Now that all the presents have been opened, the cookies have gone stale and all the decorations have been disassembled, it’s time to start that awful period of reflection…similar to when you try to relive your Saturday nights in order to find your cell phone (or your underwear).

So, while we’re looking back at all the wonderful moments (and the not so wonderful ones, i.e. that time you threw up in your new boyfriend’s bed) here are a few articles that made my year just a smidgen better. I know for a fact after reading them you’ll feel ten thousand times better about all of your not-so-great moments of 2011.

initiating the gallery...

And with that, I wish you all a Happy New year. May your resolutions be easy, and your champagne glasses always full.

Like what you read? Read ALL our Weekly Tens from 2011 right here!

Courtney will be spending this new years eve wining and dining with Patriots players, unlike last years which involved a box of tissues, an empty bottle of wine (or two) and When Harry Met Sally. Be sure to follow Courtney for updates on her fabulous (okay let’s be real…average at best) life (@CourtneyCormier). 

Allow me to give a glimpse into my personal life—I recently ended a year-long relationship with the Asshole of the Century. (Step aside, Tiger Woods!). However, I said my piece, ended the unhappy relationship and have since moved back into the dating world! I know my Mr. Right is out there somewhere and I am excited to find him. So, rather than sit around thrusting negative energy into the world, I will remain that hopeful romantic who continues to try and see the best in people…including guys. With that said, I’ve got some questions for our dude!

Let’s be honest here, questions.

In my most recent relationship I felt that my passion for learning was always something he resented. Are guys actually threatened by intelligent girls?

After hearing the brutal truth about my ex from a valid source, it was apparent that our sex life was openly discussed without my knowing. Yeah, not okay. How often do dudes discuss their sex lives with friends?

When girls say, “No, just go out with your friends (and get wasted and potentially make bad decisions)!” What they really mean is, “No, stay home and cuddle with me!” Do guys have underlying meanings when they say things or do they actually mean what they say?

Is it a “fear of commitment” or are you still deciding whether or not you like the girl? …Or are you just using the girl?

Why do guys tend to wait muuuuch longer than girls to respond to text messages?

Because we want to know, questions.

Since I’m getting back into the dating scene, should it be expected to split the bill on a first date? (If the guy’s in college, that is).

Funny, sexy, cute or smart? Pick two.

I’ve got to be real, I am a BIG fan of hipster fashion. I know there’s “girl hot” and “guy hot” and that most girls think high-wasted shorts are adorable (at least in Austin), but what do guys really think of high-wasted shorts and girls like Zooey Deschanel?

For my romantic self, questions.

Dear dude, when was the exact moment you fell in love with your current or previous girlfriend?

What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for a girl?

What’s the sweetest thing a girl has ever done for you?

What questions are you dying to ask? Let us know in the comment box below! And check what He Said are his biggest questions for all us gals. Head on over to COED if you dare!

Moving on after a breakup

How to keep cool without using the AC

The problem of trying to do friends with benefits

How to deal when you are wearing the same thing as someone else

Get the most out of freshman orientation

Are you a Seacrest or a Dunkelman?

Why <a href="

•Moving on after a breakup

•How to keep cool without using the AC

•The problem of trying to do friends with benefits

•How to deal when you are wearing the same thing as someone else

•Get the most out of freshman orientation

•Are you a Seacrest or a Dunkelman?

•Beat relationship boredom

“>we love Sofia Vergara

Lindsay can’t actually afford counseling

•Beat relationship boredom

]]> http://collegecandy.com/2011/07/22/candy-dish-21/feed/ 0 ccandystaff Picture 40 http://collegecandy.com/2011/07/08/single-girl-society-you-may-not-be-better-off-without-him-but-you-will-be/ http://collegecandy.com/2011/07/08/single-girl-society-you-may-not-be-better-off-without-him-but-you-will-be/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:00:23 +0000 Anjli - University of Texas at Austin http://collegecandy.com/?p=110410 ]]>

Lesson 31: You May Not Be Better Off Without Him…But You Will Be.

