Ah, spring break. So close yet so far away. Is it bad that the semester just started but I’m already dreaming about it? I can’t wait for a chance to get away. Where will I really be going for spring break? Nowhere. But a girl can dream, right? Here are just a few of the great places I wish I could jet away to.

‘Why?’ tends to be the popular question. Followed quickly by, ‘Were you drunk? and ‘Do you regret it?’ No. Well, I was drunk, but I definitely don’t regret it. It’s awesome. To be perfectly honest, I often forget that it’s there unless someone else points it out to me. You can imagine what kind of circumstance causes reason for such acknowledgment.

The story starts many years ago at the ripe and rather naive age of 16. I was lounging on a futon with my boyfriend at the time. Oh man, was I head over heels for this boy. Tall, athletic, surfer boy sexy. This was back when dating was purely based on passion. Compatibility? Can you use it in a sentence? Never-the-less, I was young and in love without a clue (or care to discover) who I really was. If Michael liked chocolate ice cream, I liked chocolate ice cream. Anything to reinforce the fact that we were soul-mates. Very ‘Runaway Bride-y,’ but I digress. We were lounging about discussing the tattoo one of his guy friends got on his chest. It was a downright heinous outline of the state of Texas with a vine encased skull in the middle. Idiot. Obviously I agreed with Michael that this was a huge mistake and that tattoos were gross and always regrettable (and maybe I really did agree…until I discovered David Beckhem).

We promised each other then and there that if we ever got drunk or stupid enough to get a tattoo, that we would at least get one where no one could see it. Middle of the right butt cheek seemed like the most logical solution. Somehow we had the foresight to also decide that we didn’t want to get something that had some sort of “deep” meaning. Clearly, what seemed super enlightening to us at 16 wouldn’t hold at 35.  We wanted to get something absurd and ridiculous that didn’t have to mean anything special. The poster on the wall to our left was of a Hawaiin sunset. A palm tree. Done. Sealed with one of those dumb ‘kiss your thumb and rub them together’ things. Did I mention how mature we were?

Fast forward three years to spring break freshman year–South Padre Edition. Michael and I have been broken up for about a year, and I was using single girl-ness to the utmost degree with ten of my beautiful Texas friends. The beach was a huge party littered with half-buried kegs and  inebriated crazies. All it took to drink all day for free was a bat of the eyelashes and a flirty, “Oh, I’ve never done a keg stand before.” Such a beautiful disaster. We were lucky to have perfect weather for three whole days (much to my liver’s dismay), so we were super disappointed when it rained on day four. The only reasonable option was to drink heavily in our hotel rooms. It was somewhere after the fourth round of tequila shots that someone decided they really needed their belly button pierced. This sent a quick ripple effect until we were all running through the rain down to the island’s little tattoo and piercing parlor.

Once inside, we were all dead set on getting something. They really shouldn’t allow drunk girls people into these places. I was struggling to figure out what I wanted to do when it hit me. This was the perfect time to get the tattoo. You can imagine the fight my friends put up. “You want to do WHAT?” “No, that’s retarded. You’re just drunk.” “Yeah, you’re definitely going to regret this.” I know who didn’t regret it–the guy who administered the tattoo (he may have been creepy, my memory is hazy).

And that, friends, is how you get a palm tree on your ass during spring break. It has been named ‘Wisdom Tree’ and I don’t regret it for a second.  If nothing else, it’s a great conversation starter.

Ok, so it hasn’t been that rough of a winter in NYC. In fact, there’s not even any snow on the ground currently. But don’t let any of the aforementioned fool you. That hasn’t stopped me from dreaming of a tropical vacation.Warm sun, sandy beach, comfy lounge chair and a cold drink? Um…yes, please, sign me up!

Check out some of the warmer places I’d love to jet away to right now.

So it’s Spring Break and I only have two words: hell yes. Here are the top 10 ways Greeks keep it, well, Greek on vacation.

1.     More flags than the Olympics – You all know what I’m talking about… Greeks are extremely territorial, and this doesn’t stop on Spring Break. Those giant, obnoxious flags you see out on the beach (but can barely make out in your drunken state) are a point of pride for the typical frat-star.

2. Throw what you know – Confused by sorority girls throwing mystery gang signs on the beach for a picture? Don’t be. Fear not, you precious little GDI – sorority girls across the country this week are going on Spring Break, and will undoubtedly scrunch together, pose in the “sorority squat” position, and throw up their sorority letters with their hands. Harmless, I promise.

3. When mixing pastel polos, Sperry’s and board shorts becomes acceptable – By definition? The ultimate frat-star… and grounds to make any sorority girl cringe. But unfortunately, you are still going to see it. A lot of it. It’s frat boy beach fashion at it’s finest, and it’s not going anywhere. Brace yourself.

4. When it’s never wrong to bong – No lattes this week, ladies. Everyone knows that one person on your Spring Break trip. The one who starts his/her morning with vodka Red Bull and ends it with his/her head in the toilet….at 1pm.

