Ramen is tired of all the taunting – it’s fed up with being called cheap, sick of people wastin’ its flava. But finally Ramen gets its revenge. The staple of every college student’s diet now has its very own eponymous cookbook!

101 Things To Do With Ramen Noodles lets you keep the dime delicacy in your diet without boring your taste buds. From the inside flap: “From creamy mushroom soup and fajitas to cheeseburgers ramen and chocolate chinos—you’ll discover even more delicious reasons to love this tasty, versatile pantry staple.”

And the cookbook is only $4.95. Apparently, all things Ramen can be bought with couch cushion change. Deeeelish.

I always read articles that say each person should find the right diet that works for their body. Well, who has time to figure that out, especially in college? Sorting through each one and testing it out for a certain amount of time seems like a lot of wasted days for something that may not work.

Thanks to a new website, diettelevision.com, the figuring out is done for you. The diet finder feature searches through over 58 diets depending on what you put in as your food needs or dieting needs. For example, if you love to eat carbohydrates (and who doesn’t?) and are looking for quick weight loss, but still want great tasting food, it brings up the top five diets that best match your desire.

You can also search a specific diet or look at diets as rated by others. Now, I’m not saying that anyone should obsess over dieting, because it can get out of control. But this website is an easy guide with solid information. Even if you decide to try a diet or not, the fun tools are a great time killer and let’s be honest, we could all spend a little less time on facebook.

As summer looms closer, many people start to realize their blindingly pale skin and hit the tanning bed. But, according to a new study published in the March 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, tanning may not only be a self-esteem booster, but a real addiction as well.

The study used a testing tool to gauge the presence of a substance-related disorder to determine whether some college students could really be hooked on tanning, as if it was a drug or substance. 18% of the students who admitted to purposely tanning their skin scored positive on this test, indicating they could be addicted to UV light.

Our society tends to associate being bronzed with attractiveness, and I don’t know why that is. I have to admit that the tanner I am, the better I feel about myself. But I have to ask myself if it’ll be worth it in the long run. What do you think? Could you be a tan-o-holic?

As graduation time for many college seniors is looming in the distance, it’s important to remember the wise words of those that have gone before us. The most entertaining and witty of those was a 1997 column in the Chicago Tribune that was published as the author’s own version of a commencement address. It skips all of the b.s. of typical speeches and details why we should simply enjoy our lives right now! The column became famous and I always read it when I need a little boost. Just a little taste…

“Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s…

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.”

Read the full column here

So, my dad – an ever-proud Mizzou alum – recently decided to tell me about his beloved university’s Student Recreation Complex (a fairly new addition, erected in 2005). As someone who doesn’t even know the location of her own school’s rec center, you can imagine my apathy (I think my exact response was “Meh”).

Upon further information though, I understand what my dad was on about. Um, this architectural gluttony was modeled after Cribs and it even boasts its own Playboy-inspired “Tiger Grotto”. There is a sauna. There is a hot tub. There are waterfalls and palm trees. There is a curtailed version of the Six Flags sensation Lazy River, and – oh yeah – waiters to serve up wraps and smoothies poolside.

What’s that? You need a mani-pedi? A cucumber facial? A deep-tissue, reflexological, aromatherapeutic massage? All available on demand.

Fine, Mizzou students! When you’re finished there, why don’t you just wrap yourselves up in your towels of gold, slip on your diamond flip-flops, and ride your stallion-drawn carriage back to the dorms! Pfft!

Scoff as you like, but I hate Red Bull. Hate it. It tastes like someone put snake venom in my 7-Up. I mean, sure, I like to drink Red Bull and vodka, but let’s be honest – it ain’t the non-alcohol part that I’m digging, amiright?

Anyway, this aversion to Red Bull wouldn’t be so troublesome if I didn’t have to “take notes” or “pay attention” or “stay awake” in OrgoChem. Pfft. Unfortunately for Generation Facebook, these delicate college years require plenty of uppers, and I’m not ready to give in to methamphetamines just yet.

So thank science that I found Rocket Chocolate. Each individual chocolate morsel has 150 milligrams of caffeine (that’s almost twice as much as one can of Red Bull), not to mention only 70 calories (that’s less than half one can of Red Bull). Now I may have failed algebra, but even I like that math.

Not to mention, they are scrumptious and come in all different flavors, including chocolate-peanut butter, chocolate-mint, chocolate-cherry, and NOT snake venom.

You’ve been hittin’ the gym every day since January with the explicit intent of rocking a thong-cut bikini for Spring Break in Cabo. Wooooooo!

And I bet you’ll look fiiine. And I bet all the boys will be all, mmm-hmmm.

But y’know who won’t be ogling you? Homeless people.

(Okay, maybe I’m being a tad alarmist, but it’s true nonetheless.)

Consider using your bad-ass bod and sculpted muscles to make a difference. Habitat for Humanity offers their “Collegiate Challenge” – an “alternative break program” which encourages college kids to spend their outdoor energies building houses for the needy.

Habitat For Humanity has affiliates all over the U.S. so it’s a viable option no matter where you go to school. And even if you’ve already booked your tickets South, you can always consider opting for this “alternative” for your next break.

Though it’s not quite as glamorous as lounging on pink sandy shores, the feeling of generosity lasts exponentially longer than a tan. And consider this: will you meet better guys doing shooters in Mexico or doing charity work in N’orleans?

So I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m addicted to chocolate, cookies and ice cream.

Obviously none of them have really helped slim, tone or tighten my waisteline … And although I resolved to give up the sweets on January 1st, I can’t really say I’ve been a perfect angel about it. I always rationalize that I deserve it “just this once,” but there have been a lot of “just this onces.”

So now I’m buckling down, sticking to my guns and staying strong. I’ll admit, skipping my usual dose of soft chocolate chip cookies on my way out of the dining hall, hasn’t been easy. But I’ve found a few tricks to getting my sweet fix without all the fat and calories.

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If I forget to bring my iPod to the gym, I lose all motivation, talk myself out of my usual 30 minute run on the treadmill and proceed to eat unneccessary amounts of junk food.

Hey, I need rockin’ tunes to get me going. Which is why I always update my playlists, so that I can get excited about hitting the cardio machines.

Here’s my latest mix:

1. Justin Timberlake – What Goes Around, Comes Around

2. Nelly Furtado - All Good Things

3. The Killers – When You Were Young

4. Madonna – I Love New York

5. Cake – Short Skirt, Long Jacket

6. Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape

7. Eric Prydz – Call On Me

8. The Pixies – Where Is My Mind

9. Sublime – Santeria

10. Kelly Clarkson – Since You Been Gone

11. Citizen Cope – Brother Lee

12. Jojo - Too Little Too Late