I love books. I do. For me, reading is a passion, something I can’t imagine life without.

But sometimes, when it’s really super-summer hot, the thought of focusing your sweat-brimmed eyes enough to read a novel is just plain agonizing. Not to mention those dreadful rainy days when you are forced to stick it out indoors.

So here, for your viewing pleasure, I propose some alternative summer rentals (film = another love of my life). Some of these are weird and some are, well, weirder. But hopefully you’ll enjoy at least some of them as much as I have.

Oldboy
Okay, don’t watch this if you don’t like to feel very, very uncomfortable. (I do want to say, however, that this is my favorite movie of all time.)

Oldboy is a Korean film (director Chan-wook Park, for whom Oldboy is part of a trilogy; Park also directed the lovely I’m a Cyborg and That’s Okay), part of the wave of innovative Korean filmmakers that was going on a few years ago. It’s the story of a man who is suddenly kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. By the time he gets out, the only thing he cares about is finding out who imprisoned him and why–and getting revenge.

Oh yeah, and it’s based on a comic book, so it’s extremely graphic. You’ve been warned. Read More »

I mean, I love Facebook. Seriously. Facebook allows me to keep in touch with old friends. It tells me when people I know marginally add pictures of their nights out. It lets me see who all my exboyfriends are dating.

Which brings me to #1:

1) It lets me see who all my exboyfriends are dating.
I really, really don’t want to know.

Which probably means I should delete them as friends, or at least use that spiffy little thing that lets you control who you don’t want to see on your newsfeed. But I, quite frankly, do not posess the willpower.

Oh well. The more you know. And crap.

2) Lil Green Patch.
Lil freakin’ Green Patch! Read More »

In an emergency Paramedics and EMTs will turn to a victim’s cell phone for clues to that person’s identity. You can make their job much easier with a simple idea that they are trying to get everyone to adopt: ICE.

“ICE” stands for In Case of Emergency.

If you add an entry in the contacts list in your cell phone under ICE, with the name and phone number of the person that the emergency services should call on your behalf, you can save them a lot of time and have your loved ones contacted quickly.
It only takes a few moments of your time to do.

Paramedics know what ICE means and they look for it immediately.

ICE your cell phone NOW! All the cool college whipper-snappers are doin’ it!

Try your best to not punch me once I say this, but the summer’s end is fast approaching.

It’s a time for lists, and packing, shopping, lists, and laundry, and did I mention lists?

Not only do you have to worry about transporting your enormous shoe collection (”I swear I’ll wear those grey pumps this year. I need them! They were on sale!”), but you’ve also got to fumble around with a bedspread, desk supplies, towels, food, microwaves, laptops, all of it. Your whole life and being.

It’s a bit stressful.

Luckily we here at CC have taken the time aside to compile a list of ten things you most definitely should not forget:

1. Digital camera. Trust us, there will be many a worthy photo op, (though I suppose a four story beer funnel doesn’t really qualify as a thoughtful Kodak moment) and who doesn’t enjoy a trip down memory lane later on? Besides, what else will you show your grandchildren? (”…and this is granny doing a kegstand…and this is granny dancing on the bar…oh yes! There’s grams kissing a nice boy…what? No, no…not grandpa…”)

2. Lots of spare change. You’ll be surprised how much laundry you’ll have, namely your sheets. It used to be a Sunday morning tradition during the school year, for a guy friend down the hall (who gained a beaming record as drunken bed-wetter) to enter our room collecting spare quarters. We coined it, “the piss stain fund.”In case you’re unconvinced, (those of us who manage to control our bodily functions most likely), my sister will tell you different. Read More »