I was one of those kids that never really got homesick when I was in college. While my friends would have occasional breakdowns and cry about not being with their families or their hometown friends, I never spent too much time dwelling on what I could have been missing at home – I was too busy doing everything else. But now, as a fully functioning member of real life, I think I’m suffering from my first adult case of homesickness.

Maybe it’s the advent of fall or just the general time of year – back to school – but everything just feels off. While everyone on the East coast is talking about the leaves starting to change, I’m anxiously awaiting for some kind of sign that a seasonal change is about to take place. While I’m looking to head back to school next year, Facebook is blowing up with status updates about first day of classes, professor quotes, and new discoveries out in the real world.

And as the world turns, well – I just feel like something is missing. Read More »

I was feeling a little rebellious this past weekend, a little adventurous. So, I took a challenge and stepped out of my comfort zone by reacquainting myself with my freshman year of college. No, I didn’t make out with a dude on a futon, and no I didn’t burn my Easy-Mac in the microwave and induce a 4:30 AM fire alarm.

I went to a house party.
And I’m alive to tell the story!

It had been about 2 years since attending my last house party and while standing amongst a large cluster of shirtless freshman dudes sweating and spinning their shirts in the air to the beat of Sean Kingston, I realized something. I am no rocket scientist (clearly, on account of my next statement), but house parties so different than the bar. You would think they would be the same – drunk people standing around – but there’s something (maybe it’s the open keg at house parties that encourages half-naked mosh pits in the living room?) that sets these two party scenes miles apart: Read More »

We college students are pretty accurately stereotyped.  We party hard, sleep late, and cram for finals until the wee hours of the morning.  Luckily for us and the environment, a lot of these common habits can be easily “tweaked” in order to save energy and resources.  And as a college student myself, I give you my solemn oath that these steps will not affect your party or study life in any way.

Here are some of the most well-known college kid characteristics and how you can change them to better our earth:

We are constantly glued to our laptops. And no matter whether you’re Facebooking or researching the native crops of Haiti, you’re still using lots of energy.  Now I’m not stupid – I wouldn’t dare suggest that you cut down your Skype time just to save the Earth.  Really all you have to do is cut down your energy usage when you’re not actually on the computer (i.e. sleeping or boozing).  How do you do this?  Unplug your electronics!  Computers practically use as much energy when they’re in standby mode as they do when they’re actually in use.  So if you’re leaving the room for a good amount of time, turn off your computer and unplug all of the plugs in your outlet if possible.

We are messy and we have our clothes to prove it. I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to eat or drink anything without staining whatever I’m wearing.  This is especially tragic when you happen to be wearing one of those “dry clean only” numbers, which of course, are always the cutest.  But don’t run off and spend last night’s tips on pricey dry cleaning before you try some other easier, cheaper, and more eco-friendly tactics.  Believe it or not, some “dry clean only” garments (such as silk and wool) can actually be hand washed with cold water.   Of course, give it a test run before you wash and potentially ruin your favorite silk dress.  If that doesn’t work, seek out “wet cleaning” or “green dry cleaning” locations by searching at GreenEarth Cleaning’s website. Read More »

Mmmm. Mysterious dark spots on the floor.

You wake up with one thing on your mind and one thing only: water. You want to drink it, you want to bathe in it, you want to take advantage of all of its healing powers. You stumble out of your room and head to the kitchen. When you take one step out the door, however, you realize this is a mission you cannot accomplish without shoes.

Thanks to last night’s party, your house is a disaster. There are empty beer cans everywhere, the floor is soaked with beer, and for some reason there is an empty jar of pizza sauce on the floor and marinara hand prints all over the kitchen walls. And [vomit] the smell. Gross.

You dig a pair of flip flops out from under a pile of dirty clothes and head to the oasis that is your Brita in the fridge. You tear the duct tape off of the cabinet (because obviously duct tape will prevent drunk people from rifling through your things) and grab a cup. As you chug your 3rd glass of that sweet nectar from the gods, your roommates, also wearing shoes, start trickling into the kitchen. Read More »

You’ve finally moved out of the dorms, and it just so happens that your new diggs are the perfect place to throw a party. No RA’s, no quiet hours, no cramming 50 people into your tiny dorm and trying to have a dance party. Sweet!

Throwing a party might seem like a no-brainer. Still, you have make sure all of your bases are covered, or you’ll find people trickling out before midnight, hoping to catch another bigger, better party before the sun comes up and the night is a complete bust.

If you want to throw the party of the year–the one people are still talking about at graduation, the one people are still talking about at the reunion–just take heed of these simple cardinal rules. Read More »

Two days into freshman year I went to my first frat party. Walking into the Greek lettered doors made me feel like I had just stepped onto a movie set. Everyone had red solo cups! Everyone was dancing and having oodles of fun! And Oh my god! Is that an ice-luge!? Yeah, best night of my life…until the cops came.

Regardless, for the next two years I lived and loved the open frat parties. I thought our love affair would never end…and then, this past weekend we broke up. Now, I still enjoy the small frat mixers but the crazy parties, have gotten…well, old. “Why? What could be better than living in an animal house world?” You ask.

Well, here are my top five answers.

The abundance of scantily clad freshmen. Sure, I was once a freshman myself, and being away from home and being able to wear and do whatever you want is exciting, but eventually you will regret wearing a bandana-sized piece of cloth as a top.  And I’m all for sex and I’m all for dancing but do you really need to attempt both simultaneously on the dance floor in front of everyone? It seems these open parties contain about 80% girls and about 75% of those are freshmen girls. Trust me ladies, the body shot phrase will get old, and I’m over watching it.

One word: Keystone. Really guys, Keystone Light, at every party? Keystone has got to be one of the grossest, cheapest liquids ever created. Spring for something a few notches higher. I’m not saying I expect margaritas to be blended before my eyes (although that would be amazing) but there are better beverages out there than Keystone. PLEASE switch it up! Boxed wine would be an immense step up for just as much money! Get some class, guys. Read More »

Everyone’s favorite summer snack is ice cream; its cold goodness sliding down your throat eases that sweet tooth every single time, am I right? The chunks of chocolate or swirls of caramel create an orgasmic explosion in your mouth. One problem with ice cream, though (like that frightening cup above!): it’s full of fat, sugar and calories (no lie – Chubby Hubby has 330 calories and 20 grams of fat…yikes!?!).

While it tastes amazing, adding those extra pounds on your thighs during bathing suit season is never a good thing. Here’s my low-fat, low-cal, highly-delicious alternative to ice cream.

You’ll need:

One Tub of Fat Free Cool Whip

One packet of Colored Sprinkles

One Gallon of Stonyfield Farm or Dannon Light & Fit Fat Free, Strawberry Yogurt

One Packet of Frozen Berries

One Pack of Red/Blue Plastic Cups (generic Beer Pong cups work perfect for this)

Glad Press ‘n’ Seal Read More »