Analog to Digital Signal Switch

Last Friday, the FCC finally decided to switch off all analog TV signal and went digital. Now if you’re like me you’ve ignored everything about this “Switch” and suddenly find yourself without a television to watch. So what’s a frugal American to do in these economic hard times? Well you can get a cable or satellite set up, but with the average cable fee being over the price of say a full tank of gas per month (just for the basic package),  who wants to spend that? This is especially considering that you have a perfectly good working internet connection and presumably at least one computer lying around.

The following alternatives are a cheap and often free way to avoid having the cable guy run wires through your house.

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Cool Material Round-Up - Men’s Gear

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	Toolbox Garage Refrigerator You can tell the misses that you’re going to the  basement to get some work done, when you’re really just going to eat a snack and throw back a few cold beverages.
	Ubiquity Boombox Wallet Its simple illustrated white pattern on black pops like your old speakers cranked up to 11. Slim yet roomy, the wallet features a large pocket with a divider and holds up to 8 cards.
	Lunar Pool Table In the future all pool tables will look like the Lunar Pool Table, or at least we really hope so. Not just good looking, this billiards table integrates with your iPod through 80w speakers complimented by LED lights.
	Vertical Pocket Wallet The Vertical Pocket is a snap-closure wallet with spacers that allow for more cards and cash but still keep it lean enough to fit in your pants.
	Hamburger Press Made of cast aluminum with a green rubberized wood handle, the press allows you to prep two burgers at a time, so your patties look perfect from start to finish.
	3D Chess Board There’s something epic about the mountainous design that you just don’t get with any other chess board.
	Thanks Wikipedia T-shirt We’d be lying if we said we didn’t use Wikipedia as a reference for college papers (we just didn’t cite them since the professor banned it as a source). So why not finally give credit where credit is due.
	Ostrich Drinking & Gaming Case The Ostrich Drinking and Gaming case includes 2 crystal wine glasses, leather coasters, bottle opener and stopper and 2 packs of playing cards, and of course a place to hold a bottle of wine.

AskElle: That’s What She Said

Dear Elle,

I’m a college student studying architecture. For the last year, I have been so stressed out with the workload that I completely let go of my body and health. I’m estimating that I’ll need about 4 months recovery time from all the laziness, smoking and drinking that hacks at my body. Girls have seriously lost interest in me and I feel like I have lost confidence and motivation in myself. When I had a girlfriend, I was so motivated to take care of myself but now I am in this difficult situation where I don’t have a girlfriend because I don’t take care of myself and I can’t motivate myself to do so without some female figure in my life. At this point, should I just sit out of the game and focus on rebuilding myself before even thinking about girls? Or maybe there are spots other than bars/clubs/my male infested school/etc where I can meet girls and just talk to them and use my charm instead of my usually stunning good looks :P

Much love,
Dazed and Confused Danny

Danny,

Not all girls are shallow. If you can charm them, you should, by all reasons charm them.

But, if you don’t feel confident in yourself because of your appearance, then there’s not a lot of point in trying. I’d say, confidence is more important than a really amazing body. But it’s not about being a confident dickwad, it’s about being a confident gentleman.

As far as places to meet women? Um. Everywhere? Need I mention my match.com debacle?

—

If you would like to ask Elle a question about dating, relationships or something else ridiculously interesting, send an email to askelle@ploomy.com.

Elle Chyun is a dancer and arts collaborator living in NYC. She’s a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and currently dances with cakefaceart.com and robot hands. She likes vodka, shoes, and sarcasm.

2009 Lincoln MKS Review

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last couple years, you know that the American auto industry has seen better days. This is why I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from the venerable Ford Motor Company asking us to take a look at their 2009 Lincoln MKS.

I said yes to the test drive not because I happen to love American cars (I drive an older Acura CL myself), but because I wanted to see firsthand what type of car the American auto industry has to offer in these troubled times.

