Be still my heart.

Chick-flicks have always been my favorite excuse for simultaneously whining and crying about my lack of a boyfriend, and also day-dreaming about improbable romantic movie scenes happening to me.

Even though we usually tear up (or start flat-out bawling, depending on your current romantic situation), no girl can resist the chick-flick. Or, more accurately, the dreamboat main characters that make our hearts swoon for 90 minutes (and then again when we watch the DVD alone on a Friday night and cry into a bowl of Thai food). Those boys are just so…perfect. And I can already tell – because I’ve watched the trailer 47 times – that John in Dear John is going to be the same way. I mean, he’s the quintessential bad boy with a heart (and rock hard abs). And have you seen him crying in the commercials?

I get all hot and bothered just thinking about it.

Which is almost the same reaction I have to these 10 mega-hunks – the hottest, sweetest, greatest and most adorable chick-flick leading men of all time. What girl wouldn’t fall in love with (and possibly have to change her pants after thinking about) these boys?

1. Johnny from Dirty Dancing

Really, all I should have to say is, “Nobody puts baby in a corner.” If that doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will. Johnny has to be one of the favorites in chick-flick history, because, seriously, who doesn’t want a tall, dark, handsome man who will love you no matter what your father says and can use his big, muscly arms to lift you over his head in a choreographed dance routine?

2. Patrick from 10 Things I Hate About You

Patrick is the bad guy that every girl wants to find, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a total hottie. And then when he shows his sweet side? Sigh. I don’t know one girl who didn’t want to be in Kat’s angry shoes when Patrick skips across the bleachers singing ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You’ to her in front of the entire school.

3. Jack from the Titanic

Let’s face it, Jack was gorgeous even when he was shivering in the water with icicles hanging off his face. He was just so real, honest, respectful and knew how to make a woman feel beautiful and alive. Jack’s probably the only guy in the history of movies that proved it was better to have loved and lost than never loved at all. (He also makes girls like me want to use cliche lines about love, which says a lot.)

4. Landon from A Walk to Remember

I don’t know one girl who didn’t walk away from this movie not in love with Landon. We can’t help but fall for his bad guy act, and watching this opposite pair fall in love is too cute for words. Oh yeah, and he’s pretty hot, which makes me wonder – what ever happened to Shane West?

5. Noah from The Notebook

I am constantly amazed at how ‘The Notebook’ can make me cry like a baby no matter how many times I’ve seen it. And yeah, that’s pretty much all because of Noah. Even without the fact that he has classic chick-flick good looks, Noah’s passion for Allie is something that every girl dreams of experiencing. He loved her from the moment he met her, and for him, there was really never anyone else.

6. Lloyd from Say Anything

There’s nothing more adorable than a guy doing anything for love. And that includes holding up a radio, playing ‘In Your Eyes’ outside of the object of his affection’s room. A boom box has never been so romantic. And a nerd has never been more appealing.

7. Jonathan from Serendipity

A (very sexy) man who will try desperately to find the woman of his dreams even though he doesn’t know her last name? My god, who doesn’t want a guy like that? (Especially in a world where we can’t even get the boy we love to text us back!)

8. Danny from Grease

No matter how much we want to dislike Danny Zuko for being such a jerk to poor Sandy, we can’t. Maybe it’s the perfect hair, or the charming things he says, or maybe it’s all that black leather. Either way, Danny is the bad guy we all want to see turn good for the girl. And it doesn’t hurt that he can sing – I know I’m not the only girl who wanted to jump him after his sad song at the drive-in.

9. Edward from Pretty Woman

Sure, he picked up a hooker on the street, but he also made that hooker’s every dream come true. And showed her respect. And defended her. And was a perfect, sexy, rich gentleman the entire time. And after seeing her new wardrobe and blingin’ necklace, Edward made us all want to give hookin’ a try.

10. Emmett from Legally Blonde

I’m not usually one for a guy with a brief case and khakis, but Emmett just does something to me. Maybe it’s his brains or that cute floppy hair, or maybe it’s every girls’ desire to have someone who believes in them and supports them no matter what. Drool.

