Helen and Maurice Kaye got married on Aug. 27, 1934. Now 101 and 102 years old, they reflected on 80 years of happy marriage with the BBC.
"He once bought me flowers," Helen said, laughing, "They were all dead." But instead of gifts, the couple said the most important thing they've learned is tolerance of each other.
"I give in a little, she gives in a little," Maurice said. "And we both laugh at the same things, don't we?" added Helen.
Watch the sweetest video here:
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Dear David of December 31, 2003,
You're about to enter your second semester of college. Just wanted to give you a heads-up about a few things.
That "texting thing" that you're acting too cool for? Soapboxing about how "if you wanna get in touch with me, just call me, ugh"? Texting isn't going anywhere. Get into the spirit.
There's a guy named Mark Zuckerberg running around on Harvard's campus right now. Do everything you can to become his best friend. Don't let any tall rowers know what you're doing.
Similarly, throughout college, make sure your inner-circle friend group includes a future lawyer, doctors (multiple specialists would be ideal), police officer, and Cobra Health Insurance provider.
Get on Twitter as soon you can. It will outlast Friendster, Meebo, and even MySpace. I know this sounds crazy to you, but it's true.
People are going to angrily yell at you for not watching Lost. Hold strong. It's not worth it.
You're going to get a job after college that pays you more than the sum of "rent + 14 cups of noodles" per week. I swear. You'll be able ride in taxis and go to dinner sometimes without feelingly cripplingly guilty. Spend what little money you currently have on stupid, fun shit. The $600 you're going to kill yourself saving over the next four years is not meaningful.
Happy New Year. Pick one fun party and stay there. Party-hopping leads to continual disappointment.
Sincerely,
David of December 31, 2013
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Photo Credit: Warner Bros.
It's that time of year again. You're ready to change your ways, turn over a new leaf, and actually conquer your resolutions — yeah, never mind all that. Here are easy resolutions you actually can do that don't involve cutting back on carbs or having less fun.
1) Resolve to not resolve to do something unrealistic. If you're not going to quit Diet Coke entirely or go to the gym every single day, don't tell yourself you will. (But do quit smoking. Cigarettes are worth the pain of being given up entirely.)
2) Throw out underwear and socks with holes in them. This is 2014. This year, you deserve better than drafty panties.
3) If you haven't already, watch Scandal. Watch every episode. Once you start you won't be able to stop so this will be easy, trust.
4. Subscribe to one less magazine. This way you might actually read all the ones that come to your house already.
5. Do something naked other than bathe or screw. Just one time. Just one thing.
6. Be on time at least once. Don't be 20 minutes late. Just the once. Don't curl your hair before you leave the house, you'll be on time and look almost as good. You can deal with one night looking only almost as good as you want to.
7. Drink a glass of water every day. So easy. You probably do this already!
8. Watch Pitch Perfect. It's on cable every five minutes. No excuses.
9. Learn how to make really fucking good mac and cheese. This may be the most rewarding item on this list.
10. Read one book. Even if it's Harry Potter or The Hunger Games — you don't have to read Infinite Jest for it to count. Or if you're feeling REALLY lazy just read one of those shorter ebooklet type things.
11. Have something delivered. Dinner. That shoe rack you've been meaning to pick up at the Container Store. Whatever else you wish you had but are prevented by your own laziness from obtaining. Delivery is the gods' validation of your laziness and is nothing to be ashamed of.
12. Make a New Year's resolution.
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Photo Credit: Miramax Films
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one... Happy New Year! To ring in 2014, nail artist Simcha Whitehill aka Miss Pop shows and tells Cosmo exactly how to copy this New Year's mani.
1. Prep and paint. "After you've filed your nails into the desired shape, pushed back your cuticles" — remember, DO NOT CUT THEM!— "and applied a basecoat, paint your nails with two coats of a teal polish," says Whitehill. Used here was Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in On The Beach.
2. Ombré the tip of your nail. "Using a bright, primary blue shade, like Essie Nail Polish in Butler Please, paint the corner of a triangular makeup sponge, and then dab the sponge downward from the tip of your nail to the center, creating a gradated effect," she says.3. Add some sparkle. Paint a clear, sparkly polish over the ombré part of your nail. Try China Glaze Luxe and Lush.4. Paint on 2014. Dip a striper brush into silver nail lacquer and paint 2014 in Roman numerals — MMXIV — one letter per finger.Voilà! Happy Nail Year!Photo Credit: Elizabeth GriffinFollow Carly Cardellino on Facebook and Twitter.
For more beauty tutorials:
Hair How-To: Create a Crowning Moment
Makeup How-To: Sexy Bronze Smoky Eyes
Makeup How-To: Sexy Ombré Red Lip
1. Do you feel good about yourself? You do, right? Oh, you don’t? Put on something with a shorter skirt or a lower-cut top to distract others from any potential low self-esteem that might consistently radiate out of you like a single-beam lighthouse. That’s what I do. Also, make sure you’re wearing something with sequins, because if you don’t wear sequins, you’ll be stuck in December 31, 2013 forever, like a sartorially based Groundhog’s Day.
