The August issue of Cosmo brings us this year’s annual “Hot Issue” (not to be confused with the “Sexy” issue). Cosmo informs the general female public on how to get and stay hot with helpful tips such as  putting shaving cream in your hair and telling your boyfriend he’s hot—before someone else does. (I especially enjoyed this article because they used John and Elizabeth Edwards as the example couple, Hot Issue indeed!)

Besides a semi-interesting interview with Katy Perry and a tabloid-esque dissection of R-Patz and K-Stew’s body language, Cosmo introduced me to my new favorite mascara and taught me how to rub fruit all over my face and hair to look hotter. These were all great tips, but it wouldn’t be Cosmo without a ridiculous article, and this month’s “He’s Perfect But…” had me LOL-ing from my first glimpse.

Basically, Cosmo helps girls who’ve managed to find a decent, normal boyfriend nitpick until they find flaws, and then assists said ladies to “fix” their boyfriends. Here are a few gems of helpful advice if he’s perfect but…:

He wears fugly man jewelry.

Cosmo Says: “Next time he wears his flair, enlist a girlfriend to poke fun at him.” If that doesn’t work, have another friend tease him, because he’s more likely to take fashion advice from women besides you. “Plus, you get the point across without having to be the bad guy.”

Kari Says: Cosmo, how would you feel if your “perfect” boyfriend asked all of his friends to make fun of you? I thought so. Intentionally trying to demean someone you love just because of some over-zealous accessorizing seems pretty immature, not to mention sneaky and lame. If you’re the one who doesn’t like his hideous jewelry, then you should be the one to tell him, not your besties.

He calls everyone buddy.

Cosmo Says: Tell him that his term of endearment reminds you of your senile grandpa. “Now that you’ve planted the idea that he sounds dated, he’ll feel self-conscious about his buddy habit and it’ll fade.’

Kari Says: Again with the purposeful cruelty! My boyfriend pisses me off sometimes but I mostly try to avoid making him feel “self-conscious.” And the comparison to Pop Pop? It’s more likely to cause negative repercussions on your sex life than a positive change in his vocab.

He chews with his mouth open.

Cosmo Says: “Whip out your cell and claim you just want to make a cute video of dinner. Record several seconds of his chewing, then show him the clip, with his face in close up mode.”

Kari Says: First of all, if my man thought it was perfectly normal behavior for me to film him eating “just to make a cute video,” we’d have bigger issues than his nasty dining habits. Second of all, if you think using your cell (let alone video mode) during dinner is acceptable, your boyfriend isn’t the only one who needs to brush up on his manners. A better suggestion? Buy an etiquette book and read it together.

He’s always late.

Cosmo Says: The next time he’s late, ditch him. “When he calls to see where you are, nonchalantly explain that you took off. The shock of you not being there will help him reform his ways.”

Kari Says: Or, instead of taking the underhanded and passive aggressive route, I could explain to my chronically tardy sweetheart that the fashionably late rule does not apply when it comes to date night. A simple explanation of why it bothers me would probably earn an apology and some punctuality, instead of a stood-up and pissed off boyfriend. Plus, I’d get to actually enjoy the date instead of sulking alone while he figures out why I really pulled a no show.

What do you think? Are any of these flaws dealbreakers? Would you use Cosmo’s tips for how to deal with a not-so-perfect Mr. Right?

I’m always a step behind on the latest phone trend. By the time I got a rotary phone in my bedroom, everyone was already onto their cellphones, and by the time I made the jump to cellphones, everyone was already trading up for a flip phone. So it came as no surprise to me that when I finally got a camera phone, the iPhone had come out and BlackBerrys became more ubiquitous than see-through-white-dresses in the summertime.

But it wasn’t until this past summer living in New York City that I truly felt uncomfortable using my cell phone in public. The phone that I had once bragged about because it fit into my clutch was now making me feel as if I was using Zack Morris’s mega phone. People stared at me when I texted and expressed shock and awe that I still used only 9 keys to construct a sentence.

The look I got when I flipped my phone open the other day was the look I gave to my grandmother when she attempted to use her scanner to send an e-mail.

I can’t deny the jealousy. I admit that having the internet on your phone is insanely useful; whenever I’ve gotten lost somewhere, its a friend’s BlackBerry that got me home (not my phone’s tip calculator). And, sure, I’ve gotten frustrated when my T9 brutalized a word so badly that my text ended a friendship. I’ve eyed those keyboards and mouses and wished that my phone, too, could serve as a hand-held laptop.

But, at the same time, I wonder: who are these people always talking to? I mean, obviously when I see people in their business suits I know they are conducting world-changing business, one BBM at a time. However, I can’t fathom what the 13 teen year old girl with the bright pink BlackBerry is talking about as she swings her Hannah Montana backpack onto her shoulders.

Is she changing her orthodontist appointment because she had an urgent meeting with the Rabbi to discuss Bat Mitzvah themes?

Is she telling her friend about another friend who hooked up with that friend even though he was with that other other friend?

What is so urgent that she had to have a BlackBerry and can’t communicate through a basic text messaging phone?

I’m up for a phone upgrade next month and I’m already stressing about what to get. I know that no matter what I get, it won’t be cool enough to brag about. So, I’m thinking I’ll skip the stress, go old school and just buy the most high-tech beeper a non-paid internship salary can buy.

Nothing ruins my morning quite like hearing a leering stranger mutter his commentary on my appearance under this breath. If you’re a woman who’s ever walked a block or two in a city, you can probably relate.

Trading stories of street harassment with friends, I learned that it doesn’t stop at lewd mumbled comments. I have friends who have been flashed on the street, and even treated to a one-man self-pleasure show while riding the subway.

Well, some women have decided that a sneer and the occasional middle is not enough to fend off these unwelcome advances. Thanks to the sassy ladies at hollabacknyc.blogspot.com, if you have a camera phone, you can now “holla back.”

Holla Back NYC encourages women, “if you can’t slap ‘em, snap ‘em.” Women give street catcallers a taste of their own medicine by snapping a picture and putting it up on the blog, along with their story, for the whole world to see and ridicule.

While I wouldn’t recommend having a photo shoot with the homeless man on the empty subway at 3am, next time your morning commute is spoiled by some un-showered construction worker, get that camera phone out and put the power back in your hands!