You finally made it over to the bed. His shirt is off, your underwear is soaring across the room. The lights are dim. The bed is quickly being destroyed. Lips are locked and you’re ready for sexy time. And then you hear the tap, tap, tap at the door.

Ah, interruptions during sex.

Everyone hates it, but in college, it seems unavoidable.  Maybe college students just don’t have the decorum to realize that if the door is shut, locked, and the person inside is yelling and pleading for you to go away, you should just walk away. Or perhaps since most college students are used to sharing everything from computer labs to showers, they think trying to walk in on their roommates sexy time is a-ok.

Seriously, whenever my boyfriend and I are trying to have some alone time, one of his three idiot roommates ruins the moment. It is usually like clockwork. If one of them isn’t sliding pennies under the door (yes, this happens. It’s strange, I know) to get my boyfriend’s attention, it is his annoyingly pompous roommate knocking to “inquire” about a bill. Oh, and my personal favorite is when they need to borrow my boyfriend’s stapler. It’s 1am on a Saturday, why the hell do you need a stapler?

If we wanted them to join, I’m sure we would leave the door open. But we don’t. And I don’t get it. If we just said goodnight twenty minutes ago, why are you sliding pennies under the door? What is it that makes people so oblivious to the need of alone time with a significant other? Maybe human beings secretly enjoy ruining the moment for someone; a little satisfaction knowing that a simple interruption can make a couple lose the desire for the moment. Or maybe that need for the stapler really is that imperative. Read More »

I know, I know. I’m a little bit slow on the uptake. “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult has been a favorite read for a couple years now, and despite hearing nothing but good things, it never really interested me. Being a bookstore employee, you develop a bit of a superiority complex and when a book becomes “mainstream” you turn your nose at it.

So I turned my nose at “My Sister’s Keeper” and, quite honestly, missed out.

This past weekend, I went to my boyfriend’s camp and found a copy of “My Sister’s Keeper” kicking around. One rainy afternoon, I picked it up and flipped through the first couple pages. I was instantly hooked. I read all 423 pages of that book in about 4 hours in a single afternoon.

It was that addictive.

For those of you who haven’t heard about the book (or haven’t seen the insanely popular trailer for the film), the novel revolves around a family whose eldest daughter, Kate, has been battling a rare form of leukemia (cancer of the blood) since she was 2 years old. Because Kate required donations of blood to survive almost immediately and their son, Jesse, was not a donor match, they decided to conceive a child, Anna, whose sole purpose was to save her sister’s life. When Anna is 13, after numerous blood and bone marrow donations throughout her life, she is asked to donate an entire kidney to Kate. Anna has finally had enough and decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

Besides having an interesting and controversial subject, “My Sister’s Keeper” features beautiful characters and a skilled writer. Picoult is seasoned and knows what will hit her readers hardest and really make an impact. No detail goes overlooked; from how Kate’s sickness rips her parents apart, to the feelings of the forgotten sibling, Jesse. The book is written from multiple points of view, so the reader really gets to know what each character truly thinks and feels. Read More »

Because they did such a good job convincing us before…

Will all this practice really help Heidi Montag?

Glamour magazine celebrates real women.

Japanese TV is…interesting.

Don’t eff with Oprah, people.

Billy Ray likes Miley’s pole dancin’ ways.

Well, its that time of year again. Time to say goodbye to friends, your tan, and most importantly, those flip flops, as summer is coming to a close.  Not sure where it went? Either are we. But it’s time to get back into the college groove nonetheless. And well, that’s exactly what this week prepared us (and got us totally excited) for.

- Nothing starts the school year off with a bang like Welcome Week. Take full advantage of this holiday because life doesn’t get much better.

- You won’t wanna be walkin around campus without at least one of these freakin’ cool gadgets

- Yes, you’re going to be so excited to see everyone again, but the repetitive reunions will get old after about 5 minutes into the first frat party.  Spare the “Ohmygods” and “Lets get lunch!”  because lets face it, you probably either don’t even want to…or you won’t remember the next day after 10 cups of jungle juice.

- Wanna get that cute guy to notice you in English class? Do some cheap back-to-school shopping here, but that doesn’t mean to load up on these. Funky is cool, but looking like someone poured ink all over you is not. And whatever you do, keep these to yourself!

- It’s a new year, so that means a new dorm, maybe new roommates and new hall-mates. But you’ll still manage to find your favorite dorm BFFsno matter where you are living.

- Enjoy the drunken late-night pizzas, and the countless warm beers, but be careful because you don’t wanna end up on MTV because of it.

- Be careful when rushing into relationships so quickly. But if you do get a first semester boyfriend, make sure to get some of these to keep him hangin’ around.

- However you decide to live your college life, you better make it one fun-filled exciting time, because it truly is the best four years of your life. And after that, its all downhilll from there. Well, hopefully not, but seriously who wants to be a boring grown up?

"Dude, we totally should have done the 10 year plan."

God, am I lucky to still be in college.  And no, I’m not just talking about the amazing carefree, party animal, parent-less lifestyle of mine (life literally does not. get. better).  I’m talking about the luxury of not having to deal with the real world in a currently not-so-great world.

As if graduating and moving on to becoming an adult and a real person (ew) isn’t bad enough, struggling to get a job doesn’t make it all any more appealing.  Nothing sucks more than going for an interview and then waiting to hear back…only to realize there is a great chance you won’t. Ever. At all. Just imagine how the class of 2009 feels, as fewer than a fifth of the graduating seniors have job offers. A fifth!!  The frustration and aggravation is awful, and people are being forced to completely alter their original life plans.

