Is it so brave people don’t have to sit through horrible weather as they have in the past? Is it so Fox and the producers of AI can milk advertisers for even more money by making the show longer? Is it because we just can’t get enough?

Auditions begin on July 30th in San Diego, and snake their way across the country to finish up in Philadelphia on August 27th.

Cities hit in between—Dallas, Omaha, Atlanta, Charleston and Miami. My bet for the winner next year? Some cute farm girl from Omaha who will blow everyone away. I don’t know, just seems like an underdog story ready to be blown out of proportion. Read More »