The beach has been calling my name lately.  Seriously, I think I heard it.  But I’m having a slight issue… all of my beach cover-ups are worn and tired. And one cuts off the circulation to my boobs. Seriously.

Anyways, I use and abuse them because they are my most comfortable items of clothing (breathable, and perfect for a day dedicated to drinking beers and beaching it out), but now they’re way past their prime and I have nothing to wear with my bikinis and high heels. Just kidding. I mean, who wears high heels to the beach?

Since money is tight for us post-grad and for all you full time studentd saving money this summer for booze next year paying those loans, it’s not so easy to find that perfect summer cover-up. But don’t settle for the ol’ wife beater and running shorts combo. We have the eight, easy and cheap solutions for you. So stop worrying about your bank account and start relaxing on the beach. Those loans will still be there come fall, but the perfectly sunny summer days will not: Read More »

Since my high school boyfriend and I broke up halfway through my senior year, my love life has taken a slide down the tubes. Freshman year of college, every guy I liked turned out to be gay. Sophomore year, they all had girlfriends – with whom I’d inevitably become friends. And junior year, well, I guess it can count as an improvement… if being led on with dining hall dates one semester and having my first (sort of) one night stand (followed by long-term drama) the next semester can be considered an improvement.

Over the past three years, I’ve simply gone from one disappointment to another – and it’s not for lack of trying. Thanks to my double major and my minor, jobs in three different departments, nine student activities, conferences, meetings, competitions, community service projects, and campus events, I’ve met more people than I can fully express. Not to mention going out dancing, the dorms, friends, and other random ways of meeting people. I’ve met undergrads from nearly every department and school on campus, grad students, medical students, MBAs, law students, students from neighboring schools, and people who are already out of school.

And yet, for all the things I do, for all the people I meet, all I have to show from the past three years is a string of stalkers and a guy who let his frat brother hit on me while we were on a date.

One of my friends speculated that the reason I haven’t found anyone yet is because I’m too involved, but I really don’t think that’s the case. I love being active and social, and I’d never change that about myself. Plus, I commit myself to everything I do, so when I’m working on one activity or class or job, that’s what I’m working on. But, even more to the point, I haven’t even met anyone that I really feel connected to either. I flirt, I develop attractions, sure, but no one has really made an impression. And, let’s face it, since I’m going into my senior year, there aren’t many new opportunities about to arise at this point.

For a single, outgoing twenty-one year old, I feel like I’m severely lacking in options. Read More »

Technology is amazing, we can all attest to that (especially if you’re reading this online on the best website ever. I <3 the Internet.) But technology,  has also made things, like the way in which we communicate, a lot less personal.

With the Internet, texting, cell phones, and every other quick mode of communication, we speak to each other differently than how we used to.

What we’ve gained in convenience, we’ve lost in finesse and beauty. Instead of beautiful, handwritten letters, we send and receive quick and short emails filled with LOLs and emoticons. I can’t tell you the last time I actually wrote something down and the last letters I received were from Bank of America and a summons for jury duty. Lame.

So with graduation coming up (5 MORE DAYS… AHHHHH!), I wanted to find a cheap and chic way to send letters to my friends once we’ve all gone our separate ways. But custom stationary and envelopes can be expensive, so I created a way to get the custom envelope look without breaking the bank!

What You’ll Need:
4×6 or 5×7 envelopes, any color: These can be really cheap, basic envelopes. You can buy these in packs at stationary stores or most convenience stores!
A magazine or two: You’ll use magazine pages and fun advertisements for the outside of your envelope.
Glue stick
Scissors
Plain white labels – Optional. This will be where you’ll write the destination address. You can pick these up at any office supply store. Read More »

[We're following one post-grad as she grabs that diploma, packs up her college life and heads on out to the big, bad world. There's a lot of change comin' her way and with a cross-country drive, she's got a lot of time to think about it....]

If you told me three months ago that I would drive across the United States to California, I would have never believed you – especially if you told me I would do it alone. Yes, I am making the journey from Georgia to Southern California alone, just me and my packed up Toyota Camry.  As I write this, I’m on day 2 of my four day trek – currently camped out in a hotel room in the middle of Texas.

“You can’t drive alone!”, “It’s not safe to drive across the country by yourself!”, and “Why would you want to drive two thousand miles alone?” were the usual responses upon telling anyone my plans.  My parents were even freaked out about me doing it. Even my dad offered to fly out to Atlanta and drive with me – and he does just about everything to avoid getting on an airplane. But to me it’s not such a big deal. This is really no different than living in New York City for the summer by myself as an intern or traveling around Europe last summer.

I’m 22, why can’t I do it by myself? Is it because I’m a woman that people are freaked out about this? Or is it because of the distance, which seems like nothing when it’s split up into nine or ten hours in a car per day? I don’t know what it is, but I’m glad to be proving everyone wrong. I’m doing it – and so far, I’m doing just fine (this is where I knock on wood). Read More »

Question for Tuffinski?! For a chance to be featchad  in dis heah column, email her at TuffyLuv@collegecandy.com.

Dear Tuffy Luv,
So here’s the deal. Exactly three months ago I met this guy. We are both Seniors in college. We figured we would date and keep things casual and just have fun these last couple months of college but there’s a problem: we fell in love. We both tried to ignore it but one drunken night we admitted this to each other. In about two weeks I will be flying back home 3,000 miles away. I have to come back next semester for a few courses to finish up my degree so I will only be gone 3 months, the length of our relationship thus far.

