When is it okay for one man to embrace another man?

That is the question I’ve been pondering for the past couple of days. I heard some guys on the local sports show here talking about the rules of hugging. One of the hosts was a big time hugger. He said that he hugs anyone and everyone. Although, I somewhat agreed with his theory of any-time-is-a-good-time-for-a-hug, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have my own reservations about the “man-hug.”

It’s not that I am homophobic or anything like that, I just haven’t hugged many dudes through the years. The opportunity just hasn’t presented itself, I guess. I’ll admit, I don’t go looking for other dudes to hug. This would clearly blur the social lines of bicurious-ness if you ask me. But it’s a good question to think about for the times when, for whatever reason, a male on male hug is proposed.

So I went searching the internet and asked a couple of my buddies, and this is what I’ve come up with. Here are some various rules or guidelines for when hugging is acceptable and when it’s not in the cards.

1. It is acceptable to hug any male that is related to you. This one is quite obvious.
2. If you meet a fellow male at a temple, church function, wedding or funeral, you may hug another man.
3. It is not okay to hug another man when one or both of you is wearing any type of swimming suit.
4. It is never okay to hug another dude, if one or both of you is shirtless. Big no-no here.
5. If a family tragedy has occurred to one or both of you, it is okay to hug another man. This is along the same lines with the funeral, etc.
6. If you are playing a sport, and your team wins the respective title of that sport, you may hug another man. However, this hug needs to be brief. After all, it’s just a game dude. Repeating double high-fives would be a good substitute for a hug in this instance.
7. If your wife or your buddy’s wife gives birth to a newborn baby, it is acceptable to hug this guy.
8. If you went through a traumatic event with another dude (like near death type stuff), and you see that same guy after, say, a year…you may hug this dude.
9.If you and your buddy are watching a game on TV or in person, and your team wins the game, you may not hug this guy. Hugging in this instance is reserved only for the players on the field.
10. You may not hug another man if you both have the same first name. This is just weird.
11. If at all, a guy comes at you with an uninvited hug, you must do your best to make that hug as un-bicurious as is humanly possible. This may be difficult but this can be attempted by putting only one of your shoulders into the hug and giving him a slap on the back.
12. You may never, for any reason, hug a dude that you just met. I don’t care if this is your fiance’s brother and he’s going to be “part of the family”, there is no excuse for this to occur. This should be a given, but you never know, this situation might come up.
13. As a general rule — Man hugs should be limited to 5 seconds. The only exception is a funeral or tragedy….then it should still be limited to 10 seconds or less.
14. If another man is wearing the same shirt as you, it is not okay to hug this man, unless he’s related to you and you’re at a family reunion or something like that.
15. When hugging another man, there should be no vocals emitted from either party. Any vocal sounds may very well be construed as very bicurious to any witnesses and also to the dude you’re hugging.
16. If a dude on the street is holding a sign that says “Free Hugs”, never, ever under any circumstance is it okay to hug this dude.
17. If you or the other dude or both of you own a Subaru, you may not hug this man.
18. You may not ever hug another man during a woman’s sporting event of any kind. At all.

So there you go. If there are any that I have left off, please let me know. I will add them to the list, because we all need to know these rules, guys. For a guy, there really isn’t too much you can know about hugging guidelines. These rules have saved me from a very awkward experience, many a time.

I also need to give credit to this dude named Paul Davidson. I sorta stole some of the rules from his list. Check the list out, though, it’s pretty good.

Find Paul Davidson’s list here: http://www.pauldavidson.net/2006/06/02/wfmes-rules-of-hugging-for-men/

I need to warn you, though:

The page you’re going to look at is a SALES LETTER for a marketing coaching program.

Now, you might be interested in marketing coaching, and you might not……BUT IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER EITHER WAY.

It doesn’t matter, because this website is a marketing GOLD MINE all by itself.

You can learn more great things about marketing from this sales letter than you can from most COPYWRITING courses. They’ve got dozens of free videos on the site that cover business and marketing from many angles…

And by far the most interesting part of this website is that MARKETING EXPERIMENT that they SHOW YOU at the beginning.

Go check it out. I think you’ll enjoy this one…

Let me know what you think of it.

The key to overcoming addictions is breaking the habit “triggers” that will be present.

Here are some simple steps you can follow to make breaking through the hard time of cracking the addiction that much easier. Whether you’re addicted to coffee, smoking, or your TiVo here they are.

Spot “Triggers”

Most addictions are based around certain habits. If you come into work at 7:30am, and you smell that brew of coffee, you’re more than likely to get that cup of coffee. Smoking is often triggered by a cup of coffee or a drink at the bar. Whatever you’re addiction, find these triggers and identity them all. This will give you the best offense with a good defense.

Avoid “Triggers”

Now that you’ve spotted triggers, you now want to avoid them. In the Pavlov Dogs story the owner would ring the bell and the dogs would start salivating because of the programming they went through as Pavlov associated the sound of the bell with food. Avoid your triggers so you can break the normal routine that leads to the trigger, and trying not to dwell on them. Once you reach the trigger, resistance is almost futile. But if you can never feel that trigger, you’ve got a great chance.