1. Right now it’s all about Britney’s comeback, but after spending my Friday night in a bowling alley with a bar and massive music videos playing that made me think it was 1999, I started to wish the comeback was for someone else: our dear friend, Whitney. As in Houston. As in “It’s not right, but it’s okay,” and all the other amaaazingness that she brought before she went all drug bust on us. So, as Whit once said, Greatest Hits CD, “I will always love you.”

2. While doing some research on great gift idea websites, my BFF Google suggested a site called kaboodle, which reminded me of Caboodles. Which made me get all nostalic, and there is nothing I love more than nostalgia. So my curiousity was piqued and as it turns out- Caboodles? Still in business (and still an awesome gift for your nostalgic friends). I think I still have my turquoise, pink and purple one from the 80’s – nothing better than lifting up that clip and opening the top layer just to find more sparkley blue eye shadow beneath it!

3. Ok, enough missing my middle school days. Right now I heart these scarves. They spruce up an outfit, hide the cleaveange in front of your grandma, and make you look effortlessly coooool.

4. Keurig Individual Coffee Maker: When you live alone making a whole pot of coffee just seems useless. This may just be the best invention ever. So many flavors, brews super fast (when you wake up late for class), and makes that perfect cup for late night studying and hangover cures alike.

5. Ojon ‘Rub Out’ Dry Cleanser. For days when you oversleep but realllly shouldn’t have because your hair looks like Danny’s from Grease (or just actual grease?). Fear no more. This stuff does the trick when you need to stretch it out for one more day and it smells good. Not like grease at all; more like heaven. Now that is (Summer) lovin’.

It happens—you’re out to dinner (most likely with someone you find attractive), you order some sweet-potato fries, and suddenly the glob of grease that was on its way to your mouth is blossoming all over your new white sweater/ blouse/ pants/ tank/ beautiful item of clothing. You might have to keep that glob around for the night (and swear to god that it is the only thing attractive boy is looking at), but you can get it out. Yes, even without mom’s help.

The first rule of thumb for getting rid of (embarassing) grease stains is more of a don’t than a do: don’t toss that sucker in the laundry basket when you get home and “deal with it later.” Detergent and water will NOT remove grease stains, so you’re going to have to get tough.

Now onto the do…

Perhaps the easiest thing to try is a stain-removal spray. You can find them in any store right by the detergents, and if you spray them on stains pre-wash and rub them in, they’re supposed to take any spots right out. I say “supposed to” because my spray is a little full of itself and doesn’t work quite as advertised.

If that doesn’t work, this page will totally bail you out. This person has compiled dozens of tips featuring numerous household items that will likely be able to save you in a pinch.

Most successful for me have been the following:

1. Dishwashing liquid. I have the foam-squirt kind of Dawn rather than the straight-up liquid form, but it still works like a charm. If you also have the squirt kind, pump the handle a couple of times and then rub the foam into the stains. If you have the liquid, pour a penny-sized amount on each stain. Press it in (it’s not necessary to rub too much), let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then wash as normal.

2. Baking soda. This won’t take out a stain by itself, but rubbing some baking soda into a glob of grease will absorb enough to make the stain manageable. You’ll probably need to couple it with something else, though, so don’t rely purely on baking soda to suck away all the grease.

3. Shampoo. I cannot figure out why this works, but it does. Pour a penny-sized amount of shampoo on each grease stain, and rub it over and into the stain. Let this sit for about 10 minutes, and then wash as normal. This can be coupled with other grease treatments, but it worked like a charm by itself for me.

A few more tips:

- Don’t wait around. You can still probably remove the stains if they’ve been there for weeks (or yikes, months), but it’ll be more of a challenge. As we all know from dropping toothpaste on our clothes and wiping it off right away, it’s easy to get a stain out immediately but hard to get it out as time goes on.

- Use hot water. Yes, it’s true that hot and cold water clean the same as far as washing your hands goes—and probably for most other things, too. But hot water kick-starts the detergent’s cleaning action, so you’ll want to use it when you’re throwing in a load that has grease stains.

