Right now, America is experiencing economic hardships. Times so tough that even our multi-million dollar making, jump shot shooting, around-the-rim slam dunking NBA ballers can’t even catch a break! Diehard fans’ worst nightmare has officially come to fruition: the NBA lock-out is here.

Here’s the low-down on the lock-out, for those of you who don’t know: players don’t want to concede to more pay cuts, but managers and owners don’t want to (or can’t afford to) give players the salaries they think they are owed. Until they get what they demand, professional athletes are going to act like my 12-year-old sister and pout.

Fine. Be babies, guys. Not like I wanted to wear my Knicks jersey anytime soon.

Then, I had an awesome idea. What if our larger-than-life athletes – instead of stomping their feet and throwing a temper tantrum – got on with their lives in lieu of the lockout? I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out on this one. College kids know way better than anyone what to do when you’ve got nothing to do, right? And college girls know how the best activities. I mean, really…who wants to sit around playing video games all day, guys?

So, since you’ve got tons of time on your hands Bron-Bron, it’s time to step off your throne as the King of Cleveland and take some advice from the real powers that be: college girls.

We know, you’ve already vacationed in the West Indies twice this year, bought four new Rolls Royce’s…hell, you even convinced Jay Z and Beyoncé to have a baby. Don’t worry if you’re all out of ideas on ways to spend our money because like the do-gooders that we are, we’ve got some tips for you…

initiating the gallery...

If you haven’t heard the name Jayne Appel, then you haven’t tuned into ESPN or Sportscenter in the past month, because her name is everywhere. Appel, senior at Stanford University, has taken the college basketball world by storm over the past four years.

As an All-American athlete, Appel has led the Stanford Cardinal to the Women’s Final Four for the past two years. She has more basketball awards than one can count, was one of Glamour magazine’s 2009 Top 10 College Women, and was the number 5 draft pick of the WNBA, picked to play for the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Basketball has been her life, but basketball isn’t the only arena that Appel dominates. With her bleach-blonde hair, notorious neon pink painted fingernails, and constant carefree California attitude, Jayne Appel is just another girl ready to make her place in the world. And as a recently graduated senior (due to that whole WNBA draft thing), Appel has officially entered the real world. Okay, so maybe instead of a 9-5 desk job she’s playing a sport she loves, but she is just as scared about life post-college as the rest of us.

Since most girls our age haven’t seen their dreams become reality yet and don’t have their own Wikipedia page or Facebook fan site, I wanted to sit down with Appel to ask her some questions and pick her brain about life after college.

CC: What is your favorite thing about being a recent college graduate?
JA: Honestly? Being able to sleep more! And having so much free time and no stress from school!

CC: What will you must most about your college experience?
JA: My girlfriends. There are so many moments that have defined my college career, almost too many to name. But if I were to name one, it would just be the hard times when my friends were there for me. The whole community – my friends, teammates, and parents. I would not have made it without all of these people and feel so blessed to have had that type of support system in place during college.

CC: Do you have any regrets about your college experience?
JA: Zero regrets. I loved every minute of it. I’m sad I am missing my last quarter on campus but am so excited to start playing professionally!

CC: Most seniors are looking for jobs right now, you already have one. How do you feel about your new job?
JA: I am so excited about my opportunity to be a professional athlete. I am even more excited that it will be in San Antonio. I really liked the atmosphere there at the Final Four and am really excited about breaking in my cowboy boots, Texas style!

CC: What is the advice you would tell graduating seniors or upperclassmen about savoring their time left at college?
JA: Spend time with your friends as much as possible. Go out on that night that you usually would stay in. It is unreal how quickly these next few months are going to go, so savor them. Make a bucket list of things you desperately want to do before you graduate and have fun making the stories that you’ll want to retell later. Just enjoy it all!

CC: Speaking of enjoying it all. Do you have any love advice for college women out there?
JA: Relax. If it is meant to be, it will be. And whatever you do, stop over-analyzing! Too many of us women spend hours decoding a guy’s text or every other move, but we all need to just relax a little! I’ve been there, and it’s such a waste of time.

CC: What would you say your sense of style is? What wardrobe pieces are a must for you?
JA: When I do dress up out of sweats, I love to layer stuff. I feel that it’s a look that can work for almost everyone. I also love my Lululemon pants!.

