It’s officially almost August, the month where everyone seems to realize in a collective stress-bomb – that summer is almost puttering to an end. I don’t know what happens to June and July, they get shoved into summer’s trunk like a murder mystery and I always want to make the most of my August once it rolls around.

So while we count down the days to summers end, I figured why not begin a little end-of-summer bucket list (before stores everywhere start sending me coupons for thick knit sweaters and those weird things that zip up your leg…boots…is that what they’re called? Great, I’m ready to put on my flip flops and get started. Take these simple 31 tips (duh, one for each day in August) and make sure you fulfill every single one before summer peaces its way outta dodge.

1. Walk into the CVS Pharmacy just because you’re so hot your inner thighs are stuck together.

2. Get one of those awkward sunburns on your lower back because, while you were trying to be a good person by lathering up, you’re not perfect and your arms aren’t that long. And what kind of freak can reach that portion of your backside?

3. Secretly hate on the chick that can wear those baggy, thin shorts that make it look like you’re wearing a diaper if you ever tried to wear them.

4. Never apologize for accidentally checking out the construction workers on your way to work or class in the morning. What? They’re tan, wearing hard hats and their veins are popping out, how was I suppose to know he’s forty?

5. Go into a movie by yourself. And smuggle whatever you can in the biggest purse you own. You are a frugal, stealthy and independent woman. And it’s cold and dark in the theater. Ideal summer cooling mechanism.

6. Go to a baseball game and blame the fact you don’t know what inning it is on the Summer Shandy.

7. Pop for a Venti iced drink from Starbucks at least three times a week. For two fighting reasons: just trying to hydrate; just trying to save the coffee maker for the cold, winter months.

8. Make out dramatically in a summer rainstorm.

9. Whatever, I’ll say it – take a nice long pee in the lake.

10. Buy a dumb straw hat that doesn’t match any of your outfits, that you will only wear once or never.

11. Roll around with some saucy dude in a tent under the stars (wanted to make this sound semi-classy.)

12. Sign up for a month of yoga classes. Go once.

13. Count treading water in the shallow end of the pool as a legitimate workout regimen.

14. Almost flip your sh*t if you see an ice cream truck, sprint after it.

15. Cook fresh kabobs and burn them to a crisp because you’re freaked out about accidentally eating raw chicken.

16. Play beach volleyball and try to get that sexy “shake n’ bake” look to happen with your sweaty calves and the sand.

17. Buy a stupid, moronic amount of magazines at the grocery store, waste your money on coconut water and sit by the pool until you are sweating out of your eyes and have black ink all over your finger tips from melting magazine syndrome.

18. Find a body of water and sit next to it with a Blue Moon.

19. Have a water balloon fight, even if it hurts when the balloons hit you and don’t break.

20. Make your boyfriend run a cherry popsicle down your chest on a hot day like Cosmo tells you to and realize how awkward it is when he licks it off.

21. Sit on a deck and play the penis game when people walk by.

22. Paint your toenails hot pink with white polka dots.

23. Go to the zoo and eat churros or cotton candy and have staring contests with the gorillas.

24. Hate on the girl that wears the body suit with the pattern of your Grandmother’s couch to the beach, and still looks good. And then go eat an ice cream cone the size of your head.

25. Get caught at a stoplight in your car singing to a passionate and ball-busting song.

26. Get messy. Play in puddles. Stick your toes in wet mud. Let your feet get a little grungy in your flippy floppies. Leave your hair beach blown.

27. Go to an early happy hour on a patio. Shop. Catch the late happy hour on the patio.

28. Vow to never ever wear a grey cotton skirt to a nerve racking work meeting ever again.

29. Watch a sunset. To hell with the sunrise. Sleep in.

30. Eat Cheese-Its on a boat because they taste better that way.

31. Take a nap under a shady oak tree, wake up and have no idea where you are or where you came from.

Come college, however, the best times usually happen during the semesters, not between them. You’ve heard it before — especially if you’re a regular CollegeCandy reader – high school friends tend to drift apart, hometowns suddenly become boring and living with your parents…ick, don’t even get me started. The idea of a blue popsicle and a trip to the local pool sounds borderline painful when you could potentially be at Dollar Beer Night with your campus besties.

And so the concept of summer quickly loses its luster. Facebook newsfeeds are clogged with “Get me back to football season,” “Miss my [insert school name] girls!” and “Counting down to move- in!” sentiments. Because seriously, who wants to be stuck at home with nothing to do but get their nails done and shop and maybe stop by a part-time job a couple times a week and then go back to shopping and free lunches with mom and….

Oh wait, was my jealousy showing?

