Unless you’re going to college in the South where the lowest temperature hovers somewhere around 50, you’ve been walking around your campus bundled up to your ears in the cold all day, every day. And it sucks.

So as the weeks come closer and closer to spring break, the last thing you want to do is celebrate your spring break in the cold at home. Well, for some of us in today’s economy, there isn’t much of a choice. And maybe it’s not such a bad thing, anyway!

Here are some of my reasons for not doin’ the Spring Break thing this year.

Money - The main reason for most of today’s sacrifices. I don’t have a job to earn any money to but a new swimsuit, let alone travel anywhere remotely warm! Even if I wanted to have a job, I probably wouldn’t make enough in the past 7 weeks of this semester to fund where I’d genuinely like to go. So I might as well wait and save up for the trip of a lifetime, eh?

Friends - Let’s not get confused; YES, I have friends. The friends that I do have, for the most part, do not attend the same college as me, therefore we have different spring breaks. If I’m gonna fork over the cash for a mega trip, I’d like it to be with my besties and that is not an option. Maybe it’s a sign for “time to make new friends”?

Being a Gemini (a.k.a Indeceisive-ness) – Where the hell would I go?! If I went anywhere for spring break I’d want it to be warm, like Florida, but there are so many options and so many places!! I mean, I’ve never seen New York City (which lame considering it’s my dream city and I’m 18!). And Chicago is so close to my home! And Boston is so much fun, too! Do I want to be in a amazing city that is close to home, but freezing? Or do I want to shell about a bajillion dollars to go to a warm city that is far away from home, yet come back with a kick-ass tan? Gahhh.

And here is why staying home with the parentals might not be such a bad thing:

Money – By not going anywhere and chillin’ at home with the family that I haven’t seen in weeks, I would obviously be saving a good amount of money. I could even put any money I did save towards going on vacation during the summer, which would have the added perk of not having to worry about any homework, exams, or projects while relaxing on a beach (or walking around a big city!). Speaking of homework, exams, and projects…

School Work – As nerdy as it may sound, spring break would be a good time to catch up on any school work I may have missed or slacked off on during “partying-my-face-off-and-sleeping-past-noon” weekends. Not only school work, but any other tasks I wanted to accomplish but never did because of prior obligations (like procrastinating until the last minute to finish a paper and exam that were on the same day).

The “Spring Break Bod”- I’m not exactly a huge fan of working out and am one those girls who consider walking around campus a sufficient form of exercise, which works to a certain point. Now that I don’t have to think about wearing a swimsuit for a week straight, I don’t have to worry about busting my ass to achieve my goal “body” and eat as many brownies as I want. Mom’s homemade brownies. Mmmm.

There seems to be an even number of pros and cons, and although I don’t get that bronze glow or camera full of crazy spring break memories, there’s always summer, my very own 3 month spring break.

Can I get an AMEN?

So who’s a fan of Adult Swim? I know I am.

Ever wonder who the rapper with the high pitched voice is on ATHF? You know MC Peepants/MC Vald. That would be real Nerdcore rapper, MC Chris.

I know what you’re thinking right now: what the hell is “Nerdcore”? Well think Weird Al Yankovic’s “White and Nerdy,” but, you know, BETTER.

Nerdcore is a genre of hip hop, but instead of rapping about ho’s, bling, and money, they rap about games, computers, and other fun geek stuff. I mean they talk about boobies too, but it’s just different.

Don’t let the content of the songs throw you off, though; the beats are just as good as the more mainstream stuff on the radio, which means you will find yourself jamming/dancing to songs about compuers in no time. Want a little help? Check out these performers and their more popular jams (well, popular amongst geeks like me).

MC Chris

He’s perhaps the most well known of all Nerdcore rappers due to his work with voice acting, which, you know, makes his voice quite distinctive. He’s easy to listen to and, believe it or not, fun. Very catchy and poppy. For something new to play on that long road-trip home, check out “Fett’s Vette.”

