You know what I'd be thankful for? If Swine Flu wiped out the cast of The Hills.

Every week I write a list. Some people say I’m like David Letterman, only without that whole sexual scandal thing. Or gray hair. Or late night talk show. So, really, the only thing that D.L. and I have in common is our love of a Top 10 List. And what’s not to love? That’s why I bring ‘em to you every week. The real deal. The good stuff. The world’s most important issues.

You know, like stupid celebrities and things that piss me off on Facebook.

This week, in light of the upcoming treasured holiday, I started thinking about all the things in my life that I have to be thankful for: my family, the boy, YSL lipstick and, of course, the inevitable huge delicious meal my mama’s going to prepare this week. But that’s all kinda boring. I mean, who isn’t thankful for YSL lipstick family? So instead, I decided to count down the 10 things I’m un-thankful for this holiday season (or any season, for that matter).

10. The Swine
H1N1 or any other strain of the flu that everyone seems to have caught this year. Stay away.

9. Speidi
I don’t know how many times I can say it.

8. The Bump-it
I’m over this look, and what the hell? How is this a real thing?

7. Any douchey daddy drama in the celeb world.
I’m looking at you, Michael Lohan

6. Ugg boots
I don’t care that they’re comfy. They’re hideous and o-v-e-r. Read More »

Between classes, clubs, and work, my days start early and end really, really late. My stress levels are so high it’s no surprise I often choose ice cream over vegetables and Degrassi (shh, don’t tell!) over gymming it up.

So when I do finally muster up the energy to make it to the gym I know I have to make it count. I don’t want to waste any time so I’ve started streamlining my workout by doing exercises that combine cardio and weight training. The cardio aspect gets my heart rate up, allowing the strength training exercises to burn more calories and be even more effective.

I’m all about the multi-tasking and after this workout I feel stronger and skinnier and happy. In fact, I can feel the endorphins kicking in already…

Jumping Lunges
Don’t settle for typical lunges if you want a great butt! Speed up the process by doing jumping lunges. These will spike your heart rate while also toning, so you’ll see results a lot faster. I usually do these in one-minute intervals with a 30 second break between.

How to:
1. With your hands on your waist, lunge forward with one leg.
2. Jump, pushing off both feet and switching your legs in mid-air.
3. Land in a lunge with the opposite leg forward.
4. Repeat. Read More »

Was it more about the music or the fashion last night?

Or maybe everything is all about Taylor Swift these days.

Adam Lambert turns up the (guy on guy) heat!

Why won’t your acne go away…

Levi Johntson’s Playgirl spread is a total letdown.

Victoria’s Secret models make me hate myself.

Don't let your skinny jeans stop you from eating it all (twice) on Thanksgiving!

The two things I love most about fall are the food and the fashion, which means Thanksgiving is a major jackpot. I get to dress up all cute and stuff my face with turkey. It’s wonderful…for the first ten minutes. Then my stomach begins to protrude over my skintight mini and I start having a hard time breathing. Undoubtedly I end up taking an intermission, putting on my stretchy sweatpants, then heading back for seconds.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s possible to look cute and eat until you’re curled up on the couch in a food coma. You just have to choose your outfit wisely. I’ve combed through this season’s hottest trends and built outfits that are holiday appropriate, both in how they look and how they stretch to fit the 5 lbs of stuffing you will inevitably inhale. And I’m sure enjoying Thanksgiving dinner without the need to unbutton your pants at the table is something we can all be thankful for this year. Read More »

Week after week (after week after week…), CollegeCandy and our pal John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, and saddest things he hears on his college campus. And we know he’s not the only one who hears this stuff. Join the Overheard revolution! Listen in on some weirdos’ conversations and share them in the comments or send ‘em over. You know there’s a lot of funny things to be heard on your campus, so get to it. We’ll throw them in a future post!

(Girl, on the phone.)

Girl: Lil Wayne was in my dream last night! Yeah. He had a farm. No, I mostly just made fun of his voice a lot. “Hey, girl, who knew we’d have so much in common?” And I was like “Lil Wayne, I had no idea!”

(Professor, heard from outside a chemistry lecture hall.)

Prof: Okay. Now, imagine you’re all molecules. Good. But I hate molecules! Uh-oh, really bad!

(Two girls, talking at a library study table.)

Girl 1: Were they at least cute?
Girl 2: The girl was a cute Latina woman, but the guy had a scum-stache. I had to turn up my Walkman to drown out the squelching noises. Read More »

When I was a sophomore I lived in a quad in my sorority house. That meant 4 girls, 45 pairs of jeans and over 100 pairs of shoes stuffed into a very tiny space. With bunk beds. The close quarters were an issue when any sort of studying had to get done (“Can’t you wait until after 90210 is over to start that paper?!”) or heavy drinking was going down (“Dude, there is not enough room in here for you to do the worm…”) but we made it work most of the time.

And then we had a date party.