Keep Your Life Insanely Busy

Have no downtime. Keep constantly engaged in your passions, like sports or friends. By keeping busy you are getting your body active, which always helps addiction, but… it will also keep your mind away from your addiction which is most important. Don’t let your mind wander back to the addiction (it will).

By following these steps, you’ll be on the road to freedom.

Avoid Buying Multiple Sound Systems

Buying one sound system allows for maximum clarity. When you mismatch technologies your sound goes from super clear to a muffled karaoke machine.

Speaker Placement

Make a triangle between where your sitting and the left and right speakers. If you can, situate your center channel as close to your TV as possible.

Decorations

Adding carpet, rugs or curtains absorb sound, so you often help eliminate the reverb you would otherwise. It’s like an empty room without them, so furniture will be your ally.

Don’t Over Do It

6.1, 7.1 systems direct the sound to specific locations in your room. You can get away with a decent 5.1 system with bookshelf speakers and a 10′ subwoofer.

About two months ago, I decided I wanted to get into awesome shape, and found a routine that is deadly effective, and, unlike when I’ve worked with trainers in the past, doesn’t kill me. Find out how simple it really is…

Requirements:

• Dumbbells: I like the 50-lb Versa-Bells, and keep them under my bed when not in use.
• A Door Gym: Unless you want to install a pull-up bar in your home. I’m renting, so that’s not a good option.
• Two chairs, with seats about 18″ off the ground.
• 30 minutes, 4 to 5 days a week.
• Muscle Milk Protein Supplement
• Isopure Protein Supplement

That’s it. No complicated machines, expensive trainers, or expensive gym fees.

The first part of this process was to get on a good diet. I had acquired a bit of a spare tire from too much partying and fatty foods, so I cut down to proteins, legumes and beans for three weeks. It was hell, but very effective at reducing the fat on my body. I slowly re-introduced carbs, and am now eating a fairly balanced diet, along the lines of the Zone Diet. However, rather than cereal in the morning, I have a Muscle Milk protein shake. These are very healthy, and if you mix them with half non-fat milk and half water, they taste like real milkshakes.

Immediately after the workout. I have an additional shake, this time using the Whey-Isolate product Isopure. Whereas the protein in Muscle-Milk is absorbed slowly into your body (and thus a good way to start the day), whey isolate proteins are absorbed rapidly and perfect for post-workout recovery. Add some dextrose to this concoction if you can; your body is in a catabolic state (its breaking down muscles) and dextrose is a fast-absorbing sugar that will provide the energy it needs, ensuring that more protein is delivered straight to your recovering muscles.

As for the workout itself… the key principal here is Time Under Load. I used to go into the gym and kill myself with heavy weights, bad form, and quick, high reps. It took forever to advance even five pounds on the stack. Now, I’m using lower weight, but making sure that my exercises are VERY targeted, and done slowly. The maximum weight I’ll do for any given exercise is about 40% less than my capabilities, so if I could curl 50 lbs with one arm two or three times, I’d never go higher than 35lbs during any exercise.

When you achieve targeted time under load, your muscle is going to be working very, very hard. You’re going to sweat a lot, and it can be helpful to have a fan blowing on you. Drink lots of water throughout. Although, “throughout” is not a very long time - I can get through my whole workout in 30 minutes or less.

With that said, here is the daily list:

Day 1: Chest

Start with slow push ups. Five seconds up, five seconds down, constant load on the muscle. Go for as long as you can before you totally lose it. Should be 1:00 if you haven’t done pushups for awhile. When you get up to 2:30, throw a ten pound weight on your back.

Next are Inclines: spread two chairs about a 18″ apart. Put your hands on each of the seats, and bend at the elbow going down. You should feel it in your lower chest. Ten to twelve of these, again, very slowly.

Next are Declines: You have two options for declines. You can simply rest your feet on the chair and your hands on the floor. Or, if you’ve picked up a Door Gym, you can rest your hands on the curved portion of that (a pair of dumbbells will do as well - put your hands on the handles). This gets you going down further and also works your triceps. But more than anything, you should feel it in your upper chest. Don’t cheat - focus on the muscle group. Ten to twelve of these.

Alternate two sets of inclines and declines, and you’re done.

Day 2: Back and Traps

Throw the Door Gym on your door and start pulling up with a wide grip. Try to do three sets, and work your way up to ten reps per set. As you get stronger (and lighter), go more slowly. These are hard.

For your traps, start by doing up to two minutes of 5 seconds up, 5 seconds down of dead lifts. Use a weight that gets you to that point such that you’re grunting and the last few are painful.

Then, add enough weight that you can do three sets of about ten. You can pull up more quickly, but go slow on the way down.
Its very important to work your traps if you’re trying to build upper body mass. Don’t skimp on this one.

Day 3: Shoulders

Start with 5 seconds up, 5 seconds down of seated shoulder presses, both arms. Again, go for about two minutes and lots of groaning. Immediately do six negatives - let the weights out of one hand, and use that hand to pull the other hand up. Let the weights drop slowly. You will feel the burn.

Then add weight, and do two sets of ten seated shoulder presses.

Now, drop the weight, and do two sets of ten to twelve things… I don’t know what they’re called. But you stand, hunched over, with the weights in front of you and your arms bent, and come outwards, keeping your arms bent. You will feel it in the back of your shoulders if you’re doing it right. Do two sets of these.

