Even though I totally admire them, I could never be a vegan. At least not now. Not while most of my diet consists of string cheese and other such cheap, processed things.

But I have friends who are vegans. Friends who are vegans and great cooks. So one night, these great-cooking-vegan friends of mine made this tart. And it was freaking fabulous. And so I want to share it with you.

Here’s what you need:

INGREDIANTS:

Crust:

* 2 1/4 cups raw slivered almonds

* 3/4 cup of pitted medjool dates

* 1/4 teaspoon salt Read More »

Craigslist has become something of a staple in the 18-24 lifestyle. I admit without shame that my current roommates and I were set up through the website. It’s got a little bit of everything, so long as you’re smart about it. Can’t trust everyone, remember, so use your judgment, but it’s good for tons of stuff if used carefully.

You need an apartment? Want to sell your furniture? Need a date for this weekend? Looking for a random job on the side, or maybe job, period? Voila. One website has made it possible to kill about forty-seven birds with one stone, AND you get to search by city. How convenient!

But of late, Craigslist has become notably more useful for killing time and sheer entertainment. That’s right, if you haven’t already guessed, the Missed Connections section. See here for one of the “Best of Craigslist” postings that you can’t help but chuckle over, or pray won’t be you. Read More »

I am not good with confrontation. I am, however, quite good at ignoring the situation at hand. If you ignore something long enough, it goes away, right? So far, my theory has been working just fine.

A few months ago, I went on two dates with a perfectly nice guy. There was nothing wrong with him. In fact, on paper, he was very much my type. But the sparks weren’t there and I just wasn’t very excited by him. So, when he called for a third date, I didn’t answer. He called again and I didn’t answer again. I picked up the phone several times to call him back, but then I just didn’t.

I went to my friends for help and they offered a variety of different opinions. Some of my friends said I should just call him and say my schedule suddenly got busy and I didn’t know when I would be free. Some said to call and be honest telling him I just wasn’t feeling it. And some claimed it was OK for me not to return his calls. “He’ll get the point,” they said. “And nobody has to be made uncomfortable.” Not one to make people uncomfortable, I took their advice and continued not calling him.

After attempting one more phone call to me, he got the point and didn’t call again. My life went on. Sometimes when I think about it, I feel like a bad person, but I try to remind myself that I saved us both a great deal of discomfort.

So what that I live in constant fear I could run into him at any point? I took the easy way out and it’s better for now. I’ll worry about seeing him when I see him.

Now excuse me while I hide behind this lamppost.

It’s a universal truth: Valentine’s Day can suck, even if you’re not alone. Make sure it doesn’t by using one of these five sweet date ideas. Whether you hang out with your GF, BF, or BFF on V-Day, it’s still possible to have a ton of fun with a creative date.

1. A picnic. If you live in the Southwest, a traditional outdoor meal might actually be possible. Those of us who shack up in chillier climates don’t have to abandon the idea of a fun picnic, though. Take your date, make a few sandwiches, then grab a blanket and head to the nearest academic building. Set up shop in one of its more isolated areas, unwrap your food, and—presto!—picnic. Read More »

Things Girls Do For a Date:

1) Try on everything in our closets, which, might I add, usually results in sweating like we just ran a marathon, all while ranting to ourselves about how we have NO clothes (minus the messy heap that was once our closet).

God forbid we should be too overdressed, too trendy, too slutty, or look too high-maintenance. Yet, we still need that perfect ‘fit that makes us look adorable… so that he will like us.

2) Email our friends 15 times on Date Day. “Can I wear a dress?” “What do I talk about?” “What’s our code word if it goes bad and I need an excuse to leave?” “What about the awkward silences?” “What if I’m not funny?” And our friends write us back and assure us that we are fabu and he will obviously like us.

3) Then the date rolls around and we sit up straight, eat fatty food so we aren’t one of those “Ano girls who don’t eat,” smile so much that our cheeks hurt (I really wonder how Ms. America does it) and bring our A game to the table.

Why? So he will like us. Like us and want to call/email us. And we will inevitably spend our next few days staring at our Gmail inboxes and cell phones. Never thinking we would be so bummed out over an email telling us of a MAJOR sale.

While that is all peachy (usually nothing excites us more than knowing MJ aviators are ½ off) right now this is soo not the new email we were hoping for.

And then, we get the call, we date the guy for a while—he likes us. Just what we wanted and we lived happily ever after. The End. Right?

Well at least until we realize two months later… WE can’t stand THEM.

Read More »