So the time had come again at Syracuse for Alcohol Awareness Week. Basically this is a week where students, okay mainly Greeks, are supposed to be more “aware” of alcohol. This “awareness” is culminated in an event called “mocktails” on Friday night. Each sorority is paired up with a frat and then they have a sober party. Not like “let’s just take a little shot beforehand” kind of sober, not “just one joint” kind of sober, not “a bottle of wine with dinner” kind of sober, but actually sober (yeah, the frats were confused about it too and asked if the mocktail money could possibly go towards the purchase of a keg).

While I’m usually the first to hop on (and steer!) the Friday night drinking train, I coudn’t help but be a wee bit reluctant to get my ticket for the Friday night sober train. I mean, really, what could that possibly be like? Unfortunately (or fortunately if you like to look at your mocktail glass as being half full) the thing about the Friday night sober train was that it was mandatory and my ticket had been purchased for me.

So, you ask, what goes on at a completely sober party? And how do people party withut the aid of mind numbing alcohol? Below is a pro/con list of my sober Friday night experience. And let me tell you; getting ready for the party without playing 3 games of Kings was a very strange feeling… Read More »

Not everyone in college likes to drink. In fact, for the majority of our freshman year, one of my roommates refused to go to parties because she doesn’t like the taste of alcohol. Unfortunately, she didn’t immediately tell me this. For the first couple weeks of school, she would find excuses not to come out. For example, come Friday or Saturday night, she had a paper to write or a TV show that she just had to watch.

After about two months of coming back to find that she hadn’t even started the paper or that she hadn’t even watched the show, I realized that there was another reason. When I asked her about it, she admitted that she simply couldn’t bring herself to drink, and she did not want to be the odd one out at parties.

About three weeks before school ended, my friend finally decided that she was going to come to a party with the rest of us roomies. And you know what, she had more fun than we did! Plus, she actually remembered the details of our enjoyable outing (she could recount in detail how we made complete fools of ourselves the following morning).

As a matter of fact, my roommate had such a good time that she came along to every party that we attended for the rest of the year, wishing that she hadn’t wasted so many nights back at the dorm doing nothing.

Now, I’m not saying that parties are the only way to have a good time on the weekends. However, if you do want to go out to parties with your friends but fear that you will be considered a social pariah if you don’t drink, here is some helpful advice: Read More »

I frantically searched for my phone in my mess of blankets. Must make it stop ringing before head explodes. “Hello,” I croaked when I found it, barely able to get the words out of my parched mouth.

“We are ridiculous,” Sara groaned from the other end, sounding equally as down for the count as me.

“This needs to stop,” I agreed, as I knocked over the glass of water on my nightstand. The glass of water I had meant to down before I passed out with my clothes still on (somehow I took my contact lenses out, go me!).

Yet again Sara and I had gone out agreeing we wouldn’t drink a lot, and yet again some kind stranger had bought us round after round of shots. And we accepted (because I’m pretty sure there’s a law that says you can’t turn down free alcohol). And yet again we were paying for it; and regretting it.

So, we decided we’d go two full weeks without drinking. Two weeks proving we could have fun without going out and going crazy. Two weeks without waking up with pounding headaches and feeling like we need to stay in bed the entire day. Two weeks without having to call each other first thing in the morning to find out exactly what happened the night before and wondering just how big of fools we had made of ourselves. We are getting too old for this ridiculousness. We wanted to see if we could go two weeks without drinking at all. Read More »

I wish I could say that my sobriety hasn’t made any difference at all in my productivity-but that would be a lie. And it’s a lot harder to lie when I’m sober.

I can’t even believe how much I have been getting done since taking a break from drinking. From my music to my work to running an extra mile every day…I just have so much more energy. Of course this is for a lot of reasons. Alcohol drains your body, yes, but it also makes for poor sleeping patterns. Usually, after a night of drinking, I wake up at least twice in the night to get water since I’m so dehydrated from the alcohol. And, of course, it’s a lot harder to get things done in the morning when I’m just trying to focus on anything other than my hang over.

So yesterday was another testament to my ability to get crap done when I actually have both hands free because I’m not wasting one of them on clasping a beverage. I got a lot of work done in the morning. Then I went running and felt strong through the whole work out. I had practice with a guitarist, made an amazing bacon/pepperoni/jalapeno pizza. Then I worked through the night-on both writing and music-and didn’t lose my energy until around 4 am. It amazed me, to be honest. Read More »

Of course there would be a clothing designer to capitalize off the twenty-something lifestyle. Young, Fabulous, and Broke is another high-end label that produces denim pricing-out around a quarter of my monthly rent and a cute little dress for my bi-weekly food budget.

Awesome! I can advertise the truth at last!

There’s no shame in being le broke, whether you’re in college or just out of it. The trick is to live it up without blowing through your checking account. Truthfully, the percentage of recent college grads making bank isn’t that high, we just have a lovely little tendency to live beyond our means and lack patience.

Label whores, I address you first. I’m one of you. The trick here is to get the look without going broke. Sales are where it’s at.

Instead of shopping consistently, go less often and go for classic pieces. Hit up outlet malls (there are some fantastic ones out there. In the tri-state area, I fully endorse Woodbury Commons, where I snagged a pair of Dior shades for $60 this summer and have seen BCBG at 75% off), wait until end-of-season, whatever. If it must be designer, you can tough it out until you can afford it. Trendpieces are best left to Forever21 and H&M. Read More »

Lindsay Lohan seems to be doing better than ever these days. She’s staying out of the clubs, shopping instead of snorting, and generally keeping a low profile. Much to the chagrin of paparazzo’s everywhere, all seems quiet on the Lohan front.

But that doesn’t mean the funny people over at Best Week Ever have forgotten about her.

My Lil’ Lohan, a new Facebook App developed by Best Week Ever and Plastic Past studios, allows users to either “pamper or sabotage” their own personal Lindsay Lohan.

“Each day you can choose to do something naughty or something nice to each Lil Lohan”, explain the directions on the application, “and if you can convince enough people to join you, you can stage an intervention or organize a bender for those Lil Lohans that really need it!”

If you know anyone else on Facebook with the Lil’ Lohan App, you can send and receive gifts that include sunglasses, suspicious white powder, cigarettes, and panties.

While the majority of people most likely hope Lindsay makes a full and active recovery (I say majority because I’m sure there’s a bunch who can’t wait to see her jump into a stranger’s car again with cocaine spilling out of her purse), once someone becomes a public figure, and makes a bunch of stupid decisions, the likelihood of the world forgetting about those dumb choices is pretty low. Read More »

Still love Kelly Clarkson despite her recent concert cancellations and rumors of a sucky CD? Me too. That’s why I was happy to find out MTV’s The Leak has her new album in it’s entirety for our listening pleasure.

As someone who’s not the biggest pop music fan but feels an inexplicable love for Ms. K, I gotta say that I like this album. The third track, “Hole” is about as hard rock as any female pop vocalist has gone in a long time, and Clarkson is no slave to inane hooks. Say what you will, but I’ll take an interesting song over something that repeats itself 7 times any day. And with lyrics like “It seems every time I find a good man / He’s got a good little wife / I’m not jealous but I won’t lie / I don’t want to hear about your wonderful life” “How I Feel” is a great song to yell to alone in your room, espescially if you’re single.

“Sober” is her apparent new single, and although it’s pretty much your standard pop-ballad fare, her voice is expressive enough to make you believe every word she sings. And I still don’t know how she hits those high notes with the force she does. You try it on your own and you end up screeching, but somehow K. Clarkson rocks them. Every time. Even in concert. Read More »