Finally, do two sets of front-facing lifts. You’re going to hold the weights in front of you, top of your hand facing forward, and pull upwards. This will work the front of your shoulders, and you’ll feel it up there if you do it right. Focus on good form and constant stress.

Day 4: Biceps and Triceps

Start by doing seated curls, with both arms at the same time, 5 seconds up 5 seconds down, for about 2 minutes. Do six negatives as well, like you did with your shoulders.

Next, add weight and do two sets of ten curls, standing up, and alternating arms. You should be feeling this in your upper bicep.
Finally, drop weight and do two sets of reverse. curls. So, the top of your hand is facing forwards, and you’re pulling up and bending at the elbow. You will feel this in your upper forearm, and lower bicep.

For traps, you can use a variety of exercises. I use the door gym to do push ups that are focused on the traps. I also use free weights in such a way that I hunch over, hold my bicep parallel to my upper body. and move my lower arm back like a fulcrum until it is straight.

Day 5: Legs and Butt

Start with 5-seconds up, 5-seconds down squats. Hold the free weights at your sides. Its not ideal, but it works great.
Then, do three sets of lunges with weight, focusing on form.

Finally, do one-legged leg lifts on a chair. One foot is going to be on the chair and the other will be on the floor, and you want to hold your arms in front of you to balance, then push up with the leg on the chair. These are ridiculously hard.

What about Abs and Cardio?

You will find yourself losing weight with this routine if you do it right, but you should feel free to add cardio as stress-relief as necessary. As for abs - lots of crunches and bicycles. If you have access to a gym and/or a decline bench, declined leg lifts are excellent too.

I wish I could add pictures here, but my drawing skills are at a second grade level. As for the results… I have gone from slightly pudgy and pear-shaped to something not too far from Brad Pitt’s body in Troy.

Join the club.

I’ve owned a Blackberry 8100, the Pearl, for about 5 months now. I love it. I’d go to the movies and check my new Gmail messages and surf the web. I’d link my 5 email accounts to my Blackberry Pearl thinking that I would be on top of whatever the world could throw at me. I wanted freedom from the constraints of my current technology, but after several months of Blackberry use I was still waiting on that freedom. The freedom is there, but it isn’t. My constant availability made me incapable of ‘letting go’ of work, and other things. My down time had disappeared. I was always available and the tasks I used to enjoy, like reading an RSS feed from my favorite blog, became a chore.

Here are some proven techniques I’ve used to get off the Blackberry addiction and get back my life. This is not a plan to convince you not to use your Blackberry. On the contrary, this is a plan for you to co-exist in harmony with your Blackberry, and not be consumed by it.

Only Link Important Email Accounts

One of the major addict causes I’ve found is linking multiple email accounts. It’s a great feature for a Blackberry to have. But if you’re checking your email more than 10 times-a-day already, and you aren’t mobile for more than 4 hours in the workday, get rid some email accounts. Just check it when you get into the office. Some people FREAK OUT at the idea of not being contactable by email 24-7, or even 8-7. Don’t worry, if it’s really important get people to call you. A one minute phone call can often cull 20 minutes worth of emailing/texting back and forth. Unless of course you’re flirting via text then it’s all good.

Create Blackberry Free Times

This is the most important. Create multiple time periods in which you designate “No Texting/Emailing Blackberry Time”. I don’t have a problem with answering phone calls, although if you want to ban that as well, all the better. Instead, concentrate on using that time to go through your To-Do list, whether business or recreational. Open up that book and read a chapter. Reward yourself by being allowed back on the Blackberry after you complete your task.

Setting Your Blackberry On Vibrate & To-Do Lists

This is a great technique that I discovered unwittingly. I was in a meeting and I put my Blackberry on vibrate. 3 hours later I grabbed my Blackberry out of my suit coat pocket and had 27 messages, and 5 missed calls. In those 3 hours I completed more than I had in the previous day. So if you’ve got a deadline to meet, create a to-do list and see where your Blackberry comes in. If it does, put your phone on vibrate, wrap it in a small cloth, and place it in your desk drawer and remove it when you NEED to use it to get the to-do list completed. If you don’t need it at all, then good riddance Blackberry, wrap that sucker up and put it in the draw until you’ve completed your tasks. I’ve found, that if I don’t wrap it up, then the noise of the vibration makes me ween like a small dog without food.

How To Curb Your Blackberry Cravings

This is a very simple process. Get more involved in your non-Blackberry habits like researching stocks, increasing your productivity, playing a sport, reading a book, being social, and writing in your journal. You’ll notice that the Blackberry will have less and less control over your time. Remember, you need to control your Blackberry, not the other way around.

P.S. If you want to use your Blackberry as a modem for your laptop, here are the instructions.

Well it’s that time of year again. College football season. So welcome to the first annual college football preview for 2007. I have been pouring over scouting reports of all 119 Division I schools for days and days in preparation for this post (sorry girls above in the pic, Florida State ain’t gonna be that great). And by that I mean I’ve been watching ESPN for about a week. But I am one of those dudes that relies solely on gut instinct. I try not to over-analyze this kind of stuff. Either way these aren’t Dan Patrick’s picks. His are guaranteed to go wrong, as he always says. Mine are pretty much guaranteed to go right. So place your bets gents, here is how it’s going to go down…

5-Wisconsin

The Badgers are riding a nine game winning streak from last season. They have a large portion of their starters back from last season, where they finished 12-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten. Their defense is the strength of the team. Coming back are LBs Jonathon Casillas (pictured) & DeAndre Levy, who dominated at their positions last season. They are the anchor of that defense. With this defense and RB PJ Hill carrying the offensive load this next year, the Badgers are in a prime position to take the Big Ten title. It will come down to one game with the Wolverines.