Yeah, that’s because I’m no longer in college. As a graduate, I work five days a week, most weeks out of the year. When the employed want time off, it’s never in three-month chunks. Typically, it’s a sick day here, a long weekend there. Having graduated in 2009, I’m still fairly new to this Real World business, but, unfailingly, each July it hits me- wait, where’s my summer break? Why am I still expected to wake up before 8 a.m. and remain sober on weeknights? Don’t these people know about Thirsty Thursday!? I just want a vodka soda and a bendy straw (…she said through sobs).

To the undergraduates out there, I offer this: Embrace the boredom. Watch as much reality tv as your mushy brains can handle. Attend Kegs and Eggs before dawn on game day. Hell, while you’re at it, attend that CEOs and Secretary Hoes mixer, too. Nothing good will come of it, I promise you that, but years later that same mixer will revisit you in the form of an office Christmas party. But in the future version, there’s a twist ending: you’ll be the only one blacked out with your shirt unbuttoned. Get it out of your system now to save face later. Trust me here.

As for my fellow graduates: It’s almost quittin’ time. Who wants to grab a drink?

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Zappos…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Go Try It On, Soshiku and Party School Texts) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

The school year is almost over, and although summer vacation is right around the corner, the end of the school year also comes with a lot of stress: studying for finals, writing term papers, and (for seniors) graduation.  Thinking about it too much is enough to make anyone depressed.

But dwelling on all the negativity can make you forget about all the really great things that the last few weeks of the semester bring, like year-end parties, no more classes, and beautiful weather.  That kind of thinking is what the new site Life is Beautiful is all about: spreading positivity through the good things in life.

The concept is pretty familiar–Life is Beautiful is basically just F My Life, but in reverse.  Instead of submitting anecdotes about bad things that happen in their lives, users send in stories about the good things that happen (sample post: “Today I found the courage to tell a girl that I like her. Turns out she likes me too. LIB.”)

And like FML, other users of LIB can comment or vote on whether they like the story or not (“I agree, your life is beautiful” or “You totally didn’t deserve that”). It’s a refreshing change to read positive stories that make me smile (and, I’ll admit it, maybe get a little misty-eyed) rather than laughing at other people’s misfortunes (no matter how funny they can be sometimes).

Sometimes, we all just need a little reminder of the things that make life beautiful.

Now doesn't that just look refreshing?

Maybe it’s just the 90 degree heat that‘s making me dizzy has me thinking summer, but June 21st is just around the corner and I’m already starting to load up on sundresses and break out the plaid shorts. In honor of the simply fantastic weather that the northeast graced me with this weekend, I’m counting down the 10 summer must-haves.

Don’t worry, you have a whole month and a half to get everything on the list!

10. Everything, and I mean everything in J.Crew
Okay, so I’m on a serious binge right now. But how can you not love the florescent colors in cardigans, tees and shorts paired with their fabulous chunky pearl jewelry and sweet summery pastel floral dresses? Can’t cut the price point? Don’t worry, the site has a whole “Under $100″ section to peruse!

9. Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade
Not quite the same since they’ve discontinued the melon syrup, but still totally refreshing and healthier than a frappucino.

8. The coveted one-piece suit
I’ve never been a bikini girl myself… and the good news is, if you’re a bit shy showing so much skin on the sand this summer, you can now snag a super hot one-piece. Now, more than ever, designers have been answering the cries for one pieces and celebs have been trading in their itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, barely-there bikinis for some ultra sexy one-pieces. Don’t believe me? Just check out Blake Lively and Kourtney Kardashian.

7. Vaykay!
Book a flight and hotel at the beach immediately. With all this hot weather, you deserve to celebrate it somewhere fun and tropical. Book online (check out Voyij or Travelzoo!) for sweet summertime deals.

6. Beach reads
For all that time spent on your relaxing vacation, you’ll need the perfect summertime book. Whether you’re a fan of Chelsea Handler (Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang) or something more serious (Tinkers by Paul Harding), skim Amazon or your local bookstore and load em up on your iPad. Or, you know, just buy the book and flip those actual pages.

5. The perfect sandals
Not sure how to invest your money with sandals? If you’re feeling spendy try Jack Rogers for a classic Navajo sandal look. If you’re feeling thrifty, go for Old Navy’s metallic sandals. They look great and don’t break your bank account!

4. Cocktails, cocktails and cocktails
Learn how to make the perfect margarita this summer to wow your friends. No more store mixes, get to homemade blends. To expand your horizons, throw a rooftop cocktail party and have all your friends bring or make their own cocktails and swap recipes.