2. Watch movies that will get you in the spirit of putting your lips on some other person's lips because 2014. Like the acclaimed ensemble dramas New Year's Eve, When Harry Met Sally, and Silence of the Lambs.
The perfect holiday movie for all ages.
3. Decide who you’re going to kiss. Is there anyone at the party you’re going to you like, or are attracted to, or at least not physically repelled by? It should be someone new, not someone you’ve dated before. That’s against the spirit of New Year’s Eve, which is all about forging a brand-new awkward, dysfunctional relationship, not double-dipping in your own bullshit sexual history as if anything will be different this time.
4. Make sure you’re drinking just enough, but not too much. Be the Goldilocks of functional alcoholism. Al Pacino once said, “The best feeling in the world is between the second and third martini.” And Al Pacino probably secretly fathered all of us, so he knows what he’s talking about.
This, except it's very likely that it is because you are lonely and because it is New Year's Eve.
5. Ignore the person you picked to kiss for most of the night. I have been guilty of many a halfhearted “hover near Subj. like awkward satellite to make sure he notices my boobs and the fact that I’m talking to other men and ~**~*tOsSiNg mY hAiR!~**~*~,” and in retrospect, that shit is pretty obvious. I do kind of think ignoring is crucial, though, unless you two are those Jim/Pam types who actually like each other because of friendship and banter and, you know, adult commuication. (Gross. If you like healthy adult relationships so much, why don’t you marry them?)
6. But do make sure you’re near him when the ball is about to drop. And he’s already got a chubby from Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, so he’s primed for your big move. 
Ross and Monica know what I'm talking about.
7. Be prepared for anything. I mean anything, from the awkward non-kiss-back to “I’m married” to the guy morphing into a griffin and flying into a closed window.
8. Kiss him. But be classy about it. Don’t jump him like a she-wolf. Especially if you’re in a public place like a bar, or your grandma’s house.
Yay, you did it!
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Photo Credit: Columbia/Everett
As told to Kara Cutruzzula
In December 2009 I was flying to Buenos Aires to meet some friends and celebrate New Year's Eve. When I lined up to board my flight, I was thrilled to see a group of cute guys line up too, and even more thrilled when they sat across the aisle from me. I was, of course, in my international travel uniform of high ponytail, glasses, no makeup, yoga pants and a hoodie, so an hour before landing I ran to the bathroom, switched to contacts, brushed my teeth, threw on some blush, lipstick and mascara and sashayed back to my seat.
One of the guys — we'll call him Matt — started chatting me up. People are really intrigued by a young woman flying by herself. He was traveling with friends who worked in San Francisco — all tech guys, of course — to celebrate New Year's as well. I mentioned that I was meeting my friends and we were renting an apartment in the beautiful, leafy Palermo Soho district. We exchanged emails and went our separate ways.
I didn’t think I would hear from him because, well, we met on an airplane. But when I arrived at the apartment my friends and I were renting and realized we had a rooftop pool I immediately thought, I’m throwing a party.
I got into the vacation spirit, eating steak and going to see flamenco. A day later I saw my opening: an email from Matt. “What are you up to? Having fun?” I said we’re having a great time, and oh, we’re having a party at this amazing apartment and you should come.
On New Year’s Eve a dozen people came over, a pretty good turnout considering I’d arrived only two days earlier. We made drinks for the guys, put on some hip hop and took ridiculous group photos. It felt like such a wild, spontaneous event. Matt was hot, friendly, funny — and very confident. He was sending out a “don’t worry, this is going to be great” vibe. We headed out to a club for the New Year’s countdown.
At the Club Museum dancing didn’t start until 3 a.m. and went all night. When we walked in he put his hand on the small of my back. He was obviously trying to move things along while I was playfully ducking him to keep up at least a little bit of a chase. Except with a vacation boyfriend, the chase has to be a sprint not a marathon otherwise you’ll run out of time.
All night we kept dancing and then splitting up and circling back together, until he pulled me into a dim corner away from all of our friends. Kissing him was amazing. I felt so wild being in Argentina with some strange, hot guy I’d just met on the plane. We were making out when the clock struck midnight. He kept trying to talk me into getting in a cab with him but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on our first night.
The next day we met for cocktails and a tour of the gorgeous cemeteries in Buenos Aires, but I still didn’t sleep with him. I pictured our romance as a PG-rated rom-com. Saying goodbye was hard, but he lived in San Francisco and I was in LA, so it was what it was.
Two years later, I opened my inbox to a “Remember me?” email. He was coming to LA. It was on. After some nervous primping, we got dinner, drinks, and were making out in the club when he invited me back to his hotel. This time I said yes. He had his hands all over me in the cab and as soon as we got to the hotel he tugged my dress over my head. I started laughing when he took his shirt off because his body was so amazing — he was insanely ripped. He was probably expecting me to swoon, but instead I said something like, "Damn!" and then dissolved into giggles. He started laughing too because this sexy moment that had been building for years suddenly turned ridiculous. But when he took control and playfully pulled my hair while kissing my neck, the night got really hot. It was passionate and steamy and then he lifted me up and held me with my legs wrapped around his waist, my back against the wall. When it was over, we were spent.
