Since I began my “no-soda” journey these past few months, I’ve been reminiscing my memories with my favorite soda, Diet Coke or, as the cool kids call it, “DC.” Those who are in the DC family understand what I’m talking about: Diet Coke is not merely a “drink,” it’s, as TheFrisky.com points out, a lifestyle. By drinking this soda, you are opening yourself to another portal of life, another form of heaven.

Yes, I am an addict. That’s the first thing DC lovers must admit. We are stubborn and angsty without our Diet Cokes and nothing, I mean nothing, will kill our craving unless it’s one of those pretty silver cans sweating in front of us. Or, even better, a giant cardboard cup filled with the heaven that is a Fountain Diet Coke. Is there anything better? I think not, and anyone who tells you otherwise is either a  A) Coke head (Note: not the same thing as a Lindsay Lohan coke head) B) a Pepsi Whore (EW) or C) stupid.

I’ll be honest and confess that I hated Diet Coke in the beginning. I thought it was “fake” and “disgusting.” My friend loved to order it with every meal and I just scowled at her with disgust. “Why do you even drink that,” I would say over my giant glass of water. “You know, it might kill you.” Her answer was always the same: “Honestly, I just can’t stop. And you won’t know until you try.”

So I did. The first sip, I spat out the coke and said it tasted like cough syrup. And then another sip and another. Then I started ordering DC when I had a salad, or just when I was out with friends. Then I was buying it on the way to class. And soon after, the cravings began. I started to suffer from light headaches, my fingers started shaking. My fridge was filled with nothing but cans of DC and a jar of pickles. I was hooked. Read More »

How can you put Hallie and Annie in Jail?

Well, Lindsay Lohan is at it again… or is she?  Following her DUI in August 2007, Lohan was ordered to attend alcohol education classes weekly.  Now, in violation of her probation, it is reported that she has been attending every 21 days instead.  A court hearing set for May 20 will determine if she will have to serve jail time because of the violation.  The sad part is: this time, she didn’t actually do anything.  Of course failing to adhere to court orders is cause for punishment, but does Lilo really deserve to be put behind bars because of infrequent attendance?  After endless drama with her father and everything headed her way, I actually feel bad for her.  We all remember the adorable little red-head in “The Parent Trap” who was talented enough to play the roles of both Hallie and Annie, imitating an English accent only half of the time.  She really was a talented actress and showed so much potential.  Even in later years, her roles in “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls” were well portrayed.  She had proven herself different from other talent-less Hollywood cokeheads; she really had a lot going for her.  Obviously experimentation with drugs and alcohol was her choice, but it is impossible to know the kind of pressure celebrities like Lindsay face while in the spotlight all of the time.  At this point, the media looks for excuses to push her even further down into a whole.  Only the hearing can decide her fate, but hopefully she will be shown some slack and the chance to make positive changes in her life.

July is pretty much here (I know – where the eff did June go??), and I can’t help but notice more American-themed fashion/toys/food crowding the retail shelves just about everywhere.  At first I was confused (I mean, that red, white, and blue dress is cute, but wasn’t Fleet Week a while ago?), then it dawned on me…Independence Day.

After about a minute of feeling guilty about almost forgetting our Nation’s birthday, I started to remember why I adore the 4th of July so much.  I get to spend time with my family, spend all weekend drunk and in the sun, and eat massive amounts of food.

This year, however, I decided I wasn’t going to puss out after just three servings of barbecue.  So, I did a little research and gathered some tips from the masters (read: the competitors in the yearly Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest!).  Now you guys can join me in celebrating the founding of America the only way that is appropriate – by eating more than anyone else on the planet.

Don’t Starve Yourself Beforehand – When you starve yourself, you’re actually making your stomach shrink (in addition to being a pretty bad move in general).  Keep eating before the big day and you’ll  keep your appetite up.  Besides, who wants to rock that crazed, hungry person look during the family picnic?

Prepare Your Stomach - Assuming that you aren’t Takeru Kobayashi, you probably don’t eat like a maniac on a normal basis.  Therefore, you might have to stretch your stomach out to make room for all those amazing Independence Day meals (ribs? burgers? corn on the cob? Droooool).  Use this week to chug water and chomp on mad lettuce – you’ll expand your stomach in no time (thirds, much?). Read More »

Good to the last...gallon.

[Life isn’t black and white. As much as we wish we simply loved or hated things, there is often that whole annoying gray area in the middle. Like how we love American Apparel basics, but aren't so sure about the gold lame... Or how we love staying on campus all summer, but just aren't so sure we wanna be in the classroom. Damn you, gray area; you make decision-making that much more complicated!]

“One venti double chocolate chip skinny white mocha frappuccino with a single shot of espresso, half whip, skim milk, sugar-free caramel syrup, shaken not stirred.”

Does that sound like you? I, like so many people I know, can’t function without a big mug of Joe in the morning (and one in the afternoon). My eyes won’t even open until the heavenly scent of coffee hits my olfactory glands. Yes, I even grab one on the way to the gym. It’s not my fault – I’ve been conditioned by our go, go, go and caffeine-obsessed culture. But I wonder: is that (extra large) cup of energy-charged caffeine really good for me?

