Top Five Presidents of All Time

In honor of President's Day, here are the five most awesomest presidents since 1776.

5. James Madison was the 4th President. He was the shortest President- 5'4". Guess how tall yours truly is? 5'4". PARTY HEIGHT!

4. Grover Cleveland was the 24th President. He was also the only President to get married in the White House. I don't think she was as hot as that supermodel Nick Sarkozy just married, though.

Nah, I'd say they're comparable in hotness.

3. Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th President. He is like G-Dub because he didn't win the popular vote in the 1876 election. Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote. All the other guys who won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote went on to eventually become President. Poor Al G. and Sammy T.

2. Gerald Ford was the 38th President. He was not elected to any office but followed Nixon's resignation. He threw his daughter's prom at the White House. Badass.

1. Warren G. Harding was the 29th President. He bet all the china in the White House during a single card game. He lost. Damn you, Harding! Those are my tax dollars!



For more fun facts, go here!

Or here!


Happy President's Day!!!!! Enjoy your long weekend. If you don't have a long weekend, I'm sorry for rubbing it in.

Ten Things to do on Valentine's Day, with or without a Hot Date

1. Buy a couple dozen carnations (or roses if you're rich) and walk around the neighborhood. Scope out the loneliest looking girls and give them one. This will make them very happy.

2. Call ALL of your ex-significant others at around 11 PM and drunkenly tell them how much you love and miss them. If they say they miss you too, hang up immediately and proceed to number 10.

3. Make a trail of Hershey's Kisses (or another candy of your choice) and make a trail around your house. Wait a few hours, then go follow the trail! It will be exciting even though you did it yourself.

4. Go out to a fancy restaurant, ideally of European inspiration, and hit on the hot foreign waiters. Yes, you can do this even if you have a hot date, but beware: All the single people eating by themselves will resent you, as if they don't already.

5. Wear black.

6. Watch a slasher film with your dog or your mother.

7. Wear red and green and carry around mistletoe. Walk around yelling "Happy Christmas!" and hold the mistletoe over you and everyone you talk to. Demand a kiss. If they don't give you one, kick them in the shin.

8. Cross-dress. When you get asked what the hell's going on, act like you have no clue what they're talking about. Then ask them what they're doing for Valentine's Day and if they'd like to have a popsicle with you.

9. Buy yourself a three-pound solid chocolate heart, a giant teddy bear, a few cheesy V-day knickknacks, and whatever else you want. Walk around with them all day and exclaim how embarrassed you are! Or you could pretend to have a secret admirer. Bonus: Hire a barbershop quartet to come sing you a love poem in front of everyone.

10. Do the Lebowski Challenge.

Pinkberry: Yogurt of the Present

I love Pinkberry. I mean, I love Pinkberry.


For those not living in Southern California or parts of New York City, a description of Pinkberry is in order.

Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt "reinvented" (according to the website). There is one original flavor, a green tea flavor, and a brand new coffee flavor. I really only like the original flavor. A medium with three toppings costs $4.95 and it is delicious. Pinkberry offers many toppings including...
-Kiwi
-Raspberry
-Strawberry
-Coconut
-Captain Crunch
-Fruity Pebbles
-Chestnuts
-Chocolate chips
-Banana
-Yogurt chips
-Granola
-Blueberry
-Mango
-Pineapple
-Cookies 'n Creme (Oreo)

and more!! Sometimes they have seasonal toppings as well. This fall they had pomegranate. Delish.

Usually my Pinkberry toppings of choice are strawberry, raspberry, and chocolate chips. The key to creating the most delectable Pinkberry possible is in the mixing. If you simply eat your Pinkberry the way they give it to you, you'll eat all the toppings first and when you get to the bottom you are left with plain yogurt which is not nearly as yummy. So you MUST mix up your Pinkberry!! It's tricky at first as you are trying not to let any toppings fall. (It's quite upsetting if they do.) But with some practice and skill, you'll be able to mix your Pinkberry to its utmost potential with few flicks of the wrist.

Whether the celebrities know the secret to the best Pinkberry, I cannot be sure. Yes, celebrities LOVE Pinkberry and many have been photographed outside of Pinkberrys all over LA. Kate Bosworth is a fan, and even Mike Tyson!!



If you are lucky enough to live in the Southland and you have not had Pinkberry yet, I pity you and I will pray for your soul. If you venture to Los Angeles or New York, seek one out! And beware of the slew of imitation yogurt shops that have appeared since the birth of Pinkberry. They are not as good!!

Top Ten Reasons to Date a Middle Child

10. It is a known scientific fact that middle children always get the best genes. The first child gets the genes that don't really know what's going on. By the time the second child rolls around, the genes have figured out the perfect way to come together to create an amazing child. By the third child, they're tired and couldn't care less. Thus the middle child is the perfect mix of the best qualities of both parents.

9. The middle child won't care what you dress like because chances are he or she dressed ridiculously as a child because of hand-me-downs.