MC Frontalot

He has a slightly different sound to him with a bit mor ]e rhythm based and very smart lyrics. His music is actually something you could listen to all the time. My favorite pick? Check out “Secrets from the Future.”

MC Router

My friend is totally geeked because he got to talk to her online. (It’s the little things.) In any case she’s a hardcore geek girl with techy beats that are fun to dance to. If you are in the mood for some chick music besides Britney and Rhianna, check out “Emmulation Station.”

Image courtesy of boingboing.net

(In the second installment of our Expert Series Understanding The Economic Situation, we continue with the Q and A with a VP of an Investment Banking Firm. He knows his stuff and he’s gonna break it down for us in ways we can finally understand. Pay attention; he offers great advice for us college ladies for saving, spending, and not getting depressed. In case you missed the first part, read it HERE]

Do these recent economic waves mean college students and recent grads should stay away from investing in the stock market right now?

No – they should DEF participate and now is the time to do it. Recent and current grads should look to NON-financial stocks. Everything is down right now and there are so many bargains. Look to other tech and retail stocks. Buy stock and just let it sit. Don’t start trading regularly like I did when I was in college. I didn’t really make anything off of it, and if I had held onto the Google stock that I bought at $15, I would NOT be answering this email right now – I would be on a beach drinking fruity drinks with umbrellas.

How does one actually start to make smart investments?

Smart investments are ones that are based off of information, not emotion. An emotional investment is, “OMG, everyone is selling off finance stocks – I should sell mine too!” An informed one is made by reading 10K reports, poking around the internet for info, maybe even emailing or calling an investor relations representative of a company (they HAVE to talk to you and actually like doing so). Then you say, “Oh, Lehman is f*cked but JP Morgan is still in a strong position.”

How can today’s college students and recent grads start saving money?

I know it sounds stupid, but if a college student started saving SOMETHING on a monthly basis – the results would be amazing. Compound that over a yearly basis, and by the time you are ready to get a house (in 10 years or so) you will be in a much better financial position. SAVE. Keep 2 credit cards, 1 you do not touch. Keep it in the bottom of your underwear drawer. The second one should be paid off at the end of every month. You can even work with the CC company and set a self-imposed limit. They want your business, so they will do whatever you want. The card in your underwear drawer is an emergency card – and should stay hidden until the most dire need, NOT a trip to Vegas.

Do you think it’s right that big CEO’s got those “golden parachutes” when these companies went down?

Ah, the Golden Parachute. I want one of those. Yes, they are worth it. You have these CEOs with big names, and lots of pressure. When these guys/gals first join a big company, it is because they have developed a good reputation as being smart business people. Companies want them to bring that reputation to their company, because the stock price would go up even at the announcement of new executive. It is the same theory behind paying athletes the high salaries. It is not just the on the field value, but off the field as well.

CEOs become the face, name and brand of the company – and if the company goes down (whether it is the CEOs fault or not) people will always associate that company with that person. Their possible job future is gone. It is also important to keep them from having to worry about their job security. Think of it this way, if you are worried about something, does it affect the way you make decisions? Sure it does. If Jane CEO is worried about keeping her job, she will make conservative decisions with very little risk. Very little risk=very little return. That is not how businesses grow, especially big global ones.

When the board of directors say, “Hey Jane, you are smart and saavy. If anything happens and you get fired, $10M is yours. Go out, get on the cover of Forbes, talk to the WSJ, make HUGE deals for us so that the stock price will go up.” If she does well, she is a genius. If she guesses wrong on even 1 small aspect, everything could crumble. Golden Parachutes are part of the reason why we have experienced some of the growth we have.

Honestly, should we be freaking out?

Your PARENTS should be freaking out, not you. This is cyclical. When you are your parents age, you won’t be seeing stuff like this – it will be different, but not like this. If you have $1M in financial stocks – then I would say go out, buy a hat, and hold the f*ck on to it. But you don’t – so stay cool. Be a little Fonzie.