With the Lincoln MKS, Ford is competing directly with the likes of the Lexus GS350, Infiniti M35 and Cadillac STS among others. And out here in the Bay Area, where German and Japanese cars dominate the mid-luxury sedan space, it was refreshing to be driving something different

After the car was dropped off, I asked a couple people in the office to come check out the MKS.  Both were impressed with the stance of the car. “It looks mean. Look at that grill, it’s a BEAST”, said one of them. The other said, “Wow, it’s not what I expected.” Read into those comments all you want, but I was equally impressed when I first saw the MKS.

When I think of a Lincoln, a quiet, tuxedo black Towncar with a comfy cloud-like ride comes to mind. These have become the defacto standard non-taxi work horses I see all around downtown San Francisco.

With the MKS, it’s a huge departure from what I have come to think about Lincoln. The lines and overall fit and finish of the MKS are very impressive.

The interior looks and feels like what I would expect for a $40k+ car. It doesn’t shout out luxury, but the leather and wood trim accents are very nice. On the center console, the knobs and dials were a tad too small. I did like that the center arm rest telescoped and extended out some (nice touch). I also liked how the seat belt height could be adjusted easily and was also hidden at the same time.  The interior is not as spacious as I would have guessed looking at the car from the outside, but in no way was it small. I had a friend who is 6′2″ sit in the back and he had no problems with the amount of head or leg room either. The gauges on the dash board looked a little budget. In particular, I didn’t like the fact that every MPH was displayed i.e. 40MPH, 50MPH, 60MPH (see image).  It felt a little cluttered and made it harder to read my actual speed.

Where I think the MKS really shines is in it’s technology enhancements. Rear view camera, Microsoft SYNC, keyless entry, push-button start, steering wheel controls, navigation, voice control and THX sound system were just some of the nice things I really enjoyed. Anyone looking for a car with these technology enhancements will not be disappointed. If you’ve ever seen the movie Flight of the Navigator, the MKS felt similar in terms of all the technology crammed into this car. While some of the voice commands took a little while to execute, the ease of use and increased functionality more than made up for it.

Another thing about the MKS that really stood out was the sheer size of the trunk.  It was Grand Canyon like. Holy shite, was it huge. You could fit at least a couple golf bags and at least a weeks worth of groceries in there. The only down side though was the lip or entrance into trunk felt a little tight, but you can’t have everything.

Once I got the car out on San Francisco roads, I was pleased. Although the MKS’s suspension feels a bit stiffer, it’s still similarly tuned to that of a Lexus over a BMW in terms of comfort. The steering is true, not overly sensitive and you get just the right amount of feedback to make driving it fun. There was noticeably more road noise in our test car, but that may be attributed to the stiffer suspension. Aside from that, the MKS handled very nicely. Whether on the street or on the freeway, the handling felt appropriate and the throttle responsive.

Overall, you can tell extra effort was put into making this car. Although I was skeptical in the beginning, I came away with a good impression of the Lincoln MKS. And in a way, it gives me hope that the American auto industry can turn it around. Now wouldn’t we all like that.

AskElle: That’s What She Said

My GF and I have been  going out for almost a year, and we’ve spent the holidays together, met each others families, I’ve even helped her stepdad build a downstairs living space. I get along with her fam and she’s the same way with mine. We enjoy lots of the same likes and dislikes, so doing stuff around town and at our houses is easy and fun for both of us.  But she has a busy schedule that she talks about and prevents us from hanging out some of the time, which doesn’t bother me cause I have a deadly schedule anyways lol.

A week ago, we broke up because she said she doesn’t need a boyfriend right now but she still wants to be friends and still wants me to stay in contact. Which kinda just blind sighted me. I mean I leave for boot camp in a few months (which she said she didn’t mind when I asked her when we first started dating) and her brother leaves 10 days before I do (for two years), and her step brothers are moving out in a week or two so she’s the only one in the house besides her parents during the summer and new school year (I don’t live with them).

