After finishing another long day of classes (a whole 3 hours!), you head home to grab a quick snack and go to the gym. You don’t even let yourself sit down or get comfortable, knowing that getting near that couch – even for a moment – means you would never get up again. You have a ton of reading to do, but you must squeeze in that daily workout.

You throw on a pair of workout pants, squeeze into a sports bra, grab your iPod and a bottle of water and make your way to the gym.

You play your cardio mix as you walk, pumping you up for the big workout ahead. It’s gonna be a long run, or maybe 45 minutes on the elliptical.

When you get to the gym you realize that you weren’t the only one with this plan today. The gym is packed. You make your way to the cardio room and notice a short line has already formed for both the treadmills and the ellipticals.

So you wait.

As you stand there, losing any motivation you may have had for a long, sweaty workout, you look over at the machines to see if anyone is close to finishing. That is when you spot her.

She’s wearing crisp, tight yoga pants and a sports bra. Not under a shirt, but as a shirt. Her hair is perfectly straight and her face is made up for a night at the bars. And she is on the phone. Her feet are barely moving – god forbid she should break a sweat and ruin her eyeliner – as she discusses her evening plans (quite loudly) with whomever is on the other end of the call.

15 minutes go by. The rest of the girls on the ellipticals are still working hard – sweating, breathing heavy, staring at Cell Phone girl. And she continues chatting.

You sigh loudly and obviously, shifting your weight from side to side. Maybe, you think to yourself, this girl doesn’t realize people are waiting to get a real workout.  She looks at you.  And keeps on talking.

All of that energy you had stored up for your workout is surging through you. You want to walk over and ask her nicely (“Bitch, can you get off that machine so someone who wants to actually USE it can get on?!) to get off the machine, but you don’t. Instead, you stand there and stew.

Another 5 minutes go by and, finally, she hangs up the call and stops pedaling. “Thank god,” you think to yourself.  You start walking towards her elliptical when you realize that someone else is already there. And has struck up a conversation with her. She stands on the elliptical – not moving – and chats it up with her muscley friend.

Another elliptical opens up and you finally get your workout started. It is another 20 minutes before Ms. Thang gets up and leaves the gym, not a bead of sweat dripping from her flawless face.

She walks by your machine on the way out. “Yeah, I’m leaving the gym,” she says into her Crackberry. “I’m so tired from my workout!”

Fuming, you pedal faster.

We’ve all been there. And we’ve wanted to throw some hand weights at her too.

I'm not listening! I can't hear you!

I’m a huge fan of lists. Not to-do lists or grocery lists or my “list” (you know which one I’m talking about), but lists of things with bold faced sections that I can read through quickly and have a little chuckle. Or lists where I can vent my pent up frustration that I have been holding onto for years in hopes that the people at the root of that frustration will see the list, change their ways and make my life a whole lot more pleasant.

And that is what’s happening here. There are some people out there – lots of them – who say some pretty annoying stuff, so this week I’m gonna lay out the 10 most annoying phrases of all time. If you say any of these things, please stop. If you constantly say them all, please never come near me. Especially if I’m holding anything sharp.

10. “Just Sayin’”
End every sentence with this, really. Like I didn’t know you were saying something.

9. “On the real”
No. No. Not on the real. It’s been real, “on the real”. For real

8. “What the hey”
So cheesy, Chester Cheeto can’t even deal.

7. “Catch ya on the flip flop”
What does this even mean? Other than the obvious: don’t be my friend.

6. “Rock and Roll”
It’s time to go. Not time to Rock and Roll. Unless you want to smash up a hotel room and do lines off of supermodels, but I’m pretty sure you’re just telling me it’s time to leave the mall.

5. “No offense but…”
What I’m about to say is going to be strongly offensive.

4. “Double Yew Tee Eff, Oh Emm Gee or Bee Tee Dubs”
Really? Spelling out AIM acronyms in real life?

3. “I totally changed. It’s like I did a complete 360.”
So you spun in a circle? Good for you.

2. “Anyhoooooooo”
Self-explanatory.

1. “Literally/Essentially/Extensively”
First of all, why is it that anyone who uses these phrases uses them at the wrong time? Example: The days flew by, literally. Really? Did the days LITERALLY FLY BY? The days sprouted wings and fluttered away from you? Secondly, you are not intelligent just because you begin every sentence with “Essentially.” Don’t want.

What are some of your least favorite phrases/words?

But before I start sounding like a fairy-tale, she does have some, ahem, quirks that some may find annoying, but I personally find endearing. This girl has taught me how to get along with almost anyone, especially complete strangers. (But for her sake, or mine, I’m not going to mention her name. She may do something to me in my sleep)

She Talks In Her Sleep. Even better, she talks in Spanish in her sleep since she’s from Mexico and that’s her native language. Many of you may find this difficult to deal with when trying to sleep, but I just laugh at her and roll over. I usually tease her in the morning for it too.

