The part I’m least excited about (besides having to turn off my CrackBerry until the flight attendants tell me I can turn it back on) is leaving David behind. Alas, he doesn’t get to accompany me on my awesome trip (it’s for business) and all week I’ve been getting ready to leave him all on his own for 5 whole days.

As he’ been so lovingly, gently reminding me all week, he is in fact a full grown man capable of taking care of himself. He did it for 20 years before he met me, and according to him he’s still got the hang of that. While I do realize that he’ll be fine while I’m gone, after living with him and taking care of our home (and his dirty laundry…) I can’t help but think (OK, hope) he’ll feel just a teeny bit lost whilst I’m gone.

After all, this will help him come to the realization that I’m totally indispensable, which has been my master plan all along. But, I don’t want to leave him high and dry, so I did fully stock our freezer full of a weekend’s worth of man-food (aka microwaveable and artery clogging). And I am leaving him a “HoneyDew” list, both because I freaking love the name of it and because it’s got all kinds of unpleasant things I’d rather not deal with on it. Hopefully, I’ll come home to a clean home with new air conditioner filters, a newly installed printer and no more laundry to do.

In all actuality though, David will be totally fine without me (and probably won’t get much on that list done). I’m seeing a lot of ESPN, absence of pants, farting, Bud Light and PS3 Bro extravaganzas in his future. So while he’s bummed he can’t go on an awesome trip, I’m pretty sure he’s looking forward to turning our house into a giant man cave for 5 days.

But seriously, when did I get so protective of him? I’m not his mother, and last semester I had to fly to a different conference or leadership convention every other weekend. I guess living with him has made me a little bit crazy, but it definitely feels weird to worry (just a smidge) about leaving him on his own for such a short amount of time. Whaddya think? Am I insane for being anxious about leaving him? Or do you know what I’m talking about?

I decorated the kitchen and dining room with these adorable flag banners cut out of different patterned scrapbooking paper. I wrote some of my favorite things about him on another sheet of scrapbooking paper to turn into his place mat. Then I turned on Sports Center, got a Bud Light ready for when he walked through the door, threw on some lingerie and started grillin’ up some surf-n-turf.

I was so nervous for him to get home, I don’t know why, but my hands were literally shaking when I heard the door open. He was so surprised and happy, it was the cutest thing. All I wanted to do was make him happy, but seeing how much he genuinely appreciated everything just melted my heart. And it reminded me how lucky I am.

When people ask me what it’s like having been in a long-term relationship throughout my entire college career, my answers usually vary. Sometimes I’m defending my choice to those who think I’m insane for not – ahem – taking advantage of all the hot, young guys surrounding a college gal. Sometimes I’m playing down David’s sheer awesomeness to jealous friends. Most of the time I talk about how amazing it is to have someone who constantly offers me love and support (who’s not, ya know, my Mom and Dad). But too often I forget about the flip side of the equation.

I forget how incredible it feels to be young and in love with such an amazing man. And isn’t that the best part about having a boyfriend? Getting giddy butterflies and having flashes of realization that he’s all yours? Monday night reminded me of the many many reasons I fell in love with David, and how freaking lucky I am to have spent three marvelous birthdays with that handsome devil.

If I have my way (and his, from what he tells me), we’ll be spending the rest of his birthdays together. I can only hope that I remember every single year how incredibly fortunate I am to be his girlfriend. For all my ladies out there who aren’t gagging with cynicism by now (kudos for reading through this mush fest!), take a minute to share some of your favorite things about your s.o.- you might be surprised how much more you love them just thinking about how great they are.

You are only a few hours away from a three day holiday weekend, ladies! Can I get a “what what”?! Memorial Day Weekend is the official kick-off to summer, which means only one thing: it’s time to get a bikini wax the inevitable family BBQ.

