If I have learned one thing as an Economics major, it is that life is all about maximization. Maximize money, maximize efficiency, maximize time slept in. These lessons are applicable to college life outside the classroom, particularly when you are deciding between getting your beauty sleep and not looking like a hot mess for that 9 am class. I am pretty much the master of looking presentable in a jiffy. I have come to the realization that to get ready fast in the morning, you have to strategize. Invest some other time into your appearance so that you can hit the snooze button just one more time.

1. Shower at night. This also will usually save you from a hot water outage in the middle of winter. Bonus points if you sleep in the undies and undershirt you will wear the next day.

2. Don’t skimp on your face routine. The one thing that is non-negotiable is skin care. The healthier your face, the less time you will need on makeup. It is better to spend time preventing a problem than covering it up. Don’t forget to moisturize!

Read More »

It’s been over 12 hours since the show aired and I’m still on a Glee/Madonna high. Was that not the best episode of all time? Besides all the amazingness that was Madonna’s greatest hits, who knew Emma could be so sultry? Damn, girl! That whole “Like a Virgin” montage was just brilliant and I’ve watched it about 10 times since on Hulu. (BTW, thank you, god, for Hulu.)

But enough about that (writing this is wasting precious time that could be spent watching New Directions’ version of Like a Prayer); it’s time for our weekly game of Would You Rather….

Would You Rather be able to control time whenever you wanted (for example, if you wanted you could pause before a huge exam and get in some extra studying) OR be able to magically fix one thing you don’t like about yourself physically? Read More »

Back when Matt and I were first dating freshman year, it came time for us to register for our next semester’s classes. He and I both wanted to take Japanese as our foreign language, but agreed that it’d be better off if we took it at different times. He thought I’d be a distraction, and I didn’t want to compete with him over grades.

This past semester however, for our third semester of Japanese (seriously, why FOUR semesters of a foreign language? excessive, no?), we both had such weird and limiting schedules that we ended up in the same class. I was prepared for the worst, since less than a year before Matt said he hated the idea of us with a class together. To my surprise, he was actually looking forward to it. We did survive, but now, for our final semester, we are back to different professors at different time. Like most relationship happenings, having class with my significant other was full of ups and downs:

Up:
The convenience factor. We only had to buy one book (which, let’s be honest, saves a giant chunk of change). We also got to ride the bus to school together and if I was home sick (thanks, flu season ’09), Matt could turn in my work for me.

Down:
Distraction. You try not talking to your boyfriend when you’re sitting next to him in class three days a week. Read More »

[I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the epitome of prim and proper- heck, who really is nowadays? But looking around at the misguided youths of today *ahem drinking buddies*, I’m starting to think that Miss Manners might have been onto something.

While you may never need to know how to greet a duke or how to tell which fork is REALLY the oyster fork, knowing how to deal with people whom owe you money, how much to tip, and how to address the ever annoying licorice-in-teeth conundrum without being rude might actually come in handy in the real world. I'm not trying to be your mother - oh goodness, no - I'm just here to help you out of those little etiquette dilemmas. So here goes: a quick lesson in etiquette. The sh*t you might actually need to know.]

So your friend borrowed your favorite sweater in Physics, promising she’d return it after class. But when the class let out, you were too busy copying notes to remind her to give it back. It’s been two months now, and all your subtle hints about how you really hate people who borrow stuff *ahem ahem* is getting you blank stares. You figure either she forgot about it… or she’s a bitch who’s playing dumb so she can keep your cute-and-perfect-for-all-seasons sweater.

What to do when the borrower just won’t give the damn thing back?

Miss Manners says:
First figure out how much the object is worth. Is a sweater/$5/a calculator/etc. worth potentially ruining your friendship over? If you can already tell that getting it back will be a struggle – perhaps one big enough to turn into a catfight – think of how much the object really means to you. If you figure it’s worth it, read on. If not, ask her one last time (outright. i.e. “Hey, remember that sweater I loaned to you forever ago? Do you think I could get it back?”) and if she refuses to budge, drop it, chalk it up as a birthday present and never let her borrow anything again. Read More »

There’s no doubt about it – we all want to fall in love eventually. Of course, some of us want it just a little more than others. Take Neenah Pickett, for example. She wants to find her man, badly. She wants to find him so bad, in fact, that she’s given herself a deadline to get her ass in gear. She’s given herself 52 weeks (1 year, for you slow thinkers) to find her husband. And, trust me, this ain’t no half-assed New Year’s resolution biz.