Love It
I admit it: I’m a caffeine addict. Coffee, tea, diet soda, you name it, I drink it. I have many reasons for my addiction, reasons I use to combat the imaginary little guy on my shoulder that tells me all this caffeine is not all that good for me:

Coffee reduces the risk of disease, improves your performance, and even has a few antioxidants in those heavenly beans. Tea has even more health benefits: it fights cancer, lowers cholesterol, strengthens your immune system, and has an amazing amount of EGCG. Some scientists even believe green tea can speed up weight loss. And when you need a fiz fix, there’s nothing like a can of ice-cold Diet Coke. And what about those late-nighters that seem like a college requirement at times? It’s why I currently have 3 cans of Red Bull in my fridge (originally a pack of 4). I mean, I always drink at least 8 cups of water to keep my body happy, but sometimes water just doesn’t cut it.  It doesn’t wake you up like coffee does, doesn’t provide as many health benefits as tea, and isn’t as fun to drink in a little cafe with your friends while you catch up on the weekend’s happenings. So be quiet, imaginary little anti-caffeine man and let me enjoy my caffeine in peace. Read More »

You know the feeling: you wake up in the morning after a long night of getting your drink on and you are thirsty. Like, trekking through a desert for 3 months without a Nalgene thirsty. You crawl out of bed and reach for the first beverage you can get your hands on, be it Powerade, water, or a 2 liter of Diet Coke.

And it feels good goin’ down.

What if I told you there was an even more refreshing alternative? A drink that has the power to heal you and nourish your body. No, it’s not beer – that whole “hair of the dog that bit ya” theory is whack. It’s better than beer.

Though it may taste a bit like it.

It’s….cow urine.

Yes, it’s true. Look out Coke and Pepsi, Gau Jal, or cow water, is coming. The drink, which is made mostly of cow pee pee mixed with herbal supplements, is being touted as a healthy alternative to soft drinks. While it doesn’t sound very appealing (or hygienic), Gau Jal’s creator, Om Prakash, promises that ” it won’t smell like urine and will be tasty too.” Read More »

Guys usually watch the Superbowl for the actual football game (or in some cases *ahem, my dad* as an excuse to shove as much pizza and wings they can get down their throats). As a sports-crazy girl (go Duke basketball!) I also watch it for the action, but I can understand if some non-sporty people don’t feel as enthusiastic about a bunch of big, padded guys running into each other and chasing after a little ball. At least, that’s how my mom puts it.

But she’s found an entertaining reason to join our whole family during this epic February event: the commercials. This year, NBC Superbowl commercials will cost companies $3 MILLION dollars for 30 seconds of air time! That’s equal to $100,000 for 1 second. Aren’t we in a recession?

Anyway, to celebrate the fact that our economy is in shambles but we still have enough money for ads with talking frogs and cowboys chasing cats, here are my favorite 5 Superbowl commercials of all time: Read More »

Celebs and drugs, is there a better combination? I think not.

Amy Winehouse is up to her usual snorting, shooting-up, smoking, swallowing antics, but this time there are others involved besides her and her junkie boyfriend.

A British couple has pleaded guilty to selling Amy (ample amounts?) of cocaine and ecstasy after releasing a video to The Sun newspaper of her smoking crack. Conveniently, when the police raided the couple’s home they were lucky enough to find a list of celebrities they supplied with drugs.

Unfortunately, the list hasn’t been made public so College Candy compiled our own list of the usual suspects. These celebs MAY (or may not) have been on the couple’s druggie list: Read More »

Amy Winehouse may be totally cracked out, but that doesn’t mean her brain isn’t working. The girl is innovative. When it comes to doing drugs, this woman will try anything. Like, I don’t know, mixing it with everyone’s favorite sugary treat: cotton candy.

Maybe it was born out of desperation (“I have to think of a way to get my coke fix without whipping a vial out of my nappy hair!”), or boredom (“Doing lines gets really old after a few years…”), but however she cooked up this idea doesn’t matter. Because she did.

Winehouse has recently purchased a cotton candy machine which she fills with her tasty coke/candy concoction.

Seriously, we can’t make this stuff up. We just wonder what tasty mixture she’ll think of next: Crack Fries? Ecstasy lollipops? Heroin hamburgers? Horse tranquilizer milkshakes?

Mmmm. Horse tranquilizer milkshakes….

[Photo courtesy of www.ninjadude.com]

With all the crazy sh*t happening in the world today, we here at CC can’t help but think back to the days when the biggest issue in our lives was whether our Mom had put our favorite over-sized T-shirt (with the Coke Bears on it!) in the laundry yet.

Yeah, we’re talking about Elementary School.

And maybe we’re not even talking about the Elementary School of today, because apparently kids are alergic to everything and on mood-altering drugs and having sex at 11. We’re talking about the Elementary School of our youth. Troll Dolls. New Kids On The Block (the first time). Side pony-tails. Dunkaroos. Life was so much fun back then — or at least our nostalgia tells us it was.

In honor of our childhoods, and because we are so. drained. from a week full of political and economic strife, we’ve decided to put together the 10 Best Things About Elementary School. Feel free to add your own happy memories in the comments… Read More »

Not everyone in college likes to drink. In fact, for the majority of our freshman year, one of my roommates refused to go to parties because she doesn’t like the taste of alcohol. Unfortunately, she didn’t immediately tell me this. For the first couple weeks of school, she would find excuses not to come out. For example, come Friday or Saturday night, she had a paper to write or a TV show that she just had to watch.

After about two months of coming back to find that she hadn’t even started the paper or that she hadn’t even watched the show, I realized that there was another reason. When I asked her about it, she admitted that she simply couldn’t bring herself to drink, and she did not want to be the odd one out at parties.

About three weeks before school ended, my friend finally decided that she was going to come to a party with the rest of us roomies. And you know what, she had more fun than we did! Plus, she actually remembered the details of our enjoyable outing (she could recount in detail how we made complete fools of ourselves the following morning).

As a matter of fact, my roommate had such a good time that she came along to every party that we attended for the rest of the year, wishing that she hadn’t wasted so many nights back at the dorm doing nothing.

Now, I’m not saying that parties are the only way to have a good time on the weekends. However, if you do want to go out to parties with your friends but fear that you will be considered a social pariah if you don’t drink, here is some helpful advice: Read More »