Valentine’s Day sure does have a way of sneaking up on me and my singleness every year. And I’m not sure how it happens, seeing as the heart-shaped candy has been out since December. But while I may be forced to cuddle up with my pup come Sunday, it turns out that most people – single or taken – would actually prefer it!

Makes sense; why spend oodles of money on a fancy dinner and a gift your boy-toy won’t even use when you can get the unconditional love of a pooch? Or, one of these wonderful Valentine’s Day companions: Read More »

Ah, the new relationship. A time to learn everything about one another, to cuddle (a lot), to hold hands whenever you can, to have lots and lots of sex…

And, apparently, to ditch your friends.

You know, those people who have been there for you for years through every messy sitch you get yourself into. The people who you used to spend every day with and told everything to. The people you once lived with, but now only visit when you need to grab something out of your closet.

Yeah. Those people.

Did I miss something here? Was there some sort of memo that says it’s okay to ignore your friends when you’re in a relationship so you can only focus on your new guy? Is it possible it went to my SPAM folder? Because I didn’t get that and now I’m wondering why my BFF just traded me in for a BF.

Let me just say one thing: I have nothing against relationships, especially the honeymoon stage – everyone knows that’s the best part. And I can completely understand pushing your friends aside a little bit to be with your boy a little more in the beginning. It’s normal, and happens with almost anyone. But what is not normal is girl who completely ditches her best friends the entire time she is in a relationship and then comes crawling back, usually with no apology, the second it’s over. Read More »

Not only does college leave me stumped in my latest lecture, the daily grind leaves me scratching my head as well. Especially when it comes to my questionable relationships with men boys. Countless hours spent over-analyzing his latest text, the way he touched my arm in the bar, and how many days it took him to finally pitch me a Facebook message… It’s exhausting.

So who’s to blame for the late night ponderings?

Well, according to a recent article in the New York Times, it seems the culprit is me. Well, me as a lady, at least. Alex Williams, the author, argues that the real problem with dating in college comes from the fact that there are more girls on campus than guys and the reason men act the way they do in college is because (in most cases) there are less of them and they can get away with it. The article even suggests that, because of the the general laws of supply and demand, it is the women who have to assert themselves romantically or they will be left alone on Valentines Day to “stare down George Clooney movie over a half empty pizza box.”  Um, ouch.

In a situation where women outnumber men, the article states, “men have all the power to control the intensity of sexual and romantic relationships.”  Therefore, if they do not get what they are looking for with one woman, it is easy for them to move on to the next.  A woman, however, doesn’t have that luxury since her pool of potential suitors is much smaller.

Does this lopsided population gap in college really describe the backwards dating behavior? Read More »

For us single girls, Valentine’s Day can seriously suck. Even if you love being single, all the PDA (puke), listening to what your coupled friend’s boyfriend did or (more likely) didn’t buy them, and the concerned phone call from your mom checking up on you, gets real old, real fast. And, for the love of god, if one more coupled friend tells me I’ll “find someone soon,” I’m going to scream.

But you can make Valentine’s Day better. Why should you miss out on the gift-giving and indulgence V-Day has to offer just because you’re single? Yes it might just be another day of the year, but it’s also the perfect excuse to buy you yourself a fabulous gift. Read More »

As a foodie and aspiring chef, I pay a lot of attention to food. And in my life I’ve found that there are three kinds of cooks in the world:

1. Those who turn anything edible into sheer brilliance just from their touch.

2. Those who can follow directions pretty well and make things that taste OK.

3. Those who are absolutely hopeless and are seriously challenged by even our “Intro to Cooking” series.

It’s you guys in the last category that I’m targeting with this post. That’s right! If you want to pull out some culinary skills for your sweetheart and totally wow him/her on V-Day but can’t seem to even make a box of mac and cheese without burning down the house, you can still make this fondue recipe. Really – it’s that easy. Plus, it’s chocolate. You can’t go wrong.

This recipe will make enough fondue for two people, with some left over (to do whatever you want with….) Read More »

So I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Valentine’s Day is coming up.

Yes, as we gratefully leave the frigid cold of January behind, we embrace the month of love…which, since becoming a single, leaves a frigid cold place in my heart. And as V-day creeps closer and closer with each passing day, I dread it more and more.