She’s so serious that she has actually made her own website to get her name out there.

Before you throw things at your screen and start talkin’trash about what a crazy bia Neenah is, take a moment. This isn’t much worse than what many of us do in relationships. Ok, maybe the website thing is, but still; there is a wide spectrum of ridiculous deadlines we put on ourselves to find a relationship. Here is just a smidgen of some of the…interesting…declarations that I’ve heard thus far… Read More »

Sam Ronson wants a restraining order from crazy Lindsay.

Need an excuse? Try the economy.

What is the most stressful moment of a relationship?

Katy Perry shares her thoughts on marriage.

What’s your hangover cure?

Victoria Beckham is too busy for Ugly Betty.

Get that perfect sunkissed look for Spring.

This morning I ripped my tights, missed my train, got sneezed on, and forgot my wallet, which inevitably forced me to put my bagel back and face the day hungry, grumpy and in constant fear of the next gift from this bad day.

Oh and did I mention that this was all before 9 am?

Great start the the weekend right? I guess this technically makes me a pessimistic, glass half empty, gray lining kind of gal. Unfortunately, I just learned this also means I will not live as long as my happy, shiny counterpart – the optimist.

Figures.

Don’t believe me? Check out the report in Time where 100,000 women over the age of 50 were asked to respond to a questionnaire that measured optimism. Participants were asked if they agreed with statements like, “In uncertain times, I expect the worst” (put a check next to the “agreed” column please). Eight years later, researchers studied the women’s death rates and found that those who were found to be optimistic were 14 times more likely to be alive than pessimists.

Ok, so maybe my outlook on life is killing me, but it’s hard not to expect the worst in these troubled economic times. Who knows where we’ll be or what we can expect tomorrow? And don’t even get me started on the world ending in 2012. Read More »

I don’t know if you’ve realized it yet, but last night was Daylight Savings time. Yup, you were supposed to set the clocks back an hour.

Woohooo!  An extra hour!

It may seem like such an insignificant amount of time, but think of all the things you could do with an additional 60 minutes to your Halloween weekend!

You may have taken advantage of it last night: an extra hour of drinking/dancing with the hottie dressed as Joe the Plumber, an extra hour of some much needed sleep, or an extra hour of booty (which is only good if the guy can handle it….).

Or, if like me you didn’t realize this whole time change thing until this morning when you woke up an hour earlier than you wanted to, you can take advantage of it today: an extra hour at the library for the big exam (boring), an extra hour of really bad True Lifes on MTV (so good), or an extra hour of shopping at the mall (shwing!).

If nothing else, at least that hour you spent huddled over the toilet from too much Halloween hooch won’t kill the rest of your day.

So, grab your Halloween loot, set those clocks back and enjoy that extra hour of weekend freedom before Monday morning rolls around again.

When I first stumbled upon this article, I thought it sounded like a load of crap. Women taking separate busses? Women actually wanting to ride public transportation without men? Really?

Really.

According to the Associated Press and Time, Mexico City recently segregated its busses because of how badly men were treating women on public transportation. Subway platforms were already segregated, but the bus situation continued to bring in complaints.

Mexico’s “ladies-only” buses are characterized by pink signs on the windshield. Now, instead of having to worry about a swift smack on the ass, our sisters can chat, primp, and pay attention to their kids. Before the change, men’s behavior was so bad that one woman reportedly carried a sewing pin to stave off the creeps, and said she has used it twice in one month.

Much to my surprise, women’s only buses are not a new idea. They have been used in several countries, including Brazil, India, and Japan.

So let’s hear it for the women of Mexico City who spoke out to fix this problem. Because honestly, being groped on the way to work is not how anyone should have to start their morning.