Bye bye booze

In this new series we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer for a month as she takes on a personal challenge. This month we’re following Lauren from University of Michigan. She’s going sober for the month of February and will be sharing her ups and downs with us each Saturday.]

When I told my friends I would be giving up alcohol for an entire month, I got one of three reactions:

1. Why would you do that?!
2. I bet you $100 you don’t make it.
3. Why the hell would you do that?!

When I told my family, I got these reactions:

1. “Bullsh*t.” – Mom
2. “Why would you do that??” – Dad
3. “It’s a good thing your friends are still drinking; I doubt anyone would like you if they were sober.” – Brother

You see, I am a party girl and everyone knows it. I am incredibly responsible, hard-working and focused when I need to be, but when I let loose, I really let loose. My friends can always count on me to not only join them at the party (flask in hand), but to be the party. They didn’t call me Drunk Lauren freshman year for nothing.  Read More »

My ideal Friday night.

Riddle me this. Why did no one warn me that 3-day weekends don’t exist in the real world?

Maybe I was naive and in a college bubble, but I truly had no idea that people worked full days on Friday. Like it still blows me away me when my boss gives me a ten page to-do list on Friday at 4:00. By that time I’m in full weekend mode and already planning my outfit for the night. And by outfit for the night, I mean figuring out which pajamas will be the most comfortable while I drink wine alone in my bed.

I can barely get up the energy to go out on both Friday and Saturday anymore. Hell, I barely have the energy to move myself from my couch to my bed at 10 p.m. on Friday night after Ugly Betty is over. I’ve turned into a pathetic version of myself. A version that I’d be hazing and probably rolling my eyes at if I were my former cooler, drunker, college self. I actually enjoy spending my weekend nights eating cookie dough and watching deleted scenes of The Notebook. I’m one Friday-night-in away from buying matching pajama sets. Read More »

Shots. Shots. Shots shots shots shots!

Let’s be honest: drinking is fun. So fun, in fact, you’re probably nursing a hangover right now so you can get the party started again in a few short hours. Everything is just so much more exciting when you’ve got a couple vodka sodas in your (carb-loaded) belly. Songs are better. Food tastes better. The weirdo guys from your Poli Sci class look better.

But somehow, no matter how much you drink, that sloppy drunk girl is still really effing annoying.

Yeah, a drunken Friday night (or Tuesday afternoon) is a wonderful thing, but there are a few downsides that come with it. This week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to weigh in on their biggest drinking pet peeves. You know you’ve got some too; share them below! Read More »

#8: Stop spending money on Grey Goose.

You can always count on a few things Monday morning: irritation when you wake up, hitting the snooze button a million times, general crankiness wherever you turn, Regis and Kelly, and, most importantly, my Weekly Ten.

This week, after a particularly grueling New Year’s Eve spent with 25 people in one tiny house with one tiny bathroom in New England, I had time (a lot) to reflect on my resolutions (and my hangover) on the train ride back to NYC. I pondered 2010 and my resolutions between pages of Jen Lancaster’s memoirs and occasionally badgering the BF to go fetch me red wine from the bar car on the Amtrak. Studying for the CPA cannot be fun when you’re sitting next to me. Especially when I try and guess all the answers. And I am the furthest thing from an accountant in the world. Maybe even the universe.

Anyway, back on track. Resolutions. We’ve all got them. Let’s see if yours match up with mine at all. Maybe you’ll even get a few ideas for your resolution list.

10. Be kinder to strangers
Particularly difficult when in a bar and weirdos, cough, I mean, “potential new friends” try and strike up conversation. This means I probably shouldn’t shriek, “TERMINATED” at people and storm off when I don’t feel like talking to them anymore, even if said person has a Finding Nemo tattoo. On their neck.

9. Eat healthier.
I’m doing this thing where I eat exactly HALF of what I would normally eat. It counts as half if I eat one pack of Reese’s cups instead of two, no?

8. Stop spending frivolously.
This should be a good one on my vacation to Vegas next week. Blackjack isn’t considered frivolous if you’re winning. Read More »

Right now you’re probably curled up in bed nursing a bottle of blue Powerade. We’re right there with you, sister. As much as we hoped that giant order of Pad Thai post-bar last night would prevent the worst hangover of 2010 (…yet), the garbage can next to the bed proves otherwise.

But, damn, what a night it was. Bottle of champagne in one hand, a cute guy’s hand in the other, we shook our groove thangs to 2009′s hits all night long. And we’ve got the blisters on our feet to prove it.

As we have officially said goodbye to another great year, it’s now time to give 2009 a formal “see ya never.” And there is no better way to do that than with a mashup of the biggest musical hits of the year. You may already be jamming out to our 2009 playlist, but this little ditty is all sorts of awesome.

And you know what they say: nothing cures a hangover like a mashup.
People do say that, right?
No? Well, grab a breakfast sandwich and watch this. It’s totally sweet.

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it’s 2010? Where did the year go? Where did the decade go? Hell, where did my sequin jacket go? And why did I think that chasing a Jager Bomb with a bottle of Andre was a good idea? Oh lord.

Right now it’s probably hard to think about anything but a greasy breakfast sandwich, a gallon of water and how you’re going to get that rando out of your bed, but it’s the first day of the new year and you know what that means: it’s massive hangover resolution time.

This week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to share their resolutions for the new year. Most of the girls are on their own with sticking to their list, but every month we’re going to check in with a few of them on their quest for self improvement. Will they stick to their resolutions and become the best they can be? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I’ve already ruined my personal resolution of treating my body well (I’ve got a stack of pancakes and a giant latte sitting next to me at the moment), so I just hope they fare better than me.

Arielle – Quinnipiac University: Stop going on Facebook and the internet, and read some books instead!

