Ahhhhh, the first date.  It can be the start of something great or can easily take a quick turn down the crapper.  You may have thought the date went as perfect as can be, but if Mr. Lover Boy hasn’t called you back for another one in over three days, chances are it didn’t.

Instead of sitting there overanalyzing every single detail of the date and what could have gone wrong (like we all do), I’ll make it simple for you. Here are the mistakes everyone makes on their first date and what you can do to avoid them.

1. Not dressing for the occasion. If you’re going to a baseball game, don’t wear stiletto heels. If you’re going out to eat somewhere nicer than McDonald’s, change out of your sweats. It’s as simple as that. And if you’re Lady Gaga, obviously no rules apply to you.

How to Avoid Making the Mistake: Make sure you know where you’re going on the date. If it’s a surprise, it’s always better to play it safe and wear something casual. Not too sloppy, not too dressy.

2. Talking about exes. Talking about ex-boyfriends isn’t just annoying on dates— it’s annoying all the time. 3 words: Get. Over. It. And if you can’t, maybe you shouldn’t be dating quite yet. If you do decide it’s time to enter the wonderful world of dating, make sure you keep the conversation far away from ex-land. No guy wants to sit and listen to you whine about how his eyebrows aren’t groomed as well as your ex-boyfriend’s.

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It’s almost the big 20-11 and that means it’s time to make your list of New Year’s Resolutions. Or more importantly, make resolutions for all the absolutely annoying people around you — or should we say, resolutions to help you deal with them better. You know, so you don’t strangle anyone this year.

The Textaholic. The movie you’ve been dying to see for weeks now is about to begin and the message comes up on the screen reminding everyone to turn off their cell phones.  The movie starts and as you’re trying to enjoy Jacob’s shirtless bod in Twilight, you’re interrupted by the constant sound of clicking coming from behind you.  It’s two hours tops, people— put the phone away!  If something is really that important, take it outside.

Resolution: Texting Support Group. Enough said.

The Stinker. It may be your best friend or maybe even some random guy in line in a store, but either way— they stink.  Unfortunately, they are so used to their extreme body odor by now that they don’t even notice it anymore.  People may have even told them and they still refuse to jump in the shower once every few weeks.

Resolution: Febreze isn’t just for your mildewy apartment anymore….

The “Do You Like Seafood” Eater. I love to eat and I’m sure a lot of other people do too.  The thing I don’t like about eating is when I’m with someone else and they shovel food into their mouth, start talking, and their food ends up on my plate.  Sorry, do I look like a baby bird that enjoys eating pre-chewed food? No.

Resolution: Ever heard of an etiquette class? Sign ‘em up! And if that doesn’t work, getting a table for 6 when it’s just the two of you and sitting at the other end should send the message loud and clear. Read More »

After watching this video around 14 times over the course of the week, three things have crossed my mind.

1. Uh – yes! – I hate that cardboard sh*t on the DVDs, too.
2. So that’s the one person in the U.S. who purchased Sorority Row?
3. What sorts of things do I hate enough to rant about in a YouTube vid?

And then I started my personal list of the things I hate. I hate when people that are under the age of 40 call me sweetie. I hate the way Old Navy clothes NEVER seem to fit me right. I hate Perez Hilton. I hate when I carve out a spot in an aerobics class at the gym and some bitch comes in late and stands right. in. front of me. I hate that, no matter how hard I try, I can’t sound nearly as fierce or fabulous as Kingsley (I think that’s this fabulous guy’s name?) when I list off all the things I hate.

And now it’s time for the CollegeCandy writers to open up and let it all out. So, what gets their blood boiling?

Carly – Grinnell: 1. The sound it makes when people itch their legs with long fingernails when they are wearing jeans. 2. Fake friendliness. 3. The fact that the guy I have a crush on keeps inviting me to do things one-on-one with him but NEVER accepts when I ask him to do the same stuff. WTF?!

Lauren – University of Michigan: I hate when people want to have full-blown convos via text. And then when I try to call them (because it will take less time), they don’t answer. HELLO, I KNOW YOU ARE THERE.

Meg – University of Delaware: improper grammar. I cannot stand people who cannot speak their first language properly. It makes you sound uneducated.

Emmy – Loyola University Chicago: I hate that kid in my honors class who will not shut up, even when the professor cuts him off… And awkward encounters with exes. And when there is no Peach Mangosteen Snapple left in the campus store for me! Read More »

[I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the epitome of prim and proper- heck, who really is nowadays? But looking around at the misguided youths of today *ahem drinking buddies*, I’m starting to think that Miss Manners might have been onto something.

While you may never need to know how to greet a duke or how to tell which fork is REALLY the oyster fork, knowing how to deal with people whom owe you money, how much to tip, and how to address the ever annoying licorice-in-teeth conundrum without being rude might actually come in handy in the real world. I'm not trying to be your mother - oh goodness, no - I'm just here to help you out of those little etiquette dilemmas. So here goes: a quick lesson in etiquette. The sh*t you might actually need to know.]

So your friend borrowed your favorite sweater in Physics, promising she’d return it after class. But when the class let out, you were too busy copying notes to remind her to give it back. It’s been two months now, and all your subtle hints about how you really hate people who borrow stuff *ahem ahem* is getting you blank stares. You figure either she forgot about it… or she’s a bitch who’s playing dumb so she can keep your cute-and-perfect-for-all-seasons sweater.

What to do when the borrower just won’t give the damn thing back?

Miss Manners says:
First figure out how much the object is worth. Is a sweater/$5/a calculator/etc. worth potentially ruining your friendship over? If you can already tell that getting it back will be a struggle – perhaps one big enough to turn into a catfight – think of how much the object really means to you. If you figure it’s worth it, read on. If not, ask her one last time (outright. i.e. “Hey, remember that sweater I loaned to you forever ago? Do you think I could get it back?”) and if she refuses to budge, drop it, chalk it up as a birthday present and never let her borrow anything again. Read More »