As a result, graduates are looking for alternatives to work, such as volunteering and participating in public service programs (applications for the Peace Corps were up by 16 percent this spring over last year!) and even going abroad to find other options. Others are expecting to attend graduate or professional school.

Even the lucky ones who do actually get offers aren’t so lucky.  Jobs for new college grads are paying less than in previous years. Read More »

"Why is everyone getting some besides me!?"

My roommate has recently entered a relationship with a really hot, sexy Puerto Rican guy. As a result she has been having lots of hot, sexy sex. And as a result of this, I have been hearing every detail about it.

Being open beyond acceptable social norms, this doesn’t bug me. But while we were out recently and had one too many beers (hey, at 2 bucks a pitcher, I’m only being economical at this point), she made a comment that kind of got my wheels turning.

“Gosh. I wish you were having tons of sex too so we could freaking exchange stories already.”

Pause.
What?!

“Hello, my whole ‘thing’ is that I’m okay with being single. Who the eff are you to tell me that I need a man to be happy? Also, I think you should have to pay more rent this month cause you have just severely offended me. Jerk.” I stuck my (angry) face in the pitcher and took a gulp.

She grabbed the pitcher from me, splashing Keystone all over my face, and responded calmly. “I never said I wanted you to get a boyfriend. I said I wanted you to have lots of sex. You don’t need a boyfriend for that.”

Oh. Right. I forgot that little tiny detail. Because while I believe that you can have fun, fulfillment, enjoyment, and close personal relationships without romantic relationships…I have always been on the fence over whether or not you should have sex.

I’ve never thought it was wrong to have sex without being in a relationship. Look, this isn’t the 1950’s anymore; you don’t need someone’s letterman jacket before you crawl into the backseat of his Mustang. And while I’d never consider sleeping with seven anonymous strangers in a night, I will admit there are some (okay, a BILLION) gray areas between anonymity and monogamy. If you know the person is safe, and you know you can handle it emotionally, do you really have to be in a relationship to have sex? (And at any rate, shouldn’t physical and emotional safety be things you check up on even in a relationship?)

But, I’ve just always wondered if casual sex could be as fulfilling. Read More »

Cancer. The word alone gives me the heebie jeebies. It’s a scary disease that somehow touches all of our lives, especially nowadays when it seems like everything causes this deadly disease.  Yes, we already know that smoking causes cancer; even if you ignore the doctors, it literally says so on the pack. And tanning is pretty stupid too. Fine, we get it.

So don’t smoke and limit sun exposure and you’re okay right?

Ha, I wish.

New studies literally come out every day blaming everyday products for causing the disease. We are constantly being bombarded by contradicting information. Doctors say don’t have too much sugar because its not good for you and dentists say only chew sugar-free gum. Only problem is that most things that are sugar-free have aspartame, which, you know, causes cancer. Ok, so, fine; I’m willing to sacrifice my FAVORITE foods, drinks (bye bye, sugar-free vanilla latte) and my gum addiction if it means preventing some sort of cancerous growth inside of me.

But that’s not enough. It only gets better (or worse).

Studies have shown that there are cancer-causing substances in soap, toothpaste, shampoos, and makeup. So, no food, and no showering, and then I’m okay?

Nope, not yet. Read More »

Back-to-school means two of my favorite things:

1) Back-to-school supplies.  Seriously. Walking down the aisles of Office Max the year I got a brand new set of scratch and sniff markers has earned this yearly event a very, very special place in my heart.

2) Back-to-school jeans. As a kid, it was because your jeans didn’t fit you come back-to-school time; you were growing. As a college student… well, same story but with one minor difference: we’re growing out instead of up. Details schmetails.

Credit it to the bad economy or credit it to the fashion gods wanting everyone to look GOOD in their denim (please no muffin tops thankyouvermuch), but right now the hottest trends in jeans are on sale sale sale sale SALE! 20% off here, $19.00 jeans there — and they’re cute! My two favorite C words! Cute and Cheap! (Oh, and Chanel. The day I can fit all 3 words into that sentence, I will be one very, very happy chick.)

There are deals to be had, people! Now is the time to snag the latest styles (think skinny jeans for tucking into boots and the boyfriend jean for comfortabe chic-titude) and  the wardrobe staples (throw on for class and go go gadget).  Right now is the time to reassess your denim wardrobe and start shopping for those denim discount deals! Read More »

Because the best way to align people to your cause is by totally alienating a large portion of the population.
Eff you, PETA.
I’m going to eat a big, juicy burger just to spite you.

Since I tend to write (and speak) about controversial topics, I know what it’s like not to be universally liked.  I suppose that’s what will happen when you publicly hate on flip-flops.  However, I don’t think I could ever sink to the level it takes to be disliked in Hollywood.  I mean, they like everyone there (see: Perez Hilton).  Except, of course, those select few that are so hard to work with and so up their own butts that it’s impossible to like them.

Naturally, that’s what will concern us for this week’s edition of the showdown.

Everyone has heard Christian Bale’s ridiculous outburst on the set of Terminator.  As a  method actor, he can get pretty intense.  I actually respect the lengths he goes through to get into character.  However, I’m pretty sure other actors have managed to get into character without distancing themselves from the cast and crew and blowing up any time someone distracts them.  Except maybe Jeremy Piven.  He’s not exactly a method actor, but he is arrogant and well on his way to being that creepy older guy at Hollywood parties.  It’s hard to compare these two actors, seeing how they operate in two completely separate spheres, but their shared bad reputations require some comments.

Which one is more self-absorbed?  Who pisses off Hollywood the most? Read More »