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A New Year of Dating in 2013: Dress The Part

January 30, 2013 /

There was a time when first dates often meant sweaty palms and plenty of nervousness. Not only did people agonize about where to go and how much to cram into a date, they also wondered about making a first impression with what to wear.

Over time, the concept of dating has changed. Where face-to-face interaction when meeting was the way to plan a first date, a lot of times first dates are planned in front of a computer. There is a chance you have exchanged pictures, but a lot of the planning is done with messages back and forth.

Most dating websites have downplayed the art of dressing up. Instead, dressing down, or casual, has become normal. If your first date happens to be a sporting event, then you won’t want to wear a suit or a dress to the occasion. Meeting for a drink or a meal? Now there is where you want to make the impression.

Here are some ways for both men and women to impress the opposite sex and increase the chances of a love connection:

1. Dress the part

Men, if you are taking a date to a restaurant that isn’t swanky yet is impressive, then you won’t likely need the suit-and-tie route. A nice shirt and a pair of dress pants or khakis will do the trick. More formal first dates for men are when you bring out the Brooks Brothers men’s suits so you can look your best and show your sharp dressing style. For women, a nice blouse and pants will work out for less-formal occasions. Dinner at a very nice restaurant involves breaking out the evening dress, or maybe you go the three-piece suit route if you are in a corporate job. With a little transformation, a daytime suit can easily become a nighttime outfit.

2. Accessorize

For the men, a nice watch or a small necklace looks good on an outfit. Make sure it goes well with what you are wearing at dinner. An extravagant watch may look out of place on a mid-priced outfit and may draw attention away from you. For women the rules are the same. Don’t overdress with plenty of jewelry. Wear something simple around the neck and ears and maybe one or two rings on your hand.

3. Finish the Look

Not only does this involve proper hygiene, with fingers and exposed skin washed and cleaned thoroughly, it involves what you wear to complete the outfit. Men should wear comfortable socks with shoes. Make sure the socks and shoes aren’t too tight. There’s no use gazing at your first date while you wonder about blisters at the end of the night. Women should wear appropriate heels with their outfit. Don’t wear spike heels with a conservative dress, for example. Make sure the look completes itself. And yes, ladies, it is acceptable again to wear hosiery with an outfit. If you do, match the look of the hose to the outfit and its accessories (purse, etc.). They always say one color makes you look better, if not slimmer.

4. A Little Too Much Fragrance?

Be sensitive to your date’s needs. This means don’t splash on too much cologne or perfume. A little fragrance dabbed on certain areas of the body goes a long way toward impressing the opposite sex. A lot of fragrance can trigger sensitive noses at a table, not to mention other tables might notice.

5. A Fresh Ending

This is not so much a dressing tip but a tip about how to end the night. This falls under accessories. Have a mint or something fresh ready that you can sneak into a purse or pocket. Breath spray works just as well. This will help you in the event the first date ends in a kiss or you feel the need to share a smooch during the night’s activity.

Dating

Justified 4.04: The Bird Has Flown

January 30, 2013 /

SPOILER WARNING: This post will appear following a new episode of Justified. It is intended to be read after seeing the show’s latest installment as a source of recap and analysis. As such, all aspects of the series up to and including the episode discussed are fair game.

Justified has always walked the fine line between serial and episodic storytelling. There are times when a full episode that doesn’t add to the season’s overarching plot can seem like filler, no matter how much awesome dialogue there is. But some of the show’s best episodes have come in a “crime of the week” package. How could you forget season one’s “Long in the Tooth,” in which guest star Alan Ruck played a cartel accountant turned dentist for the downtrodden? Justified’s fourth season has continued to walk the tightrope between those two formats.

In the two episodes prior to this week’s installment, the more serialized Waldo Truth mystery featured prominently while Raylan’s various episodic(ish) comings and goings made their presence known but, for the most part, blended into the background. The reverse was true in the premiere as well as “The Bird Has Flown,” in which a situation that’s been developing in bits and pieces over the last three weeks—the Raylan-Lindsey-Randall love triangle—was finally given center stage.

“The Bird Has Flown” is thematically linked by the ideas of choices and consequences, cause and effect. First of all, there’s the question at the center of every love triangle: which one will she choose? Until last week’s closing scene, it seemed pretty clear Lindsey wanted nothing to do with her ex-con ex-husband. Or it did up until Raylan returned home to find his place ransacked, anyway. After that things seemed just as clear: we (and Raylan) had only been led to believe Lindsey was interested in Raylan because it was part of her and Randall’s scam. But when we returned this week, all clarity had gone from the situation. You could say Lindsey made a series of choices throughout the episode as her loyalties wavered back and forth between Raylan and Randall. You could also say that all that wavering wasn’t a series of choices but her failure to make just one. Either way, you’d be right.

