Here’s why porn is ruining men

Beat bloat: 10 smart food swaps

This is the most awesome video of the week

Get the Tiffany’s look for LESS!

Celebrity kids out and about

This is toooooo cute

Meet the worst mom alive

How college kids can and should be saving money

So normally, I try to keep the Weekly Ten a positive place. Best kisses. Best boys. Best ways to spend your winter break. But this week, well, that’s just not happening.

I’m not sure if it’s the bad weather or the senioritis or my inability to focus on any one task for more than five minutes at a time, but I’ve been in quite the mood these past few days. And I’m taking my anger out on February, this too short, unproductive, cold, depressing, and generally annoying month.

So here’s why I am officially hating on February.

10. Groundhog Day is a bogus holiday. Yes, okay. So it’s cute to watch a little groundhog crawl out of a whole and get scared by its own shadow. But is this holiday ever actually accurate? I mean, I’m crossing my frozen fingers that this year it will be; there’s nothing I’d love more this year than an early spring….especially after Snowmaggedon 2011.

9. One month closer to midterms. What comes after February? March.  The month of midterms. The month of study sessions and papers and cramming and procrastinating.  The two week long process of trying to relearn everything you’ve already forgotten. February is cruel even as it leaves us. Read More »

You didn’t leave all your work until Sunday night did you? What!?! You did. That’s okay. No stress. You’ll get it all done. We’re so sure that you’ll get it all done that we’re giving you a few more excuses to procrastinate.

You’re welcome.

Read More »

In my senior year I made a drastic decision, dropping out of my double major of Journalism and Writing Intensive English, quitting my job on the school newspaper, and deciding to not go to grad school the next fall. I needed something different. Something that made me excited, instead of making me dread the next step in my life.

My parents were less than thrilled with my decision. I had such a promising path! How could I just give up on everything I’ve worked for?! Like everyone else in my family, they didn’t understand why I started applying for Teach for America and researching programs for teaching English overseas.  They were constantly questioning me (“What are you going to do once you graduate?” and “What are you going to be when you grow up?”) but I honestly had no idea and I didn’t want to jump into a graduate program and spend all that time and money when I couldn’t answer those most basic questions.

So I researched. And researched some more. And along the way, I started reading blogs about volunteering after college and found myself intrigued. Volunteering was something I did infrequently in college and when I did, it was either for a class I was taking or part of my job. So I took the plunge and became an AmeriCorps*VISTA when I graduated in May.

I had a cousin who did AmeriCorps*VISTA several years ago and he suggested that I look into it.  When I started my research I felt a connection to what VISTA stands for: Volunteers In Service To America.  VISTAs are different from other volunteers because we work the administration side of different nonprofits or government agencies that fight against poverty. In return for our work, we do not receive an income but a living stipend (which ironically puts us on the same level of those we serve: poverty). Read More »

You know you go to college when…

How to read in college

A quick lesson for job seekers

How to cope with an LDR

What college students need to know about managing money

Essentials for a college night in

7 things you don’t need in your dorm room

Here’s why college classes are awesome

Four Loko doesn’t kill people…people kill people

How to stay sane when your parents visit

[Everyone’s got a morning after story (some of which include less than stable lofts) and we wanna hear yours! Send it over to us and we’ll post it – anonymously, of course – right here!]

I consider myself a pretty honest person. I’m no Mother Theresa, but I don’t lie, especially to authority figures and people I need things from. Back in my sophomore year, I didn’t exactly live up to this creed and it came back to kick my butt. Hard.

Let’s go back to fall of my sophomore year, when my biggest problems were which Halloween party to go to and how to convince my boyfriend to dress up as a Disney prince.  After promising baked goods and undergoing a frantic search for final accessories, we were ready to make our rounds to the nearby apartment parties, ready to wow the crowd with our awesome outfits and get lots of Facebook-worthy pictures. I was on my game, almost.

Read More »

When the weather outside is frightful, there’s only one that warms me up. And it’s not a Snuggie. It’s food. Warm, gooey, delicious comfort food, to be exact. And there’s nothing warmer, gooier, deliciousier than Cheeseburger Casserole. It will warm you up from the inside out after a long day of classes (it’s SO easy to make and can last you all week!), or is the perfect dish for girls night in when it’s 12 below zero and even the mere thought of putting on a cami and going to a party makes your teeth chatter. Read More »

[You may be wondering why, since I usually write about new releases, I have chosen to review Blue Valentine (which was released in late December most places) this week. Well, despite being out for a month, Blue Valentine remains a water cooler topic. The subject is no longer the MPAA’s original decision to give Blue Valentine an NC-17 rating (read my thoughts on that here), but instead it is Michelle Williams' nomination for Best Actress; more notably, it is her nomination compared to Ryan Gosling who did not receive a nomination for his performance. Aside from that, it is an Oscar-nominated film, which means that if you look hard enough, you can probably find a showing in your area.]

Blue Valentine is the story of a young couple in the process of falling into, and subsequently out of, love. The film masterfully goes back and forth between the two times, providing an amazing juxtaposition. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play the couple and they deserve so much credit for their work in this film. Their performances make the audience see a transformation, while only truly acting infatuation and whatever the opposite of infatuation is.

When I was debating whether or not to see the film, specifically to see it alone, my friend told me I should and had an interesting comment. He said, “It’s the kind of movie that you don’t want to talk about after.” I was sold. And now I know exactly what he was talking about. The film is beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and perfectly depressing. Read More »

Sometimes it takes too much time, money, and effort to get your hair colored at the salon.  That shizz is expensive!  And why pay someone nearly $100 to do something for you when you can do it yourself? Yes, missy, you can do it yourself.

Let’s all take a moment to realize one simple thing: it isn’t that hard or scary to dye your own hair.  Seriously, I do it all the time, and you can too! Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. Last month Charlotte gave up coffee. This month, Melissa's going to stop her late night snacking. Can she do it!? Could you?]

Oh, the wonderful world of late night eating. Whether it’s 2 a.m. pizza or that leftover Chinese food during your favorite nighttime shows, late night eating goes with college like studying goes with college. Except we actually, uh, do it. So, yeah, bad analogy.

Now, I don’t mean to sound like a party pooper, but get this: according to the New York Times, a 2009 Northwestern University study found that late-night eating does lead to weight gain.

Are you really surprised? The drunken munchies, the nighttime study snacks, or the boredom eating that so often takes place on college campuses definitely contributes to college weight gain. Something that I don’t want. So, when I was presented with this challenge, I asked myself — “Hey, if those things all lead to weight gain, why not just not do them?” Seems easy enough, so I accepted the challenge. And one day in, as I sit watching my 10 p.m. TV, dying for a snack to nosh on, I ask myself another question:

“Why the heck did I agree to this?” Oy. Read More »