5. Frat-tat – We all wish it didn’t happen. In fact, we’d never imagine it in our wildest dreams. But when the swimsuits come out, you might have the privilege of spotting some major frat pride ink down some guy’s side, on his back, or (sadly) his ankle. Brothers for life, yo.

6. Overcast & sunglasses on the beach = hangover – Let’s just straighten something up right now: don’t ever make fun of a sorority girl in her Ray Bans. It doesn’t matter if it’s pitch black and thunder storming outside, she’s clearly hungover. Let it be.

7. When cramming 20+ people in a hot tub doesn’t seem gross – Greeks are one big, happy family. On Spring Break, we are going to take full advantage of this.

8. Shacking Spring Break style – Shacking on Spring Break is so much easier… no classes to wake up for the next morning, no embarrassing “shacker” chants as you attempt to escape out the front door, and the walk home is a hell of a lot more when you’ve got your toes in the sand.

9. Liquid diet – There really isn’t much to say about this. When it’s time to put on a bikini, it’s time to get skinny! It’s common knowledge that a lot of girls’ theory is as follows: “I want to go running because my legs look fat, but I can’t go running because my legs look too fat” See what I’m sayin’? It’s a tough life.

10. The ‘frat-lap’ becomes a ‘beach- lap’ – Frat boys are still setting up shop down in PCB, so no worries ladies. You can still go from frat to frat on break.

What is the funniest think YOU have seen Greeks do on Spring Break? What does YOUR sorority do for Spring Break?

[When moving into either a dorm or an off-campus apartment, your wardrobe will face two major challenges: 1. A major lack of funding (to add more to it), and 2. A major lack of storage space (for all the crap you've got). For these two reasons, maximizing what you already own becomes essential. That's why you need to learn to Shop Your Closet. Each week, I’ll show you how to wear 1 item 3 ways – with the stuff you most likely already own! – to get the most out of your purchases.]

I’m being incredibly optimistic about the weather. After several weeks of gray skies, rain, snow, sleet and at times a strange hybrid of precipitation, the weather network is telling me it’s going to be sunny next week(!!!) And after months of only wearing things that can be stuffed into boots that make my feet sweat, all I want to do is show a little ankle (even if it means shaving my legs).

Which is why I’ve been dreaming about pulling my boyfriend jeans out from the bottom of my dresser drawer. Those little guys haven’t seen the light of day since September and I miss them dearly. Lucky for them and for all of us who have a pair (or 3), boyfriend jeans are going to stay strong this season, meaning now is the perfect time to figure out how you’ll add them back into your outfits as it starts to (fingers-crossed) warm up.

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You CAN recover from this!

Last week, I gave you all some tips on how to prevent sunburn and recommendations for sunscreen. While I’m sure every one of you went out and bought sunscreen to wear every day and not just for SBXI, I bet there’s a few who didn’t.  Or there are those stragglers who are wearing SPF 5 thinking it will work.  And that’s okay.  Except now you’re all “Why didn’t I listen to Caitlin?! Now I’m sunburnt and having a horrible time!”

Don’t worry, this video is all about treating sunburn!  I rarely burn, but I’ve had a few cases of awful sunburn where I had to stay inside and lay on the floor because my down comforter felt like a bed of nails against my skin.  I’ve blistered and picked and even had sun poisoning.  So trust me, I feel your pain.

If you look like a lobster or want to know what to do just in case, then watch below for some great tips on treating your burn!  And next time, wear your SPF!!

Got something you want me to cover? Post it in the comments below. And don’t forget to follow us on YouTube and check out my other videos right here! And for more beauty related tips, check out my website and follow me on Twitter!

[Sarabeth here, back with some more jams to add to your iTunes library! Every Wednesday, I'm bringing you music suggestions - could be something new, old, hugely popular or fairly unknown -  to awesome-ify your collection.]

Spring time is officially here in Austin, TX, and with that comes South by Southwest, only the biggest music/movie/tech conference ever. I may not have a badge, but I do have a massive schedule of free parties and concerts for the next 7 days. And that includes a free show from one of my favorite bands, Matt and Kim!

So this week I figured I’d spread the joy and share my love of these two with their second (and my personal favorite) album, Grand.

About the Band:
Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino have been rocking out since 2004, with Matt on keyboards and Kim on drums. They have a DIY attitude towards their music and do just about everything when it comes to putting out their albums. If they sound familiar, it’s because they’ve been featured on Community, Entourage, and several commercials.

Top 3 Tracks:

Daylight

Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare

Don’t Slow Down

Why You Should Listen to It:
If this album doesn’t get you pumped for spring break, well then I don’t know what will. This album makes me want to drive with the windows rolled down with my Ray-Bans on and have a mini-jam session in traffic. The beats are awesome (rock on, Kim!), the sound is exhilarating, and the album as a whole is pretty dang sweet.

