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As it gets closer to the end of each week, I know the thought in most everyone’s head is: “What am I going to do this weekend?” Well, CollegeCandy readers, lucky for you, I’ve discovered a site that will help you put an end to that persistent question:  Hotlist.

Hotlist shows you what all your friends are up to, what events are going on nearby, and what are the hottest and most popular places to be.

Simply log in using your Facebook account, and Hotlist gathers data from your Facebook friends and Events list to create a customized look at what’s going on with your friends, around town, or anywhere else in the world.  Events are shown as pinpoints on a map – so you can check out those closest to you first – and also by date, so you can see what’s happening tonight, tomorrow night, or even next weekend!

For each location or event, Hotlist tells you how many people are attending, how many of those are your friends, and even the ratio of girls to guys that will be there (so you don’t end up at some weird sausage fest).  If you click on the location/event name on the map, it’ll take you the main page for the event that lets you see who is attending, extra information about the event, Yelp reviews and Tweets about the location, and a list of other upcoming events at the location as well.  There’s also an iPhone App (Blackberry and Android coming soon) that you can download to bring all your Hotlist info to you on the go.

Oh, and one of the best (although admittedly a bit stalker-ish)  features of the site?  The ability to search for certain friends to see what their plans are–so you’ll know to avoid the party your ex-BFF is going to or where you can “accidentally” bump into your crush.  Hotlist will definitely make planning your social life easier, so why don’t you give it a try?

Check out Laura’s other awesome web finds.

Instead, I have friend-couples (you know, the couples you were friends with before they were couples) sprinkled through my social calendar, all with their own cute little anecdotes and acknowledgments that without me, they probably would’ve given up halfway through.

One of my best friends even said that she wished I had a me, so that I could be dating someone, too.

If you’re pausing because, hold up, the best way to have a me is for her to a be a me, that’s what I thought too. I tried to explain that to her.

Fact is, there are some seriously negative aspects to being a matchmaker. Beyond the fact that everyone is always using you for your skills, you’ve got to constantly reassure both parties that they actually are good enough for one another, and you’ve got to be prepared to deal with the questions.

“What’s her favorite flower?” “Where should we go to dinner?” “Am I cuter than his ex?” “Does she actually like me?”

You want to scream, ASK HER/HIM, NOT ME! But you don’t. Because you’re too good a friend. And so by means of you, they do the most romantic, adorable things for one another, for which you receive no public credit. Which is fine, even if you’re the one who remembered every allergy or pet peeve of your friend’s, just so their boy/girlfriend can get a perfect gift.

Sometimes you want to tear your hair out, because this really doesn’t benefit you at all. You’re just a mediator, making absolutely no profit outside of the respective happiness of your friends. And for me, sometimes, that’s enough. When it’s not, and when you have to jump in to defend a buddy’s character, then you need to draw a line.

Stick up for yourself. Remind them that you’re friends with both of them, individually, and you didn’t sign on to take sides when there’s trouble in paradise.

It’s okay to say no. You don’t have to be the third wheel just to make your friends more comfortable, and they should respect that.

It’s also okay to say nothing. You have no obligation to give any information you don’t deem appropriate to share, and you definitely don’t need to chime in your opinion, especially if you know it’s going to fall on deaf ears.

Have you been a middle-man in your friends’ relationship without wanting to? How do you handle these awkward situations?

[photo courtesy of www.manestreetgraphics.com]