No girl is “better off” heartbroken. And yet when you find yourself newly single attending your first mostly-couples party disappointingly sober, the frenemy you wish was just your enemy drops her not-so-consoling version of a consolation for your breakup – “You’re better off without him,” she says and you cant help but want to punch her.

Too often women tell other women they are better off without the man who they’ve recently split from and every time, I can’t help but wonder if they’d still say that if the man who’d just left me had cured cancer or spent his free time saving baby animals from oil spills. Out of habit we tell our girlfriends that they’re better off without their exes not really considering what a statement like that means.

Good intentions aside, something about hearing “you’re better off without him” never really makes you believe it. Unless your ex was a drug-dealing, lying-and-cheating, animal-hating hoodlum, chances are there were parts of your relationship with him that made you happy. Give yourself some credit by giving him some credit. Hearing the words “you’re better off” feels anything but warm when the guy you’re no longer with is actually an amazing person. Maybe your relationship made you a better person and it seems unfitting that you would take away from all that you cherished in the relationship to give in to this whole “better off without him” theory. Not to mention, you’ve got to wonder if there’s someone out there telling your ex that he’s better off without you.

It’s hard to believe you truly are better off without a guy when you’re spending your first few days post-breakup wearing one of his button-down shirts you refuse to give back, unable to leave the comfort of your bed’s comforter. You don’t have to be “better off” to get over a breakup.

There’s nothing eloquent about a breakup so naturally there’s no eloquent way to describe them – breakups suck, period. We’ll tell ourselves anything and everything to get over them but how much of what we try to believe really makes a difference? Why not instead just accept that you won’t feel better off and that you’ll just have to mourn what used to be for a while? Since not all great relationships have great endings, make your own.

Instead of telling you “you’re better off without him,” your friends (or frenemies) should be telling you “it’ll get better in time.” Focus your post-breakup days on healing as opposed to being “better off.” Don’t burden yourself with the daunting task of trying to ignore that you were ever part of a relationship, that you ever shared your life with a guy who decided he didn’t want to be a part of it anymore. Somehow trying to forget something reminds you of it more so if you miss him, accept it and understand that missing someone, while bothersome, is not enough to put your life on hold.

As flattering as it is to believe the women in our lives when they take our sides, saying we’re better off without the men who left us, that they were no good anyway, is simply illogical. Our exes can be our exes and still be good people and more importantly, we can, in time, learn to live without them. Take the parts you love and miss of the relationship, whether it’s fairly life-changing like a sunnier disposition or something as small as remembering to turn the lights off when you leave a room, and each day make an effort to incorporate them in your newly single life.

Got it? Feel empowered? Good. Now get the first 30 rules of the Single Girl Society

There’s no easy was to breakup with someone. It’s just an innately uncomfortable situation. Inevitably there will be some harsh words and ugly cry faces. Someone will shamefully grovel and plea, either for forgiveness or to be taken back. Maybe a vase will be thrown, a picture frame smashed. And that’s only if things get exciting. Most times you just sit there with someone else not saying much, but miraculously knowing exactly what’s going on anyway.

Well, prepare to have your world rocked, because the art of the breakup has finally been perfected. Some nameless little genius went out and penned himself the letter to end all letters. Take a look above and see for yourself. Did you just read the words “tet-tets” and “crip?” Yes. Yes, you did.

Asysna, how ever could you let this winner go?

According to Jezebel the prince and his blushing bride will be inviting six of their exes to the wedding. ( 2 of hers. 4 of his). And apparently there’s some sort of etiquette behind this that requires them to do so. But I mean, come on. I know they’re royalty and all and they don’t have much of a choice, but is this something the rest of us are going to have to do as well? I hope not. Because I definitely won’t be inviting my exes anywhere. I don’t even want to see them at the coffee shop never mind at the rehearsal dinner…

This train of thought of course, got me thinking about my own ex encounters, which had me cringing and triumphing  at each one in turn.  And this of course had me thinking about the dos and don’ts of ex-boyfriends, and that, of course, is how you wound up with this list.