- It’s not the end of the world. If you can’t get a stain out yourself, perhaps a dry cleaner or another cleaning specialist can. Or try calling up your grandmother—she’s probably full of old wives’ tales that just might work. And remember—it’s just a stain. If the piece of clothing is really a goner, maybe you can recycle it by sewing parts into a purse or using it to patch up an old pair of jeans.

All, of course, which I will teach you…

[Image courtesy of laundrylocker.com.]

The sky is bluer than ever; the trees are gorgeously scarlet, olive and burnt sienna (a shout out to my fave Crayola!); cute boys are tackling each other, shirtless in the late afternoons all in the name of football. Your hair is looking f*cking awesome thanks to lower humidity levels. What better time to fall in love, or be in love?

Whether your just celebrating your fab relationship or enjoying the company of that cute guy you just met in Stats, take this fall semester to ‘fall’ in love with these seasonal date ideas. (Ok I’ll stop being obnoxiously cheesy now.)

1. Go wine Tasting

Providing you and your companion are of age (or if you have an excellent fake), look up a list of local wineries or bars that offer tastings. Search through WineWeb or Wine Directory to find the closest one to you. A wine connoisseur (or sommelier) will coach you on how to smell and taste a wine’s different components, what its bouquet says about it and how to differentiate between vineyards. A sampling should be relatively inexpensive (if not free) and most restaurants that host them prepare a special menu of heavy appetizers, cheeses and desserts that pair well with the wine. You’ll leave feeling warm and fuzzy even if the sparks don’t fly with your date and all that wine will act as a nice shield against those nippy fall nights.

2. The Fair!

Most county fairs take place in fall months, but even if you go to a specialty fair (food, craft, you name it) you and your date can spend the day meandering from booth to booth seeing, trying and eating different things. Go get your faces painted and see who can rack up the most tickets to trade for a SWEET prize (as a gift for the other, of course.) Eat funnel cake and sit realllly close on the ferris wheel. See if you can win a goldfish and (playfully) fight for custody rights. No one is ever too old for the fair, and you’ll both bond by letting your inner child run loose.

Check Lastminute.com to see what bands or performances are coming to an amphitheatre near you, even if it’s a short notice date or you’re just looking for something to do this weekend. Definitely buy lawn seats (A) they’re way cheaper, and B) you get the true concert experience). Check venue regulations and see if you can pack a picnic lunch or dinner for you and your boo. Don’t forget a big blanket to sit on (hives from itchy concert grass = a no no), and binoculars to check out any John Mayer faces the guitarist might be making. For added hilarity, watch “Outdoor Concerts Do’s and Don’ts” on YouTube (if your phone has internet) while you wait in line for parking.

4. Get Spooked

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There’s a reason why boys like scary movies so much: all that adrenaline pumping really gets them…worked up. Add to that the macho factor they get out of having you huddled close to them so they can protect you from the big bad chainsaw man and – presto – he’s putty in your hands. Take that idea out of the living room and head to a haunted house! Hauntworld.com will help you find the nearest one to you, so grab your guy, tell him to dress for a night of gory horror and try not to laugh if he jumps a foot in the air when something jumps out from around a corner.

5. Visit A Pumpkin Patch

Not just any pumpkin patch, though; make sure it’s a tricked out one. Fields upon fields of pumpkins, fun wooden cutouts to take pictures with, the works. This Pumpkin Patch Locater should help. Stroll among the gourds taking fun/adorable pics with and of each other to incite jealousy in the hearts of your Facebook friends — this idea is really super freaking cute. Bring a mug of hot apple cider and go on a hayride if the patch offers it (which, going back to the tricked out requirement, it should!). At the end of your day, pick out the perfect pumpkin to carve together…or make a pie out of… or various other pumpkin related activities—and you’ve automatically got a second date lined up.

All a great date takes is a little imagination and the willingness to get out of the dinner and a movie routine. With nature providing the perfect backdrop and the season lending you plenty of great opportunities, tell your date that you’ll take care of the plans for the outing and enjoy their appreciation of your brilliant idea.