4-Texas

The Longhorns have a quarterback that has pretty much the coolest name in all of college football. Colt McCoy. Is there any better name for a star QB? And a star QB in Texas for that matter. Other than his name, he’s got a lot going for him. This year will be even stronger than the season he had last year, when he won Offensive Freshman of the Year. McCoy has his top 4 receivers back with him, and RB Jamaal Charles should be breaking out this year. The Longhorns are reloading after taking the year off last year to break in their QB1. By the way, it really hurts to put Texas this high in the rankings after their sham win over USC back in the Vince Young days, but this post isn’t about who I like and who I don’t like.

3-LSU

The Tigers are going to be having a “rebuilding” season of sorts. JaMarcus Russell is gone to the NFL, along with stars at receiver and safety. 5th year senior Matt Flynn steps into the role of QB1 this year, with a little bit of experience under his belt. His performance in the 2005 Peach Bowl is what he is best remembered by. With Russell on the bench, he came in and led the Tigers to a 40-3 stomping of Miami. He will be good but not great. Their coach Les Miles, has already said that he has a problem with USC. But unfortunately for him, USC is in another class all together.

2-Michigan

No one in the country has a better, more experienced trio of offensive studs than Henne, Hart & Manningham. The trouble with the Wolverines is their defense. Not as strong this year as it was last year. Last year the defense was the star of the team, holding opponents to an average of 12 pts a game. This year, they won’t be so lucky. Still they have scheduling on their side, with most of their toughest games coming at home. The one true test will be playing Wisconsin on the road in Camp Randall. That game may very well be the one that decides the Big Ten champ.

1-USC

There is no question about this team this year. Every position on their team is stacked full of talent. Word is that they have 10 (yes TEN) running backs who were all stars on their high school teams. Recruits are coming in from all over the country just to have a chance to star at “Tailback U.” Damn, would I love to be Pete Carroll these days. Their linebacking core is the strongest in all of college football, with Muauluga (pictured) as the anchor. I don’t see the Trojans letting anyone beat them this year, like what happened with Oregon State and then UCLA last year. If anyone beats them, it will probably be the Trojans that lose it, rather than the other team somehow outplaying them. Their game against Oregon State will actually be the closest that anyone gets to beating them all year. Any way you slice it, USC is going to cruise.

1. Cooking Techniques
2. Cooking Equipment
3. Cooking Ingredients

Obviously, all of these are fixable for men. You can take a cooking class, you can buy better equipment, and you can cook with quality ingredients.

But I want to focus on equipment - specifically cast iron cookware. There are a few reasons to make the move from the less quality counterparts over to cast iron.

Precise Control of Cooking Temperature

As I’ve been cooking with traditional frying pans or woks I’ve noticed hot spots on the pan. When the pan is above the flame, most of the time it produces a scorching hot spot and burns the outside of meats before cooking the middle, even sometimes on lower flame settings.

Cast iron heat retention qualities allow for even cooking temperature minus the hot spots. Cast iron pans can be used on top of the stove or to bake in the oven. Make sure you have some oven mittens close by, the handle gets HOT.

Healthy Eating

Cast Iron Cookware is an old-fashioned way to cook fat free. Because of its seasoning qualities, cast iron is non-stick. If you follow seasoning procedures, you’ll keep it that way for longer than a Teflon pan (and you can use your tableware to scramble eggs on it without damaging the surface!)

Iron Properties

When you cook liquids like spaghetti sauces, apple sauces, etc in cast iron, the iron quantities actually dissipate into those liquids. This is good for women especially, to get more iron in their diets.

Cast Iron Maintenance

Here are a few guidelines to keep your cast iron in top order:

1. Let the pan cool. Wash it with dishwashing soap and water. Never soak or let soapy water sit in the pan for any length of time. Rinse thoroughly, then dry with paper towels.

2. Place the cleaned cast iron pan on the heated burner of your stove for a minute or two to make sure that it is bone dry. While the pan is still hot and on the stove burner, lightly oil inside of pan (I mean a light coat) with a neutral cooking oil.

3. Store your cast iron cookware with the lids off, especially in humid weather, because if covered, moisture can build up and cause rust.

4. Leave pan on the hot burner of stove for a few minutes. Remove from hot burner and wipe excess oil off the pan with a paper towel.

You can cook almost any food in cast iron.

• Acidic items like tomato sauces will be darker from iron leaching out, but many people with iron deficiencies do this for extra iron in their diet.
• Never store acidic products in cast iron. In fact, never ever use your cast iron pots for storing any foods.

What makes Wes Anderson’s films so engaging are his portrayals of his character’s interactions. Often times his characters speak formally with calm voices even as traumatic events are occurring all around. Martin Scorsese has been quoted as saying that Wes Anderson is one of his favorite directors.

Here are three films that give Wes Anderson his props.

Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou

Life Aquatic is Wes Anderson’s fourth film which didn’t receive its due by most critics. The offbeat comedy stars Bill Murray as Steve Zissou, an eccentric oceanographer/documentarian, who sets out for revenge on the “jaguar shark” that ate his partner Esteban. Along the way, Steve meets his son Ned (Owen Wilson), encounters pirates, steals scientific equipment from his rival (Jeff Goldblum), and travels deep sea and meets his sea-dwelling enemy.

The highlight of the film is the collection of David Bowie songs performed unplugged in Portuguese. You can get these songs and the rest on The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions featuring Seu Jorge, and it contains a number of Jorge’s performances that were cut from the film.

The Royal Tenenabaums

The Royal Tenenbaums is 2001 dramatic comedy about genius siblings (Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller) who experience wild achievements in youth, and greater disappointment and failure after their eccentric father (Gene Hackman) leaves them in their adolescent years. An off-beat, ironic, absurdist sense of humor pervades the entire film. With all of director Wes Anderson’s work, the tone of the film is one of hilarious tragedy and revels in the small joys of conversation and camaraderie.

Bottle Rocket

Bottle Rocket was Wes Anderson’s first film. The movie was a commercial failure but launched Anderson’s career by drawing attention from critics. Director Martin Scorsese later named Bottle Rocket in his top-ten movies of the 90s. The film follows a few unambitious friends (Luke & Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave) who try to become career criminals but are failing miserably. Watch Owen Wilson’s post-”game” breakdown of how they did in their first robbery - very funny stuff.

Check them out, and while your at it, Rushmore is great also.

A cool home or apartment are all important things to have in order when you bring women into your life.

Your apartment should be a place where a woman feels insanely comfortable, like she can just relax and forget about the rest of the world. I routinely get females – girlfriends and friends alike – calling and asking me if they can come over to nap or sleep at my place. What goes into making an environment like this?

Be Clean

First and foremost, your place should be clean. No trash laying out, no dirty clothes on your floor, no hairs or toothpaste stains in your sink.

Make sure it smells nice. This means Febreezing your sheets and your upholstery regularly, and burning candles or, my personal favorite, sandalwood incense. Throw a few fabric softener sheets in your drawers, your pillowcases, and your bedding to keep things fresh and snuggly.

Lighting

Lighting is crucial. Invest $40 into a dimmer that let you pull the lights up or down, based on time of day and mood. If you own your place, consider installing some recessed ceiling cans on dimmers to create great ambiance.

Decor

Nice artwork and posters are always helpful. If you still have posters of Gladiator and Scarface, get rid of them. The Spaniard and Tony Montana may be role models to men, but women don’t want to be surrounded by them when they’re in your presence. A few framed posters of contemporary art will greatly enhance the aesthetics of any room.

Beverages

Keep a water filter and two bottles of white wine in the fridge, as well as two bottles of red wine stored at room temperature. One of the first things you want to do when a girl comes over is to say “I’m thinking about opening a bottle of red, would you care to join me with a glass?”

Bedding

Invest in good bedding and pillows. A down mattress pad will make your bed as soft as a cloud; the only downside is that you’re not going to want to get out of it and off to work in the morning. Consider getting four pillows as well – two big fluffy pillows and two thinner, firmer pillows should do the trick. High threadcount sheets will keep your bed cozy and inviting.

Entertainment

Get some good media and entertainment to keep things engaging. Find a photography book for your coffee table. Pick up the BBC’s Planet Earth DVDs and a good date movie or two (I highly recommend Disney’s The Tigger Movie. Really. And check out a French film called La Piscine.).

If you have the space, nothing creates more opportunities for physical fun with a girl than a Nintendo Wii. The mere hint of Wii and white wine will be enough to get most girls very excited about making their first trip over to your place. And finally, make sure you’ve got the music right. Mixes such as Buddha Bar, Café del Mar, and Hotel Costes are all suitable background music for chatting and other fun things between you and her.

Add party music to your collection – some hip hop, some house, and some rock. Make it easy for people to access and change the music via iTunes or whatever interface you use, and you’ll keep the aspiring DJs happy.

The Social Hub

Taking the next steps and making your place a hub for social activity isn’t too hard. Whether you’re throwing dinner parties or pre-parties, meeting women becomes a breeze when friends start bringing their friends over. Here are some tips. Keep your kitchen fairly well-stocked. This means having munchies around, as well as a few food articles that can be whipped up into quick meals when there’s a budding chef visiting. Also, make sure you have a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum for when people want to take shots. A bottle of scotch isn’t bad either, for keeping the men happy.

Keep extra pillows and blankets around for slumber parties and movie nights. And speaking of movie nights, microwave popcorn and s’mores supplies are necessities.

Finally: women love champagne. Keep a few bottles of Sofia or Cristalino in your fridge and make sure to have fun when you pop them!

Now I am almost positive that most of you have heard some sort of advertisement for these kick-ass Cd’s. They usually come on TV in infomercial form and they are awesome. So after rocking out to a few of them last night, I decided to make an official list of my top 5 Monster Ballads of all time. Now I understand that I am not old enough to have been in my adolescent years when these classic songs came out, but for some reason I still listened to them while I was in my youth. So just cut me some slack, alright?