Truth: You love hot dogs off the grill.
Truth: Your family is ridiculous and you’d much rather spend the time with people who don’t make inappropriate jokes about hot dogs. Or at least people who make funny inappropriate jokes about hot dogs. And are under the age of 65.
Solution: CollegeCandy’s Memorial Day Family BBQ Drinking Game

Because Great Uncle Bert’s war stories (a war which he was not in) are easier to listen to when you’ve got Bud Light coursing through your veins. The best part? You can play alone and, being that you leave the BBQ with a killer buzz, you always end up the winner.

What you will need:
A case of domestic beer (we’re celebrating America, aren’t we?)
Various other alcoholic beverages
Your drinking hat

Let’s Play:
- Chug your first beer if you are the only single person there (over the age of 16)/chug your first beer if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, but they are playing this game at their own family BBQ

- Take a shot every time someone asks you if you are dating someone.

- Take another if they don’t at least feign surprise when you say you are not.

- Take a double shot every time someone asks what you’re studying and/or what you plan to do now that you’ve graduated.

- Mix and drink a screwdriver every time your mother nags about your lack of job or job prospects (“What are you going to do with a Communications degree!?”). You’re screwed in this market, anyway.

- Take a Kamikaze shot every time grandpa mentions his time in WW2.

- Pour one for our fallen heroes if anyone even mentions the real purpose of Memorial Day.

- Bring out the beer bong if someone starts talking about ‘Ole Dubya (George W. Bush), John McCain or the “glory days before Obama.”

- Take a drink every time someone says something that could be taken sexually and someone immature (i.e. you) giggles/responds with “that’s what she said.”

- Have a shot of whiskey every time your father/uncle/grandfather/brother almost burns off their eyebrows or arm hair with the grill.

- Take a sip every time your father/uncle/grandfather/brother talks about how he is the master of the grill and no one can grill up meat like him.

- Assign three drinks to anyone who says they are on a diet and only want salad.

- Put down your drink and start crying if someone comments on how much you are eating/how you should be on a diet.

- Polish off whatever is open and not finished if grandma/some other woman in your family leaves a big, wet lipstick print on your cheek when she says goodbye.

By the end of the night, your family should be bearable and your legs should feel like Jell-0. A Memorial Day BBQ victory!

[Photo courtesy of jfizz 79 on Flickr. Thanks!]

So, who else has a mean hot wing hangover this morning? Seriously, my heartburn is out of control and I didn’t even pound Budweisers last night. In fact, I was so busy licking BBQ sauce off my finders, I couldn’t tell you who threw (kicked? passed?) the winning touchdown. I can, however, tell you the best recipe for some wings. And the best/funniest/awesomest commercials from the Super Bowl.

But before we get to that, I have one question:

What was with all the pantsless commercials? Ugh, I definitely saw more than my fair share of saggy whiteys hanging off the back of old, hairy men. And it was not pretty.

Missed the game? Summary: The Saints (ya know, that team that Kim Kardashian’s BF plays for) beat the Colts (ya know, that team that Kendra Wilkinson’s hubby plays for), and here are the top 10 best commercials of 2010′s Super Bowl:

10. Bud Light and T-Pain
Who wouldn’t want to share a bowl of guacamole with T-Pain?

9. Go Daddy
Danica Patrick is hot, we get it. The commercials are campy, but still entertaining.

8. Budweiser Human Bridge
Gotta love teamwork all for the name of beer. Although I personally wouldn’t partake unless it was a Belvedere truck.

7. E*Trade Babies
Actually, no. Screw these babies, they creep me out. I’m just including it because the commercials weren’t all that great this year and people weirdly like babies who act like adults or are dressed up as flowers. Keep it.

6. Leno, Letterman and Oprah watching the Superbowl
Yes, I’m obsessed with late night. I was stunned when I saw these three perched on a couch together. Love you, Dave!

5. CareerBuilder.com
I would kill for casual-Fridays-turned-casual-every-day-of-no-pants.

4. Mark Sanchez PSA for female heart attacks
Seriously, his good looks put me into cardiac arrest. Swoooon.

3. Megan Fox: Motorola
Well at least we know this girl will do anything for a buck, including sell herself while posing in a bathtub. If you got it… Sigh, I wish I was her.