This included me when I was underage. I used to rant continually to any listening ear around me about how hard it was for me to get into bars. I despised the injustice of the photo ID and the fact that I had to constantly verse myself in the full name, birthday, and address of the older friend I was always pretending to be while out on the town.

I had a boyfriend in London and HE was allowed to drink already. It drove me, as he would say, mad. However, now that I’m a few years past the drinking age and a few years wiser, I have come to understand how detrimental a legal drinking age of 18, for instance, could have been to my life.

If I had been drinking (legally) when I was 18, things would be different for me now, I reckon:

I would have been able to deal with the anxiety of living at home better and perhaps I would have never moved out.

I would have been drinking my first year of college and may or may not have made it through that first difficult year after throwing hangovers into the mix.

I would have spent a hell of a lot more money on drinks at the bar vs. bottles in my room.

I certainly would have lost my virginity before 19. Alcohol makes sex so much easier. And desirable. And “OhmygodIneeditnow!”

I wouldn’t have had to flirt/exchange numbers with the massive bouncer at the bar to let me in every Thursday.

I would have thrown up all over my freshman year roommate, who was a total b*tch.

I would have left the privacy (read: hiding spot) of my dormroom to drink.

I would have drank things other than Vodka and Fresca, or “Whatever I Could Get My Hands On” and Diet Coke

I would have, likely, calmed down with my drinking by the time I was 22 and I would already be on my way toward a more neutralized, commonplace life.

Yes, I was drinking regardless of the law by age 19. However, drinking has never (and probably will never be) as fun as it was then – when it was still illegal. You under-21-year-olds won’t believe me, but being able to get tanked legally isn’t really as fun as you think. There is something to be said about the thrill of using a fake or chugging from a flask in a bathroom.

Savor your opportunity to partake in criminal behavior, I tell you! Savor it! Before you know it, you’ll be sipping on martinis at happy hour after work, too tired to keep your eyes open, and wondering how you used to have the energy to drink and dance all night.

(Photo from: telegraph.co.uk)

Look for common ground.

In today’s modern world, even religious leaders are beginning to emphasize the common ties of religion rather than the differences. It’s important for you to learn to do the same, if you really want to make it work with a guy. If one of you is Protestant and the other Catholic, you’re already halfway there toward reconciliation, really; the fundamental points of doctrine are the same. If you’re interested in religious discussion, make an effort to point out where you agree. For example, Jesus is a prophet and a holy figure in Islam as well as Christianity. Sufis and Buddhists agree that meditation techniques are important for reaching higher spiritual states. Jews and Muslims agree about dietary restrictions and the importance of respecting God through very similar laws. There’s common ground for everyone!

Respect differences.

Anyone who is a proud member of a religion clearly holds that religion’s tenets and practices dearly. If you like to drink but your boyfriend doesn’t on principle, it’s unwise to try forcing him. Religious traditions go back centuries and not everyone wants to quickly abandon family traditions or practices just to be more likeable or easier to date. A meaningful Serious Relationship is built on mutual respect. That also works in the other direction, though — if your boyfriend/girlfriend has expectations of you based on his/her religion, you have no obligation to fulfill them! So, for example, respect his choice not to eat pork, but don’t give up bacon just because he doesn’t like it. If he can’t respect your choice, it’s unfair.

Talk.

A great deal of the conflicts among religions in the wider sphere are caused by misunderstandings. That’s true on the individual level too! Before you become alarmed that your guy is a different faith than yours, ask questions about what he believes in. He may be able to dispel common misconceptions or urban legends about his religion. You may have a lot more in common than you thought.

Make your choice.

When it comes down to it, if you’re really invested in the Serious Relationship, then it’s important to think seriously about whether you’re willing to be involved in an interfaith relationship. Is it truly important to you to be with someone of the same faith? Or are you flexible on that score? By being honest about what you want, you may be able to learn a great deal about your boy or girlfriend, and gain insight into a world you thought you’d never understand. That alone is worth trying for, if you’re willing to be open-minded about it.