As it turned out, nobody—including Lindsey—knew who she would choose until Rachel’s beanbag shotgun entered the equation. She shoots Raylan once, to Randall’s delight, only to turn to her ex and unload once, twice, and after being greeted by an empty click on the third pull, she decides to turn the gun into a melee weapon. The answer was just as murky as the question. Lindsey didn’t pick A) Raylan or B) Randall, but C) none of the above (or perhaps D) me, myself, and I). Nonetheless, when she tells Raylan where the money is—although she’s actually referring to what they bought with the money—he smiles and says “I knew you liked me.” And when Randall asks how many times Lindsey shot him, Raylan replies, “a couple more times than she shot me.” That’s Raylan for you, no woman could ever dislike him, Lindsey was just too smart to risk the legal consequences of being around when he came to.

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Television

Removing clutter from your life

January 28, 2013 /


Free Image Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With January winding town, it might be a good time to evaluate any resolutions you made at the beginning of the new year. Frankly it’s a pretty good tradition, as for many people it offers a chance for self-reflection and dealing with things that can improve their lives. Workout and diet resolutions are probably the most popular.

So, are you on track for your resolutions? Most people don’t stick with them, so the end of January is a great time to give yourself a grade. But it can also be a time to think of other goals. One idea that many of us should consider is all the stuff, aka junk, that we’ve been accumulating through the years. We live in a consumer driven society and there are so many pressures to buy more stuff. And over time it leads to clutter, which for some people can really get out of control.

Whittling down your pile of stuff has always been a fun past time with our tradition of garage sales. Then with sites like Craigslist, it became even easier to peddle your things, and new sites like HoodBiz are springing up all the time. It’s now so easy to remove all that clutter, and frankly you’ll be amazed how much this can improve your mood and productivity. It’s hard to have an organized life if you don’t have an organized home or office.

Now, be careful with these sites we mentioned. You’re also going to find cool stuff you want to buy as well. Resist the urge if you can, or at least pledge to sell four things for every one thing you buy.

Lastly, consider giving away your things as well. There are tons of great charities that distribute clothes and other useful items to the less fortunate.

Lifestyle

Coming Soon: A Moviegoer’s Guide to February

January 28, 2013 /

If this past January proved anything, it’s that the movies weren’t nearly as bad as those from previous years. Unfortunately, I highly doubt the same will be true of February’s line-up when all is said and done. Though there are certainly a couple movies to look forward to (including the latest John McClane adventure and only the second rom-zom-com in existence), the pickings are even slimmer and less promising than last month.

“WARM BODIES”

Who: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich and Rob Corddry
What: After a zombie named R saves Julie from an attack, they form a relationship that sets in motion a series of events that might transform the entire lifeless world.
When: February 1st
Why: If there’s one movie that I’m actually looking forward to this February, it’s the big screen adaptation of Isaac Marion’s clever YA novel. Director Jonathan Levine has already tackled some pretty ballsy material between “The Wackness” and “50/50,” but this is probably his most adventurous and challenging project yet, if only because the subject matter is about as outside-the-box as you can get. Vampires are one thing (and though the “Twilight” comparisons are inevitable, they’re completely unwarranted), but the idea of doing a romantic comedy where a zombie falls in love with a human is ripe for exactly the kind of dark humor that “Warm Bodies” will hopefully deliver in spades.

“BULLET TO THE HEAD”

Who: Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Jason Momoa and Christian Slater
What: After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington D.C. detective team up to bring down their common enemy.
When: February 1st
Why: Arnold Schwarzenegger may be back to reclaim his action hero title, but Sylvester Stallone never gave it up, and though his latest movie doesn’t look very good, you have to respect the guy for grinding away all these years. Though director Walter Hill has made his share of fun buddy action films (including “48 Hours” and its sequel), that formula has been run so far into the ground that only a dinosaur like him would think it’s still relevant. It’s always nice to see Sung Kang getting work, because he’s probably one of the best Asian-American actors in the business, but if the cheesy dialogue from the trailer is any indication, “Bullet to the Head” is destined for the Wal-Mart bargain bin.