5. Can’t Fight This Feeling — REO Speedwagon

Here is the ultimate tribute song to the dreaded “friend zone.” Guys you know what I’m talkin about. However, this song is actually somewhat incomplete because we never find out what happens to the dude who is professing his love to his so called long time “friend.” We don’t know if he gets the girl and they live happily ever after with lots and lots of babies, or if the friendship is ruined forever. Uhhhhhhhh for the record, the friendship usually gets ruined forever. But this song at least gives hope to all of those guys who dream about one day not being “just a good friend” or “one of my best friends.” I think we’ve heard all the lines, right guys?

4. When I’m With You — Sheriff

There isn’t too much to say about this song. All of these ballads seem to have the same elements to them. They also have pretty much the same type of lyrics too. But this song is above the rest and resting at #4 because it was featured in the movie Joe Dirt. It kicks into high gear in the movie at the part where Brandy is riding up to the boys on her horse. It’s simply the greatest part of the movie. So that is why the Sheriff classic sits at #4 on my list. Good memories.

3. When I See You Smile — Bad English

This song has special meaning to me. If you kept track of the number of times I have listened to each of these ballads over the years, this song would be at the top of the list. Everything else would be a distant second. This song was actually “the song” for a buddy of mine and his girl back in the day, so needless to say I heard it a lot that summer. Come to think of it, I lived with him that entire summer. That should give you a better idea of how much I heard it. Part of the classic-ness of this song, is how simple the message is. There is no tricky poetic lines to sort through. There are no ulterior motives with this songs. It’s just perfect. It’s surely going to make a girl smile when she hears this song.

2. More Than Words — Extreme

Oddly enough, this is probably the least “extreme” song of the Top 5. This is the song that every dude has tried to learn to play on the guitar ever since the song came out. Every man wants to be able to sit down and bust this out with little effort. It’s like the first song we’ll try to learn when we pick up a guitar. I know, cuz that was what I did. I am still working it out actually, and may never quite learn it. But still, I imagine guys will be trying to play this one for their special girl for a long long time to come. As opposed to some of the other songs on this list, this one is very soft and mellow, so it’s got that going for it. If your lady isn’t in the mood for rockin drum solos and blaring guitar riffs, this is the song for you. This song is also most likely the first song people think of when you mention rock ballads.

1. More Than Words Can Say — Alias

For some strange reason, I cant find this song to buy on CD or I-Tunes anymore. Weird. You would think since it is the number one rock ballad in all the land, that it would be widely available. But to the contrary, the rarity of it adds to it’s position of being number one. Every girl loves to hear that she is needed by her man. This tune puts those words in song form so that guys don’t always have to say it. You cannot beat convenience like that.

So there you have them. The top five monster ballads in all the land. Feel free to comment on any songs you would like to add to the list. See you all next time, I am going to bed.

The more I get to live life, the coined saying, “It’s not WHAT you know… but WHO you know” rings truer every time I hear it.

How To Win Friends and Influence People

Never Eat Alone

Notice the realization of the crowd when the ball is in the air, and then the tsunami of camera shots!

These people were sitting in the section where Barry’s record-breaking homer landed. It was one of the greatest moments in sports history. Well, except for the whole “the- record- is- meaningless- because- Barry- Bonds- took- cattle- steroids- to- help- him- break- the- record” thing. Oh well, only people in San Francisco like him anyway, and that’s kind of funny.

Oh, congratulations on getting the ball Matt Murphy, now you’ll have to pay the tax man. Some of the comments I’ve read on the ball tax page: (ha ha)

Would it be wrong for him to heave the thing through an IRS window somewhere?
-Vanmind

Here’s my argument: when he caught the ball, it did not have value, because Bonds had not yet achieved his home run. After he owned it for a few seconds, Bonds hit home plate, so the value of the ball rose from a few dollars to $600K. Hence he should pay income tax only on the value it had when he caught it, and capital gains on the subsequent appreciation only when he sells it.
-Ignatius Gorgonzola

Yancey, perfect suggestion. Let the world quake with dismay at the destruction of this hallowed artifact… That would make a story of unparalleled awesomeness… Some people might even direct their rage at the IRS instead of the dude… Then of course a couple years later he can just sell the authentic, undamaged ball on the black market tax free. (we didn’t honestly think he’d wreck the real one, did we?)
-Jean Paul

He should give the ball away to someone who then gives the ball away, and so on. Since each gift is taxable, the IRS could eventually collect the national debt off this one ball.
-Steve

The trick is: PayPal.

Follow these instructions:

1. Sign up for a PayPal account

Most people already have a PayPal account, if you do, skip to the next step. If you’re living in the dark ages, visit PayPal’s and click the “sign up” text link at the top of the page to join.

2. Connect Your PayPal account to your Bank Account

To be eligible to receive 1% cash back, you need to have money in your PayPal account. PayPal acts like a checking account, not a credit card, so you need to have money in the account for the purchases you make. Adding you bank account is very simple - follow the instructions - and deposit money.

3. Apply For A PayPal Debit Card

This is where the magic happens. All purchases made on the PayPal Debit Card is eligible for an instant 1% cash back. The beauty about the PayPal Debit Card is that, unlike a bank account, it runs on the Mastercard network and thus you can use it at 99% of all point of sales.

Start Getting 1% Cash Back

Starting using the system instead of it using you!

