At first glance, the plump peach and the virginal white background on the cover of Hephzibah Anderson’s first book Chastened: The Unexpected Story of My Year Without Sex gives the impression that this memoir will be a succulent read. In fact, since the story is about Anderson’s sexual self, it’s hard not to assume this would be one juicy story. However, in its 264 pages, Anderson leaves her audience dry with a less than tantalizing first memoir.

Close to her 30^th birthday, Anderson sees her ex-boyfriend from college (who she clearly had deep feelings for) walking hand-in-hand into De Beers with his then girlfriend, resulting in their engagement. This incident sparks her year-long contract with herself to remain sexually sober. Why? Because through the shock of her ex-beau’s engagement, Anderson realizes that after years and years of sex: “I’d had enough sex without love; maybe it was time to look for love without sex?”

While the concept for her sexual journey – questioning casual sex in today’s society – seems well-rooted, the delivery of this twelve month personal discovery falls flat. Flirting around topics, Anderson doesn’t really dive into anything; instead she chooses to dance from one thing to another in each chapter. For example, in the chapter “September or Dressing Around,” Anderson embarks on a less-sexualized wardrobe – so she buys a turtleneck. Instead of defining what new clothes will add to her year without sex, Anderson uses the chapter to discuss everything from shopping with boyfriends, high school fashion choices, and femininity. If all of these topics rolled into each other and told the story like it should be told, they wouldn’t seem out of place, but since they are strewn together – the story of her buying a turtleneck gets lost in the midst of everything else. Read More »

Is there anything that can compare to a fresh peach on a summer afternoon? (Well, besides some delicious blueberries, of course.) The time span of the vernal fruit’s ripeness is quite narrow (compared to more resilient bananas or apples), but right now is peak season for the treat. And it’s more than just a delicious, furry fruit. The peach is a natural, supremely juicy source of fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, and niacin, a B vitamin that aids digestion, amps HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and helps radiant skin shine through. So that “peachy glow” isn’t just a figure of speech!

How do you pick a perfect peach? Select ones that are extremely firm, dense for their size, and unblemished. And enjoy:

Easy Meals

1. The quintessential: serve room-temperature peach slices with a bowl of fresh cream.
2. Add 1 cup orange juice, peach slices (small), 1/2 cup raspberries, ice cubes, and 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk to a blender and swirl till smooth for a light, refreshing summer drink.
3. Use a slice–instead of a lime or lemon–as garnish for a martini, or drop one in your vodka tonic for a twist. Read More »

After one too many plastic cups of Pabst Blue Ribbon, I’ve moved on to wine as my new drink of choice. But, like beer, there are many kinds of bad wine that are too easy to accidentally drink. So what makes a good wine? And what’s the difference between a chardonnay and a Cabernet?

Here’s the rundown on the mot popular kinds of wine and what to drink them with.

Reds

Cabernet Sauvignon is produced mainly in France and California. This red is what’s called “full bodied,” meaning it’s got a rich, strong flavor of dark fruits like black current. The best Cabernets taste a bit earthy and dry and they tend to get better with age, so pick-up a bottle with the earliest date (as in, 2003 rather than 2008).

Pair with red meat, grilled vegetables, or pasta with red sauce.

Merlot is arguably the most popular red wine. Merlot can range from medium to full-bodied and is high in alcohol and low in acidity. Flavors include plum and chocolate (yum!). Grown all over the world, this wine is easy to enjoy.

Pair with pasta with red sauce, beef, or grilled or smoky meats.

Pinot Noir is made from a velvety grape that is one of the hardest to grow, which makes a good pinot great and a bad pinot terrible. A good pinot will be complex, with flavors ranging from black cherries to earthy spices. Pinot Noir grapes traditionally come from Burgundy, France, but are now being perfected in Oregon and California.

Pair with salmon, pasta, or pork. Read More »

Have you ever wanted to just grab your friends, a tent, some brews, and head to the desert for some good ass music and partying? I have. And apparently I’m not the only one.

A bunch of artists back in 1999 put this little festival together known as Coachella. And every year, friends of mine are attending it, playing it, working it, or doing SOMETHING for or to it. So I believe it’s time for a CollegeCandy style expose on this powwow.

The three day festival takes place every year. I like to say it’s a cross between Warped Tour and Bonnaroo. It’s not quite as punk/rock/retarded as Warped Tour, but it’s also not as artsy fartsy hippietastic as Bonnaroo. Boasting acts like Rage Against the Machine, Beck, Radiohead, Pixies, Arcade Fire, The Cure, Bjork, Amy Winehouse, The Black Keys, and Peaches (as well as about 100,000,000,000 other musicians), I’m confident that you can see what I mean here. Read More »

This playlist could be appropriately titled any of the following. Please choose according to your “situation”:

“I’m About to Regret This, Aren’t I?”

OR

“No. I Don’t Want Breakfast, I Just Want Sex.”

1. Stronger Than Me — Amy Winehouse

2. In Tha Mood – Esthero

3. Come Here Boy — Imogen Heap

4. Like A Boy – Ciara

5. Talk Show Host – Radiohead

6. Back it up, boys – Peaches (yes, it’s true, Peaches could have her own sex playlist)

7. Brown Skin – India Arie

8. Put The Needle On It – Danni Minogue (the HOTTER Minogue sister.)

9. Maybe — Toni Braxton

10. Freak Like Me – Adina Howard (yes it’s old school and still. so. great)

11. My Place – Tweet

12. There’s A Place In The Whiskey — Gretchen Wilson

13. Erotica – Madonna. (I mean, Obviously)

[Any songs you would add to this list?? Let us know! We're always dying for a bad decision making soundtrack...]

• The National does “Pretty in Pink” pretty damn good.

• Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is finally here! (with bonus track)

• Britney’s set to drop a new album in just two weeks.

• 12 really good reasons to revisit Radiohead’s Ok Computer, 10 years later.

• Turns out it’s no secret Avril loves Peaches.

Poor, poor Avril. Looks like you better stop giving the finger to the paparazzi and start coming up with more distinct bass lines.

According to Perezhilton, another song on Avril’s new CD The Best Damn Thing is sounding mighty familiar. The first 20 seconds of Lavigne’s song I Don’t Have To Try sounds almost identical to I’m The Kinda by Canadian rocker Peaches.

Recently, the Rubinoos’s (the first band to call Avril a thief) claim over Avril’s Girlfriend was refuted by the pop/punk (but mostly pop) princess’s manager, when he pulled a quote off their myspace page that claims they were also ripped off by “the Rasberries, the Beach Boys, the Beatles.”

Listen to both songs after the jump and let us know if you think Lavigne is simply being bullied or should consider changing her name to Vanilla Avril. Read More »