May 21, 2013

The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)

fae89c2f32d445bb06efa86d98eba30f The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)

There are precious few things in this world that genuinely bring from around the world together as well as . gives a shared bond with one another regardless of race, language or whether our is round or… whatever the hell shape an American is. Of course just as you choose your friends based on shared interested and a kindred spirit, so will you best identify with a certain type of drinker. Brand marketers and drunk people both agree you can ascertain a lot about a person just by their choice of , and just so you don’t need to draw your own conclusions we’ve compiled a handy list, because normally you’d need about five beers to get this judgmental.

9 Brews
The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)It’s not hard to spot a home brewer, their taste in beer is typically the most varied and eclectic (weird) of all drinkers; they’ll be the guys not so much talking about their beer as dissecting it. If you’ve ever overheard anyone in a bar wondering what type of hops or yeast are in a beer, you’ve seen a home brewer. For these people their unique brand of alcoholism isn’t just an accepted character quirk or even hobby, it’s a full-blown way-of-life. You can be guaranteed these drinkers spend more time thinking about beer in one week than even the most battle-hardened, career alcoholics do in a year.

8 Premium Imports (Ex: Orval, Gulden Draak, Hobgoblin)
The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)These guys are closely related to the previous type of drinkers. They care about the style, taste, -feel, history, and other aspects of beer that no one holding a Keystone has ever thought about. Of course one other thing they have to ponder that no other drinker does is whether they subconsciously hate because no other type of drinker is going to look at a $50 tab and think “Yep, that’s about right for four beers.”

7 Actual Microbrew/Craft Beer (Ex: Stone, Dogfish Head, Deschutes)
craft beer 135×95 The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)These drinkers are all about the burgeoning American craft beer scene; they care a lot about taste, brew-style and unique qualities. Which is great because hey, it’s important to be passionate about something and it might as well get you drunk. Granted they may spend a little too much time concerned with beer but it’s not like they have a problem. Seriously, they have it under control. Trust us.

6 Ubiquitous Imports (Ex: Stella Artois, Newcastle, Heineken)
The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)These drinkers tend to care more about beer than your average Bud/Miller/Coors person, but are perhaps more concerned with panache over actual taste. After all, those infamous green Heineken bottles must be exotic because they’re imported from… somewhere. The irony of course is that many of these top brands fall under the Diageo or InBev beverage empires, which means that they’re “imported” in the way that things made in are imported and exactly as exotic as top ramen.

5 Not-So-Microbrews (Ex: New Belgium, Sam Adams)
The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)These drinkers are riding the new wave of widely available craft beers that breweries are churning out after realizing that Americans can taste beer. These drinkers are likely formerly or also in the Big American Beers group but enjoy some variation in their beer. They likely moved to this type of brew because it’s easier to tell one beer from another and thus conversations about beer go beyond “I guess Miller is less filling”.

4 Big American Beers (Ex: Bud, Miller, Coors)
The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)There’s definitely something very friendly and agreeable about this group of good old-fashioned American beer drinkers, even if American companies own none of their favorite brews anymore. These guys are your typical sports-fan all-Americans that sweat, bleed and piss red, white and blue and they expect their favorite beer to taste like nothing less.

3 Cheapest Thing Ever (Ex: Natural Ice, Keystone)
The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)Typically you don’t encounter these people at bars because if the whole point is saving money, then you’re much better off back at the frat house. These drinkers are purely out to get the most bang for their buck, and by bang, we mean terrible, terrible beer. Granted, it is cheap and while it’s okay to stretch your drinking money, one really has to wonder how bad that extra few bucks is going to hurt in the long run, after all Evian costs a hell of a lot more than Mexican tap water but it’s kind of worth it.

2 Hipster Beers (Ex: PBR, Schlitz)
The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)Ah, what would our world be like without these noble drinkers? Likely a place where fixed gear bikes were for racing, big, thick-rimmed were a thing of the past, and irony was funny because it was actually ironic. More than any other type of beer, the labels are of greater importance to the drinker than their contents or effects, which should tell you everything you need to know about them.

1 Abominations (Ex: Budweiser Chelada)
The 9 types of beers (and what they tell you about their drinkers)What can you say about people who’s urge to put tomato juice in beer is so strong that they buy it pre-mixed from the gas station? We think it’s safe to say that they have no gag reflex and they accomplish everything they set out to do in a day at 10am when they buy their first “beer”.

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Quitting Drinking

4dfcc56ef6a4104a9f342ca30a34ae61 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Quitting Drinking

One year ago, I was hospitalized. I won’t bore you with the details, so let’s just say I was struck down with a case of having an enormous penis. Several vials of blood were taken for various tests, all of them coming back positive for a magnificent, awe-inspiring dong, which I was already fully aware of. What I didn’t expect, however, was the doctor’s first when explaining my results.

“So … how much do you drink per day?”

