I guess that whole “time flies when you’re having fun” thing really is true, because between the Justin Bieber concert and the 4th of July, this week flew on by. Let’s reflect:

- Remember that little kid from Sixth Sense? Or the boys from Boy Meets World? What the hell happened to them? We get the low-down on the cuties of the 90′s. Newsflash: they’re not such cuties anymore.

- Are you a Diet Coke fanatic? We are. Oh sweet nectar of the Gods.

- It seems like everyone has fallen in love with Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives of New York City. Yes, when we grow up, we all want to be Bethenny.

- Should you get implants? The Dude weighs in.

- Dating is tough, especially when you don’t want to come off as the clingy girl. So should you be channeling your inner G.I Joe? Helmets on, ladies.

- Trying to get by in the sweltering heat? CollegeCandy has the Dos and Don’ts for beating summer heat.

- When it comes to summer friends, there are 9 you should avoid at all costs, and 5 you NEED to keep around.

- Not sure if it’s time to take your friend home and put her to bed (with a bottle of water and a garbage can)? Here are 88 reasons why you should. Warning: it ain’t pretty.

- Summer = bikinis. Bikinis = Diet. Learn how to get off that weight loss plateau and lose weight the healthy way.

- The Boho looks back! Get 8 tips on how to look chic and relax for just under $20.

Yes, I am an addict. That’s the first thing DC lovers must admit. We are stubborn and angsty without our Diet Cokes and nothing, I mean nothing, will kill our craving unless it’s one of those pretty silver cans sweating in front of us. Or, even better, a giant cardboard cup filled with the heaven that is a Fountain Diet Coke. Is there anything better? I think not, and anyone who tells you otherwise is either a  A) Coke head (Note: not the same thing as a Lindsay Lohan coke head) B) a Pepsi Whore (EW) or C) stupid.

I’ll be honest and confess that I hated Diet Coke in the beginning. I thought it was “fake” and “disgusting.” My friend loved to order it with every meal and I just scowled at her with disgust. “Why do you even drink that,” I would say over my giant glass of water. “You know, it might kill you.” Her answer was always the same: “Honestly, I just can’t stop. And you won’t know until you try.”

So I did. The first sip, I spat out the coke and said it tasted like cough syrup. And then another sip and another. Then I started ordering DC when I had a salad, or just when I was out with friends. Then I was buying it on the way to class. And soon after, the cravings began. I started to suffer from light headaches, my fingers started shaking. My fridge was filled with nothing but cans of DC and a jar of pickles. I was hooked.

Diet Coke is one of those things, like Taylor Swift or rompers, that either people love or hate. There is no middle ground. There is no “It’s OK.” It’s either “OMG DIET COKE” or “Ew, Diet Coke?!” And I’m always trying to lure in the non-believers. “It tastes so crisp! How can you not like it?” And they just stare at me in horror as I chug another one and crush the silver can against my forehead. But it is. Nothing quenches my thirst (be it at breakfast, dinner, on the beach or after the bar) like a giant Diet Coke. It’s like an icy, comforting hug from a friend soul mate.

And I know for a fact I’m not the only one who thinks so. The Diet Coke Obsession is a cult movement, sorta like Scientology… but a lot less weird. And a lot more delicious. Hell, DC even fueled President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign! Yes, Diet Coke put Obama in the White House.

That’s one powerful beverage.

God, Diet Coke, I f**king love you.

Gosh, Wednesdays are so much more fun when the week doesn’t really start until Tuesday. It’s only just begun but it’s already almost over! Woop! And it doesn’t hurt that I spent Monday stuffing myself to the brim with hot dogs, corn on the cob and Miller Lite. (Lies. That actually did hurt. My whole body hurt yesterday. Seriously, why did it feel like I did 1,000 crunches??)

Anyways, regardless of the short week, it’s Wednesday and that means it’s time to play Would You Rather. So read it and weep. Or read it and vote. We don’t want to make anyone weep.

Would You Rather find out that your new boyfriend was obsessed with your best friend for a year before he met you OR find out that your new boyfriend actually hated everything about you when you first met?

Things to Consider: The fact that your best friend is still single, how good she looks in a mini-dress, what you did to make him hate you so much.

I’m pretty sure I don’t have OCD, but sometimes I really convince myself that I do.  And by “sometimes” I mean “every time I watch Obsessed on A&E.” Although my habits don’t come nearly as close to those of the people on that show who have to touch the fridge 46 times before they can get some milk, I do have some quirks that make me go hmm…

I know a lot of people have weird things with numbers, but my thing with numbers is just wacky.  For example, when I’m on the treadmill planning on going for a run, I make sure I walk for exactly half a mile before.  The treadmill must say exactly .50 before I can start running.  .49 is not okay, and, to be honest, I’m not sure what I would do if it went to .51 and I wasn’t running yet, but I guess I don’t have to worry about that because I won’t let that happen.