[Photos courtesy of: www.cse.unsw.edu.au, gct13.com, ahevents.co.uk,z illowblog.com, psaphoto.org]

From my personal experiences, summer flings can be quite delightful; you get to have three months of non-committed fun, living for the moment.

I spent three months one summer at the beach, where I met a cute, surfer boy who took me to every beach bonfire there was. During the days, we hung out on the beach, basking in the sun and getting to know each other – to a limited extent, as we both acknowledged what would happen at the end of August – and at night we spent time laughing, dancing and enjoying the moment, with an occasional make out or two. Wink. Wink.

At the end of the summer, we said our goodbyes, had our goodbye kiss and exchanged numbers, emails and addresses. I was content with the situation; I knew what we had was a temporary thing and I made peace with that before we even shared our first kiss. He lived in Arizona, I lived in New York; the time zone, let alone the 1,000+ miles between us made me aware of the impossibility of our “magic love” reunion. I think he expected water works; he wanted me to cry and get all mushy at the thought of losing him, but I tried to be adult about the situation. We had fun, but fun was all we’d ever have. We kept in touch for a little while, but eventually it faded to a “how are you” IM once in a while…and now, he’s just a faint memory of a summer well spent.

The best part about a summer fling is how great a time you can have with someone, as long as you are aware of what will happen at the end of the summer. Whether it’s a fun make-out buddy or a three month romp fest, you need to be aware of the consequences: a fling is exactly that, a fling, and if you fall, you will set yourself up to get hurt.

My suggestions ladies and gents is this: if you want a summer fling, be prepared for what it means to make out with or sleep with someone for three months and not wind up with the fairy tale ending. If you can handle that, then by all means, indulge yourself, and give us CC-ers some details while you’re at it.

Have any of you ever had a summer fling? Spill the deets!

This is the second of two graduation playlists.

Graduation should be a fun, carefree, and altogether joyous affair. It’s an intimidating transition, so sadness is inevitable, and wallowing for awhile is not only acceptable but encouraged. So if you’re graduating soon, take a listen to the mopey mix first.

After you’re through with the crying, sad slide shows, and memory books, it’s time to get to happy. Break out the boombox, call up the ladies and break out the booze. You made it! It’s time to celebrate…with song.

1. Good Morning – Kanye West

This is the lead-off track on Kanye’s latest disc for a reason. It’s smooth, soulful and perfect for lounging in the sun during finals week.

2. I Gotta Move – Ben Kweller

Leaving town? Here’s one song that makes it sound just as exciting as it actually is.

3. I’m Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star – The Boy Least Likely To

This is a great little ditty about a band starting out. It’s amazing how similar college is to going on tour.

4. Wild Night – Van Morrison

Some of your favorite memories of the last four years probably center around some wild nights. (And in case you’re curious, this version is a lot better than the John Mellencamp one.)

5. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now – Starting Line

A fantastic cover of the the 1987 Starship song. It’s fast, motivating, and a great throwback to the movie Mannequin. Haven’t seen it? You still have some serious learnin’ to do before you graduate.

6. This Is Not An Exit – Saves The Day

This song is all about the lyrics. It could be a commencement speech in its own right.

7. These Are The Days – 10,000 Maniacs

One of the more underrated slide show anthems of the early 1990s. It’s sentimental but upbeat, therefore, the perfect bittersweet song for a time like this.

8. Bye, Bye, Baby – OKGo

You probably know this band for their dancing and treadmill antics in their music videos, however, their first album was pretty amazing. Best lyric? “It’s not just that I’m selfish and scared/it’s not just that I’m so unprepared/It’s just you’d think I’d grow out of this, wouldn’t you?”

9. We’ll Be Together - Grease 2 Cast

I’m probably the only person who likes Grease 2 more than its predecessor. Still, you can’t deny that the music, at least this song, is pretty good. Just give it a shot.