UPDATE 1:

It was awhile since I got PayPal debit card so you *might* have to sign up or apply for a business account. No worries, any one can join! I belong as a Premier BusinessCard Holder. It’s Free! ;)

Tim Ferriss details the specific how-to’s among other useful strategies like: working remotely from your current office job, using the Google Adwords as an marketing research tool, finding and contacting a mentor, outsourcing your mundane tasks (and your online dating), and living in other countries for dimes on the dollar.

I enjoyed this book because I’m an entrepreneur and love traveling. The idea of having more freedom with less work, defintely appealed to me. “The 4-Hour Workweek” is not applicable to all people however. Some people don’t have the motivation, or the inclination to do everything Timothy expects to get the results you need to be able to live his life. BUT… there are many principles like selective personal information intake that could be well suited for MOST people. Timothy himself makes known in his many interviews that, although some principles are for a particular type of person seeking a particular type of lifestyle, not all people may want it or be willing to achieve it through his methods.

This is how Tim breaks down his book….

The Deal

Tim Ferriss breaks down his approach to living this 4-Hour Workweek with DEAL.

D - D is for Definition

Definition, as Tim describes, helps you get over your fears, limiting beliefs, society’s expectations, and really get down to the bottom of what you want out of life. Some might call this the self-help part of the book. Tim breaks down even the most extravagant example of one man’s quest for owning an Ashton Martin, possible with a $1400 a month lease. Definition is about goal setting, and Ferriss gives various examples to back up his claims that living a life of luxury is only limited by your expectations.

E - E is for Elimination

Elimination, is Tim’s approach to time management and selective ignorance. Tim outlines his email and phone rules which save him countless hours. Tim also explains the 80/20 rule in which everything that causes 80% of the solutions/problems come from 20% of your habits/customers/influences. The guideline here is to taken in less, and focus on what really matters: your goals.

A - A is for Automation

Automation is to create a scalable income. Tim discovered with BrainQuicken, the online sport nutritional company, that his time was getting sucked up into it. Instead of spending less time, post-Fortune 500, he was spending even more. He implemented rules and strategies to scale his company efficiently going forward. A scalable company is one that operationally remains the same if 1 order came in, as 1000. Think online, think outsourcing.

L - L is for Liberation

My favorite part of this book was liberation. When you’ve made extra time, you need something to fill it. Your life is now free to do the things you want to do - but what are they? Tim outlines options, and unloads a mass amount of techniques for world travel, eating, and adventure.

Rating: 5-star

The 4-Hour Workweek Summary

The “The 4-Hour Workweek” is a must-read, even if you don’t follow all the methods and techniques Tim talks about, you can still use it to open your eyes to your potential personally and professionally, by cutting down on useless activity and prioritizing your goals.

Everyone has seen this person, and we all love getting to see a glimpse into their world. We all wonder… what does this person have that draws me like an magnet towards them?

Discover how someone with charisma does it…

What Is A Social Magnet’s Character?

They project an aura most of the time. They have a particular charisma which reverberates the phrase “I need to know this person” in your mind.

They don’t have to be wealthy, although some are.

They don’t have to be overly good looking, although some are.

They don’t have to be well-travelled, well-read, or well-endowed, although some are.

They don’t have to be humorous, but some are.

What Draws You To A Social Magnet

What is it that draws us to them? It’s the same feeling you get when you meet that beautiful woman that spikes a gut level interest in you. You really want to know them - and you don’t know why.

I think it can be nailed in one word: value.

These people, no matter their background, have value to you personally.

This value is a broad concept, so let me break it down.

Value can be any number of things that you personally need.

Here are a few “values” that people can seek in others:

• Fun

• Wealth
• Security
• Social status
• Wisdom
• Maturity (Decision-Making)
• Discipline
• Beauty
• Friendship

Normally, someone that can be labeled a social magnet has three or four of these qualities.

The reason these people are drawing people into their world, is because they have a strong handle on some of these qualities. Those who are seeking these values, often subconsciously, feel a void being filled by being around these people.

Let’s break the principle down in a real life situation:

I was talking to a 32-year-old businessman, the conversation was running at a normal pace, and I was having wandering thoughts. Then the businessman said, “I just arrived back from the south of Brazil where I’ve been surfing for the last 3 months.” Now, all of a sudden I had a spike in interest. Who I thought was a boring businessman, quickly became a hub of wisdom and mentor of fun, which in turn made me respect him. He now had value for me, and I found him a much more interesting person. This happened near instantly, and when it happens you can see the social value shifting right before you’re eyes… which is exciting.

Why do people that are positive seem to be repelled by people of negativity and depression?

They have NO value for them.

Like I mentioned earlier, these social magnets exude that they can offer you something, and you respond instantly.

It’s more than wealth, and beauty that social magnet’s can offer. They can offer a release of stress through their fun loving attitude, or a life-saving breath of genuineness from the tsunami of societal superficialness. These people most often have a higher social status than yourself, they know more people, in larger social circles and you wouldn’t mind a little social boost yourself.

How You Can Become Social Magnet

The key to becoming a social magnet and connecting with others is to provide something of value. Whether it be wealth, a sense of fun, wisdom or maturity, as you combine values and as you work on your own qualities, you’ll start to notice - coupled with your positive attitude - that people will be calling you to find out what the Friday night event will be, or asking you business advice. Don’t let them down. Your value is a virus… and you’ll spread around.

