If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s that I love food. I love cooking, trying out new recipes, and visiting restaurants I’ve never been to before. I also have a crazy-busy lifestyle that doesn’t exactly allow me to pop in at home to heat up food and eat it on a plate at my leisure. Thermos food containers, lunch kits, and travel mugs make my life so much easier in countless ways. For one, I’m not the kind of person to go out to lunch all the time. I try to save money and time by bringing my own meals; plus, it’s always healthier that way. Also, with the portability and structure of Thermos food jars and travel mugs, I know that my lunch is going to be just as fresh as it was when I packed it in the morning. I absolutely hate it when my left-over lasagna turns ice-cold, or when my PB&J leaves spatters of oil at the bottom of its paper bag.

To celebrate National Fill Your Thermos Brand Bottle Day, the company is offering 25% off all Thermos brand products on their website (www.ShopThermos.com). Check out the amazing variety of products and enter to win either a 16 oz. Stainless Steel Travel Tumbler or an 18 oz. Vacuum Insulated Hydration Bottle just by liking and entering at https://www.facebook.com/Thermos. Fellow foodies, lunch-box devotees, and lunch lovers, today is your day! Make life easier, more convenient, and more importantly…tastier!

The post Calling All Lunch Box Nerds! It’s National Fill Your Thermos® Brand Bottle Day! appeared first on HelloGiggles.

The thing is, I weigh more than Zoe Saldana. I’m totally okay with this. I saw that Allure included her weight on their cover, and I didn’t take offense to it. Hear me out. The magazine never intended to negatively impact its readers, nor was there any kind of indication that 115 is what every single girl and woman should weigh. After the internet exploded, Zoe defended Allure’s editorial team and commented that it would be a lie to deny or avoid how much she weighed. In fact, she has been thin-framed her entire life, and this isn’t something she has ever had control over or should feel shameful about. Meaning, Zoe is an allegedly healthy young woman who happens to be skinny. Allure also provided some further commentary, saying that her weight was meant to pose as a juxtaposition to her immense power, toughness and confidence. The entire article was centered on Zoe’s accomplishments as a talented young woman, not on her weight.

I don’t think the problem is the “115 pounds”.  I think the problem is what we associate with “115 pounds”. We associate this number with women who are Photoshopped to look like Barbie, women who eat less than 500 calories a day to stay thin, women who spend more time at the gym than they spend at home, women who think they will look ugly if they weigh a pound more than 115, women who compare themselves to other women and see the word FAT dripping in oil and hatred down their mirrors. We shouldn’t attack the fact that Zoe is 115 pounds or that Allure decided to include this fact. We should attack the association it brings. If a healthy woman weighs 115 pounds, this shouldn’t affect anyone. However, if a magazine advocates that all healthy women should weigh 115 pounds, that’s when we should fight back against a skewed version of the “ideal” body. But if a magazine is merely saying, “this small young woman has proven herself to be such a huge asset and powerhouse in Hollywood!” then there really is no reason why we should be outraged by the fact that she’s… skinny.

Even though there is a lot of unfair scrutiny on “fat” women, there is also a decent amount of negativity shown towards “skinny” women, too. Since all fat women clearly only eat McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all skinny women must be anorexic and throw up their carrot sticks at the end of the day, right? As a culture, we need to break these stereotypes, these ugly associations, comparisons and generalizations. We need to accept all body types and be at peace with them. If a magazine chooses to celebrate Zoe’s strength as a small woman who might appear as though she’s meek and meager, then let them! They’re not doing anything wrong. If this upsets readers, then they are upset for the wrong reason. They are upset because they have been trained to hate the very word “weight” because of its connotations.

And I understand why. We are surrounded by thin celebrities on glossy paper or behind T.V. screens who share their skimpy diet regimes or celebrities who gained weight and have received  scrutiny en masse. We are surrounded by health magazines that encourage us to lose that extra ten pounds, to consume less calories, to hit the gym more often. There’s a reason why so many young girls and women are so hard on themselves and their bodies, but the solution to this problem is not by shaking our disapproving fingers at magazines for including the weight of thin woman with benign intentions. This is just not the place to continue that war.

Featured image via Huffington Post

The post Zoe Saldana’s Weight Is Not The Issue We Should Be Waging War Against appeared first on HelloGiggles.