I have always believed that long distance relationships, especially this long of a distance, would never work out, but I am willing to fight for him and what we have. We had a discussion the other night and he is willing to fight for it too, but seeing as neither one of us has experience with an LDR his next question was “how do we make this work?” and I had no idea how to answer that question since I never even slightly considered an LDR until him. So I come to you, Tuffy, begging and pleading on my knees as to how do I hold on to this extremely special guy I found when I wasn’t expecting it?! I know it’s going to be hard work and I know that it seems impossible and might not work out, but there has got to be some way to hold on to what we have just a little longer. I find myself lost in the movie “The Holiday” and want so badly for a happy ending like theirs. I know it’s most likely unattainable and totally fictitious but I’m just so happy when I am with him.

Tuffy, how do we make this work?

From,
Head Over Heels Read More »

Can you imagine hearing the incessant whimpering of a dog while trying to study in your dorm room? Well, it might not be too unrealistic of a nightmare/dream (depending on your take). An increasing amount of colleges are now permitting dogs in dorm rooms. Although they’re incredibly cute, how gross?! Like we really need something else to have to clean up or worry about. Aren’t moldy Ramen noodles and midterms enough? Not to mention the smell. We already have to deal with the smell of mildew wafting over from the guys’ floor, do we really need to throw in some wet dog too?

There’s a reason dogs aren’t allowed in dorms, so let’s just keep it that way, K? And while we’re at it, perhaps we should ban a few other things as well:

1. Microwave popcorn
Because no one seems to know how to make it without burning it.

2. Hair (in general)
OK, so I don’t think everyone should have to pull a Britney before unpacking in their 10X10 cells, but hair is gross. And somehow my shower flip-flops, carpet, and backpack are always covered in clumps of it….most of which does not belong to me. Read More »

I was not excited to pick up the July edition of Glamour. Am I the only one who has a mildly irrational dislike of Jessica Biel? I mean, it’s not like she’s relevant enough to be impossible to escape, and I’ve finally gotten therapy grown up and accepted the fact that I will never be Mrs. Timberlake, so it’s not her long-term relationship with Justin that bothers me. And, I mean, really, how could I possibly hate on someone with such a killer body? And yet, every time I see a photo of her, I kind of make a Blair Waldorf face.

Then, when I opened the magazine, there was an ad for Uggs (vom) and in it, the female model was wearing a dress. With bare legs. And it was clearly summer. I thought we collectively let that go in 2004. Sigh.

Continuing to flip through the magazine, I didn’t see anything else particularly offensive (but did you know there are personal trainers for your vagina?! And there are vaginal weights?!) Then I got to this article entitled “The Hardest Words for a Guy To Say Are…” Oh lovely, yet another article detailing the ways in which boys refuse to be human. According to Glamour, these are the phrases dudes find it most difficult to spit out:

Glamour says: ”A little help, please?”
Jasmine says: I think this severely underestimates the intelligence of the average non-douche. The majority of guys who are in healthy and functional relationships are comfortable with asking for a little help every now and then, whether it’s with advanced calculus homework or beer pong strategy. Read More »

Can Kim Kardashian replace Angelina Jolie??

Parents are a little pissed at MTV, yo.

Miley is definitely all growed up.

Block the sun in style with these adorbs straw hats.

Teresa Giudice speaks out about her $11 million (!) debt.

Kendra Wilkinson is embarrassed. Uh, duh?

Did you know that this Barenaked Ladies song talks about exactly what is happening on The Bachelorette??

It’s about that time again, ladies.  No, Lindsay Lohan isn’t back to hitting the bottle, it’s Monday night and that means roses, champagne, and a new episode of The Bachelorette!  Like a devoted fan, I cleared my evening schedule and prepared for two hours of wishing Ali would just offer her final rose to Chris Harrison (sheesh!).  Of course my dream of dreams didn’t come true, but at least my current favorite bachelor made the cut and will be visiting my living room again next week.  More on him in a bit, but first let’s slice and dice the opposition (though, granted, you may enjoy some of these fellas…if that’s the case, you have permission to shake your finger in my face via the comments at the end).

The first one-on-one date went to Roberto.  We learned that he speaks a lot of sexy languages, isn’t afraid of heights, and is considered by Ali to basically be the hottest guy there.  The date seemed to be perfection until one single event completely caused Señor to fall out of my good graces.  What horrendous, unforgivable crime did this tanned hunk commit?  Simply put, he called her cute.  That is beyond a red flag in my book.  Forgive me while I quote Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham, but I feel no one can better explain my admittedly twisted logic: “Cute? Baby ducks are cute, I HATE cute! I want to be exotic, and mysterious!”  While some women aim for the stars, apparently Ali has no problem with being plain ol’ cute because she never once budged from Roberto’s strong arms.  Hook, line, and sinker – she was ga ga the whole date. Read More »

Reality TV stars are diseased.

How to get rid of a terrible fake tan.

Gary Coleman’s ex is one messed up woman.

Whoa, David Beckham has gotten better with age.

Cute outfits for summer dates.

Turns out gay couples are better at relationships than the rest of us.