While I’m sitting here in Splitsville mending my heart with candy corn and Halloween M&Ms, let’s take a look at some less-depressing recent hot topics.

-It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and one CC reader wants you to know the disease isn’t restricted to older women.  Check yo self, ladies.

-We told you how to score Blake Lively’s look for less.  Because shopping always makes us feel better! Especially when that shopping puts money back in our pockets.

-With Halloween only a couple weeks away, we wondered if our favorite holiday breeds sexism.  Those sexy kitten, nurse, and maid outfits sure are revealing, after all…

-We found that some bitches are crazy, even outside the TV.  Do you know how to spot a real-life Gossip Girl?

-If you’re out of college with a slightly out of focus post-grad path, you’re not alone.  Stop hyperventilating, start embracing.

-How accepting are you really?

-Ugh, Blue Books. Just writing about them gives us anxiety.

-We swear we’re never too old to wear pigtails, lick the bowl, and do these other childhood favorites.

-From poopin’ in private to creative culinary solutions, Columbus may have found America, but we’ve got the 411 on the best college discoveries.

- And, not that you should need one, but we gave you 5 reasons to get out there and vote on November 2nd. Do it.

You don't need a beard and a ship to discover something (sorta) new.

One fateful day back in the pre-Facebook days,  Christopher Columbus “discovered” America.  Much like you discovered that wearing a scarf around campus on a 75 degree day would not stop the hickey rumors from floating around. And we’re sure that’s not the only discovery that you’ve made since attending college. Just like Columbus discovered America and thought he was onto something pretty big, we’ve all found a few things along the way that wowed us as well. We rushed home, told our roommates, and sat there in shock when we realized that they already knew that it’s smarter to change into sweats before going to a booty call.

So here are a few more awesome discoveries that every college student needs to make:

1. Finding the secret bathroom so you can poo in private: We’ve all been victim to the poop wars in college dormitories.  You enter the community bathroom at the same time as another innocent pooper and each of you sit in the stall waiting for the other to make the first move.  It’s disgusting, but don’t begin to admit it hasn’t happened to you.  I’m guilty as charged, so finding the secret bathroom to do your business is a dream come true.  Nobody goes in there and you have hours to shadoobie in private. Glorious.

2. Finding the class where the prof puts the entire lecture online: This is one of the most wondrous discoveries. Attend class from the comfort of your bed. Just make sure to show up to the exam.

3. How to make a panini in the waffle maker: Or other fabulous cafeteria discoveries. The caf is a place to let your imagination span mountainous regions.  My freshman year, I discovered how to grill a sandwich on our waffle maker. My sophomore year I discovered how to mix the different kinds of cereals (preferably Cheerios and granola). My junior year I discovered the art of burrito making and bringing a Tupperware to the caf for leftovers.  You get the idea, now get out there and be your own Sous Chef.

4. Utilizing the library the 20th Century Way: This is a nerdy revealing moment for me, but while we are so hung up on internet research for projects and papers, we forget about the goodness offered in college library books. My senior year I discovered what it was like to do research from real books. And tell you what: it’s a lot better than crossing your fingers and praying your Wikipedia research is legit.

5. Finding studying serenity in Pandora.com: Seriously, Pandora was one of my most amazing discoveries ever in college. It’s free and you can download your own radio stations based upon artists you enjoy.  I had everything from a Disney Movie radio station to Enya (I’m not kidding, that shiz is relaxing.) You bring your headphones to the library and lose yourself while studying. Or turn it on while you’re pregame in your dorm – whatever, it’s great and I’m so glad I stumbled across it.

6. The Glory that is The Greyhound: Need a cheap drink of choice in college? Chelsea Handler taught me well: grapefruit juice and vodka (otherwise known as ‘The Greyhound’) is the pagan amongst mixed drinks.  It’s relatively healthy, tasty and cheapo.  Those three words pretty much sum up my college career.  Oh and another great drinking discovery?  At your local gas station, fill up a Coke slushy and mix it with Jack – it’s really fun!

7. Discovering Google Docs: Google Docs is a group project savior in HTML disguise.  We all know group projects in college are completely bogus and meeting up totally sucks.  But if you download Google Docs, you can work on one document, in separate locations, at the same time. It’s so amazing and creepy because you can see other group members typing their information.  It’s also fun, because you can type inappropriate words (i.e. FART) to make group members momentarily uncomfortable.