“IDENTITY THIEF”

Who: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Amanda Peet and Morris Chestnut
What: When a mild-mannered businessman learns his identity has been stolen, he hits the road in an attempt to foil the deceptively harmless-looking thief.
When: February 8th
Why: Jason Bateman reteams with “Horrible Bosses” director Seth Gordon for a new film co-starring Hollywood It Girl Melissa McCarthy. On paper, “Identity Thief” sounds like it should be comedy gold, but go watch the trailer again and count how many times you laughed. Did you get zero too? It’s not entirely surprising considering the film was written by the same guy behind a trio of spoof movies and “RocketMan,” but I’ve come to expect better from Bateman. McCarthy, on the other hand, continues to overact the only way she knows how, and though some people seem to find her funny, I’m not one of them. In other words, unless you’re a fan, you can probably wait for it to hit home video.

“SIDE EFFECTS”

Who: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones
What: A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband’s upcoming release from prison
When: February 8th
Why: If you believe Steven Soderbergh’s recent remarks about retiring from filmmaking, then “Side Effects” could very possibly be the director’s last full-length feature. Of course, for as prolific as Soderbergh has been over the last few years, it doesn’t really make sense that he would suddenly want to call it quits, especially with this potentially hackneyed thriller as his swan song. Written by frequent collaborator Scott Z. Burns (“Contagion,” “The Informant!”) and once again starring Channing Tatum, the cast is packed with enough talent that it might not be as bad as its release date suggests, but I’m already looking to “Behind the Candelbra” as the next must-see Soderbergh project.

“A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD”

Who: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney and Mary Elizabeth Winstead
What: John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son Jack, only to discover that he’s a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist.
When: February 14th
Why: Most action franchises don’t make it beyond three films, and many that do only get worse with each installment. But that’s not the case with the “Die Hard” series, which proved that it still had some life in it with 2007’s “Live Free and Die Hard,” and hopes to do the same with the fifth chapter in John McClane’s ongoing adventures. After bringing back Lucy in the last film, it makes sense to incorporate his son into the story this time around, and it’ll be interesting to see how Jai Courtney fares alongside Bruce Willis. The actor was great on “Spartacus,” and recently went toe-to-toe with Tom Cruise in “Jack Reacher,” but “A Good Day to Die Hard” could be the break he’s been waiting for.

“BEAUTIFUL CREATURES”

Who: Alice Englert, Alden Ehrenreich, Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons and Emmy Rossum
What: Ethan longs to escape his small Southern town, but after meeting a mysterious new girl, the pair uncovers dark secrets about their respective families.
When: February 14th
Why: Yet another movie franchise in the making that’s based on a popular series of young adult novels, “Beautiful Creatures” trades vampires and werewolves for witches in what Warner Bros. is undoubtedly hoping can become their answer to “The Twilight Saga” without losing the “Harry Potter” crowd. As annoyingly common as these movies are becoming, however, you can’t deny the level of talent that writer/director Richard LaGravenese has attracted, including Oscar winners like Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson and two-time nominee Viola Davis. It’s not the type of movie I’m normally interested in, but it’s hard not to be at least a little intrigued with actors like that involved.

“SNITCH”

Who: Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal and Benjamin Bratt
What: A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal.
When: February 22nd
Why: Reportedly inspired by a true story that was documented in a 1999 episode of PBS’ “Frontline,” “Snitch” is the kind of movie that we’ve all seen several times before, and this one doesn’t appear to improve on the formula despite its real-life ties. Though it’s nice to see Dwayne Johnson challenge himself with a role that doesn’t completely rely on his physicality, and Jon Bernthal is a welcome addition after his excellent work on “The Walking Dead,” not even the cast is enough to get me mildly excited about this film. I’ve been proven wrong before, but “Snitch” doesn’t look like anything other than a generic action thriller that would’ve been better suited for the Johnson of five years ago.

“DARK SKIES”

Who: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo and J.K. Simmons
What: As the Barret family’s peaceful suburban life is rocked by an escalating series of disturbing events, they come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them.
When: February 22nd
Why: There’s nothing particularly scary or thrilling about the trailer for Scott Charles Stewart’s new alien invasion horror flick “Dark Skies,” but there are a few unintentional laughs, and that tells you pretty much all you need to know about why the movie is being released in February. It’s hard to believe that any studio would still be willing to give Stewart money after directing crappy genre films like “Legion” and “Priest,” and “Dark Skies” is shaping up to be his worst one yet. I feel a little bad for Keri Russell, because the actress deserves a lot better than B-movie schlock like this, but she’s ultimately the only one to blame for signing onto a film that was probably a giant mess from the start.