Do remove your ex from your Facebook feed. Seeing his obnoxious statuses about babes and beer everyday is not going to help you get over him. The more he pops up on your newsfeed the more you’ll want to head over to his page and stalk him read through his wall. Avoid the temptation and hide him!

Don’t remove your ex from your Facebook friends. Hiding him is one thing, but deleting him is something else entirely, and it’s a big no-no. Not only because to him it means you cared enough to be mad enough to delete him, but also because as much as you don’t want to know what’s  going on with him, you’ll want the option to be there. Trust me on this one.

Do give him a coy smile and a quick hello if you see him out and about. Seeing the ex again is inevitable, especially on a college campus where everyone goes to all of the same bars and all of the same events. So don’t avoid him or pretend like you don’t see him. Just smile politely, exchange pleasantries. And then move along.

Don’t stay and chat. The longer you hang around with him, the greater your chances will be of saying something you probably shouldn’t or hearing something you probably don’t want to hear. You two broke up. Parted ways. Don’t stay and endure the awkward conversation for whatever reason you’ve come up with.

Do introduce him to your date. If you’re there with another guy, introduce him to said guy. It would be odd if you didn’t. Names are fine. No need for labels on either end.

Don’t brag about said date. Telling your ex how fab your new beau is may seem like a brilliant idea at the time, and a great way to make him jealous but it may do more time than good. I mean you can always tell when someone’s laying it on, can’t you?  That person definitely looks like she’s trying too hard, doesn’t she?

Do remember you broke up for a reason. When enduring post breakup encounters for the first time it’s easy to be hit with that rush of old feelings. You remember how cute he is or how he makes you laugh and how much fun you have and suddenly you’re heading down memory lane, no matter who did the breaking up. But remember you did break up. For a reason.

Don’t get reeled back in. I repeat, you broke up for a reason. And I’m sure it was difficult, whether you were the dumper or the dumpee, but ignoring those reasons and  jumping back into something too quickly doesn’t solve those problems. It just hides them. So keep that in mind during your ex encounters.

What about you ladies? Have any breakup dos and don’ts? Or better yet any breakup horror stories we can oh and ah about use to learn from past mistakes?

The first time I read this headline, I thought it was referring to celebrity breakup reactions and I’m like “OMG, someone else has clinical troubles when a quality celebrity couple break up“. Then I realized it was referring to your own breakup. Which is probably a lot more useful since most people didn’t call in sick to work when Reese and Ryan called it off. We all know what NOT to do after a breakup (like poop in your ex’s car), it’s not as clear as what you can do.

Intruigued? Here’s the official list.

In the last year, it seems as though being single has been my specialty. While flings and hookups have come and gone (pun intended) and dates have left me with some less than desirable memories, my current single status has remained loyally by my side. I’ve learned a lot in the past year and I’ve discovered that single girls around the world are all in the same fabulous pair of shoes.

So if you’re sick of sitting at a table for one, eating a meal portioned for two, I cordially invite you to join The Single Girl Society, where being single is more than status, it’s a lifestyle. Of course, with everything in life, the single girl lifestyle comes with rules and I’ve picked up quite a few along the way. So kick back, grab a drink and let the lessons I’ve learned serve as your very own roadmap to transitioning to and enduring the single life.

Though we’re all in a full-on finals crunch and the last thing your 5 Hour Energy buzz can handle is another lesson, I promise this is one you’ll actually use after college.

Lesson 2: It’s only romantic the first time you go back.

If you find yourself at a crossroad, where your single life intersects with your ex who wants you back, you should keep in mind that after the first time, going back won’t be considered romantic anymore. Nobody likes the couple that breaks up after every fight and then gets back together just weeks later. Just ask the Jersey Shore kids who’ve had to deal with Sammi and Ronnie for 2 years.

Just to clarify, that means you get one break up and one chance to go back after said breakup; the breakups and make-ups after that are treacherous. Girls who rush back into relationships with the same ex over and over are like the little girl who cried “break up” so many times that after a while, nobody believed her anymore. Her words have lost their value, as even her closest friends doubt her when she says, “Ugh guys, for real this time, I’m so done with him.”

