Welcome to the second posting of the CU Grad Gab. What is this and who contributes? Visit the CU Grad Gab page to find bios and pics of these fabulous CU alumnae.

Every other week or so, you'll find these gals dishin' out their expertise on whatever topic tickles their fancy (hence their fun titles). It's never too late to start contributing! E-mail me at horvatb@yourhub.com if you're into it.

From an underground dining phenomenon to a story about a 10-year-old boy who collects coupons, this posting is packed with great stuff. More to come!

RAW FLICKS
By Kalen Kaminski

Picture this:

A cozy apartment with a pillow-filled room and strangers playing unintentional footsy while devouring an amazing meal made by a professional chef. This is a new underground phenomenon that has become a new trend among food connoisseurs in cities throughout the country. Jerry Townsend, the friendly energetic founder started this with his group of friends in a basement apartment in Oakland. They were bored of spending extravagant amounts of money for a less than extravagant meal. In 2004, his idea took off and friends of friends of friends were begging to come to this unadvertised event.

My experience was a little over a month ago in a small but cozy apartment on the Lower East Side. By forking over a measly thirty dollars, I was given a five-course amazing meal made by a professional chef (the best part was a scrumptious appetizer of baked mac n cheese) and a serenading cellist. This innovative idea brings together an eclectic crowd of artists, musicians, bankers, swingers and Britney lovers.

To find out more, go to www.theghet.com.

PANTS: OPTIONAL
By Alicia Riguzzi

So, I've been racking my brain trying to think of my favorite look for the season, and I have been very disheartened. I can't think of anything I'm in love with this season - no new look that I just can't live without. And then it hit me. My favorite look for all seasons: confidence. I'm so sick of people telling me, "I just can't pull that look off!" Are you serious?

I'm so sick of girls not having the confidence in themselves to wear what they want. Why do we confine ourselves to one style, one color palate, one look? Don't you get bored? Don't you wish you could just step outside the box and try something different? And you can, with just a little bit of confidence.

Granted, there are certain things I would never put on my body - they just don't look good on me. But do you know how I know that? I've tried it on and in some cases it took me more than one glance in the mirror and a couple of embarrassing months walking around in it. But hell, I tried. And guess what? I'll try again, and again, and again. But how do you know if you never try?

And yeah, sometimes I do look at someone and think, "Wow, they should SO not be wearing that." But it's generally the girl who looks uncomfortable in what she's wearing that I direct my attention to. So that's my two cents for what it's worth. Confidence is the staple in all women's closets - the one thing no one should ever leave the house without.

Until next time, check this out: www.laceembrace.com. I found this little ditty at a market in Vancouver.

ESCALADE ESCAPADES
By Michele Lingbeck

Last week I boarded a plane for the Bahamas with a carry-on full of great books and visions of lazily reading while sipping a fruity cocktail and listening to the waves crash on the shore. Oops, I forgot one thing. I have kids!

I carried those unopened books back to Denver six days later! Wow, vacations sure have changed! Don't get me wrong. We had a blast! We stayed at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. I swam with dolphins, slid down a five-story Mayan Temple through a pool of sharks and explored an underground replica of the archaeological ruins of the underwater city of Atlantis. We explored, swam and played until we dropped into bed at 8:30 p.m.!

Therefore, you will have to visit my blog to get the scoop on a couple of great books. I am currently immersed in the historical fiction of Tudor, England. Sound pretty dull? Not at all! These folks were wild and crazy! Check out my blog on The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory.

If Henry the VIII isn't scary enough for you, then read my review of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. This book is vampire lit at its best!

My husband is back to work, the kids are back in school and I am back to my routine of driving the kids around town and sneaking away for a few chapters whenever I get the chance. So check back for some book chat and Escalade escapades in the next few weeks!

TEACHING TALES
By Kaitlin Schroeder

Ironically enough, the beginning of my Teaching Tales starts with staying home sick with the lovely flu bug one of my students so generously passed on to me. What kills me is I even contemplated getting a flu shot, but decided against it when I saw it cost $25. Next time I hesitate, I'll slap myself with the memory of sleeping on the bathroom floor throwing up every hour. (Read up on stomach flu remedies.)

Kids are unique because they will share everything with their teacher. Not only flu bugs, but really bizarre information any adult would keep personal. One of my students was full to the brim with bizarre information. I'm not sure he ever said anything I didn't have to think about twice. During one morning meeting he stood up and showed the class his coupon collection. He had them organized in a nifty Office Depot folder with the tabs labeling each category as "Kitchen/Domestics," "Beauty," "Food," etc. His favorite was an automatic toothbrush that expired in December 2005.

When I thought about how to respond to all of this, instead I switched gears and said to myself, "How refreshing!" This child stood up in front of his peers and shared one of his collections probably knowing very well that most 10-year-old boys don't collect coupons. He said what he thought despite the expected reaction. Maybe adults could learn from this boy. Why is it socially unacceptable to talk about bowel movements? If a child's tummy hurts they openly say they probably have to poop.

Why pretend to have the perfect family? A child has a difficult time smiling and saying everything is great at Christmas dinner when they know differently. What is wrong with simply being honest? If a child likes to collect coupons, or pencil shavings, or old shoe strings, they say it! Children are so honest that anything less than the truth feels like a lie. Little did I know when I decided to teach that I would appreciate something as small and bizarre as a coupon collection.

ERIN'S CUP OF KARMA
By Erin Feese

I used to not think twice about plastic grocery bags. You went to the store, grabbed your food, chose paper or plastic and were on your way. When I started living in Boulder and started shopping at the Wild Oats at Broadway and 27th, which was located across the street from my apartment at the time, I noticed how they encouraged you to bring your own bag. For each bag, they give you five cents to donate to charity. "Cool!" I thought, so I tried to reuse a paper bag whenever I remembered.

Until recently, however, I haven't made an effort to bring my own shopping bag on all grocery trips, but it's something I am trying to do more and more. (If you're like me, bags just pile up under the sink and behind my dresser at home.) According to www.onebagatatime.com, plastic bags, like all plastics, are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource - and one we rely on to drive our cars! The amount of petroleum in 14 plastic bags could drive a car one mile.

Paper bags aren't much better, as they don't break down in landfills. The US EPA says 70 percent more global warming gases are emitted making a paper bag than a plastic bag, and 50 times more water pollution. However, paper bags can be recycled, which is a bonus.

Last week I picked up a stylin' reusable bag from Whole Foods for just a buck. It holds a ton of food and if it rips, they will replace it for free. One bag at a time has a collection of 10 bags for $15.99 (although shopping for just me, two or three cloth bags is plenty). And I found out the other day that Safeway, similar to Whole Foods and Wild Oats, offers a bag credit of five cents for each bag you bring. The guy even gave me extra credits because mine from Whole Foods was so big!

If you use your own bag two times a week for two years, you'll save:

- 832 plastic bags
- Enough petroleum to drive 60 miles
- 11 pounds of garbage
- $140 city dollars in disposal costs
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Are you a CU grad gal who is kicking a$$? If you'd like to start contributing to the CU Grad Gab, e-mail horvatb@yourhub.com.

Visit the CU Grad Gab page.