3. IRON MAN 2!
Hellooooo, Robert Downey Jr.; oh how I’ve missed you and your sass.

2. Nail polish galore
The verdict for Summer 2010? Pastels galore! Rock green or blue for dark skin, orange and pink for the fair skin. Essie’s Resort collection is a smash hit and looks great on all nails. Plus, with yummy names like “Splash of Grenadine” how can you go wrong?

1. Summer Education
So you’re done with class but that doesn’t mean the learning comes to a standstill! Whether you’re interning, part-time working or doing nothing at all, learn something that you’d never normally do while school’s in session. From surf camp to jewelry making, summer is the perfect time to broaden your horizons and get to a whole new kind of education.

But since I transferred after my freshman year, I lost a few credits. I still need to graduate in 2009; with the way tuition is, I can’t afford another semester or even another year. So since I was a little underweight in the distribution section, I decided to do what any smart, responsible college student would do; I signed up for summer classes.

Summer classes are no joke. They last just about a month, maybe a little bit longer. You’re learning things that are usually spread out throughout a semester, but crammed together into four weeks. It’s fast-paced, hectic, and time-consuming. It’s even harder if it’s a subject you’re not familiar with.

I’m taking Spanish 101 and 102 at my local community college to get my language requirement out of the way. Mind you, I’m already pretty well versed in Spanish. I took it for about ten years in baby steps. But now that it’s pretty much being crammed down my throat and even I’m having some difficulty.

If you’re taking summer classes, you can’t afford to be the slacker you might be tempted to be when those obscenely hot summer days roll around. You have to go to every class, because so much material is packed into one day that even that one absence can screw you over. You know that model student you promise you’re going to be in the beginning of the semester, but it eventually goes downhill? That’s the way you’ve gotta be during summer courses. Take notes, study, do all your homework, show up to every class, and ask questions. If you’re confused about something and you don’t take the chance to ask the professor right then, you’re pretty much screwed in terms of hoping it’s gonna come back up again to clarify itself. Trust me; it ain’t gonna happen.

The good thing about summer classes is that it’s over pretty quickly. Like I said, they range from about four to five weeks. After that, you never need to look at that Statistics or Baby Bio book again. They’re also pretty convenient; most colleges will readily let you transfer summer courses.

So if you’re lagging behind a bit in credits or just want to get that distribution out of the way, sign up for a summer course. It’s a little painful, but faster and even easier in the long run.

But damn if it isn’t mind over matter.

[Picture credit goes to: gettyimages.com]

Should my wallet magically dispense to me $1800, I could go skydiving 9 times and then go through training that would allow me to go for just $20-$50 each time. But, until that fairy tale money arrives, I’ll have to spend each chunk of $200 and change with a bit more thought. So you know what I’m thinking?

HANG GLIDING. There is just something about soaring through the sky — like an EAGLE — that appeals to me. Am I nuts? YES…according to my friends. Apparently the fatality rate of hang gliders is high (yawn) and the injury rate is even higher…blah blah. I’m either fearless or an idiot. Or a fearless idiot. But, hey, whatever. If you’re a fearless idiot too, here are some things you should know about hang gliding.

A hang glider is a huge wing-like apparatus. (Sweet!)

In order to ‘fly’, you’ve gotta run down a slope until the wind lifts the glider. (Fun!)

Once the wind lifts you up, you soar. You can elevate yourself through hot air.

You keep yourself going based on how well you harness your own weight and the kind of air that is around you. Some people can glide for over 20 hours, it’s really insane.

The truth is this: hang gliding is not nearly as dangerous today as it used to be. You have to go tandem your first time, just like skydiving. You’re wearing a parachute, as well, just in case something malfunctions with the glider.

Is it totally safe? Well…no. But neither is driving a car.

So who wants to go this summer? Anyone with me?

Well, if you want to make a change, but are afraid of falling off the bandwagon before you get a chance to reclaim your hot bod before fall semester, try joining a workout boot camp. These camps are becoming increasingly popular and more and more clubs across the country are beginning to offer them.

According to a recent Chicago Tribune article, “Boot camp fitness programs have become so popular because they incorporate strength and cardio training into an hour workout, saving you time by getting your heart rate up while working your muscles.”

Sounds like a sweet deal to me. Also, it’s like having a personal trainer for a group rate. Money Saver!

Still not sure if this is for you?

Some boot camps also zap the monotony of being on a treadmill for an extended amount of time because they get you outside and moving. For any students in NYC: check out this option or girls in San Francisco: go here.

Basically just do a google search for a boot camp in your area because gyms like Equinox, Crunch, and Lifetime Fitness are offering boot camp style classes as well if you are more of an inside person.

Whether you like it outside or indoors, a boot camp can keep you on track for the summer. It’s easy to give up on a workout program while doing it yourself, but when you are enrolled in a set program and have others counting on you, it’s a lot harder to cop out early.