1. Allergies

The obvious affliction that prevents some of us from enjoying dairy, gluten, poultry products, shellfish, spices and just about a thousand other food items. When I waitressed in college, I would witness a lot of servers ignoring customer’s “crazy” requests to have certain foods removed from their plates and a lot of them justified this with, “They’re just picky eaters.” Since a food allergy can cause anything from swelling and projectile vomiting to something as serious as death, it’s best to tread carefully when it comes to people’s food and not mess around. A few days ago, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s restaurant was fined $12,000 because they served a woman regular pasta when she ordered it gluten-free. The customer had Celiac Disease, and was immediately violently ill. Furthermore, this woman was on a transplant waiting list for a heart and lung and had to be temporarily removed because she was so sick after eating the pasta.

 2. Erectile Dysfunction

We all giggle about guys who can’t get a boner, but this is actually a serious condition for men, and doesn’t just affect old guys. The root cause of erectile dysfunction can vary from being way too drunk (okay, we can laugh when this happens) to chronic illnesses and medication (not so funny). The solution is Viagra (sildenafil), which isn’t just some happy penis pill that guarantees mind-blowing sex, since it can cause some major problems too, like: sudden vision loss, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, a penis erection that lasts longer than 4 hours and memory loss.

 3. Insomnia

There are three different types of insomnia: transient, acute and chronic. Transient insomnia lasts less than a week and can be caused by almost anything (environment, depression, stress, etc). Acute insomnia lasts for about a month, and stress is usually the culprit here. Chronic insomnia can last months, years even. It’s usually caused by another underlying disorder, like PTSD or depression. If you’ve been experiencing chronic insomnia, you might be experiencing muscular and mental fatigue and hallucinations. Insomnia is super serious, because it affects your quality of life. People take sleeping pills in order to conquer their sleeplessness, but this can cause major addiction issues (as well as wonky night behavior, like sleep-walking). On the other hand, you have people saying, “Oh yeah, I have insomnia” when they go to bed around 3 and wake up around noon. That isn’t insomnia. That’s just a weird sleeping schedule I call “college”.

4. Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a much debated affliction amongst doctors. Since there isn’t exactly any evidence or proof that patients experience pain, a lot of people have dismissed this illness altogether. Fibromyalgia is a disorder that is characterized by musculoskeletal pain all over the body that usually makes people tired and moody. Sometimes these pains start to occur after a physical trauma, surgery, infection or psychological stress. Other times, there is no single triggering event. However, it’s a condition that shouldn’t be tossed because of its mysterious behavior. Many people have experienced symptoms of Fibromyalgia and can find no relief; since there is no cure, patients usually take pain killers, exercise or sometimes even visit a chiropractor.

5. Skin Cancer

Living in California, I see so many people not wearing sunscreen. I have relatives who are proud of their sun-kissed tan skin; they tell me it takes them months to obtain it! Furthermore…people treat skin cancer like it’s not actually CANCER cancer; as though a doctor can remove your sketchy spot in a few minutes with kid scissors and a Band-aid and then you’re free to go bask in the sun again. It doesn’t work that way; cancerous cells don’t just stay in one place. They move. Cancer spreads and becomes so much harder to treat. People die of skin cancer every single year.

The post 10 Afflictions That People Don’t Take Seriously appeared first on HelloGiggles.

First of all, when you’re at the grocery store, think about the ingredients you need and that you can re-use. Let’s start off with spices. Forget about taco, poultry and chili seasoning that comes in packets; they’re a total rip off, and you can make your own for a lot cheaper. Taco seasoning is just cumin, chili powder, crushed red pepper, paprika, salt, granulated garlic and granulated onion. Chili seasoning is usually about the same consistency, depending on the recipe. Also, buy some Italian seasoning, because it’s awesome in pasta. All these are things you should keep around because they add flavor to otherwise dull meals. All poultry seasoning is just sage. Pro-tip: whenever you’re buying spices, try to get the store-brand. There isn’t really a major difference in quality, and you’ll be saving a lot of money. Trader Joe’s also has really nice spices for cheap.

