The holiday seasons are all about eating too many dips, spending way too much money on frenemy gifts, and watching Elf on repeat. This year we’re prepared to take the stress and the frustration out of holiday gift giving by giving you the ultimate gift guides to buying the perfect presents for your favorite people (and we’re splitting into 3 different price ranges so you can choose the gift based on how much you actually like the person!). So set this series as your favorite because all week we’re bringing you the best.

It’s tough to buy gifts for the friend who loves to read. The choice should seem obvious, shouldn’t it? Buy a book. But what type of book? What has she read? What does he want to read? Hardcover or paperback? New or used? The questions are endless. And that’s before you even get into accessories. Are bookmarks too cliché? Will she even use them? Are all those gadgets really necessary?

All valid questions. But more importantly, all answerable questions. College Candy is breaking down the answers for you. With prices ranging from $11.99 to $139 we’ve got all your bases covered, from the books, to the book lights to the book shelves.

So no more standing in the middle of Barnes and Noble staring at the stacks of bestsellers attempting to figure out which one is actually worth reading. I’ve done the hard work for you and scoured those (cyber) shelves to provide you with the best gift options for the bookworms in your life. Read More »

One of my esteemed colleagues wrote a great piece on texting etiquette. I recently wrote a biting piece about Papa Joe. This piece is about etiquette, too. After reading my Papa Joe piece (hopefully they read it in its entirety), a commentator, named ‘Haha,’ quipped, “you’re just a jealous peon,” to which I replied (in two posts) “nope, Haha, sure ain’t . . . I’m glad [the Simpsons are] rich. That’s great for them. But their father is a tool. Oh, one other thing . . . I LOVE the word peon. It’s great fun, conjures up great images . . . thanks!”

First, I do love the word peon. It’s nasty. It’s blunt. It’s cutting. People don’t use the word peon a lot, so I liked the reminder that the word peon exists. Reminds me of my old father (he’s a judge). He calls people peons and ninnies all the time – those words are funny, and I always chuckle when he coughs them up. BUT I digress (you’re probably getting used to that).

Now some of my fellow bloggers might wonder why I waste my time responding to remarks, whether good or bad, and why I’m even bothering to write this piece. Well, first off, I wish to thank Haha for inspiring me to do so. Because I’ve spent a lot of time (yes, it’s true) thinking about internet etiquette, how people are quick to insult (yes, I’m just as guilty, stirrin’ up crap, criticizing Mr. Simpson, etc.), name-calling, and even verbally terrorizing others on web posts. Read More »