For those of you who don’t know, a sorority date party consists of asking guys to join you at a bar where everyone gets very, very drunk. Kind of like any other night of the week but with dresses and a photographer.

Anyways, needless to say, my roommates and I got quite intoxicated. Upon returning to the sorority house, everyone proceeded to leave their men outside and completely pass out fully clothed. I was pretty much dead to the world when I suddenly woke up out of my sleep; something smelled really bad. It took me awhile to figure out where I was, why I was still wearing heels, and why there was a slice of pizza in my hand, but when I finally came to I realized that my roommate (whose bottom bunk was a mere 4 inches away from mine) was also sniffing the air with a not-so-happy look on her face. Read More »

I’m not a vegetarian, but I have a vegetarian boyfriend (and an aversion to all things Thanksgiving). I’m going to his parents’ house for the holidays this year and, luckily, they’re tolerant of nontraditional main dishes, so we’re going to experiment a little.

The stereotypical veg main dish for Thanksgiving is, of course, Tofurky, but this has always seemed like one of the most disgusting foods on the planet to me. If you’re a vegetarian, the object is to refrain from eating meat, correct? So why exactly would you want to scarf down something that’s supposed to imitate the texture and taste of a plump, perfectly roasted turkey? I get that some vegetarians don’t mind the taste of meat and went veg for other reasons, but still. Tofurky will remain a bizarre mystery to me, and I’m fine enjoying a meal without it, thankyouverymuch.

So if you’re not going to bake up a delicious vat of Tofurky, then what?

Well, you have zillions of options. You could make a fancier-than-usual veg stir-fry featuring a killer marinade and sautéed pieces of tofu, textured soy protein, or nuts and legumes. Personally, though, I prefer the casserole route—this might be because I’m from the Midwest, but I just find casseroles so comforting and perfect for chilly weather. Ratatouille, vegetable lasagna, baked pasta with butternut squash, spanakopita, veggie gratin, and veggie chili are all excellent choices that I guarantee will make the meat-eaters at your table drool. Read More »

If your fall look is a little under the weather, check out my remedy for an effortless and chic way to survive the season without having to shop for a whole new look. Simply buy an item from the following six categories and you’ll be ready to face the fall in style. And the best part is, you don’t need to blow your budget; most pieces are under a $100.

1. Special Black Sweater
A noir knit number will be one of your best layering pieces for fall that instantly boosts your outfit’s excitement level. Instead of going for the basic black, take a risk and opt for a pull over sweater or cardigan with special details like bows, statement sleeves or sweet rockstar influenced studs.

Read More »

Like most families, mine gathers around the dinner table on Thanksgiving and (after making fun of each other for a few minutes) shares what they are most thankful for that year. Growing up, I hated this tradition; it was so cheesy and lame. But now that I’m an adult (and an adult that comes from a family that never says nice things about one another), going around the table at Thanksgiving allows me to tell my family how much I love them…

And suck up for better presents come Hanukkah.

But really; it’s important to stop and show gratitude for all of the things we typically take for granted. Like my new niece; yes, even though she peed on me last weekend, I am thankful to have her in my life. Or the fact that I not only still have a job, but I have a great job (and a liquor store right next to my office!). Or my incredible friends who support me and laugh at my jokes… even when we all know they’re not funny.

Gosh, when I stop to think about it, there are just so many things I am thankful for. Maybe I should really show some gratitude year round….

But anyways, being that we’re really freaking close to Thanksgiving dinner (stuffing!!!), I thought I’d ask the CollegeCandy writers to share what they’re thankful for this year. (Apparently everyone’s giving thanks for their boyfriends… whereas I’m giving thanks that I don’t have one so I can eat as much pumpkin pie I want on Thursday night…) Read More »

And here I thought the discount Absolut was the best part of my Costco membership...

Chanel at Costco? STFU.

I thought the only thing of value they had there was the 40-pack of Trojans for a mere $10. Who knew that between the 80 rolls of Angel Soft toilet paper and the caskets, a myriad of designer brand names could be found at your local Costco warehouse?

New York City residents celebrated the opening of its first Costco by rushing the doors and buying out their stock of Louis Vuitton and Chanel handbags. Oh, did I forget to mention they had Burberry and Coach available for purchase as well? Shock me, shock me, shock me, Costco, with your fabulous merchandise. As if the Costco brand wasn’t designer enough already.

And it doesn’t stop there. 7 For All Mankind jeans? You got it. Michele watches?  No big deal. Paris Hilton’s latest perfume… well I’ll pass on that, but if I ever get the urge to smell like a Can Can dancer, I’ll know where to go.

Costco people are a special brand of human. We live life large. Extra large, if possible. Our carts are always filled to the brim with giant boxes of whatever we can get our hands on. And just when we thought life couldn’t get any better, Costco delivers us the crème de la crème of a shopper’s paradise.

These goodies aren’t available at all Costco’s nationwide (…yet), but I’m just happy to live in a world where it’s OK to purchase a discount case of hot dogs and a Chanel purse at the same time.