Okay, let’s talk about food. It’s important to purchase food that is a) versatile and b) on sale, if possible. Try to buy food that you can use for lunch the next day, or even re-heat as leftovers for dinner. Try to keep your cabinets stocked with rice and other carbohydrates that act as fillers. Garlic is always handy, because it’s virtually in almost every single recipe. Usually you can get two bulbs for a dollar at the grocery store.

Here  are some super-budget friendly recipes that I’ve tried to tie in together in a few ways so that when you go grocery shopping, you don’t have to buy the entire store. Plus, they have been tried and tested by ME! So you know they’re good.

1.Fajita-ranch chicken wraps 

What you need:

• 12 ounces of skinless boneless chicken breasts (usually you can find a package deal on sale at the grocery store)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or granulated)
• cooking spray
• 1 pepper, seeded and cut into this strips
• 2 tablespoons ranch dressing
• 2 tortillas
• salsa
• shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Basically you season the chicken with your spices, stir-fry the chicken and pepper, and then serve it on the tortillas.

Makes 4 servings. Estimated cost per plate: $2.05

Other meals you can make with these ingredients:

2. Chicken quesadillas

3. Stir fry chicken (with rice)

4. Chicken salad wrap (with lettuce and tomatoes)

5. Chicken burrito (with lettuce, rice and beans)

The post 10 Meals To Make When You’re Broke, Without Beelining To The Ramen Aisle appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Per usual, there’s a special segment of the world that feels like it’s appropriate to express their sexist and misogynistic feelings via the Internet. Assholes of the world are whooping and howling in the name of Angelina’s breasts, and it’s a shame, because this shows how some people only value women based on their bodies. To reduce Angelina Jolie to just her breasts is sickening, because it means our society will forever prioritize body image over the important things: family, sacrifice, bravery and character. Why should a woman be identified by a body part?

Men aren’t the only ones out there who are ridiculing Angelina; there are women who are now insinuating that they can now take Angelina’s place because they have breasts and she doesn’t. Please, girlfriends. Don’t even.

Not only is breast cancer a serious, life-threatening disease, it is completely life-altering. So many women feel as though their femininity, sex appeal and beauty is being ripped away from them; it’s psychologically damaging and heart-wrenching. So when Angelina had her breasts preventatively removed because she feared she would develop cancer, she made a choice. A brave one. She parted with her breasts for her children, husband and life. Her actions should be celebrated, not mocked. She shared her story to inspire women, to promote awareness of a deadly and common disease, not to encourage derogatory, immature and disgusting backlash.

It’s not funny to joke around about Brad now having to “f**k his kids’ nanny.” It’s not funny to tweet: “In other news, Angelina Jolie killed her breasts and the boners of millions of men today,” because it wasn’t her JOB to give men boners; she doesn’t owe anyone her breasts. It’s not funny to “feel sorry” for “poor” Brad. Brad is a lucky man. He’s lucky to be with a woman so courageous and beautiful inside and out.

Featured image via ShutterStock

The post Note to Misogynists: Angelina Jolie’s Preventative Mastectomy Is Not Your Business appeared first on HelloGiggles.

10. Your Halloween decorations are still up. And they’re starting to mold.

Personally, I don’t think leaving Christmas (holiday) lights up is a big deal. They take forever to hang, and then you run the risk of crushing a delicate mini-bulb and either electrocuting yourself, or having to buy an entirely new set when you do get them down. Confession: I still have my lights up. And they look cool, so I don’t care. But I have a neighbor who left his pumpkin out until March! Do you know how gross that is? Pumpkins start to rot after a few days and we San Diegans are known to experience some warm weather. Simple rule: if your holiday decorations have an expiration date and run the risk of becoming stinky after awhile, do your best to take care them.

9. You blast really annoying music with the windows open all the time.

A part of me is becoming that old grouch who angrily waves at kids with his decrepit cane. I simply have no tolerance for certain things anymore. Especially if they’re loud and tasteless, like Linkin Park or Creed for five hours straight. This is a problem for apartments mainly, because everyone is so close. And it’s also a problem for people like me who cherish their naps and only desire the sound of soothing wind or gentle rain as I doze off into sweet, sweet sleep, only to be woken up by tortured singers and their hatred and agony towards the world.

