Chag Samach and L’Shana Tovah everyone!

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about (or even how to pronounce that mumbo jumbo), allow me to explain.

Wednesday at sundown is the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It’s one of the happiest and holiest days of the year, filled with fun (and a few…er….interesting) traditions. And a lot of praying. For those of you who’ve never celebrated before or are wondering why all your Jewish friends get excused absences from class during the first week (how unfair!), allow me to guide you through some of the finer points of our celebration (and show you that we’re not just playing hookie for no reason here).

And for all you non-Jews out there: if you can swing it, secure yourself an invite to Rosh Hashanah dinner. The food is good, the wine is plentiful, and there’s bound to be an interesting character (or 2) at the table. Here is everything you need to know:

The Deal: Rosh Hashanah, which starts at sundown and lasts for two days, is the start of the Jewish calendar. It’s not as big or booze-filled as the New Years you’ll celebrate in December/January (actually, it’s more family and prayer filled), but it’s a celebration nonetheless. We dress up, go to temple, sing, dance, and eat. It’s a time to celebrate the end of one year and look forward to another, complete with resolutions, making amends, and family gatherings. It’s also filled with symbolism, which we love. And food. Did I mention we’re big on food? Read More »

Firstly – Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your New Year’s Eve was both as eventful and wonderful as mine. And I hope that you’ve made a very important resolution: to read more! Admit it, you have some time before you hit the hay or with your morning coffee or while taking the bus around campus to pick up a novel and dig right into it. I find I learn more BIG lessons from books I’ve read for pleasure than my overpriced textbooks;  maybe the next book you pick up will teach you something important. So there is my plea and hopefully you’ll get some great recommendations from me over the next year!

Moving on….

I’ve had my eye on both of Markus Zusak’s books (Messenger and “The Book Thief“) for a while now, as they are super popular teen books. Now that I’ve got a ton of free time on my hands, I finally picked up “I Am The Messenger.” The book is the story of Ed Kennedy, a 19 year old cab driver who is basically going nowhere. His life revolves around his dog, the doorman and his 3 friends, Audrey, Marv and Ritchie. One day, Ed finds himself stopping a bank robbery and shortly after he starts to receive strange messages. His first message arrives on an ace of diamonds (yes, like from a deck of cards) with 3 addresses and times. Ed visits these locations and soon realizes that he must assist the occupants in some way, whether it being simply keeping them company or saving them from abuse (I won’t give away too much!). Once he completes those three tasks, another card arrives for him, sending him on another adventure. Then another. With every card, the tasks gets more difficult and Ed must decipher the message to determine his three targets. Along the way, Ed realizes lots of important lessons and eventually becomes more than a dead-end cab driver – he becomes a message. 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.

Get your Jonas on now, peeps, cuz it’s gonna end soon.

New Year’s Eve makeup ideas!

Make some resolutions….in bed.

Everyone wants Kate Winslet’s bod.

Crave: platform boots. Drool.

Is Rihanna headed for a meltdown?

Family obligations are over (phew) and your resolution/diet technically doesn’t start ’til January 2nd (when you’ve fully recovered from all the binging). So it’s time to cut loose and ring in 2010 with a bang.

After all, you’ve been looking forward to an occasion to show off your sparkly new holiday dress. And the shoes, tights, belt and accessories you picked up to go with it. But remember that New Year’s Eve is notorious, no matter where you are, for record breaking injury, crime and carelessness. Take some time a few days in advance to prepare and ensure you have a blast.

After all, who wants to start off 2010 in detox, jail or the hospital?

1) Make a plan. NYE is not the night to bar-hop. With ridiculous cover charges, overpriced drinks and drunk drivers on the roads, it’s best to pick a place, get all of your buds to head there and rock the night away.

This also decreases the chance of getting split up. With the disorienting effects of alcohol you want to keep your crew intact to minimize the odds of anyone stumbling into a sticky situation solo.

2) Transportation is HUGE: no drinking and driving. If you all must drink you all must stay put. Period. Do some research: many cities offer free buses and cab rides on NYE. There are also services that will pick you up and drive your car home for you. Find those companies now and store their numbers in your phone just in case you need them. Or, load some pillows and blankets into your trunk and crash with a local friend. Read More »