Every magazine we’ve ever read since childhood has spouted off Top 10 lists of where to meet men (yeah, I’m pretty sure Highlights even touched on that subject).  At this point in my life, the potential places to meet men have been pounded into my head.  Yet, I still have some issues actually getting a dude.

What am I doing wrong?

These magazines that direct us toward sports bars and dog parks are leaving out a major detail – what to do when you’re actually near a high concentration of testosterone.  It’s not enough to just saunter into the Apple store and expect any and all men to fall at your feet, begging for your phone number (and besides, that only happens when I go to ComicCon).  You have to be able to work it and divert your target’s attention away from whatever tempted him away from his XBox in the first place.  I mean, it can get pretty difficult to strike up a conversation with a guy during a spin class (it can also be pretty hard to breath during a spin class).

So, to help you out, we’ve decided to take the best of the man-heavy locations and give you suggestions as to how to utilize them effectively. Read More »

I want to propose the unthinkable:

I think hipsters are kind of OK.

Now, stay with me here.
Many, many people disagree – even some here at CollegeCandy – but if you can look past the obvious (like the mustaches and the outline of the boys’ genitalia through their super tight denim), I think our friends in Bushwick and the ‘Burg have some redeeming qualities. Below, I present a list of their good points:

1. Sometimes their clothes aren’t ridiculous: Just about everyone looks good in a v-neck tee, even if it’s not from American Apparel (sorry, Dov). And skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors may also be hipster mainstays, but let’s not forget, these have been the mark of style for a long time. (Yes, long before some people were rockin’ them out with Wayfarers and fedoras.)  Rock stars wouldn’t be sexy if their jeans weren’t so damn tight and Chucks are comfy with a 40-year history of cool. Everyone from Snoop Dogg to Sylvester Stallone has worn these kicks, and your plaid-clad friends aren’t going to stop now. Neither should you. Read More »

Ever since I started watching “Friends,” I always wanted a cute little coffee shop I could go to with my girlfriends, have a great cup of coffee and just chat. But Maine’s latest coffee shop gives a whole new meaning to “Central Perk.”

The planning board in Vassalboro, ME recently approved a topless coffee shop. And by topless, I don’t mean you will be sipping your mocha in a roofless establishment. By topless, I mean your helpful baristas and waitresses will indeed be topless. As in, without tops.

Yes, boobs out. Read More »

Here’s the scene: You walk into your favorite coffee shop on Friday evening after class. You’re fumbling for your wallet and about to order a mocha latte when you notice a pretty cute guy sitting across the room. As if on cue, he looks up and notices you, too. You both smile and redirect your gazes to the ground.

“Ma’am?” says the barista. “Can I help you?”

Right. So after you finally get your coffee, you amble over by the cute dude’s table and strategically sit near him. After a few minutes of awkward eye contact, he gathers up his stuff and asks if he can sit with you. Score, right? You abandon all thoughts of starting your paper early as you gaze into his hazel eyes and find out that you both love cheese fondue and college basketball. As it grows dark outside, he mentions he has to leave, so you take a deep breath and get up the courage to ask him The Question: “Hey… do you wanna hang out again sometime?”

And here’s the answer: “Oh. Um… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just see you around.”

OUCH!

Congratulations—you’ve liked a guy who doesn’t like you back. We’ve all been there. But is it really as bad as it seems? Read More »

I am horrible when it comes to eating, and my metabolism is probably waiting until I’m thirty to get its revenge in the form of cellulite and love handles. I skip meals all the time, and have been known to go days without food.

No, I don’t have an eating disorder. I have a working disorder—I’m a total workaholic.

When I do eat, it needs to be healthy and somewhat portable. I’ve considered trying Atkins or Southbeach protein bars, Power Bars, or even Slim Fast Shakes as a snack I can pound in the car on my way to work. But, honestly, I can’t justify consuming 400 calories in the form of a little bitty rice bar that is not going to quiet my growling stomach, or 13 grams of fat in a similarly unsatisfying wannabe-milkshake concoction.

Instead, I live off of caffeine.

One morning, before work, I stopped at my favorite coffee shop to grab a skim milk, sugar-free vanilla latte, and saw a display of Vegan Energy Bars at the counter. I’m not vegan, but was hungry and I thought that those little heart-shaped bars might be crazy enough to work! I mean, the vegans are picky about what they put into their bodies and without meat or dairy, they still need nutrients, right?

I purchased a package of chocolate chip flavored (if it has chocolate it can’t be that bad), heart-shaped, soy-filled cakes of pure delight that day, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Read More »

To be completely honest, after a long week of brain power the last thing I feel like doing in my free time is pleasure reading, however, I have found just the piece of literature to help re-light the spark: Chelsea Handler’s “My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands.”

If you haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing her antics, Chelsea Handler is a complete trip with great material and no shame. I found Chelsea several years ago on the Oxygen Network’s “Girls Behaving Badly”, and from there followed her to the E! Network and caught a few stand-up shows — the rest is history.

So last weekend I picked up Chelsea’s book after many months of putting it off (like I said, reading for fun loses all appeal when you have to read for purpose), and headed to a nearby coffee shop to enjoy my book with a nice cup of coffee.

I have never felt like more of a spaz. I barely made it through the first chapter without literally laughing out loud – as in laughing out loud in the middle of a crowded coffee shop filled with students studying hard, sitting all by myself. Talk about being that girl.

It only took me a few more failed attempts to try and hide my laughing before I decided Chelsea’s book was best read in the privacy of my home, where only my roommates would judge me – and I have a feeling laughing while reading isn’t too high on the list.

I continued the rest of the book — yes, I read the whole thing in one sitting — in the living room with all my roommates, who continually asked me about every five minutes what I was laughing at, (the Jurassic park feet reference killed me.) Needless to say, this book became a cult-classic in my household within a week. Read More »

If you’re like me, your college experience was (or currently is) filled with many trips to a coffee shop–whether that means the standard Starbucks on every campus, or the funky local joint that was unique to your school.

Between study sessions, first dates, meetings with professors, or catching up with a girlfriend I hadn’t seen in awhile due to crazy schedules, there was always a reason to meet for coffee.

Because coffee is such a central part of my life, any new stories or research relating to it peaks my interest. My personal favorites are the health reports that suggest coffee may actually be good for you because it makes me feel okay about my obsession. But, on a recent perusing of Slate.com, I came across a new take on coffee culture that never even crossed my mind: Who gets better service at coffee shops, males or females?

The first thing that ran through my mind was, is there really a difference? I mean, making coffee-related drinks is pretty straightforward, so why would one gender get better service than the other? Apparently, there is a bit of a discrepancy.

An economist in the Boston area and her students staked out eight different coffee shops and watched how long it took men to get served compared to women. She found that men get their coffee 20 seconds before women. Read More »