8. You are more dramatic than all the Real Housewives put together.

Do you fight with your significant other more often than you have normal conversations? Do your fights with your parents escalate super quickly and last for hours because using your “inside voice” is not powerful enough to make a point? I understand that sometimes, we need to just let it out. Sometimes, we fight for stupid reasons, and sometimes we have legitimate reasons to raise hell. But must you really scream and shout for hours on end? Sometimes, I’m worried I’ll hear a gun shot and have to get all snoopy and call the cops, and I don’t want to do that because then I’ll have to get involved, and the last thing I feel like doing is dealing with a criminal and then I’ll really hate you.

7. You always call the cops.

Since we live in an allegedly free country, some of us like to host a few parties. Since I’m hardly any fun anymore, I usually only have 5-8 of my closest friends from college and high-school come over on a weekend night and have a few drinks. Things get a little weird, and one of us always ends up singing Shakira or Bob Dylan. Seriously, no big deal. Well, apparently it is to some, because they always call the cops, and then the cops come and sigh because they see we’re just sitting around with glasses of wine watching Sex and the City re-runs and issue me a “warning”. Trust me, I’ve had neighbors who have relentlessly partied till the break of day every single day of the week. And it sucks. And obviously, there are some nasty situations for which you need some legal reinforcement. But if it’s just a regular old party and you’re annoyed, just go knock on their door and ask them to turn the music down. You don’t just dial 9-1-1. That’s not cool.

6. You never close your blinds.

Just because you can’t see other people doesn’t mean other people can’t see you. You realize that at night with your lights on and the day’s lights off, people can see you getting ready for bed or getting all Discovery Channel up in there? For your sake, close your blinds. There are some creeps out there and we don’t need another sex tape star that rises to fame and gets her very own show, do we? 

5. You are just a straight-up drama queen.

Are you nosy? Are you always asking your neighbors why so-and-so’s husband moved out two weeks ago, or how could the family down the block possibly afford a new Mercedes? Do you bake your neighbors apple pies just so that you can take a peek inside their house and compare it to yours? Okay, this is not only annoying, but it’s invasive and aggravating. Nobody likes a snoop.

4. You constantly post signs to remind your neighbors of THE RULES

You are a mega-stickler for rules, which can be okay. And helpful. To a certain point. Whether it’s a laundry or noise curfew, you find yourself stapling homemade signs that say things like, “REMEMBER TO DO YOUR LAUNDRY BEFORE 9 PM” or “REMEMBER THAT PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED HERE”. You were the kid in class who told the teacher whenever someone was eating their snack POST SNACK TIME, weren’t you?  I had a downstairs neighbor who insisted on taping signs to the stairs that said “WALK QUIETLY” and expected everyone to tip-toe up to their apartments, and if they didn’t she either taped up some more signs, or complained to the manager. It was super fun when I was wearing heels or doing laundry.

3. You are always renovating your home.

A little sprucing up never hurt anyone, nor does it ever really hurt the value of your home. But when I see construction workers at your house every single day for a few years, then I’m wondering if the grass will ever be green enough. Also, I am wondering if I’ll ever get to sleep in past 7 a.m. ever again because the drills and sawing are really, really loud.

2. You have a meth lab.

Um, this is just not okay unless you are Walter White or Jesse Pinkman. And even if you defied logic and WERE in fact, one of the two members of Heisenberg Inc., I would be super scared for my life and the life of others.

1. You read this article and directly complain to our apartment manager about me.

Refer to #7, #5, and #4

Featured image via Sodahead.com, Real Housewife gif via, Breaking Bad image via

The post 10 Signs You’re An Annoying Neighbor appeared first on HelloGiggles.

The next thing that is going to happen is that you will probably end up moving back home. After a few weeks or a month, you figure you’ll have to get your hands a little bit dirty, because you need the money to get out of the small town you are from and you haven’t exactly had a lot of luck with finding a “real” job. You will find out what it’s like to wait tables for ten hours straight with no breaks. You’ll take a lousy job as the receptionist for Haircuts 4 Less. You might witness your friends finding jobs right away, because life’s a cruel bitch, and some of these friends will move to New York or LA to pursue their dreams. They might make it, they might not. Don’t worry about it, because now is the time to focus on YOU. You’ll live off your tips and be super surprised at how minuscule your pay checks are after all those grueling hours.