CC: What saying or quote do you live by?
JA: “Try and fail but don’t fail to try” – Stephen Kaggwa

Follow Appel on Twitter at @jayneappel

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Week after week (after week after week…), CollegeCandy and our pal John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, and saddest things he hears on his college campus. And we know he’s not the only one who hears this stuff. Join the Overheard revolution! Listen in on some weirdos’ conversations and share them in the comments or send ‘em over. You know there’s a lot of funny things to be heard on your campus, so take off those (faux) Burberry ear muffs and tune in.

(Guy, talking on the phone.)

Guy: Know how you win an argument? You spank ‘em. Can’t nobody argue with a good spank.

(Two girls, browsing in a convenience store.)

Girl 1: Twix?

Girl: 2: Nah. That doesn’t really lubricate my gears.

(Girl, yelling, behind me at a basketball game.)

Girl: No … ! Don’t dribble! Please don’t dribble! If you dribble, it’ll never come back! I’ll never come back!

(Girls, watching television in the lounge.)

Girl 1: I just like Peyton and beer.

Girl 2: I’d hit Peyton. I’d hit his chin, too, if he had. one.

(Guy, girl, arguing on the apartment bus.)

Girl: I’m not a homophobe! Stop putting words in my mouth.

Guy: I’m not! You said you thought being gay was really crazy and weird!

Girl: I never said that.

Guy: Okay, no, you’re right, you didn’t. Sorry.

(Girl, talking on cell phone.)

Girl: I can’t believe she won the Grammy. I hate Taylor Swift. I’m not listening to her again. Unless I’m drunk. Or working out. Or walking to class.

(Guy and girl, talking – from a CC reader.)

Guy: Nose hair trimmers … I think you could use some of those!

(Two girls, leaving an English class.)

Girl 1: Whaddya think?

Girl 2: I think she makes my coochie tingle.

(Guy, confused, on the phone.)

Guy: I don’t get it. Why would you give someone a purple nurple if it didn’t feel really good?

(Guy, introducing another guy to a lunch table.)

Guy 1: This is Josh. He goes to William and Mary.

Guy 2: Oh, Virginia? So you guys, like, bleed Velveeta, right?

(Girls, watching ‘The Lion King.’)

Girl 1: Mm. Jeremy Irons.

Girl 2: Jeremy’s Iron.

Girl 1: Jer – in me – Irons.

(Two girls, on the other end of the dorm hall.)

Girl: I mean … they do it at 9 p.m., then midnight, then 5 a.m. I don’t get it! Is that guy, like, made of dicks or something?

This week we hit up the West Coast as we examine the two hottest schools in Los Angeles- the University of Southern California and the University of California- Los Angeles. Amidst the beautiful SoCal climate and a city rife with movie sets and superstars, private USC and public UCLA compete to find out which is most elite in the City of Angels.

1. Superior Sport

USC – The Trojans are known as “the football school” and have been awarded the NCAA national title in football eleven times, including back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004.  They are perennially ranked in the Top 10 football programs in the BCS by ESPN, USA Today, and other publications. And Trojans have taken home the Heisman Trophy seven times.
UCLA - Meanwhile, the Bruins are known as powerhouses in basketball–also earning eleven NCAA titles. Seven of these championships were won consecutively, from 1967-1973.  UCLA is also the all-time leader in total NCAA national titles across all sports.

Meanwhile, the Lexus Gauntlet is an annual all-sports competition between the two schools sponsored by Lexus. Points are awarded for every victory (particularly in head-to-head match ups)  in NCAA-sanctioned competitions, with the school with the most points declared as the winner. (There is also a separate Lexus Gauntlet awarded to the winner of the Stanford-Berkeley rivalry.)  In the eight years of Lexus Gauntlet tradition, USC has walked away with five titles.

Three credits to: TIE.  The two schools pulled a draw in NCAA titles in their respective predominant sport.  On the one hand, the Lexus Gauntlet record gives the Trojans the edge, but UCLA also has the most NCAA titles of any school. Too close to call!!

2. Terrific Traditions

USC – Trojans can’t withhold their affections for Traveler, the magnificent white horse ridden by a student in full Greek armor at every football game, and Tommy Trojan, the iconic statue of the school’s mascot found on campus. But Songfest, an annual talent show in which frats & sororities compete against one another to benefit the charity TroyCamp, is a highlight of the social calendar. When it comes to hatin’ on their crosstown rivals, some USC students once set loose thousands of crickets on the UCLA campus.
UCLA - Like the Trojans, UCLA also has its own child-oriented charity called UniCamp.  Students donning blue and gold love exhibiting card stunts (flashing the university logo, for instance) at basketball games and occasionally dousing Tommy Trojan with UCLA-colored paint.