2. Google’s Parisian Love
This was perfect. I’m not sure why Google needs to advertise, but I guess the Super Bowl was the only thing left for those guys to take over. And now they have. And I’m okay with it.

1. Doritos: Play Nice
Absolutely hilarious. Don’t like Doritos, but I love children slapping adults. The only thing that would have made this better if if that little boy left a teeny, cheesy handprint on that dude’s face.

"She's gonna get fat."

As college students, we are constantly inundated with new knowledge. It can be useful, thought-provoking, or crammed into our head on a Starbucks-fueled binge several hours before an exam. However, very rarely do we question the validity of all this new knowledge (unless you take philosophy classes, then you’ll question away).

That’s where College Candy comes in. We’re not going to debate whether or not the Theory of Relativity actually exists (a disappointment, I know, but I’m a communications major and stopped taking science classes after Baby Bio fresh year). However, we are here to thoroughly investigate the most widespread college knowledge (no, not rhyming): the myth.

Alright guys, I’m gonna level with you: I’m a big fan of the brewskies. I like Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale, Sweetwater 420, the occasional stein of Newcastle, and the slightly more frequent funnel full of Bud Light. I particularly like that I can drink copious amounts of beer without the consequences that would come from drinking the same amount of vodka, water & lime. Most of all, I like that beer lends itself easily to day-drinking.

What I don’t like about beer (besides how much it makes me want to sing drinking songs) is that it makes me fat.

It’s not even the eventual, slowly-creeping-towards-your-thighs fat. It’s like an immediate, “I’m so carbonated and delicious and I’m going to make you so full you can’t suck in anymore” variety of fat. So it’s no wonder that beer contributes majorly to the Freshman 15, right? Ehh, yes and no.

The typical 12 ounce beer has around 150 calories. So obviously, each one you drink adds to your bottom line of calorie intake. The more calories you consume without burning them off, the more weight you’re gonna gain (I know, it’s all very scientific). But if you carefully measure out your Stairmaster time to counteract the beer pong tournament you plan on winning later and you’re still gaining weight, it might not be Natty Light’s fault.

A strange thing happens when I drink beer. Come the end of the party/night/gameday/Happy Hour, I feel this strange magnetic force pulling me in the direction of anywhere that serves cheese fries. I’m not the only one, right?  Ok, good.

Beer, while awesome, still has alcohol in it (actually I’m pretty sure that’s what makes it awesome). Alcohol has this sneaky, two pronged approach to weight gain. In and of itself, it’s a highly caloric waste of nutritional value. On top of that, it lowers inhibitions. So not only are you more likely to make out with that guy who dressed up as a Smurf for Halloween (my best friend is still trying to get the blue body paint off of her sheets), you’re more likely to think that a Big Mac is totally worth blowing your day of careful eating and yoga. And it might not stop at the Big Mac, because we all know McDonald’s is a gateway drug to pizza and Lucky Charms.

So, while beer will make you gain weight (without exercise and self-control), another often-overlooked aspect of weight gain is beer’s BFF, Drunk Eating. The best way to avoid gaining a beer gut that isn’t even beer? Don’t stock your fridge with unhealthy crap, keep snacks in pre-portioned containers or bags, and for the love of all that is holy do not ask the cab driver to stop at Taco Bell on the way home! Instead, eat a good dinner with complex carbs and protein on nights you know you’re goin’ out big. Good judgment before 5 rounds of flip cup might just ensure better judgment after you are dubbed queen of the first try flip.

So this week’s playlist goes out to our BFF, money, which tops my list of Things I Hate But Can’t Do Without (right underneath Ryan Seacrest’s Top 40).

So until the refund checks come in the mail, you’ll probably still be sitting around listening to this mix while sipping a Bud Light and smoking an American Spirit. But that’s okay – your time will come.

We’re makin’ it rain right here.

It’s finally feeling like spring outside. So this week I traded in my knee-high snowboots for flip flops,  my sweaters for tank tops, and my Bud Light drafts for margaritas with cute little plastic umbrellas.

When it hits 50 in March in Northeast Ohio, we pull out all the stops.