She Talks to Her Boyfriend on the Phone 24/7. She even has a specific phone just for talking to him because she uses so many minutes. Who knew one person could talk so much to their significant other? But I’ve learned to tune it out. I understand it can be hard having a boyfriend who lives 3 hours away. They have such a good relationship too, so it’s hard to get mad at her. They’re so cute together! Plus he’s a lot of fun to hang around with when he comes to visit.

She Listens to Taylor Swift When We Are Getting Ready in the Morning. Ok, this one is a little harder to forgive. But I see it as motivation to actually get out of bed and get to class on time. Otherwise I have to listen to…ugh, THAT.

Her Laugh is More of a Cackle. I really have no room to judge here, because when I laugh really hard I start sounding like I’m a hyena. Laughing is infectious, so I always end up laughing with her. Plus I like it because when she makes that laugh at something I say, I know it’s genuinely funny.

So if you ever have to live with a total and complete stranger, remember to look on the bright side. It can turn out good if you two can look past annoyances and see who they really are. My roommate has quirks, but she’s also funny, smart, and very good hearted. I love living with her, and it’s so much better than living with someone you just fight with all the time.

Ok, fess up time. Who has a roommate  with quirks that you can’t help but love?

1. Making out in totally non-romantic places.

If I see the two of you pawing each other at the Trevi Fountain in Italy, I’ll forgive you. Now THAT is romantic. But seriously – to the couple who gets on the dirty, overcrowded subway and feels the need to look into each other’s eyes, whisper sweet nothings, and make out for all of three stops – save it. Same for the couple who starts going at it in the checkout line at Rite-Aid. Unless you’re buying condoms, why are you so worked up already? And if you are buying condoms, then save it for the bedroom.

2. Sharing a calendar.

Just because you’re a couple doesn’t mean you can’t be individuals. I hate the girl who’s there for you every time… as long as she’s single. Once the “relationship” label gets slapped on some people, they have to synchronize their scheds, and like, can’t even go to the bathroom without making sure it won’t disrupt Date Night (the third one this week). It’s great when a girl can bring her boyfriend out with her friends, and vice versa, but if it’s a “Girls’ Night” and Henry’s trailing behind… it’s effing annoying.

3. Lame-ass Pet Names

Seriously, I’m not really opposed by the use of “Baby” or “Babe,” that is, when it’s used in a nonchalant way. As in, “Babe, I’m going out tonight, I’ll call you later.” NOT “Babyyyyyy I wuv you thiiiiiis much!” But other petnames are semi-obnoxious. If you do have cute names for each other, it should be your special secret. I once dated a dude who actually suggested we do nicknames. I promptly started calling him “Snuggles” in front of his coworkers. When he put up with that stuff, I knew it was time to go.

4. Fighting in public.

This actually might be worse than PDAs. You know THAT couple who’s throwing beers at each other at the bar? Who break up about 5.4 times a day and then go back into cuddle-mode for the ten minutes prior to the NEXT fight. Seriously, girls, he DIDN’T mean to call you fat, he WASN’T checking out the waitress, and just because he wants to watch sports instead of go shopping with you it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. And guys, STOP inadvertently calling her fat, REFRAIN from checking out the waitress, and if you’re going to hang with the boys, just TRY to do something for her to show that you care in the meantime.

5. Becoming a biographer.

It’s a group event. Everyone’s meeting for drinks/dinner/ whatever, and of course the significant others are invited. There’s often that couple… the one where one party decides to relay everything he/she knows about the other to the group for the entire evening. It’s usually the partner that doesn’t know the rest of the group. For example, Johnny brings his new girlfriend to meet his friends at the bar. While everyone else tries to talk about class, politics, last week’s episode of Lost, whatever, Johnny’s girlfriend can only contribute, “So, Johnny and I met at….” “I know Johnny is the one because….” “Did you know that when Johnny was in high school, he…” ETC. She’ll probably also comment on Johnny’s every move, like, “Ohhh, how cute does Johnny look when he orders a beer? Stella is his favorite!” Let people get to know you and your signif for who you are. They can figure it out on their own without a picture being painted for them.

If I sound like a bitter old hag, that was not my intention. I was very happy in my last relationship, which ended quite smoothly. And I’d love to be in another relationship, once I find the right guy. In the meantime, however, I’ve been nixing the dudes who seem like they will either follow the aforementioned patterns, or expect ME to follow them. That’s too bad, because I’m just not that type of girl. Anyone else have any pet peeves from the dating world? We’d love to hear ‘em!

After finishing another long day of classes (a whole 3 hours!), you head home to grab a quick snack and go to the gym. You don’t even let yourself sit down or get comfortable, knowing that getting near that couch – even for a moment – means you would never get up again. You have a ton of reading to do, but you must squeeze in that daily workout.

You throw on a pair of workout pants, squeeze into a sports bra, grab your iPod and a bottle of water and make your way to the gym.

You play your workout mix as you walk, pumping you up for the big workout ahead. It’s gonna be a long run, or maybe 45 minutes on the elliptical.

When you get to the gym you realize that everyone and their mother had the same idea as you; the gym is packed. You make your way to the cardio room and notice a short line has already formed for both the treadmills and the ellipticals.