Three Credits to: USC, for the campus-rockin Songfest.

3. Hottest (LA) Hood

USC - Located in University Park, USC is adjacent to the Los Angeles Coliseum and sits on Figueroa Street, which connects the school to the Staples Center and historic Chinatown.
UCLA - The Bruins are located in the Westwood Village section of Los Angeles, a wealthy and scenic section of town that is home to several vintage movie theaters and stretches of beautiful homes.  Oh, and the Playboy Mansion is just a hop, skip, and jump away!

Three credits to:  UCLA - who doesn’t want to party with Hef?

4. Ass-kicking Alumni

USC –  Neil Armstrong, Will Ferrell, Whitney Port
UCLA – Lo Bosworth, Francis Ford Coppola, James Franco

Three credits to: Let’s see…Whitney is SO much cooler than Lo on The Hills, and while Will Ferrell can make me pee my pants, I’d rather have James Franco in them. It’s another close one, but I’m going to have to go with UCLA because others have walked on the moon, but only FFC could have directed the masterpiece The Godfather with such genius.

5. Acceptance Rate Agony

USC- 22% of over 35,000 applicants were accepted for the class of 2012.
UCLA-  22.7% for the university with the largest number of applicants in the United States (over 55,000!)

Three credits to:  USC…by a nose!!

And the diploma goes to: …its a TIE! Seriously, its too close to call who wins this rivalry. Both schools boast terrific academics, athletics, and high-profile alumni–how can you choose? For all of you Angelenos out there, what do you think?

Today, July 1st, Canadians and the people who love them (yes, lots of people love Canadians!) are celebrating Canada Day, an annual federal holiday commemorating Canada’s “birthday” in 1867. Since then, Canada has contributed a whole lot to the world in the realms of science, hotties, entertainment, hotties, cuisine, hotties, pop culture, and more (hotties). Here is but a brief list of things to love from our northern neighbor. Enjoy it, eh?

Any place that can claim Kiefer, Keanu, Gosling AND instant mashed potatoes as their own has our respect. Canada, CollegeCandy salutes you!

]]> http://collegecandy.com/2009/07/01/16-reasons-to-love-canada/feed/ 3 Marisa - Wesleyan University canada intro instant mashed potatoes ryan-gosling laysketchupchips trivial pursuit zipper imax keanu_reeves_108 canada_dry tommy chong roller skates basketball_thumb 5 pin bowling kiefer-sutherland-jail McIntoshapples celine_dion http://collegecandy.com/2009/04/17/candy-dish-choose-a-sport-greg-paulus/ http://collegecandy.com/2009/04/17/candy-dish-choose-a-sport-greg-paulus/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:00:58 +0000 CC Staff http://collegecandy.com/?p=27562 Michigan? • Miranda Tozier-Robbins can't seem to leave Britney alone. • Don't let the recession put a wrinkle in your beauty budget. • Dina Lohan takes credit for Lindsay's video. • Oprah Tweets! • Have an endless summer in your own backyard.]]> Should Greg Paulus switch teams and head to Michigan?

Miranda Tozier-Robbins can’t seem to leave Britney alone.

Don’t let the recession put a wrinkle in your beauty budget.

Dina Lohan takes credit for Lindsay’s video.

Oprah Tweets!

Have an endless summer in your own backyard.

What a strange, strange day.

And it was awesome. There were hot basketball fans all over the city and despite the $200 I lost playing blackjack at the Detroit casino (I was sitting next to a really cute UNC fan and didn’t want to get up….) the entire evening was really quite fun.

And now it is the moment of reckoning (for college basketball…not T.I.): the NCAA basketball final is here. Tonight the top two basketball teams in the country will face off for the ultimate title. Which team will come out on top: Barack Obama’s pick, UNC, or the Michigan State Spartans? And, the bigger question, will this game be over in time for the season premiere of The Hills?

We can only hope.
Who are you rooting for tonight?

We’re talking hardcore, fast and furious, make it or break it time.