Entertainment, Movies

Ullr Fest 2013: Get Your Snow On

January 27, 2013 /

Ullr Fest 2013 parade

By any standards, the United States boasts some truly worthwhile winter getaways, from the blue shores of Lake Tahoe, to all those East Coast resorts that try to compete with their Western counterparts yet never do. Out in Colorado, a state known for its generous mountain profile and equally epic outdoors scene, a major holding of winter locales are routinely bustling with activity and serving up satisfied customers. Bullz-Eye was given the chance to experience a few days at Breckenridge, one of the premier resorts Colorado has to offer, during one of its most enjoyable times of the year: Ullr Fest.

When I first got the email regarding Ullr (pronounced Ooler) Fest, I was in a state of complete darkness as to the meaning. In the back of my head, crude images of massive stone hammers and snowy, bearded warriors filled the void, vainly trying to conjure up any sort of applicable knowledge. It turned out my premonitions weren’t completely off, and the whole celebration was in fact Breckenridge’s way of honoring the Norse god of snow, Ullr.

All people who share a love for the outdoors have some sort of relationship with the weather. Cyclists pray for absence of rain, surfers yearn for hearty swells and so on. Snowboarders and skiers have that similar connection, yet take it to a whole other Bobby and Whitney sort of magnitude. The degree of snowfall can literally make or break half of the year for those who passionately delegate an entire season to winter sports. On a grander scale, resorts can lose significant amounts of revenue due to lackluster precipitation and the disinterested wake that follows.

So what actually happens at Ullr Fest? Are there droves of cute females walking the streets, clad only in fur bikinis and Viking helmets? Is the whole town mobilized into a party mode that rivals New Year’s Eve levels of intensity? And better yet, what does the whole experience say about Breckenridge and its ability to provide a worthwhile winter vacation? To make a long story short, the whole week was quite an epic adventure, but to adequately answer those questions, an introduction must be made about the team who participated, because seldom are the times when an individual alone is able to truly breathe in all the possibilities a new area has to offer:

Press:

Dane, Thrillist: More or less average build, with a clever and hilarious way of adding to every conversation and setting. Mannerisms similar to comedian Dane Cook.

Seth, Maxim: Nickname earned due to his uncanny facial similarity to Seth Rogen; if it weren’t for his towering height, he may actually be a full-fledged twin.

PR:

Drew: Pleasantly down-to-Earth, yet seriously extensive in her knowledge and passion for the area. Drew Barrymore doppelganger.

Daphne: Beautiful, interesting and once from Seattle. Being that Martin Crane’s physical therapist is just about the only female I know from the area, the nickname will have to stick, and yes, that was a “Frasier“ reference.
Kanye: The mastermind behind the entire organization and execution of the trip. A true professional, and much like the aforementioned rapper, Chicago raised.

Early frustrations

Do you ever have nightmares depicting missed flights or late/botched airport arrivals? Both seemed to rear their ugly heads last Tuesday when I stared in disbelief as my phone relayed a text from my “ride.”

“Shit came up, can’t give you a ride. Sorry man.”

Can’t give me a ride? Two hours ago would have been a perfect time to drop such a bomb, but not now. Oh well, I quickly thought, all is not lost – Go-Go Gadget Drive Myself. I flew down to the car and punched it aggressively for the next hour, cursing the heavily inundated 19th Avenue of San Francisco and looking at every red light as if I had never seen such an atrocity before.

As I neared the airport, the horrible realization was that I had zero time to drop my car in nearby Millbrae and instead was forced to throw up a Hail Mary. I drove straight into 2-hour parking, tossed my luggage outside, and then left forty dollars, the parking ticket, and my car keys in a tissue box deep inside the trunk. The final touch was the front door unlocked and a text message to my buddy who lived a short distance away, pleading with him to grant me this one favor.

Colorado, finally

After the day unexpectedly morphed into such a hectic beast, I was overjoyed when the plane touched down in Denver and I was soon aboard the hour and 40 minute shuttle towards Breckenridge. Something needs to be said about the drive up to Breckenridge. The road lazily tilts upward and soon you get the feeling that an ominous space mission is being made into the dark skies, ear-popping and all.

It was throughout the drive that I found myself laughing at our shuttle driver, Ted; not at him personally, but at the routine which followed whenever he chose to make but the slightest change in heater settings. He’d crank the dial ever so slightly and almost immediately, a reprieve would echo from the shadowy passengers in the rear.

“Umm, Ted, can you turn that down a hair?” or, “Ted, could you make it blow less? Like, the temperature is okay, but there is a lot of air coming out, right on my head,” and further, “Ted, the passenger in the back would like it to be a bit colder. Thanks.” This pattern repeated itself multiple times, to the point where the lady in the front seat reached over and patted his shoulder, saying, “You’re doing great, Ted.” This made me laugh.

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On Location, Travel

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