Now, is that just routine or a blatant obsession?

Also, when I play tennis, sometimes I’ll flip the racket in the air and catch it.  And once I do it once, I make myself do it 3 times in a row before I can keep playing.  If I don’t catch it, I have to start over.  WTF?

I don’t know how or why I developed these odd OCD tendencies. I know they aren’t dangerous or cause me social problems (unless I meet someone who can’t handle my racket-flipping), but it’s just….weird. Why do I have to shower in the same order (face, body, hair, conditioner) every morning, or set my alarm clock to a time that ends in 3? And why aren’t I obsessed with something useful like cleanliness or staying organized? Or avoiding cake/chocolate/all things fried?

And am I the only one with a mild case of OCD? What sort of weird OCD habits do you have? Share ‘em here so we can all feel a bit better about ours!

I started drooling the second I saw the recipe for Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Ganache. And I didn’t stop until I had made them and ate the entire plate. Come to think of it, I still haven’t stopped. They are that good.

So, if you consider yourself even a slight fan of peanut butter and chocolate, you should probably make these now. And figure out a way to healthily add a tray of them into your food pyramid. And when you figure it out, please let me know.

Here’s what you need for the blondies:

2 sticks un-salted, softened butter

1 3/4 C sugar

1 C creamy peanut butter

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2 t vanilla extract

2 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips.

For the chocolate ganache:

1 1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 C heavy cream

1 T unsalted, softened butter

And here’s how to make them so you can start devouring them as soon as possible.

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking pan lined with parchment.

2) Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Then add the peanut butter and beat the mixture together. Now you’re ready to beat in the whole eggs, the single egg yolk, and the vanilla. And with your mixer on low, beat in the flour.

3) Mix in the chocolate chips and spread the delicious mixture into the baking pan.

4) Bake it for about 45 minutes (I KNOW. It’s not easy waiting as your apartment fills with the aroma of peanut butter and chocolate). Then you have to wait for it to cool, which could take up to 1 1/2 hours. Pure torture.

Now you’re good to go on the chocolate ganache:

1) Put the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl.

2) Bring the cream to a boil in a sauce pan and pour it over the chocolate chips. Let mixture stand for 1 minute (which might feel like a whole hour).

3) Now whisk in the butter until everything is nice and smoothly melted.

Finally. Spread the chocolate ganache on the blondies. And…wait again. Ugh, I know. But stick them in the fridge and you might only have to wait about 15 minutes, until the chocolate hardens.

And finally for real! Cut them into squares (big ones!) and eat them. And fall just a little bit deeper in love with peanut butter.

Yes, I know that I am one. Yes, I realize that makes me hypocritical.

So before you all jump on the attack bandwagon, let me at least explain my position. It’s not girls I don’t like, per se. It’s just things about them. For example:

• The obsession with appearance. Yeah, I realize it’s sometimes important to look good. I even fall victim to this one sometimes. But the real problem I have is with girls who will goggle at a full closet of clothes and whine, “I have nothing to wear!” or girls that will try on something in a dressing room and then ask their poor boyfriends, “Does this make me look fat?”

Hello, ladies. He knows the drill. He’s not going to tell you it makes you look fat, because he cares about you (for reasons I will never understand). If you can’t ask an opinion question that has more than one right answer, don’t ask it at all.

• The crooked way they communicate. When you talk to a guy, it’s so straightforward. Everything is right there on the table; take it or leave it. When you talk to a girl, though, especially if it’s about something serious, the girl will tend to skirt the issue and ask leading questions and not be entirely truthful and….AAHHH! It drives me up the wall!

If you’re turning down a friend’s invitation to hang out, tell it like it is. Say, “I know this is stupid, but the hot physics prof is giving a seminar during that time” instead of “Oh, yeah, I would REALLY like to, but I have to go to this seminar for class.”

• The way they do things in groups. Sorry, ladies, but I’m with the guys on this one. WTF do you need to go to the bathroom in groups for? A bathroom isn’t for chatting and reapplying your mascara unless you’re having a serious appearance crisis. It’s for doing your business. Guys find this behavior bewildering for a reason—because it is bewildering. The same goes for other activities, too. If you want to see a movie but your best friend can’t go, go anyway. You’re the one who wants to see the movie. Have some independence.

• The way they scream and coo. If most girls even see a spider, they will immediately begin to scream blue murder. If the spider is on the girl, then you might as well kiss your eardrums goodbye. Seriously, girls, let’s get a grip here. An insect does not pose a threat to you unless it is poisonous, and most aren’t. To the insect, you are a giant with unimaginable power. Try acting like one.