While I believe in second chances, I find it harder to believe in third, fourth and fifty-second chances. Second chances can be like the band-aid of the relationship realm. Some of the strongest couples I know were ones who took a break and got back together. If it weren’t for second chances and girls going back to guys, our favorite romances would not exist and who really wants to imagine a world without The Notebook?

Just keep in mind that if you do go back, the things that actually drove you and your man apart should be resolved or at least on the way to resolution. The last thing you want is to be the girl who goes back too soon to the wrong guy and relives the same problems all over again, only to end it with the prospect of giving him yet another chance. Like Eminem said, “you only get one opportunity” to go back on romantic terms; don’t waste it.

Think hard about if going back is the right decision not just for you but for him as well, and be sure to consider if your current life will fit his. After time apart, there’s always the possibility that one (or both) of you has changed, so going back may not always mean you get everything back to the way it was. If you’re going back to him, let’s hope he’s changed for the better, no longer taking you on “dates” to the sports bar to where his eyes are glued to the television and not on your new dress (that you probably wouldn’t have worn if you knew he was taking you to a sports bar) or divulging intimate details about your life with this bros.

Also, don’t resent your friends if they begin to lose faith in you when you promise “it’s the last time you’re getting back together, for real this time.” They just want what’s best for you. If after you tell them you’re going back, their brows have furrowed and their smiles have turned upside down, it’s only because they were there for the ride when it didn’t work out the first time, as you shared every detail with them over drinks, Sex-and-the-City style. Your friends just don’t want to see you get hurt; it’s that simple.

If after all of that, you’re still ready to go back, then all I can say is good luck and be careful. You have to be your own safety net. While you don’t have to be completely guarded, just ease yourself back in, gradually allowing your life to readjust. By taking it slow, you’ve created a sort of trial run for what getting back together would be like. If it seems to be working out, then by all means, carry on with a hand over your heart (just in case). But if it doesn’t, don’t worry, you’re always welcome in this single life. And really, it’s actually pretty great.

What’s rule #1 of the Single Girl Society? Find out right here.

Where does he find the time to woo a lady?!

Who else did Jesse James have his eye on?

8 ways to impress a new man.

What is Carmen Electra up to these days? Uh….

What do you think of Miley’s new ‘do?

And here’s how guys get over breakups.

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.

(Two guys, on a day trip to farm)

Guy 1: Look! A bunch of cows!
Guy 2: Herd of cows!
Guy 1: Of course I’ve heard of cows!
Guy 2: No, no! A cow herd!
Guy 1: What do I care if a cow heard? I never said anything I shouldn’t have!

(Girl and guy, walking.)

Girl: I’m starving. Let’s get burgers.
Guy: Fur burgers?

(Guy, girl, in a restaurant.)

Guy: I’ve heard from Davis and Florida State.

Girl: Wait, Florida State? Where’s that?

(Two girls, walking around an art museum.)

Girl 1: I didn’t think people wore dresses like that back then.

Girl 2: I didn’t know people knew what boobs were back then.

(Two guys, waiting in a restaurant.)

Guy 1: Man, if I don’t eat something soon, I’m gonna eat someone.

Guy 2: S—.

Guy 1: Didn’t say it had to be you.

(Girl, on the phone at a bus stop.)

Girl: Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who’s making out with your roommate!

(Two girls, watching women’s basketball in the lounge.)

Girl 1: I don’t think we can lose.

Girl 2: Depends. Can they shoot 3-point shots from the bathroom?

Girl 1: That’s gotta be a euphemism for something.

(Two girls, browsing a bookstore.)

Girl 1: … Yeah, me too. We fit like hand and glove.

Girl 2: Like Batman and Superman.

Girl 1: Like Batman in Superman.

Girl 2: Yes.

(Girl, on the phone at a party.)

Girl: Look … okay, I’m really too drunk to break up with you right now. Can we just do this tomorrow? Okay. Love you, bye.