Want more awesome iPod suggestions? You got it!

There are only 4 days (well, more like 3 days, 22 hours and 12 minutes) until your flight takes off for Cancun. You’ve got 6 lectures and 2 discussion sections between you and the smell of SPF 30/sweet, sweet freedom, but your brain has been checked out for days.

While your professor drones on and on about about the feminist’s criticism of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” you’re having a mid-day dream about strawberry daiquiris and that adorable new tankini you just picked up at Target. Instead of taking notes in History of the Civil War, you work on your packing list, adding necessities like “dangly earrings,” “push-up bra,” and “Listerine bottle full of Absolut.” And when you should be in the library brushing up on Physics, you’re off at the campus drug store stocking up on tanning oil (and aloe for when said tanning oil inevitably fails…3 hours into the trip).

And you’re not the only one. Come on, it’s SPRING BREAK. It’s been months since your last break from school and between midterms and the gloomy, gray weeks, every student on campus has been on a mental vacation for days. And that would be fine with everyone if it weren’t for that hard ass professor who always likes to prove a point. The eternal party pooper who returns home to his 12 cats every night and can’t handle the idea of college students having fun.

The professor who interrupts you as you’re busy building the perfect Spring Break playlist during class to, what else, assign a giant reading assignment with a 3-page reaction paper due the day you return from your trip.

Awesome. Wonderful.
Thanks a lot, Sir Fun Sucker.

First you grumble. Then you bitch about it on Facebook. Then you grumble some more. Then, after someone else in your class gets an embarrassingly long lecture for having the audacity to “use Spring Break as an excuse to stop learning or forget why you’re in college in the first place,” you thank god you were too busy updating your Facebook status to raise your hand to make the exact same argument first. Then you go home, bitch about it to your friends, and spend the next 45 minutes trying to figure out a way to squeeze your stupid textbook into your suitcase that is already 6 pounds over the airline’s weight limit.

You calculate your grade in the class to see if you can skip the assignment without totally bombing the course, then curse your teacher some more when you realize you can’t. So you suck it up, throw that stupid text book into your carry-on and pray to god you have at least an hour of sober time to get the reading done before you’re forced back to reality.

—-

Yup, we’ve all been there. Unfortunately, there are disgruntled professors like this on every campus. So much for Spring “Break,” right?

So with Mardi Gras/Spring Break/St. Patties day just around the corner, I think it’s time to give you all a refresher course in some of the Do’s and Don’ts of day time drinking:

Do: Have an 8 AM mimosa. It’s a holiday, and mama taught this girl to celebrate holidays with mimosas in the morning and straight champagne at night. What can I say…I’m classy. Just make sure to have some eggs with your classy drink, or you won’t be helping your go-all-day-without-vomiting pledge.

Don’t: Do a keg stand at 8 AM. You want to last the whole day, right? Well, you don’t start off the day with the finale! So do as I do and save the keg stand for the evening hours.

Do: Carbo load. To the extreme! It’s important to get as much solid food in you as you can while you still know what you are eating. Not only will having more food in your stomach let you go longer, but it will make for a less obnoxious morning after. You know what mornings I’m talking about…where even your hair hurts and your roommate getting up for her 6 AM jog is reason enough to kill her.

Don’t: Put green food coloring in your beer. I don’t care how much money it saves you, just don’t. Well, I mean unless you think having green teeth for 2+ days after St. Patties day is a good look. Then by all means, go ahead, drink up.

Do: Set a spending limit for drinks. It’s important not to blow all your money on a weekend of drinking. So set a limit for yourself and just bring that amount of cash. Leave your debit/credit at home, I repeat, LEAVE YOUR PLASTIC AT HOME!

Don’t: Starve yourself! Eat throughout the day. Pretzels are good for soaking up alcohol and so is any kind of bread. If you don’t eat, you won’t make it past brunch and what’s the point of day drinking if you don’t even make it to the actual “day” part?

Do: Stick to one form of alcohol. No matter how delicious that Jameson shot looks (God, you must be hammered already if that looks appealing), fight the urge to switch to the hard stuff. We all know that’s not gonna end well.

Don’t: Try to keep up with your friends. Everyone has a different alcohol limit, and there is no point in getting wasted by noon just to keep up. Pace yourself, and just remember people are always jealous of lightweights…think of all the money/calories you save!

Do: Drink water. especially if you are outside all day! Not only will alcohol dehydrate you, but so will the sun, so it’s important that you keep drinking water. By keeping a filled bottle of water on you while enjoying your day drinking games, it will help you last for the whole day. Just make sure to alternate sooner rather than later. And remember it is okay to take a break!

Don’t: Pull an all-nighter before your day of drinking. This is day drinking, not day napping, people.

Remember, if you are having an all day drinking event do not drink and drive. At all. It’s just stupid. But other than that, have fun and hopefully (if you follow this list) you’ll be able to be the last (wo)man standing!