I started to answer, but he threw up a hand to stop me and continued, “If you don’t stop drinking right now, you’ll be dead before you’re 40. You’re 35, and your liver is already showing signs of shutting down. Then again, the faster all the drunks die off, the more space we free up in this hospital for people with actual medical problems that are beyond their own control.” Then he punched me in the face and hobbled out of the room on his cane.

So I quit, turkey, after 22 years of what could only be called the my penis of alcohol addictions. That was a little over a year ago, and during that time I’ve discovered some things about quitting booze that they manage to leave out of inspirational movie montages.

#5.
The Stench

For the first couple of days, stretching into the first couple of weeks, you sweat your ass off. Even on cold days, you can’t keep a shirt dry with all the king’s deodorant and all the king’s … putting that deodorant on for you. (I’m not good with metaphors.)

Did somebody order some stink? I brought extra sauce!

As your body works overtime to rid itself of toxins, leftover alcohol and its byproducts that are stored in your lymph nodes will begin to seep out through not only your urine, but also your breath and the pores of your skin.

This isn’t normal stink. If it was just persistent body odor, you could do something about it. No, this is stink on a demonic level. This is Stinkotronicus: Master of Stinkalarium, and it will make you do its bidding, lest it destroy you and all of those you hold dear. Showers do help, but their effect is very temporary and only seems to provoke it.

You’d be surprised how little this helps.

How bad is it? Another Cracked on the wagon (who posts as Yowhound) was actually kicked off of a public bus because of this … in Europe. They’ve tolerated the French for thousands of years, but they couldn’t handle one bus ride with a recovering alcoholic.

#4.
The Nightmares

The stench isn’t the end of the world (even if it smells exactly like how you imagine the apocalypse smelling). No, it’s the insomnia that’s the first major ass-kicker.

For many hardcore drinkers, “going to sleep” and “passing out” mean roughly the same thing. I personally never got black-out drunk, but I always went to with a good, deep buzz. I did it so often that my got used to the booze as a sleep aid. So much so that when I finally quit and the toxins began to disappear from my body, my became more active at bedtime and simply refused to shut down for the night (once more, this is common among detoxing alcoholics). But then, once you finally drift off, is when the fun starts.

The fun, and the mind-bending hallucinations.

That’s when you get some of the most frequent and realistic nightmares you’ve ever experienced. Intense feelings of dread and anxiety thump through your sleeping mind, as if the stench demon decided to drift into your cerebral cortex.

Remember that your brain is not only more active but also in panic mode. It has become so used to having alcohol that it started thinking it was one of your normal bodily fluids. Imagine if you suddenly gave up food, taking all of your nutrients via an IV instead. Even if you were getting everything you needed, for a while your empty stomach would still send out the pain alarm that says, “INSERT FOOD OR YOU WILL DIE, DUMBASS!” The inside of a detoxing alcoholic’s head is freaking out in the same manner.

One of the most common nightmares among alcoholics is the terrible recurring dream where you fall off the wagon. You fight all day to stay sober, then in your sleep you relapse. So in the dream you now have to explain to the people around you that you slipped. Not only do you feel all of the guilt and shame and frustration while you’re dreaming, the feelings stick with you long after you wake up.

Like all the symptoms, it passes. What does not pass so easily is …

#3.
The Poop

It’s like my grandma used to tell me: “John, when you really think about it, it all comes down to shitting. Now put in that VHS tape marked ’5 Hours of Me Shitting’ and I’ll show you what I mean.” Now, that video was a compilation of several different movements set to the “Moonlight Sonata,” but if I had tried to make my own such video the camera’s battery would have run out before I finished just one.

Alcohol has calories. Since a whole lot of an alcoholic’s caloric intake comes out of a bottle, most alcoholics have very poor diets overall. So for instance, I would eat lunch, but by early evening, food would be replaced with booze. Drinking keeps the stomach busy, and alcohol suppresses the appetite. Then, maybe you binge on tacos at 2 a.m. As millions of college kids can tell you, the following day’s result is known as “ shits.”

When you stop drinking, you subtract from the body all of those thousands of liquid calories, but now you’re hungrier, so you eat to replace them. But a system used to digesting gallons of beer suddenly has pounds of meat and cheese to work on. It’d be like if a normal person spontaneously decided to spend a week slowly eating an entire moose.

The point being, have you ever shit an antler?

You have to kind of twist on the seat.

Because that’s what it feels like. The intestines extract an insane amount of water from your feces, leaving you with a bowel full of granite. For me, this lasted for over a month before my body adjusted, and now I can pass a life-sized statue of the crucifixion through my colon. I’d write more about this, but I’m considering turning it into a book instead, as soon as I can find someone to illustrate it.

#2.
The Urge to Murder

The first thing to go during detoxification is the mind. It starts to wander. Short-term memory misfires. The simplest tasks will require as much focus as defusing a time bomb.

Shit, where do you put the mustard?

There was a day in the first week of my own detoxification when I walked into the room four times in a row to get my phone, but each time I forgot to pick it up. We’ve all done that before, right? The difference is that mine was ringing at the time.