[Photo courtesy of nationalcenter.org]

I was raised to believe that there was a god, one god, and that Jesus Christ was his son. I accepted him into my ‘heart’ and was baptized at an early age. Then I was taught that anyone who didn’t move forward with those two procedures was going to go to Hell; even if they were a good person. Oh, Hell. The fiery pit where bad people burn with the devil.

I once believed this place was real and I could quote scriptures from The Bible as my own little way of reassuring myself that I wasn’t gonna be one of those bad people going to that bad place. I prayed when things weren’t going my way and I prayed when things were going my way. Come to think of it, I spent more time chatting it up with God when I was young than I did my friends.

I knew nothing about earning money, but I knew you were a selfish person if you didn’t give at least 10% of your income to God and your church. I knew that Halloween was for Satan and witches, that Jewish people believed in the same God that I did but were still going to Hell, and that Pulp Fiction was a very, VERY demonic movie that I was never allowed to see.

When I entered adolescence, I started to embrace my Christianity in new ways. I listened to rock bands who screamed lyrics you couldn’t understand…but they were Christian, so it was okay. I wore punky clothes and was straight edge. A straight edge jerk, judging everyone I knew who did drugs or drank or — god forbid — had sex.

I attended three different churches growing up and met all sorts of Christians. Good ones, bad ones, and everything in between. But, as most Christians will be quick to remind you, Christianity is about Christ-not Christians. So let’s forget about the massive churches who have Starbucks booths in their lobbies. Lets forget about the way a person can so eloquently damn another person to Hell, but with compassion. Lets talk about Christ, according to The Bible.

No matter how liberal you’d like to be with your beliefs, that book is still pretty clear about the fact that believing in this guy, Jesus, is the way to save your soul. And the only way. Crazily enough, that was okay with me…until I started meeting people who weren’t Christian. Good people who were more devoted to their respective religions than I ever was started to stand out to me in a crowd. The message of Christ — of peace and love — started to speak much louder than the rules and regulations of religion.

Slowly, but surely, I stopped believing in everything but the peace, love, and golden rule concepts. I started to believe that no religion was absolutely wrong or absolutely right. I started to accept the fact that The Bible was written by humans and no matter how divine their passages may have been, humans are still humans. Eventually, I found myself where I stand today.

I stand in a place where I do not believe in Heaven or Hell. And even if those places did exist, I certainly don’t believe in worshipping a god who would send good people to a torturous place just because they didn’t ‘accept Jesus into their heart’. I believe that there may be something greater than us; in fact, I believe that there probably is. But that doesn’t mean I believe in a god. I just believe that we’re humans and we don’t know the answers. Even if we all collectively contributed our religious experiences to a new religious book, I still do not believe we’d get it right. I do not believe we’re capable of this.

I know that religion means a lot to a lot of people. I am not trying to make a laughing matter of it — particularly not after the years I spent devoted to it. However, I’m much happier now in this place in my life where I can live with an open mind and not have to have even one friend in my social circle who I feel like I need to ‘save’. I’m much happier here with a Pulp Fiction poster on the wall in my living room. I’m much happier having met the guys in the Christian rock bands I once worshipped and having seen that they do cocaine, they have sex with groupies; they are not flawless. I much happier with Halloween.

I don’t believe in absolutes anymore, except for the absolute that that lifestyle was wrong for me.

[Photo courtesy of daretoshare.org.]

Dear Jeff Buckley aka Scotty Moorhead,

You passed away during this month, 11 years ago. And I still love you. Someone’s gotta love dead rock stars, and I guess it’s me. But let me assure you, Jeff, you are at the top of my list of boys I want to date in the afterlife. Your voice is like honey, your song writing like gold…and you are…err…were…..beautiful. Drop dead gorgeous.