I really care for her and before this relationship I was just a bad person who slept around and didn’t feel good about myself, but a little bit before I met her I changed my life in a positive way. Then decided to make a good healthy relationship with her (we worked together before I went back to school). I’m pretty smart and do lots of activities but I don’t know what I should do. I still text and message her like everyday. What should I do? (sorry it was long thnx 4 reading). JR

Dear JR,

Unfortunately, some relationships have a one sided shelf life. You probably wanted to go on with this girl forever… and she really didn’t feel the same. Mutual break ups are hard enough, but feeling like you’ve been dumped sucks big time. You constantly feel like you could really change their mind about dumping you if they’d just listen…

I think that women always have the problem of controlling themselves after a break up. We restrain ourselves from calling the other person so that we don’t sound like sociopaths. If you’re keeping busy in other ways, keep your hands off your phone. If she wants to talk she’ll contact you. It sounds ridiculous, but sometimes blatantly ignoring another person after a break up reminds them what it’s like to be without you. Which, you pray, means that they will come back to you. So, keep your fingers crossed, your hands clasped together in a permanent praying pose, and hope for the best.

And seriously, if it doesn’t work out, it’ll be okay. Really.

—

If you would like to ask Elle a question about dating, relationships or something else ridiculously interesting, send an email to askelle@ploomy.com.

Elle Chyun is a dancer and arts collaborator living in NYC. She’s a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and currently dances with cakefaceart.com and robot hands. She likes vodka, shoes, and sarcasm.

Sansa slotRadio Review

In the world of digital MP3 players, not many will argue the iPod as being the undisputed champion–and that’s why San Disk is trying a different approach with it’s new slotRadio Player ($99).

The slotRadio is different in that it comes with a card that is pre-loaded with 1,000 Billboard hits. Pause and take that in for a second and let me repeat. It comes pre-loaded with 1,000 songs. A little different huh? The downside is that someone chooses the music for you, but the upside is that you don’t have to download all that music in the first place (which for some is a huge pain). It’s very much like listening to Internet radio (without commercials), but with less customization.

If you tend to like popular Top 40’s type music, then for $99, the slotRadio player provides solid value. And if you had purchased all of the tracks individually on iTunes, that amounts to $1,000 of music.

Things we liked:

• It’s a time saver since there is no need to download any music or subscribe to any music sites. You don’t even need a computer.
• The pre-loaded music is actually pretty good. That is of course if you already like Billboard Top 40 music. You can get additional slotRadio cards pre-loaded with 1,000 more songs from many popular artists in specific genres including Rock, Country, Oldies and Hip Hop/R&B. The one we demo’d came with a mix card which had nice variety of artists and songs (albums go for $14.99 or additional 1,000 song cards are $49.99).
• No frills and easy-to-use. Took it out of the box and began playing music right away.
• Solid battery with 13 hours of playback.  We got about 12 hours 30 mins on the model we tested.
• Comes with a FM radio (score!).

Things we didn’t like:

• You can’t rewind songs.
• Black and white display didn’t add much value, but at $99 even having a display is nice so we’re not complaining too much.
• Because there is no internal memory, you can’t add songs from your PC, but you can get around that by loading the songs onto another microSD card.

The slotRadio is no iPod, but then again, it’s not trying to be. It makes a great gift for the busy person who doesn’t have time to download, doesn’t already have a large digital music library, but still wants a no-frills MP3 player to get their Taylor Swift or Foo Fighters on every once in a while. We were a bit skeptical at first with the pre-loaded music, but there’s just something about not having to fuss/manage with music files that makes this player a winner in our book.

You can buy the slotRadio directly from their website now and it will be in Radio Shacks nationwide soon.

Twitter Guide for Newbies

by Mike Calimbas

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a microblogging community. In other words, imagine sending out a text message to 2 people. Or 200 people. or 2,000 people. Now imagine being able to follow the text messages of the same amount of people as well. All these people interact with one another in a real-time environment. You get to see everything that is happening in the world first-hand, free of the bias and filtering of traditional channels. That is Twitter.

For more - Check out this slideshow for Twitter for Beginners from Paul Bradshaw.

Who is using Twitter?

As it emerged, twitter became home to technologists and first-adopters eager to use the latest and greatest in web 2.0 technology. As is such, a lot of twittterers are quasi-geeks like me or New Media Douchebags seeking a medium to market their goods! But as Twitter has gained traction, users beyond the technology sphere have begun to adopt twitter as well.