Part of this lack of focus is because you’re constantly tired from the insomnia/nightmare combination, part of it is the nervous system not having the blanket of booze it’s used to. And with that, came changes in mood.

The smallest things would irritate me into a full-blown rage. Little annoyances, like the person who was sitting at the same picnic table as me who wouldn’t stop tapping his leg up and down, shaking the whole contraption. I wanted get a gun and murder him and all of the other people in the world who had failed to murder him up to that point.

If each of those guns held a billion bullets, it wouldn’t be enough.

Some people in that situation may have a few people close to them who sympathize with what they’re going through (assuming they connect the bad mood with the alcohol at all, and they may not if they’ve never tried to quit). But to everyone else, you’re just being an unmanageable twat. Fortunately, I still had my friends to make me feel better.

Well, I would have, if it hadn’t turned out that most of my friends were in fact just drinking partners. When I told them I was quitting, they’d sort of nervously laugh, waiting for the punch line. Then, they’d respond with a genuinely surprised, “Really? Why?” Then they’d reassure me that I didn’t have a drinking problem (because if I had a drinking problem, it meant they had a drinking problem).

That’s when I’d find out that drinking was all we had in common. Then they’d start slyly trying to get me to drink, and I’d have visions of punching all of the skin off of their faces. So, for the first couple of weeks I wound up just avoiding people when at all possible. It sounds like a chickenshit way out, but it got me through the first of the bad spots without hurting many people in the process, and I murdered almost nobody.

Almost.

Once the irritability subsides, you’re about to reap the rewards of …

#1.
The Blissful High

For a few days after a person becomes completely detoxed, his body will get an unexpected dose of oxygen, real food and natural chemicals that will put him on a natural high. It’s just a symptom, just like the pooping, and likewise it won’t last. Truthfully, you don’t want it to.

You can’t sustain this expression without being beaten constantly.

But in the mean time, rainbows will shoot out of your ass, and it will feel like the final scenes of Independence Day. You’ve overcome your addictions! The alien ships have been destroyed! You just did what they all said you couldn’t do!

Except you haven’t. There is no finish line with alcohol recovery. Ninety percent of alcoholics relapse within the first four years. There are still shitloads of ships up there, and each one of them requires Randy Quaid to improbably fly into it at the exact moment it attacks with its giant laser beam.

It turns out that drinking doesn’t make a person an alcoholic. The part of a person’s brain that makes him drink to excess is what makes him an alcoholic, and the mechanism for the addiction is still there. This is why people in 12-step programs say that you’ll always be an alcoholic, even if you’re not drinking. Alcohol isn’t the disease; it’s a symptom. Or rather, it’s an attempt to self-medicate the disease.

It’s hard for people to understand why I can’t just downgrade from “alcoholic” to “moderate drinker.” There are plenty of people out there who can drink in moderation. They can down a couple with their friends, shit on the hood of a cop car, go to sleep and forget all about booze the next day. I’m not one of them. Neither was my dad, who died at age 49 from this shit.

I think I’ll find a better way to teach my kids the same lesson.

Perhaps some sort of terrifying puppet show …

If you’re a drunk and have started to realize that your story is going to end with a bunch of your friends telling hilarious drinking stories at your funeral, I promise you that quitting is totally worth it, despite all the bad stuff I described above. I’m one year sober as of last week, and I’ve never felt better or more proud of myself in my life. And in that year, I have not woken up even one time with a cock drawn on my face.

11 Things Not to Do on a First Date

0f2d778c59515dd6e48326666ee5dff4 11 Things Not to Do on a First Date

You thought you hit it off, but you never heard from him again. What gives? A blogger turns to a trusted male friend to find out the subtle things sometimes do on dates that turn off.

[Editor's note: writes theYear of Living Flirtatiouslyblog for MarieClaire.com. This is an excerpt from that blog.]

The other week, I went on a with a nice guy. We had a decent time, although I decided to (very politely) turn him down when he asked me on a second date. (He wants to make gobs of in a manner that I think shows the standard amorality that most incredibly successful businessdudes have to have, which doesn’t jive with my worldview.)

Offhandedly, I mentioned to a female friend that I’d turned down this guy’s second-date request, and she expressed some frustration over the fact that she doesn’t get asked on second dates as often as she’d like to. What, she asked me, might she be doing wrong?

On first dates, plenty of do little things that are big turnoffs, even though we often don’t realize it. So I decided to bug one of my best male friends — we’ll call him Teddy; he’s a novelist and and an astute observer of the race — to tell me about little things women do on first dates that might turn men off. Here’s his list (with my commentary):

1. Don’t dress like a slut ? or a schoolmarm.
Be stylish and sexy, but not slutty. So, no excessive cleavage, no heels so high you can barely walk in them, no barely-there skirts. You want to earn the dude’s respect and make him think you are a person worthy of pursuit ? not just a sex object.

