Got a question? Get an answer! Email her at tuffylove@collegecandy.com to be featured in her column, which runs every other Tuesday!

Dear Tuffy Luv,

I go to school out of state about an 8 hour drive from home. What should I do about a long term relationship? Should I have one at my home state or my school state? And how do I keep up with either one when I’m in the other state?

Long Distance Lover

Dear Long Distance Lover,

Really, really good question.

I guess the only answer I can honestly give you (and it’s annoying, I know) is that you should take love where you find it.

It is this girl’s opinion that love is not something you can force. If you meet a guy at school who you like but there’s someone you love at home–well, how can you give up love for like? The same is true in reverse: If there’s a guy you like at home but a guy you love at school, you should go for the love. Read More »

January 20th, 2009 will mark the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one.

It marks the end of an era when American politics were plagued with apathetic citizens, who found nothing in the candidates inspiring enough to take a passionate interest in.

It marks the end of an era when race was an invisible barrier over politics, the end of affirmative action being a weapon against the status quo, and the end of divisions in America over race. Barack Obama has attained the highest office of the American political system, and to some people, the free world. There is no reason anymore why any good citizen of America should not be able to succeed in their goals and dreams through diligence and perseverance, because it has been proven that the highest goal can be accomplished by normal people.

Finally, it marks the end of an era when the media was an impartial observer in the American Political system, and when committed voters were educated properly about their candidates. During the 2008 election, there was an enthusiasm towards our democracy that has not been seen in years. There was also, however, a vast prevalence of ignorance on both sides, and it was spurred by a media that displayed ruthless bias not seen in years. Mainstream news magazine Newsweek published six issues with covers devoted exclusively to Barack Obama, five of them issues in this year alone. 2008 was a year in which public opinion was ruled by media portrayal of political affairs.

The wedding is overshadowing the marriage. The Inauguration has magnified into something bordering on a spectacle, with commemorative trinkets being hawked in every possible commercial medium, and huge celebrations being planned across the country. Happiness and joy at an inauguration are not bad things. Blind euphoria and an unwillingness to accept shortcomings in the president-elect are. Read More »

We could all stand to save some more energy and resources. It’s not only good for the environment, it’s good for us, too. By greenifying even one or two more aspects of your life, you’ll save money and do your part to make the world a better place.Here are some instructions for how to make specific areas of your life a little greener!

In the Home

Heat: Turn down your thermostat 5-10 degrees when you leave the house in the morning. When you come back, you can turn it back up—but make sure to turn it down again when you go to sleep, and snuggle under those blankets. These adjustments can save you at least $20 per month.

Electricity: We all know that we should turn the lights off when we leave a room, but did you know that vampire appliances could be sucking cash out of your electricity bill? Just by leaving your microwave, TV, and other appliances plugged in, you’re zapping electricity. Unplug them when they’re not in use, and you could save $10 or more per month. Read More »

Despite my pounding headache right now, I just had a moment of clarity that I want to share with you all.

The Inauguration of our 44th president is on tomorrow, and frankly I can’t remember anyone ever really caring about this ceremonial aspect of an election. Until this year.

And, wow, do they care.

D.C is “poppin’ off,” as the kids say. People have been partying all week, and will continue all week. What seems like the entire world is flocking to DC and my campus is on security lock-down, since GW is only 4 blocks from the White House. A huge, free concert with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Beyonce to Bono was held on the National Mall on yesterday to celebrate. There are legit balls, as in Cinderella balls, to honor this man. Even the Metro tickets have Obama on them. Signs, posters, and more port-o-potties than you can fathom are popping up all over the city. This is big.

It is all strangely reminiscent of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy accidentally crushes the Wicked Witch with her house, and all the little munchkins are crazy happy. Ding, Dong, the witch is dead Bush is gone! Read More »

Knowing just what to expect out of possibly the most important weekend of my life thus far (at least politically speaking), is like knowing what you’re getting for Christmas as a kid, how many times lightning will strike over Nebraska next year, or how much money you’ll lose or gain by January 2010 because of the deepening recession or reversal thereof.

It’s totally unpredictable.

Here’s what I do know:

For the first time in my life, my generation is thoroughly excited by not just a presidential candidate, but the president elect. We could all be dead wrong, but from the way things are looking, Barack Obama’s election into office will turn over new leaves for our country that haven’t been turned over in…at least eight years.

I grew up hearing stories about political union in a generation and, sure, we aren’t all in agreement about the change that Obama may or may not make. But so many of us are excited that, for once, I feel like a part of something that I am proud to be a part of.