8. Oldest children get angry when they don't get attention. Youngest children beg for attention. The middle children don't care about the attention, so you can usually get away with talking about yourself all the time. But the middle child will be so cool that you'll want to give him/her all your attention anyway.

7. Middle children know how to share. They won't make you pay for dinner every time and they will let you borrow their toothbrush if you really need to.

6. Middle children are peaceful. They are in the middle. Neutral. Like Switzerland.

5. Middle children are used to sharing people with other people (i.e. parents with siblings), so they'll let you hang out with your friends and they won't get lonely. (Besides, they have lots of friends anyway because they're so cool.)

4. Madonna was a middle child. She's hot.

3. Middle children are funny.

2. Bill Gates was a middle child. He's rich.

And the Number One Reason to Date a Middle Child: Middle children are better in bed.

Why Can't We All Just Get Along??

Yesterday I voted in the California primary election. I "Baracked" the vote, if you will. Yes, I voted for Obama, but not because I'm anti-Hillary...I'm just more pro-Obama.

It makes me feel very sad when Barack and Hillary bash on each other. I know, I know, that's how the political process works at this point, but it's still crappy. When it comes down to it, Clinton and Obama are on the same side!! Why must they fight!?? Why must we all fight!? Obama doesn't think the lack of decisiveness in the party is a real issue at the moment. “I think it would be a problem if Senator Clinton’s voters disliked me or my voters disliked Senator Clinton,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the case. I think our voters are passionate about bringing about change.”

YES!! Man, I love you Barack.

So how about whoever ends up winning the nomination picks the other as his/her running mate, and then the Democrats are unbeatable!! While McCain is the least frightening of the Republican candidates, I still do not want to see him in the White House. In order in ensure a victory in November, our party HAS to come together at some point. It doesn't have to be right now, but it should be relatively soon. I think it will happen...eventually. But we need to think about it. And get along! And stop fighting! I like Hillary, I do! I like Obama more but it's not as if I won't be thrilled if Hillary is the next president.

We Democrats just have to make sure that whoever wins the nomination will also win the presidency.

Why Occidental Needs an English Writing Minor

Occidental College has an under appreciated English Writing department with amazing professors and awesome classes. If the department were expanded to add more professors and classes, an EW major would be possible. As it is now, a major isn't quite plausible. A minor, however, is totally doable.

Most departments require five courses in the department for a minor with perhaps one or two required classes.

According to Professor Deborah Martinson, a certain other department that shall remain nameless (but goes by the acronym ECLS for short) feels that all things writing and English belong to them. ECLS should embrace EW as their colleagues and equals, brilliant people who can complement the courses ECLS offers. ECLS has a few writing classes, so those classes could count toward the EW minor as well. While there are certainly not as many EW classes as there should be, there's no shortage that would prevent the completion of a minor. ECLS has a "creative writing emphasis" in the major, but writing can encompass so much more than just "creative writing."

I'm a history major. While the major requires a lot of writing, the wonderful human resources people who read my resume for any job probably won't make the connection between history and writing. They'll probably ask me who the 9th president was. I don't actually know who the 9th president was. (William Henry Harrison. Who??) With a minor in English Writing on my resume, it shows potential employers that I am, in fact, a good writer. An ECLS minor may just suggest that I can analyze literature 'til the damn cows come home.

As I prepare to enter the workforce, I want my potential employers to know how much I love writing and how capable I am by stating that I do indeed have a minor in English Writing.

2008 Thus Far

Well, January 2008 has come and gone, my friends.

2008 in Highlights! (and lowlights)

1. Heath Ledger. Need I say more?
2. Johan Santana. Dur. See previous post.
3. Iowa Caucus. GoooooooooooObama!
4. The Golden Globes. Hahahaha. That was funny. But the winners weren't altogether disappointing.
5. Something that happened to my friend Celeste that I am not at liberty to divulge. Suffice it to say, it is both heartbreaking and too funny to handle all at once.
6. Juno. (Sort of 2007, but mostly 2008.) Amazing film. Seen it? Good. See it again. It's even better the second time. I haven't been to a movie twice in the theaters since 7th grade...Josh Hartnett in Pearl Harbor. Gag. Haven't seen Juno? You should.
7. UCLA gymnastics beating Stanford. I went to this meet last Sunday. It was awesome. UCLA beat Stanford 195.05 to 195.025. WHAT?!
8. Falling down the stairs at the UCLA gymnastics meet. I just ATE IT in front of all these people. Now I have a really gnarly bruise on my back.
9. The chocolate creme pie my friend Liz and I bought last night to ring in February. It was delicious. We also watched It Takes Two, that phenomenal old movie with Mary-Kate and Ashley. It was a great night.
10. The New England Patriots. They're undefeated and they've broken a number of records in '08 alone. The Superbowl on Sunday should be a very good game. The Giants will cry like the little girls they are if they lose. The Pats will then run amok in Arizona, led by Randy Moss and Laurence Maroney. Of course, Tom Brady will probably go back to his hotel room to drink a pineapple daiquiri and watch Steel Magnolias by himself.