Everywhere I go I am reminded of my impending doom. Walking to class, I pass what seems like hundreds of fliers reminding me to get tickets to the Valentine’s Day gala, to buy my sweetie a singing telegram, and to send roses to that special someone… And if knowing that I have no one to take to the gala/listen to my singing telegram/accept some beautiful roses didn’t make me feel crappy enough, all of the profits from these promotions are going to Haiti. Great. So now I’m a bad person for not being part of a couple and not helping people in need.

Can someone pass me some brownie batter?! Read More »

I have to be honest: I’ve always hated Valentine’s day. Mainly because for a good 90% of my life, the only thing I got on Valentine’s Day was a teddy bear and chocolates from my mom. While she meant well, it wasn’t exactly a self esteem booster in high school when all the other girls were getting roses in homeroom from their sweethearts.

Then of course, along came Matt and he swept me off my feet. Our first year together was the first Valentine’s Day that I had a boyfriend and I was curious as to what was going to happen. I still hated the holiday; why is it that we assign a single particular day to show our significant others that we love them? Shouldn’t that be an everyday thing? And am I the only one who thinks the alternative motive of this holiday is to shame single people into chocolate induced comas?

Anyways, Matt hates crowds and I wasn’t exactly jumping at the bit to be a stereotypical couple, so we spent our first Valentine’s Day in my dorm room with movies and snacks. It’s what we love to do, so why not do it on February 14th? I handmade Matt a card and then he completely upstaged me by giving me an expensive bracelet. It was beautiful (what girl wouldn’t want that?!), but it wasn’t the best part of the day. The important thing was that we were together and spending quality time together. Read More »

What is Valentine’s Day really about?

Romance?  No.
Chocolate?  No again.
Flowers?  Absolutely not.

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is about spending two weeks trying to find the perfect gift for your boyfriend or girlfriend and often failing miserably. Then spending another two weeks talking about said failure with your friends. It’s exhausting and its not what should be occupying your time.

This year, instead of you and your partner both exerting your energy worrying about getting each other the “perfect gift,” why not focus on gifts you can share together? It takes the stress off of your shoulders and brings the focus back to what this holiday is really about: spending time with the one you luuuurve.

Sexy Lingerie. While possibly a little bit cliché, this gift will always work (especially when you bust it out again in March, April…you get the point).  You get to look really hot in some expensive Victoria’s Secret get-up and he gets to get hot when he sees you. Then you both get to enjoy what happens next. And again in the morning.

Weekend Getaway. If you’ve been dating for a long time and you want to do something ultra romantic, plan a weekend trip to a bed-and breakfast.  Spend the days wandering in and out of shops in the cozy little town and the nights snuggling in your quaint little room. If that’s too much to plan, booking a nice hotel in your college town for the night is a cheaper and easier alternative. It may not seem like much, but it’s amazing what a clean room without roommates can do. Read More »

Everyone’s got their celebrity/iconic role models. Some look up to Hillary Clinton for being such a strong, empowered woman. Some look up to Lady Gaga for being who she is, regardless of what other people think. Some may even look up to Tyra for proving that crazy people can get famous too.

Personally, I think all of those women are great (or crazy, in the case of the last one), but I have my own role models, whom I look up to for something very near and dear to my heart: sex. These women are all confident, beautiful, and not afraid to talk about sex. I have invited each of these women into my bedroom (their attitudes, at least)  and each has helped me enjoy sex and my own sexuality a whole lot more. Read More »

Hey Dude,
(Remember that show? Ha.)

Recently I had what I assumed was my first legit one-night stand.  Chatted up a friend of a friend at a bar, decided to accept his invitation to go home with him. In the morning as I was getting ready to leave for work, he mentioned that “we’re going to a party tonight, give us a call.” I assumed this meant him and the mutual friend and was probably just him saying it to make me feel less awkward about last night, especially since I didn’t have his number.  But a little later he mentioned hanging out that night again, asked if I had his number and then wrote it down for me.  After work I gave him a call but he didn’t answer.  I left a message with my name saying if had been wondering what was going on that night and that I’d talk to him later, and never heard back from him.  Should I try calling again or just let it go as a one night thing?

- Clueless Read More »