I’ll admit it – I have a problem. I’m slightly addicted to all things paranormal. My DVR is bursting with old episodes of Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State and I have read every single Fear Street book ever printed. However, despite my voracious appetite for this stuff, I still find it rare to stumble across a decent supernatural thriller. Sure there are old standards like Dean Koontz and even Stephen King, but often those ones focus on “monsters” as opposed to ghosts, which are really more my thing. So once I found “The House of Lost Souls,” I knew I had to get my hands on it!

This novel focuses on Nick Mason and Paul Seaton. Nick’s sister is slowly spinning into insanity after a visit to the notorious Fischer House in England where horrific, satanic acts and rituals took place in the first half of the century. Paul Seaton is a “sensitive” journalist who is called in to save Nick’s sister. Why Paul, you might wonder? Because, he is the only known person to visit Fischer House and come out with both his sanity and his life. As Paul works to save the girl, he must confront supernatural experiences from his past by returning to Fischer House and coming to terms with the evil that lurks there.

I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed “The House of Lost Souls”. Not only is it extremely well-written, with vivid, lush descriptions of one of my favorite cities in the world, London, England, but the characters are well-developed and most importantly, believable. While reading, I felt like I may have been listening to my old friend recount their adventures overseas, like I was actually there and being spoken to by a real person, instead of just words on a page. Read More »

I used to think I was so cool with my crunchy, scrunched waves back in middle school. And then I realized I was wrong. There’s nothing cute about crunchy hair. But unless you really know what you’re doing, it’s hard to achieve pretty, natural looking waves, especially with a ton of mousse and scrunching.

If you want Victoria’s Secret-style waves without Gisele’s hair stylist, this video is for you. And don’t worry – It’s easier than you think!

Did Beyonce perform for terrorists?!

Britney’s back on the market.

And so is Pamela Anderson. Oooo competition!

Plastic surgery: there’s an app for that.

Ew! Morgan Freeman is creepy!

You can never have too much shirtless Ryan Reynolds.

Whew. We have all officially survived the first week of 2010. And if the rest of the year is going to be anything like the past 8 days, I think I’m in for some serious trouble. After a whirlwind New Year’s weekend chock full of drinking, celebrating, and more drinking, it took me until yesterday (true story) to get back to normal. I was so tired and out of it all week that I already blew through my Caribou Coffee gift card that I got for Hanukkah. (You try and resist their new chocolate mochas!)

Woops.

But now it’s Friday and I’ve got nothing to do except sleep, watch Jersey Shore reruns and dance to the best of ’09 jams in my apartment all weekend long. But first, let’s take a look back on the week that was:

- Obviously, we dealt with the billions of (annoying) people shoving their resolutions down our throats.

- We jumped for joy at the return of our favorite TV shows and our BFFs from the Babysitter’s Club.

- We questioned the existence of our G-spot, then realized (during a particularly wonderful late night tryst, perhaps?) that it is most definitely still there.

- We learned how badly our snacking habits and H&M are affecting Mother Earth.

- We figured out how to effectively ruin a relationship and questioned the rules that govern one. Read More »

First it was Paris and Nicole. Then it was Edward and Jacob. Now, it’s Conan and Leno.

Yup, it seems the late night kings of comedy are splitting the country as they battle it out over air times.

Here’s the deal: Leno’s new gig at 10 p.m. isn’t working out so well. Shocking? Not so much. NBC moved him to this slot over the summer hoping he’d be cheaper entertainment then those super pricey dramas. And while Jay may be cheaper, he’s definitely not entertaining. NBC execs, therefore, are working on another little switcharoo which will move Leno back to his 11:35 slot. A slot currently occupied by Conan O’Brien.

So where is Conan supposed to go? Read More »

WTF does that mean?

Like any CollegeCandy girl, I am never far away from my cell phone. And if I’m not on my phone, I’m on my computer. And sometimes I’m on both at the same time. While watching TV. I’m a technology addict, but who isn’t? Cell phones, wireless Internet and text messaging have made our lives so much easier to live.

Except, of course, when it comes to dating.

Back in the olden days, like 1990, guys had to actually call you to ask you out. And it’s not like they could just call your cell and leave a VM; they would actually have to call a land line and possibly brave talking to a roommate or parent just to get to you. (Oh the horror!) Courting girls took a lot of work and if a guy was willing to go to such great lengths to get in touch with a girl, it was pretty easy to see he was into her. But not anymore. It seems like a distant concept to us, but the constant communication available because of the wonders of modern technology has further complicated what was already a confusing world of dating. Read More »

Guys want Spanx, too!

The last decade brought about a wave of liberating changes for women. We stopped wearing pants. We (successfully?) raised children on our own (by choice, or by force). We kissed girls..and Russel Brand (and we liked it. A LOT.). We are so amazing, in fact, that men are starting to get a little jealous.

With every new year in the 2000′s (is that what we’re officially calling them?), new products for men come out that bring us one step closer to finally closing the gender gap that has existed since the beginning of time…and confirming the fact that Freud totally had the penis envy thing all wrong. Read More »

If there is one thing I hate about winter (unfortch there are hundreds of things I hate about winter) it would be that as I’m bundled in ear muffs, scarves, gloves, 10 layers of who knows what that is throwing my body into such a confusion because I’m sweating like a maniac under all that thermal but can’t feel my nose or ears a the same time, stores, my FAVORITE stores, have the audacity to decorate their windows with eyelet lace dresses, high waisted shorts and canary yellow tops that scream: BUY ME!

It is January 2010 and I’m supposed to buy shorts?

But that dress, that top – they are just so. freaking. cute. So I cave and I buy them. And then I take them home and stare at them and even though know it’s January (and my jeans are wet and frozen to the knee), I want to wear them!

So this week’s Budget Stylista goes out to every girl like me who’s trekked in sloshy snow to her favorite shop and couldn’t stop herself from loading up on the spring styles. No more waiting 6 long, cold months to sport your new goods; I will show you how to wear them now without catching frostbite and then again once the snow (and your body) thaws out. Read More »

Correct me if I’m wrong, but most girls only have one vagina, right? I mean, there’s not something wrong with me, is there?

That label is lying to her. And so are her friends who told her that shirt was cute.

Be warned, ladies: Nutrition labels lie.

A new study of meals from ten different popular food chains found that the actual calorie counts of those meals averaged 18 percent higher than what was advertised. I’m not very good at math, but I think that adds up to a LOT of extra cals.

I know what you’re thinking: first, it’s my grande caramel frappucinno, and now I can’t even indulge in a little frozen Chicken Carbonara? The truth hurts, sista.

It doesn’t surprise me that Wendy’s and chains like Ruby Tuesday would cheat a little to impress the occasional health nut who actually checks their calorie counts and market themselves as “healthy.” But with them, what does it really matter? If you’re wolfing down a Classic Triple with cheese or Shrimp Alfredo pasta with white cheddar mashed potatoes on the side, calories are probably not your first concern. What does surprise me is the fact that frozen meal companies, like Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers, are doing this and getting away with it. Um, isn’t low cals the only reason anyone buys a Smart Ones Salisbury Steak? Lord knows it’s not because it tastes good… or like Salisbury Steak. Read More »