After far too long without college football, I took a trip back up to my old school to watch the first game of the season. I figured my friend and I would grab some lunch at our favorite restaurant, watch the game from the non student section with her parents, and head home when the day was over.

Upon arriving on campus we immediately headed to lunch where we began our meal with a Bloody Mary and some Mojitos. It was at that moment that I realized our leisurely Saturday afternoon was going to be anything but.

The combination of the rum pumping through my veins and my excitement at being back on campus got me feeling all nostalgic. I missed campus, I missed my friends, and, most of all, I missed getting completely sh*tcanned before a football game.

So we followed our hearts and decided to do it up college style.

I chugged Franzia with some frat boys (”BABIES! You can’t chug for your life!”), downed Boones Farm with my friends – and that was before we even left the lawn. I had a 40 on my way to the game, which I shared with some random band playing on a porch that belonged to people I did not know. And I sang bad 80’s songs into the mic. Read More »

I’ve simply never been the best with saving money. While I do always pay my bills on time and never go hungry, I am still fundamentally pretty hedonistic and tend to ‘blow’ any extra money I’ve got on anything shiny, fun, or alcoholic.

Nonetheless, I’ve learned to actually save money in recent years. I’ve learned that there are things I do WANT (that cater to my hedonism) that require saved money. So, I’ve cut back on some things that used to completely drain my wallet and saved more than you can imagine. Here are 5 tips if you’d like to do the same:

REPLACE YOUR ENERGY DRINKS WITH COFFEE. FROM HOME.
I have a serious caffeine addiction. It’s not cute; it’s tormenting. The worst part is that I truly do prefer a sugar free Red Bull to a cup of coffee. But I’ve learned to cut back. At $2-$3 a can, my energy drinks can be shelved for the most *crucial* of days…which is not, contrary to my previous beliefs, every single day of the week. Now I brew my own iced coffee every morning and use a box of splenda to get over my sugar fears. It absolutely does the trick and I’ve saved at least $45 a month doing this. Read More »

Days as a Freshman: 40
Mood: Been better

“What’s up?”

Laughing, Sasha let Naima lead him over to Crystal and I. The speakers were booming, people were shouting, and my head was swimming. Everyone around me was drunk. Everyone around me was having a fantastic time at the first dance of the year.

But I was stone cold sober. And panicking. And inches away from the boy I was in love with.

“Grace seriously has something to tell you.” Naima laughed, looking at me and winking the most obvious wink anyone has ever seen in their life. “She would have called you over here herself but she’s too shy!”

Wiping a patch of sweaty hair from his forehead, Sasha looked at me and smiled. The way his eyes landed lazily on my face made it pretty obvious that he was in the same condition as my friends. “What’s up, Grace? You’re shy?”

“No! Naima is just grabbing anyone she can!” I yelled over the rumbling bass and did my best to mimic the sloshing movements of everyone else around me. Just because I wasn’t drunk didn’t mean I couldn’t pretend.

“She is?” Sasha tried to turn to find her, but Naima and Crystal were back next to the wall a few feet away, covertly sharing Crystal’s flak. “That’s pretty weird, huh?” Read More »

Days as a Freshman: 34
Current Mood: Anxious

“Grace!”

Naima grabbed me and screamed into my ear, doing her best shout over the booming speakers. Crystal and I had found a corner to stand in off to the side of the student center, a small alcove to watch hundreds of sweaty people gyrate and generally make fools of themselves in the name of Friday night.

“It’s packed tonight! Dances usually aren’t!” Crystal reached into her pocket and pulled out a small metal flask. “It’s because it’s the first one, I bet!” Unscrewing the top, Crystal passed her flask to me.

“What’s in this?” I held it slightly behind my back, nervous about who might see.

“Just straight vodka.” Crystal squinted into the crowd, holding a hand over the ear closest to the giant speakers. “It tastes horrible, but whatever. Does the trick!”

Naima reached behind my back and took the flask, smiling and putting it to her lips. “Bottoms up!” She shouted, taking a huge gulp.

I waited for the inevitable grimace, but nothing came. Naima just continued to smile and put the flask covertly back in my hand. Read More »

Unless you’re a terribly unfortunate soul, I suspect at some point in the next three months you’ll find yourself enjoying the great outdoors, perhaps lounging on the beach in your new bikini, hitting a few balls at the driving range, or having a romantic picnic with your summer boy-toy.

Unlike far sweeter countries like Germany we can’t drink outdoors here, which is a crying shame if you ask me. While I wish I could spend my summer drinking beers on the subway in Berlin (only the best way to pre-game ever), I’m stuck in the USA, for better or worse, until I can raise some much needed capital to get me out of here and canoodling with manly Deutsch men and their oh so alluring accents.

So in the meantime, I thought I’d share a few good ways to still get buzzed while working on your tan. No brown bags either—looking like a hobo has never been in style, unless you count the grungy 90s I suppose… Read More »