Now it’s not just everyday people like you guys buying into the Twitter phenomenon. Corporations, realizing that they actually need to engage their stakeholders in this day-and-age, have jumped on the bandwagon as well. You can follow some of these guys at @starbucks, @wholefoods, @comcastcares, and many more.

Read more »

The 19 Weight Training Must-Do’s For Beginners – Part 2 of 2

The 19 Weight Training Must-Do’s For Beginners – Part 2 of 2

Two weeks ago we shared the first 9 of these tips for beginners.  Check them out here.  This week we finish up with another 10 must-know items before beginning your weight training regimen.

10. Intensity Is Underrated

Whatever your routine is, do it hard.  (After you’ve gotten the form down.)  When I say hard, I mean hard.  You should feel like you couldn’t get another rep out of your set.  If you can do 3 more than your plan calls for, then you need to increase your weight.  And heavy weight helps your progress.  To get the proper hormonal response from weight training for building muscle, losing fat, and gaining strength you have to really push yourself.  This also means that you don’t skip workouts.  I realize that life happens, and you might have to miss a day.  But with your 3x per week schedule, you can miss a day and make it up to stick to 3x/week.  If you do get to the gym and “don’t feel too motivated”, you need to psyche yourself up.  A short intense workout is far better than a long half-effort one.

11. Rest

There are two types or rest:  in between sets and in between workouts.  For rest in between workouts, that’s taken care of by only going 3x a week (see previous point).  Muscle doesn’t grow during the exercise.  It grows AFTER the exercise and if you don’t let the fibers heal, you’ll see minimal progress.  As far as rest in between sets, this is a subjective area.  Generally, if you are going for fat loss as your primary goal, you want to have only 1 minute max in between sets.  For strength or muscle gain, you might want 2 or 3 minutes.  But remember point #3?  Stick to the program.

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Ready 2 Rumble Revolution Review

This past week at work sucked for me. This is why this past weekend I was excited to try out the Nintendo Wii’s latest boxing title, Ready to Rumble Revolution (by Atari). It would allow me to relieve some stress and have some fun punching somebody’s lights out.

With the latest incarnation by Atari, Ready to Rumble Revolution makes its way onto the Nintendo Wii console. If you were a fan of Midway’s original Ready to Rumble Boxing, or the follow up Ready to Rumble Round 2, there is definitely a striking resemblance. Both those previous games had a sizable following and accounted for countless hours of button mashing good times.

Here are my quick thoughts on the game.

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The 19 Weight Training Must-Do’s For Beginners – Part 1 of 2

The 19 Weight Training Must-Do’s For Beginners – Part 1 of 2

Tired of your current physique?  Looking to build some muscle?  Burn fat?  Gain Strength?

Done properly, weight lifting is the best exercise for all three goals.  Wanna lose fat while you sleep?  The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns at rest.  Wanna look good in a t-shirt and shorts?  Build some curves by adding muscle.  Looking for extra power in your favorite sport?  Strength training with weights helps almost every sport.

But if you’re just starting out (or if you’ve been just toying around at the gym and need to get your butt into a serious routine), you need to remember these 19 things.

1. Don’t Read The Muscle Mags
Ok.  You’re fired up like a George Foreman Grill, and ready to become Arnold Junior.  So where do most guys like you turn for advice?  The muscle mags.  But 50% of the muscle mags are pure ads.  And another 30% are ads disguised as articles.  And another 15% is either flat out bad advice or advice inappropriate for beginners.   That leaves 5% of goodness.  And the sad truth:  as a beginner, you won’t know the difference.  Skip the magazines and go for a serious book (see below).

