Although I always hit my local festies (including Hookahville and any festival @ Nelson’s Ledges – check them out if you’re in the area!), after my amazing, mind-bending experience at Bonnaroo two years ago, I feel that it’s time to expand my horizons and venture out of state (and of my mind) another time.

But, while scouring the internet for my next super-hippie-indie-rock-y adventure, I realized that what I really needed was one list. A list that compared not only locations and dates, but also prices of the various festivals spreading good vibes and sweet music throughout the summer. So, I’m going to create it. Here is the first installment of my semi-comprehensive list of the major (and minor) music festivals still to come this summer: the Midwest.

So bust out the flowy skirts, a nice pair of Birkenstocks and some moonshine and hit the road. And act fast, cause most ticket prices increase the longer you wait to buy them.

Midwest Festies:

Name: Summer Camp

Date: May 23-25

Location: Chillicothe, IL

Ticket Price: Currently $155, $170 at gate

Who’s gonna be there? moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Flaming Lips, O.A.R., The Roots, Blind Melon, The New Pornographers and more

Website: www.summercampfestival.com

Name: Wakarusa

Date: June 5-8

Location: Lawrence, KS

Ticket Price: 4-Day passes currently at Level 4 (“Procrastinator”) for $159 while supplies last

Who’s gonna be there? The Flaming Lips, Emmylou Harris, Ben Folds, Sound Tribe Sector 9, CAKE, Built to Spill, Tea Leaf Green, Blackalicious and more

Website: www.wakarusa.com

Name: Bonnaroo

Date: June 12-15

Location: Manchester, TN

Ticket Price: On Sale Now. Priced at three levels. First level starts at $209.50. After that level is sold out, prices increase to $229.50 and then again to $244.50.

Headliners: Pearl Jam, Metallica, Jack Johnson

Other popular acts include: Kanye West, Death Cab for Cutie, Against Me!, M.I.A., Tegan & Sara and many, many more

Website: www.bonnaroo.com

Name: All Good Music Festival

Date: July 11-13

Location: Preston County (Marvin’s Mountaintop Masontown), WV

Ticket Price: Weekend pass now $139.00

Headliners: Phil Lesh, Widespread Panic

Other popular acts include: Michael Franti & Spearhead, Keller Williams, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Soul Stew Revival, Gov’t Mule and more

Website: www.allgoodfestival.com

Name: Rothbury Festival

Date: July 11-13

Location: Rothburg, MI

Ticket Price: Weekend ticket $244.75

Headliners: Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic

Other popular acts include: John Mayer, 311, Snoop Dogg, Modest Mouse, Colbie Callat, Atmosphere, The Dresden Dolls

Website: www.rothburyfestival.com

Name: 10,000 Lakes Festival

Date: July 23-26

Location: Detroit Lakes, MN

Ticket Price: $130.00 for music and camping. Ticket prices increase on May 15

Headliners: Phil Lesh & Friends, The Flaming Lips, Michael Franti

Other popular acts include: Leftover Salmon, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Slightly Stoopid, Dark Star Orchestra

Website: http://www.10klf.com

Name: Lollapalooza

Date: August 1-3

Location: Chicago, IL

Ticket Price: Advance day pass currently $190, will go up to $205 when Advance sells out

Headliners: Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Kanye West

Other popular acts include: Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, G. Love, The Raconteurs, Bloc Party, Brand New, Girl Talk

Website: www.lollapalooza.com

Did I forget your fave festival? Post a link the comments to share with your fellow CC readers. Rock On.

Remember when you were in high school and you began to hunt for a college? As if you weren’t having enough trouble balancing those AP classes and inevitable girl drama and all of a sudden – BAM – here come like 10,000 books/essays/magazines/guides/counselors bombarding you with information on choosing the right college.

• Do you want big or small?

• Liberal arts? Science? Big city? Small campus? Close to home? Great sports teams?

Some books had statistics. Others had tests to place you in the right “type” of school. Still others were filled with advice from the students who went there. But where was the guarantee that any of this research would put us in a school that we loved, that would get us where we wanted to in life, and that would ultimately be our perfect fit?

According to some research over at the New York Times, the guarantee doesn’t exist. And if we do happen to find that perfect place, all that crap we researched does nothing to guide us.

With thousands of colleges in the United States, the variety of experiences for soon-to-be college students is endless. Once you actually choose an institution, there are hundreds of groups, classes, and options to choose from; especially at a big school. So that means that basically anyone – from the tree hugger to the Marc Jacobs lover – can find happiness at any school.

Yes, choosing a college is a huge decision; it will impact the rest of our lives. But to spend so much time and money researching the best place to go is pointless. Because in the end, any school can be that best place for you. There is no way to know.

I chose to go to Michigan because I grew up in Michigan and I always heard what a great place it was. I never visited it or any other school; I just went. And I had the time of my life. No book would have predicted that I would have met the coolest people on my dorm hall the very first day. Or that my Saturdays pre-partying before football games would be some of the best memories I could ever have (with the aid of pictures, of course; those were some drunk Saturdays). Or that the debates I would have in my History classes would be the best learning I would ever do. Or that the combination of all those experiences would guide me down the path I am currently on as a grad.

And I am sure I could have found different reasons to feel just as strongly about the other 4 schools I got into. But I chose U of M and that just happened to become the school that was my perfect fit.

Knowing this is not going to stop people from researching potential colleges – we all have to get a little information before handing over all our parents’ money – but I do hope it will take a little stress out of your decision. Don’t over analyze; just enjoy yourself. And try to stick around for an extra year if you can. It ain’t so pretty on this side of graduation.

After sporting high heeled pumps or strappy little stilettos, nothing feels more satisfying than slipping my aching feet into my trusty Reef flip flops. I practically live in flip flops during the summertime months, as do most of my friends.

Unfortunately, I recently learned that flip flops were never really meant to be worn as everyday shoes and are therefore causing young women more foot problems than ever. According to an article in USA Today, “the problem, foot doctors say, is that flip-flops offer little cushioning and no arch support, and they force their wearers into an unnatural, toe-gripping, foot-slapping gait.” Because of this, young women are getting foot pain that is usually associated with older, fatter women.

I don’t know about you, but I would like to keep as much of my youth intact as long as possible and try not to show signs of becoming a middle aged woman at the spry age of 22. Along those lines, something that grossed me out were the possible consequences of constant flip-flop wearing…

•Sore arches and heels, which can progress to chronic conditions, including inflamed Achilles tendons and plantar fasciitis, inflammation of the connective tissue between the heel bone and the toes.

•Heel calluses (from the pounding).

•Hammer toes (from the gripping).

•Irritation between the toes (from the toe thongs), which can lead to nasty fungal infections.

Um, gross. I think I will attempt to cut down on the day after day wear of flip flops in hopes of saving my pedicured tootsies from a dark future. Check out the USA Today article for more tips on how to take good care of your feet.