If I were to make a list of the things that scare me, it would be as short and unusual as Lady GaGa's Crayola-yellow wig. 

No. 1: Suffocating underneath my comforter. I can't put my head under a blanket for more than five seconds without suffering from a severe case of claustrophobia. It made fort-making as a child incredibly awkward. 

No. 2: Answering phone calls from numbers not in my caller ID. Part of me imagines the dude from "Scream" is on the other end.

No. 3: Vegan food. It's tasteless and pushed by the agenda of crazy, animal-loving, naked people. (Shudder.)

But as one gets older, one must start to face her fears. And seeing as every time one of these three confronts me, there is no bolt of lightning and no horse whinny like the one Dr. Frankenstein received after saying, "Frau Blücher." Perhaps I have less to fear than I imagined. 

I still won't keep my head under a blanket for any extended length of time. And I'll probably still wince every time 10 unknown numbers show up on my cell. But today, I take a step in the right direction, for all of us quaking over the idea of "vegan" anything.

Here is a list of unbelievably vegan foods. It can make even the heartiest meat-eater among us become a shining example of animal rights activism. Go ahead, face your fear, feel good about yourself. Get the complete list at http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/default.asp.

Apple Jacks

Betty Crocker Bisquick

Blow pops

Bubble Tape gum

Cap'n Crunch Cereal Peanut Butter Crunch

Cocoa Puffs

Cracker Jacks

Doritos spicy sweet chili flavored Tortilla chips

Dots

Duncan Hines creamy home-style Frosting (chocolate)

Famous Amos sandwich cookies

Fritos (original and barbecue)

Frosted Flakes

Fruit By the Foot

Ghirardelli hot chocolate 

Green Giant cream style sweet corn

Healthy Choice garden vegetable soup

Jell-O instant pudding (pistachio, banana crème, lemon and vanilla)

Keebler animal crackers

Keebler Ready crust pie crusts (graham cracker)

Kool-Aid drink mix

Krispy Kreme fruit pies

Lay's Stax

Lay's yellow corn chips

Life cereal

Red Bull energy drink

Rice Krispies

The two most precious things about summer have to be making new discoveries and eating big, fat watermelons. And if I were to name a third, it would probably be watching shirtless Jake down the street mow the neighbor's lawn. But let's keep that between you and me.

As luck would have it, during the nicest day of the year so far, I have seen the first two precious summarizing aspects of my list combine in the most wonderful way. While surfing the Internet this afternoon looking for something to write this very food column about, I came across the coolest Web site (enter precious thing numero uno). And the title of the Web site? The official site of the National Watermelon Promotion Board (enter precious thing numero dos). 

I've compiled just a few gems from this godsend of a site, www.watermelon.org. If you can tear yourself away from the 70-degree weather to get down to Kroger and buy one of summer's most cherished edibles, I promise you won't be disappointed.

The first time I ever hosted a sleep over, I was in 2nd grade, and the girl I invited kicked my then-5-year-old brother off of the top of my bunk bed because she didn't want his cooties. Also, she pressured me into reading this really scary book I didn't want to read. In the dark. Which meant getting into my bedroom closet, as it was only six in the afternoon when she decided to call on Bloody Mary and scare the living crap out of me.

Needless to say, it wasn't the quintessential makeover-giving, pillow-slinging, giggle-inducing little girl's sleep over. In fact, I look on that day as a dark mark on my otherwise bare forearm of party-hosting.

But this weekend, I have one of those re-do opportunities available to few and coveted by many (including, but not limited to Tiger Woods, O-Town, Bill Buckner and George Pickett). My sister's 8th birthday is this weekend, and I'm chaperoning. I'm also in charge of snacks.

One really easy spruce up to any party's clear beverages is to make brightly colored ice cubes ahead of time. Each tray should boast a different color (unless the party is themed toward a single color) of Kool-aid ice cubes. Once added to Sprite, these ice cubes melt and mix partygoers' drinks into brews worthy of Dorothy and Toto.

Another meal-plan friendly party snack is called Critter Crunch. The recipe I found came from Betty Crocker, but the idea transcends any real hard and fast rule, so use what you can and have fun. One way to make it is to mix animal crackers, Teddy Grahams, pretzels, yogurt-covered raisins and M&Ms into a big bowl and dish out into colored ice-cream cones.

Full Moons (aka Stuffed Crescent Rolls)

This next idea is as unbelievably delicious as it is easy. Break open a tube of crescent rolls, and before you turn them over into those picture-perfect bundles, layer on your favorite spread. Peanut butter is a sure-fire winner, and jam or jelly can be light and festive. The best idea though, is to use Nutella (or the off brand version like, cough, yours truly) for a yummy chocolate alternative.

Plain old English muffins get a severe makeover when slathered with sweet and salty pizza sauce. If you have to use spaghetti sauce, no one will know. Leave out a variety of shredded cheese and toppings, being sure to give partiers the option of some weird selections. Try adding mango, bacon, avocado or cashews to the standard green pepper and pepperoni choices.

The thermometer is finally starting to read temperatures that don't belong to the Artic that we've come to terms within Ohio, and all over campus, students are emerging from their Ugg-boots-and-BG-sweats hibernation outfits. To be quite honest, I'm not sure it's warm enough for some of the booty-revealing short shorts and the barely-there flyaway skirts I've been seeing around campus, but I guess once the temps hit 50, you might as well declare the University a full-fledged, summer-obsessed disaster zone.

Instead of fighting it, I donned the season's first pair of flip flops, and convinced myself that the sun shining on my feet was making them warmer than they felt. I also had to convince myself to do a little sprucing to the terribly pale and much ignored feet I had been hiding all winter.

In honor of spring (and less clothing on campus in general), I've compiled a few food-based recipes that will get your skin all ready to be bared. Keep in mind, food only goes on parts of your body--not in them.