Only 16 teams left. And only 8 spots remain to be filled in the Elite Eight. Who will make it? I give you my predictions below, after watching the action-packed first two rounds of the tourney.

First of all, we can finally settle the debate on which conference is the best this year, and possibly even in history. For the first time in the history of the NCAA tournament, five teams from one league advanced to the Sweet 16. The Big East is home to Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Villanova, all of which made the cut and will play in the regional semifinals on Thursday and Friday.

The ACC, which was the other conference in the debate, only has two of its members left, although they are reputably two of the best college teams and have one of the biggest rivalries in sports history: UNC and Duke. (Sidenote: dark blue is wayyy better than that gross baby blue color. Eww.)

Anyway, do you remember last year when, surprisingly, all four #1′s made it to the Final Four? Well, this year marks the first time all the 1-, 2-, and 3-seeds are in the Sweet Sixteen. Looks like Cinderella is going to be hard to find this year.

But what a great first two rounds it’s been.

Does anyone remember Demetri Goodson’s last-second game-winner in that 83-81 second round Gonzaga victory over Western Kentucky? Or how Ty Lawson came back from a toe injury and permanently quelled rumors with his 23 points, 6 assists and 0 turnovers against LSU? And when Clemson’s Terrence Oglesby was ejected from the Michigan game for elbowing off the screen and cried about it like the little girl he is in the locker room afterwards? Ok, maybe I’m being a little harsh on him. It’s just because no one looks man enough next to the almighty Gerald Henderson.

Now for my picks:

East- Pitt over Xavier, Duke over Villanova (gotta go with the Dukies).
Midwest- Louisville over Arizona, Michigan State over Kansas (it’s over for the defending champs).
South- Syracuse over Oklahoma, UNC over Gonzaga (the Orange winning in 6 overtimes?Mad props).
West- UConn over Purdue, Memphis over Missouri (the Mizzous will give Memphis a run for their money, but the higher seed will prevail in the end).

No Cinderella this year, it looks like. But it’s ok; the chalk bracket will be a heck-of-an event to watch. I guarantee it.

Once you get past the fact that the NCAA Selection Committee made the mistake of not including some of the best teams that could have been this year’s Cinderella (Arizona State instead of St. Mary’s? come on), the board actually came up with a pretty good draw. And for the next 2 weeks, I will be fully immersing myself in the insanity and awesomeness that is the most exciting sporting event of the year: March Madness.

The best conference in the country (and maybe in history) is hands-down the Big East. 3 out of the 4 number 1 seeds are from the Big East: UConn, Louisville, and Pitt. Even Barack Obama believes in the dominance of this conference, since his bracket that he filled out on Wednesday (live on ESPN! what a cool prez) shows it filling half of his Elite Eight. Although Obama didn’t have our lovely school in his Final Four, Coach K isn’t worried.

And he shouldn’t be worried either. Thursday was the big first day of the NCAA tournament, and the big seeds shined just like they were predicted to. During lunch I heard the big news of #1-seeded UNC ripping Radford to shreds in the South, winning 101-58 (42 points too many, in my opinion). The other #1-seeded UConn also came out with a deafening roar, with the Huskies winning 103-47 against Chattanooga. #2 Memphis (who I have going to the Final Four) won as well, and of course the almighty Blue Devils beat Binghamton (ha, no chance at all).

The upsets were few, but pretty significant. Both the #10′s beat both the #7′s: Maryland showed they earned their spot in the draw by crushing California, while Michigan just got by Clemson (serves them right for beating Duke once in a fluke). Editor’s Note: GO BLUE!

#12 Western Kentucky beat #5 Illinois in a shocker, which definitely messed some of my friend’s brackets up and led to some name-calling on FB statuses (but with a “hilltopper” as mascot, they’re kinda asking for it). #9 Texas A&M beat #8 Brigham Young, which was expected, but the one non-upset that got me most upset (because it ruined my otherwise perfect bracket) was #6 UCLA squeezing by #11 VA Commonwealth! The score was 65-64, in a real nail-biter of a game (seriously, you should see my nails).

Oh well, 15 out of 16 – that ain’t bad. Watching the madness ensue on our flat-screen tv in the common room – that ain’t bad. Having Super G on our team – that’s the total opposite of bad. Now, if only Ty Lawson from UNC never comes back from sitting-out due to his injury…well, that’ll just be the icing on the cake.