I also want to gag when a girl will coo over how cute something is. Puppies, kittens, babies, a napkin folded like a swan, whatever: to most girls, it’s all “cute.”

No wonder so many guys think girls are airheads! Do you think your poodle enjoys getting shaved in some weird pattern and then being tied with a pink bow? The answer is no. If you want someone to sit up and take notice, express an intelligent thought instead of cooing about how adorable things are.

Now that I’m wrapping up, I might as well acknowledge something. Since all girls reading this are screaming, “You bimbo, not all girls are like that!” I’ll be the first person to admit that yes, I know that. Obviously I know that, because I’m a girl and yet all of these things disgust me. CC readers seem to be pretty smart chicks who have no difficulty expressing eloquent thoughts, so most of you all probably aren’t like the girls I hate, either.

But still—every time I call something “cute,” I internally kick myself.

It’s Thursday again and that means it’s time for another round of Weekly Obsessions!

This week has been a mix of the last days of warm weather and the gray dreary days of Fall, so I’ve been trying my best to counteract any kind of gloominess with tons of color and fun!

First things first:

Fashion Obsession: Colorful Hair!

On Monday, I woke up feeling like I needed a change–any change. Simply, I was bored. And what do I do when I’m bored? I change my hair color! I’ve had all sorts of wacky colors and cuts through the years but I wanted something drastic.

I made my way down to SoHo to the Arrojo Studios where I asked my awesome colorist to make me as blonde as possible. She took one look at my dark brown hair and I could already tell it would be impossible. Going from dark brown to platinum would be a painful, all-day process.

Such a bummer. (Sidenote: If Japanese girls can go blonde, why can’t I?)

She salvaged the situation by putting some (subtle) blue and pink bits all throughout the front of my hair which I completely love. Maybe after a little more planning I’ll be able to go lighter, but for now, I’m loving the new streaks.

For those of you not quite ready to take the plunge? Get a wig! Halloween is coming up so there’s no better excuse to try out something completely ridiculous (and hilarious!).

Leisure Obsession: Zines!

To me, Zines scream “1999!”, but for some reason, this week I’ve been totally infatuated.

For those of you who are in the dark right now, according to Wikipedia, Zines are a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest.

You can usually find zines within any kind of underground movement, or in a lot of our cases, on college campuses. They cover all kinds of topics. I’ve seen some fantastically creative ones that cover anything from vegetarianism to punk rock.

Lucky for us, there are lots of places to find interesting zines online. And for you ambitious folks out there, you can read up on how to self-publish here.

Tech Obsession: Completely Useless (But Fun!) Gadgets We May Use…But Probably Won’t!

Maybe I’m nuts, but when I read about new inventions or concepts that are pretty much useless it doesn’t matter–as long as they look cool, I’m so down.

So, it makes sens that I freaked out when I saw this. Amazing!! It looks like Lite-Brite which, anyone who knows me personally can tell you, I adore.

Apparently, they do this kind of stuff in Vegas but I’ve never been there so I’m going to just have to swoon over these pictures until I can get my butt out to Nevada to gamble my savings away.

And check this out! I know people, I know. We can all just wipe our mirrors off with a towel or something, but this is just hilarious. They should sell these babies with a guarantee that you’ll have a good giggle every morning after your shower…that should move a few off the shelves, right?

Food Obsession: Shabu-Shabu Restaurants!

Have you guys seen these? If we’re talking fun this week, these Japanese restaurants are it. It’s basically like beef fondue, if you want to put it simply.

What happens is, when you sit down you get raw beef (or pork, lobster, crab, chicken, or duck) which you submerge in a pot of boiling water to cook. Then you get an array of dipping sauces to spice up your poached meat.

To me, it’s like a welcome variation to sushi (thank God) that everyone can enjoy together…and that’s the most fun!

Welcome to Thursday! Last week I was channeling Grandma, and while some of those habits have carried over from last week (I still can’t get enough of crosswords!), there’s a whole new crop of cool that’s just waiting to be unveiled to you all.

This week is about being healthy and happy. It’s not as hard as you think…

Fashion Obsession: Navy Blue

Everyone’s abuzz with the news that navy is back! Well, did it ever really go anywhere? Not to me! It’s been a long standing fashion no-no to pair navy blue and black, but not anymore, and I couldn’t be more excited. What’s even better is that it’s so easy to hop on the blue bandwagon that there’s no excuse not to give it a shot!

Check out this adorable little frock from TopShop (love the collar) or this navy raincoat from Forever 21 that is cute as a button!

Technology Obsession: Nikon D40

Last week, I featured the DigiWalker C720T which was more a GPS system than digi cam. But the Nikon D40 is my choice this week for a super powerful digital SLR camera for not only its user friendly design but its ultra sharp quality.