2. Don’t in any way indicate that you are interested in future contact … until the very end.
This is actually a tougher rule to follow than it would seem to be. Because sometimes you’ll find yourself discussing a new restaurant that’s supposed to be really cool, and you’ll say something like, “We should go sometime.” Or you’ll mention one of your favorite books and, because you’re a generous person, you’ll say, “I can lend you my copy.” Problem is, by doing this kind of thing, you force a guy to ask himself whether or not he wants to see you again before he’s even gotten a chance to know you ? which can make him feel awkward. Let him warm up to you. You don’t want to come off as overeager. So wait until the end of the date before you say, “It’d be nice if we hung out again.” Even better: He’ll be the one to say that, and you’ll simply agree wholeheartedly.

3. Don’t be bitchy.
Sure, a lot of men like “a challenge.” But that means they’re into women with self-respect — not mean girls. Don’t be rude to the waiter or snotty to the bartender. Don’t mock the behavior — or outfit — of another in the restaurant. Be regal and rise above all forms of cattiness and smallness.

4. Don’t mention anything that could make you come off as emotionally unstable.
No TMI, please. The guy across the table isn’t your therapist or your best buddy. A first date is not the time to start venting about your terrible relationship with your parents, your despised boss, or some whacked-out fight you’re having with a friend. (If you feel like you are emotionally unstable, maybe you should see a therapist and get yourself together a little before doing any serious .)

5. Don’t mention you’re taking antidepressants.
Goodness knows, I’m all in favor of taking them. But unfortunately, a lot of people have misguided notions about what they are and who is on them. Let him get to know you — and to understand you’re not “crazy” — before he gets to know about your meds.

6. Do not engage in self-deprecation.
As I’ve said before; this is a really hard thing to get right. So, rather than run the risk of coming off as insecure or self-loathing (not attractive qualities, FYI), avoid pointing out any of your shortcomings.

7. Don’t mention ex-boyfriends or dudes you dated. Not one!
You don’t want to give him the sense you’re still hung up on your ex. And it can also be off-putting if you mention some dude you were casually dating. He might get the impression you sleep around or you’re trying to brag about how wildly attractive the male race finds you. (We know, we know — but no need to broadcast it.) So, as much as possible, avoid discussion of your romantic history.

8. Do offer to help with the check.
Guys appreciate that a LOT even if they have no intentions of letting you help with the bill.

9. Don’t get too drunk.
For serious, ladies. Slurring your words or having so much trouble sitting straight it seems like you’re on a slip-and-slide rather than a bar stool? Not good. If you’re prone to getting drunk easily, make sure to put something in your gullet before you meet the guy, even if you’re having dinner together. (I mean it! Otherwise, that first glass of wine on an empty stomach can do a lot of damage. And since it takes 30 minutes to digest food — while alcohol gets into your system ASAP — the bread your waiter brings won’t help much.) Limit yourself to three drinks or, if you’re a lightweight like me, ONE. And stick to wine or a beer you know. Cocktails and fancy microbrews can vary greatly in their alcohol content.

10. Do not talk about sex. At all.
Especially not as a non sequitur. Unless you want the guy to get the impression you’re just looking for a one-night stand or a friendship with benefits. And I dunno about you, but I’m not interested in that kind of thing.

11. Let him initiate the first kiss.
And you be the one to withdraw your lips first, to leave him wanting more.

5 Symptoms Of Sex Addiction Revealed

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Every once in a while the world is blessed with a high profile celebrity scandal. Whether it’s a politician, an athlete, or a movie star, everyone loves to watch the dirt get slowly revealed. In the past, celebrities like Jack Nicholson and Wilt Chamberlain proudly boasted about the booties they tapped. Piling up an endless list of naked bodies that they stood on top of like true champions. Today’s womanizer is marred with addiction and self pity. Is it the wedding ring that makes the addict? The guilt? Are celebrities the only ones that can get away with claiming addiction? Here are five signs to tell if you are a addict.

1.) Post Loathing

Maybe love isn’t the word. Maybe screw, ball, hump, or pump is more appropriate, but the point is the same. If your climax comes with a nice hefty side of guilt, if you light up a cigarette and feel ashamed, you might be addicted to genital activity.

For the average college student, whose life is full of debauchery, alcohol, and mistake, post love loathing is as common as a hangover, but can’t be cured with Advil and an Egg McMuffin.

2.) Boobs Instead of Books

Many sex addicts experience an inability to learn. It’s not because they’re stupid, but because their minds are so overfilled with porno scenes, sex toys, and promiscuous fantasies that there just isn’t room for anything else.

This means that daydreaming about the thong of the girl who sits in front of you, or boob doodling during a colonial American history lecture, or if you find the ecstatic screams of the female so soothing that it helps you study, you could be on the brink of a sexually addictive lifestyle.

3.) An Absence of Morality

Sex addicts have no concept of possession. They do not see a girl as someone’s , wife, or fiancé, they see them as a penetrable hole. An addict will sleep with their best friends girl if the opportunity arises. They lack the ability to say no. If it was truly an immoral thing to do, the girl would have said no, right?