You graduated from high school the same year I was born, but I don’t think that our age difference should really be relevant in the afterlife, do you? I love the way you play guitar. Even if you don’t know this, I’m pretty sure a lot of your songs were about me. I’m sure you didn’t even consider the possibility that the girl for you wouldn’t figure out that she was, in fact, for you until long after your death…but it’s a crazy world we live in.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I would really like to go out with you in the after life. You’d probably know where we should go better than I, but to be honest, I don’t really care. Maybe we’ll take a stroll down streets of gold? Perhaps we can toast marshmallows in the fiery pits of Hell? The problem really is that I don’t know exactly WHERE I’ll end up, but I have a strong confidence that it will be the place as you. Send me a sign, let me know what you think, or just holla at yer girl when I’m hanging out post-death style with you.

Love you ETERNALLY,

Your sweetheart, the drunk.

I’ve been using the Lord’s name in vain and partying hard on Sundays for a while now. So I already knew I’d bought my ticket to Hell, but thanks to The Pope, I’ve got a first class seat now on an express train to the fiery flames of evil.

Here are the new sins that were literally INVENTED this week. (By the way, who really believes this sh*t anymore?)

YOU ARE NOW A SINNER IF…

-You support bioethical violations; like birth control (CHECK)

-You are “morally dubious” in your support of experiments like…stem cell research. (CHECK)

-You use illegal drugs or abuse drugs. (Uh…CHECK).

-You pollute the environment (I don’t WANT to, but I’m not gonna stop using hairspray OR my air conditioner…so…CHECK).

-You contribute to the widening divide between rich and poor. (WTF does this even MEAN? Am I now a sinner because I don’t drop quarters in the cups of the homeless? I mean, I’m sorry, but they’re on every single corner in NYC!)

-You are excessively wealthy. (Oprah is supposedly a Christian. And now she’s a sinner too thanks to this one…)

-You are creating poverty. (uh….ok)

I will be the FIRST in line to declare my belief in the fact that much religious law has been fabricated from the minds of authorities in order to have a more convenient society. However, that is one of those topics that people could endlessly debate at a bar all night long. But how can you debate THIS?

The Pope just sat down and made up his own sins. And they’re ridiculous!

I’m seven times the sinner I ever was now thanks to these additions.

Who else is with me?

Hooters? Depressing? You don’t say. All I’ve ever had to do was take a look at the horrible orange and white paint job adorning the outside of most Hooters restaurants to know those places are a bevy of bad taste and depression.

Oh yeah, and fifteen year olds.

In my town, Hooters was the place adolescent boys with fake IDs and too much cologne spent their Friday nights when no one their own age would date them.

Hooters was the place high school’s biggest assholes went to feel superior to women who would never look at them in real life, as well as the place a friend’s friend once tried to work at but quit after some perv threw a popcorn shrimp at her boobs.

In conclusion: Hooters is drenched in grossness.

On a recent trip to the 56th street Hooters in New York City for their 10 year celebration, the hilarious bloggers at Gawker explained—through quotes and pictures—why this place is never to be visited by healthy, socially content individuals.

After admitting that most of the waitresses “weren’t very good looking”, the team at Gawker interviewed a Hooters Girl named Shanell.

The way her perkiness slips away at the faintest prodding is about as sad as watching a puppy shiver in a rainstorm.

“”How does Shanell like working at Hooters? “it’s fun,” she said. But after a second of consideration, her smile wilted. “It’s all right.” And later in the conversation: “It’s strange.””

Wearing high-waisted short shorts and a tight-shirt while serving fried shrimp to red-faced men in business suits is surely an assigned activity in one of the seven circles of hell.

Not only are you allowing dudes to stare at you like a sex object, you’re asking them to, because hopefully, the more they like your boobs, the bigger your tip will be.

Somewhere in this great United States of America, there are people who will defend Hooters. 89% of those people will be men. Who are overweight. Or wear too much hair gel.

But they will defend it nonetheless; crusading against the sad truth that these restaurants are lame, tacky versions of strip clubs—without the added benefit of nakedness.

Save your soul. Eat your chicken wings somewhere else.