Before he left the next morning to catch a flight, he brought me a glass of water, kissed me sweetly and told me to stay in his hotel room as long as I liked.
Since then our relationship has continued in the friends with benefits vein, but it’s never moved further because of the crazy way we met. Vacation boyfriends are beautiful in their fleetingness; they can’t live in the real world.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
The holidays are a nostalgic time, and nothing says nostalgia more than listening to the British pop hits from your college, high school, elementary school, and toddler years.
2008: Alexandra Burke Performs "Hallelujah."
If Alexandra Burke were an athlete, she would absolutely be accused of juicing. She went from reality TV contestant to No. 1 artist in the country in a matter of months. Her ability to maintain vocal control while aggressively riffing is kind of unfair. Brits, man.
2003: Michael Andrews and Gary Jules Perform "Mad World."
This is the ultimate "I am feeling really sad right now, and I kind of wish my life had a soundtrack" song. It's super depressing for a holiday hit. "Happy holidays, Tiny Tim! Your leg won't heal because healthcare is prohibitively expensive."
1998: The Spice Girls Perform "Goodbye."
This song represents the third of an unprecedented three consecutive Christmases during which the Spice Girls held the top spot. Current tweens who did not live through the Spice Girls era need to do their research. Destiny's Child and TLC are also on the curriculum.
1993: Mr. Blobby Performs "Mr. Blobby."
OK. Now we're getting somewhere. The world's most terrifying television mascot was responsible for the No. 1 song in the UK. British denizens preferred this nightmarescape over all other options. 1993: A dry year for pop music.
1988: Cliff Richard Performs "Mistletoe and Wine."
Ahh. What a classic '80s Christmas video. The director of this music video clearly said the following: "Should we put Cliff Richard's face next to a leaky water pump for 22 seconds? Yes, that is exactly what we should do. And ... action!"
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Photo Credit: SYCOtv
I thought turning 20 was pretty whack. It’s just another year of not being able to get into bars. Big whoop. But when Babeland, a female-owned sex toy shop, turns 20, it’s a pretty BFD.
In 1993 in Seattle, when everyone was listening to grunge and getting super depressed, best friends Claire Cavanah and Rachel Vennin decided to open a business. They were thinking about a coffee shop, but that was too obvious, when all the sudden it hit them like a leather riding crop: "Let’s open a sex shop!"
Now with four stores and a booming online business, it’s safe to say that the ladies of Babeland have arrived.
I sat down with co-founder and co-owner Claire to talk about 20 years in the sex toy biz—and what’s it like being a "fun" feminist.
Cosmo: So how did you become interested in owning a sex toy shop?
Claire Cavanah: Well, Rachel (co-owner) and I are both feminists. We were both educated during the culture wars of the 80’s where honest feminists were disagreeing about the roles of sex in feminism. And there were the "take-back-the night, rape crisis center, obscenity laws" feminists and then there were more the more progressive, much more fun, "let’s have sex, let’s get turned on" feminists. And during my time in college, I went from one side to the other.
Cosmo: You went to the fun side. Good call. Was there an original mission behind Babeland?
CC: Our goal is to get a vibrator on every bedside table. We want to take the shame out of sex and bring it out into the open in a way that’s more earnest and encouraging. I think of sexual pleasure as a birthright.
Cosmo: Preach! Have there been any major milestones in Babeland’s career?
CC: Opening in New York City was a big turning point because it just took off so fast. It was 1998 and Sex in the City was on TV and business was just booming. That show actually changed a lot of things for sex in the mainstream culture. Tthere was a direct correlation to that show airing and women buying more vibrators. Another big moment for us was winning "Best shopping experience in New York City" from Zagat. It was like winning Best Picture [at the Oscars]! Nobody gets that award, how could it be us?
Cosmo: Do you get a lot of women who come into Babeland who have never had an orgasm?
CC: That happens at least once a day. I remember a pretty moving incident about that actually.At our opening party for the Park Slope store, this woman came in, she was about 40 years old, had four kids and her husband had pretty much begged her to come here. She had never had an orgasm and her husband wanted her to experience one. She came up to me and said, "I’ve had my kids and I’m done. I’m finished having sex. I don’t see what the point is." I was like "Oh my god, sex is really fun! Let’s try and get you to a place where you can enjoy it." And I think a lot of women feel like she does. They just don’t know how to find pleasure and they don’t have the tools. So I set her up with some lube, a vibrator, and some batteries, and she was on her way. I think her marriage was about to get a lot better.
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During her time at Cosmo, Kate guaranteed circulation by 700,000 copies, and we now outsell our nearest competitor by a million copies on the newsstand.
Cosmo has 18 million readers each month and under Kate it has been the No. 1 magazine in its category all 14 years.
And Kate hasn't just worked on Cosmo. In her spare time, she's authored eight best-selling mysteries and thrillers: If Looks Could Kill, 'Til Death Do Us Part, A Body to Die For, Over Her Dead Body, Lethally Blonde, The Sixes, Hush, and So Pretty It Hurts.
Her new career book, out Sept 18 is, I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know.