Sex addicts do not see rules, boundaries, or laws, they see opportunities. Your mom, your girlfriend, your sister, it’s all fair game in the life of a sex addict.

4.) The Double Life

Most sex addicts are ashamed of their behavior. This shame is actually what separates an addict from a whore. An addict does not brag about their sexual exploits, they hide them from peers, from girlfriends, and they do their best to hide it from the media. A whore on the other hand keeps a running tally on their bedroom wall. They keep a photo journal, a video library, and a little black book.

An addict hides their fetish porn, gag balls, and anal beads in the back of the closet. They might have a girlfriend that he practices a ritual of missionary sex with, but when she’s gone, a new person comes out to play with all the hookers, strippers, and self pity that he can get a hold of.

A persons addiction will grow with time as they need more sex to create the same high. Eventually the light bondage turns to S&M, the multiple partners turns to multiple orgies, and the small rash turns to gonorrhea.

5.) Bars, Booze, and Bjs

It is commonly believed that alcoholism and are linked. These two addictions can occur simultaneously, but they really have nothing to do with each other. The sex addict, however, will probably spend just as much time in the bar as the alcoholic. They will be sipping on the same all night, watching the tail around them lower their guard and self-esteem. Most sex addicts aren’t predators though, they just know where the p**sy’s at.

For the average guy, wooing a girl in the library isn’t much of a possibility. So they have to go to a bar where the lights and girls are equally dim, and everyone is looking for the same thing.

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If you think you’re a sex addict, then guess what, you probably are. The good news is that everyone else is too. So what separates the addicts from your typical college students? When does sexual addiction become a problem? Well, it becomes a problem when you can’t find anywhere to stick it, and it becomes an addiction when you get caught by your girlfriend.

So work on your crying face, a sincere apology, and the new cheaters excuse. “I’m sorry, I just can’t control it,” tear, “it’s an addiction.” Then wait for the consoling hug and the pity sex.

Remember, sex can be a drug just like anything else. It’s fun while your doing it, can give you an amazing high, and can drop you just as fast. So beware of the BJ, it is the gateway to sexual addiction.

8 Cool New Gadgets Every Man Should Own

Reviewing 8 cool new gadgets that were featured on InStash.com this past month. Find out about the latest and greatest in gear for guys!

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Nottage Design G1 Pool Table

Price: $40,000

The Nottage Design G1 Pool Table is flat and rigid and coated in a substance called Vitrik to ensure that it won’t sound like an amplified tap dancing session when you’re banging the balls around. When you do sink one, the clear table allows you to see the ball return system in action, so there is never any of who’s winning.

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Airquee Inflatable Pub

Price: $12,000+

If you find your ability to drink socially hampered by the you , you might want to invest in the Airquee Inflatable Pub. Measuring 40 x 19 x 22-feet, the pub can be inflated in about 10 minutes using the two included pumps, letting you and 30 of your closest drinking buddies gather ’round for a few rounds.

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Apple 2010

Price: $49-$399

Apple fans have cause for excitement as the company has introduced an update to its iPod Nano, called the iPod Nano 6, as well as a redesigned iPod Shuffle–and yes, the buttons are back! Oh, and let’s not forget about the updated iPod Touch.

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EdgeStar 5 Liter Mini Keg Dispenser

Price: $159

The EdgeStar 5 Liter Mini Keg Dispenser is doing for drinking what iPods did for music–except this has a lot better chance of getting you some action than your MP3s of Barry White. And that’s saying something!

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Gear4 UnityRemote

Price: $99

The Gear4 UnityRemote is one of the latest innovations to coordinate with your . Instead of keeping six clunky remotes sitting around to change the channel, pause the movie, switch songs on the stereo, and shut off your lady’s incessant whining, you can use this one simple tool on your to make it all happen.

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Ostendo CRVD 43? Curved Display

Price: $6,500

Hardcore gamers and productivity nerds alike will find something to love about the Ostendo CRVD 43? Curved Display. This monstrous monitor is the first commercially available curved display and features a resolution of 2880 x 900.

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Smart Planet CDM 1 Corn Dog Maker

Price: $25

If you’re a religious corn dog eater, but don’t like the cholesterol and triple-bypasses that go with them, you might want to have a look at the Smart Planet CDM-1 “No Fry” Corn Dog Maker. Just dip the dogs in batter (up to six of them at a time) and drop ‘em in the CDM-1. In a few minutes, you’ll have golden-brown corn dogs with less fat thanks to the appliance’s Foreman Grill-esque cooking technique.

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Seabreacher X

Price: $100,000

Introducing the Seabreacher X, a futuristic piece of machinery straight out of a James Bond that can now be your reality. Capable of 25 miles per hour below the surface and 50 mph above, this shark-like vessel is a bit cooler than, say, a waverunner.