Remember last week when I mentioned my love for taking walks? Bringing a camera along always makes for a memorable adventure and opens your eyes to things you might overlook otherwise. We may not all live in a big city, but give taking a long walk a shot this week. It’s totally worth it!

Health and Body Obsession: Yoga

I’ve never been the most athletic girl.

Sure, I played softball when I was little and would dabble in volleyball and golf (not exactly terribly athletic, anyway…) as I reached high school, but I was never one to hit up the gym after dinner like the rest of my friends. But lately, I’ve been noticing just how hard it is to walk up the five flights of stairs to the office every morning and that’s when I knew it was due time I strengthened up. So, what did I do?

Yoga! Vasantha Yoga is my practice of choice and I totally love how it focuses my breathing and destressed me while I get the health benefits without even realizing it!

For those of you looking to spice it up a bit? Word on the street is that Crunch Gyms are adding a Kama Sutra Yoga class.

Sign me up!

Food Obsession: Bento Boxes

Call me crazy, but I have this weird fascination with containers. I know, I know, it’s probably just some strange kind of OCD tendency rearing its head, but nontheless, I love ‘em.

That’s why when I came across these, I knew I had to learn more. Bento Boxes here in the States are usually found on the menu at your local sushi place, but you can buy your own little one to use for your own office (or classroom) lunches.

I love this concept because I’ve always been a fan of the traditional lunchbox but feel silly, at 23, carrying one around. This solves that problem.

Extra bonus? Bringing your lunch everyday will not only save you money but will allow you to control exactly what you’re eating which will keep you healthy…and happy!

See you next week!

I have never played Second Life, and had no idea what it was until a few months ago. Computer games aren’t my thing. They make me feel like I have anger issues, and I can’t stare at a screen for hours without going cross-eyed.

Plus, I’m not all that into living a giant lie.

But some people really dig it. They dig it so much that they spend hours and hours online, living life as an “avatar” and forming relationships with people they’ll never actually see. Like Ric Hoogestraat, a guy from Arizona who is so obsessed with his online life, he ignores his real wife for an animated one.

The Wall Street Journal (for once not being conservative and boring) recently ran an article about Ric and others like him, people so caught up in computer games that they prefer them to reality. Even though Ric insists that the women he married online is simply part of the game, his wife doesn’t like the situation one bit.

And I completely understand.

Now, I know people can become addicted to computer games like poker or drinking, but it’s hard for me to understand a dependence on animated fantasy. Is there true satisfaction in building a hot cartoon version of yourself and “acting” with a keyboard? And for the love of god, why would you spend actual money (in Second Life’s case) on cyber stuff? Buy yourself some social interaction classes, hire a hooker, just spend your cash on something real!

And as for a spouse or boyfriend having an online “relationship” while he’s dating me? Not just unacceptable, but plain old creepy.

The real world can be tough, I’ll admit to that, but locking yourself away in a room for 12 hours a day isn’t going to make your life any easier. In fact, I’m pretty sure it will make it much, much lonelier.

…and a lot more oddly pixilated.

Allison Stokke

As we’ve all probably seen by now, the second With Leather introduced Allison to the non-athletic world, the media has stuck to her like glue, painting her the picture of a young, adolescent sex symbol, barely out of high school. Her and her family have grown more and more uneasy with the unwanted attention, and her boyfriend’s douchebagginess has even come into question, thanks to all of her jealous male fans, who wish she’d do something with their poles instead. Ohhh, snap!

This summer is big for Allison, as she is preparing to compete in the Nike Nationals. There are rumors that Nike itself wants to sign her up for an actual marketing deal, although nothing at all has been confirmed.

Even if Nike did come to her, I don’t think she would accept, being that she hates the fact she’s more famous for being hot than an athlete at this point, and the company would more than likely try to bank on her looks and all of the media hubbub than anything else. She definitely does not seem to want any more attention – especially in print ads and on TV – for now at least, and I don’t blame her. (more pics after the jump)

Allison is also getting ready this summer to become an official college student at the University of California. HOLY HELL. That is going to be B-A-N-A-N-A-S for her and everyone who has a class with her, or shares a dorm with her, or sees her at a keg party. If there’s any way for her to get even more publicity, it’s through college. The drinking, the sex, the mixing and mingling with fellow classmates – so many people will undoubtedly try and befriend her, take advantage of her and snap pictures of her (which will show up on the Internet within minutes). Her college experience should be very interesting to say the least, and we’ll be sure to keep you nice and updated with every piece of juicy gossip.

As for the gross, pervy, fratty college guys at the University of California, they should be prepping their pick-up lines to use on her right about….now.

I see many, many more pole references in Allison Stokke’s future.

UPDATE 4.15.08 – Check out Allison’s new Cal Pole Vauting Pics

[album=52]