10. Pound That Beer - Mac Lethal

And if you feel like cracking a cold one at the end of the day, you now have an anthem. Turn it on high and let the good times roll. You’ve earned it.

[Any other fun graduation songs? Send 'em in!]

As a little girl, when my parents wanted a little quiet time, instead of popping in a Wee-Sing video they put on Dirty Dancing or Grease. By the time I was eight I could recite every line. And while the abortion references escaped me, the whole good girl can change a bad boy idea did not.

I got older and my favorites gravitated towards Pretty Woman, Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About You, and as a result, I have suffered a life-long affliction with bad boys.

Not the bad boy in the sense that they served jail time, smacked me around or started bar fights. No, they were bad boys in the sense that they were bad for me, and I stuck around like a barnacle on a humpback trying my best to fix him (you know, just like I learned from Julia, and the rest of the girls..)

It is a classic formula, the one I equate to my relationships: one bad boy with a fatal flaw (every ex I’ve ever had) + one good girl (me) + an undeserving amount of love, support and patience that will change them into the perfect man (the problem) = reality.

Case and point: The cheater, a repeat offender. The boyfriend, did not believe in romance – an obvious problem for a girl who believes the premise of The Notebook is not asking too much. The real bad-boy, with regular altercations with the law and other bad-boys. And, the self-proclaimed “laid back” boyfriend, too laid back for a job or to be counted on.

Talk about unfair. I follow the rom-com directions perfectly, waiting for them to realize that I was putting up with their crap and adoring them, yet they all failed to hold up their end of the bargain and change. It can’t possibly be all my fault either. In fact, I blame guys — for not watching rom-coms and taking serious notes.

I know I am not the only victim of the rom-com, we hopeless romantics are strong in numbers, and strong in our hopes for great romance and love. So I am wondering if perhaps we could use our strength to mandate a law that guys must view movies like Dirty Dancing and 10 Things I Hate About You until they realize that they need to change when a good girl comes along and offers to fix them up.

Whose with me?

So, I realize that a lot my peers have a strange fixation with this thing called “the summer hook up”. As my friend and co-blogger Sol so eloquently, (actually she just corrected me, it was belligerently) put it;

Solgurl88: IT’S THE SAME THING AS HOOKING UP IN THE WINTER

Solgurl88: how come people never say

Solgurl88: ‘winter hookup!’(?)

I added that question mark in there for ya, buddy. But poor AIM grammar aside, I have to agree with her. A hook up is a hook up, why the classification?

Well, I suppose for people who vacation in a foreign country, or somewhere other than where they normally reside, the ‘summer hook up’ symbolizes the opportunity for a no-strings attached ‘relationship’ of sorts. (Those people are not to be confused with me, I am doomed to work endless summer jobs with either all females or no attractive co-workers for all college eternity.)

But what I’ve found from my friends is that these relationships end up with every string securely in place. Or so they think until both parties return home and continue on with how their life was before meeting the other.

Perhaps I am cynical and jealous. Let me rephrase, I know I am cynical and jealous of those who can form any kind of lasting connection. But why, if these famed “summer romances” mean so much that the involved parties, can they not keep it going, or better yet duplicate a lasting relationship on campus? Is it the thought that you’re not bound to seeing this person day in and day out for the rest of their college lives that lifts some weight and lends a catalyst to the forming of true affection for one another?

Or is it just that we assign immense sentimental properties to this time of year and secretly hope we’ll end up like Sandra Dee and Danny Zuko?

If the answer is the latter, then I don’t know whether to rejoice because there is still some sense of romanticism left in the female mentality, or dismay because it means we’re all ready to trade in our cardigans for some hooker clothes if it means doing the love shack with John Travolta.

I warned you. I’m a jaded and bitter girl. I still love Grease, so I guess I’ll compromise and just start categorizing and expecting my hookups from all four of the seasons.

“I can’t wait to start my winter hook up jacket collection.”

Sounds good to me; free stuff and appeasing Sol’s cause to give equal hook up rights to every time of the year. Everyone goes home happy, all the time. Except for maybe the freezing boys who lend me their coats.