Why Your Bad Looks Don’t Matter to Hot Girls

d9d19db0f5eea0d5ae8f05fb7fd431f5 199x300 Why Your Bad Looks Don’t Matter to Hot GirlsWatching football – involuntarily – with the boyfriend, I found myself bombarded by commercials. Given that I don’t drink (real drink tequila, straight), I wasn’t interested in actual brands. No, I found myself more transfixed by the appearance of the . Scratch that, the appearance of . Not only were these average guys hanging out with unbelievably attractive supermodel types in the ads, they were married to them.

“Yeah, f**king right,” I thought. What kind of world do these beer companies think we’re living in anyway – one without leagues, as in “she’s so out of his”? Satisfied the advertisements were an exercise in wishful thinking, I put the Disproportionately Attractive Beer Couple out of my mind.

And then I looked around at my real life. Everywhere I went, I saw hot women parading around with less-attractive . I searched through my mental-Rolodex of celebrity couples. Dammit! If they weren’t both genetically perfect, the guy was always- always less hot than the . and Seal. and all the sketchy guys she’s married. and anybody.

The celebrity world, just like the real world, actually seems to emulate the Beer Commercial, filled with Couples Who Don’t Make Sense.

But isn’t it good that couples don’t always “match”? Maybe they’re looking beyond the faced of superficiality! Maybe… but why is it that so many of these couples let the attractiveness fall to the job of the woman? Is it just my imagination that every guy in a disproportionate relationship is dating two to three points higher than himself?

My friend Sarah, a Harvard law student, thinks women rate their ’s arm-candy quotient lower on their priority list, instead going for charisma, personality and a certain worldliness. But beware, she warns: “The guy who’s a three is obviously with you in part for you looks, and your sway in the relationship is generally about your sex appeal and about the guy’s feelings of inadequacy.” God, that’s depressing.

I wanted to reject Sarah’s pessimism- real men don’t think like that… do they? Oh yes, yes they do. I had no trouble finding Shallow Hal types when I searched amongst the Y-chromosomes.

“Would you ever date a woman less attractive than you”? I asked three USC seniors. “Date? No. F**K? Hells, yeah.” It turns out that they reserve dating down for sex, blow jobs and well, that’s about it. “When you want to get with an ugly chick who has a good body, you just brown bag her,” said one of the USC guys. “You know,” they explained, “pretend in your mind the girl has a brown bag over her head.”

“The problem with ugly girls,” another USC dude added, “is that they fall in with you.” this from a fellow who hadn’t had a date since high school. Any woman in the same dry spell would assume she needed to do some self-improvement. Instead, this guy seemed content to sit around, smoke pot and make grandiose statements on the flawed condition.

I couldn’t see any downside for the guy. I called up an ex-boyfriend of mine, a senior at Berkeley. “Are there any disadvantages for a guy bodering on fugly to date an extremely attractive woman?” I asked. “You would know.”

The downside is that you’re constantly trying to convince your significant other to stay with you while battling your inadequacy,” he said. “No matter how great the relationship is, in the back of your mind you’re always wondering.”

In the back of our minds, we’re always wondering, no matter what. Maybe even the Beer Couple guy.

Well, maybe not him. But everyone else.

Ask Dr. Chaves: The Downside Of Rimming

237 rimming sex toys and more flash Ask Dr. Chaves: The Downside Of Rimming

shopping spree
Dr. Chaves,

If you had a couple of hundred bucks to spend on sex, what would you recommend getting?

-Jack

An escort! Well, if it’s legal in your neck of the woods, of course. I assume you meant sex toys. Here’s what’s on my personal Christmas list. Since I get off more if she’s having fun and having orgasms, I’d buy sex toys for her pleasure. If she loves intense clitoral stimulation, I’d buy a Hitachi wand or the Form 2 by Jimmyjane. Both are really powerful (like the engine of a lawnmower) and do most of the work for me. If she likes play, I’d go with the stainless steel Pure Wand by Njoy. If she likes a combination, I’d get the classic rabbit vibrator. If it were clothes I was looking for, I’d purchase a leather corset from Stormy Leather and throw in the garter belt, stockings and heels (OK, the heels put me over $200, but what’s a corset without stilettos?). If I were buying for myself, I’d get a masturbation toy with the Tera Patrick or Jesse Jane model, and a vibrating cock ring. Sex toys are the gifts that keep on giving. Sadly, all you’ll have left from an escort is a smile and the memory. Huge smile, though.
the reality of rimming
I’m a huge fan of girls’ butts and just love my girlfriend’s backside. I rim her a lot. I’ve heard that you can get diseases and that it’s bad for you, but we’ve been doing it for months and I’m fine, she’s fine, and nothing has happened. How safe is it?

