Happy Derby Day/Cinco de Mayo! Whether you’re doing a classy or trashy celebration, we wish you well. And to add a little humor to your day, we thought we’d show you some photos of a less upscale kind of race – a donkey race. Yes, donkey races are a thing and we’ve got the pictures to prove it. There something irresistibly hilarious about a person riding a donkey. Check it out.

[Lead image via Debu55y /Shutterstock]

Any excuse to wear a fake mustache and a sombrero makes my heart sparkle. This is probably why Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite holidays! Did I mention how much I love tacos and tequila? Hey, I’m from Texas. It’s in my blood! In honor of this glorious celebration, I’ve pulled together some of my favorite tequila cocktail recipes. Allrecipes.com is pretty much my saving grace for all things kitchen and bar related, so if these recipes don’t suit your fancy, I’d recommend heading over there and typing the word ‘tequila.’

Get your fiesta on!

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This Saturday, May 5th, two amazing holidays landed on the same day! Derby Day and Cinco de Mayo! Americans love to binge drink for many reasons — holidays, birthdays, Tuesdays — but when two holidays land on the same day, things can get crazy. Derby Day is a Southern holiday that celebrates the Kentucky Derby, a horse racing extravaganza  that takes place in Louisville, Kentucky. People from all over country (and world!) get to pretend they’re from the South for a little while as they bid on horses and wear funny hats. Cinco de Mayo (which is on May 5th, obvi) celebrates The Battle of Puebla which was a huge battle where the Mexicans defeated the French although they had a less powerful army.

So we have two really good reasons to day-drink, but how do we go about celebrating without neglecting one of the holidays? They’re pretty much polar opposites and have nothing in common. This Saturday, I will be in Chicago celebrating Cinco de Mayo by drinking mass quantities of tequila at my favorite Mexican restaurant. I was unaware that Derby Day was also on the 5th of May, so I had to put my brain to work.  How could I take these two awesome holidays and create one huge mega awesome holiday?  Cinco de Derby? Derby de Mayo? Cinco Derby Day? This is going to be just like Chrismukkah only so much better. Happy holidays everyone!

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Katie is finishing up her undergrad at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. She enjoys wasting hours on Facebook and tweeting things no one cares about. When asked the question, “Do you do marathons?” She promptly responds, “Of course! Which show?” Follow her @KatieGarrity! Or read her personal blog where she talks about Ryan Gosling and hummus a lot here! 

"No puedo sentir mis pies" -- I can't feel my feet.

Ah, Cinco De Mayo.  A grand holiday that brings to mind sombreros, margaritas, awkward family encounters with my cousin’s salsa band… no one?  Just me?  Okay then…

This prestigious holiday marks the warding off of the French from Mexico, and is usually celebrated with parades, etc.  Unless you are a college student; then it’s celebrated by waking up May 6th covered in confetti, wearing a sombrero, and clutching a kazoo.

You may think you’re honoring Mexico’s history with a few too many shots of tequila, but if you wanna celebrate this holiday right, it’s time to embrace Cinco De Mayo full force. And that means speaking its native tongue. So here’s a little Spanish guide with all with the essential phrases you’ll need for this joyous holiday.

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!

Margarita on the rocks please! = Margarita con hielo, por favor!

You come here often? = ¿Vienes aqui frequentamente?

Has anyone seen my wallet? = ¿Alguien ha vista mi billete?

My pants appear to have gone missing. =  Mis pantalones parecen a ser desparecio…

How did I get this sombrero? = ¿Como consigui esto sombrero?

WAIT THAT’S MY SOMBRERO!! = ¡¡ESPERA!  ESTO ES MI SOMBRERO!!!

That guy over there is cute. = El chico alla es guapo.

…Just kidding, did not see his face. = Solo en broma, no vi su cara.

Maybe four tequila shots is too many. = Quizas cuatro chupitos de tequila son demasiados.

Is the room spinning? = ¿Es la sala girado?

Wait, is there tequila in these margaritas? = Espera, hay tequila en estas margaritas?

How did I end up here? = ¿Como he llegado hasta aqui?

The news event of the week: since last Tuesday, Egyptians unhappy with their authoritative government have taken to the streets in protest. Inspired by the week prior’s events in Tunisia, the protesters are calling for the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the in-statement of a democratic government. So far, though, American politicians have remained pretty quiet on their stance on the week’s riots. A well-known Egyptian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mohamed ElBaradei, even said that the U.S. appears to be “lending support to a dictator,” which is, of course, never a good thing. On Friday, the Internet in Egypt went dark, a response to the key organizing role the web has played.

