New Year’s Eve is almost here and I can’t wait! Not because I want to get started on those resolutions (drinking responsibly, organizing my life, hitting the gym 3 times a week…blech), but because it’s hands down one of my favorite holidays. This is the one holiday when you can get totally tanked, and it’s totally cool! I mean, think about it: sure we sneak booze at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but for this one we can do it out in the open!

And who doesn’t love getting all dolled up party clothes and going out for a fabulous evening on the town? I love getting together with my girlfriends to celebrate all the fun times we’ve had in the past year, while forgetting all the sh*t times and vowing to start fresh (which doesn’t always happen, but whatever, we try!).

There’s something about starting a new year that gives me goosepimples. You are balancing between the old and the exciting, unknown and totally awesome new; it is exhilerating. Thinking about all the things that happened in the past year (like finally breaking up with that d-bag boyfriend) and looking forward to things that will happen next year (like, “Holy crap I’m graduating college! Now what?”).

Not to mention, I’ve always thought that getting a midnight kiss from your special someone is one of the most romantic things EVER! Or just making out with a random might be fun too. How can anyone not love this night?

[Like a magpie, you gravitate towards things that are shiny: cell phones, TVs, anything that allows you to play Rock Band. But just because you love ‘em doesn’t mean you know much about ‘em. That’s where we come in. Every week we will be highlighting the best, coolest and shiniest in technology. Consider us your personal Geek Squad.

And let us tell ya; with CC on your side, geek has never looked so chic.]

It’s holiday season. A time of chaos and disorder. Many of us are about to go through finals on top of the mad dash to the holidays. Packing up dorm rooms for break, making holiday travel plans, trying to get those last few extra assignments in so you can pass with a C – all very trying things. Things that can be conquered with organization! So use these easy tools to help you get a jump on your New Years resolution. They won’t help you lose ten pounds, but they will help you stop forgetting birthdays.

Deadlines and Scheduling

If you’re anything like me (and you know you are), you wait until the last minute to get things done. From making travel arrangements to finishing papers, I’m a procrastinator. But nine times out of ten it’s not because I mean to – it’s because I honestly forget!

I found the best way to stay organized was actually right at my fingertips. Gmail (which we all have) has an awesome Google Calendar feature. It’ll keep track of your deadlines and notify you when they’re coming up via your life-line (AKA cell phone).

Another must-have? A flash drive. During the holiday season (with all the visiting and running around) chances are you’ll be on the go. Load up the flash drive with everything you may need and you can bring your work with you wherever you go. Just pop it into whatever computer is available and you are good to go. Read More »

I, like so many others, joined a gym last month. I swear, it had nothing to do with me wanting to hop on the New Years Resolution Band Wagon…it was more about the deals in January targeted toward those people more than anything else.

So now I go to the gym every day. And on Thursdays and Sundays, I belly dance. That’s right. I never saw my self as a belly dancer before, but when I saw these classes were being offered for free at the gym…uh…duh…I had to try it.

I saw a belly dancer once at a party and I thought, “Damn, that looks kinda easy. She shakes her ass and looks mysterious and has a cool outfit.”

I was gravely mistaken. Belly dancing is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Hands down. It’s harder than riding the train hung over, harder than breaking up face to face when you really just wanna send an email, and it’s definitely harder than just shaking your ass and looking mysterious. God, how I wish it were that easy.

The ass and hips, I am learning, have all sorts of muscles. But I’m pretty sure they’ve been set aside for those who belly dance ONLY because I certainly never felt them before. And now I feel them aching…every Friday and Monday. Read More »

Bad habits. Everyone has them (yes, even me!). I pick my cuticles. And I’ll be the first to admit- it’s not appealing. Far from it actually. It can be painful, but mostly it is just gross. Not only to me, but to those around me.

I realized just how gross when I saw a not so charming boy taking part in the same not so charming habit during a lecture and my friends pointed out that:

a) Yes, I look like that too when I pick/bite

b) We are destined to be together because we share the same nasty habit.

Whether it is nail biting, throat clearing, being chronically late, talking too loud on your cell phone etc- we all have that one (or eight) habits we just wish we could break. But sometimes we really can’t help but take part in our bad habits. Kind of like when we couldn’t help but text that guy last Saturday night at 2am, even though we said we were sooo done with that.

Sometimes bad habits are just really hard to break.

So before you make that New Years Resolution to not oversleep or stop cracking your knuckles, here are three steps to actually help you achieve that goal.

3 Easy Steps to Breaking Bad Habits (From WebMD)

1) Make It Conscious. Many times, we do these things without thinking about it. Like when we are bored in class or stressed in the library etc. So figure out when and why you take part in your habit(s) of choice. If you realize when/why you are doing it and can attribute what you are feeling that is driving you to do it, you will have an easier time finding a way to stop. Read More »