2. Only Full Body, Compound Exercises For Your First 3 Months (No Curls!)
I know you want to do curls.  It’s ok to admit it.  Guys think big biceps are the sign of a real man.  Stop.  If you can’t do 15 chin-ups, you have no business doing curls. What you want to do – exclusively – for the first 3 months are compound movements.  Compound movements are those that involve more than one joint (and thus, recruit more than one muscle group).  Why?  You’ll burn more fat, you’ll get stronger, and you’ll build muscle more evenly throughout your body.  Plus, you won’t look like a ninny standing there doing curls for your full workout while your chicken legs squawk at all the serious lifters in the gym.  Most guys think the big guys at the gym will laugh if they do too little weight.  What the serious lifters really laugh at are men who think curls are going to do them much good.

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A Practical Guide to Office Romance

This guest post is from Chris Schonberger, Editor-in-Chief of Gradspot.com. He has never actually hooked up with a co-worker, but he once received unprompted relationship advice from three middle-age women during his days as an intern.

A Practical Guide to Office Romance

So, you’ve managed to buck the odds and land yourself a new job in this tanking economy. Excited to hook up with all your officemates? You should be. But you need to tread carefully—no matter how “progressive” companies claim to be, some HR departments will still come down on you like a ton of bricks if they think you’re using the terms “spread” and “sheets” in a context that doesn’t involve Excel.

That said, the taboo of the office romance is fading to some extent. Yes, there was a time when a little cubicle copulation was considered anathema to a successful career. “Business and pleasure don’t mix,” said the conventional wisdom. “Sex in the office is harassment, even if it’s consensual.” But while many people profess a “don’t deuce where you eat” philosophy with regards to getting it cracking in the workplace, the stats show that at least 40% of workers have tried it.

Young people are working longer hours, and as the work-life balance shifts further toward the “work is life” end of the spectrum, the office has become the new bar (with the only difference being that you have to wear headphones when you listen to “Living on a Prayer”). Before you dive in head first, consider a few crucial questions: Will an “affair de cubicle” alienate you from the rest of the office? Will your suit accommodate a surreptitious Texas tuck when the CEO rounds the corner? Do you really have no other prospects?

If you do decide to play with fire, here are the different scenarios you might run into:

Dating an equal. If you are dating another newb, it’s mostly up to the two of you to decide if competing for the same promotions, raises, and projects will breed ill will. Most other people won’t care as long as there’s not too much repulsive canoodling in the break room. However, think about your work-life balance—at the end of the day the last thing you want is a reminder of work, even if that reminder has boobs.

Dating a superior. When the boardroom becomes the boudoir, you’d better make sure you’re not the one under the table on all fours (unless you’re plugging in the projector). Let’s be blunt: sexing your boss is almost always a bad idea. Even if you successfully pull off an unethical plan to get ahead through sexual favors, the rumor mill is quick to spot an unjust promotion. If you really “like” your boss, check your feelings to make sure they are genuine. Then check his or her hand for a wedding ring. Then quit the job and get it cracking.

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AskElle: That’s What She Said

Dear Elle,

Right now I have a girlfriend. She’s fun but last week I realized that I like her friend more. I’m pretty sure that her friend likes me too. We have more in common, and have the same sense of humor. Am I allowed to break up with my girlfriend to pursue her friend? What should I do?

JS

Dear JS,

If one of your friends’ girlfriends was into you, would you want her to break up with your friend and then start canoodling with you? In communicable disease land, this sounds like a bad idea. I think there are some exceptions, say for instance, if you and your girlfriend are mutually not that interested in each other, and you haven’t slept together. I mean, do you think that the other girl wants sloppy seconds? Okay, well, maybe she does… but do you want to be the man doling out sloppy seconds?

—

If you would like to ask Elle a question about dating, relationships or something else ridiculously interesting, send an email to askelle@ploomy.com.

Elle Chyun is a dancer and arts collaborator living in NYC. She’s a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and currently dances with cakefaceart.com and robot hands. She likes vodka, shoes, and sarcasm.