Nina – Michigan State University: I am going to stop watching brain-suckers like Keeping Up With the Kardashians and watch more health and knowledge related shows. Maybe.

Brithny – Duke:  To fit into my skinny jeans without having to do the after-laundry lunges. You know the ones I’m talking about.

Meg – University of Delaware: cut down my severe caffiene addiction

Anna R – Northeastern University: To finish paying off my credit card debt and save at least $1000 next semester… Somehow I’m hoping I will achieve this while doing an unpaid internship in NYC.

Kim – Stanford: To get a job in NYC and move there after graduation!

Jessica – Hofstra: Stop procrastinating, and start saving money by finding boys to buy my drinks at the bar!

Lauren – University of Michigan: To figure out the difference between need (healthy food) and want (Marc Jacobs handbags and vodka). Oh, and to stop convincing myself that my jeans from senior year of high school still fit. If I can’t breathe, they do not fit. It’s that simple.

Charlsie – Hollins University: To stop reading Perez Hilton. He spreads negativity around and I’m sick of participating in it.

Jackelyn – San Francisco State University: To go for what I want. There’s no better time than today to get things done!

Sarabeth – University of Texas: To legitimately work out this year, no more of this “walking to class counts” crap.

Noa – CU Boulder: To learn how to make Thai food. I swear I spend half of my money on Pad See Ew.

Zahra – Northwestern University: To choose one or two resolutions and stick to them! I always end up with, like, ten. I’m still not sure what the actual resolutions will be but, hey, it’s a start!

Caitlin – University of Alabama: To stop letting people take me for granted! I deserve some thanks for all of the things I do dammit.

Emmy- Loyola University Chicago: To focus on academics and own all my classes next semester.

Erica – Kent State University: To be a better friend. And to find shoes like this.

Ricki – University of Michigan: I will stop buying so much overpriced coffee and learn to make it myself. I will also not count coffee on my parents credit card as “me not paying” because I am actually just fooling myself.

What do you want to do better this year?

College. Sigh. It’s unlike any other time in your life. It has its own set of rules, its own unique circumstances. And it’s not always easy to navigate. Everyone needs a little guidance now and then (or always) so we’ve pulled together a variety of perspectives (the does-it-all girl, the party girl and Ms. Study Lounge) to weigh in on your life conundrums and give you the best advice we can.

Every week they’ll be tackling your questions about college. From classes to keggers to keggers before classes, they’ll do their best to respond and be your Pez dispenser of collegiate wisdom. Got questions? Unsure of a decision? Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics?

Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”!

Question:
So, along with my 3 final exams and this mega paper that is worth 50% of my grade all happening next week, it’s my best friend/roommate’s 21st birthday this weekend. Any thoughts/tips/miracles that I might be able to use to fit it all in, do well and find time to pack to go home? I really don’t want to miss anything… Read More »

Bring in 2010 the right way.

This is not one of those weeks for me.

After a particularly excruciating weekend, I’ve come to realize a few things. First of all, Patron doesn’t sit well with an entire bottle of white wine. Secondly, if you go to an NHL hockey game on a Sunday, do not expect anything to get done that evening. Finally, and most relevantly, I need some serious guidelines when I go out.

Hence, this week I’m providing a survival kit for New Year’s Eve, the blurriest and biggest party night of the year. Here are 10 things everyone must have to ensure the biggest, baddest, awesomest, most memorable (with the help of that digital camera, of course) night.

10. Tacky 2010 glasses
I was mourning the end of these bad boys at the end of the year, but someone figured out how to make them for 2010. Score.

9. Champagne
This one is a given. Please upgrade your champagne choice from “the cheapest thing in the store.” Bad champagne = bad, bad hangover. I speak from experience. Trust. Read More »

There is always that one friend that is the sparkler at every party. And I mean every party, because she never misses one. Infamous for dancing on tables and singing louder than the rest when Miley’s “Party in the USA” comes on, she’s a party animal and you love her just the way she is. She’s the one you call to find out the best pregame, party and after-party for the night. So really, you owe her.

If you need help finding the perfect present for the party animal in your life, here are some helpful gift ideas for the girl who loves life… and loves it a lot more when there’s booze involved. Read More »

Are the red ones Smirnoff?

One life lesson I have learned all too well in my time as a college student is that everything is more enjoyable with a buzz-on. Not just parties and movie nights in the dorm, but class lectures, dates, exams, family reunions…you get the picture. It’s much easier to tolerate old Aunt Ida when she’s spinning a little bit.

But sadly, living buzzed cannot be a constant in my lifestyle, as it leaves me struggling to keep off the freshman 15 (which is really inexcusable since I am a senior). That was until some geniuses invented the best thing to ever happen to humanity: alcohol pills.

Can I get a What What!?

That’s right. Russian scientists have developed a process of changing alcohol into powder, which then gives you the ability to eat it, snort it, or put it in pill form. Now, while you wont find me huffing vodka anytime soon, I do think this pill idea has a nice ring to it.

Not only will I be able to stop fasting all week in preparation of my Friday night binge drinking fest, but I can also spare myself the pain of chugging watered down beer and shots that taste like rubbing alcohol. I’ll also add an extra 2 hours worth of beer pong, table dancing and ridiculous photo shoots to my night with not having to visit the bathroom every 20 minutes or stand in line at the bar every time I need a refill. And I can set up my pre-party playlist without fear of ruining my laptop when drunkenly I spill my pills all over it!

It’s like a dream come true!

The only thing that would make this better is if those same Russians could figure out a way to get a Jimmy John’s Beach Club into pill form so I didn’t have to wait in that line at 2 a.m. on my way home. But until that happens, I’ll totally take a 12 pack of Bacardi pills. Just wash one down (or make it a double) and I’ll have the smoothest Rum and Diet ever.