So I’m on a bus heading to Washington DC from New York. Already, the 60-some people on board are buzzing – all revved up and ready to explode for their weekend in DC. While the inauguration itself is the event we’re all going down to experience and witness, the weekend of celebration before should be one for the books. Even the bars are allowed to stay open until 4am this weekend. (I know that means nothing to you, New Yorkers, so I say to you: imagine an event so big that New York bars were allowed to stay open until 6am.) Read More »

So the thrill of the first snowfall is over, I’ve seen all my hometown friends, and I opened all my presents. First semester was great, I keep telling everyone. I am now a pro at explaining how wonderful college is to all my relatives and my friends, and even my friends’ relatives. But looking back, it really was great.

In fact, for the first time ever I am getting a little bored of vacation, and actually am looking forward to returning to school. That probably has more to do with missing friends and living out from under my parents’ roof more than homework and tests, but part of me actually wants to go to class rather than sit around and browse the internet for days on end. For once I have a place other than home where I am more comfortable.

The strangest part of being home is that I feel like I am on vacation, and not living here. For eighteen years this house has been my home-base, and now it’s more like my temporary housing before heading back to the dorms. I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing, but I have definitely changed. Sure, there are the perks of being at home. I can shower without wearing flip-flops. I can leave my room a mess and let my mom wash my clothes for me (although this takes a little convincing, since supposedly if I can do my own laundry at school, I can do it at home, too). I can eat food that I actually pick, rather than the latest dining hall concoction. Read More »

The images are frightening and send chills down my spine. A simple, routine flight hits a couple birds and ends up in the Hudson?

Shouldn’t planes be able to survive that kind of thing?

Makes you realize why the flight attendants won’t let you listen to your iPod during takeoff or landing. And that maybe having that Emergency Exit is about more than just the added leg room. I know that everyone made it off the plane OK (including babies!), but the whole thing still scares the beejeezus out of me.

I’ve been flying since birth and never once questioned my safety. But now? I’d rather walk then get on a plane. This one hit (no pun intended) too close to home.

What about you? Has yesterday’s crash freaked you to the core?

Next week is pretty huge. Not only is Barack Obama being inaugurated as the first black president of the United States, but it is all happening the day after Martin Luther King Day.

MLK Day is often thought of as just another day off of school and a glorious long weekend, but this year – more than any other year – should be different.

MLK died in his efforts to get equal rights for African American men and women. And now, 40 years later, a black man will finally be president. The thought is chilling, and has inspired all of us to dream again. Our dreams and goals really can become reality.

So this week, in honor of MLK, Obama, and history in the making, the CC writers share their dreams for the United States and our futures.

Elisabeth – UA Huntsville: It would be nice to see deserving students be able to get the financial help they need for school without having to jump through ridiculously tiny hoops.

Brithny – Duke University: My dream is to get more sleep so I can actually have dreams. The REM-induced ones. Read More »

When Oprah high fived Kate Winslet and proclaimed “God bless your real breasts!” I smiled and felt a little bit prouder for women with real breasts everywhere. Not everyone has huge, perky, volleyballs on their chests and it’s about time someone recognized it. Maybe it’s silly that it took a reminder from Oprah Winfrey that breasts move, but after the article in the New York Times yesterday, it looks like more women need to be reminded.

The latest figures show that “the number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on youths 18 or younger more than tripled over a 10-year period, to 205,119 in 2007 from 59,890 in 1997.” That is an astronomical number!

I know I shouldn’t be surprised being I can name more than a few people who have been offered a pair of silicone implants wrapped in a red bow come graduation day, but that number really shocks me.

I understand that beauty and perfection have been something that women have constantly strived for and I also understand that cosmetic surgery has become more acceptible in our society. I mean, just turn on the television and I bet you can find at least three makeover shows on right this minute, and at least one re-run of Dr. 90210. Still, maybe we should be wondering why young girls are inceasingly begging and pleading for new noses, breasts, chins, teeth, ears, tummies and every other resize-able, reshape-able body part. Read More »

Roommates – you never know who or what you will get. While some people live blissfully together, others get stuck in a sticky situation. So sticky in fact, the administration in my situation couldn’t even wrap their upper-hand around it to help.

After first moving into my freshman dorm room that August, I anxiously awaited the arrival of my roommate, Mary (name changed). Finally, she walked in — leaving me with nervousness instead of anticipation. As I started to string my Hello Kitty lights next to my decorated bulletin boards, she started hanging her Hell Boy posters up next to her crucified scarecrow homemade ceramic creation. We were polar opposites (in an e-mail over the summer, she described herself as “stoic” while I replied with “enthusiastic” about myself). But I figured, college is a new experience and I wanted to soak it all in, so I told myself that Mary and I would work out, even if our outside appearances seemed at different ends of the college student spectrum.

But then my belongings started disappearing, and my food somehow made its way into her very own mini-fridge (we had 2 refrigerators for our room because she refused to e-mail me back throughout the summer about who was bringing what – a sign I should have paid attention to back then), and this ultimately started the downward spiral. Despite signing a roommate contract earlier in the semester, she disregarded nearly every single rule and when I called her out on it, she had no response. In fact, she didn’t really say much about anything, making our communication null and void. Read More »