You will slowly learn how to do adult-like things by imitation. You will find complex recipes on Pinterest and totally botch them. You’ll purchase grown-up clothes at Forever 21 only to find a gaping hole in your armpit at the end of the day. You will send out dozens of emotionally void resumes and cover letters to companies that you feel you are a perfect fit for and not hear back from them. Not even a “no thank you”. You will leave interviews feeling productively wrecked. You will try to play house with that cute guy you’ve been seeing off and on, but then realize he’s going nowhere in life and there’s no f**king way he’s going to drag you down with him. You’ll let your dishes pile up. You will consider it a great accomplishment when you actually check your mail and clean out your overflowing inbox. College grads, you will question your bachelor’s degree and its worth.

This horrible self-doubt will not last forever, I promise. Because you are unstoppable. You have the energy of a hundred suns (especially after that third cup of coffee) and you are convinced you will prevail against all odds: the crappy economy, your dwindling graduation money, the worried look your parents have on their face at all times. So you apply to grad school. You re-vamp your resume and become a job applying machine. You land an interview within the week and you nail it. You get the job and you take it, even though it only pays you ten dollars an hour.  But you can work with that because you know this is only the beginning. You’ll earn that raise within a year and you will undoubtedly move up within the company. And if you don’t, then you’ll find a new job. Because now you have more experience, more ink to put on that resume. What your degree has taught you is invaluable. It has taught you that you are able to juggle six classes, a radio show, friendships, a massive hangover, and still get straight A’s. It has taught you how to network. How to write that perfect e-mail. How to succeed in a difficult subject you are only taking because you need it to graduate. It has taught you how to pick friends and enemies. It has encouraged you to grow a backbone. Your college degree has taught you to persevere and you have done just that over these last few months. Bravo.

So what I’m saying here, is that life after college isn’t easy. You’re going to feel guilty, you will wonder whether you’re doing it right, whether you’re living up to your fullest potential and whether you’ll ever make it. You will start to think about whether you’ll ever get married, be able to afford a house and have kids. You’ll have these hyper-grown-up thoughts and freak out about them at least once a week.

The post A Commencement Speech; Or, What Happens In The College Afterlife appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Occidental College, a private liberal arts school located in Los Angeles, has recently had some problems with how they responded (or rather, didn’t respond) to students who were found completely guilty of sexual misconduct. Six young women who were either graduates or current students were raped and college authorities failed to take action. These women were then forced to seek out lawyers, where they “also accused Occidental College authorities of either being callously indifferent to their complaints or [tried] to dissuade them from pursuing the matter with police” (Highlandpark-MountWashingtonPatch).

One of the students that was found guilty was merely instructed to apologize to the victim and resign from their leadership positions on campus. The sexual assailants who were found guilty of multiple acts of sexual harassment/rape were expelled until the victims graduated. Wow. That will sure show them!

Not only did the college fail to aid these women and seek justice, but Occidental allegedly did not document the sexual assaults in the time the Clery Act asks for. Essentially, if any kind of crime occurs on campus, the school has to report it within a certain time frame. Occidental didn’t follow this protocol back in the 2010-2011 school year when this all started.

Since the school was not properly responding to the heinous acts that occurred, a group of 37 students, faculty and alumni filed a federal complaint against the school this past April, stating that the college was not disciplining the guilty students, and that it “created a hostile climate for sexual assault victims and violated federal mandates under the Title IX, a non-discrimination law” (Huffington Post).

Does it really take a legal complaint for a college to realize they are not protecting their students from sexual assault? Why should it take a group of activists to spur action? I understand that it must be embarrassing for colleges and universities to admit to the fact that some of their students are guilty of such horrible things, but covering up the problem and ignoring it completely is just  extenuating rape, sexual harassment, and sexual violence.

The Education Department will be looking into the claims that Occidental employees and students have made and should legally protect the individuals who are participating in the investigation.

This is a nationwide problem and it has happened before, again and again. The fact that so many institutions shy away from taking extreme measures for extreme problems is troubling, because it could a) deter victims away from speaking out and b) allude to light or non-existent consequences for sexual assailants. Schools must band together and truly enforce this zero-tolerance policy; the problem is that I’m not sure why they have not already.

Featured image via The New York Times

The post Occidental College Allegedly Fails To Protect Rape Victims And Punish Sexual Assailants appeared first on HelloGiggles.