On Tuesday night, President Obama delivered his second State of the Union address. If you know three words from his speech, know these: win the future. He mostly discussed how to make the U.S. competitive again as we become less and less of the superpower we once were. For a more complete summary of and response to the speech, read this. The more notable thing about the night was the bi-partisan seating arrangement of the audience. Usually, Congress sits exactly divided: Republicans on one side, Democrats on the other. This year, they were all mixed up, with politicians scrambling for the choicest seats much like high schoolers in a lunchroom. The power pair of the night may have been John Kerry (D- MA) and John McCain (R- AZ), chummily sitting side-by-side. Oh, and there was some not-that-funny joke about salmon.

A suicide bomber set off a deadly blast at an airport in Moscow, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100. The explosion happened last Monday, and the details as to who the bomber was and what his motivations were are as of yet unclear, though there have been reports that he was linked to a terrorist camp in Pakistan. The incident has made many anxious about airport security (more so than they already were); apparently, the bomber walked right through deactivated metal detectors to enter the arrivals section of Russia’s busiest airport.

Rahm Emanuel was taken off, then put back on, the ballot for Chicago’s mayoral election. Emanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff, stepped down from his position at the White House in order to run for mayor in his hometown. He is famous for his dirty, dirty mouth; some choice quotes include referring to D.C. as “f**knutsville” (creative, at the very least) and saying of the Obama’s un house-trained dog, Bo, “I’m going to kill that f**king dog” (awww, poor puppy!). He was thrown off the ballot because he was not a Chicago resident while working in D.C., but the Illinois Supreme Court overturned that ruling on Thursday, deciding he did meet the rules of residency. Watch out, Chicago!

Who the hell is "Mikey Hot Pants"?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in college, it’s that half of the contacts in my phone are people I don’t know. I may have known them for the length of a drink or a line outside my favorite bar, but memory fades with last call.

In any case, what makes the randoms in my phone stand out is how they’re entered as a contact… affectionately re-named, if you will.

We all do it, and I really do lament my memory slipping, but as I was going through my contacts list the other day, I couldn’t help but crack up at some of the best names I found in my phone. After which I was reminded of some of the better names and numbers taken down by some of my friends.

With no further ado, the best contacts I completely forgot about, and you likely have in your phone too:

1. John Cinco de Mayo

Ah, yes, you remember the Cinco de Mayo story. What a glorious and drunken event. He’s still in my phone, identified by when I met him. This can also occur with cities and venues as well (see below)…

2. Ben Skeeps?

I didn’t even have this guy’s number until he texted me about four days later, reminding me that he was Ben, and we met (apparently) at a regular haunt of mine in undergrad. The question mark implies that I really didn’t remember him… read it as “I guess?”

3. Danger

I have never called this number. All I know is it’s from my hometown, may involve a mistyping or T-9 error on my part, but I want to say it’s not a good endorsement.

4. Tim Don’t Pick Up

No joke, my friend has this guy in her phone because he has a tendency to call. Often. Persistence will not be paying him profits anytime soon, but it’s a warning to not lead him on or he won’t go away.

5. D5zkn3 (or something equivalent)

No. Idea. We may or may not have made out at the bar (a sure sign of classiness), but I wouldn’t even be able to tell you which bar because, at the time, I was too much of a mess to READ LETTERS. Contacts like this happen when blackout sets in…. very bad.

6. Cute Kevin

Oh, him I remember. He was cute. And his name was Kevin. Duhhh.

I’ve cleaned out my contacts, what about you? What are some of the best names in your phone?

[This story was originally posted by K - NYU]

Who doesn’t love having a few shots of tequila? This writer doesn’t.  I can usually manage with the lime and salt included, but still; there are tons of things I’d rather experience than the burn of tequila as it runs down my throat followed immediately by my stomach trying to send it back.

BUT, it is National Tequila Day, so the Goose (or the cheap Burnetts vodka that I normally drink) is gonna have to wait until tomorrow night. I can’t let a momentous day like this pass me by without partaking in some “festivities.” And by festivities, I clearly mean a little one tequila, two tequila, three tequila…. well, you know the ending.

And I don’t even have to do it in shot form, because there are some mighty fine lookin’ tequila cocktails out there. These badboys give you all the tequila goodness without the pain/regurgitation.

I’ll drink (tequila) to that!

But that wasn’t all we did this week.