8.The outlet of time nobody is working out: It’s not my number one favorite thing to go bust a move in the workout room when the entire student body is also getting ripped.  I love finding that small snippet of time (usually between 1 pm and 3 pm) where nobody else is working out and I can sweat in my lonesome glory. Not to mention the dude with the B.O. who farts every .3 miles on the treadmill isn’t around either.

9. The Ultimate Hangover Cure: Which usually revolves around something like a Vitamin Water, a multi-vitamin, and a trashy reality TV marathon. And if you can roll out of bed, a solid workout usually helps sweat out that vodka collins.

10.Making the most out of college: This is the number one discovery in my book.  You have to take a moment, sit back and make a blatant attempt at making the most out of your college experience.  Learn from the inevitable moments of misunderstanding, bask in the awkward moments, and benefit from differences.  College is a great place for growth and constructing who you are so live it up.  Four years go by fast and suddenly you’re living in your parents’ basement. Take the time to truly enjoy!

If you’re enjoying a three-day weekend right now, you have your favorite Italian to thank for that. No, not The Situation – Cristoforo Colombo! (Ok. It’s not St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo, but for us real-life Italian Stallions, Columbus Day is as legit of a holiday as we’re going to get). So, besides an extra night of shots at the bar, why not celebrate with an easy twist on an Italian favorite–sausage and peppers!

The Ingredient: Sweet Peppers

These are one of the most versatile vegetables in any pantry. Sliced, they make a great pair with carrot sticks to dip in hummus or ranch for a snack. They’re spectacular when grilled with a lick of butter or olive oil and slapped on a sandwich. And toss ‘em in any stir fry or omelet for extra crunch. What makes the pepper so nutritious? With more than a full day’s worth of vitamins A and C, they’re poppin’ with free-radical fighting antioxidants.

The Recipe: Stuffed Peppers with Sausage

These stuffed peppers are loaded with flavor and will keep well in the fridge for a few days.

Ingredients

1  pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
4 pats of butter
4 small to medium-size red bell peppers, tops removed and seeded

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 8 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Fill pepper with sausage mixture, dividing equally and mounding slightly.

2. Liberally rub the outside of each pepper with butter.

3. Sit each pepper on a piece of aluminum foil and push the sides in around the pepper, forming a base to keep the pepper upright and steady.

4. Place the peppers on a greased baking sheet. Cook until tops are browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the filling registers 165°F, about 1/2 an hour. Transfer peppers to platter, allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then sit yourself down for a family dinner, Jersey Shore style.

Or, you know, enjoy ‘em.

And I’m not the only one asking questions. Take a look at some of the burning queries that have been occupying CC writers for the past week:

- Can intercultural dating ever work out for the best?

- Is paying $89 to get a bump-free bikini line worth it?

- Will frat houses be able to survive the Great Swine Flu Freakout of ’09?

- Is it weird to have a huge crush on Aladdin?

- Can anyone afford post-college apartments?

- What’s worse: sexist iPhone apps or slutty costumes for 7^th graders?

- Where can I get an adult-sized Barbie jeep of my very own?

- Would anybody seriously buy a vagina mint?

- Should you resist the urge to go Facebook official?

- What’s keeping us from actually liking the nice guys?

- And finally: Does anyone want to get some Italian food and go sailing with me?  Columbus Day be damned—that just seems like a sweet way to start off the weekend, despite the frigid temperature.

Anyways, since today is a holiday and you are most likely not in the classroom, you should be out celebrating. But how does one celebrate the day of Christopher Columbus (besides with a killer sale on Plasma TVs)? Here are a few ideas:

1. Go Exploring! Walk around campus and look for new things you’ve never found before. Maybe a new building, or a new corner in your favorite library. Then, go inside, kick everyone out who is already there and claim that building/room/patch of grass as your very own.

2. Make a Crazy Proposition: Find someone with a lot of money and tell them this crazy new idea that you have. Have them give you money to fund it. Pray that you, like Columbus, make some giant mistake while pulling this idea together that ends up being more lucrative than the original.

3. Cook some Italian Food: Then go sailing.

4. Load up on spices: When eating at the dining hall today, throw heaping amounts of never-before-tried spices on your meal.  Extra points if you wrestle those spices out of the cold, dead hands of someone who was using them first.

Or, if all of those ideas seem too adventurous for you, you could do what I do every year: sleep in, watch TV and get drunk in the afternoon.

Then go buy some really cheap furniture.