-Ray

The sexological term for rimming is anilingus, or oral-to-anus contact. You’re not alone in your passion for booty. Rim jobs are becoming increasingly popular as our culture gets more comfortable with anal play and sexual behaviors. I wouldn’t say it’s bad for you, but I would say rimming has benefits and risks, like most sexual behaviors. Benefits: you tell me! Most will say the psychological arousal of burying your face near the anus and the heightened nerve sensations and pleasure felt are the most common benefits. Risks: There is the possibility of cuts, tears (blood exposure) and fecal matter present, which increases the risk of infections, exposure to bacteria and STIs. To be more specific, E. coli, Hepatitis A, B or C, parasites, and Herpes I & II are a few of the possibilities that can be contracted. I’d suggest getting tested for STIs, washing the anus and using a barrier when performing anilingus. A dental dam, a condom cut down one side (flat piece of latex), or non-microwaveable plastic wrap (microwaveable is porous) are each barrier methods that can significantly reduce the risks.
hazy memories
Recently, I got drunk and blacked out for the first time. I don’t remember anything about the end of the night, and I woke up next to a girl I didn’t know. I left pretty quickly and just got out of there. I have no idea if we had sex or not. My question is: Can I still have sex when I’m blacked out?

-Adam

Read on for Dr. Chaves’ answer and for more questions on the scent of a and jealousy..

It’s one thing to have beer goggles, but it’s a whole other ballgame to end up with a booze blindfold. Your can do almost anything it sets its mind to do. Some even say it has a mind of its own. For most, the large amounts of alcohol it takes to black out are enough to render the a flaccid observer. For some, however, an erection and even are still possible. It would be a good idea to get tested for STIs, cross your fingers that a paternity test isn’t in your future and do your best to regulate your drinking. If the blackouts continue and boozing gets beyond your control, don’t hesitate to seek professional help or AA.
friending exes
I was on last week and saw that my girlfriend added one of her ex-boyfriends to her profile. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m kind of annoyed but don’t want to be the insecure jealous guy who can’t handle it. Do I tell her or keep it to myself?

-Simon

Everyone has a different view on the etiquette of befriending exes and old hookups on social networking sites. Let’s be honest, some people have cheated or broken off relationships with the help of social networking. The mere fact that you wrote AskMen tells me it’s on your mind and bothering you. What’s the benefit of keeping it inside and risking it growing into something bigger? If you bring it up appropriately, you won’t look insecure or jealous. Women appreciate signs that their man wants them, cares about them and finds them sexy and desirable. Just express yourself. That’s what we do in healthy relationships: we communicate and express what bothers us and what makes us happy. If she gets mad at you or breaks up because you brought this up, it’s obvious that your relationship wasn’t as strong as you thought. How many girls have you dated or hooked up with on your Facebook page? Expect that question to come up. Don’t hold her to a different standard than you hold yourself.
scent of a woman
Sometimes, when I go down on my wife, there is a distinct smell and a pasty taste to her. It doesn’t happen all the time, and I can’t figure out why this happens occasionally. It’s not an infection, as she never gets yeast or bacteria infections and gets checked out two times per year by her doctor. She doesn’t sweat much and showers daily. It’s not her juices, because those taste pretty good when they get flowing. It’s more on the outside and happens just in the beginning before she gets fully wet. What do you think it might be?

-Miles

Wow! I’m impressed at how well you know your wife’s vulva, scents and bodily changes. That tells me you spend a lot of time down there. Any chance her scent or taste is affected by the time of the month/menstrual cycle? What’s interesting is you state her lubrication tastes good, which is often affected by smoking, poor diet and bacteria/infection. If things seem OK internally and there’s no discharge, the issue appears to lie externally. A distinct smell and a pasty taste, you say? Sounds like female smegma. Smegma is a cheese-like substance made up of oil secretions, dead skin cells and moisture (sweat). It’s totally natural for all humans, has a unique scent and is usually found in the folds of the female vulva (labias, clitoral hood) as well as inside the foreskin of an intact male. Production can increase if a person sweats or keeps the genitals in a humid, warm environment. A female can air out the vulva by not wearing underwear to and cotton panties during the day helps (I always vote no panties during the day, but it’s her call). Smegma can be washed away with warm water or with an anti-bacterial soap or a gentle cleanser (Cetaphil wash is very mild). Keep in mind that some cleansers may irritate the vulva. Vaginal wipes or baby wipes can easily freshen up the external vulva. Also, the scent could be attributed to urine and wiping. Sometimes when a female wipes, small amounts of toilet paper residue with dried urine are left and can sit on our genitals all day, creating a scent. The scent can be heightened if there is pubic hair present.

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5 Reasons You’re Not Dating Smarter Women

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Let’s face it, try as we might, most of get stuck across the table from a date who does not know CNN from MTV. The truth is, it’s not the fault of the girl with the bleach blonde and fake boobs, it’s yours! Here are five reasons you aren’t with an IQ higher than their age.

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Aqua-Velva

5. You bathe in Aqua Velva

If you walk down the street and bugs drop dead around you, you are using too much cologne or body spray. The only women attracted by the scent of a who just walked out of a vat of Axe body spray are the ones who have drank to much to be able to smell anything.