Cool Material Round-Up - Men’s Gear

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	Engine Coffee Table Hand carved solid mahogany wood base and soft black leather, beautiful inlays of alligator and stingray skin … you could almost miss how bad ass this coffee table is.
	The Douche Card Now it’s incredibly simple to let someone know, Hey man, you’re a douche. The douche card doesn’t come with the ability to block a punch or run quickly, so use with care.
	Gear Coasters Get your motor runnin’ with gear coasters from designer Scott Sullivan. There’s even felt on the bottoms to pick up the condensation from drinks.
	Wood Socks While these may not make good firewood, they’re a great pair of socks to wear around the house while you relax and imagine yourself in more natural surroundings.
	Hard Cards From the creators - “We are tired of pretending that we’re happy about your babies, thrilled you’re turning another year older, or that we actually care about your problems.”
	Black Screen Watch The sleek, featureless face of the Black Screen Watch displays the time and date in digital format using LEDs only when its button is pressed. Once the button is released, the screen returns to its jet black state.
	Beer Soap The soap doesn’t actually smell like beer, but the soap comes from a blend of beer and other soap ingredients, giving the it a gentle hops or malt aroma.
	Balla Powder The name says it all. Balla Powder keeps your “soldiers” dry during the battle and smelling great when it’s time for war.

Ploomy Girl Brittany Taylor Diana Does Playboy

As you know by now, Ploomy is not a skin site, but that is not to say we don’t like beautiful women.

I’m proud to let you know that one of our very own Ploomy Girls, Brittany Taylor Diana appears in a 6-page spread in Playboy’s Special Edition Lingerie April/May edition out March 3, 2009. Congrats Brittany!

Although she’s already in the magazine, she still needs our help on her journey. Please take a look at her message below and help her out if you can.

From Brittany’s Facebook Group:

Brittany Taylor, Fashion Institute of Technology’s fashion major struts her stuff for PLAYBOY!!!!!

Hi everyone! My name is Brittany Diana, but you will find me under the name of Brittany Taylor in Playboy magazine! Playboy has always been a dream of mine, and I am so happy to be able to accomplish this dream! But, I need everyones kind words and support to keep me moving on my Playboy journey!!!!

Email Jeff Cohen Playboy Editor and let him know what you think of me and my pictorial!! This will be VERY helpful for me for future appearances in Playboy!! I would very much appreciate everyones support!!!!! One sentence is all it takes!!!!! His email is: jeffc@playboy.com

If you’d like to be our next Ploomy Girl or if you’d like to nominate someone, go here.

AskElle: That’s What She Said

Dear Elle,

Why don’t girls like beer?

-J

Dear J,
Why don’t girls like beer? Because we can’t pee standing up, and the instances in which only beer is provided, are instances where a toilet isn’t a given accessory. For example: tailgates, camping, and bonfires. A man must have had the stupid idea of lugging a 30 pack into the woods for these events. No woman would ever think, “I want to get drunk in the woods, lets bring alcohol with the lowest alcohol percentage and largest liquid volume.

Besides the fact that beer = overactive bladder syndrome, I like to reserve beer for activities like eating wings and at the end of multiple rounds of liquor. I think other women do this as well. It’s not that we don’t like beer (although, some do). it’s just that beer isn’t our stand by. Plus, there are other things to consider, like looking classy.  Nothing screams “trashy” like seeing a woman in a formal dress swigging out of a beer bottle (or two). The answer here is really sort of – it’s not that we don’t like beer, it’s that we only like it sometimes. As I’m sure you know, women are fickle.

—

If you would like to ask Elle a question about dating, relationships or something else ridiculously interesting, send an email to askelle@ploomy.com.

Elle Chyun is a dancer and arts collaborator living in NYC. She’s a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and currently dances with cakefaceart.com and robot hands. She likes vodka, shoes, and sarcasm.

The Back 9: Golf Etiquette Tips for Weekend Hackers, Part II

Since Tiger is back, the Masters loom, and days are becoming longer, we felt it would be a good time to revisit an old Ploomy favorite—golf etiquette tips. After many suggestions from readers and additional tips from recent rounds, here are more golf etiquette advice and general tips for your next time on the fairways.

10th Hole: Arrive on Time - You have a tee-time at 8:07am, but 1 person in your group is missing ten minutes prior to tee-off. He’s not answering his cell phone, no one has heard otherwise, and the starter is about to fill his spot with a single. If you’ve played enough times, you’ve been in this situation. It causes anxiety for the present golfers, which clouds the precious time before a round in which you should be focusing on your upcoming game. So give a good enough cushion or provide warning if you’re late. And please, traffic is never an excuse since there’s minimal traffic early Saturday morning.

