"I love you, mom. Your gift will be a little late..."

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and I am old enough to understand I’ve used and abused doing the whole buy-her-a-card-and-make-her-’free backrub’-coupons bit. And as much as I would love to buy my mom concert tickets and backstage passes to Bon Jovi, my income is just not going to allow that kind of spending. Not to mention, I’ve been so busy drinking my face off for the last week of my college career busting out finals week, I had totally forgotten this Sunday was Mother’s Day until right about…now.

If, like me, you’re scrambling to finish all of those countless research papers and haven’t gotten to brainstorming about that perfect gift for mom, I’m here to help. No, these gifts won’t be ready quite in time for Sunday, but they are so awesome they are totes worth the wait. Just send mom a homemade card (or an e-card….it’s the thought, right?) and then wow her with one of these when you’re done with those dreadful exams.

1. Mom’s Mixtape
Most moms out there are a little challenged when it comes to technology, so this is the perfect (and cheap!) gift. I know my mother’s appreciation for ’80s rock is congruent with my obsession with techno dance parties on a Friday night, and it’s really simple to throw together a great mix CD with all of her favorite songs. It’s thoughtful, it’s easy, and it will make her really happy when she’s driving around town in that SUV running errands for you and the sibs. If you need inspiration, make a few radio stations on Pandora with her favorite artists to find some other artists she might love. And if you want to go big, make her a 6-CD box set with her favorite jams from all the decades. Read More »

V-Day season is upon us again, and even though I’m in a relationship this year, I still feel like I want to punch people whenever I see little red hearts dotting store windows. I’m not a big proponent of the “show your love for someone by throwing money at him” school of thought. I am, however, all for gifts that are thoughtful, useful, and CHEAP.

Hearing me out? Read on.

- If you want to go traditional, mix up the monotony. Candy and flowers are nice and don’t break the bank, but apparently they are not great for the planet, so why not choose something a bit different this year? A box of fair-trade, organic chocolates won’t run you more than 20 bucks, and they’re made with more care and better-quality ingredients than that Russell Stover collection.

- Does your boo like to spin the tunes? Make him a mix CD. I know, I know—that’s so sixth grade—but really, it’s a very thoughtful gift that can’t come from anyone except you. Go through your playlist and mountains of CDs to pick out songs that remind you of that special someone, burn ‘em off, and make a pretty liner and cover for the CD. Done! Read More »

Week after week (after week after week…), CollegeCandy and our pal John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, and saddest things he hears on his college campus. And we know he’s not the only one who hears this stuff. Join the Overheard revolution! Listen in on some weirdos’ conversations and share them in the comments or send ‘em over. You know there’s a lot of funny things to be heard on your campus, so take off those (faux) Burberry ear muffs and tune in.

(Guy, walking out of a package store with three 30-packs of beer.)

Guy: Yeah, I’ve been trying really hard on this whole “New Year’s Resolution” thing. Think I’m doing okay so far.

(Girl, talking to a guy at a bar.)

Girl: Are you related to that guy on stage?

Guy: Who?

Girl: You look a lot like him.

Guy: No, I don’t.

Woman: Okay, you’re right. I’m just trying to hit on you. Read More »

You always were one to wait for the last minute. Like that paper that was still warm from the printer as you turned it in to your professor. Or that time you forgot underwear for Spring Break because you packed that morning. (Good thing people don’t wear much underwear on Spring Break….)

And now it’s the same story with those dreaded Christmas presents for mom, dad and brother Jimmy. Christmas dinner is, like, 5 minutes away and you have nothing to bring (except that bottle of Jack you snuck into your purse). It’s way to late to run to the mall and get something, and even the neighborhood CVS is empty of all those crappy gifts you wondered why they had in the first place.

What the hell are you going to do? We came up with some fabulous last-minute gift ideas that are sure to please…and could never be re-gifted.

1. Coupon Book: Grab some paper and markers and start writing. Your parents loved these things when you were a kid, and there is no way mom wouldn’t appreciate some help with the laundry now. Offer her one week of free laundry, a few days of taking out the garbage, some trips to the grocery store, and maybe even a month of not calling and asking for more money.

2. Mix CD: You obvi brought your laptop home (there is no way you are sharing the family computer for a whole freaking month), so hop on there and make some CDs for everyone. Does dad love classic rock? Pull together his favorite jams onto a CD. He will love it (especially since most dads can’t figure out how to do that stuff on their own). Read More »

The stuffing is gone. The pumpkin pie has been demolished. Which can only mean one thing: the season of giving thanks and showing appreciation is officially over. It is time for gifts, deals and a whole lot of shopping.

I don’t know about you, but this whole “Christmas season is for giving” bullshit is getting a little out of control. Christmas isn’t for giving. It is for getting: good deals, good presents, and the respect and awe of all the people you are giving gifts to. In fact, this morning on the radio I listened as shoppers regaled their Black Friday horror stories. People were camping out overnight at stores, women were getting in fights, and people were even stealing things from each other’s carts!

Where is the Christmas spirit, damn it?

How is it possible to transition so quickly from a holiday that focuses on being grateful for all the things we have in our lives to dropping elbows for a copy of Hairspray on DVD? How can people go from being all about the family to skipping out on Thanksgiving dinner early to get a good spot in line at Best Buy?

Buying things for people is not the way to show your love and appreciation! Read More »

As I write this I am sitting at my boyfriends house, hanging out with his roommates dog and watching Weeds onDemand while he is in class. I’m also wearing his sweatpants.

This wouldn’t be such an uncommon scenario if he didn’t live 1,000 miles away, if kissing him didn’t cost two hundred dollars and seeing him didn’t require vacation time.

But it does. And for that reason, the LDR (or the Long Distance Relationship) is a lot of work. And you have to work at it. While it is wonderful, the LDR sucks so you should be completely and totally sure its right for you. I don’t advocate them.

And we all know our guy blogger Andrew really doesn’t advise them.

In fact, I never imagined I would be in one. But we were right together and right for each other and I couldn’t imagine not being with him.

So, we’re together even when we aren’t together. Seeing each other every five weeks does not a relationship make, which is why even though we should be in our “honeymoon phase”, having sex and wanting to spend every moment together, we’re already having to work on the relationship.

The good folks at CNN also saw the problems that lie within the long distance relationship. In this article, they provided some good (if not a bit obvious) advice that help make the LDR work.

Communicate

Ugh, communication. Sometimes it sucks talking on the phone ALL the time. So many times I would rather just sit next to him and watch a movie rather than sitting on the phone talking to him about it. Despite the fact that I feel like we talk all the time (which I don’t really mind) it helps because I feel like I’m a part of his day-to-day life even if I’m not there every day. Just saying hi in the morning helps me make it through my day. Read More »