So you wait.

As you stand there, losing any motivation you may have had for a long, sweaty workout, you look over at the machines to see if anyone is close to finishing. That is when you spot her.

She’s wearing crisp, tight yoga pants and a sports bra. Not under a shirt, but as a shirt. Her hair is perfectly straight and her face is made up for a night at the bars. And she is on the phone. Her feet are barely moving – god forbid she should break a sweat and ruin her eyeliner – as she discusses her evening plans (quite loudly) with whoever is on the other end of the call.

15 minutes go by. The rest of the girls on the ellipticals are still working hard – sweating, breathing heavy, staring at Cell Phone girl. And she continues chatting.

You sigh loudly and obviously, shifting your weight from side to side. Maybe, you think to yourself, this girl doesn’t realize people are waiting to get a real workout.  She looks at you.  And keeps on talking.

All of that energy you had stored up for your workout is surging through you. You want to walk over and ask her nicely (“Bitch, can you get off that machine so someone who wants to actually USE it can get on?!) to get off the machine, but you don’t. Instead, you stand there and stew.

Another 5 minutes go by and, finally, she hangs up the call and stops pedaling. “Thank god,” you think to yourself.  You start walking towards her elliptical when you realize that someone else is already there. And has struck up a conversation with her. She stands on the elliptical – not moving – and chats it up with her muscley friend.

Another elliptical opens up and you finally get your workout started. It is another 20 minutes before Ms. Thang gets up and leaves the gym, not a bead of sweat dripping from her flawless face.

She walks by your machine on the way out. “Yeah, I’m leaving the gym,” she says into her Crackberry. “I’m so tired from my workout!”

Fuming, you pedal faster.

We’ve all been there. And we hate that girl, too.

People tell me all the time that I have a short fuse. There is a very small window between Happy Me and So-Angry-I-Slam-Doors-And-Throw-Things Me. And those who know me know exactly the things that set me off. Like people who drive slowly in the left lane on a highway. Or people who respond to a text with “K,” thus costing me $.10.

Or, my all time favorite, the kid in class who always asks all those questions so you never get to leave early.

And while most people don’t keep stress balls or Dammit Dolls in their purse, school bag, car and bedroom (or have people run away when they see you getting angry) I know that everyone out there has that one pet peeve that puts them over the edge.

This week, the CollegeCandy team shared their biggest pet peeves. So. much. anger.

What are yours?

Brithny – Duke: When people constantly sigh. Just because you don’t have enough Prozac doesn’t mean you need to bring down the happy people around you. The world is not that depressing (just ignore the DOW).

John – UConn: When I watch the UPS truck drive down the street, and then I watch it turn onto my road, and then I watch it turn into my driveway, and then I watch it back up and leave again, because it turns out the UPS truck was just turning around. I hate that so much.

Carrie – Duke: People who walk slowly. Even if you’re not from NYC, where we like to move fast, you can still put one foot in front of the other–and at a pace faster than a turtle on sedatives. I mean… it’s just not that difficult!! Get a move-on!!!

Lauren – University of Michigan: People who make predictions during movies or TV shows. Keep that to yourself and stop ruining everything for me!

Vivian – Undecided: People who say they’ll pick you up in five minutes when they really mean 50 – cause then you’re stuck outside freezing your ass off (in the snow, no less) wondering where the hell they are. True story.

Sara C – Fordham: Sorry if this is TMI, but I can’t stand it when people don’t clean out the drain after they shower. Anyone who’s ever had a roommate with long hair knows what I’m talking about. Ew, ew, ew, ew.

Leah – Ryerson University: People that walk really slow and not in a straight line.  If you’re going to walk slow make sure other people can walk by you!

Marisa – Wesleyan: The abuse of Internet speak. It’s fine when used in moderation and for the purpose of efficiency, but I hate those cryptic, vowel-less texts that I can’t decipher.

Ricki – University of Michigan: People who talk the entire time during a television show. Or people whose phones are going off every 2 seconds during this tv show so you are so distracted.

Michelle – The Claremont Colleges: People shushing me. I am no longer in kindergarten; it doesn’t work!

Julia I: I absolutely can’t stand it when people are late.  Even though I’m pretty much late for class every day…

Sarabeth – University of Texas: People who’ve taken the class you are in before and act like a know-it-all. I want to strangle this girl in my Japanese class for that very reason at the moment.

Alex – Lakehead University: Mean people. Like people who are rude and go out of their way to make someone else miserable. Get a hobbie!

Johnie: I can’t stand it when people wear pajamas to class. What’s so hard about changing into some skinny jeans and a sweater?

Carly – Grinnell: I hate it when people say “on accident” instead of “by accident.”

Liza M. – University of Minnesota: I HATE it when people ask you who you’re texting, look over your shoulder to see who you’re texting, or ask who was on the phone with you the second you get off of it. Obnoxious.

Kelly – UMass: People who clip their nails (and toe nails) in my office. No lie.