11th Hole: 2nd shot on a Par 5 - You’re 300 yards out, and you might hit the green once out of every 100 times. You really don’t need to wait for the group ahead to finish up. How many times have you waited, then proceed to hit, only to not even getting remotely close to the green? This slows down the group behind, since they should have already teed off. And if by some miraculous shot you do approach the green, then great shot!

12th Hole: Dude, Where’s my ball? - Yes we all lose balls on a course, which is why the recycled golf ball market is so robust. You shouldn’t take no more than 5 minutes looking for a stray ball. Take a drop and penalize yourself. I know it was a brand-spanking new Pro-V1 that you paid $50 a dozen for, but again this contributes to slow play. If you anticipate having difficulty finding your ball, proceed early on to get a head start. Who knows, you might find additional balls during the process, even though they always seem to be Pinnacles.

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AskElle: That’s What She Said

Why don’t women like the word “moist”?  I have yet to meet a girl that doesn’t gag in their mouth at the word’s mention.  What makes “wet” so much better?  And while we’re at it, why do so few girls like jazz?  No girl has ever professed anything more than a mild tolerance for it, and, when given the option of a, lets sat for example, tapas or jazz club date, they always choose tapas.  An ex girlfriend once went to a club with me almost as a favor, that’s it.  Explain.

-Hector

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Recently Laid Off…How to Tune Up Your Resume

As someone along with the many thousands of others told to “hit the streets” and “take a hike Jack” (not that they actually said this but you get my drift), starting the job search to find gainful employment in this market can be daunting and downright depressing.

After four and a half years at the same employer, I found that I needed to have my resume taken in for a tune-up if not a major overhaul. There are a lot of services out there that can help you out, from monster.com to theladders.com, which have services that start at $140 for entry-level services and go all the way up to $400 for executive services. I found that a new up-and-coming service resumedonkey.com can offer all that value for a lower cost.

A little disclaimer is that I’m actually friends with the owner of resumedonkey, (Morgan Brown) but when I got the news that he launched this business a couple months ago I thought the timing couldn’t be better. Resumedonkey is a network of leading business professionals, HR veterans and professional writers who use their writing skills and HR experience to create stand-out resumes that get noticed. They offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee and their resume services start at a low price of $49.95. They offer this service at this price because they realize:

“If you’re here it’s probably for one of two reasons:

1. You don’t have a job and desperately need help finding one
2. You have a job that doesn’t pay you enough and are looking to climb the ladder

Either way, you probably don’t have a ton of cash to spend; but still recognize the importance of getting your foot in the door.”

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AskElle: That’s What She Said

Dear Elle,

Recently, my girlfriend broke up with me. we’ve been together for a year, and I wasn’t really expecting it, so I think that she’s been talking to someone else. When I asked her, she said no, but she wants to see other people. I don’t think she means it. Can I get her back?

From Ted

Read more »

How to Always Achieve Your Goals 100% of the Time

This is the time of year that many people already start to give up on their New Year’s Resolutions. Especially fitness goals.  Don’t be one of those people!

Not getting to your destination? Having trouble achieving your goals? You may have a problem that you haven’t considered – how you set them in the first place.

When you are doing everything you possibly can to achieve your goals, but just can’t quite seem to reach them, the problem might be that you are setting the wrong type of goal. Here’s a real-world example that you might see in business:

My goal is to increase company sales this year.

What’s wrong with this goal?

“This Year” is too long a time frame to measure progress.  You can easily lie to yourself each month you fail to see higher sales, by saying “I’ll make up for it next month”.

You don’t directly control company sales.  Most likely, you aren’t in a position to control company-wide sales.  Even a director of sales doesn’t technically “control” sales because customers must buy something for sales to increase, and you can’t control the customers. You can only take actions that will influence their decision to purchase.

Not measurable. How will you measure your success here?

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