361d40172c6415b0c0748ba068aa0d65 5 Reasons Youre Not Dating Smarter Women

Hair-Gel

4. You own an industrial sized box of hair product

If you spend an hour of your evening getting your hair to look like the kids’ from Growing Up Gotti, you’re going to get the same type of girls that they do. Leave the fauxhawk at and spend more time not looking like an ass.

ef041ddc5cfd8c895bc20549bd1b45f6 5 Reasons Youre Not Dating Smarter Women

Snot-Bubble

3. You have the interests of a 10-year-old

Usually the problem lies in the conversations that you have with girls. If you keep rambling about how awesome NASCAR is, or are too distracted by her boobs to notice that she has been talking about how her role model is Hilton, you’re setting yourself up to date a doorknob.

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Heidi-Montag

2. Big Boobs = Small Brains

It is one of the most basic rules of life, probably created by the ancient Greek Philosophers. Chicks who walk around with their boobs hanging out at clubs likely do not have a book club they have to attend the next day.

4f03cc5a9409c342144d2ecfaf1b7d2c 5 Reasons Youre Not Dating Smarter Women

Mensa

1. Mensa candidates don’t hang out at $1 ladies night

If you are tolling the bars to find a girl that won’t put you to sleep everytime that she opens her then maybe you’re better off dating dumber girls to make yourself feel better. The only girl you’re going to find in a bar is one that will call you a month later and tell you to get yourself checked.

Beer Goggles! Strong Enough for a Man, More Effective on Women

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In news that provides with yet another reason to curb our drinking, researchers at Roehampton University in have figured out the mechanism behind goggles, and it seems we’re in trouble. Not only are goggles real, but psychologists have been trying to figure out how they actually work for years, with most assuming that people just get a bit, well, less picky once they get sauced up. These brave scientists took their work out of the lab and into local bars to find out exactly what happens.

Surely you’ve heard of the idea that we find people attractive based on how symmetrical their faces are, and that famously, Denzel has the most symmetrical face of all time? That bit of cocktail party trivia was the focus of this study. Patrons at a local bar were all shown pictures of faces; first, 20 pairs of faces, each with one symmetrical face and one asymmetrical face, and the boozer’s job was to pick the more attractive face of each pair. Then they were shown 20 images of the same face, each slightly digitally distorted, and asked to decide if each face was symmetrical or not.

What they found was that the higher the blood-alcohol content, the less people could tell if a face was scientifically gorgeous. Sober people were pretty unified in which faces they thought were most attractive, whereas drunk people were all over the place, picking people seemingly at random, and this problem especially affected . were much less likely to lose their symmetry-detecting abilities, and when asked, the researchers could not explain this finding, only saying, “ tend to ogle more than do.” So, because they look at more in general, they’re better at judging them?

Regardless, figuring out why alcohol makes you more sexually charitable is a good lesson to learn. Next time you’re out at a bar on the prowl, make a toast to symmetry and perhaps keep a small ruler in your purse for measuring faces. It’s always a good idea to check your work. And just for fun, check out our beer goggles calculator and predict your chances of making a decision you’ll regret tomorrow, tonight!

Are Booty Calls Good For Society?

bootycall Are Booty Calls Good For Society?

Science has officially recognized the booty call.

In a study from the University of West , researchers surveyed 300 college students who had engaged in sexual of varying intensity over the past year. They then divided these arrangements into three distinct categories: committed , one-night stands and, now with lab-coat approval, the booty call.

“Booty call was a hybrid,” said Peter Jonason, the psychologist who conducted the study. “We positioned it in the middle (of sexual and romantic relationships), but we positioned it mostly on the side of .”

According to the study, the booty call involves less emotional attachment than committed relationships and more sexual variety and experimentation than a . Booty calls are also defined by their ad hoc nature; while they happen between two people over an extended period of time, they are usually arranged last minute by late-night phone call or text.

“Booty calls” have probably been around since at least the advent of the go-between or carrier pigeon, but they have clearly become more popular over the last decade or so.

Is their increased frequency a good thing for society? We debate the pros and cons of the booty call after the jump.

Is the booty call relationship a healthy relationship?
Of course — healthy and quite fun. Nope — because you don’t fully respect the person you’re sleeping.

Go Forth With the Calling of Booty
The University of West Florida study really drives the point that sex in the context of a booty-call relationship is crazy and experimental. And that’s probably what’s needed to compete with all the wild stuff the kids are going to see on the Internet.

Let’s be frank: If you do the booty-call thing right, you are drinking and playing video games with your friends until around midnight; and then a chick comes over and has sex with you. If that doesn’t have any appeal, somebody needs to take away your guy card — and then smack you with it.

At least American college kids are figuring out new ways to have sex with each other. Over in Japan, the young folks are having sex with body pillows.

Separating the Booty From the Is a Dangerous Game
The longer you engage in a booty-call relationship, the better the chance your partner in this no-strings-attached is also doing the booty-call thing with one of the 16 percent of Americans who has genital herpes.

Because of the booty call, now college students and young adults are able to get all sorts of wild sex without any emotional attachment. In other words, it’s the exact opposite of what is going to happen when they get married. The booty call may well leave a generation of people woefully unprepared for the sacred institution.

The word “booty”: It just sort of makes uncomfortable.