Here is my basic, three-step plan that I’ve used to boost my metabolism:

Hitting Up The Gym

A combined weight training with cardio workout is the main factor for boosting your metabolism and inducing weight loss. No surprises here. What might be surprising, however, is that longer with less is better than shorter with more. By increasing your cardio workout time with less intensity, the more fat you’ll burn and the faster your metabolism will be. Combine a steady 40 minute cardio workout with 20 minutes of weight training, and you’ve got yourself a excellent metabolism boosting workout. You can always switch the times up, but the golden rule of any workout is to keep it around 60 minutes, unless your training for an action role.

Early To Bed, Earlier To Rise

Natasha Turner, ND wrote the following:

Most adults require seven to nine hours of sleep for optimal rest. Some texts say nine hours is the perfect amount for slowing the aging process, for recuperation from stress and for complete rejuvenation. Adequate and effective sleep is crucial to health. This is because hormones, like melatonin and growth hormone, which have beneficial effects on our body tissues, healing mechanisms and metabolism are released during sleep.

Not sleeping enough or not sleeping in complete darkness will decrease our production of melatonin, while insomnia, sleep apnea or just not making sleep a priority will result in decreased levels of growth hormone. Decreased amounts of growth hormone have also been found in individuals with poor quality sleep or insufficient amounts of deep sleep.

Along with low levels of melatonin and growth hormone, stress hormone levels—particularly cortisol—increase. Cortisol results in increased appetite despite ample food intake, typical of people with sleep deprivation.

The increased fat storage also found with sleep deprivation seems to be a result of an impaired ability to properly metabolize carbohydrates which leads to high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels then lead to increased levels of insulin, our body’s signal to store unused energy as fat. The end result is weight gain or an inability to lose weight easily.

I have a hard time getting to bed at a decent hour. I think around 10-11pm is a decent hour to be getting to bed. I usually go to bed around 1-2am, however, I notice a huge difference in my energy levels when I go to bed early then get up earlier, around 7am-8am, or even earlier if I can muster it. The trick here is to get a good amount of sleep before 12 midnight than after it.

Controlling Your Meals

It’s been proven that eating less more often is a sure way to boost your metabolic rate. Try breaking a typical meal down in half, and eating half now, and the remaining half 2 hours later. Try changing what you eat also. If you know you’ve got a no-so healthy diet, try eating better foods for a few meals and letting your body adjust to the new eating habits before you give it up. I’ve noticed that as I’ve changed my meals around, I’ve had massive food cravings that pass in a few days. There’s a golden rule to remember, when you crave carbs you’re either eating TOO MANY, or TOO FEW. Try to balance out your carbohydrate intake to vegetables, and eat less high density potatoes (french fries, mashed potatoes) If you can’t kick the habit, just regulate yourself to eat LESS of them.

By following these three important metabolic boosting practices, you’ll be burning excess weight and feeling phenomenal in no time.

I had an interesting thought while up here in Portland. Do I need to pay for car insurance?

At the Avis counter at the Portland Airport, the rental agent was upselling me on CDW. It got me thinking, “Do I really need rental insurance?” I had to research this further…

This may not be known to many people who travel frequently, that they have a few other options.

Buying CDW may make sense for you, or it may not. But the time to shop for it is long before you arrive at the counter.

Most drivers are adequately covered for the average rental (assuming it’s for leisure and not a business trip). To assess your own status, here’s a rundown of the steps you should take:

Check your personal auto policy.

If you own a car, look at your automobile insurance policy. The same coverage and deductibles you carry on your car will apply — in many cases — to a vehicle you rent. But be careful: If your policy provides less coverage than the value of the rental (your ‘88 Pontiac), you may need to calculate the value of the loss of a brand-new vehicle and decide if you need to supplement it. For example, many owners of older cars don’t always carry comprehensive coverage for accidents, fire and theft.

Check your coverage by your charge card company.

This can be tricky because not only does coverage vary from card to card, but it can widely vary based on the bank or credit company that issued the card as well. And it’s very important that you inquire about exclusions because some exotic or expensive vehicles — such as sports cars, SUVs, motor homes and motorcycles — may not be covered. Vehicles rented outside the U.S. may not be covered.

I book all my flights, rentals and accommodations on my American Express card (non-business account), which if I read the conditions correctly, covers me with certain automobile insurance benefits, and other travel coverages.

Do you want to chance it?

I’ve been renting cars since I was 21, and I’ve never been in an accident. I’m really confident in my driving abilities, because I anticipate and response accordingly to drivers on the roads. I usually chance it without car rental insurance. Having said that, I do attribute some degree of bad luck when getting in an accident, and if that happens, I should be covered by my auto policy and American Express card.

“Like” is my word.

I say “Like” far too much - not in a girlie way as seen in the teen movie Clueless, but I’ve noticed that I’m always referencing when I have nothing else to say. I got rid of “Ummm” a few years ago and I’ve replaced it with “Like”. I’d suggest silence over this and other fluff words.

Other words might include:

dude (Big Lebowski exceptions)
man
ummm
yeah
cool

What is a fluff word you could eliminate that would force your brain to think?