We fought with our boyfriend about his love for strip clubs, we threw an end-of-the-year rager…and then spent the entire next day cleaning it up, and we spent a lot of time trying to understand this whole Miss California mess.

We also went in search of a romper for summer, which, thankfully, is a total fashion DO, unlike some things. We can’t wait to wear it tonight; our Facebook profile pic needs an update.  We’re gonna enjoy some margaritas, dance our little booty off, and then come home and convince ourselves that it’s totally fine to eat a giant pizza by ourselves.

After all, school’s out for summer and we couldn’t be more excited!

After all, this isn’t just any Tuesday – it’s a holiday! You gotta make things special on a holiday. And the way to make this particular holiday special is by pulling out all the stops when it comes to your cocktails of choice. You could just grab some margartia mix and blend it up for you and the girls, or you could do something totally different and totally tasty that will knock everyone’s socks off. And probably pants.

We scoured the internet to find some pretty cheap and unique Cinco-De-Mayo-worthy margaritas. From chocolate to Jell-O shots, these are cocktails no one will forget. Even on a day devoted to forgetting everything. Click on the image to get the recipe, then do it up. (We highly recommend the Skinny Girl Margarita. It’s low cal and incredibly tasty. We already had one this morning. And, yes, it’s only 10 am.)

Enjoy!

]]> http://collegecandy.com/2009/05/05/fun-margaritas-for-cinco-de-mayo/feed/ 4 ccandystaff jose_cuervo1 margarita-jello avocado-margarita skinny-girl raspberry-margarita chocolate-margarita beer-margarita http://collegecandy.com/2009/05/01/why-we-love-the-month-of-may/ http://collegecandy.com/2009/05/01/why-we-love-the-month-of-may/#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 21:00:25 +0000 Brithny - Duke University http://collegecandy.com/?p=28682 ]]> Yay for May!

The April showers are (or should be) over, and it’s time for summer kick in. I can’t WAIT to be done with my exams (only one more… and 10 Red Bulls to go) and on the plane ride home.

The month of May is chock full of great things, and I am more than excited to get this party going. While we’re all winding down and getting ready to finish up the school year, don’t forget to enjoy all the fun things to do and celebrate this month:

1) It’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! (Yeah, I know, try saying that 10 times fast.) As an ABC (American-Born-Chinese), this celebration is near and dear to my heart. Even if you’re not Asian, you can still join us in celebrating this awesome holiday by making some scrumptious Chinese food, and I don’t mean the kind by General Tso. Laugh it up with my fellow Asian Russell Peters, probably the funniest guy alive, and watch this PSA too, brought to you by Dat Phan, another hilarious Asian comedian and stereotypical crazy cab driver.

2) At only 50 calories a cup, who doesn’t love those lovely red heart-shaped fruits we call strawberries? It’s National Strawberry Month, believe it or not (yes, even fruits get to have parties in their honor). It’s also National Salad Month! Throw a garden party and combine the two to make this Chinois Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad, or this Arugula and Strawberry Salad. Speaking of strawberries, has anyone ever heard of strawberry meth? Sounds….tasty?

3) Can you guess what day Cinco de Mayo is on? It’s a great excuse to celebrate that Mexican heritage you’ve never had and always wanted! Or, you know, a great excuse to drink tequila and eat tortilla chips all day long. Invite your homies over for a Mexican celebration. Make a pinata and stuff it with candy, chow down on empanadas, sopapillas, and quesadillas, and cool off with a few cervezas (that’s beer in Spanish, people).

4)If you’ve ever tuned in to watch the Kentucky Derby, you know it’s a show of hats along with the show of horses. It also happens to be tomorrow. It’s too late to travel to Kentucky in time for the main event, so do it up college style. Fashion yourself a really big hat (we’re talking HUGE here, ladies), or peruse the local vintage shops for one, then invite the guys over for an afternoon of horseshoe, Mint Juleps, and the .3 seconds of excitement that is the Kentucky Derby.

5) Mother’s Day is on the 10th, so don’t forget about mom. That woman pushed you out of her birth canal, so the least you can do is send her some tulips.

6) Memorial Day, baby. OMG. Hot dogs. Corn on the cob. Ice cold beer. I’m not sure there is any better way to spend a long weekend.

Other memorable dates in May:
May 6th- International No Diet Day (Ben & Jerry’s, here I come!)
May 14th- National Dance Like A Chicken Day (And a little bit of this, and a little bit of that…)
May 31st- World No Tobacco Day (This should be every day, no?)