So, in celebration of springtime, I created a playlist of some good, old fashioned rock n’ roll favorites that you can put on while you’re lazily sipping (…or quickly bonging) your favorite beverage…outside. Without a jacket. Or Uggs.

Listen here.

So I’m going to put aside my jealousy and tell you the secret to packing on the pounds. If you’re looking to lose ten pounds, do the opposite. It’s as simple as that.

Case Study:

One very thin New Yorker (5’8, 105 lbs) was tired of looking like a model and vowed to bulk up. When her buddy told her that he lost 10 pounds after giving up his two-beer-a-day habit, she started drinking two beers a day.

“Unlike Ensure, beer is tolerable to me, has loads of carbs and is low in sugar,” she says. “I’ve been swigging everything from monk-made ales to fruity lambics.” She raves about the quick results. Keep her words in mind you beer pong lovers. If you notice your pants are a little tight, maybe it’s time to cut out the sauce.

According to Sharon Akabas, a nutritionist at Columbia University Medical Center, a consistent daily increase of 300-500 calories should be enough to help someone put on ten pounds in 6 months. With 12 oz of beer ranging from about 110 calories (Bud Light) to 210 calories (Anchor Porter), it’s easy to see why drinking can help you gain weight. If each game of beer pong requires about…let’s say 4 beers. That’s about 440 calories if you’re using Keystone Light.

Here are the other tips:

1. Eat Bigger Portions: At every meal, eat a third more than normal.

2. Nibble throughout the day: Keep trail mix in your bag and have 1/2 cup a day. Those of you who constantly snack while studying should watch out for this one.

3. Consume late-night snacks: Eat a peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwich on whole-wheat bread.

4. Shake it up: Between meals, drink a 12 oz smoothie (with yogurt, bananas, strawberries and raspberries).

5. Indulge: Eat ice cream for dessert.

6. Have a drink….

There you have it. A fool-proof plan to make you 10 pounds heavier.

Hell, I don’t wake up in the early morning, walk four avenues, and make myself sweaty on the elliptical because it’s fun—I do it because I have to.

Which is why I was super pissed (I mean, honestly, pissed) to read an article that was originally published in New York Magazine.

Why am I so mad? Because the article insinuated working out does nothing but make us hungry.

Without denying that 30 minutes a day on the Stairmaster is good for our health, journalist Gary Taubes recently explained that “most studies on the link between swimming laps and losing weight demonstrate little beyond one widely accepted fact: “exercising makes us hungry.”” Even more annoying, Taubes points out “exercise may even lead to a weight gain.”

According to Taubes, Jean Mayer, a nutritionist and “physiological chemist”, invented the “myth” of exercise being directly related to weight loss.

Taubes claims Mayer’s facts were “often contradictory”, but somehow his words caught fire with the American public and have stayed with us ever since.

The best way to keep weight off, according to Taubes? “Cutting down on the simple carbohydrates and sugars that primarily stimulate insulin production—potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, sweets and beer” is the way to go.

So keep going to be gym because it makes me healthy, but don’t expect it to keep the weight off? And while I’m at it, trade my Bud Light for a celery stick??

…sounds like a prison sentence.

I do like to experiment with new beers, though. I really, really adore blueberry beer on a warm day (it’s totally refreshing, you should try it), pumpkin beer in the fall, Brooklyn Lager anytime.

While theres not a whole lot of things that go better together than pizza and beer, can you imagine drinking a pizza flavored beer? Sounds gross. But someone’s drinking it.

A husband and wife from Illinois decided to try a homemade brew after growing too many tomatoes in their garden. They mixed together the tomatoes, basil, oregano and some garlic into a puree, and added it as is into their own blended wheat—and voila! Mama Mia Pizza Beer.

I read some reviews, and words like “impeccable” and “tasty” were used. One person said it tastes like you are actually drinking a pizza. Which is perhaps the most unappetizing thing I have ever heard. I don’t even like cold pizza, and the thought of it pureed into something I should drink? Gimme a goldfish to swallow. I imagine, though, that there are some boys out there that could make this their favorite new libation.