With the return of classes comes the return of dorm hookups, frat parties, beer pong competitions, and keg stands. It’s all fun and games, until someone loses an eye!

I don’t mean to get all Mom on you, but all of us have had at least one partying experience that ends in waking up with a hangover, vowing, “I’m never drinking again. No, seriously. Never again.â€?

Usually, this vow holds up until the next happy hour…

And now that school has started up for most of us and we are finally getting into our college routine, here comes National Campus Safety Awareness Month!

Unfortunately, when it comes to words of warning, cliché advice like “watch how much you drinkâ€? and “don’t go home with strangersâ€? often goes in one ear and out the other, until you find yourself still tipsy, doing the walk of shame back to your dorm.

So, keeping in mind that you won’t be abstaining from alcohol or random hookups all together in the name of campus safety, here are my tips for keeping yourself safe: (more…)

I have a confession: I’m an online dater.

A little over a year ago, after my Big Breakup of 2006, I decided I needed to get out there. And get out there, I did. I dated my way through New York City, often with humorous results. Some dates turned into brief relationships, some turned into ranting emails to my best friend.

And though I was pretty picky about what I was looking for, I learned all too often that there is a difference between how a guy presents himself in answers to questions in an online profile and how he actually acts sitting in front of you, over too many glasses of Sangria. (more…)

Are you an animal lover?Or perhaps an animal lover with commitment issues stemming from your relationship with your mother that you’re working out in therapy right now?

Well lucky for you, now pets—like most things in life (cars, homes, a warm body to spend the night with)—can be rented.

Of course, the owners of pet-rental services, prefer to call it “shared pet ownership.â€? According to Marlena Cervantes, founder of FlexPetz, the concept is more akin to a vacation time share or a gym membership than a trip to the video store (though if you’re like me, you’re probably more committed to your Blockbuster membership card than your gym card).

FlexPetz is currently available in Los Angeles and San Diego, where commitment-phobe dog lovers pay an annual fee of $99.95, a monthly payment of $49.95 and a per-visit charge of $39.95 a day for some animal companionship.

This fee apparently covers the expense of training the dogs, boarding them at a cage-free kennel, home or office delivery, collar-sized global positioning devices, veterinary bills, liability insurance, and “care kitsâ€? that accompany each dog on its visits.

Maybe it’s just me, but don’t people usually get paid to pet-sit, not the other way around?

I’ll admit it—I’m a voyeur. Not the stand in your bushes, peer in your window type, but the naturally curious type. I position myself awkwardly in coffee-shop couches to “overhearâ€? and interesting conversation. I read magazines over strangers’ shoulders on the subway. I even look in shopper’s carts at the supermarket and evaluate them based on their picks (my cart usually says “I will not apologize for my chocolate addiction and my consuming preoccupation with my dog.â€?)My voyeuristic tendencies spill over into my online life as well, as evidenced by the blog reading I have bookmarked. Take a peek at some of my favorite strangers—borderline internet-stalking is more fun when shared! (more…)